The US-based PGA Tour is set to partner with the Saudi-backed breakaway LIV Golf, ending a feud that has dogged the men’s professional game for the past year.

The PGA Tour made the shock announcement on Tuesday, saying a new partnership with LIV and the DP World Tour would “unify the game of golf.”

“The parties have signed an agreement that combines PIF’s golf-related commercial businesses and rights (including LIV Golf) with the commercial businesses and rights of the PGA Tour and DP World Tour into a new, collectively owned, for-profit entity,” the statement read.

The LIV Golf series, backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), officially launched in June 2022, with participating players subsequently barred from competing in PGA Tour events. The PIF is a sovereign wealth fund chaired by Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, known by his initials MBS.

Bin Salman is the man a US intelligence report names as responsible for approving the operation that led to the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Bin Salman has denied involvement in Khashoggi’s killing.

According to the US State Department, the Kingdom’s dismal human rights record includes free speech restrictions, torture, political prisoners and enforced disappearances.

Officials at the daily White House news conference said they had no comment on the news.

9/11 families and survivors groups ‘deeply offended’ by merger

Groups representing families and survivors of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks were outraged by the developments.

The allegations of Saudi government complicity with the attacks have long been the subject of dispute in Washington. Fifteen of the 19 al Qaeda terrorists who hijacked four planes were Saudi nationals, but the Saudi government has denied any involvement in the attacks. The 9/11 Commission established by Congress said in 2004 that it had found “no evidence that the Saudi government as an institution or senior Saudi officials individually funded” al Qaeda.

“9/11 Families United is shocked and deeply offended by the newly announced merger between the PGA Tour and the LIV Golf league that is bankrolled by billions of sportswashing money from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Saudi operatives played a role in the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and now it is bankrolling all of professional golf,” a statement from the group reads.

Brett Eagleson, the president of the 9/11 Justice group, says a number of victims’ families are shocked at the announcement as the news “came out of left field,” leaving families “gut wrenched.”

All pending legal disputes ended

After the LIV Golf was announced last year, several star golfers left the PGA Tour for the super-rich contracts of LIV.

The two rival tours have since been involved in a series of legal disputes, with all pending litigation mutually ended under the new agreement. “After two years of disruption and distraction, this is a historic day for the game we all know and love,” PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan said in a statement.

Monahan described the deal as a “transformational partnership,” that would “benefit golf’s players, commercial and charitable partners and fans.”

He praised PIF Governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan, saying his “vision and collaborative and forward-thinking approach” was not only a solution to the rift within the sport but also a “commitment to taking it to new heights.”

“This will engender a new era in global golf, for the better,” he added.

In the same statement, Al-Rumayyan said it was an “exciting day,” for golf and the sport’s fans.

“There is no question that the LIV model has been positively transformative for golf. We believe there are opportunities for the game to evolve while also maintaining its storied history and tradition,” he said.

Al-Rumayyan told CNBC he expected the partnership to be finalized “in a matter of weeks” and was set to serve as the chairman of the new entity’s Board of Directors.

Players react

The emergence of the LIV Golf, offering huge prize money and guaranteed earnings across substantially fewer events than the PGA Tour, led to distinct fractures within the sport.

PIF pledged to award $250 million in total prize money for the tour’s inaugural season. Of the $25 million offered at each of the first seven events, $20 million was a guaranteed split between players.

The PGA Tour responded earlier this year by announcing a revamped schedule for 2024, with “designated events” offering increased prize purses, smaller fields, and no cuts.

Tiger Woods was also critical, arguing in July 2022 that players who joined LIV Golf had “turned their back on what has allowed them to get to this position.”

Phil Mickelson, one of the earliest to join LIV Golf, became one of the new tour’s most vocal defenders after facing heavy criticism for joining.

Responding to the announcement, Mickelson said on Twitter: “Awesome day today.”

Former President Donald Trump, whose courses have hosted several LIV Golf events, welcomed the news.

“Great news from LIV Golf,” Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social. “A big, beautiful, and glamorous deal for the wonderful world of golf. Congrats to all!!!”

Initial social media reaction from players suggested that some were caught unaware.

Collin Morikawa tweeted, “I love finding out morning news on Twitter,” while fellow pro Michael S. Kim said: “Very curious how many people knew this deal was happening. About 5-7 people? Player run organization right?”

‘A momentous day’

The Tour commissioner said LIV Golf’s 2023 calendar would continue as planned, while a “fair and objective process” would be established for players wanting to re-apply for PGA Tour or DP World Tour membership after the 2023 season.

Monahan ended the memo by saying there was “much work to do” to get from a “framework agreement to a definitive agreement,” but that the Tour’s “history, legacy and pro-competitive model not only remains intact, but is supercharged for the future.”

Monahan said he was planning to attend Tuesday’s players’ meeting at the RBC Canadian Open at 4 p.m. ET to answer questions regarding what he told players was a “momentous day for your organization and the game of golf as a whole.”

In a statement, Keith Pelley, Chief Executive of the DP World Tour, echoed Monahan’s comments.

“We are delighted to be able to not only reignite our relationship with PIF, but also to have the opportunity to build on our current Strategic Alliance partnership with the PGA Tour,” Pelley said.

“Together we will be stronger than ever and well positioned to continue to bring the game to all corners of the globe. To partner in this new entity and influence the growth of the game for all our DP World Tour members is energizing and exciting.”

Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive of The R&A, organizers of The Open Championship, said: “We are pleased that an agreement has been reached which will help men’s professional golf move forward in a collaborative, constructive and innovative fashion.

“We care deeply about golf’s future and are committed to ensuring that the sport continues to thrive for many years to come.

“This agreement represents a huge step toward achieving that goal for golf and we look forward to working with the new entity for the benefit of the sport globally.”

A Labrador and German shepherd mix named Zoey has claimed the record for the longest tongue on a living dog.

At 12.7 centimeters (5 inches), Zoey’s tongue is longer than a soda can, according to Guinness World Records.

Her owners, Sadie and Drew Williams from Metairie, Louisiana, US, said people often comment on how long Zoey’s tongue is.

“We got Zoey when she was only six weeks old and in the first ever picture we have of her, she has her tongue sticking out,” said Sadie Williams.

“We thought surely she’d grow into it but she obviously didn’t. She still has an enormous tongue compared to her body.”

Zoey’s massive tongue is most obvious when she is panting after playing outside.

“It would be slobbering all over the place,” said Drew Williams. “So sometime last year we took her to the vet and measured her tongue.”

Measuring from the tip of her snout to the tip of her tongue, Zoey was recognized as a record breaker.

The 3-year-old dog is a fun loving creature, according to her owners.

“She will pretty much go fetch anything you throw and swim in any body of water that’s available,” said Drew Williams. “But she hates getting a bath.”

Zoey is also friendly to strangers, but petting her comes with its own risks.

“Every now and then while we’re out taking her on a walk, people will come up to her and want to pet her,” said Drew Williams.

“We’ll warn them ahead of time ‘Hey, she’s friendly but she might slobber on you’ and every now and then she will, and they’ll have a big slobber mark on their black pants.”

Zoey beat previous record holder Bisbee, an English Setter from Tucson, Arizona, who claimed the record almost three months ago with a tongue measuring 9.49 centimeters (3.74 inches).

Another previous holder of the record, Mochi “Mo” Rickert, had a tongue that measured 18.58 centimeters (7.3 inches). The female Saint Bernard held the record for five years, and died in November 2021.

The Arctic could be free of sea ice roughly a decade earlier than projected, scientists warn – another clear sign the climate crisis is happening faster than expected as the world continues to pump out planet-heating pollution.

A new study published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications found Arctic sea ice could disappear completely during the month of September as early as the 2030s. Even if the world makes significant cuts to planet-heating pollution today, the Arctic could still see summers free of sea ice by the 2050s, scientists reported.

The researchers analyzed changes from 1979 to 2019, comparing different satellite data and climate models to assess how Arctic sea ice was changing.

They found that declining sea ice was largely the result of human-caused, planet-heating pollution, and previous models had underestimated Arctic sea ice melting trends.

Arctic ice builds up during the winter and then melts in the summer, typically reaching its lowest levels in September, before the cycle begins again.

Once Arctic summers become ice-free, the buildup of sea ice in the colder seasons will be much slower, Min said. The warmer it gets, the more likely the Arctic is to stay free of sea ice further into the colder season.

Under a “higher emissions pathway” – in which the world continues to burn fossil fuels and levels of planet-warming pollution continue to rise – the study projects the Arctic will see a complete loss of sea ice from August until as late as October before the 2080s, Min said.

The study’s findings contrast with the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s 2021 state-of-the-science report, which found the Arctic would be “be practically ice-free near mid-century under intermediate and high greenhouse gas emissions scenarios.”

This new study shows it could happen 10 years earlier, regardless of emission scenarios, Min said.

Over the past several decades, the Arctic has warmed four times faster than the rest of the world, a 2022 study showed. There has already been a rapid loss of sea ice in the region, with September sea ice shrinking at a rate of 12.6% per decade, according to NASA.

An Arctic with no summer sea ice would send dire ripple effects around the world. The bright white ice reflects solar energy away from the Earth. When this ice melts, it exposes the darker ocean, which absorbs more heat causing additional warming – a feedback process called “Arctic amplification.”

The decline of sea ice can also have an effect on global weather stretching well beyond the Arctic.

“We need to prepare ourselves for a world with warmer Arctic very soon,” Min said. “Since Arctic warming is suggested to bring weather extremes like heatwaves, wildfires, and floods on Northern mid- and high latitudes, the earlier onset of an ice-free Arctic also implies that we will be experiencing extreme events faster than predicted.”

A sea ice-free Arctic could also lead to an increase in commercial shipping as new routes open up, which would have a knock-on effect. According to last year’s annual Arctic report card by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a surge in shipping traffic would lead to more emissions and pollution in the region.

“The methodology is very careful and brings a high degree of certainty in the attribution,” said Rantanen, who was not involved in the study. “The most striking result is not that the sea ice loss is attributed to greenhouse gas increases, which was already largely known, but that they project ice-free Arctic earlier than previously thought by about decade.”

Min said the findings show that the Arctic is on the verge of becoming “seriously ill,” and that the region has reached a “tipping point.”

“We can regard the Arctic sea ice as the immune system of our body which protects our body from harmful things,” Min said. “Without the protector, the Arctic’s condition will go from bad to worse quickly.”

The Vegas Golden Knights scored early and often in a dominant offensive display in Game 2, defeating the Florida Panthers 7-2 to take a 2-0 lead in the Stanley Cup on Monday at T-Mobile Arena.

The offensive game of the Golden Knights has been irrepressible so far in the NHL’s season showcase and records are tumbling as a result.

Nine different goal scorers have tallied a goal for the Knights in the final, setting the record for the most by a team in the opening two contests of a final in NHL history. The 12 goals through the opening two games also ties an NHL record.

Golden Knights star – and former Florida Panther – Jonathan Marchessault continued his scoring tear on Monday with a two-goal performance in Game 2. The 32-year-old tallied the opening score of the game for the Golden Knights, burying a shot from the circle for the power-play goal.

He would then net his second of the game in the third period to put the Golden Knights up 5-2 in what was an all-but-secured victory at that point.

After failing to score in the Golden Knights first five postseason games, Marchessault now has 12 goals in the team’s last 12 fixtures, setting a franchise record for most in a single postseason. The right-winger also extended his point streak to seven straight games to tie for the longest point streak in the playoffs in Golden Knights history.

Brett Howden also scored twice for Vegas, with his second putting the Golden Knights ahead 4-0 and forcing the Panthers to pull goalkeeper Sergei Bobrovsky. Meanwhile, Alec Martinez, Nicolas Roy and Michael Amadio added one goal each in the blowout victory.

Speaking after the game, Marchessault gave credit to the Vegas team’s setup.

“I mean part of our game plan, we know we have depth, we know if we roll four lanes and get good forecheck, we’ll get rewarded and topping that off I think our discipline has been unbelievable,” Marchessault told reporters. “They wanted to set the tone with like, being undisciplined like Game 1 and we set the tone back.

“It was scoring that first goal there, so I think it’s all in our honor and we’ve done a great job so far. But I mean, we’re still pretty far from our goal there.”

With the victory, the Golden Knights are now two wins away from claiming the franchise’s first Stanley Cup.

According to the NHL, teams with a 2-0 lead in a best-of-seven hold a series record of 347-55 (.863). Teams with a 2-0 series lead in a best-of-seven Stanley Cup final have gone on to hoist the cup 90.6% of the time (48-5).

Game 3 is on Thursday at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Florida with the Panthers looking to get a game back in the series.

Indianapolis Colts player Isaiah Rodgers Sr. said he takes “full responsibility” while adding that he made an “error in judgment” after reports that he is being investigated by the NFL for possibly breaching the league’s gambling policy.

ESPN and SportsHandle.com, citing unnamed sources, reported that a sportsbook account was opened under the name of one of Rodger’s associates, where approximately 100 bets were placed over an undisclosed amount of times.

“Addressing the current reports, I want to take full responsibility for my actions,” Rodgers said in a statement on Twitter on Monday. “I know I have made mistakes and I am willing to do whatever it takes to repair the situation.

“The last thing I ever wanted to do was to be a distraction to the Colts organization, my coaches and my teammates. I’ve let people down that I care about. I made an error in judgment and I am going to work hard to make sure that those mistakes are rectified through this process. It’s an honor to play in the NFL and I have never taken that lightly. I am very sorry for all of this.”

Most of the bets placed were in the $25-$50 range, with some of them being on Colts games, according to ESPN.

Rodgers, who was selected by the Colts in the sixth-round of the 2020 NFL Draft, played in 15 games for the team last season and was expected to be a starter this upcoming season.

The 25-year-old Rodgers, who is on the final year of his four-year contract with the team, is the latest player in the NFL to be investigated for breaching the league’s gambling policy.

In April, the NFL suspended five players for violating the league’s gambling policy. Quintez Cephus and C.J. Moore of the Detroit Lions and Shaka Toney of the Washington Commanders were suspended indefinitely for betting on NFL games during the 2022 season. Meanwhile, Stanley Berryhill and Jameson Williams of the Lions received a six-game suspension for placing bets on non-NFL games from NFL facilities.

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Calvin Ridley was reinstated by the league in March, after a year-long suspension for gambling on NFL games while he was a member with the Atlanta Falcons.

The NFL’s gambling policy, which is annually reviewed with all league personnel, including players, prohibits anyone in the NFL from engaging in any form of gambling in any team or league facility or venue.

A day after being controversially disqualified from the French Open for inadvertently hitting a ball girl with a ball, an emotional Miyu Kato struggled to answer questions about the incident.

Kato and her partner Aldila Sutjiadi were defaulted from the doubles event on Sunday after the Japanese player struck a ball girl having innocuously hit the ball to the back of the court following a point.

Kato, who was seen crying on court after her disqualification, was back in action on Monday and reached the mixed doubles semifinals after winning in straight sets alongside German partner Tim Puetz.

It’s widely reported that Kato was in tears on court after winning the quarterfinal and was visibly emotional in the press conference afterward, leaving the room momentarily to compose herself before a question was answered.

“I think, first and foremost, we’re all, including Miyu, happy that the ball girl is okay because obviously she got hit,” Puetz told reporters after coming back into the room with Kato.

“Miyu feels terrible about what happened. This was just very unfortunate for everyone, especially for her and the girl.”

A tearful Kato gave a very short answer in Japanese, saying it was difficult for her to speak English at this time.

While Puetz understood why officials made the decision, he said there was clearly no intent to hurt the ball girl.

“I understand she hit the ball girl. It was not intentional. I don’t think it was in anger,” he added.

“I think everybody saw the pictures. It wasn’t anything malicious that she did. Nevertheless, it hit the ball girl.

“Then two supervisors have to come on court, possibly didn’t even see it. All they see is a crying ball girl who got hit with a ball.

“In that moment, to make that decision, is very difficult.”

On Monday, Kato tweeted an apology to the ball girl, her doubles partner and her supporters, saying the incident was “completely unintentional.”

“I want to thank everyone for your continued support. I have received a worldwide outpouring of positive energy, and it has raised my spirits tremendously,” she wrote, in a post which garnered support from other players.

“Now I’m onto the mixed doubles semifinals, where I will use every bit of that positive energy to succeed!”

The rules

According to the grand slam rule book, players “shall not violently, dangerously or with anger hit, kick or throw a tennis ball within the precincts of the tournament site except in the reasonable pursuit of a point during a match (including warm-up)”

The rule book states: “In all cases of default, the decision of the referee in consultation with the grand slam chief of supervisors shall be final and unappealable.”

A player who is defaulted loses all ranking points earned at the tournament, the rule book states, and all prize money earned at the tournament.

Lionel Messi’s father and agent, Jorge Messi, says his son’s preferred move would be a return to Barcelona during the summer transfer window.

Messi played his last match for Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday, ending a two-year stay in the French capital which had become tumultuous of late.

The World Cup winner was booed on more than one occasion by PSG fans this season, including when he walked onto the pitch at the Parc des Princes stadium to celebrate the team’s Ligue 1 title on Sunday.

Among the clubs vying for his contract is Al-Hilal, with Reuters reporting last month that Messi had received a formal offer to join the Saudi club.

However, when asked by journalists if returning to Barcelona, where Messi spent 17 trophy-laden years, would be his son’s preferred move, Jorge answered: “Yes.”

Jorge was then asked if the Messi family was confident of a return to the Catalan club, to which he responded: “I would love it.”

Messi left Barcelona in tears in 2021 after financial mismanagement at the club, which was exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, meant it was unable to offer its talisman a new contract.

The Argentine won two Ligue 1 titles in his two seasons at PSG, but was unable to help the club win the Champions League for the first time in its history.

Messi’s time at the club ended acrimoniously after PSG suspended him for taking an unauthorized trip abroad, with the Argentine later apologizing.

Barça legend

Now a move back to the club where Messi turned from schoolboy to sporting legend is on the cards.

At 17 years old, he made his first of 778 appearances for the Blaugrana, becoming the youngest player to represent the club in an official game at the time.

He went on to break the club’s goalscoring record and won 35 trophies during his time at the Camp Nou – including 10 La Liga titles and four Champions Leagues.

Under new coach and club legend Xavi, Barcelona this year won its first La Liga title in four years.

“For me, there’s no doubt that if Messi comes back, he will help us on a football level,” Xavi told Barcelona-based newspaper SPORT in a recent interview.

“I let the president [Joan Laporta] know this. I have no doubts, no doubt at all that he will help because he is still a decisive footballer, because he still has hunger, because he’s a winner, because he’s a leader and because, also, he’s a different, different player,” added Xavi, who told SPORT that he still talks to Messi.

“We don’t have a Barça on a talent level like 2010, for example. And what would Messi bring? He’d bring talent. Final pass, set pieces, goals … in the final third, he’s a player on a different level.

“As such, and because of the way I want to play, the way the staff wants to play too, for me there’s no doubt that he would help us a lot, but it all depends on him. In the end, the one who calls the shots at this time is Leo. There’s no doubt.”

Would you sit directly below another airplane passenger?

It might not sound particularly appealing on paper, but 23-year-old airplane seat designer Alejandro Núñez Vicente believes double-level seating is the future of economy flying.

“People can talk and they always hate innovation in some ways,” he says. “Most of the times when they show you something new, everyone hates it at first, they’re scared of change. But the more you show it, and the more you develop it, and the more they see it, the more they get used to it.”

Núñez Vicente’s concept started small – as a college project back in 2021. A nomination for the 2021 Crystal Cabin Awards – a top prize in the aviation industry – catapulted the concept into the public consciousness. Núñez Vicente paused his master’s degree and put all his time, money and efforts into making his vision a reality.

Fast forward to today and Núñez Vicente has sponsors, partnership deals and is in regular conversation with “the biggest players in the industry.” He believes his double-level airplane seat is the future of economy flying and is working around the clock to make it a reality.

Comfort and cabin capacity

When would-be passengers wince at the potential claustrophobia and critics suggest the design is all about airlines cramming more seats on planes, Núñez Vicente insists they’ve misunderstood his intentions.

For one, he’s not trying to eradicate regular airplane seating altogether. Núñez Vicente envisages an airplane cabin in which the Chaise Longue is in the center, flanked by two rows of regular airplane seating. He’s conscious the seat wouldn’t be suitable or appealing for everyone, even if he thinks it could be more comfortable for some passengers.

At 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 meters), Núñez Vicente has spent many a cramped flight struggling for legroom and failing to sleep. He says he designed the Chaise Longue to solve the airplane seat conundrum – not make it worse.

Still, the designer admits that for airlines, the appeal of the Chaise Longue is the increased passenger headcount.

“Many airlines and many big players of the industry are trying to push us to put more passengers into the aircraft,“ he says. “It’s not our main priority and our main goal, but with this kind of design it’s also possible.”

At this year’s Aircraft Interiors Expo, Núñez Vicente’s latest prototype will be tested out by a slew of airline bigwigs. He says he’s always excited to get feedback from the industry, but is also keen for other would-be travelers to give their two cents.

“Most of the times when they show you something new, everyone hates it at first, they’re scared of change. But the more you show it, and the more you develop it, and the more they see it, the more they get used to it.”

Alejandro Núñez Vicente

When the Chaise Longue hit the headlines in 2022, Núñez Vicente says he received multiple requests from people looking to travel to his home city of Madrid, Spain, to test the prototype themselves.

“We have had people coming to try it, famous people that saw the article, and they were like, ‘I want to go and try it,’” says Núñez Vicente.

Now Núñez Vicente’s launched the Chaise Longue in the Metaverse, thanks to a collaboration with a company called 3DSeatMap VR, to illustrate what the seat would look like in situ in a cabin. Virtual users can wander around the design and inspect it for themselves.

But Núñez Vicente is also still open to anyone – famous or otherwise – reaching out to experience the Chaise Longue prototype in person and to offer an honest take.

“We do try to adapt to every single constructive feedback that we get,” he says. “That’s how we move forward.”

Testing it out

The new design keeps the same basic double-level concept, with a few minor changes. The precarious ladder-like steps that previously got you up to the top level have been switched out for a sturdier version. Luggage on the bottom level is now designed to go under the seat in front of you. Rather than built-in screens, the idea is passengers could use personal devices for inflight entertainment.

Núñez Vicente says he’s also improved leg room on the top level, and I find it is pretty spacious. Plus, because there’s no one directly behind you on the same level, you can recline the seat pretty far back, which is a definite plus.

Núñez Vicente has also added a beam above the top level seats, to indicate ceiling height. I’m 5 feet 10 inches (1.78 meters) and for me it feels like decent space – although it’s still tricky to know what it would actually feel like to be closer to the cabin ceiling than the floor.

As for the bottom level, to me – someone who is not a fan of small spaces – it feels pretty claustrophobic, but this will be a matter of personal opinion. While having a row of seats directly in your eyeline won’t be appealing to everyone, others won’t be as bothered – particularly when there’s so much more space to stretch out your feet than in your average economy airplane seat.

Like last year, I conclude that for some travelers just to sleep for the duration of a flight, this could be an effective solution.

And while three people sitting on both the bottom and top rows feels a little tight, the fighting for elbow space is exactly the same in regular economy class.

The seats on the lower level fold up when not in use – theater seat style – which Núñez Vicente said makes the lower row of the design a little more accessible and could accommodate wheelchair users, although the top seat remains off limits for anyone with mobility issues.

Future of travel

Núñez Vicente has spent the last year traveling the world, attending aviation fairs and meeting with industry experts to talk about his vision.

His parents are often by his side supporting him – his father helped him transport the weighty Chaise Longue prototype across Europe by van from Spain to Germany for AIX.

“My father has his own problems and businesses but he traveled 2,200 kilometers with me,” says Núñez Vicente.

And Núñez Vicente’s partner, Clara Service Soto, works on the Chaise Longue full time too, acting as the project’s Chief Operating Officer.

The couple’s friends didn’t get it at first (“You guys are crazy, this won’t happen. what are you doing, you’re wasting your time, you’re not getting a salary, you’re wasting the best years of your life,” Núñez Vicente recalls them saying).

But he says “there’s been a shift of mindset” as the project has grown and garnered momentum. And for Núñez Vicente and Service Soto, sacrificing their social life is worth it for the wild ride they’re enjoying in return.

“We’re getting to travel a lot and experience a lot of different cultures,” says Núñez Vicente. “It’s also enriching, it’s not only about the project, it’s also about the journey behind it.”

While Núñez Vicente says airlines are interested in the idea, there’s no guarantee the Chaise Longue will come to fruition. And if it does, it won’t be for some time – Núñez Vicente is currently working on appropriate certifications – a process that will be lengthy and complex.

Núñez Vicente is also acutely aware airlines generally aren’t interested in investing in economy class. There are exceptions – like Air New Zealand’s new economy SkyNest – but usually business and first class are where the innovation happens.

Still, Núñez Vicente thinks the double-level structure could ultimately be adapted to any airplane cabin class. He’s just released renderings of a premium economy version of the Chaise Longue – more or less the same concept, just without the lower middle seat.

“At the end of the day, by having a double decker, you optimize the space, you take advantage of the space that otherwise is just air,” he says.

And while the road might be long, and the design may not appeal to all, Núñez Vicente still steadfastly believes in its viability.

“We know that this will work at some point and people will be grateful for it even though they don’t know it now, they will be grateful that someone was pushing for a new economy class seat,” he says.

A Philadelphia restaurant with an eight-course tasting menu, a Haitian restaurant in the Pacific Northwest and a chef who focuses on a sustainable menu of oysters and wild vegetables in Washington, D.C., were three of the big winners at the 2023 James Beard Awards, widely considered the Oscars of the food world.

The awards were broadcast Monday night from the Lyric Opera of Chicago on livestream via the website Eater. The awards have been presented in the Windy City since 2015 and are set to remain there through 2027.

Co-hosts of the show were Eric Adjepong, Esther Choi, Andrew Zimmern and Gail Simmons, who apologized at the top of the show for being part of a combative and off-putting tone set by reality TV cooking shows that created “a generation of total monsters” who then went to restaurants with proclamations such as “that ramp butter needs more acid” and used the term “flavor profile.”

But “tonight is not about the negative. It’s about celebrating chefs and the industry we love so much,” Simmons said.

Like last year, much of the 2023 show was focused on showcasing the new push for greater diversity. That included casting a wider net geographically with winners from the likes of Boise, Idaho; Madison, Wisconsin; Oklahoma City; and the small town of Monson, Maine.

Gregory Gourdet of Kann, winner of Best New Restaurant, said: “Today I stand the son of Haitian immigrants, a son of my ancestors and a member of a team 45 people deep who are committed to telling the story of Haiti and its contributions to the culinary arts and to American culture and to global culture all together. … We hope to stand as an example that paying people fairly, having diverse and mixed-gender teams is not just equitable but effective.”

Sherry Pocknett of Sly Fox Den Too in Charlestown, Rhode Island, became the first Indigenous woman to win a James Beard.

Numerous Asian Americans were recognized with James Beards, including Ellen Yin as outstanding restaurateur.

Showcasing the influence of the awards, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson made appearances at the broadcast.

Controversy around the awards

The nonprofit James Beard Foundation was established more than 30 years ago, shortly after “pioneer foodie” James Beard’s death, “to celebrate, support and elevate the people behind America’s food culture.”

The first awards ceremony was held in 1991.

The James Beard Foundation has been mired in controversy over the past few years.

The awards in many key categories were abruptly called off in 2020 amid the industry’s pandemic upheaval and ethics and diversity issues among nominees, and they remained on pause in 2021 during the foundation’s work on a new awards framework.

Last year’s awards marked the first bestowed under new policies and procedures and a new code of ethics sparked by allegations of chefs’ bad behavior and a lack of diversity.

This year, the process used to vet bad behavior has generated its own controversy, with one chef, Timothy Hontzas, revealing that he has been disqualified and another, Sam Fore, telling The New York Times that she was investigated but not disqualified. Some in the industry have criticized the secrecy around the ethics process, which has already led to upheaval among the awards’ judges and committee members.

The controversy was acknowledged during the broadcast. “This category has brought more drama than a Mariah Carey concert,” said TV host Monti Carlo before announcing the best chef: South, category. Hontzas’ name was read with alongside those of the other nominees during the show.

The winner of the South category, Natalia Vallejo, is the first Puerto Rican native to win a James Beard Award.

The foundation has defended its new ethics procedures.

“We stand by this process, which reflects our values and the overall mission of the Foundation: to celebrate, support, and elevate the people behind America’s food culture and champion a standard of good food anchored in talent, equity, and sustainability.”

In 2023, the structure of the voting body has been tweaked, combining scouting and tasting duties for the judges.

Here’s the full list of the 2023 James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards nominees. The winners in each category are listed in bold.

James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards

Outstanding Chef

Rachel Miller, Nightshade Noodle Bar, Lynn, MA

Niki Nakayama, n/naka, Los Angeles, CA

Erik Ramirez, Llama Inn, Brooklyn, NY

Rob Rubba, Oyster Oyster, Washington, D.C.

Hajime Sato, Sozai, Clawson, MI

Outstanding Restaurant

Copine, Seattle, WA

Coracora, West Hartford, CT

Friday Saturday Sunday, Philadelphia, PA

Lucia, Dallas, TX

Mita’s, Cincinnati, OH

Best New Restaurant

Causa, Washington, D.C.

Dept of Culture, New York, NY

Don Artemio Mexican Heritage, Fort Worth, TX

Kann, Portland, OR

Lupi & Iris, Milwaukee, WI

Neng Jr.’s, Asheville, NC

Nolia, Cincinnati, OH

Obélix, Chicago, IL

Restaurant Beatrice, Dallas, TX

Tatemó, Houston, TX

Outstanding Restaurateur

Brandon Chrostowski, EDWINS Leadership and Restaurant Institute (EDWINS Leadership and Restaurant Institute, edwins too, EDWINS Bakery, and others), Cleveland, OH

Greg Dulan, Dulan’s Soul Food Kitchen, Dulan’s on Crenshaw, and Dulanville, Los Angeles, CA

Aaron Hoskins, Sarah Simmons, and Elie Yigo, CITY GRIT Hospitality Group (smallSUGAR, CITY GRIT, Il Focolare Pizzeria), Columbia, SC

Yenvy and Quynh Pham, Phở Bắc Sup Shop, Phởcific Standard Time, The Boat, Seattle, WA

Ellen Yin, High Street Hospitality Group (Fork, a.kitchen + bar, High Street, and others), Philadelphia, PA

Emerging Chef

Damarr Brown, Virtue, Chicago, IL

Rashida Holmes, Bridgetown Roti, Los Angeles, CA

Serigne Mbaye, Dakar NOLA, New Orleans, LA

Charlie Mitchell, Clover Hill, Brooklyn, NY

Amanda Shulman, Her Place Supper Club, Philadelphia, PA

Outstanding Bakery

Angelo Brocato Ice Cream & Confectionery, New Orleans, LA

La Casita Bakeshop, Richardson, TX

Kuluntu Bakery, Dallas, TX

Yoli Tortilleria, Kansas City, MO

Zak the Baker, Miami, FL

Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker

Veronika Gerasimova, Veronika’s Pastry Shop, Billings, MT

Elaine Uykimpang Bentz, Café Mochiko, Cincinnati, OH

Vince Bugtong, ABACA, San Francisco, CA

Margarita Manzke, République, Los Angeles, CA

Shawn McKenzie, Café Cerés, Minneapolis, MN

Outstanding Hospitality

The Black Cypress, Pullman, WA

Bottega, Birmingham, AL

Lula Drake, Columbia, SC

The Quarry, Monson, ME

Sepia, Chicago, IL

Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program

COTE, New York, NY

Lazy Bear, San Francisco, CA

Nancy’s Hustle, Houston, TX

OTOTO, Los Angeles, CA

Spencer, Ann Arbor, MI

Outstanding Bar

Bar Leather Apron, Honolulu, HI

Drastic Measures, Shawnee, KS

Garagiste Wine Room | Merchant, Las Vegas, NV

Las Ramblas, Brownsville, TX

Rob Roy, Seattle, WA

BEST CHEFS (by region)

Best Chef: California

Gilberto Cetina Jr., Holbox, Los Angeles, CA

Kyle and Katina Connaughton, SingleThread, Healdsburg, CA

Brandon Hayato Go, Hayato, Los Angeles, CA

Justin Pichetrungsi, Anajak Thai, Sherman Oaks, CA

Carlos Salgado, Taco María, Costa Mesa, CA

Best Chef: Great Lakes (IL, IN, MI, OH)

Omar Anani, Saffron De Twah, Detroit, MI

Diana Dávila, Mi Tocaya Antojería, Chicago, IL

Tim Flores and Genie Kwon, Kasama, Chicago, IL

Andy Hollyday, Selden Standard, Detroit, MI

Sarah Welch, Marrow, Detroit, MI

Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic (DC, DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA)

Jesse Ito, Royal Sushi, Philadelphia, PA

Dionicio Jiménez, Cantina La Martina, Philadelphia, PA

Kate Lasky and Tomasz Skowronski, Apteka, Pittsburgh, PA

Michael Rafidi, Albi, Washington, D.C.

Chutatip “Nok” Suntaranon, Kalaya, Philadelphia, PA

Best Chef: Midwest (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD, WI)

Sanaa Abourezk, Sanaa’s Gourmet Mediterranean, Sioux Falls, SD

Gregory León, Amilinda, Milwaukee, WI

Francesco Mangano, Osteria Papavero, Madison, WI

Itaru Nagano and Andrew Kroeger, Fairchild, Madison, WI

David Utterback, Yoshitomo, Omaha, NE

Best Chef: Mountain (CO, ID, MT, UT, WY)

Salvador Alamilla, Amano, Caldwell, ID

Michael Diaz de Leon, BRUTØ, Denver, CO

Suchada Johnson, Teton Thai, Teton Village, WY

Kris Komori, KIN, Boise, ID

Ali Sabbah, Mazza, Salt Lake City, UT

Best Chef: New York State

Nasim Alikhani, Sofreh, Brooklyn, NY

Mary Attea, The Musket Room, New York, NY

Amanda Cohen, Dirt Candy, New York, NY

Shaina Loew-Banayan, Cafe Mutton, Hudson, NY

Junghyun Park, Atomix, New York, NY

Best Chef: Northeast (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT)

Valentine Howell, Krasi, Boston, MA

Christian Hunter, Community Table, New Preston, CT

Sherry Pocknett, Sly Fox Den Too, Charlestown, RI

Yisha Siu, Yunnan Kitchen, Boston, MA

Renee Touponce, The Port of Call, Mystic, CT

Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific (AK, HI, OR, WA)

Joshua Dorcak, MÄS, Ashland, OR

Vince Nguyen, Berlu, Portland, OR

Thomas Pisha-Duffly, Gado Gado, Portland, OR

Beau Schooler, In Bocca Al Lupo, Juneau, AK

Aaron Verzosa, Archipelago, Seattle, WA

Best Chef: Southeast (GA, KY, NC, SC, TN, WV)

Sam Fore, Tuk Tuk Sri Lankan Bites, Lexington, KY

Josh Habiger, Bastion, Nashville, TN

Sam Hart, Counter-, Charlotte, NC

Terry Koval, The Deer and the Dove, Decatur, GA

Paul Smith, 1010 Bridge, Charleston, WV

Best Chef: South (AL, AR, FL, LA, MS, PR)

Ana Castro, Lengua Madre, New Orleans, LA

Timothy Hontzas, Johnny’s Restaurant, Homewood, AL

Henry Moso, Kabooki Sushi, Orlando, FL

Alex Perry and Kumi Omori, Vestige, Ocean Springs, MS

Natalia Vallejo, Cocina al Fondo, San Juan, PR

Best Chef: Southwest (AZ, NM, NV, OK)

Oscar Amador, Anima by EDO, Las Vegas, NV

Kaoru Azeuchi, KAISEKI YUZU, Las Vegas, NV

Andrew Black, Grey Sweater, Oklahoma City, OK

Jeff Chanchaleune, Ma Der Lao Kitchen, Oklahoma City, OK

Justin Pioche, Pioche Food Group, Upper Fruitland (Doolkai), Navajo Nation, NM

Best Chef: Texas

Reyna Duong, Sandwich Hag, Dallas, TX

Benchawan Jabthong Painter, Street to Kitchen, Houston, TX

Emiliano Marentes, ELEMI, El Paso, TX

John Russ, Clementine, San Antonio, TX

Ernest Servantes and David Kirkland, Burnt Bean Co., Seguin, TX

Leadership Awards

(All nominees in this category were recognized on stage)

Jim Embry, Sustainable Communities Network, Slow Food USA, and Ujamaa Cooperative Farming Alliance

Valerie Horn, CANE Kitchen, Cowan Community Center, and City of Whitesburg Farmers Market

Savonala “Savi” Horne, Land Loss Prevention Project

Ira Wallace, Southern Exposure Seed Exchange

Rowen White, Sierra Seeds

Emerging Leadership: The Burgerville Workers Union

Humanitarian of the Year Award

Co-founders of the Black Farmer Fund: social entrepreneur and impact investor Olivia Watkins, and farmer and activist Karen Washington

Lifetime Achievement Award

Madur Jaffrey CBE, cookbook author, writer, teacher and actress.

Paul Nthenge Mackenzie was arrested last month after police received a tipoff that his land on the Shakahola forest in the Kilifi County of eastern Kenya contained mass graves.

According to court documents, investigators have so far found 249 bodies and at least 10 mass graves in the Shakahola forest area.

In court documents dated Friday, the state prosecutor said it would seek to extend the respondents’ custody period by a further 60 days.

The prosecutor has maintained that the “extended period of 60 days is the least period possible within which investigations are to be completed under the prevailing circumstances.”

The prosecutor is also arguing that there are “compelling reasons” to deny the respondents bail, including evidence gathered thus far which “demonstrates a high likelihood of serious charges against the accused.”