It’s not often a player who has yet to feature in the NBA has the sport’s established stars unanimously gushing.

“He’s like a [NBA] 2K created player, every point guard that wants to be seven foot. Cheat code type vibes,” said four-time NBA champion Steph Curry, while Kevin Durant added: “The league’s really in trouble when he comes in.”

But if you’ve seen anything of the seven-foot-four-inch French teenager Victor Wembanyama, you might understand why the 19-year-old has garnered the attention of the basketball world with his performances in the French professional league and is the widely presumed No. 1 overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft.

He will find out his likely destination following Tuesday’s draft lottery, which will see each team find out the position they are selecting in June’s draft.

For over a year, teams have made efforts to increase their chances to be able to acquire Wembanyama. Stars have been traded away, contributing players have been released; all in an effort to have a worse regular season in order to increase their odds at the first pick.

The Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs all have a 14% chance at the No. 1 pick and therefore completely changing the outlook of their franchise, with Wembanyama at the forefront.

With NBA champions, MVPs and All-Stars – LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Curry and Durant to name a few – all expressing their excitement at Wembanyama’s arrival in the US, analysts are likening his arrival in the league to that of James in 2003.

There have been few players whose journey to the pinnacle of basketball have been as highly followed; in figures released by the NBA, Wembanyama is No. 8 on its list of the top-10 most-viewed players on social media this season – despite not even being in the league yet.

‘Wembymania’ is in full flow, something author Lindsay Sarah Krasnoff has seen firsthand.

“He wowed my American students who are used to seeing NBA games. They were really enthralled with it. And I keep having to explain to them that having a sold-out, 15,000-people crowd for a regular French professional basketball game is not normal at all,” she said.

“It is normal for when the NBA comes to town. But that’s once a year. This was not normal at all. I’ve been to Mets 92 games in past years. I was there the year that Boris Diaw came back and played and I was up in their stadium and it was maybe half full, maybe, being very generous. The crowd kind of watched the game, they were into it, but not that into it. I mean, just a vast, vast change.”

Becoming the best

A career in sports was always likely for Wembanyama.

His father was a high jumper, his mother was a former basketball player who is now a coach and his two siblings – older sister Eve and younger brother Oscar – are basketball players.

Even his grandfather, Michel De Fautereau, played for Paris University Club in the 1960s in the topflight in France.

When he was young, Wembanyama tried many sports, including judo and football, as well as basketball.

But his first step in the career he’d eventually come to blossom in happened by chance.

The coach of basketball club Nanterre 92, Michaël Allard, happened to be watching an Under-11 match in which Wembanyama was playing.

Allard’s attention was drawn to an assistant coach on the bench – or so he thought. The assistant coach was in fact an 11-year-old Wembanyama and when he realized his mistake, he called the technical director of the Under-11 program at the French club to inform them of this prospect he’d discovered.

Wembanyama was immediately recruited by Nanterre where he moved up the youth ranks and learned the game as he dove head-first into the sport.

On top of that, Wembanyama’s physical growth has only added to the intrigue surrounding him. He has grown to seven feet, four inches tall, potentially making him one of the tallest players in the NBA, with an eight-foot wingspan.

However, it is his combination of size and skill with the ball which has made him such an intriguing talent.

Most players his size develop into a prototypical NBA center: good at shot-blocking, rebounding machines, known for the defense and threat close to the basket – just take Wembanyama’s compatriot, Rudy Gobert, for example.

But Wembanyama is different. He has become elite at handling the ball, dribbling, passing, jump shooting and from three-point range. Throw all of that together with being over seven feet tall and there is no wonder he’s being touted as the most exciting player to enter the league in 20 years.

In fact, James described Wembanyama as an “alien” and a “generational talent,” while two-time MVP Antetokounmpo said the NBA has “never seen someone like that before.”

Clips on social media of Wembanyama performing remarkable feats of athleticism or skill with the ball have gone viral this season, from crazy blocks or dunks to impressive, weaving in-and-out dribbling followed by a difficult long-range three-pointer.

And the French basketball system where he has been nurtured has helped develop his unique talent, says Krasnoff.

“So unlike the US system where sport is integrated into the school system, in France, as in many other parts of the world, that’s not the case. But the professional clubs, for example, do have this program where they take young promising players into their youth academy system where they are able to train in dedicated way with trainers, with medical support.”

In this focused environment, away from the distractions and bright lights that often come with college basketball in the US, Wembanyama has been able to grow into the multi-faceted player many are predicting will dominate in the NBA when he arrives.

He led the league in scoring, rebounding and blocks in his final season in French basketball, as well as shouldering the burden of being almost a one-man marketing campaign for the league.

Krasnoff recalls attending games around the country which were sold out – when they typically wouldn’t have been – just to catch a sight of Wembanyama.

Wembanyama’s arrival in the NBA could have a transformative effect on one franchise. But more than that, Krasnoff says the hope is it has a revolutionary effect on basketball culture in France; a country with a long history with the game, despite it being “a closeted sport.”

“Certainly, (his drafting) will probably continue to drive the NBA’s popularity in France. That was always kind of a given,” she said. “And it certainly has driven US interest in French basketball, at least as far as Wembanyama is concerned.

“Five years ago, when I would tell people I’m working on French basketball and why are there so many French guys in the NBA, people look at me as if I was an alien with five heads. Over the past six months, that’s totally changed.

“The French press calls him a unicorn. It’s fair and I think everyone recognizes that this is not normally how it’s going to be, but hopefully, it will drive greater awareness and attention, particularly ahead of Paris 2024, where basketball is acknowledged to be, in addition to track and field and swimming, perhaps one of the premier Olympic sports disciplines.”

Wembanyama’s only appearance on US soil only added to the fascination surrounding his abilities, as he played in two exhibition games last season against development team G League Ignite and scored 36 and 37 points respectively.

There are concerns that Wembanyama’s slender frame may lead to injuries down the line – as many players around his height have struggled before with injuries to their lower limbs.

Most notably, Yao Ming – after an illustrious career with the Houston Rockets – was forced to retire at the age of 31 with foot and ankle injuries. And more recently, Chet Holmgren – drafted last year by the Oklahoma City Thunder – missed his entire rookie season with a foot injury. But these injury concerns are not likely to dissuade any team from picking the Frenchman with the No. 1 pick.

Wembanyama’s likely destination will be discovered on May 16 where several teams will be hoping to get lucky enough to be able to draft him.

Through the power of ‘Wembymania’ and the excitement around him, the upcoming season proves to be one of the most fascinating years in the NBA’s history.

A 13-strong rescue team has rescued an “injured and exhausted” dog from England’s highest mountain in an operation lasting more than four hours.

According to rescuers, the 33-kilogram (73-pound) pooch was “refusing to move” from Scafell Pike, located in the Lake District national park, northwestern England, on Saturday.

The canine’s owners requested help at 6:25 p.m. (1:25 p.m. ET), according to the Keswick Mountain Rescue team, which sent 13 members to assist.

Rescuers put the dog in a bag on a stretcher and carried the pet down the mountain, the team said in a statement.

“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.

The rescue was the team’s 42nd mission this year and took 4 hours 18 minutes in total.

This is not the first time that rescuers have had to help a dog back down the mountain.

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

The rescue operation took a total of five hours and 16 team members of the Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team.

Scafell Pike is England’s highest mountain at 978 meters (3,209 feet). It is located in the famous Lake District, a UNESCO-protected area popular with hikers and holidaymakers.

The Lake District is known as one of Europe’s most beautiful places. Wild mountains soar up from vast lakes, while postcard-perfect villages offer truly bucolic places to stay and soak it all up.

The landscape is still worked by traditional sheep farmers, with their livestock inescapable when out tramping over the fells. The walking there is legendary, whether it’s scaling Scafell Pike or exploring wilder hills like Blencathra, further north.

The prime suspect in the 2005 disappearance of the late American teen Natalee Holloway will be extradited to the US to face extortion and fraud charges, said officials in Peru, where Joran van der Sloot has been serving time for the murder of a Peruvian woman.

Peru “decided to agree to the request for temporary surrender … (of van der Sloot) … for his prosecution in the United States for the alleged commission of the crimes of extortion and fraud” against Holloway’s mother, Justice and Human Rights Minister Daniel Maurate Romero said in a statement Wednesday.

Holloway was last seen alive with van der Sloot 18 years ago in Aruba.

Separately, van der Sloot was convicted in 2012 of murdering Stephany Flores, 21, in his Lima hotel room and sentenced to 28 years in prison.

A Dutch national, van der Sloot has been indicted in the US on federal charges of extortion and wire fraud in connection with a plot to sell information about the whereabouts of Holloway’s remains in exchange for $250,000, officials said.

The missing 18-year-old’s mother, Beth Holloway, wired $15,000 to a bank account van der Sloot held in the Netherlands and through an attorney gave him another $10,000 in person, the indictment states. Once he had the initial $25,000, van der Sloot showed the attorney, John Kelly, where Natalee Holloway’s remains allegedly were hidden, but the information turned out to be false, the indictment states.

The indictment seeks for van der Sloot to forfeit $25,100, including $100 Beth Holloway initially transferred to van der Sloot to confirm his account.

Holloway was last seen in the early hours of May 30, 2005, leaving a nightclub in Aruba with van der Sloot and two other men.

The three men – van der Sloot and brothers Deepak and Satish Kalpoe – were arrested in 2005 and released due to insufficient evidence. They were rearrested and charged in 2007 for “involvement in the voluntary manslaughter of Natalee Holloway or causing serious bodily harm to Natalee Holloway, resulting in her death,” Aruban prosecutors said at the time.

But a few weeks later, an Aruban judge ordered van der Sloot’s release, citing a lack of direct evidence that Holloway died from a violent crime or that van der Sloot was involved in such a crime. The Kalpoe brothers were also released.

Holloway’s body has not been found. An Alabama judge signed an order in 2012 declaring her legally dead.

‘We are finally getting justice,’ mother says

Van der Sloot would be returned to Peru after legal proceedings against him conclude in the United States, Peru’s judiciary said.

“The requesting country must keep the defendant in custody during the entire (duration of) proceedings in its territory,” the Peruvian judiciary announced on social media. “Once the criminal proceedings against (van der Sloot) conclude, he will immediately be returned to the Peruvian authorities.”

The US State Department would not confirm details of van der Sloot’s extradition “as a matter of long-standing practice” in such cases, an agency spokesperson said.

News of van der Sloot’s impending arrival in the US brought long-awaited relief to Holloway’s family.

“In May 2005 my 18-year-old daughter Natalee Holloway left Birmingham for Aruba to attend her high school graduation trip and was never seen again,” mother Beth Holloway said in a family statement released Wednesday.

“I was blessed to have had Natalee in my life for 18 years, and as of this month, I have been without her for exactly 18 years,” the statement said. “She would be 36 years old now. It has been a very long and painful journey, but the persistence of many is going to pay off. Together, we are finally getting justice for Natalee.”

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey called the suspect’s imminent extradition to Holloway’s hometown of Birmingham “significant.”

“Criminals like him are deceptive & vicious. Alabama moms like Beth Holloway are stronger,” Ivey tweeted Thursday. “Her commendable persistence to obtain justice for Natalee is FINALLY paying off.”

Peru has an extradition treaty with the US and previously had agreed to extradite van der Sloot only after he finished serving the murder sentence, the Peruvian news agency Andina reported, meaning US officials may have had to wait until 2038.

Beth Holloway thanked Peru’s new president and supporters near and far.

“I want to express my sincere gratitude to President Dina Boluarte, the President of Peru, the warm people of Peru, the family of Stephany Flores, the FBI in Miami, Florida and in Birmingham, Alabama, the US Attorney’s office in Birmingham, the US Embassy in Peru and the Peruvian Embassy in the US, my longtime attorney John Q. Kelly who has worked tirelessly on this case, and George Seymore and Marc Wachtenheim of Patriot Strategies,” the mother said.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported when Natalee Holloway was last seen alive. She was last seen alive with Joran van der Sloot 18 years ago in Aruba.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported no one was ever charged in Holloway’s death.

On top of the rumbling freight train, the young man says he has been attacked and robbed. There is no shade from the burning sun in the day, nowhere to keep warm in the perishing cold of the night. But still, he says, this brutal journey is worth it.

“Due to crime in my country, we can’t work, we can’t do anything,” he said.

Roberto is one of the tens of thousands of migrants who have been making the perilous journey to the US-Mexico border ahead of Thursday night’s expiration of the Covid-era immigration rule known as Title 42.

Roberto fled the country with his two young children, he said, becoming emotional as he talked about them. “I brought them here to Mexico but they got sick, they almost died,” he said. “I had to send them back to Honduras.”

Roberto was still sick himself, wearing a mask to protect others from his coughs. He said this was the seventh train he had ridden on top of in the past 12 days as he, his father and his sister tried to find a new life. His sister is 15, he said. In other circumstances, she would be celebrating her quinceañera at home with friends and family. But home, for now, was an open train car heading north.

The truck contains metal construction beams, covered in plastic. There are a couple dozen people in this freight car alone, with dozens more riding on top of and within the other cars. The riders flatten cardboard boxes and use dirty clothing to try to give themselves some padding against the hard, uneven surface. But this is still the preferred kind of train car, as it at least offers some protection from falling off.

“You can’t sleep here,” Roberto said as he sat, buffeted by the wind, seemingly exhausted but determined as the train neared Ciudad Juarez, the town across the international border from El Paso.

He, his sister and his father, plan to try to cross into the United States this same day. They believe they have no reason not to.

The lifting of the US’s Title 42 pandemic-era immigration restriction on Thursday has raised concerns that more people will try to enter the United States. Title 42 allowed officials to quickly process people arriving and send many back across the border. The reinstatement of old rules may mean heavier legal penalties, but it is expected to be a longer process.

But the people on the freight train are not talking about US rule changes. Those we spoke with had the singular goal of escaping their countries and starting again in the US, whatever process they had to follow.

Crossing the border is as far as Felipe and Marcela have thought. The couple said they left Colombia, ready to sacrifice themselves for the five children they left behind.

“We don’t know for sure,” Felipe replied when asked where they would go. “We need to get there first, that’s the priority. Once there, we can see what to do, because we don’t have friends, family, anyone who can take us in.”

They said they suffered in the heat and the cold, and were hungry and thirsty. But their worst fear was the threat of violence, especially to women.

“The treatment of women is the worst and also dangerous,” Felipe said. “People get on the train, to look for women.” Marcela added: “Dangerous meaning rape, sometimes people get in looking for that.”

Wind pummels the people in the rail car. Many, like Roberto, are sick and coughing. As the train passed what looked like an incinerator, there was the smell of burning trash and a massive plume of smoke. At other times, the smell of sewage is overwhelming.

Travelers come from many different countries. We even met two from China.

For some of them, this is not their first attempt to get into the US.

Omar Zambrano said he left Venezuela six months ago to escape the crime and violence there, coupled with the economic crisis. “Living in Venezuela is chaotic. If you have breakfast, you don’t have enough money for lunch,” said Zambrano, a chef who said he would try any kind of work in the United States.

He has the address of a friend in Baltimore along with a printout in Spanish of all the circumstances under which he would be allowed to stay in the US.

He said he has tried and been sent back before. But he will try to cross the border again. “They ignore you when you’re trying to do it legally,” he said. “But let’s go for the legal way first to see what happens.”

After clambering down from the final train stop, Zambrano picked up his small bookbag, containing all he has on the journey and prepares to head to the border crossing, walking or perhaps on a truck.

“We are going to turn ourselves in, in the name of God,” he said, somehow wearing a smile under his sunglasses. “Faith moves mountains and you must not lose it.”

The US ambassador to South Africa on Thursday accused the South African government of delivering arms and ammunition to a sanctioned Russian cargo vessel late last year, local media said.

“Among the things we noted was the docking of the cargo ship in Simon’s Town naval base between the 6th to the 8th of December 2022, which we are confident uploaded weapons and ammunition onto that vessel in Simon’s Town as it made its way back to Russian,” Ambassador Reuben Brigety II told local media, including News24.com.

“We are confident that weapons were loaded onto that vessel, and I would bet my life on the accuracy on that assertion,” the ambassador also said in a video released by Newzroom Afrika, a local news channel that was also at the briefing.

“The arming of the Russians is extremely serious, and we do not consider this issue to be resolved, and we would like SA to [begin] practicing its non-alignment policy,” he said, according to both news outlets.

In response to the ambassador’s claims, South Africa has summoned Brigety to Pretoria. In a statement released on Twitter Friday, Clayson Monyela, the head of public diplomacy for the South African foreign ministry, said it would “demarche the USA Ambassador to South Africa following his remarks yesterday.”

Monyela said a detailed statement would be released following the meeting. South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor would also speak to her US counterpart, Secretary Antony Blinken, about the matter, he added.

The presence of the mysterious ‘Lady R’ cargo vessel caused significant speculation when it docked at the naval base in Simon’s Town near Cape Town in December last year. Cargo vessels routinely dock at Cape Town’s civilian harbor, not the naval base.

At the time, opposition member of parliament and shadow Defense Minister Kobus Marais said in a statement that goods were loaded off and onto the ship during the overnight hours and demanded answers from the government.

The US Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control added the Lady R to its sanctions list in May last year for alleged weapons shipments, along with a host of other Russian-flagged cargo vessels.

The South African presidency called the explosive allegations “disappointing” and warned that the remarks “undermine the spirit of cooperation and partnership” between the US and South African government officials who had been discussing the matter.

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s office said in a statement late Thursday that no evidence had been provided to support these allegations and that the government planned to form an independent inquiry into the matter.

“In recent engagements between the South African delegation and US officials, the Lady R matter was discussed and there was agreement that an investigation will be allowed to run its course and that the US intelligence services will provide whatever evidence in their possession,” the statement read.

“US intelligence services said they had evidence that they would only provide to us via a credible investigation or inquiry. We take the allegations seriously, and we want to have a credible independent voice to state the actual facts of the matter,” he said.

“Otherwise, we risk a back forth series of accusations and denials, which is not going to be helpful in the context of our bilateral relations.”

It is unusual for a US ambassador in South Africa to make such public accusations against the government.

The South African government has come under intense criticism for its stance on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and has routinely abstained from votes condemning Russia at the United Nations General Assembly.

While South African leadership has repeatedly stated that they are neutral in the conflict and have frequently called for a negotiated settlement, their actions have come under increasing scrutiny from Western powers.

In February of this year, South Africa convened naval war games off its coast including both the Russian and Chinese military.

Later this year, South Africa will host the BRICS summit, a grouping of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. Russian President Vladimir Putin was invited to that summit.

South African officials have flip-flopped in their public commitment to the Rome Statute – the treaty that compels signatory nations to arrest individuals indicted by the court – after Putin was indicted for alleged war crimes in March.

While South Africa’s ruling party African National Congress has an ideological history with Russia and the former Soviet Union, the European Union and the United States are far bigger trading partners.

Here’s a look at the life of Charles III, King of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms.

Personal

Birth date: November 14, 1948

Birthplace: Buckingham Palace, London, England

Birth name: Charles Philip Arthur George Windsor

Father: Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh

Mother: Queen Elizabeth II

Marriages: Camilla Parker Bowles (April 9, 2005-present), Lady Diana Spencer (July 29, 1981-August 28, 1996, divorced)

Children: with Princess Diana: William (June 21, 1982), Henry “Harry” (September 15, 1984)

Education: Trinity College, Cambridge, UK, B.A., 1970, Royal Air Force College Cranwell, Lincolnshire, UK, 1971

Military: Royal Navy 1971-1976. In 2012, Queen Elizabeth appointed him honorary five-star ranks in the three military branches of army, navy and air force: He is Admiral of the Fleet, Field Marshal and Marshal of the Royal Air Force.

Other Facts

Britain’s longest serving monarch-in-waiting.

First royal heir to earn a university degree.

President or patron of more than 400 charitable organizations.

Enjoys playing polo, skiing, fishing and hunting. His hobbies include gardening, painting and writing.

As a child, he acted in school productions, sang in the school choir, played the trumpet, the cello and the electric guitar.

His other interests include architecture and its effects on the environment, farming, alternative medicine and different religions.

Timeline

February 6, 1952 – Three-year-old Prince Charles becomes the heir apparent, when his grandfather dies and his mother ascends the throne.

July 26, 1958 – Is named Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester, by his mother before Parliament. He is the 21st Prince of Wales and the first since 1936.

July 1, 1969 – He is invested as the Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester during a televised ceremony at Caernavon Castle.

February 11, 1970 – Takes his seat in the House of Lords.

September 1971 – Earns his wings for jet aircraft flying at the Royal Air Force College Cranwell and joins the Royal Navy.

1974 – Qualifies as a helicopter pilot and joins the 845 Naval Air Squadron on the HMS Hermes. Two years later he completes his military service, taking command of a coastal minehunter, the HMS Bronington.

1976 – Founds The Prince’s Trust, a philanthropic venture to help disadvantaged youth.

July 29, 1981 – Weds Lady Diana Spencer at St. Paul’s Cathedral.

December 9, 1992 – Prime Minister John Major announces the separation of Charles and Diana.

1993 – Affair with Camilla Parker-Bowles becomes public when the transcript of a 1989 intimate phone conversation between the two is made public.

June 29, 1994 – A televised documentary, “Charles: The Private Man, the Public Role,” airs; in it he admits to adultery.

September 1997 – Charles accompanies the body of Princess Diana from Paris to London and during the funeral procession walks behind her coffin with his father, sons and Diana’s brother, the Earl of Spencer.

January 28, 1999 – First public appearance as a couple with Parker-Bowles, when they are seen leaving the Ritz Hotel in London after a party.

June 2000 – Formally introduces Parker-Bowles to Queen Elizabeth II at a party held at Highgrove, his country estate.

2003 – Clarence House becomes the official London residence of Charles and his sons. The estate is the former home of the Queen Mother, Charles’ grandmother.

April 9, 2005 – In a civil ceremony at Guildhall in Windsor with a blessing at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, Charles and Camilla wed.

November 1-8, 2005 – Makes his first official visit to the United States since 1994.

October 2006 – Announces plans for second multi-faith coronation ceremony, if/when he is made king, to include all non-Christian faiths, and for Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, to be crowned Queen at the same time.

January 27, 2007 – Receives the Global Environmental Citizen Award from the Harvard Medical School Center for Health and the Global Environment, presented by former US Vice President Al Gore.

November 16, 2010 – Announces the engagement of eldest son, Prince William, to longtime girlfriend Kate Middleton.

December 9, 2010 – Student demonstrators breach security on the streets of London’s West End and attack the 1977 Rolls-Royce Phantom VI carrying Charles and Camilla to a performance at the London Palladium. The couple escapes any physical harm. The students are protesting the hike in tuition fees.

May 8, 2013 – Attends the opening of Parliament for the first time in 17 years. This is first time he and the Duchess of Cornwall have attended the opening together.

March 2015 – Visits the United States with Camilla. The trip includes a tour of Mount Vernon, a meeting with President Barack Obama and a festival in Louisville, Kentucky.

May 19, 2015 – Meets Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams. This is the first meeting between a member of the British Royal Family and the leader of Sinn Fein.

November 27, 2017 – Announces the engagement of Prince Harry to Meghan Markle.

April 20, 2018 – Leaders of the Commonwealth agree that Prince Charles will succeed Queen Elizabeth as the next head of Commonwealth.

May 19, 2018 – Walks his daughter-in-law Meghan down the aisle in her wedding ceremony to Prince Harry.

November 8, 2018 – A televised documentary, “Prince, Son and Heir: Charles at 70,” airs; in it he promises not to meddle in controversial affairs once he takes on the role of the monarch.

March 25, 2020 – Announces that he has tested positive for coronavirus and is self-isolating in Scotland.

September 8, 2022 – Queen Elizabeth II dies, and Charles ascends to the throne.

September 10, 2022 – Is officially proclaimed the King of the United Kingdom.

October 11, 2022 – Buckingham Palace announces Charles’ coronation is scheduled to take place May 6, 2023.

May 6, 2023 – Charles’ coronation takes place at Westminster Abbey.

Current line of succession:

1. The Prince of Wales, Prince William, son of King Charles (1982)

2. Prince George of Wales, son of Prince William (2013)

3. Princess Charlotte of Wales, daughter of Prince William (2015)

4. Prince Louis of of Wales, son of Prince William (2018)

5. The Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry, son of King Charles (1984)

6. Prince Archie of Sussex, son of Prince Harry (2019)

7. Princess Lilibet of Sussex, daughter of Prince Harry (2021)

8. The Duke of York, son of Queen Elizabeth II (1960)

9. Princess Beatrice of York, daughter of Prince Andrew (1988)

10. Miss Sienna Mapelli Mozzi, daughter of Princess Beatrice (2021)

Goalkeeper Santiago Ramírez scored an absurd long-range goal to cap off a wild semifinal between his Atlético Morelia team and Celaya in Mexico’s Liga de Expansión.

Trailing 2-1 in the second leg and 3-2 on aggregate, Celaya threw everything forward in a desperate attempt to find an equalizer in stoppage time.

That included goalkeeper Allison Revuelta, who for a brief moment looked as though he had made himself the hero by getting on the end of a cross with his head.

However, he ended up inadvertently assisting Ramírez for his near length-of-the-pitch goal as his soft headed effort dropped kindly into his opposite number’s hands.

With Revuelta and the rest of his teammates attempting to run back to their unguarded goal, Ramírez let fly with a booming kick out of his hands that sent the ball into the opposition net, bouncing just twice in the penalty area on the way.

#NoTeLoPierdas

¡GLAZ de @C_A_Morelia!

¡De Portería A Portería!

Santiago Ramírez aprovechó que el arquero de los Toros fue a rematar y con este despeje anotó el 1-3 definitivo en el Miguel Alemán.

Global 2-4#Semifinales Vuelta #Clausura2023 pic.twitter.com/YlvRBb7Rhh

— Liga BBVA Expansión MX (@LigaMXExpansion) May 15, 2023

The goal sparked wild scenes in the away end and in the dugout, as it secured Morelia’s place in the final of the Clausura – the tournament in the second half of the league season – with a 4-2 aggregate victory.

It was a fitting end to a chaotic game that featured five red cards – two for Celaya and three for Morelia – and four goals.

Morelia will play the first leg of the final against CD Tapatío on Wednesday, with the winner going on to play Atlante – the winner of the season-opening Apertura tournament – in the Champion of Champions final.

Colorado Rockies pitcher Ryan Feltner suffered a skull fracture and a concussion on Saturday after he was hit in the head by a 92.7-mph line drive.

Feltner was struck when his pitch was hit back towards him by Philadelphia Phillies right fielder Nick Castellanos in the second inning of the Phillies’ 7-4 win. Feltner was hit on the back of the head as he tried to duck and avoid the ball.

The 26-year-old immediately fell to the ground and but didn’t appear to lose consciousness. After spending a few minutes on the ground, he was helped to his feet before being escorted off the field by Colorado training staff.

Rockies manager Bud Black confirmed that Feltner had spent the night in hospital and that, after scans, it had been discovered he’d suffered a skull fracture and a concussion.

“But overall, he’s fine,” Black told reporters. “The feeling’s that it could have been worse, obviously. But he’s going to miss some time.

“Ryan was communicating with players via text, so he was pretty stable by the time the game ended and guys were getting home, 11 o’clock, midnight. He was texting with our medical staff, his parents, and we texted last night. He was obviously in a concussion state, but he was fairly lucid.”

Black said that doctors told Feltner that the fracture would not require surgery.

“The biggest thing is he has to let the trauma heal and let nature take its course on this one,” Black said. “He suffered a head injury. Time is the best healer. From everything that I’ve been told here this morning, things are looking up.”

Castellanos, who was safe with a single after the incident, appeared shaken up afterwards.

“It happens, and then I felt like I was running to first base because it was my job,” Castellanos told reporters afterwards. “Instantly what I thought was, like: ‘Holy sh*t, I hit him.’ There was a part of me that wanted to go to the mound, but I guess the baseball player takes over and you go to first.

“As soon as I touched first, I turned around and was just really hoping that what happened didn’t happen.”

The West has taken a dive straight into summer, with temperatures well above those normally seen even at the end of July. Record-breaking temperatures and a heat wave will continue to grip the entire region through much of this week.

Yesterday, several locations across the Pacific Northwest broke daily high temperature records:

“Today will be the 4th day in a row with highs in the 80s for Seattle,” the National Weather Service office in Seattle said. “This will tie the record for most consecutive days with highs 80 degrees plus in the month of May.”

For reference, Seattle’s normal high at the end of July is around 79 degrees, so temperatures are well above even the normal highs seen in the dog days of summer.

Many people in the Pacific Northwest do not have air conditioning, and with overnight lows running warm as well, the body is not able to easily recover from the daytime heat. It has prompted heat alerts for more than 10 million people across the Pacific Northwest and portions of Central California.

The weather setup very much resembles a weather pattern seen in the middle of summer for the region. A big dome of high pressure is sitting over the Northwest, allowing dry, downslope winds to come off the mountains, spiking temperatures well above average.

As the heat continues to build this week, nearly 150 high temperature records will be in jeopardy across the West.

While the heat will spread farther east throughout the week to include the Rockies and central and southern Plains, the most dramatic heat will be in the West. Temperatures are running 20 to 30 degrees above normal across the Pacific Northwest.

“To put it in perspective, highs will be near record values each day,” the weather service in Boise, Idaho, said. “These hot temperatures will increase snowmelt in the mountains. Mainstream rivers fed by snowpack will be running high, swift and cold.”

Weather service offices all across the West are urging people to stay out of the water and find relief from the heat in other ways. Water temperatures are in the 50s for the most part, cold enough to cause cold water shock and hyperthermia.

This heat is not just affecting the US. It has been even more extreme across western portions of Canada.

Several cities across British Columbia set new monthly records Sunday, including Lytton, which topped out around 97 degrees; hotter than the average temperature Phoenix, Arizona, experiences around this time of year.

Environment Canada has issued heat warnings for northern portions of Alberta and portions of British Columbia, where high temperatures are forecast to reach the mid 80s. Temperatures here are running 15 to 25 degrees above normal, so the weather agency is urging people to cancel outdoor plans if they aren’t necessary, as heat-related illnesses are possible.

One bit of good news is, “While the developing heat may result in daily temperature records being broken, it must be emphasized that the expected hot conditions will not approach those reached during the ‘Heat Dome’ of late June 2021,” Environment Canada said.

The heat is also having a huge effect on Canada’s active start to the fire season. There are currently 89 fires burning in Alberta alone, where fires have scorched 1.3 million acres so far this year. It puts 2023 as the fifth-busiest fire season on record in Alberta, and we still have several months of fire season yet to go.

While the hottest temperatures may have peaked over the weekend, the long-range outlook looks to remain quite warm for the Northwest.

The Climate Prediction Center has the Northwest above normal as far as temperatures go through the next two weeks at least. While it doesn’t mean temperatures will be as extreme as they currently are, the trend is definitely on the warmer side.

Powerful Cyclone Mocha made landfall on Myanmar’s west coast Sunday and is barreling toward millions of vulnerable people with winds equivalent to a Category 5 Atlantic hurricane as aid agencies warn of the potential for a major disaster.

Since forming in the Bay of Bengal early Thursday, the tropical cyclone has intensified, with sustained winds of 259 kilometers per hour (161 mph) and gusts of up to 315 kph (195 mph), according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center on Sunday.

The Bangladesh Meteorological Department said Sunday that Mocha is likely to move north-northeasterly across Rakhine State in Myanmar and “completely cross” Cox’s Bazar.

Aid agencies in Bangladesh and Myanmar say they have launched a massive emergency plan as the storm brings the threat of flooding and landslides.

Disaster response teams and more than 3,000 local volunteers who have been trained in disaster preparedness and first aid have been put on standby in the camps, and a national cyclone early warning system is in place, according to Sanjeev Kafley, Head of Delegation of the IFRC Bangladesh Delegation.

Kafley said there are 7,500 emergency shelter kits, 4,000 hygiene kits and 2,000 water containers ready to be distributed.

“We expect this cyclone to have a more severe impact than any other natural disaster they have faced in the past five years,” said Jain. “At this stage, we just don’t know where the cyclone will make landfall and with what intensity. So we are hoping for the best but are preparing for the worst.”

Evacuations of people in low-lying areas or those with serious medical conditions had begun, he said.

In Myanmar, residents in coastal areas of Rakhine state and Ayeyarwady region have started to evacuate and seek shelter at schools and monasteries.

Hundreds of Red Cross volunteers are on standby and the agency is relocating vulnerable people and raising awareness of the storm in villages and townships, the IFRC’s Kafley said.

The last storm to make landfall with a similar strength was Tropical Cyclone Giri back in October 2010. It made landfall as a high-end Category 4 equivalent storm with maximum winds of 250 kph (155 mph).

Giri caused over 150 fatalities and roughly 70% of the city of Kyaukphyu was destroyed. According to the United Nations, roughly 15,000 homes were destroyed in Rakhine state during the storm.

Rohingya refugees preparing for the worst

About 1 million members of the stateless Rohingya community, who fled persecution in nearby Myanmar during a military crackdown in 2017, are living in the sprawling and overcrowded camps in Cox’s Bazar.

Most live in bamboo and tarpaulin shelters perched on hilly slopes that are vulnerable to strong winds, rain, and landslides.

Jain said the shelters can only withstand wind speeds of 40 kph (24 mph) and he expects winds from Cyclone Mocha to exceed that.

“Low lying areas of the camps are likely to flood rapidly, destroying shelters, facilities such as learning centers, as well as infrastructure such as bridges that have been constructed with bamboo,” he said.

The cyclone adds to an already disastrous year for the Rohingya, and without more funds from the international community, Jain said they won’t have enough to rebuild.

“They faced a 17% cut in their food rations earlier this year due to funding cuts and we expect a further cut in their rations in the coming months. 16,000 refugees lost their home in a devastating fire in March. And now they must deal with the cyclone. Unfortunately, we don’t even have the funds to help refugees rebuild their homes and facilities if the devastation is severe,” he said.

There are also concerns for 30,000 Rohingya refugees housed on an isolated and flood-prone island facility in the Bay of Bengal, called Bhasan Char.

In Myanmar, about 6 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance in Rakhine state and across the northwest, with 1.2 million displaced, according to the UN humanitarian agency.

Worrying climate trend

The past few decades have seen an increase in the strength of tropical cyclones affecting countries in parts of Asia and recent research predicts they could have double the destructive power in the region by the end of the century.

While scientists are still trying to understand ways climate change is affecting cyclones, a slew of research has linked human-caused global warming to more potent and destructive cyclones.

Tropical cyclones (also known as hurricanes, typhoons and tropical storms depending on ocean basin and intensity), feed off ocean heat. They need temperatures of at least around 27 degrees Celsius (80 Fahrenheit Fahrenheit) to form, and the warmer the ocean, the more moisture they can take up.

The waters in the Bay of Bengal are currently around 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit Fahrenheit), about 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than average for May.

As the climate crisis pushes up the temperatures of oceans – which absorb around 90% of the world’s excess heat – it provides ideal conditions for cyclones to gain strength.

Warmer oceans also increase the chances of cyclones rapidly intensifying, according to recent research.

Climate-change fueled sea-level rise adds to the risks, worsening storm surges from tropical cyclones and allowing them to travel further inland.

Bangladesh and Myanmar are particularly threatened because they are low-lying, as well as being home to some of the world’s poorest people.