Latest from Al Bilad - KSA
CNA
8 minutes ago
- Sport
- CNA
Marquez on cloud nine with ninth sprint victory of season at Dutch GP
Ducati's Marc Marquez won the sprint at the Dutch Grand Prix on Saturday despite starting fourth on the grid, taking the lead on lap one to clinch his ninth sprint victory of the season ahead of his brother Alex of Gresini Racing. Aprilia's Marco Bezzecchi came third for his first sprint podium since 2023 while pole sitter Fabio Quartararo of Yamaha crashed with four laps to go. Marc extends his lead in the championship to 43 points over Alex going into Sunday's race while Ducati's Francesco Bagnaia, third in the championship, could only manage fifth place behind VR46 Racing's Fabio Di Giannantonio. The victory will give Marc a huge boost of confidence after he crashed twice in Friday's practice, as he seeks a first race win at Assen since 2018.
Daily Mail
8 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff slams 'ridiculous' allegations that he raped, strangled and bit woman
Representatives for BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff have denied the allegations of rape that he is facing in a lawsuit. A woman filing as 'Jane Doe' accused Retzlaff of raping, strangling, and biting her back in November of 2023. She is seeking $300,000 in damages. The lawsuit, filed against Retzlaff in Utah in late May and obtained by Daily Mail, claims Provo cops encouraged the woman to remain silent, allegedly telling her: 'Sexual assault victims never get justice.' Provo, Utah police have rejected her accusations in a department statement: 'From everything we have reviewed, this is not true.' In the response issued on Friday, Retzlaff's representation says: 'Mr. Retzlaff specifically and categorically denies each and every and all allegations that he bit, raped or strangled [the woman], which are ridiculous and bizarre allegations, all of which are false and untrue.' Additionally, the response states that the encounter with Retzlaff and his accuser was consensual and that they had exchanged lighthearted text messages to each other up through February 2024. Retzlaff's attorneys are calling the lawsuit an extortion attempt, considering the quarterback developed into an NFL prospect about one year after their encounter. Among the damages in the lawsuit, the accuser claims to have suffered emotional distress, humiliation, embarrassment, mental distress and anxiety as a result of the alleged rape. She is seeking damages in excess of $300,000 from Retzlaff. 'A year and half after the rape and strangulation, Jane Doe A.G. continues to experience extreme post-traumatic stress disorder and other trauma symptoms as she works to process what happened and move on,' the lawsuit states. Retzlaff's attorney, Mark Baute, denied the accusations in his own statement at the time of the filing. 'We look forward to proving that innocence,' Baute said. 'Jake's focus this year will be on football. We don't try cases in the media, we will respect the process and establish Jake's innocence through the judicial system.' The alleged assault is said to have taken place at Retzlaff's home in November of 2023, when the California native was still a freshman with the Cougars. After connecting on social media a month earlier, the two spent weeks exchanging messages before he allegedly invited her to his home. The accuser claims she and a friend attended Retzlaff's home that night, where his friends and teammates were also socializing. Later, she claims, after her friend went home, she and Retzlaff began to watch a movie and ultimately began kissing. Jane Doe's lawsuit states she did not immediately disclose Retzlaff's name to Provo police, but later informed them that it was the BYU quarterback, only to be told victims 'never get justice' However, she says she did not want to go any further. 'Retzlaff began escalating the situation,' the filing reads, 'and Jane Doe A.G. tried to de-escalate the situation and attempted to slow things down, trying to pull away, and saying "wait." She did not want to do anything sexual with him.' After allegedly telling Retzlaff 'no' and trying to leave, Retzlaff grabbed her by the neck and proceeded to rape her, according to the lawsuit. The experience was so painful, Doe claims in her lawsuit, that she actually 'passed out.' And when she was conscious, Doe 'remembers tears rolling down her face as she fought to breathe,' the lawsuit reads. She went to the hospital two days later, where a rape kit was performed and her injuries were recorded. Her lawsuit states she did not immediately disclose Retzlaff's name to Provo police, but later informed them that it was the BYU quarterback. 'At some point after speaking to the police, an officer reached out to her asking for the name because someone else filed a complaint against a football player and the police wanted to see if it was the same person,' the lawsuit said. 'At that point Jane Doe A.G. shared Retzlaff's name, and the Provo police then encouraged her not to do anything because, as they claimed, "sexual assault victims never get justice."' Provo police have released their own statement, questioning Doe's claims against the department. 'The civil suit states that Provo Police personnel discouraged the victim from proceeding, by telling her there is no justice for victims of sexual abuse,' wrote a department spokesperson. 'From everything we have reviewed, this is not true. We have a team of dedicated investigators and victim advocates whose sole mission is to provide justice to victims of sexual abuse. They do not send people away, warning them there is no justice for victims.' Retzlaff, a junior, is rumored to be dating BYU softball player Jaelynn Lambert, who is another California native. The quarterback has posted pictures of himself with the outfielder on Instagram. The first Jewish quarterback in BYU history, Retzlaff previously signed a name, image and likeness deal (NIL) with one of the world's top kosher brands, Manischewitz. Details of the deal were not revealed, but Manischewitz released a commercial starring Retzlaff, who actually autographed some matzoh during the minute-long clip.
The Independent
8 minutes ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Harriet Dart wants to move on from storm over her comments towards Lois Boisson
Harriet Dart admits she was affected by the storm that followed her on-court comments towards Lois Boisson. What would have been a very low-key match at a minor tournament in Rouen in April became one of the most talked about of the year after Dart asked the umpire to tell Boisson to put on deodorant, saying: 'She smells really bad.' The unkind remarks quickly blew up on social media and, although Dart later issued a fulsome apology, they came to the fore again when Boisson went on an unexpected run to the semi-finals of her home grand slam at the French Open. A quick internet search shows that it is something that is likely to follow Dart around for a while, but the 28-year-old is hoping to put it behind her. 'I'd be lying if (I said) it didn't affect me a little bit,' said Dart ahead of a first-round Wimbledon match against Hungary's Dalma Galfi on Monday. 'I'm human but also we all make mistakes and I just tried to look forward. I've gone through some difficulties these weeks. I don't always share what I go through but I'm just looking forward and preparing the best I can. 'I've also played some really good players so it's been tough, I've had a change of coaching as well, so there's been a lot going on. 'I don't know why we're still talking about this, it's been months now. I feel like I answered a lot of the questions that were asked of me and that's it. I really just want to put it behind me.' It has been a tough year on the court for Dart, whose ranking has slipped outside the top 100. Since the Boisson incident, she has won only one of seven matches, but she hopes she has turned a corner after missing two match points against reigning Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova in Eastbourne earlier this week. 'For me, my level is more important (than results),' said Dart, who needed a wild card to get into Wimbledon. 'Last week I had a really high-quality match. I didn't get quite over the line but I was much happier than the weeks previously, I'd not played very well at all. I'd competed hard but my tennis wasn't really there. If my level's good then results will come in time.' Away from the court, Dart revealed she has been getting stuck into Lego sets to take her mind off tennis. 'My family and I love to do Lego at home,' she said. 'I take it on the road, I've got a lot of cars. It's fun, it's very peaceful.'
CBC
8 minutes ago
- Business
- CBC
Canada orders China's Hikvision to close Canadian operations over security concerns
The Canadian government has ordered Chinese surveillance camera manufacturer Hikvision to cease operations in Canada over national security concerns, Industry Minister Melanie Joly said late on Friday. Hikvision, also known as Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Co., has faced numerous sanctions and restrictions by Canada's neighbour, the United States, over the past 5½ years for the firm's dealings and the use of its equipment in China's Xinjiang region, where rights groups have documented abuses against the Uyghur population and other Muslim communities. "The government has determined that Hikvision Canada Inc.'s continued operations in Canada would be injurious to Canada's national security," Joly said on X, adding that the decision was taken after a multi-step review of information provided by Canada's security and intelligence community. Her statement did not mention China or Xinjiang or specify how Hikvision would harm Canada's national security. "We strongly disagree with this decision and view it with deep concern, as we believe it lacks a factual basis, procedural fairness and transparency," a Hikvision spokesperson told Reuters. "Instead of evaluating our technology on its cybersecurity merits, the decision appears to be driven by the parent company's country of origin, reflecting broader geopolitical tensions and an unjustified bias against Chinese companies." The spokesperson said the company "urges the Canadian government to base its actions on facts rather than prejudice, and to uphold a fair, transparent environment for all businesses and investors." China's Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The company, which describes itself as the world's biggest maker of video surveillance equipment, said last year it had exited contracts in Xinjiang through five subsidiaries that were added to a U.S. trade blacklist in 2023. The Chinese government has denied all allegations of human rights abuses in Xinjiang and has criticized or targeted companies for removing Xinjiang firms from their supply chains. Canada said last year it was reviewing an application to impose sanctions against Chinese surveillance equipment companies, including Hikvision, after rights advocates alleged the firms were aiding repression and high-tech surveillance in Xinjiang. Joly said Canada was also banning the purchase of Hikvison's products in government departments and agencies, and reviewing existing properties to ensure that legacy Hikvision products were not used in the future. She said the order does not extend to the company's affiliate operations outside Canada but "strongly" encouraged Canadians "to take note of this decision and make their own decisions accordingly."
Al Jazeera
8 minutes ago
- Climate
- Al Jazeera
Death toll rises after Pakistan hit by flash floods and heavy rains
Heavy rain and flash flooding across Pakistan have killed 32 people since the start of the monsoon season earlier this week, according to the disaster management officials. Flash floods and roof collapses over the past 36 hours have claimed the lives of 19 people, eight of them children, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial disaster management authority said in a statement on Saturday. Of the total deaths, 13 were reported in the Swat Valley. At least 13 people have been killed in the eastern province of Punjab since Wednesday, the area's disaster management authority said. Eight of the deaths were children, who died when walls and roofs collapsed during heavy rain. Flash flood risk remains Flooding in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has also damaged 56 houses, six of which were destroyed, the disaster authority said. The national meteorological service warned that the risk of heavy rain and possible flash floods will remain high until at least Tuesday. Last month, at least 32 people were killed in severe storms in the South Asian nation, which experienced several extreme weather events in the spring, including strong hailstorms. Pakistan is one of the world's most vulnerable countries to the effects of climate change, and its 240 million inhabitants are facing extreme weather events with increasing frequency.
