Despite reports that people are unable to reach the airport safely, State Department spokesman Ned Price said “we are doing everything we can.” He reiterated that the U.S. made it clear to the Taliban that “safe passage should be guaranteed for all of those who wish to transit to the airport.” The Pentagon said it is working to ramp up evacuation efforts to reach its goal of airlifting 5,000 to 9,00 people from Afghanistan a day....

‘Wilshere cried after missing out on award!’ Afobe left the north London giants for Wolves in 2012 after playing for the Gunners since the age of six, and insists his path back into the Premier League has been a long and arduous journey, eventually taking him to the Vitality Stadium in January last year. Cherries striker Afobe, who has pulled out of the African Nations Cup with DR Congo to “aid his improvement as a player”, cites the example of other players that have left Arsenal only to never play in the top flight again - something that has not proved the case for the now 23-year-old....

How quickly the disease progresses depends on the specific subspecies responsible for the infection, though someone can be infected for months or even years before the first symptoms become apparent. Without treatment, the disease is often fatal. While African sleeping sickness remains a serious public health issue in sub-Saharan Africa, significant progress has been made to fight infections. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), efforts to control the disease caused the number of cases to plummet by 73 percent from 2000 to 2012, and only about 2,800 cases total were reported in 2015....

However, given sufficient provocation, Israelis can produce an emphatic electoral outcome. Provoked by Prime Minister Ehud Barak’s astonishing concessions to the Palestinians (95 percent of the West Bank, division of Jerusalem) and by the Palestinians’ contemptuous and violent response to the concessions, Israelis cashiered Barak, replacing him with Ariel Sharon, who says that the Oslo “peace process,” begun nearly eight years ago, is dead. Since the “process” began, 550 Israelis have died in the violence that is the vocabulary of Yasir Arafat’s Palestinian Authority....

It was 2016 and Luis Severino was back in New York. In the midst of a stressful year, he decided to run some errands. Severino can’t remember exactly when the encounter took place, but he recalls the “random guy” walking up to him in the aisle, telling him that everything was going to be OK. The words stuck with him. “That day, it came to me,” Severino told Sporting News....

Only 22 days after All-Star free-agent pitchers Craig Kimbrel and Dallas Keuchel finally landed contracts with new teams — 214 days after MLB free agency officially started — the NBA opened up its free-agency period. In one day, this happened … MORE: Watch ‘ChangeUp,’ a new MLB live whiparound show on DAZN Think about that. On the first day alone, 48 players landed contracts. And that other number is kind of crazy, that $3....

The campaign already had plans to use clips from Tuesday night’s State of the Union address in a handful of campaign spots touting what it says are Trump’s accomplishments: low unemployment, a strong stock market, the “defeat” of ISIS. Now they will make at least one more, contrasting that record with what they will call the Democrat’s “incompetence” in Iowa. “These are the people who tell voters they are smart enough to nationalize health care, eliminate the oil and gas industry, and magically get rid of income inequality—yet they can’t even count their own votes in Iowa....

“If you look at every team, they have a pretty good point guard. It’s a point guard’s league now,” he told reporters after a workout in Los Angeles. Along with Ohio State’s D’Angelo Russell, Mudiay is considered one of the top point guard prospects in this year’s draft class. MORE: PG Russell cancels Sixers workout | Stanley Johnson to the Hornets? | Andrew Harrison replaces Aaron Like a page out of Brandon Jennings’ playbook, Mudiay decided to forgo college and play overseas after being selected as a McDonald’s All-American....

The plantar fasciitis that drove the Padres second baseman to the disabled list felt like a stabbing pain in the side of his foot. That required a cast, rest and plenty of rehab. And then there was the mental anguish that went along with his poor start to the season. “You have to stare at your numbers for a month-and-a-half,” he told Sporting News this weekend. “It’s not a lot of fun....

Paul Rieckhoff, founder of the non-partisan group Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), made the remarks while speaking with CNN’s Kate Bolduan on Monday after she asked him to comment on Trump’s pardon and intervention in the case of Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher. The case prompted a chain of events that appears to have resulted in the termination of Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer on Sunday....

As of Thursday, Sanders was priced at 53 cents, with a blowout 35-cent lead over former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg, who is valued at second with 18 cents—a reflection of the Vermont senator’s runaway lead in the polls. PredictIt has data on the value of each candidate and how it increases or decreases over a period of time. Much like the stock market, the value of each candidate rises as the market moves in their direction....

The Daily Beast published the video from Giuliani’s YouTube channel, which is no longer available, showing the former mayor of New York City making comments which he thought were off camera, following an interview with the former White House secretary Sean Spicer for his podcast Common Sense. In an extended version, Giuliani is seen at this desk talking to people off camera seemingly unaware that he was being recorded....

An associate of the former Special Envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker stated in a Congressional testimony on Tuesday that the White House canceled a routine US naval deployment in the Black Sea after Trump complained to then-national security adviser John Bolton that the operation is “anti-Russian.” This comes at a time when the ongoing withdrawal of U.S. and NATO forces from Afghanistan and, partially, from Syria, leave the U.S. facing a strategic challenge: how to shore up its positions in the Gulf and in Europe’s south-eastern frontier, and to ensure access to Europe’s heartland....

As it turned out, we got lucky. Although the South took $8 billion in damages, that’s nothing compared with what could have been if the hurricane had stayed a category 5. Instead, the eye expanded before Opal made landfall, slowing her down to a category 3. My house and those of my close friends remained unscathed, but if Opal had stayed a 5, I doubt I would be here to write this....

Sargent scored four goals in the competition, despite being at least 2-3 years younger than most other competitors, including USA’s opening goal. He would finish as the joint second-highest topscorer of the World Cup, making the world sit up and take note. That forced Bundesliga club Werder Bremen to move swiftly and secure his services from 2018 onwards. Meanwhile, he has continued his exploits in the U17 edition as well, netting USA’s opener in a 3-0 win over hosts India....

The two groups are such opposites in so many ways it makes for a fascinating debate. (Thanks, @mengus22). MD’s FOURSIGHTS: Coaches like Gonzaga’s Few and far between | Texas’ Rick Barnes went from fired to COY For the seniors: Doug McDermott, F, Creighton; C.J. Fair, F, Syracuse; Russ Smith, G, Louisville; Sean Kilpatrick, G, Cincinnati; Shabazz Napier, G, Connecticut. For the freshmen: Jabari Parker, F, Duke; Aaron Gordon, F, Arizona; Joel Embiid, C, Kansas; Andrew Wiggins, F/G, Kansas; Tyler Ennis, G, Syracuse....

“The Castle” is further proof that the Aussies love to make affectionate fun of the tackiest aspects of their culture. (Remember “Strictly Ballroom”?) This modest little comedy, tossed off in 11 days by director Rob Sitch, became the country’s biggest-grossing film of 1997. While it obviously struck a deep chord in its homeland, here it’s not much more than a light tap on the funny bone. The irrepressibly tacky Kerrigans make an amusing first impression, but the movie essentially has only one joke to offer: the family’s beaming pride in every appalling detail of their lives....

Maradona refused offers for Al Fujairah Finishing the campaign as top scorer with 32 goals, Mabkhout won the Golden Boot while he also picked up the Golden Globe Award for the best player Emirati Player. A spot in the Team of the Season completed his triumvirate for the night. Jazira’s 22-year-old attacker Khalfan Mubarak won the Golden Boy award for the best promising player with goalkeeper Ali Khasif taking home the Golden Glove award....