GROUP D (CENTRAL ZONE) FC Alay (KGZ) v Dordoi FC (KGZ): The second Kyrgyz derby in Group D is a dead rubber with neither FC Alay nor Dordoi FC in the running for a spot in the Inter-Zonal playoffs. The hosts, FC Alay, have lost all five of their games so far and this is an opportunity for them to end a dismal campaign on a high. As for Dordoi FC, all they have to show for is a win in the earlier Kyrgyz derby and will look to avoid finishing bottom of the group....

The two sides are locked on three points each, both having beaten the group’s whipping boys - Bangladeshi side Abahani Limited Dhaka. Therefore, this game represents the perfect opportunity for the Mariners to clinch three more points, giving them further chance of qualification from their group, with Bengaluru FC primed to be the other side to seal qualification to the knockout stages of the competition. Sanjoy Sen - Will need to be cautious against Maziya S&RC early on...

As part of their preparations for the tournament, the Blue Colts have so far travelled to Egypt, Dubai, Qatar, Hong Kong and Spain. In an exclusive chat with Goal, Bibiano Fernandes, the India U-16 head coach, revealed how he along with the AIFF (All India Football Federation) National Team director Abhishek Yadav devised the plan towards the AFC U-16 Championship 2018 finals in Malaysia later this year. “It was a plan to have the exposure tours to Dubai, Qatar when we qualified (for the AFC U-16 Championship 2018) in September....

Denver, though, is not all by itself in the division, as the Chiefs and Chargers have both put together consecutive winning seasons and haven’t showed any signs of regression. The division sent all three of these teams to the playoffs in 2013-14, but last season San Diego and Kansas City, despite 9-7 records, were nosed out of the wild card by AFC North clubs Cincinnati and Baltimore. The Chiefs and Chargers are offered at odds of 7-to-2 and 4-to-1 to win the division this year....

For the troops who stay behind, life at Bagram is probably more comfortable than anywhere else in Afghanistan. The living quarters are mostly two-story buildings built in the Soviet era and many are air-conditioned, a relief in 100-degree heat. The food, supplied by contractor KBR, is diner quality. Most meals include a salad bar, a selection of meat, fish or vegetarian entrees, fresh fruit and baked desserts. To encourage troops to watch their weight, calorie figures are posted on each dish....

NEWSWEEK: Why is the government losing ground to the Taliban? Adbul Sattar Murad: This phenomenon is happening all over the country and there are many factors, external and internal … Some strong figures in Pakistan are behind these increased activities of terrorism in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Unfortunately, ISI [Pakistan’s intelligence service] in the past was involved and still some of the officers of ISI are involved now in promoting Talibanism in Pakistan as well as in Afghanistan....

But down one dusty lane a thin young man with a wispy beard, was brandishing something decidedly more modern: a Thuraya satellite phone. “I use it to call my family in Pakistan,” says the man, standing in a dimly lit shop with brown handprints staining the walls. He didn’t say, but that “family” could easily be The Family–as in the narco-mafia who, based in Pakistan, Iran and former Soviet Central Asian republics, help move thousands of pounds of opium from the two dozen cubby-hole shops in this corner of the bazaar....

Although the U.N.’s World Food Program has brought in and given food to tens of thousands of Afghans over the past weeks, more money is needed for aid to keep the country fed, said Afghanistan’s local U.N. humanitarian coordinator, Ramiz Alakbarov. He noted only 39 percent of $1.3 billion needed for aid has been received. “The lean winter season is fast approaching, and without additional funding, food stocks will run out at the end of September,” warned Alakbarov....

Some argue that the current rarity of jihadist explosions and beheadings means that perhaps we should just take the win. There was never going to be a signing ceremony aboard a battleship featuring terrorist leaders agreeing to articles of surrender. The end of this war was always going to be as murky as its logic. What have we been trying to do? What was the definition of success—or failure, for that matter?...

Atrial fibrillation is a recurrent, rapid, irregular heart contraction of the heart’s atria, which are the upper chambers of the heart. Most people who have atrial fibrillation develop it during adulthood. It usually doesn’t cause any symptoms, and it can be diagnosed with noninvasive studies, such as electrocardiography (EKG). This article will discuss how atrial fibrillation increases stroke risk, how to prevent a stroke, and how to recognize a stroke....

Morocco, another of the continent’s soccer heavyweights, was sent packing by Benin, while Madagascar marked its tournament debut by reaching the quarterfinals. Here, Newsweek ranks all the teams that have progressed to the quarterfinals. Algeria Four wins in four games, nine goals scored and none conceded. The Desert Foxes could hardly have staked their claim as team to beat in more resounding fashion. Defensively solid, Algeria has relied on Riyad Mahrez to provide inspiration in the final third of the pitch and the Manchester City winger has delivered, scoring twice so far....

The sensation was made possible by new networks pushing to reach across Africa, aided by the arrival of satellite technology. Africans have long had access to foreign TV (from CNN to “The Sopranos”) or local programs, but not to TV from their neighbors. In the early 1990s, the South African partnership of M-Net and MultiChoice began the first homegrown satellite broadcasts to reach all of English-speaking Africa. With its path eased by falling state barriers to private broadcasters, the partnership now operates in 50 African and adjacent island countries, and has spawned at least two rivals, TV Africa and a new network launched by the venerable South African Broadcasting Corporation....

Logan’s absence was noted on Friday in CNN’s Reliable Sources newsletter after she had not been featured on Fox programming since the November 29 edition of Fox News Primetime. On that episode, Logan compared Fauci, chief medical advisor to President Joe Biden and the nation’s leading expert on infectious diseases, to infamous Nazi doctor, Josef Mengele. “Has Lara Logan been quietly benched by Fox News? All indications are yes,” CNN reporter Oliver Darcy wrote in the newsletter....

Yahoo’s White House Correspondent, Hunter Walker, tweeted that Trump had said at a social media summit: “Arnold Schwarzenegger … You know what? He died … I was there.” But rumors of Schwarzenegger’s demise had been greatly exaggerated and The Terminator star replied, “I’m still here. Want to compare tax returns?” referring to Trump’s refusal to hand over his financial records. The reporter later clarified in a further tweet that Trump’s comments were referring to Schwarzenegger’s TV ratings after he took over in 2017 as host of the show The Celebrity Apprentice, The Sun reported....

This will define Davis for the rest of the time his NFL career is discussed — which is too bad, because he had a very good career. He and his brother Vernon have been upstanding, admirable professionals, and his Instagram explanation was reasoned and full of perspective. It still didn’t explain why he undressed and walked out of the stadium, leaving his teammates and employers behind. It left the world to assume his reason was … the Bills themselves....

Nunes—who has been one of President Donald Trump’s fiercest defenders in the committee where Ukrainian “quid pro quo” allegations are currently being considered—faced calls to recuse himself and even to be investigated after it was alleged that he himself met with Ukrainian officials in order to discuss digging up dirt on former Vice President Joe Biden. If accurate, the claim would implicate Nunes in the events his committee is investigating: president Trump and associates allegedly attempting to enlist a foreign government to dig up dirt on a domestic political opponent, while Congressionally approved aid was withheld until the request was met....

Their analysis of a quarter-century of state-level gun legislation and mass shooting events found that, in the wake of a single gun-perpetrated massacre and its ensuing media coverage, the number of firearm bills introduced in a statehouse surges by 15 percent. “Mass shootings could potentially lead to policy changes by focusing attention on gun violence, even if they do not provide new information regarding effective policy or change politicians’ preferences,” the paper assesses....

After 25 years in law enforcement, and six at the University of Utah, Brophy announced Tuesday he would retire to pursue other opportunities. He said the “timing is right” and credited the move with opening a new chapter for himself and a path forward for the department. Brophy’s last day will be October 15, a year after Lauren McCluskey, 21, a student-athlete, was allegedly shot and killed by her ex-boyfriend Melvin Rowland, 37....