No matter the size or scale of your business, if you want to improve how clients and customers interact with your firm, you will need to improve your business brand reputation. If your company doesn’t have an excellent reputation, it will fall apart. Therefore, it […]
Interviewing salespeople requires a strategic approach to identifying candidates who possess the necessary skills and align with your company’s culture and goals. Hiring your next super sales star begins with knowing what you are looking for, raising your interviewing game, and backing up your selection […]
While some organizations dream of the good old days when employees worked in the office full time, working remotely is here to stay. Today, it’s called hybrid work, as only part of the week is spent working remotely. Hybrid work comes with a growing reliance […]
Darius Miles is suspected of involvement in the incident early on Sunday Darius Miles, a collegiate basketball star with the University of Alabama, has been arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of a woman close to the university’s Tuscaloosa campus early on Sunday morning. […]
Darius Miles is suspected of involvement in the incident early on Sunday
Darius Miles, a collegiate basketball star with the University of Alabama, has been arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of a woman close to the university’s Tuscaloosa campus early on Sunday morning.
Miles, 21, and another man, 20-year-old Michael Lynn Davis, were arrested after allegedly opening fire at a vehicle at a location known as ‘the Strip’ around 1.45am local time on Sunday, according to a report by ABC News.
A woman, Jamea Jonae Harris, 23, was shot during the incident and was later pronounced dead.
One of the two suspects was also shot when someone in the car returned fire, though the identity of this person has not yet been revealed. It is not thought that their injuries are life-threatening.
Investigators are looking into reports that the two parties had engaged in a verbal altercation before shots were fired.
“At this time, it appears that the only motive was a minor altercation that these individuals had with the victim as they were out on the Strip,” said Jack Kennedy of the Tuscaloosa Police.
Miles is a junior at the University of Alabama and played forward for the Crimson Tide basketball team. He did not play in the team’s game against Louisiana State University on Saturday after reportedly sustaining an injury to his ankle.
The University of Alabama released a statement shortly after Miles’ arrest, in which it confirmed that he had been dropped from the team following his arrest.
“We were made aware of the recent charge against student-athlete Darius Miles; he has been removed from campus and is no longer a member of the Alabama men’s basketball team,” the university wrote, while also confirming that counseling services had been made available to students.
“The University of Alabama’s utmost priority is the safety and wellbeing of the campus community,” the statement continued.
“We are grieved by the incident that occurred near campus last night and extend our deepest condolences to the victim’s family and friends.”
The Londoners have signed Mikhail Mudryk after ‘hijacking’ his planned move to Arsenal Chelsea have confirmed the arrival of Mikhail Mudryk after beating London rivals Arsenal to an agreement with Shakhtar Donetsk for the Ukrainian winger. Mudryk, 22, was presented to fans at Stamford Bridge […]
The Londoners have signed Mikhail Mudryk after ‘hijacking’ his planned move to Arsenal
Chelsea have confirmed the arrival of Mikhail Mudryk after beating London rivals Arsenal to an agreement with Shakhtar Donetsk for the Ukrainian winger. Mudryk, 22, was presented to fans at Stamford Bridge on Sunday as Chelsea took on Crystal Palace in the English Premier League.
The Blues have reportedly agreed to pay €70 million up front for Mudryk and €30 million in add-ons (total $108 million). The sizeable outlay comes after Mudryk seemed set to move to Arsenal, with the player previously indicating his desire to join the Gunners.
However, Chelsea intervened to land the youngster on an eight-and-a-half-year contract following negotiations involving co-owner Behdad Eghbali and Shakhtar president Rinat Akhmetov in Türkiye this weekend.
In a statement after Mudryk’s move was confirmed, Eghbali and new Chelsea owner Todd Boehly – who competed a takeover from Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich last May – described Mudryk as “a hugely exciting talent who we believe will be a terrific addition to our squad both now and in the years to come.”
Chelsea have sanctioned the large fee despite Mudryk being capped just eight times at senior international level and playing 44 times for Shakhtar. The left winger scored seven goals in 12 games in the Ukrainian Premier League this season before his move, as well as three goals in six Champions League games.
Chelsea fans will hope that Mudryk can provide an immediate lift for the team as they languish down in tenth place in the Premier League table. Blues manager Graham Potter finds himself under pressure just four months after being installed by the new Chelsea ownership in place of the sacked Thomas Tuchel.
Georgiy Gagloev’s body was found during a stop in southern Russia, according to reports Russian MMA fighter Georgiy Gagloev has been found dead at the age of 25 in the carriage of a train which was traveling from Moscow to Vladikavkaz. There are suggestions that […]
Georgiy Gagloev’s body was found during a stop in southern Russia, according to reports
Russian MMA fighter Georgiy Gagloev has been found dead at the age of 25 in the carriage of a train which was traveling from Moscow to Vladikavkaz. There are suggestions that Gagloev’s death may have been “violent,” Russian news agency TASS reported, citing sources.
Gagloev’s body is said to have been discovered during a stop in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don. Relatives of the fighter, who was from Ossetia, have already gone to the city to collect the body, TASS added.
Bantamweight Gagloev is listed by MMA records website Sherdog as having four fights during his career – winning one but losing his past three trips to the cage.
Gagloev last fought in March 2021, competing in the ‘Old Guard Fight Club’ event in Russia but suffering a submission defeat to compatriot Aleksey Ponomorenko.
According to Russian outlet Sport-Express, Gagloev was a local North Ossetian champion in freestyle wrestling and hand-to-hand combat before moving into MMA. He is also said to have had a stint in jail, and donned a prison-style outfit for one of his walk-outs to the cage.
Sport-Express reported that Gagloev’s career may have been “hindered by personal problems” in recent years, including the search for his aunt, Rimma – a purported fortune-teller who is said to have gone missing after traveling from the UAE to Grozny.
Gagloev even turned to Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov with a video appeal for him to help in the search, but to no avail.
Jessica Calalang claimed Kamila Valieva should be sanctioned despite previously facing her own battle with the anti-doping authorities US pairs skater Jessica Calalang – who faced an eight-month bid to clear her name with the anti-doping authorities in 2021 – has called for Russian teenage […]
Jessica Calalang claimed Kamila Valieva should be sanctioned despite previously facing her own battle with the anti-doping authorities
US pairs skater Jessica Calalang – who faced an eight-month bid to clear her name with the anti-doping authorities in 2021 – has called for Russian teenage star Kamila Valieva to be sanctioned in her ongoing case with WADA.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announced on Friday that it had been informed that Valieva “bore no guilt or negligence” following a ruling by a Russian anti-doping committee. The tribunal made the ruling based on an investigation into Valieva’s positive test for banned heart medication trimetazidine in a sample dating from December 2021.
WADA responded to the news by saying it would consider the reasoning by the Russian tribunal, but did not rule out turning to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) – where it has already filed a complaint seeking a four-year ban for Valieva.
Weighing in on Twitter, three-time US national silver medalist Calalang suggested that the Russian investigation into the 16-year-old Valieva had been rigged.
“Hmm… this seems totally fair and unbiased,” tweeted Calalang, adding an upside-down smiley and sharing the text of the WADA statement on Valieva. “Doping is doping which should automatically equal a sanction. WADA needs to appeal. THE END,” wrote the American.
Calalang expressed her dissatisfaction with Valieva’s case on Twitter.
The comment echoed the sentiment expressed across much of the Western media in Valieva’s case, although some of the responses to Calalang’s tweet noted that she had first-hand experience of being implicated in a doping investigation.
In Calalang’s case, she faced an eight-month battle to clear her name in 2021 after testing positive for 4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid (4-CPA) in a sample taken in January of that year. The substance is a known metabolite of meclofenoxate – a stimulant which was prohibited by American anti-doping agency USADA.
Calalang and her pairs partner Brian Johnson were forced to withdraw from the World Championships in March 2021 and were initially unable to compete in any official US figure skating events while her case played out.
Calalang, 27, was eventually cleared following an investigation by USADA, which discovered that a non-prohibited substance which is found in shampoos and lotions, chlorphenesin, can metabolize into 4-CPA.
A similar finding had been made in a case involving UFC fighter Rob Font, who had been cleared earlier that year after it was found that cosmetic products he used before a fight resulted in a positive test.
“I had used all the same makeup before,” Calalang said at the time of her case, describing the situation as “just a big shock to me.” She was eventually fully cleared of any violations by UASADA and WADA at the end of September 2021. However, she and Johnson did not make it to the Beijing Winter Olympics in February 2022, with Johnson announcing his retirement last April, signaling the end of their partnership.
Meanwhile, the case of Russian star Valieva seems set to drag on. The news of her positive test for banned heart medication trimetazidine first emerged at the Beijing Winter Games in February last year, based on a sample collected six weeks previously at the Russian championships.
Valieva had already won gold in the figure skating team event at the Olympics before her positive test was reported, and she was cleared to compete in the individual competition in Beijing by an emergency CAS panel. In the end, Valieva finished a disappointing fourth despite being the strong favorite for gold.
Due to Valieva’s age and her status as a “protected person,” Russian officials have defended their right not to disclose the full details of her case. However, it emerged during the CAS hearings in Beijing that Valieva’s team had argued that the positive test may have resulted from contamination via heart medication her grandfather was taking.
Despite being cleared of negligence by the Russian anti-doping hearing, Valieva did have her results annulled for the day of her positive test on December 25, 2021 – meaning she lost the Russian national title she won on that date.
Alexander Ovechkin scored his 30th goal of the season – the 17th time he has achieved the feat Russia’s Alexander Ovechkin recorded yet another NHL landmark on Saturday night when he scored his 30th goal of the season for the Washington Capitals. Ovechkin has reached […]
Alexander Ovechkin scored his 30th goal of the season – the 17th time he has achieved the feat
Russia’s Alexander Ovechkin recorded yet another NHL landmark on Saturday night when he scored his 30th goal of the season for the Washington Capitals. Ovechkin has reached the goal-scoring mark in 17 separate seasons in the league – matching a record set by former Capitals forward Mike Gartner.
Ovechkin scored the only goal for Washington in a 3-1 defeat to the Philadelphia Flyers at Capital One Arena. The Russian tied the game at 1-1 in the first period, registering his 30th goal in 45 games this season.
Ovechkin is now alongside Gartner as the only two players to have scored 30 goals or more in 17 seasons. Ovechkin, 37, has reached that tally in every season has played in the NHL, with the exception of the Covid-shortened 2020/21 campaign.
More broadly, the Russian continues his pursuit of the all-time NHL goals record held by Canadian great Wayne Gretzky. Ovechkin is now on 810 goals in total – second on the list and behind Gretzky’s tally of 894. Ovechkin has also reached 400 home goals to his name, making him only the second ever NHL player after Gretzky to score 400 goals at home and 400 on the road, according to statisticians.
The defeat on Saturday made it back-to-back losses for the Capitals against the Flyers, who had defeated Washington 5-3 in Philadelphia on Wednesday night. The Flyers are on a hot streak with three successive wins and eight out of their last 11 overall. The Capitals have stalled with four losses in their last six, having won 11 from 13 prior to that. Ovechkin and co next play the New York Islanders on Monday.
Jon Jones will make his UFC comeback in March, it has been announced Jon Jones will face Ciryl Gane for the UFC heavyweight title in Las Vegas in March after promotion president Dana White confirmed that now-former champion Francis Ngannou has been released from the […]
Jon Jones will make his UFC comeback in March, it has been announced
Jon Jones will face Ciryl Gane for the UFC heavyweight title in Las Vegas in March after promotion president Dana White confirmed that now-former champion Francis Ngannou has been released from the company.
Jones and Gane will face off in the main event at T-Mobile Arena at UFC 285 on March 4, marking the return of the man many consider to be the greatest MMA competitor of all time.
Former light-heavyweight champion Jones has not fought since defending his 205lbs title against Dominik Reyes in February 2020. The ensuing period has seen Jones consistently tease a step up to heavyweight in a bid to be crowned the UFC’s latest two-weight champion.
Jones, 35, will now get that chance – although it won’t be the bout many had clamored for against Cameroonian fighter Ngannou, after White confirmed that the UFC had been unable to agree contract terms with the hard-hitting heavyweight star.
White said Ngannou, 36, had been offered a deal to make him the “highest-paid heavyweight” in UFC history – eclipsing former superstar Brock Lesnar – but that he had turned down the contract proposal.
Ngannou last fought in January 2022, when he made a first title defense with a unanimous decision victory over Gane. Ngannou later announced he would undergo major knee surgery, although relations have been strained with the UFC hierarchy for some time, with the fighter complaining that he has not been paid his worth. The heavyweight giant has also touted a crossover to boxing to face the likes of Tyson Fury.
Announcing the Jones-Gane fight following the UFC’s event in Las Vegas on Saturday, promotion president White explained the circumstances surrounding Ngannou’s exit after seven years and 14 fights.
“I’ve told you guys this before, if you don’t want to be here, you don’t have to be,” White told the media. “I think Francis is in a place right now where he doesn’t want to take a lot of risk. He feels like he’s in a good position where he could fight lesser opponents and make more money. We’re going to let him do that, release him from his contract and give up our right to match.”
White said that Jones had been ready to fight anyone in the heavyweight ranks upon his return. Despite being involved in contract disputes of his own with the UFC in recent years, Jones has signed a new eight-fight deal with the promotion, according to White.
Jones regularly features in lists of the greatest MMA practitioners of all time. His only defeat in a 28-fight career has come via disqualification in a 2009 contest with Matt Hamill, while the other blemish on Jones’ record came in 2017 when his KO win against Daniel Cormier was later declared a ‘no contest’ due to a doping violation.
In addition to doping suspensions, Jones has faced notoriety for several run-ins with the law. In September 2021, he was detained in Las Vegas just hours after being inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.
Jones will be welcomed on his return to the UFC by Gane – the highly-rated French star who claimed the interim heavyweight title and was undefeated in 10 fights before suffering a decision loss to Ngannou in their title fight 12 months ago. Gane, 32, bounced back from that defeat by knocking out Tai Tuivasa in the third round of their main event at UFC Paris in September.
Umar Nurmagomedov extended his unbeaten record with victory in Las Vegas on Saturday night UFC boss Dana White says surging bantamweight contender Umar Nurmagomedov is “ready for anything,” after the Russian fighter scored a brutal knockout win over Brazil’s Raoni Barcelos in the first round of their bout […]
Umar Nurmagomedov extended his unbeaten record with victory in Las Vegas on Saturday night
UFC boss Dana White says surging bantamweight contender Umar Nurmagomedov is “ready for anything,” after the Russian fighter scored a brutal knockout win over Brazil’s Raoni Barcelos in the first round of their bout at UFC Fight Night 217 in Las Vegas on Saturday.
Nurmagomedov flattened Barcelos with a savage left hook after stepping in for a kick with 20 seconds remaining of the opening round. The Russian followed up with a hammerfist on the ground but Barcelos was already out cold as referee Jason Herzog waved off the fight.
Dagestani star Nurmagomedov was without the presence of famous cousin Khabib in his corner at the UFC Apex, after the retired lightweight legend made the decision to step away from MMA this year, but the 27-year-old nonetheless got the job done in impressive fashion to extend his unbeaten record inside the UFC Octagon to 4-0 and 16-0 overall in his career.
UFC president White revealed in his post-event press conference that he had already spoken to Nurmagomedov about what lies in store, with the Russian in a hurry to fight competition higher up the 135lbs ranks.
“He actually wanted to come back and talk to me tonight,” White told the media. “He’s going home for a week and then he’s coming back here and he said he’s ready for anything we bring to him. I love that attitude and I’m excited about that kid.”
When asked if Nurmagomedov could potentially be thrown back into competition at UFC 285 on March 4 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, White said he would discuss how the land lies with fellow management before making a decision.
“Well, he’s coming right back, he’s leaving for a week… We’ll probably turn him around quick, when guys want to turn around quick, I love that. It’s about finding the right opponent. There’s a lot of fights that are already happening in that division… I don’t know, Tuesday, we’ll start looking at it,” said White.
Nurmagomedov said he is ‘ready for March’ in a social media post, sharing a photo alongside White and UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby.
Nurmagomedov had stepped things up as the opening round wore on against Barcelos, showcasing some slick striking – especially making use of kicks. The victory was a first by KO for Nurmagomedov inside the UFC, with his previous wins with the promotion coming via two submissions and a unanimous decision.
Barcelos became his latest victim as the Brazilian slipped to his third defeat in his past four fights, having won each of his first five contests with the promotion.
Raked number 11 heading into Saturday night’s action, Nurmagomedov used his post-fight interview to call out anyone willing to face him in March. He also apologized for landing a further blow on the downed Barcelos, saying he had not been aware that the Brazilian was already completely out when he hit the deck.
Watching from afar, Khabib Nurmagomedov expressed his approval of his cousin’s performance, issuing an Instagram post with a clip of the KO and describing it as a “statement.” Teammate and current UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev also heaped praise on Umar Nurmagomedov, sending his congratulations in a social media post and predicting: “He will be champion.”
The Russian figure skater was declared to be free of wrongdoing in her case – but that does not mean it’s over Eleven months after the doping scandal involving teenage Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva rocked the Beijing Winter Olympics, there were significant developments this […]
The Russian figure skater was declared to be free of wrongdoing in her case – but that does not mean it’s over
Eleven months after the doping scandal involving teenage Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva rocked the Beijing Winter Olympics, there were significant developments this week when the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announced that it had been informed of the outcome of a tribunal into the case.
But rather than mark the end of the saga, the statement from WADA on Friday merely indicates that the story is set to drag on.
For the 16-year-old Valieva, her legions of fans and numerous other stakeholders, it may be some time before there is closure in one of the biggest Olympic stories in recent memory.
Officials have shed light on the car crash which killed Leyla Salyamova this week The driver of the car in which Russian women’s high diving champion Leyla Salyamova was traveling most likely did not take into account the weather conditions before the crash which claimed […]
Officials have shed light on the car crash which killed Leyla Salyamova this week
The driver of the car in which Russian women’s high diving champion Leyla Salyamova was traveling most likely did not take into account the weather conditions before the crash which claimed both their lives, officials have said.
Salyamova died at the age of 23 in the fatal accident in Karelia on Thursday. Details have since emerged about the circumstances of the tragedy, which happened when the Mitsubishi Lancer in which Salyamova was a passenger collided with a Volkswagen Tiguan on a section of the Sortavala highway in the Lakhdenpokhsky District.
“The driver of the Mitsubishi car did not take into account the meteorological and road conditions, chose the wrong speed, as a result of which he lost control of the vehicle while cornering. As a result of an uncontrolled skid, the car swerved into the oncoming lane, where it collided with a Volkswagen,” local officials were quoted as saying on Friday.
Images of the aftermath of the crash were shared by the Republic of Karelia’s committee for public safety, and showed the mangled wreckage of both cars. The Mitsubishi Lancer appeared to have been torn into two pieces by the impact of crash, with one section of the car lying by the roadside in the snow.
The two people traveling in the Volkswagen – a 47-year-old male driver and 39-year-old female passenger – were both hospitalized. The woman, who was named as Ekaterina Zelenovskaya, said that she had lost her unborn child in the crash.
“I remember that we were moving towards St. Petersburg. We were moving at about 110 kilometers per hour. And, apparently, they came up from behind the hill… I saw that the oncoming car turned towards us, it was in our lane. We didn’t even have time to do anything,”said Zelenovskaya.
She added that she had undergone surgery for internal bleeding and ruptured intestines, explaining: “I was in my third month of pregnancy. Now there is no (chance). My collarbone is broken.” The driver of the Volkswagen also required surgery after suffering what was described as a “combined musculoskeletal injury.”
Following Salyamova’s death, tributes were paid to an athlete described as a pioneer for Russian women in her sport.
Artem Silchenko, a cliff diving world series champion in 2013, was among those to honor her as someone who lived life to the fullest. “Leila was active, she wanted to perform shows. We’d decided to include Leyla in our competitions next year… We are all shocked by what happened,” he told Match TV.
Salyamova was Russian women’s high diving champion in 2021 and was a silver medalist in synchronized high diving at the 2015 national championships. She also competed on the popular Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series, making her debut at the iconic stage in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, last August.
