(Reuters) -Choice Hotels on Tuesday proposed to acquire Wyndham Hotels and Resorts for about $7.8 billion in a cash and

Observers will have a good chance at spotting a dazzling display of meteors and even fireballs during 2023's Perseid meteor shower.

Fulham boss Marco Silva praised his captain Tom Cairney after watching him score two goals in the thumping win over Leicester on Monday. Cairney has made only 23 starts in the Premier League this season but took full advantage of his inclusion against the relegation-threatened Foxes, registering his first league goals of the campaign and putting in a fine all-round performance. The 32-year-old swept in his side’s third goal of a 5-3 rout of Dean Smith’s team on the stroke of half-time, before adding his second after the break with a deft first touch and finish from Kenny Tete’s cross. It kept Fulham in the hunt to register their highest-ever points tally in the Premier League, with two wins needed from their final three matches to break the club record of 53 set by Roy Hodgson’s team in 2009. Silva said he was pleased to see Cairney working in midfield to help the team out of possession while also instilling the calm in the first half that ultimately helped them to sweep away Leicester before the break. “Tom is always a player that can give us the calmness to start the game, even some moments under pressure he can give us what we need,” said Silva. “Of course he knows I am pushing him to arrive in certain areas, to be between the lines. “In some moments, first and second phase, we need players like him to start well, but when the game goes forward and we are in our defensive half, we need him to arrive in certain areas as well. “Two great finishes, two great goals from him. Top quality player. We know his quality on the ball, everything that he can do. “I’m pleased to see him working hard off the ball, understanding the moments, understanding the moments to press higher with Vini (Carlos Vinicius), the moments that he should drop to help the other midfielders as well. It was a very good performance from him and I’m really pleased for him. “He deserves it and he’s having a good season, even if he’s not playing every time from the start. All of the last season for him has been good.” The victory ended a run of three straight losses that had effectively ended Fulham’s hopes of qualifying for Europe next season. Despite the disappointment, Silva remained optimistic that they can still record the club’s best tally for a top-flight season. They will have Aleksandar Mitrovic back for the trip to struggling Southampton on Saturday and will relegate Saints with a victory, before hosting Crystal Palace at Craven Cottage and finishing with a visit to Old Trafford to play Manchester United. “It’s really important we don’t hide that it’s our clear goal to achieve the target points that we want, to make the season even to be more brilliant, if I can say,” said Silva. “We want really to finish the season with a big stamp, and the stamp will be to get that certain amount of points. We are going to fight for it definitely. “We don’t know if it’s going to happen. But we are going to work hard and fight really hard and to enjoy to embrace the challenge to achieve it.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Former captains Stuart Hogg and Stuart McInally named in Scotland training squad Dwight McNeil says ‘nothing is done yet’ despite Everton’s huge win at Brighton A closer look at this season’s play-off contenders as promotion battle resumes

Australia’s house prices climbed at a slightly slower pace in June — while still performing strongly in key

By Stephanie Kelly Oil prices edged higher for a second consecutive session on Tuesday, as worries about political

Bryce Harper hit two solo home runs, Aaron Nola pitched five innings to snap a four-start winless streak and the Philadelphia Phillies won for the first time in four games by beating the Toronto Blue Jays 9-4

New York Police Department officers believe to have identified one of the two men seen on video helping ex-marine Daniel Penny restrain Jordan Neely during a subway confrontation earlier this month. The former US Marine choked a homeless street performer on the Manhattan F train, Jordan Neely, to death on the subway car earlier this month. Neely’s death was ruled by the New York medical examiner’s office as a homicide due to compression against his neck. Video footage and eyewitness accounts show a man believed to be Mr Penny with his arm wrapped around Neely for several minutes until his eyes shut and his body goes limp. On 11 May, the Manhattan District Attorney’s office announced Mr Penny would face a charge of second-degree manslaughter. He turned himself in to authorities in Manhattan the following morning, and he was released after posting $100,000 bail after a brief arraignment hearing. His next appearance is scheduled for 17 July. Sources told New York Post that the authorities have been scouring the surveillance footage and believe one of the two men who helped 24-year-old Mr Penny pin down the homeless man has been identified. In the video, one man can be seen trying to tie up Neely’s arms, and the other put pressure on Neely’s shoulder. The source was quoted as saying that the NYPD officials have yet to speak with the person identified in the video. In the video that was captured by a bystander on 1 May, 30-year-old Neely was seen yelling at others and throwing trash. In a statement shared with The Independent on 5 May, attorneys for Mr Penny said that when Neely “began aggressively threatening Daniel Penny and the other passengers, Daniel, with the help of others, acted to protect themselves, until help arrived”. Widely shared video footage captured by journalist Juan Alberto Vazquez shows a man believed to be Mr Penny and two other men holding Neely to the floor of a train car on 1 May. Police initially questioned but did not arrest Mr Penny. Meanwhile, attorneys for Neely’s family said the statement from Mr Penny’s legal team was neither “an apology nor an expression of regret” but “character assassination and a clear example of why he believed he was entitled to take Jordan’s life.” Neely’s family has said Mr Penny should be tried for murder. The former US Marine was formally charged with second-degree manslaughter. Read More Rev Al Sharpton delivers powerful eulogy at Jordan Neely’s funeral: ‘They put their arms around all of us’ Watch: Jordan Neely’s funeral held in New York City Jordan Neely, NYC subway rider choked to death, to be mourned at Manhattan church

MOSCOW Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich on Wednesday will challenge European Union sanctions imposed on him after the Ukraine

By Valentina Za MILAN UniCredit Chief Executive Andrea Orcel struck a defiant tone when his bank recently topped

By Kanishka Singh WASHINGTON The U.S. State Department said on Sunday U.S. citizens should not travel to Iraq

An Alabama man has been sentenced to nearly two years in prison for storming the U.S. Capitol and invading the Senate floor with a knife on his hip and a gaping wound on his face

This week’s new entertainment releases include Taylor Swift's rerecording of her “Speak Now,” a documentary on Wham