WALLOPS ISLAND, Virginia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 17, 2023--

Democrats were already concerned about President Joe Biden’s age, his leadership on the economy and his stalled agenda in Congress

US women's national team coach Vlatko Andonovski has resigned, a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The move comes less than two weeks after the Americans were knocked out of the Women's World Cup earlier than ever before. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the move had not been officially announced. An announcement was expected Thursday. The four-time tournament champions struggled throughout this World Cup. A victory over Vietnam to kick off the group stage was followed by a pair of draws against Netherlands and Portugal — barely enough to get the team into the knockout stage, The Americans played well in the Round of 16 against Sweden, but ultimately fell on penalties after a scoreless tie. The U.S. scored just four goals over the course of the tournament. The United States had never finished worse that third in the tournament. The 46-year-old Mr Andonovski was named coach of the United States in October 2019, taking over for Jill Ellis, who led the United States to back-to-back World Cup titles. He finished 51-5-9 during his time with the team. It wasn't just the World Cup that hurt Mr Andonovski's chances of keeping his job. The United States also finished with a disappointing bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics. Kate Markgraf, general manager of the U.S. women's team, stuck with Mr Andonovski following the Olympics and the team focused on developing young players ahead of the World Cup. The United States was bitten by injuries in the run-up to the tournament, losing a pair of key players. Mallory Swanson injured her knee during a friendly in April, and captain Becky Sauerbrunn couldn't recover from a foot injury in time. The World Cup was challenging for many elite teams because of the ever-growing parity in the women's game. Germany, Brazil and Canada, the winners in Tokyo, also got knocked out early. Andonovski was head coach of Seattle's OL Reign in the National Women’s Soccer League when he was hired. During his seven years in the NWSL, he led the now-defunct FC Kansas City from the league’s inception in 2013 until the club folded in 2017, winning two league titles with the team. Andonovski, a native of Skopje, Macedonia, played for several teams in Europe before embarking on a professional indoor soccer career in the United States. His predecessor, Ms Ellis, was named coach of the team in 2014 and led the US to eight overall tournament titles, including victories at the World Cup in 2015 and 2019. Over the course of her tenure, the United States lost just seven matches. Now the process will start to find a replacement, and the timeline is relatively short. The United States has already qualified for the 2024 Olympics in France. Read More Women’s World Cup LIVE: England prepare for final against Spain and latest reaction to win over Australia What time is the World Cup final on Sunday and who will England play? A timeline of Donald Trump’s spat with Megan Rapinoe: ‘Nice shot Megan, the USA is going to Hell!!!’ USA face ‘critical’ decision as Andonovski exits after disastrous World Cup Support grows for bank holiday if Lionesses win World Cup final Ella Toone’s PE teacher reveals why it’s no surprise she’s in the World Cup final

Trevor Williams tossed two-hit ball over six shutout innings and led the Washington Nationals to a 4-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday night in front of hundreds of the best Little League World Series players from around the world

Meta has released two new ways to begin to experience the “mixed reality” that it says is the future. It has revealed its Meta Quest 3, a virtual reality headset that also has “passthrough” to the real world, allowing virtual objects to be layered on top of it. Until now, its headsets have only offered virtual reality. It also released new versions of its smart glasses, made in collaboration with Ray-Ban. They feature a camera that can record, and speakers in the glasses’ arms. Both are a glimpse at what Mark Zuckerberg has suggested will be the future: smart eyewear that let you move between virtual and real worlds, to experience the “metaverse” around which the company is now organised and for which it changed its name from Facebook. But that technology is not yet available, and so the new products are Meta’s best attempt at giving something of a look at that future. Meta’s new releases come soon before Apple’s “Reality Pro”, the mixed reality headset that it revealed in June and says will be coming early next year. Like the new Meta Quest 3, that uses cameras to show the real world and project digital items on top of it, or lets users dial into entirely virtual worlds. Meta has suggested it will be able to stand out from Apple’s competition by offering a more social version of mixed reality. But it has also pointed to its price: the Meta Quest 3 costs $500, or £480, compared with $3,500 for the Vision Pro. The Meta Quest 3 does have considerably lower specs than its competitor, however. While Meta said that its new headset has a 30 per cent increase from its predecessor, even as the headset itself gets smaller, the detail is much less than in Apple’s headset. Meta’s Quest is also focused primarily on gaming and entertainment. It revealed it along with a host of games – including access to Xbox Cloud Gaming, which allows many console games to be played over the internet. The new headset begins by automatically mapping the space around its user, with sensors that are able to understand both the size of the room and any objects that are in it. That can then be used to ensure that wearers don’t crash into their surroundings, but also layer games on top. Pre-orders for the Meta Quest 3 open now, and it will go on sale on 10 October. The new smart glasses cost £299 or $299, the same price as the original version. They bring improved cameras, a lighter design, and new features such as livestreaming. Read More Meta showcases new AR/VR tech at annual Connect conference Meta plans to develop ‘sassy robot’ chatbot for young users, report says Facebook changes logo to ‘make F stand apart’ – but can you tell the difference?

Manchester City are increasingly positive that Kyle Walker and Bernardo Silva will stay at the Etihad Stadium, despite interest from the European superpowers. The right-back and the midfielder have both been offered new contracts by the Premier League champions and, while neither has signed yet, the feeling is growing that they will. Walker, who has entered the last year of his current deal, has been a target for Bayern Munich and had been expected to join the German champions. The 33-year-old had told teammates on City’s pre-season tour of Asia that he was likely to sign for Bayern but has had a change of heart. City manager Pep Guardiola has done his utmost to convince the England and Portugal internationals to stay, saying on Friday they would “do everything” to persuade them both. Guardiola had dinner with Walker on Friday and has made the defender captain throughout City’s pre-season games, after the departure of former skipper Ilkay Gundogan and when vice-captain Kevin de Bruyne has begun on the bench on his comeback from injury. Silva, who has two years left on his deal in Manchester, has attracted interest from both Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona but Guardiola criticised his former club on Friday for forever trying to sign the former Monaco player without submitting a bid that came close to City’s valuation of him. “If we don’t get a proper offer, he’s our player and we want him,” he said. Silva was also wanted in Saudi Arabia, although the 29-year-old has seemed to see his future in Europe. With Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez leaving this summer, his ability to play in the centre of midfield or on the right wing arguably makes him even more important to City this season while Walker is the only senior specialist right-back in Guardiola’s thinking. Silva and Walker joined in 2017 and have gone to make 307 and 255 appearances respectively, winning five Premier League titles each and the treble of the English title, the FA Cup and the Champions League last season. Read More Kevin De Bruyne ‘way ahead’ of schedule on return from hamstring injury Mikel Arteta benefits from new law changes as Arsenal clinch Community Shield Barcelona landed one Man City star for free - now Pep Guardiola won’t allow another

Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro said cocaine has always been a top export for his country after a report

Oliver Anthony has become a huge sensation ever since he released his hit single 'Rich Men North of Richmond'

Melissa Gorga shared a video of herself promoting Amazon's Italy storefront

Dutch military intelligence warned the American intelligence service, CIA, last year about an alleged Ukrainian plan to blow up the Nord Stream pipelines three months before they were hit, Dutch public broadcaster NOS reported on Tuesday without specifying a source.

A woman so allergic to the scent of Christmas that even “smelling a mince pie could kill [her]” almost died after a festive trip to a garden centre sparked an asthma attack. Anne Murray, 61, an engineer who lives alone in Lanark, Scotland, was diagnosed with severe asthma as a baby and has been allergic to traditional festive staples such as citrus and cinnamon since she was a child. According to the NHS, severe asthma means the condition is uncontrolled even when sufferers are taking their medication. When they are exposed to an allergen that irritates the airways, it can trigger asthma symptoms. Murray realised the seriousness of her condition at the age of 11 when her mother, Mary, collapsed and died from an asthma attack at the age of 34. Seven years later, Murray’s childhood best friend, Julia, also died from an asthma attack. Both deaths made her “live life to the full” and she has since done a bungee jump and travelled the globe. Murray had a near-death experience herself in November 2016 when she smelt “pine cones impregnated with citrus” in a garden centre. “I had difficulty breathing,” she recalled. “I grabbed my inhaler and ran quickly out of the garden centre.” On the drive home, her condition worsened. “It felt like someone was sitting on my chest.” Once home, she used her nebuliser – a device that enables her to breathe by giving her medicine as a mist – but could not get to sleep that night as she kept coughing, and whenever she laid down, it felt like she was “choking”. Two days later, and still struggling to breathe, she visited her GP and was barely able to stand up. An ambulance was called straight away, and Murray was given oxygen and strong nebulisers, before returning home with seven days’ worth of steroids. “They all told me it was a close call so it was lucky I had my nebuliser on me.” Since that incident, Murray has finished her Christmas shopping by September to avoid being near festive smells in shopping centres, and often turns down invites to Christmas parties. “It can be quite isolating,” she says. “If friends want to go out around Christmas, I have to ask them to go to different places where I know are safe. I can’t eat or be anywhere near things that smell like Christmas, or eat anything Christmassy like mince pies and stollen cake – I don’t touch them with a 10-foot barge pole. Just smelling a mince pie could kill me. So many things have Christmassy spices that you wouldn’t normally think of, too.” Following the dual losses of her mother and best friend, Murray learnt that she would have to make day-to-day adjustments to her life in order to maintain her own safety. When travelling, she often has to call the airline in advance to request that passengers only eat or peel oranges once they get off the plane. She also has to inform all her work colleagues not to wear festive perfume in the office. “I wish shops would put up signs saying they have festive scents in store,” she adds. “It would be so helpful for me, and stop them getting complaints too.” Today, she makes sure to keep her own Christmas planning low-key. “I don’t go anywhere near supermarkets and that sort of thing – it’s not worth the risk,” she says. “It can be embarrassing a lot of the time – if I go to a restaurant and tell them about my allergies, I get turned away and we have to find somewhere else to go. Or, I get loads of staff around me and I just don’t want the attention.” This year, Murray is looking forward to spending Christmas Day alone and visiting her dad, Archie, and stepmum, Alice, in Scotland. She says: “I still like Christmas, and I’m excited to be on my own this year – I can put my feet up and watch the telly, and eat whatever I want.”

Erling Haaland has equalled the record for the most expensive player on Fantasy Premier League at the start of a season. Only Cristiano Ronaldo, Thierry Henry and Robin van Persie have been worth such an amount at the beginning of a campaign before.