(Reuters) -Agricultural chemical and seed company Corteva beat Wall Street estimates for second-quarter profit on Thursday, benefiting from strong demand

Debt-saddled Chinese property giant Country Garden said Tuesday that it did not expect to meet all of its offshore payment obligations in time as...

England forward Alessia Russo has come to terms with the fact that sometimes the best career move requires parting ways with your closest friend. The 24-year-old joined Arsenal on a free transfer before flying out to pre-World Cup camp in Australia, a deal that will see her separated from fellow Lioness and former Manchester United team-mate Ella Toone in the Women’s Super League from next season. So, while this World Cup campaign, which kicks off for England against Haiti on Saturday, is monumental for the whole squad, it holds a unique significance for the duo who bonded a decade ago at junior England camp when they noticed they were sporting the same footwear. “I mean, it’s sad, but it’s football,” said Russo, speaking after a training session on the Sunshine Coast. “I think Ella and I were friends since we were like 12, 13, and we will be for, well, forever. And I think that it’s really nice that we’ve got this summer together to really spend some more time together, hopefully create some more amazing memories and then go into seasons together. “But when she goes down south, she’ll stay with me and vice versa. “We’re just there to balance each other out, really. Obviously we do loads together. Our rooms (in Australia) are next door to each other, we knock on the way down for breakfast so we spend a lot of time together. She’s like my sister. You never get sick of her so it’s nice.” Getting the paperwork signed, sealed and delivered was top of Russo’s pre-departure priority list ahead of England’s quest for a first global title, although she has had minimal contact with new club boss Jonas Eidevall. She said: “I’m really, really glad it’s all done. Feel like a little bit of a weight is off my shoulders coming into the World Cup and that’s what I wanted to do. I wanted to try and get it all sorted before the tournament kicked off. “And now I can fully focus on this World Cup and obviously after that head into Arsenal, so really excited. “(Jonas) just said to go out and enjoy it. Obviously I haven’t spent too much time with him yet, but looking forward to that when I go back in. And I think I’m excited for a new challenge and to progress.” Toone is the yin to Russo’s yang. While the former was eager to share her reading list and transformative experience of swimming off the Sunshine Coast, Russo lit up most when she simply spoke about football. She was particularly keen to discuss her development as a number nine now under significantly more scrutiny than before England’s Euro 2022 triumph, where her brilliant backheel against Sweden was named UEFA’s goal of the tournament and later nominated for FIFA’s goal of the year. Russo, who scored four goals in that tournament, said: “That’s the nature of the sport. When a player plays more and you understand them more you can figure out ways to defend, but then that’s on me to try and go against it and watch clips and push myself even more. “Obviously you’re not new anymore but you’ve got to find ways and find solutions so you can flip it into a positive, and that’s what I’m trying to do. I’m still trying to push on and learn to be better. “The nine is, people think it’s easy but it’s hard and there are a lot of little things that go into it, so I’m just trying to learn as much as I can and push on every day, and hopefully when it comes to it I’ll be ready.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live A new era – Carlos Alcaraz’s Wimbledon win sparks men’s tennis into life Sir Nick Faldo urges Rory McIlroy to act like he ‘owns the ring’ at 151st Open Wimbledon hero Henry Searle reassessing strategy as focus turns to men’s game

It’s a Monday night prop night in the NBA best bets column, as I have three players to target for the Game 4 action between the New York Knicks and Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors.While I think the Warriors are in a good spot to win on Monday (28-9 following a p...

Residents of northeastern United States were breathing more easily Friday as smoke from Canadian fires gradually cleared after blanketing several cities in...

David Haye expects Joe Joyce to come through his latest test with Zhilei Zhang, but has warned that the British boxer could be frozen out of the heavyweight division if he loses again. Joyce had been mandatory for Oleksandr Usyk’s WBO heavyweight belt before he lost for the first time in the pro ranks, to China’s Zhang in April. Referee Howard Foster called off the bout at the Copper Box Arena in the sixth round, due to Joyce’s right eye being almost completely swollen over. Joyce opted to immediately activate his rematch clause with Zhang, and he will try to win back his WBO interim heavyweight belt at Wembley Arena on Saturday. However, TNT pundit Haye echoed the sentiments of the Chinese powerhouse when he looked ahead to this contest. Zhang promised to end Joyce’s career during Thursday’s press conference in London and ex-world heavyweight champion Haye admits it could be curtains for his compatriot if another loss is added to his record. “I believe Joe has enough to find a way to win, if he boxes smart. If he doesn’t do that, he probably will get frozen out of the heavyweight division,” Haye told the PA news agency. “What manager or promoter would want to risk their guy fighting Joe in a minor eliminator or in a 10-rounder. “Look at his opponents, Joseph Parker, [Christian] Hammer, Lenroy Thomas, Carlos Takam; he has fought real live fighters who most people try to avoid. His record isn’t padded out with bums. “He is a very world-class fighter, so young fighters coming through, he would be too much for them. No manager or promoter in their right mind would chuck their young fighter in with Joe if he loses this fight. It would be a long road back, and a long road back you can’t afford at the age of 38.” Haye felt it was “crazy” for Joyce to take the initial fight with Zhang (25-1-1, 20 knockouts) in the first place, owing to the size and power of “Big Bang”. At the time, Joyce (15-1, 14 KOs) was one of the next in line to face Usyk, but the gamble backfired, with the Briton short of ideas against southpaw Zhang, but Haye is confident a better gameplan will be implemented this time. “I definitely want to see big improvement in terms of the technical side of things going in against Zhang this time, because he would need it moving up against some of the big names of the sports,” Haye admitted. “Joe is an athletic man, he can do a standing backflip, he can do acrobatics, he is very explosive and dynamic. He does have quite good reflexes, but for some reason in that last fight, he chose not to use them and he come a cropper. “On paper that was a crazy fight to take in terms of a fight before the big fight, the one that would give him the big paycheck he hasn’t had. I respect the bravery of doing so, because Zhang is a southpaw, so if he fights a 6ft 6in southpaw, it is good preparation for a 6ft 3in southpaw in Usyk. “Maybe if Joe had taken the fight against Usyk, he would have applied the same tactics of, ‘I’m the bigger man and I will walk through you,’ so maybe this has forced him to get a new gameplan together. “Move that head, come off the line, throw some punches from nice angles against a southpaw and work the body. That he could apply against Usyk, so fingers crossed Joe wins and not too much damage has been done.” Watch Zhang v Joyce II live on TNT Sports 2 and discovery+ from 7:30pm on Saturday 23rd September. For more info visit: tntsports.co.uk/boxing

Aaron Rodgers' tenure with the New York Jets has revealed a lot in a short time. On Tuesday, we learned the four-time NFL MVP is a huge fan of Jersey Shore. Dur

Humans of Bombay, which follows the same format as the New York blog, is suing a similar Indian platform.

Goalkeeper Courtney Brosnan is certain her grandparents would be beaming with pride had they had lived long enough to see her play in the Republic of Ireland’s World Cup debut. The Girls in Green kick off their campaign against tournament co-hosts Australia at 1100 BST in front of a sold-out crowd at Stadium Australia after demand forced organisers to relocate the meeting to the competition’s largest venue. The Everton keeper is eligible for the Republic through her paternal grandparents Margaret and Brendan, who were born in Roscommon and Kerry but later emigrated to the United States, where Brosnan was born and raised. Asked how she balances her dual identities as a New Jersey native pulling on a Republic shirt, Brosnan said: “I think it’s amazing. I feel like it’s really special because I feel like I’m able to learn so much about my family. “They’ve both passed on now, but I think it’s just amazing for me to see. “Like I know how close my dad was with them as well, and to be able to play for Ireland and still have that connection to them, even if they’re not here, it’s really hard to put into words how special that is. “It just gives me an amazing chance to see all the different parts of my family history. They passed away when I was 15, 16, but growing up it was weekend trips all the time, and we were really close. “They were from a place called Springfield, Massachusetts and they grew up there when they came over from Ireland. They lived in the same house their whole life, so it’s pretty cool.” Brosnan posted five clean sheets in World Cup qualifiers, and also denied Real Madrid’s Caroline Weir the vital first-half penalty that would have given Scotland a 1-0 lead in their World Cup play-off to decide which team would make the tournament. Instead, Brosnan’s save allowed substitute Amber Barrett to swoop in after the restart and score, her goal enough to ensure the Republic would win 1-0 and seal the momentous result. She said: “Me and Amber laugh because people will come up to her and say, ‘Oh, you’re the best goalkeeper I know’ and people will come up to me and say, ‘Oh, what a finish!’ and I’m like, ‘Ok, I know we both have red hair but we are different people!'” More people will surely tell the difference after the Republic walk out at Stadium Australia to begin the next exciting chapter in their history, before facing Canada and Nigeria to conclude the group stage. Brosnan added: “I think it’s a really, really special moment that we’re able to take part in. “This is something we’ve always dreamed of, then there’s the added bonus that you’re playing the host nation, that the crowd’s so big, that this is our first World Cup. “We’ve discussed really openly about how we know the quality of the group that we’re in and the competition is really fierce. I think that underdog-ness is part of being Irish, that you love that challenge and stepping up, facing a big dog and showing what you’re capable of. “We’re not just here to take part. This is something we’ve been working for for years and years. We’re doing everything we can to put ourselves in the best position to get results.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live On This Day in 2005 – England striker Peter Crouch signs for Liverpool England undecided over armband for World Cup opener MLS All-Star boss Wayne Rooney struggles to take lessons out of Arsenal thumping

Linda Evangelista has made a rare comment about co-parenting with her son Augustin’s stepmother, Salma Hayek. The 58-year-old model spoke candidly about her relationship with her ex, François-Henri Pinault, and his wife, Hayek, during a recent interview with Vogue while appearing on the cover of the magazine’s September issue. She revealed that, during the holidays, her 16-year-old son is usually with his father and stepmother, who share a 15-year-old daughter, Valentina. However, according to Evangelista, there was one holiday celebration where she hadn’t felt well, so Hayek stepped in to take care of her. “I was sick at Thanksgiving,” she explained. “And Salma got on the plane with her daughter, came here, and made Thanksgiving dinner. She asked what I wanted - it was a very eclectic wish list.” She continued: “I wanted her Mexican chicken with truffled potatoes. And she spent the day in the kitchen and cooked it herself. No help. The kids helped her at the end.” She went on to praise Hayek for quickly coming to her aid immediately after she’d said that she was sick. “She made a feast - a beautiful, beautiful meal. I had told her that I wasn’t going to have Thanksgiving; I wasn’t feeling well. And she said: ‘Oh yes you are: I am coming.’ And poof, she was here,’” the model added. In 2011, Evangelista filed court papers to seek child support from Pinault, with the document revealing that he was the father of her son. While the pair had dated for three to four months in 2006, Pinault said that he’d only spent about seven days total with the model. They settled the child support case in 2012. It appears that Evangelista’s son and Hayek have gotten close over the years. In 2021, Hayek took to Instagram to share a rare snap of her and Augustin on a boat during what appeared to be a family vacation. Augustin also made his red carpet debut in April, alongside Hayek and Valentina, as they attended the Time 100 Gala together. Elsewhere in her interview with Vogue, Evangelista opened up about raising her son while in the spotlight. She recalled how, during the early days of her career, Madison Square Garden would call and offer her courtside seats to Knicks games, which she’d go to with her son. However, according to Evangelista, now that those calls have “stopped,” she and her son buy the tickets themselves. “Out of sight, out of mind. Now we buy our tickets and we sit with the fans in nosebleed - we’re fine with that. I wanted to have a very normal upbringing for my child,” she said. Evangelista also said that her son has questioned the benefits of fame, as he’s asked: “Do you think if they recognised you we would have to be standing in this line?” However, she said that she doesn’t hesitate to counter the question, before explaining that she doesn’t want her child to grow up being “entitled”. “What’s wrong with standing in this line? I stand in lines,” she said. “We went to Chanel a couple of weeks ago to get a present and we waited half an hour to get in. He said: ‘Isn’t there someone you could call?’ I do not want an entitled child.” Read More Salma Hayek admits fears over Black Mirror role: ‘Do I really want to do this? Am I going to get in trouble?’ Salma Hayek opens up about embracing her ‘whites hairs and wrinkles’ as she shares new selfie ‘I’m here anyway, why not?’: My non-surgical facelift has got me thinking about more procedures Katharine McPhee reveals she and David Foster suffered a ‘family tragedy’ Gemma Atkinson slams trolls who called her ‘fat’ just three weeks after giving birth Mother diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, anorexia and incurable cancer

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