Michael Jai White approached Joe Rogan with a role in his film 'Blood and Bone' after the two met through the MMA teacher, Eddie Bravo

They’re finishing each other’s sentences already

By Valentina Za MILAN Italy's biggest bank Intesa Sanpaolo is getting closer to securing approval from Moscow to

A dozen homes torn apart by earth movement on Southern California’s Palos Verdes Peninsula during the weekend are likely to fall into an adjacent canyon

Texas would expand what can be defined as sexually explicit material or potentially harmful to children in order to ban books from public and charter school libraries, under a bill given final passage by the state Senate late Tuesday night and sent to Republican Gov. Greg Abbott. The Texas move is the latest attempt to ban or regulate reading material in conservative states around the country. Critics say the standards set in the Texas bill are too vague, will snag books that are not inappropriate, and that materials dealing with LGBTQ+ subject matter are more likely to be targeted for bans. The bill passed by the GOP-controlled Legislature defines “sexually explicit material” as anything that includes descriptions, illustrations or audio depicting sexual conduct not relevant to required school curriculum, and prohibits it from school libraries. The bill requires the state’s Library and Archives Commission to adopt standards that schools must follow when purchasing books, and a rating system that would be used to restrict or ban some material. “What we’re talking about is sexually explicit material ... that doesn’t belong in front of the eyes of kids,” said the bill sponsor, Sen. Angela Paxton, a Republican. “They shouldn’t be finding it in their school library.” Abbott, a Republican, previously joined a former GOP lawmaker’s campaign to investigate the use of books in schools covering topics of race, gender identity and sexual orientation. That inquiry included a list of more than 800 books. In April, leaders of a rural central Texas county considered closing their public library system rather than follow a federal judge’s order to return books to the shelves on themes ranging from teen sexuality and gender to bigotry and race. Under the measure passed Tuesday night, book vendors would have to rate books based on depictions or references to sex. "Sexually relevant” material that describes or portrays sex but is part of the required school curriculum could be checked out with a parent's permission. A book would be rated “sexually explicit” if the material is deemed offensive and not part of the required curriculum. Those books would be removed from school bookshelves. State officials will review vendors’ ratings and can request a rating change if they consider it incorrect. School districts and open-enrollment charter schools will be banned from contracting with book sellers who refuse to comply. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide

Sofia Marks was held without bail on three federal narcotics charges after reportedly selling fake Oxycodone and Xanax laced with fentanyl

Reigning IndyCar champion Will Power shoved Scott Dixon after the two were involved in a Saturday morning crash during practice at Road America

The Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority will invest as much as $1 billion over the next three years, focusing

French climber Aurelien Paret-Peintre broke away to win stage four of the Giro d'Italia on Tuesday as Andreas Leknessund of Norway took...

Players have struggled to activate pre-paid PS Plus and PS Now cards after being seemingly deactivated by Sony.

Saul “Canelo” Alvarez dominated Jermell Charlo on Saturday night, dropping the American en route to a one-sided points win in their historic undisputed title fight. Canelo entered the T-Mobile Arena as undisputed super-middleweight champion, and he left Las Vegas with that status intact after defeating Charlo, the undisputed super-welterweight champion. Canelo won a unanimous decision (119-108, 118-109, 118-109), with the highlight coming in Round 7, as the Mexican dropped Charlo to a knee after landing a hard overhand right. Canelo, 33, marched down Charlo, also 33, for almost the entirety of the fight – the first to pit two undisputed male champions against each other in the four-belt era – and was unaffected by his challenger’s brighter moments. In the first half of the fight, Canelo invested in attacks to Charlo’s body, frequently burrowing hooks into the mid-section of the American, whose twin brother Jermall was originally expected to fight Alvarez here. That body work not only drained Charlo but also lured the challenger’s hands low enough to expose his head, which Canelo tagged clean on a number of occasions, including for the knockdown. Charlo’s coach Derrick James told his fighter after the 10th round: “You’ve got to go all out. You’re losing the fight, so what do you wanna do? Go and stop him, he’s tired now!” However, Charlo could not capitalise. Canelo, with his victory, became the first champion to retain their undisputed titles three times; earlier this year, the Mexican outpointed John Ryder, having scored a knockdown en route to a unanimous-decision win, and last year he beat Gennady Golovkin on points to round out their trilogy. Canelo’s performances in those fights, as well as his prior defeat by Dmitry Bivol at light-heavyweight, led some fans and pundits to suggest that the four-weight world champion was past his peak. But Alvarez hit back in the ring and on the microphone on Saturday. “Nobody can beat this Canelo,” he said after his win. “No, [I’m not disappointed that I didn’t get a knockout]. If I don’t get that knockout, I get 12 rounds to show why I’m the better fighter. “I’m a strong fighter, I’m a strong man. We know he’s a great fighter, he knows how to move in the ring. We worked to go to the body. We worked on that for three months in the mountains without my family, but I still love boxing. I love boxing so f***ing much. Boxing is my life, and I love it because of my fans, too. “ [On] Cinco de Mayo [I’ll be back]. Whoever, I don’t f***ing care. Viva Mexico!” Meanwhile, Charlo said: “Truthfully, you could feel the difference in the weight. I went up 14lbs, I dared to be great tonight. I’m proud of myself. He didn’t knock me out, he knocked out a lot of other guys. He hit me with some hard shots.” The American also vowed to return to super-welterweight, calling for a fight with undisputed welterweight champion Terence Crawford, who was in attendance. Crawford has said he may move up a division after his planned rematch with Errol Spence Jr, whom he beat with a masterful showing in July. Read More Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk ‘signed’ with undisputed heavyweight title fight confirmed Eddie Hearn: ‘Ask someone to name three people in boxing, they’ll say: Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, me’ The hidden side of Jake Paul The Independent’s pound-for-pound boxing rankings Canelo vs Charlo LIVE: Result as Alvarez retains undisputed titles Amir Khan was never dull – but will he ever be truly loved?

By Steve Holland VILNIUS U.S. President Joe Biden told President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Wednesday that he looks forward