Author: Andrew Rogers

MLB pitcher David Bednar will join Team USA for the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), teaming up with superstar Aaron Judge to strengthen the U.S. roster. Analysts say Bednar’s addition improves the team’s pitching depth and international competitiveness. Bednar, known for his fastball and consistent strikeout ability, has been a standout performer in Major League Baseball. His inclusion on Team USA highlights the growing talent pool and readiness of U.S. players for global competition. Aaron Judge, already confirmed for the roster, brings star power and leadership to the squad. Combined with Bednar’s pitching prowess, the team looks well-equipped to compete…

Plans to stage a Serie A match between AC Milan and Como in Perth have been cancelled.The fixture would have been the first European domestic league match played outside its home country. Serie A said the move became impossible after “unacceptable” last-minute demands from the Asian Football Confederation.Those conditions increased financial risk and created complications for Australian authorities and the league. The match was relocated because the San Siro is unavailable during the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics ceremony.Uefa had reluctantly approved the plan, seeing it as a chance to promote Serie A abroad. The AFC’s insistence on controlling match officials proved…

Morgan Rogers scored twice as Aston Villa beat Manchester United in a pulsating match at Villa Park. The win extended Villa’s winning streak and kept them firmly in the Premier League title race. Rogers opened the scoring with a curling strike just before half-time. Matheus Cunha equalised soon after with a clinical finish for United. Villa regained control early in the second half through another composed Rogers goal. The midfielder repeatedly exploited space inside United’s defence with confidence and precision. Unai Emery celebrated wildly as Villa surged to a seventh straight league win. United suffered further setbacks with injuries to…

Kylian Mbappé equalled Cristiano Ronaldo’s Real Madrid scoring record during a 2-0 win over Sevilla.The French forward converted a late penalty for his 59th goal of the year.Jude Bellingham scored first, while Sevilla finished with ten men after a red card.Real Madrid moved within one point of leaders Barcelona, as Sevilla stayed mid-table. Juventus boosted their Serie A challenge by beating Roma 2-1 in Turin.Leverkusen rallied to defeat RB Leipzig 3-1 and climb to third in Germany.Elsewhere, Freiburg edged Wolfsburg 4-3, Frankfurt drew with Hamburg, and Union Berlin won late.

High in the mountains of Greece’s southern Peloponnese, vast areas of Greek fir forest are turning brown and dying – even where wildfires never reached. Researchers say the damage marks a worrying new phase in the climate crisis, driven not by fire alone but by a combination of prolonged drought, loss of snow cover and insect outbreaks. Dimitrios Avtzis, a senior researcher at Greece’s Forest Research Institute, first raised the alarm after surveying a spring fire. Beyond the expected burn scars, he found extensive dieback in untouched areas. “There were hundreds of hectares of lost trees,” he said, far beyond…

About one in 10 people in the UK aged 70 and over may have brain changes linked to Alzheimer’s disease, according to the largest population-based study of its kind. The research, published in Nature, used blood biomarker tests from nearly 11,500 randomly selected people. While these changes do not mean a diagnosis, the findings suggest more than 1 million over-70s could meet NHS criteria for anti-amyloid treatment — far more than current estimates. The study shows prevalence rises with age, from under 8% in people in their 50s and 60s to around two-thirds of those over 90. Experts say the…

A carnivorous pitcher plant has been found to drug its prey with a toxic nerve agent before trapping and digesting it. Nepenthes khasiana produces a sweet nectar around the rim of its pitcher-shaped leaves to attract insects, particularly ants. Researchers discovered the nectar contains isoshinanolone, a nerve toxin that disrupts ants’ nervous systems, slowing their movement, weakening muscles and causing disorientation. Affected insects often fall into spasms or die outright before slipping into the pitcher. The nectar also includes water-absorbing sugars that make the rim extremely slippery, increasing the chance prey will slide into the trap. Once inside, insects are…

Two newly approved antibiotics could mark a major breakthrough in treating gonorrhoea, as global cases of the sexually transmitted infection continue to surge and resistance to existing drugs grows. The US Food and Drug Administration has approved zoliflodacin and gepotidacin, the first new gonorrhoea treatments in decades. Health experts say the drugs arrive at a critical moment, with more than 82 million infections worldwide each year and rising resistance to current frontline antibiotics. Zoliflodacin, taken as a single oral dose, cured more than 90% of genital infections in clinical trials, matching the effectiveness of standard therapy. Gepotidacin, developed by GSK,…

A new review suggests that psychedelic treatments such as psilocybin may help reduce symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), while cannabis-based treatments show little lasting benefit. The review, led by Dr Michael Van Ameringen of McMaster University and published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, examined existing evidence on alternative treatments for OCD. It found stronger signals of effectiveness for psychedelics, particularly psilocybin, than for cannabinoids like THC and CBD. Researchers believe the difference lies in how the substances affect the brain. Psilocybin appears to reduce activity in the brain’s default mode network, which is linked to rumination and intrusive thinking…

Arkansas Tech University graduation for Fall 2025 honored students for their academic achievements and future opportunities. The ceremony highlighted the university’s support in helping graduates prepare for careers and further education. Many students celebrated securing jobs or post-graduation opportunities, reflecting the university’s focus on hands-on learning and career readiness. Campus programs, internships, and student support services contributed to these successes. University leaders praised the graduates’ hard work and dedication. Faculty emphasized the importance of both academic achievement and personal growth, noting that involvement in campus activities helped students gain skills beyond the classroom. The graduation ceremony featured speeches from university…