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• Gianni ⁠Infantino issues statement on controversial plan

• ‘This proposal will not proceed,’ confirms Fifa president

Gianni Infantino’s proposal to sell chunks of the World Cup to private investors has sensationally collapsed, with the Fifa president admitting the project “has created divisions of a nature that are no longer in the interest of the objective”, amid widespread anger globally.

The plan had caused ructions within football around the world, leading Uefa to threaten a boycott of future Fifa tournaments if it was not shelved. Other confederations had also come out in opposition while one of Infantino’s senior advisors, Carlos Cordeiro, resigned on Friday in protest at the scheme. The Fifa chief operating officer, Kevin Lamour, had also aimed a scathing rebuke at Infantino’s “serious lack of respect” in seeking to force it through with minimal consultation.

Indian conglomerate offsets earnings from Carmichael mine to report $340.6m loss, after promising billions in taxes and royalties

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Indian conglomerate Adani will pay no company tax despite generating almost $1bn in revenue from coal mining in Queensland over the past year.

Financial accounts show the Carmichael thermal coal operations used large costs – including production and related party logistics expenses – to offset its $963.5m revenue in the 12 months to 31 March. This resulted in a recorded $340.6m loss for the year, erasing its tax bill.

Dr. Anthony Fauci deprived Rand Paul of a chance to hold a show trial over COVID, columnist Michael Hiltzik writes.

Как насчёт поисков внеземной жизни всерьёз? Отложим на время разговоры о зондах высокоразвитых цивилизаций и недостроенных сферах Дайсона; нас и внеземная бактерия обрадует. Вот вам инженерная задачка: попробуйте спроектировать детектор внеземной жизни, который зажигает индикатор и пищит при контакте с живым образцом.

Погодите тянуться за паяльником. На что должен реагировать прибор? На обмен веществ? Отдельные реакции ничего не доказывают: их на раз имитирует автокатализ. Рост и поддержание структуры? Под такой размытый критерий попадает даже пламя свечи. Может, способность к размножению — маркер жизни? Но мулы, гибриды кобылы и осла, потомства не дают. А как реагировать на пограничные формы жизни, вроде прионов, белков без генома, которые, в отличие от мулов, размножаются? Сейчас разговор не о них; считать прионы живыми или нет, может быть делом договорённости. Хуже другое: мы тратим миллиарды на поиски следов жизни в марсианских песках и облаках Венеры, так и не договорившись окончательно, по какому признаку признаем находку живой.

The government had accused David Hearn of ripping a piece of sealant after a $14-million renovation. Hearn has repeatedly said that he simply touched the water in the pool out of curiosity last month.

(Image credit: Finn Gomez)

Lawyers now say damage to pool liner attributed to David Hearn instead is result of installation by contractor

The justice department has moved to dismiss a criminal case charging former Olympian David Hearn with deliberately damaging the Lincoln Memorial‘ reflecting pool, instead blaming damage to the pool liner as “the result of flawed installation by the contractor”.

Government lawyers said in a 20-page court filing in DC superior court on Friday evening that they had received information about a “rush to complete the project prior to events associated with the America 250 celebration in the weeks surrounding Independence Day 2026”.

• Italian champions willing to raise offer for midfielder

• Jones only has one year remaining on contract at Anfield

Inter have made another approach for Curtis Jones and are willing to raise their offer for the Liverpool midfielder to €35m (£30m). The Italian champions had a €25m bid for the 25-year-old rejected in June by Liverpool, who value their homegrown player at closer to €40m.

Intermediaries representing Inter have made fresh contact with Liverpool this week and outlined their willingness to go to €35m for a player who has only one year remaining on his contract at Anfield. Whether Liverpool accept that sum is doubtful, but a deal for Jones to leave his boyhood club does appear to be edging closer.

Pup named Roo, who ran away from home, was found curled up next to rail track – and was ‘thrilled’ to be rescued

A two-year-old pitbull who ran away from home braved two days in a dim San Francisco railway tunnel before being rescued.

Caltrain operators spotted the pup named Roo on his first day in the tunnel. Looking at the dog’s unmoving body, they had assumed he had been fatally struck by a train, according to a recent social media post from the San Francisco animal care and control shelter.

Я делаю сервис онлайн-записи для салонов красоты: клиент записывается в чат-боте или на странице, а запись падает в расписание мастера. Однажды мастер написал мне: на 15:00 к ней пришли два клиента. Оба записаны, оба уверены, что слот их. Классическая двойная бронь — и классическая race condition. Разберу, почему наивная проверка «свободно ли время?» не спасает, и как мы закрыли дыру двумя слоями: advisory-lock и EXCLUDE-констрейнтом в PostgreSQL. По пути — один неочевидный подвох с IMMUTABLE, на который легко напороться.