The Brooklyn Nets and the Phoenix Suns met in a sold-out preseason game in Macau on Friday as fans cheered the NBA’s return to China after a six-year absence prompted by a pro-democracy tweet.
The first of two matches in Macau capped the NBA’s bid to mend fences with China, a lucrative market where an estimated 125 million people play basketball.
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“The atmosphere is amazing. I’ve been a Suns fan for a long time,” said David Jin, 26, who took a day trip from the nearby Chinese tech hub of Shenzhen.
“The NBA should come to mainland China more often. If it’s on my doorstep, I’ll show up to give my support,” Jin said, adding he spent about 5,000 yuan ($700) for tickets and travel.
Fans in the packed Venetian Arena gave four-time NBA All-Star Devin Booker a roaring reception and also particularly looked forward to seeing China’s 22-year-old debutant Nets forward Zeng Fanbo.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver said on Thursday that “there’s tremendous interest in the NBA throughout China.”
Building on the charm offensive, Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez said the China trip was in part an opportunity visit and to learn about a new culture.
“We are told that we get support from China, a lot of fans watching our games. But the reality is you don’t know until you come here,” he said.
Also speaking before the game, Suns head coach Jordan Ott said many of his players were travelling to China for the first time.
“Just that excitement when they walk out tonight – we know it’s a packed house – would be a really cool experience for all of us to remember,” Ott said.
Former footballer, Inter Miami CF co-owner and Salford City co-owner David Beckham was among those in attendance for the match in Macau [Tyrone Siu/Reuters]
The Chinese Basketball Association announced a strategic partnership with the NBA on Friday, which includes providing opportunities for Chinese teams to take part in the NBA Summer League and WNBA preseason games in the United States, according to state media.
The NBA’s popularity in China took off during the 2000s with the Yao Ming craze, but the relationship soured markedly after a team official tweeted his support for the 2019 pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.
The NBA was frozen out of China, and this was the league taking its tentative first steps back in.
Qin Junhong, a 19-year-old studying in Macau, said he remembered little about the dispute and was just “excited” to attend the game with his friends.
“There were so many people rushing for tickets,” Qin told the AFP news agency.
Friday’s game is part of a multimillion-dollar deal to stage NBA preseason matches at the Venetian Arena, part of the Las Vegas Sands conglomerate controlled by the Adelson family, who are the majority ownership group in the Dallas Mavericks.
Macau, the only place in China where casino gambling is legal, is a special administrative region of China close to Hong Kong.
Experts say that playing the first NBA games since 2019 in Macau was something of a “soft landing”, rather than playing in mainland China.
Before the game, crowds took selfies at NBA-themed booths and shops in a convention hall, with large signs showing the logos of the league’s Chinese brand partners.
The wife of one of Wrexham’s Hollywood co-owners has addressed a claim about her husband dating reality star Kim Kardashian, revealing how the story came to light
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Kaitlin Olson has addressed claims her husband, Rob Mac (left), once dated Kim Kardashian(Image: PA Wire/PA Images)
The wife of one of Wrexham’s Hollywood co-owners has clarified that his claim to have previously dated Kim Kardashian is not true. Actress Kaitlin Olson is married to Rob Mac, who bought the Welsh football club back in 2021 alongside Deadpool actor Ryan Reynolds.
The couple met on the set of It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, the long-running American sitcom which both have starring roles in. They got engaged in 2007 before marrying the following year and share two sons, Axel and Leo.
Olson’s acting career is currently going from strength to strength as the lead in Disney+ crime-drama High Potential and she is also known for her comedic roles in Always Sunny and Hacks. With her time at a premium, she told US talk show host Jimmy Kimmel this week how her husband has been tasked with taking care of their children at home.
However, it appears that Mac, who recently legally changed his surname from McElhenney, has been getting inventive by telling his sons some tall tales during their time together. One of the stories he invented is that he once had a romantic relationship with reality TV star Kardashian.
While Mac successfully managed to convince their children that his claim was true, Olson made clear that it was in fact a lie. She also revealed how a friend went to extreme lengths to help persuade them by doctoring a fake photograph of Mac and Kardashian together.
READ MORE: High Potential returns for season 2 but ‘strongest episode’ comes with warningREAD MORE: Wrexham owner’s ‘heartbreaking’ transfer bombshell after player’s social media statement
Appearing on Kimmel’s show on Thursday, she said: “I’ve worked every day for a couple years now. Rob is really picking up the slack at home. He’s really enjoying and embracing parenting duty.
“He’s getting very creative with things over there. I came home the other day and we were having dinner. The boys looked at me, and they were like, ‘Mom, did dad date Kim Kardashian before you?’ And I was like, ‘Okay, here we go.’
“He doubled down on this Kim Kardashian thing. And they were like, ‘So, dad wasn’t engaged to Kim Kardashian, was he?’ I had to play along so I was like, ‘Yeah, they were dating. We both dated people before.'”
Discussing how the story spiralled from there, Olson added: “I put that to bed and I didn’t think about it for a while. Two weeks later, apparently my husband went into his office and told everyone this story.
“His chief operating officer [at his company More Better Industries], Fayer Joyce, thought it was the greatest thing ever, and spent all of her time at work for days creating this photo. She wore it in her purse for a week to age it.
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“Then on the back, she made up a pretend marketing manager [for Kardashian], who wrote a note to Rob. She took this very seriously. I was like, ‘Is there nothing else to do over there?'”
Earlier this year, Mac filed documents in Los Angeles to legally change his surname from McElhenney. It followed the 48-year-old growing frustrated over people being unable to pronounce his name.
He first mentioned his intention in an interview with US outlet Variety in May, telling them: “As our business and our storytelling is expanding into other regions of the world and other languages in which my name is even harder to pronounce, I’m just going by Rob Mac.”
Mac and Reynolds bought Wrexham in February 2021 and have been credited with a sharp rise in visitors to the Welsh city. It follows them charting the club’s rise from the National League to the Championship via the Disney+ series Welcome to Wrexham.
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Maria Corina Machado, the Venezuelan opposition politician who was barred from standing in last year’s presidential election, has been awarded this year’s Nobel Peace Prize.
In a post on the social media platform X on Friday, the Nobel Committee said it had decided to award the prize to Machado “for her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy”.
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Announcing Machado’s win in Oslo, Jorgen Watne Frydnes, the chair of the Nobel Committee, said the award had gone “to a brave and committed champion of peace, to a woman who keeps the flame of democracy burning amidst a growing darkness”.
He added that she meets “all the criteria” laid out by Alfred Nobel for the prize, which states that the prize shall be given to “the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses”.
Machado – who is known as the “Iron Lady” in Venezuela and is only the 20th woman out of 143 laureats awarded since the start of the prize in 1901 – said she was “in shock” after she learned she had been awarded the prize, according to a video sent by her press team to the AFP news agency.
“I’m in shock!” she is heard saying by telephone to Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, who replaced her as the candidate in the last presidential election after she was barred from running.
“We’re shocked with joy,” said Gonzalez.
Here’s what we know about Maria Corina Machado:
Who is Maria Corina Machado?
Maria Corina Machado Parisca, 58, is the leader of the Venezuelan opposition party, Vente Venezuela. Machado campaigns for transparent democracy, advocates for liberal economic reforms, including the privatisation of state-owned enterprises such as PDVSA, Venezuela’s oil company. She also supports the creation of welfare programmes aimed at aiding the country’s poorest.
Born on October 7, 1967, in Caracas, the eldest of four daughters, she has a degree in industrial engineering and a Master’s degree in finance.
The mother of three entered politics in 2002 as cofounder of the volunteer civil association called Sumate, which seeks to unite people amid polarisation under Nicolas Maduro’s rule.
At Sumate, she also led a referendum in 2002 to recall Hugo Chavez, the country’s president at the time, from office, over what Sumate claimed were his authoritarian policies. For this, Machado was accused of treason and her family received death threats from Chavez supporters, forcing her to send her children to live abroad.
But Machado has remained resilient in her opposition to Maduro, who has been in power since 2013.
In 2023, she won the Venezuelan opposition’s presidential primary after taking a decisive lead, placing her in a prime position to challenge longtime socialist leader Maduro at elections in 2024.
But a year later, Venezuela’s Supreme Justice Tribunal upheld a ban that prevented Machado from holding office. Attorney General Tarek Saab had accused some members of Machado’s Vente Venezuela party of being among 11 people who he said attempted to rob a military weapons arsenal in 2023 before a planned assault on a pro-Maduro state governor. The court also upheld claims that Machado had supported US sanctions, had been involved in corruption, and had lost money for Venezuela’s foreign assets, including United States-based oil refiner Citgo and chemicals company Monomeros, which operates in Colombia.
Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia replaced her as presidential candidate for the opposition bloc. Machado, however, continued campaigning far and wide for her proxy.
Today, she is isolated in Venezuela as nearly all of her senior advisers have been detained or forced to leave the country following threats by Maduro and his supporters, who oppose anyone who challenges his rule. Urrutia is understood to be in exile in Spain but some rumours suggest he is currently touring other countries in Latin America.
Following the July 2024 election, after which Maduro declared victory despite the the result being disputed by the opposition, Machado announced that she would be going into hiding within Venezuela, since she feared for her life under Maduro.
Where is Machado now?
It is not known where she currently is. In August 2024, she briefly emerged from hiding to join her supporters who were protesting in the streets of Caracas against the contested national election results.
“Just as it took us a long time to achieve electoral victory, now comes a stage that we take day by day, but we have never been as strong as today, never,” Machado, who always arrives at protests dressed in white, told her supporters in Caracas.
In January this year, however, when she reappeared from exile to join a protest before Maduro’s presidential inauguration, she was briefly arrested before being released.
“They wanted us to fight each other, but Venezuela is united,” Machado shouted from atop a truck as she waved a Venezuelan flag in front of a few hundred protesters immediately before her arrest.
Maduro’s government, which has also accused Machado of leading a “conspiracy” against Maduro, quickly denounced the incident as an attempt to dent the administration’s reputation.
“The tactic of media distraction is not new, so no one should be surprised. Less so coming from fascists who are the architects of deception,” Information Minister Freddy Nanez wrote on the social media messaging platform, Telegram.
While Machado has returned to hiding, she remains in touch with her supporters through social media platforms.
In May this year, she claimed victory in the country’s parliamentary elections, even though Maduro’s ruling coalition was officially declared the winner. Machado wrote on X that the election was an “enormous farce that the regime is trying to stage to bury its defeat” in last year’s election.
Last year, the European Union awarded its top human rights prize to Machado along with Urrutia.
The European Parliament said the winners of the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought were “representing the people of Venezuela fighting to restore freedom and democracy”.
Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado and opposition presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia join hands during a protest against the result of the presidential election on July 30, 2024 in Caracas, Venezuela [Alfredo Lasry R/Getty Images]
What did the Nobel Peace Prize committee say about her?
In its announcement, the Norwegian Nobel Committee said it has always “honoured brave women and men who have stood up to repression, who have carried the hope of freedom in prison cells, on the streets and in public squares, and who have shown by their actions that peaceful resistance can change the world”.
“In the past year, Ms Machado has been forced to live in hiding despite serious threats against her life,” the committee noted.
“She has remained in the country, a choice that has inspired millions.”
The committee said it was “crucial” to recognise “courageous defenders of freedom” and democracy.
“Maria Corina Machado meets all the three criteria stated in Alfred Nobel’s will for the selection of a peace prize,” the committee stated.
“She has brought her country’s opposition together. She has never wavered in resisting the militarisation of Venezuelan society. She has been steadfast in her support for a peaceful transition to democracy,” it added.
The Nobel Committee also said it is hoping that Machado’s win “will support her cause and not limit it”.
“This is the discussion we have every year for all candidates, particularly when the person who receives the prize is, in fact, in hiding because of serious threats to her life,” Frydne said, when asked by reporters about the considerations the committee made for Machado’s safety and security in awarding her the prize.
Frydnes also added that through this award, the committee wishes to let the world know that in a world in which the number of democracies is decreasing, “democracy is a precondition for peace”.
The decision to award Venezuela’s Machado is a “prize for democracy”, Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) director, Nina Graeger, said on X.
“At a moment when authoritarianism is on the rise across the world, this award highlights the courage of those who defend freedom with ballots, not bullets,” she noted.
She added: “This year, PRIO’s own shortlist for the Nobel Peace Prize emphasised the crucial role of election observers – the very work Machado has long contributed to – underscoring that credible elections remain the cornerstone of democracy and peace.”
Has Donald Trump reacted to the announcement?
There has been no reaction from US President Donald Trump, who made no secret of the fact he was hoping for the prize, as yet.
Since the start of his second term as president Trump has made it clear that he believes he should win the coveted prize as he claims to have ended “seven wars”.
On Wednesday, he looked set to claim credit for the possible end to an eighth war, after Israel and Hamas agreed to the first stage of a ceasefire deal that is rooted in Trump’s 20-point peace plan, which he had unveiled last week.
Even though Trump has yet to say anything on the matter, White House spokesperson Steven Cheung condemned the Nobel Committee for not selecting Trump for the prize.
“[Trump] has the heart of a humanitarian, and there will never be anyone like him who can move mountains with the sheer force of his will,” Cheung wrote on X.
“The Nobel Committee proved they place politics over peace,” he said.
When asked by reporters about Trump’s very public desire to win the peace prize, the Nobel Committee’s chairman, Jorgen Watne Frydnes, told reporters that the committee bases its decision strictly according to “the work and the will of Alfred Nobel”.
“We receive thousands and thousands of letters every year of people wanting to say, what for them leads to peace. This committee sits in a room filled with the portraits of all laureates, and that room is filled with both courage and integrity,” he said.
Vicky Pattison, who is taking part in the new series of Strictly Come Dancing, disclosed that her husband, Ercan Ramadan, whom she married in 2024, is currently in Cyprus
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Vicky Pattison has declared that it’s “not okay” as she admitted to being “lonely” (Image: Getty Images for the NTA’s)
Vicky Pattison has confessed that she’s feeling “lonely” while her husband is abroad visiting family. Currently showing off her dance moves on Strictly Come Dancing, Vicky shared her feelings with co-host and former Strictly star Angela Scanlon during a recent episode of the Get A Grip podcast.
She explained that her husband, Ercan Ramadan, whom she married in 2024, is currently in Cyprus visiting family, something she described as “long overdue” as she highlighted how he works hard and takes care of her and their dogs.
Vicky, who recently apologised to Strictly fans, said: “Like, he puts up with my lack of emotional regulation permanently, like; the f*****g poor bloke deserved a break, and I thought it would be alright because I’m just like going to Strictly, dancing all day, coming home, whinging about being tired and going to bed anyway.
“And actually, it’s not okay, and I did not like…I’ve always been like a girl’s girl me whole life. I am a girl’s girl and then I’ve recently discovered like I’m a husband’s girl now. And like with him gone, I’m floundering slightly.”
She went on to say: “Like, I’m coming home to like a dark house, a cold house, and I dunno. I’m eating Nik Naks in bed for me dinner, and I’m just lonely and I’m miserable and I’m not 100 per cent. Aw, God, I’m whinging!”
In an effort to comfort her friend, Angela pointed out that there was a “lot on” at present. She also highlighted how, as a “hyper-independent” woman, you can sometimes forget the impact “stabilising things, i.e. humans” can have on your life.
Meanwhile, Vicky, who’s paired with Kai Widdrington on the BBC dance programme, recently disclosed that Ercan was “sick of us”. In a frank revelation about her private life, she confessed that she hasn’t been intimate with him since beginning her stint on the programme.
Speaking previously on the same podcast, the ex-Geordie Shore personality gave fans an insight into the life of a Strictly contestant. Besides feeling “nervous”, she also mentioned you’re “nearly throwing up” backstage.
Vicky was questioned if she was pregnant, leading her to disclose that Ercan hadn’t glimpsed her “lady bits” in months. She also informed him that he was “not getting any now” as she was taking part in the programme.
In other developments, Vicky recently confessed that she was brought to tears by a social media post from professional dancer Lauren Oakley (who is partnered with Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink). It concerned a video depicting Lauren dancing with her mum’s dance partner, Mark.
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She wrote alongside the footage: “They danced together from when they were six, won lots of titles, and they are still dance partners today.
“He’s supported me at every competition growing up, and all the way through my professional on-stage and Strictly career.”
Alison Hammond has shared the exact vanilla and pink apple scented body mist she uses, saying it smells ‘absolutely divine’ – and you can still shop it for just £25
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Alison Hammond shared her go-to scent(Image: Alison Hammond/Instagram)
If you’ve ever wondered what Great British Bake Off host Alison Hammond uses as her go-to fragrance, then wonder no more, because the presenter has finally shared her favourite scent. Posting on Instagram, Alison shared some of her beauty favourites which included the Phlur Vanilla Skin Body Mist which she said was “absolutely divine”.
Unlike pricier perfumes, Alison’s body mist is only £25 for a huge 88ml bottle from Space NK, whilst the even larger 236.5ml bottle is only £38. The vanilla scent is the perfect pick for autumn, giving you all the cosy vibes with a sweet and slightly fruity scent.
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Alison’s Vanilla Skin Body Mist combines opening notes of pink pepper, pink apples and sugar crystals with heart notes of lily, jasmine petals and cashmere wood. The base notes round out the fragrance with vanilla, benzoin, sandalwood and agarwood, giving it a rich, sugary and slightly floral lasting scent.
Whilst no body mist will last as long as a traditional eau de parfum, the Phlur one has been designed to give a little more longevity than most body sprays. You can also use it on both your body and hair, whilst most perfumes are best used whilst avoiding your hair, as it can dry your strands out.
Plus, considering most of Phlur’s perfumes cost between £32 and £99, it’s a great affordable way of getting the brand’s signature scents on a budget. Other great body sprays with similar notes include Sol de Janeiro’s iconic Cheirosa 62 Perfume Mist which is now £28.50, down from £38, at LookFantastic, and Kylie Cosmetics’ new Vanilla Dew Hair & Body Mist which is also £28.
However, Phlur’s Vanilla Skin Body Mist has gotten some high praise from Space NK shoppers with almost 300 five star reviews. One said: “Love the smell of this product the vanilla scent is perfectly strong however not too overpowering. Additionally, love the packaging it is so pretty and simple. Actually lasts a while as you only need a little of amount of the spray. Overall, i would recommend this product!!!”
Another wrote: “Warm and cosy, so perfect and remind me of one of my favourite autumnal candles. I carry this spray around in my bag to freshen up my perfume through the day and get so many compliments. It dosent last all day however for the price is does stay well on clothing. It is not headache inducing or too sweet- I’ve had lots of compliments and will continue to use!”
However one wrote: “It definitely delivers on vanilla notes, however as someone that has tried many SDJ scents I really thought this would be better because it gives a ‘luxury’ appeal but it’s not. And it’s more expensive than SDJ as it’s rarely on offer! It smells nice, but it doesn’t last.”
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But yet another praise Phlur’s Vanilla Skin Body Mist, saying: “Love it so much, lasts such a long time and not overly sweet. The smaller size lasts a while and the bottle is perfect to throw in your handbag. Not to expensive either when you consider the price of proper perfumes rather than body spray. so good!!!!”
Hebron, occupied West Bank – Among the more than 67,190 Palestinians killed in Israel’s war on Gaza, there has been a particularly heavy toll on journalists and media workers. More than 184 journalists have been killed by Israel in the war, including 10 Al Jazeera staff members, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
Palestinian journalists in the occupied West Bank were only able to look on at their colleagues’ sacrifice in Gaza from afar. But they have also faced their own challenges, as Israel continues its near-daily practice of raids throughout the Palestinian territory.
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As Palestinians in Gaza expressed relief at the news of the ceasefire deal, journalists in Hebron, in the southern West Bank, were documenting how Palestinians were being restricted from moving around large parts of the city because of the influx of Jewish Israelis as a result of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.
Among the areas where Palestinians’ movement has been restricted is the Ibrahimi Mosque, also known as the Cave of the Patriarchs, in central Hebron.
As the journalists navigated the Israeli road closures, they sent their own messages to their colleagues in Gaza – who were forced to endure two years of war marked by displacement, hunger, and loss.
“A thousand blessings to all of you – those who work with the international agencies, TV channels, websites, radio stations, and in the field. You gave everything and sacrificed immensely. I pray that your suffering ends after two years of hell, and that you never live through another war. Your message was the most sacred and powerful in history. You shook the world – because you conveyed the truth. No one could have done what you did.
“The psychological and emotional impact of those who died will never fade. [I remember when Al Jazeera Gaza bureau chief] Wael Dahdouh stood over his son’s body and said, ‘They took revenge on us through our children,’ – I felt those words cut deep into my heart. I saw the footage on television and broke down crying. Imagine how his colleagues, who live it with him, must have felt.
“We live here in Hebron in constant contact with the Israeli occupation forces – there are frequent incursions and military checkpoints. After the war began, following October 7, 2023, the confrontations and clashes were intense.
“They treated us as part of the war, not as neutral observers, and used every possible means to fight us. Many times, I would say goodbye to my family as if it were the last time.”
Malak al-Atrash [Mosab Shawer/Al Jazeera]
“You journalists in Gaza sacrificed your lives for your people and homeland. You risked everything to convey the truth, the suffering, and the crimes against Gaza’s people. Whenever one of you is killed, I feel as it I’ve lost someone myself – as if I were the one wounded or arrested.
“You carried the message until your last breath, and you never stopped. You inspire us to continue the path you and the generations before you began. Thank you for every photo, every shot, every moment you captured for the world to see the many, many faces of war.
“War meant displacement. War meant famine. War meant being targeted by the military. War meant stopping education. Through your work, you made the world see it all.”
Raed al-Sharif [Mosab Shawer/Al Jazeera]
Raed al-Sharif, journalist
“My feelings are conflicted today after the ceasefire was announced. We in the West Bank followed everything happening in Gaza, where hundreds of journalists were killed or wounded, some losing limbs. What happened was a real crime, a genocide. Journalists [were especially targeted] because the occupation doesn’t want reports to come out of Gaza.
“Honestly, I feel ashamed as a Palestinian journalist. Despite our sacrifices in the West Bank, they don’t amount to even a drop in the sea of what our colleagues in Gaza experienced. They offered their lives and bodies – the most precious sacrifice of all.