iPhone accessories: Here are 5 of the best for 2023

Latest & Breaking News on Fox News 

Whether you received a new Apple iPhone 14 for the holidays or are considering upgrading, accessories can help make usage seamless. 

For example, Apple’s iPhone 14 models don’t come with a charging adapter, so users may want to consider using other methods.

Here are five of the top iPhone accessories for 2023. 

A portable power bank can help charge a phone and AirPods simultaneously. It’s easy to travel with and won’t weigh down an iPhone. 

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The third generation of AirPods have Personalized Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking, adaptive EQ and longer battery life. Apple also boasts HD voice quality for FaceTime, and the AirPods and MagSafe charging case are sweat- and water-resistant.

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AirTag tracking devices can help keep track of a phone – especially older models that don’t support the FindMy app – and other accessories, as well as find bags at the airport. Some cases have pockets for AirTags. 

A case with a charger ensures extra hours of charge without bring a power bank and Lightning cable. Consider this: the more powerful the battery, the heavier the case. There are different capacities available to purchase. 

Phone grips like PopSockets are relatively cheap and customizable. Pick them up in stores like Target and Paper Source. Plus, they help steady a user’s grip on an iPhone and are especially useful for taking photos. But be warned that they leave a sticky residue!

 

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Follow the New Year around the world



CNN
 — 

Get out of your East Coast mentality, America. Not everyone starts their New Year when you do.

The Pacific Island nations of Tonga, Samoa and Kiribati were the first to see in the new year – when it was still 5 a.m. on December 31 on the East Coast of the United States and 11 a.m. UTC (Coordinated Universal Time, the global standard). New Zealand was next, an hour later.

Samoa is always the first country to ring in the New Year. American Samoa, its neighbor just 101 miles away, has to watch in envy and wait a full day.

There are 39 different local times in use – including two which are more than 12 hours ahead of UTC – which means it takes 26 hours for the entire world to enter the New Year.

So, if you really, really, really love to hum “Auld Lang Syne,” the list below will get you in the spirit – over and over and over again.

Here’s when the world will be ringing in the New Year, relative to East Coast time.

5 a.m. ET Samoa, Tonga and Christmas Island/Kiribati

5:15 a.m. Chatham Islands/New Zealand

6 a.m. New Zealand (with a few exceptions) and five more locations/islands

Fireworks explode over Sky Tower in central Auckland as New Year celebrations begin in New Zealand, Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023.

7 a.m. Small region of Russia and seven more locations

8 a.m. Much of Australia and seven more (including Melbourne and Sydney)

People watch fireworks  on December 31, 2022, in Sydney, Australia.

8:30 a.m. Small region of Australia (including Adelaide)

9 a.m. Queensland/Australia and six more (including Brisbane)

9:30 a.m. Northern Territory/Australia (including Alice Springs)

10 a.m. Japan, South Korea and four more

10:15 a.m. Western Australia/Australia

11 a.m. China, Philippines and 10 more

A New Year's Eve fireworks and light show attracts thousands of visitors to the West Tour Park in Huai 'an, East China's Jiangsu province, on December 31, 2022.

Noon Much of Indonesia, Thailand and seven more

12:30 p.m. Myanmar and Cocos Islands

1 p.m. Bangladesh and six more

1:15 p.m. Nepal

1:30 p.m. India and Sri Lanka

2 p.m. Pakistan and eight more

2:30 p.m. Afghanistan

3 p.m. Azerbaijan and eight more

3:30 p.m. Iran

4 p.m. Moscow/Russia and 22 more

5 p.m. Greece and 31 more (including Egypt, South Africa and Romania)

6 p.m. Germany and 45 more (including Algeria, Italy, Belgium and France)

7 p.m. United Kingdom and 24 more (including Portugal and Iceland)

8 p.m. Cabo Verde and two more

9 p.m. Regions of Brazil and South Georgia/Sandwich Islands

10 p.m. Most of Brazil, Angetina and nine more

10:30 p.m. Newfoundland and Labrador/Canada

11 p.m. Some regions of Canada and 28 more

Midnight US (East Coast) and Cuba

1 a.m. US (Central), Mexico and nine more

2 a.m. US (Mountain) and two more

3 a.m. US (Pacific) and four more

4 a.m. US (Alaska) and regions of French Polynesia

4:30 a.m. Marquesas Islands/French Polynesia

5 a.m. US (Hawaii) and two more

6 a.m. American Samoa and two more

7 a.m. Much of US minor outlying islands (unincorporated US territories in the Pacific)

source

NFL, players association determine no concussion protocols were violated in latest Tua Tagovailoa injury

Latest & Breaking News on Fox News 

An investigation by the NFL and NFLPA determined that Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa did not show concussion symptoms during last Sunday’s game.

Tagovailoa was able to finish the Christmas Day game against the Packers. On Monday, he was placed in concussion protocol after reporting symptoms to the team. Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel later confirmed that the quarterback was in the protocol for the second time this season.

The league and players association’s joint review concluded that there were no violations of the concussion protocol during the game.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

The NFL and NFLPA previously performed a joint review of the Dolphins’ handling of a Tagovailoa concussion. The first came after a Week 4 game against the Bengals, when Tagovailoa was knocked unconscious after a sack by the Cincinnati Bengals. He was carted off the field and was later briefly hospitalized.

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“Yeah, I remember the entire night up until the point I got tackled,” he said about that hit against the Bengals via Yahoo Sports. “After I got tackled, I don’t remember much from there. Getting carted off, I don’t remember that. But I do remember things that were going on when I was in the ambulance and when I arrived at the hospital.”

That investigation found that the team had followed protocol, but it also determined that the protocol itself needed to be amended. The unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant involved in Tagovailoa’s evaluation earlier in the season was also terminated by the players association.

Tagovailoa would miss the next two games against the Jets and the Vikings after he suffered the head injury in Cincinnati. He returned to the field against the Steelers on Oct. 23.

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In a joint statement released on Saturday, the NFL and NFLPA said, “The protocol is initiated when a player receives an impact to the head and exhibits or reports signs or symptoms suggestive of a concussion. The review established that symptoms of a concussion were neither exhibited nor reported until the following day at which time the team medical personnel appropriately evaluated and placed Mr. Tagovailoa in the concussion protocol.”

During the second quarter of the Dolphins’ loss to the Green Bay Packers, Tagovailoa’s head hit the turf after he was tackled from behind. He did remain in the game, but he proceeded to throw three interceptions on three consecutive drives.

The Dolphins have already ruled Tagovailoa out for Sunday’s game against New England.

 

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Idaho murder suspect Kohberger wearing suicide-prevention vest, police used crime scene DNA: sources

Latest & Breaking News on Fox News 

Bryan Kohberger is wearing a suicide-prevention vest while being held at the Monroe County Correctional Facility in Pennsylvania following his arrest in conjunction with a quadruple homicide in Moscow, Idaho, Fox News confirmed Saturday with a law enforcement source.

Suicide vests are used to “ensure warmth and comfort” while not obstructing the wearer’s movements, according to PSP Corp, a suicide prevention company. 

The vests also cannot be rolled or torn and prevent inmates “from using the fabric to create a weapon or hanging mechanism.”

IDAHO MURDERS: SUSPECT BRYAN CHRISTOPHER KOHBERGER ARRESTED IN KILLINGS OF 4 UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Kohberger, 28, was arrested Friday for the Nov. 13 murder of four University of Idaho students while at his parents’ home in eastern Pennsylvania.

Authorities used DNA to track him and his vehicle that was placed at the scene of the crime, a separate source told Fox News. 

He has been charged with four counts of murder and burglary for the alleged stabbing of Ethan Chapin, 20, Xana Kernodle, 20, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, and Madison Mogen, 21.

Fox News confirmed through a police source that investigators have only been focused on Kohberger as their suspect “the last few days.”

Genetic genealogy work on DNA left at the scene of the crime was instrumental in leading them to Kohberger, Fox News was told. 

The Moscow police faced criticism for the time it took investigators to locate a suspect or persons of interest as questions remained unanswered for roughly a month and a half.

UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO MURDERS TIMELINE: WHAT WE KNOW

The local police worked with the FBI and Idaho State Police throughout the investigation.

In an interview with Fox News Saturday, Moscow Police Chief James Fry described the process as a “puzzle.”

“We’re building the picture, and we’re putting those pieces to get that picture,” he said. 

Fry said the department “truly believe[s] we have the individual that committed these crimes.”

Kohberger’s connection to the victims – if any – remains unknown.

“That’s part of that investigation that we’re still putting pieces together,” he added. 

Kohberger was a Ph.D. student studying criminal justice at Washington State University in Pullman – roughly 15 miles from the victims’ shared rental home. 

 

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What is the Google Home System? Ways for it to transform your life.

Latest & Breaking News on Fox News 

The Google Home system started as a simple wireless speaker that could take voice commands. However, it has become a robust system for automating your home. Controlled by the Google Home app, it allows you to ask questions, launch apps and create routines that control your home’s devices. The Google Home app is available for OS and Android devices.

What do you need to get started with Google Home? 

You’ll need a Google Home speaker device like this Google nest mini, a Google Home app, or a Google/Gmail account to use Google Home. The Google Home app will walk you through the setup, and you’ll be able to add other information, like your location, so you can get local weather or traffic updates. You’ll also want to connect your Google Home app with other apps like Spotify or Google Photos to increase the device’s functionality.

What kinds of things can I do with Google Home? 

In short, Google Home is your virtual butler, creating a world of possibilities for users like you and me: Say basic voice commands to start a favorite playlist. Suppose you have a question about absolutely anything. In that case, you can ask Google Assistant rather than look it up on your phone. You can also create a routine that gives you the weather and traffic report at a specific time each morning. 

Home security is another popular use with Google Home. When an exterior light or motion sensor is triggered, Google Home can turn on a smart bulb inside the house, creating the impression that someone has noticed a sound outside. You can also create routines that turn on interior lights on a schedule if you’re away.

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What types of devices work with Google Home? 

There are hundreds of Google Home-enabled devices, with more coming on the market all the time: 

Getting alerts when a device joins your Google Home Group 

You should always be alerted when another device joins your Google Home Group, especially if you’re the only person in your household. Your Google Home Group consists of all the Google and Chromecast devices set up in your home, and you’ll always want to be aware and in control of them and not get any surprises. This way, you’ll always know if someone is trying to hack into your Google account or add another device without your consent. Here’s how to get alerts for your Google Home Group: 

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Privacy settings 

Your privacy settings are one of the most essential features of your Google Home device. They control what devices are connected to it, private data and even web activity. You should double-check to see which actions you have specifically authorized, and switch off anything you don’t remember consenting to. Here’s how to update your Privacy Settings: 

Deleting some or all of your private data 

Google Assistant saves audio recordings of every voice command Google Home has ever heard, which helps the software to understand your voice and execute future commands better. However, it isn’t critical to the device’s operation. Here’s how to delete that and all other data: 

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The most extreme privacy option is: Pausing all activity 

You can also set Google Assistant to no longer keep logs of your data; however, that may cause some hiccups with how well Google Assistant functions. If your privacy is of the utmost importance to you, and you’re willing to deal with anything from a few glitches from time to time to an entirely non-functional Google Assistant, from the main Google Assistant Activity page: 

A screen will pop up, warning you that “pausing Web & App Activity may limit or disable more personalized experiences across Google services.” At the bottom of that screen, press Pause to stop Google from logging your activity. Note that changing this setting does not delete your personal data from Google. It only prevents Google Assistant from recording more data going forward.

After you press Pause, you’ll be returned to the main Google Assistant Activity page. 

The fun stuff – making calls 

One of the coolest features of Google Home is that you can make calls without having to do any of the work. For this feature to work correctly, however, you must ensure that it is set up correctly. Here’s how to make sure that Google Home always displays your primary phone number when you request a call to be made: 

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Changing your nickname 

A feature you can have the most fun with is having your Google Home device call you a nickname, which can be any name you want. Even if it’s something as silly as ‘Big Foot’ or ‘Mr. President,’ there’s a way for you to have your device call you anything you wish (and yes, cuss words are included). 

Creating a speaker group 

There’s nothing better than jamming to your favorite music. However, you can enhance your listening experience by doubling or even tripling your sound by grouping up your devices. By grouping multiple speakers, you can make a whole-house audio system and turn it into a real party. 

 

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Type 2 diabetes: Study predicts ‘startling’ rise of the condition among America’s young people

Latest & Breaking News on Fox News 

A new modeling study is raising alarm bells after it determined that the number of young people in the United States with diabetes will increase by nearly 700% over the next 40 years. 

The study, titled “Projections of Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes Burden in the U.S. Population Aged <20 Years Through 2060: The SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth Study,” was published in the journal Diabetes Care on Dec. 29, 2022. 

The authors of the study predicted there might be 220,000 people under the age of 20 with Type 2 diabetes in the year 2060 — an increase of about 675% from the number of young people with type 2 diabetes in 2017. 

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“This new research should serve as a wake-up call for all of us. It’s vital that we focus our efforts to ensure all Americans, especially our young people, are the healthiest they can be,” said CDC Acting Principal Deputy Director Debra Houry, MD, MPH, in a statement released on Dec. 29.

Houry added, “This study further highlights the importance of continuing efforts to prevent and manage chronic diseases, not only for our current population but also for generations to come.”

Diabetes mellitus type 1, or Type 1 diabetes, was formerly known as juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes.

It does not have a known cause, and is suspected to be linked to genetic or environmental factors, the Mayo Clinic’s website notes. 

People with Type 1 diabetes do not produce insulin and must take insulin to survive. 

Typically, people are diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes as children; however, it can occur at any age, according to the Mayo Clinic. 

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Conversely, diabetes mellitus type 2, or Type 2 diabetes, was formerly referred to as adult onset diabetes, notes the website for the Mayo Clinic. 

It is linked with obesity and inactivity. 

Type 2 diabetes refers to a condition in which a person’s pancreas does not produce enough insulin and cells become resistant to insulin. 

This results in an increase of a person’s blood sugar, which can be dangerous over time, says the Mayo Clinic. 

This condition cannot be cured.

However, it can be managed with medications, proper diet and exercise.

In the study, the researchers found that if the incidence rate of all types of diabetes in 2017 among young people remains the same until 2060, the total number of young diabetics would rise from 213,000 to 239,000 — for an increase of 12%. 

Over the last two decades, however, the number of young people with the Type 2 diabetes has “substantially increased,” said the CDC. 

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The CDC believes that “the increasing prevalence of childhood obesity,” as well as “the presence of diabetes in people of childbearing age,” could be two reasons for why the number of young Type 2 diabetics has increased so rapidly. 

When the percentage increase in the number of young people with Type 2 diabetes between 2002 and 2017 is applied to future generations, the researchers found that the number of young diabetics could be as high as 526,000. 

“Increases in diabetes — especially among young people — are always worrisome, but these numbers are alarming,” said Christopher Holliday, director of CDC’s Division of Diabetes Translation, in the study’s press release from the CDC.

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Race and ethnicity are believed to play a role, said the study. 

It found there will likely be “a higher burden of type 2 diabetes for Black, Hispanic/Latino, Asian, Pacific Islander, and American Indian/Alaska Native youth.” 

“This study’s startling projections of Type 2 diabetes increases show why it is crucial to advance health equity and reduce the widespread disparities that already take a toll on people’s health,” said Holliday. 

 

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Moscow, Idaho police believe suspect Kohberger acted alone, chief says

Latest & Breaking News on Fox News 

Police in Moscow, Idaho believe the suspect in the killings of four Idaho college students acted alone, chief James Fry indicated to Fox News Saturday.

Bryan Christopher Kohberger, 28, was taken into custody by local police and the FBI at 1:30 a.m. in eastern Pennsylvania on a warrant charging him with four counts of murder and burglary for the deaths of Ethan Chapin, 20, Xana Kernodle, 20, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, and Madison Mogen, 21.

IDAHO MURDER SUSPECT: WHO IS BRYAN CHRISTOPHER KOHBERGER

Asked by Fox News if the police were considering the possibility of any accomplices, Fry responded, “We truly believe we have the individual that committed these crimes.”

Questioned further on whether there was a clear connection between the suspect and the victims, Fry said that police were still fleshing out the crime’s profile.

SLAIN UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO VICTIM’S PARENTS FRUSTRATED BY ‘LACK OF INFORMATION’ FROM POLICE, SCHOOL

“You know, that’s part of that investigation that we’re still putting pieces together. We’re still gathering information,” Fry said. “That’s why we’ve still asked people, you know, send us tips on the individual, send us any information you have because that’s all going to be part of that picture. Still, it’s going to give us even more information.”

The Ph.D. student, who is studying criminal justice, appeared before a judge Friday in Monroe County Court.

Fry said investigators continue to look for the murder weapon, described as a fixed-blade knife, and he said that more than 400 calls came in to the tip line in one hour after news of the arrest broke. Fry also confirmed that a white Hyundai Elantra was found at Kohberger’s parents’ home, where Kohberger was apprehended.

Fry called it “a little disappointing” that Kohberger was studying criminology in graduate school at Washington State University in Pullman. 

“That’s not what we want in our profession,” Fry told Fox News. “We hold ourselves to a higher standard, and we hold ourselves to a ethical standard.”

UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO MURDERS TIMELINE: WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE SLAUGHTER OF FOUR STUDENTS

The mysterious killings initially baffled investigators and left the small college town of 25,000 deeply shaken.

The four students were each stabbed multiple times in the torso and were likely ambushed in their sleep with a large fix-bladed knife between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. on Nov. 13, according to the coroner and police. 

IDAHO MURDERS: INSIDE THE OFF-CAMPUS HOUSE WHERE 4 STUDENTS WERE KILLED

Two surviving female roommates, who lived on the basement level, appeared to have slept through the gruesome attack.

Shortly before noon on Nov. 13, the roommates summoned friends to the house because they believed one of the victims on the second floor had passed out, authorities said.

Police responded to a 911 call reporting an unconscious person at 11:58 a.m. that originated from one of the surviving roommates’ phones. The responding officers found the four victims on the second and third floors.

Fox News’ Rebecca Rosenberg, Stephanie Pagones, Audrey Conklin, and Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.

 

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Barbara Walters left behind messages about her ‘sense of isolation’ as a child — and what drove her success

Latest & Breaking News on Fox News 

Millions of Americans are mourning Barbara Walters, a pioneer in broadcasting and an Emmy Award winner, who died this week at age 93.

Walters was a longtime ABC News anchor who also hosted the primetime show “20/20” and created the women’s talk show “The View” in 1997. 

When Walters’ personal account of her life, “Audition: A Memoir,” came out in 2008, book critics widely praised the “blockbuster” nonfiction work for being a “smart, funny, fascinating book” as well as “compulsively entertaining.”

BARBARA WALTERS, JOURNALIST PIONEER, DEAD AT 93

It was full of “heartfelt candor,” critics said.

It was “indispensable” and “intensely readable,” they also said.

It was also “suffused with an emotional intensity,” one critic wrote.

Still another wrote that it was “intimately personal” while at the same time “wonderfully larger than life.”

Knopf published the book in May 2008 — and today, as of publication time, the book is ranking at the no. 2 spot on Amazon’s “journalist biographies” bestseller list as well as no. 4 on its “television performer biographies” bestseller list.

In her memoir, Walters detailed the numerous steps she took in her storied journalism career after growing up in Boston and attending Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York

Notably, Walters also peeled back the layers of her early family life.

She described her alternately precarious and loving relationship with her older sister, Jackie, whom she described as “mentally retarded, as the condition was called then,” Walters wrote in her book.

Walters said her sister, while older, seemed like the younger sibling. 

Her intellectual impairments, wrote Walters, were “just enough to prevent her from attending regular school, from having friends, from getting a job, from marrying — just enough to stop her from having a real life.”

KIRK CAMERON GREETED BY OVERFLOW NEW YORK LIBRARY CROWD FOR MESSAGE OF FAITH, FAMILY, COUNTRY

The TV personality also shared in her book that from a “very early age,” she realized that “at some point, Jackie would become my responsibility” — and that keen understanding was “one of the main reasons I was driven to work so hard.”

But it wasn’t just about the financial responsibility, Walters wrote, when it came to how she would be responsible for her sister throughout their lives.

“For so many years, I was embarrassed by her … ashamed by her … guilty that I had so much and she had so little,” Walters detailed in “Audition.”

She noted that when Jackie was born — over 100 years ago now — there was very little known about “mental retardation” or the “mentally impaired.”

She also said there were few schools for those who were different and that few employers who would take on such workers.

“Today,” Walters wrote in 2008, “Jackie could probably get a job, something simple but productive … She might even have met and married a nice man.”

However, back then, her sister’s life, wrote Walters, “was essentially one of isolation” — except, she added, for the “relationship she had with me, and my mother and father.”

Walters said her sister’s condition was “never discussed” outside the family circle.

That was because, she added, her parents felt others wouldn’t understand — or would “shun” her or humiliate her.

Notably, Walters added that because her sister’s life was so isolated — so was her own life.

“As a child, I didn’t have birthday parties because Jackie didn’t. I didn’t join the Girl Scouts because Jackie couldn’t join. I rarely had friends over to the house because they didn’t know what to make of my sister, and I would hear the whispers, real or imagined.”

Walters said that as she grew older and started going out with friends or on dates with young men, her mother would ask her to please take Jackie along with her.

“I loved my sister. She was sweet and affectionate — and she was, after all, my sister.”

Added Walters, “There were times I hated her, too, for being different … [and] for the restraints she put on my life.”

She also said, “I didn’t like that hatred, but there’s no denying that I felt it. Perhaps you’ll be horrified at my admission,” Walters added bluntly. 

“Or, perhaps you’re guilty of the same emotions and will feel relief that you are not alone,” she also wrote.

Walters noted that almost anyone else who has a chronically ill sibling, or a sibling who is mentally or physically impaired, will “understand what I mean.”

She went on to note how beautiful her sister was physically — and “you wouldn’t have known” there was anything different about her “until she opened her mouth to talk.”

She revealed her sister’s stuttering — and that their parents tried everything possible in those days to try to help her with “her speech impediment.”

She shared, too, how difficult it was for her to watch her sister be bullied by other children.

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Walters said her sister died in 1985 of ovarian cancer — but that up until that point, Walters “agonized” over the relationship with her sibling and over Jackie’s challenging life circumstances. Still, she knew her sister always loved her, she said.

Walters’ memoir “Audition,” released originally in hardcover and a no. 1 national bestseller when it came out, was also produced in paperback as well as in Kindle and audiobook versions.

 

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CNN Sports' top stories of 2022



CNN
 — 

From a World Cup like no other in Qatar to Ukrainian athletes returning home to fight in the war against Russia, CNN Sport has picked out the must-read stories from the last 12 months.

Gay Australian footballer Josh Cavall reflects on life-changing year

It has been more than a year since Josh Cavallo announced he is gay, but even now he still struggles to comprehend the far-reaching impact his announcement has had.

Since making that life-changing decision in October 2021, Cavallo has become one of the most recognizable names and faces in world football, as well as becoming something of an icon.

“I’m walking in the streets of London and getting stopped,” Cavallo told CNN in October.

“I’ve only been to London twice now and I’m like: ‘Wow, I’m all the way from Australia and what I did was via social media,’ and to see the impact it’s had from people on the other side of the globe is absolutely phenomenal.”

Josh Cavallo has become one of football's most recognizable faces since coming out as gay.

Exclusive: World Cup soccer fans stopped by security officials for wearing rainbow-colored items

During the World Cup in Qatar, two German soccer fans told CNN’s Ben Church that they were asked by security officials at Qatar 2022 to remove the rainbow-colored items that they were wearing as they made their way to watch the match between France and Denmark.

CNN witnessed the conclusion to the incident at the Msheireb Metro Station, in Doha, as Bengt Kunkel, who was wearing a rainbow-colored sweatband and his friend – sporting a similarly colored armband – refused to hand over the items.

After taking the Germans to one side, a group of security guards eventually let them go – on condition that they put the rainbow-colored items in their pockets, according to Kunkel.

“Out of nowhere. They took my friend quite aggressively on the arm and pushed him away from the crowd and told him to take it [the armband] off,” Kunkel told CNN,

German fan Bengt Kunkel wearing a rainbow-colored arm and wristband outside Stadium 974 on Saturday, November 26.

Exclusive – ‘This is not saving, this is destruction’: Ukrainian MMA champion Yaroslav Amosov recounts the horrors of war

After Russia began its invasion of Ukraine on February 24, a number of high-profile Ukrainian athletes chose to return to their home country and help in the war efforts.

Among them was Yaroslav Amosov, a reigning welterweight world champion in the MMA championship Bellator.

On May 13, he should have been defending his world title at Bellator’s event at Wembley Arena in London. Instead, Amosov returned to his hometown of Irpin and joined the territorial defense to aid civilians in and around the town.

“It’s hard to look at your city that was once full of happiness, life,” Amosov told CNN’s Matias Grez in an exclusive interview back in May.

Yaroslav Amosov missed his world title fight to return to Ukraine.

Remembrance Sunday: For one dissenting voice, this is his most dangerous day

For footballer James McClean, Remembrance Sunday is arguably his most difficult day of the year.

Since he first refused to wear the poppy in 2012, McClean and his family have been subjected to abuse both in football stadiums across England and online.

The Republic of Ireland international, who was born in Northern Ireland, has been outspoken about what the poppy and Remembrance Sunday mean to his community and its relationship to the British military.

James McClean has been regularly abused for his stance on the poppy.

YouTubers, doping and greed: It’s been a tough year for boxing

Simiso Buthelezi, Miracle Amaeze and Luis Quiñones are some of the talented boxers who have died this year as they pursued their sporting careers and chased dreams of world titles.

It’s an accepted risk of the profession. A database first compiled by anti-boxing activist Manuel Velazquez and updated in the Electronic Journal of Martial Arts and Sciences estimated 1,604 boxers died as a direct result of injuries sustained in the ring between 1890 and 2011 – an average of 13 deaths a year.

That’s a shocking statistic for a professional sport, but perhaps not altogether that surprising. As Stephanie Alessi-LaRosa, director of Hartford Healthcare’s sports neurology program, points out, it’s a boxer’s objective in a fight “to neurologically impair the opponent.”

2022 has been a tough year for the sport of boxing.

‘Our dreams never came true.’ These men helped build Qatar’s World Cup, now they are struggling to survive

The plight of migrant workers in Qatar was a dark cloud that marred what should have been the greatest sporting spectacle on the planet.

For all the incredible action on the pitch, including arguably the greatest World Cup final in history, tournament organizers could not escape accusations that the workers who helped build the stadiums were subjected to awful conditions, which contributed to the deaths of migrant workers.

Ahead of the World Cup, CNN spoke to Kamal, a Nepali worker in Qatar, who recounted his experience of being arrested without explanation and kept in a Qatari jail for a week.

Describing the conditions in the cell he shared with 24 other Nepali migrant workers, he says he was provided with a blanket and a pillow, but the mattress on the floor he had to sleep on was riddled with bed bugs.

“Inside the jail, there were people from Sri Lanka, Kerala (India), Pakistan, Sudan, Nepal, African, Philippines. There were around 14-15 units. In one jail, there were around 250-300 people. Around 24-25 people per room,” he says.

The treatment of migrant workers was a major talking point throughout the 2022 Qatar World Cup.

‘Straight up child abuse’: Canadian gymnast quit at the age of 13 due to what she alleges was a horrific and abusive environment

Amelia Cline can still remember what she loved about gymnastics; the 32-year-old Canadian says it was the chance to explore the limits of gravity.

At the age of two, Cline says that her interest was obvious to her parents by the way she’d be pulling “little baby chin-ups,” at the kitchen counter. By the time she was nine or 10, Cline had outgrown her local coaches and was now travelling an hour from home to train at an elite club.

For a while, her love of the sport continued, but Cline says everything changed when Vladimir Lashin and his wife Svetlana arrived as the new coaching team. Cline says that the mood in the gym quickly darkened.

“Immediately, it was verbally abusive,” she recalled. “If you made any mistakes, they would scream and humiliate you.” According to Cline, it wasn’t long before the coaches resorted to physical abuse, too.

Amelia Cline spoke to CNN about the alleged abusive training regime.

How has this World Cup affected the ‘brands’ associated with it?

Traditionally billions of viewers watch the World Cup, and as they concentrate on what is happening on the pitch, the names of some of the world’s biggest companies flash behind the players on a rolling, technicolored loop – Budweiser, Visa, Coca-Cola, Qatar Airways, Adidas, McDonalds, Wanda, Vivo, Hyundai Kia.

But Qatar 2022 is different. Many of these brands, particularly those with Western world roots, have become caught in the geopolitical crosshairs of this tournament, balancing their sponsorship with criticisms levelled at FIFA, soccer’s world governing body, and Qatar, the host, notably around human rights issues.

Not that it is affecting FIFA’s bottom line.

Several 'brands' have become associated with the Qatar World Cup.

Fearing torture and possible execution, Iranian powerlifter Amir Assadollahzadeh quit team in Norway and ran for his life

Athletes who are good enough to compete in the world championships are among the very best in their field. They dedicate their lives to the pursuit of their craft, they are proud to represent their countries, and they all dream of returning home with medals around their necks.

But at the IPF World Powerlifting Championships held in November, one athlete wasn’t competing for glory; Iranian Amir Assadollahzadeh says he found himself quite literally running for his life.

The 31-year-old Iranian lifter told CNN that in the middle of the tournament, he felt compelled to abandon his team and flee from his teammates.

He had agonized over a decision that would forever change his life, but at around 3.30 a.m., he had made up his mind and slipped out of his hotel in the Norwegian city of Stavanger, on the North Sea Coast.

“I took what I needed for my journey and left,” Assadollahzadeh recalled. “I quickly ran towards the bus station, but I arrived five minutes too late.”

He was one of Iran's top athletes. Then his life unraveled.

Camille Herron put her ‘heart and soul’ into breaking the 100-mile world record. But officials now say the course was too short

Camille Herron has called it a “unicorn moment” for the sport of ultrarunning – a performance that expanded the notion of what women can achieve in endurance events.

When Herron crossed the finish line at Jackpot Ultra Running Festival’s 100-mile race in Henderson, Nevada in February, she did so as the outright winner – even beating all the male competitors – and in world record time.

But her efforts now appear to be in vain, at least as far as the record books are concerned.

Capturing Lionel Messi’s viral moment: The story behind the most liked photo on Instagram, told by the photographer who took it

Lionel Messi vs. an ordinary brown egg was the clash that nobody expected in 2022.

But the photo that Messi chose to upload to his Instagram page to celebrate winning the World Cup smashed the app’s previous record – held by said egg – for the most liked post ever.

It was captured by Getty photographer Shaun Botterill, who had a front row seat to one of the most iconic moments in sports history.

This is his story on how he captured the most liked photo of all time.

The blind skateboarder challenging misconceptions about sight and sport

Dan Mancina is a skateboarder whose jaw-dropping videos have racked up hundreds of thousands of views.

Mancina also happens to be blind and videos of him using his white cane as he skates inspire curiosity and admiration.

20221019-sports-dan mancina

The blind skateboarder challenging misconceptions about sight and sport


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‘Didn’t see ourselves represented’: This figure skating pair is ditching the gender norms rooted in their sport

US figure skaters Ashley Cain-Gribble and Timothy LeDuc bring a different story to the ice – one based on equality.

The pair stands out in their discipline, one rooted in traditional gender norms, through their performances and skating style.

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - JANUARY 08: Ashley Cain-Gribble and Timothy LeDuc pose on the medals podium after winning the Pairs competition during the U.S. Figure Skating Championships at Bridgestone Arena on January 08, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

‘Didn’t see ourselves represented’: This figure skating pair is ditching the gender norms rooted in their sport


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NOAA satellite captures Earth mosaic showing stunning panoramic view

Latest & Breaking News on Fox News 

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has released the first image from its NOAA-21 Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument

The recently-launched satellite captured a stunning panoramic view of the Earth, created from swaths of data captured throughout the full globe over a period of 24 hours between Dec. 5 and Dec. 6. 

Polar-orbiting satellites observe the entire planet twice each day, unlike geostationary satellites.

According to the agency, the mosaic image shows bright blue water containing phytoplankton in the Caribbean Sea, weather systems moving and smog from agricultural fires in Northern India.

2022 SPACE STORIES THAT ARE OUT OF THIS WORLD

Dr. Satya Kalluri, Joint Polar Satellite System program scientist, said in a release that the turquoise color around Cuba and the Bahamas is due to sediment in the shallow waters around the continental shelf.

VIIRS provides measurements of ocean color helping to detect harmful algal blooms and monitor phytoplankton activity and sea surface temperature. 

Over land, the satellite – which also flies on the Joint Polar Satellite System’s NOAA-20 and Suomi-NPP satellites – is able to detect and measure the intensity of wildfires, droughts and floods. 

The fire intensity is fed into a product that tracks the thickness and movement of wildfire smoke. 

RUSSIAN SPACE CAPSULE LEAK LIKELY DUE TO MICROMETEORITE STRIKE, OFFICIAL SAYS

VIIRS also generates critical environmental products on snow and ice cover, clouds, fog, aerosols and dust, as well as the health of the world’s crops. 

The instrument was launched from the Vandenberg Space Force Base on Nov. 10.

NOAA-21, previously known as JPSS-2, is the second operational satellite in a series called the Joint Polar Satellite System.

NOAA and NASA oversee the development, launch, testing and operation of all the satellites in the system.

 

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