On Friday morning the Chinese Foreign Ministry released a statement confirming the origin of a suspected high-altitude surveillance balloon which has been spotted floating over the US. They stated that the balloon is a “civilian airship used for research, mainly meteorological” purposes and that it deviated from its planned course due to being affected by the Westerlies. Both the Pentagon and the Chinese Foreign Ministry have agreed that the balloon poses no physical threat to those on the ground, with the Pentagon insisting that it is travelling well-above commercial air traffic zones. Despite this, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has postponed his trip to Beijing due to the unexpected interruption.

The balloon originated in China and is about the size of three buses. While the Pentagon is aware that it is large enough to cause damage from the debris field in the event of it being shot down, it has decided against it due to

Chelsea are hoping to erase the goalless draw in their west London derby against Fulham as they look to improve on their attacking struggles in the Premier League. Chelsea have seen a flurry of activity this January, with the arrivals of Benoit Badiashile, Mykhailo Mudryk, and the team’s British record transfer Enzo Fernandez. Unfortunately, their lack of cutting edge was apparent once again in their draw at Stamford Bridge, leaving them in ninth place in the league.

On the other hand, the Cottagers are reaping the benefits of their impressive season, now sitting in sixth place in the table with two points over their local rivals. In a potentially unlucky situation for the Blues, Enzo Fernandez may need to miss out on the match due to a work permit issue. Chelsea’s extensive injury list is still not getting any better, particularly

It was a promising matchup between the Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets that was supposed to easily be the game of the night. With Kevin Durant and Ben Simmons out for the Nets and the two best players on the Celtics, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, both healthy, it seemed inevitable that the game could get out of hand. Sure enough, the Celtics ended up being 8-point home favorites with a 19-6 home record, leading the league-wide 36-15 overall.

Kyrie Irving was tasked with trying to keep the game competitive on his own but was met with the Celtics' strong defense. Brooklyn has had difficulty playing without Durant, having a 5-6 record and a 119.0 Defensive Rating, down from 112.4 when he was playing.

The first quarter ended in Boston's favor with a 46-16 lead, the biggest first quarter lead in Celtics history and the second-worst quarter for

Early Friday morning, tragedy struck in Mathias, West Virginia on the state line between Virginia and West Virginia. Five James Madison University students, all 19 years old, were traveling south on W.Va. 259 when their vehicle left the highway and struck a tree.

Three of the five students, John "Luke" Fergusson, of Richmond, Nicholas Troutman, of Richmond and Joshua Mardis, of Williamsburg, were killed at the scene. The driver and one other passenger were life-flighted from the scene in critical condition.

The Hardy County Sheriff’s Office said there were no skid marks on the highway and no signs of an animal being struck. The sheriff's department stated the dry atmospheric conditions were clear when the crash took place. The vehicle was at the Paradise City Club prior to the crash.

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US car manufacturer Ford is set to make a triumphant return to Formula 1, joining forces with Red Bull to power both their Red Bull Racing Team and sister team AlphaTauri from 2026 until at least 2030. Mark Rushbrook, global director of Ford Performance Motorsports, hinted earlier this year that a return to F1 was in the works.

The companies' F1 allegiance takes effect as the sport shifts to fully sustainable fuel in 2026, a move that could help Ford's modernization goals as a company. Both teams will partner with Ford's advanced technology, aiming to benefit from the US car giant's experience and innovation.

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner expressed his enthusiasm at his squad achieving this progress. "It's fantastic to be welcoming Ford back into Formula 1 through this partnership," he said. "For us as Red Bull Powertrains to open the next chapter of that dynasty

Cristiano Ronaldo and his Al-Nassr teammates will be looking to gain the top spot in the Saudi Pro League when they take on Al-Fateh in a match to be held this Friday at Prince Abdullah bin Jalawi Sports City Stadium. Al-Nassr come into the game second in the points table with 33 points from 14 games, just one shy of Al-Shabab, who have two games in hand. The two teams will battle for control, as Al-Fateh is coming off a 2-0 win against Al-Waheda, and Ronaldo and co. look to recover from the Saudi Super Cup loss.

The match will be streamed on the Sony Liv app and will kick-off at 8:30pm IST. Ronaldo, still without a single goal in his Al-Nassr jersey, will receive a

Today the US House of Representatives took a significant step, which along party lines purged Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee. Republicans cited accusations that Omar had made antisemitic statements in a 2029 tweet, in diatribe that sparked condemnation world-wide. While she later apologized for her words, the House voted 218-211 to uphold the motion and hold Omar accountable for what was seen as a prejudicial remark.

The harshly divided decision arose due to a tweet Omar sent two years ago, in which she wrote "It's all about the Benjamins baby," suggesting that Israel's backers in the US political system had been purchased by money. In the aftermath, Republican Mike Lawler argued that the rhetoric of Omar had the potential to cause harm, prompting further repercussions from the House.

However, Democratic Leader Hakeem