Author: DispatchTimes News Desk

Lamine Yamal won the Men’s Young Player of the Year award at the 2026 Ballon d’Or, but the Barcelona forward said the honour should have gone to team-mate Pau Cubarsí. Yamal, 19, accepted the recognition before turning attention to the young defender’s performances for Barcelona. Cubarsí has established himself as an important member of the first team despite his age. “It is an honour to be here and receive this prize,” Yamal said. “I would have liked to see my teammate Cubarsi here because I think this prize should have been for him. He has been playing at an excellent…

Community concerns over how Montgomery County Public Schools prioritises repairs and renovations dominated a public hearing in Rockville on Monday, as officials weighed a capital budget against a multibillion-dollar maintenance backlog. The hearing focused on which ageing school buildings should receive investment first and which may have to wait. The decisions could affect thousands of pupils across the Maryland district, where officials have identified around $3 billion (£2.3 billion) in deferred maintenance needs. Rockville City Councilmember Adam Van Grack questioned whether the proposed construction plan properly reflects the condition of schools in the Rockville and Gaithersburg area. He cited the…

Former FBI director James Comey has been charged by the US Department of Justice with allegedly leaking national defence information, the third time he has been indicted in the past 13 months. The charges, unsealed on Monday in the US, accuse Mr Comey of directing an individual, “through one and more co-conspirators”, to disclose national defence information to a reporter from a national news publication in 2016, when he was FBI director. The case was filed exactly 10 years after the alleged leak took place, which is the statute of limitations for unauthorised disclosure offences. The document was signed by…

The US Justice Department has taken steps to charge former FBI director James Comey with leaking information, court records show, in what would be the third attempt to bring criminal charges against him. Prosecutors are seeking two counts under the Espionage Act, alleging that Mr Comey transmitted national defence information to someone not entitled to receive it. He has not been indicted by a grand jury or charged through a criminal complaint. Instead, prosecutors filed an information, a charging document generally used when a defendant intends to plead guilty. A Justice Department spokesperson said the filing was made to preserve…

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has won a fourth, non-consecutive term as Brazil’s president, after defeating right-wing rival Flavio Bolsonaro in a run-off vote. Lula had lost the first round of voting but came out on top in the second poll, prompting a defiant message after he was declared the winner. Mr Bolsonaro has disputed the result and said he wants the election annulled. The challenge adds uncertainty as Lula prepares to return to office. The president-elect has promised a new approach to governing and faces questions over whether he can deliver the change he has pledged. His administration will…

Republican New York gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman’s campaign finance reports appear to contain significant discrepancies, with a state filing showing just $178,000 in the bank on September 28 while a TD Bank statement put the campaign’s balance at $1.7 million. The records also identify dozens of transactions that do not appear in Blakeman’s disclosure reports, raising further questions about the campaign’s financial reporting as he seeks public funding through New York’s matching-funds programme. A bank statement dated July 29 shows a cheque numbered 1156 being used for a $13,500 payment to an unspecified recipient. No transaction involving that cheque number,…

The United States and Canada are working on a deal to ease tariffs on steel and automobiles, sources said. Details of the proposed agreement were not immediately disclosed.

A 911 call from a Florida youth soccer game captured a league director asking police to remove the mother of a three-year-old player after a dispute on the sidelines. Jul Henry, the league director, told the dispatcher that the parent was being unruly, alleging that she had followed him, called him names and filmed him for social media. Henry urged officers to attend quickly, saying the family was about to leave. “Can you have someone quickly get here? Because they’re about to leave here in 10 minutes,” he said. “This needs to be like a rush.” He later added: “I…

Liverpool are reportedly interested in Brighton & Hove Albion defender Luka Vuskovic as they assess options for the future of their defence ahead of next summer’s transfer window. The 19-year-old Croatia international has emerged as a target for a number of Europe’s leading clubs after impressing since moving to the Amex Stadium. Real Madrid and Barcelona are also understood to be in the race, with Bayern Munich and Chelsea monitoring his progress. Liverpool interest in Luka Vuskovic grows Vuskovic’s aerial ability, physical strength and composure in possession have helped him establish himself as an important player for Brighton. His performances…

Safeway is to close its West San Jose supermarket next month, ending 57 years of trading at the Bollinger Road site. The store at 6150 Bollinger Road is expected to shut on or around November 13, the company has confirmed. Safeway’s own store listing now describes the closure as permanent. The supermarket is located in the Orchard Farms Shopping Center, close to the Cupertino border. Its closure will reduce the number of Safeway stores in San Jose to 13. Safeway has not given a reason for the decision, saying only that it was “not made lightly”. The company said it…