Michael Jordan and Front Row’s Bob Jenkins standing firm in their fight against NASCAR

Bob Jenkins, owner of Front Row Motorsports and co-owner Michael Jordan, of 23XI Racing, pose before a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Talladega Superspeedway Sunday in Talladega, Ala. (AP)
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Updated 08 October 2024
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Michael Jordan and Front Row’s Bob Jenkins standing firm in their fight against NASCAR

  • Jordan said before the race the lawsuit is on behalf of all Cup Series teams; 13 organizations signed the charter agreement, with 23XI and Front Row the only holdouts
  • NASCAR’s court response could come as early as this week ahead of Sunday’s playoff elimination race at Charlotte Motor Speedway

TALLADEGA, Alabama: Michael Jordan arrived at Talladega Superspeedway about 30 minutes before the start of the playoff race and made his way directly to Bubba Wallace’s pit stand for a quick visit with his guys.

The NBA great eventually made his way down pit road to Tyler Reddick’s stand, where he sat on the wall and waited for Front Row Motorsports owner Bob Jenkins. Both NASCAR team owners have refused to sign NASCAR’s charter agreement and last week filed a federal antitrust lawsuit against the stock car series.

The brief exchange Sunday was planned as a show of solidarity by the only two teams that chose not to accept NASCAR’s terms for its new revenue-sharing model. 23XI Racing and Front Row want a jury to decide if NASCAR is, indeed, “monopolistic bullies” as the suit alleges.

Jordan said before the race the lawsuit is on behalf of all Cup Series teams; 13 organizations signed the charter agreement, with 23XI and Front Row the only holdouts. Many team owners have said they signed on deadline and under threat of having the entire charter system revoked.

“I think everybody should have an opportunity to be successful in any business and my voice is saying it hasn’t been happening,” Jordan told Fox Sports.

He said he had no intention of speaking with NASCAR chairman Jim France, who is named in the suit, while in Talladega over the weekend.

The legal battle has become the biggest talking point in NASCAR in the middle of its playoffs as the entire industry waits to see what happens next. NASCAR has declined to comment and France declined to discuss it at Talladega. NASCAR’s court response could come as early as this week ahead of Sunday’s playoff elimination race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Michael McDowell, who won the pole for Sunday’s race for Front Row, defended Jenkins’ decision to battle NASCAR. McDowell decided months ago he was leaving the team he’s driven for since 2018 at the end of the season, but is supportive of what Jenkins and 23XI are trying to accomplish.

“Bob Jenkins is so dedicated to this sport,” McDowell said. “He has spent millions and millions and millions and millions and millions of his own dollars to be in this sport and to be competitive. Nobody does that unless they’re insane or super passionate.

“He’s passionate about our race team and being competitive. It’s been a steady progression and I feel like we’re at a point now where we’re a contender,” McDowell continued. “There is nobody spending what we spend and performing how we perform. Nobody. And if he has to spend his own money, there is a problem.”

Denny Hamlin, who co-owns 23XI Racing with Jordan and Curtis Polk, also defended taking the fight to court.

“It’s been stated in statements by Michael Jordan that he loves NASCAR,” Hamlin said. “We’ve obviously invested heavily in NASCAR and reinvested what I got out of this sport as a driver back into it as an owner. Certainly, we love the sport, just would love to see change as well.”

Asked if he thinks NASCAR has any appreciation for what Hamlin — who as a Charlotte Hornets season ticket-holder developed a relationship with Jordan and then persuaded Jordan to start a NASCAR team with him — and 23XI have done for the sport, Hamlin took a long pause.

“Probably not,” he finally answered.

Jordan is the highest-profile team owner in NASCAR, and one of only two who are Black. 23XI also has one of the most diverse teams in the garage, from driver Wallace to crew members and non-competition employees.

The lawsuit has raised another concern around the garage: Team owner Richard Childress said he was not sure if the agreement he signed is the same terms that, say, Hendrick Motorsports received — and if 23XI and Front Row eventually reach an agreement with NASCAR will organizations that have already signed be guaranteed the same terms?

“I don’t know what’s going to happen because it’s just so unprecedented in our sport,” Trackhouse Racing owner Justin Marks said. “There’s no historical precedent. I think in other cases like this, in other sports, you have collective bargaining unions. So it’s just a very, very different setting. I think we have a blank slate and we can land anywhere. I think whatever comes out of this, I have to believe that it should affect everybody the same.”


Turkiye ‘is a sought-after partner in Africa’

Updated 47 sec ago
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Turkiye ‘is a sought-after partner in Africa’

ANKARA: Turkiye is expanding its reach into Africa, banking on its defense projects and widespread trade network, its prospects enhanced by the lack of colonial history weighing on Europe, diplomatic sources say.
Speaking ahead of a ministerial meeting at the weekend in Djibouti, a diplomatic source in Ankara said Turkiye was a “sought-after partner” in Africa thanks to its “non-colonial” past.
Top diplomat Hakan Fidan will be in the tiny Horn of Africa nation on Nov. 2 and 3 for the meeting between Turkiye and 14 African nations in a body that was set up in 2008.
“Turkiye’s biggest advantage is its non-colonial past. When anti-imperialist leaders are looking for new partners, they think first and foremost of us,” the source said.
Although the Ottoman Empire ruled over many territories in Africa, it lost control of them in the 19th and early 20th centuries before the Turkish Republic emerged from the ashes of its collapse in 1923.
As a sign of its growing influence, Ankara has since taken on the role of mediator in talks between Ethiopia and Somalia, who have been locked in a feud over access to the ocean since June.
And with a significant level of regional mistrust toward “both major powers,” Turkiye was “best-suited” to lead such negotiations as “no other actor had the confidence of both parties,” the source said.
Despite difficulties, talks between Ethiopia and Somalia were moving forward “at their own pace.”
Such confidence was born of a well-established Turkish foothold in Somalia for the past two decades, where it has invested in agriculture and built the airport in Mogadishu, a military training center, schools, and a hospital.
Last week, the Turkish exploration vessel the Oruc Reis arrived in the Somali capital to start searching for oil and natural gas under an agreement that allows it to drill in three areas, each measuring roughly 5,000 sq. km.
Similar exploration agreements for oil and gas, as well as mining, were also signed between Turkiye and Niger in July and October.

FASTFACT

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will be in the tiny Horn of Africa nation on Nov. 2 and 3 for the meeting between Turkiye and 14 African nations in a body set up in 2008.

Turkish mining company MTA has three gold mines in the Sahel, also rich in uranium.
“There is also the potential for oil and natural gas,” said Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar this summer.
The Niger military protects the mines, and Turkiye is widely regarded as a “security partner” by many countries in the region.
Over the years, Ankara has signed military cooperation agreements with more than 25 African countries, supplying them with weapons, including drones.
And its hostile stance toward sanctions on the regimes of Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali has also helped its ties with these nations.
Turkiye is also the fourth largest arms supplier to sub-Saharan Africa, according to a March study published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
According to Turkish diplomatic sources, Ankara is involved in training the armed forces in many African countries.
The sources stressed the need to “simultaneously invest in economic development,” particularly in the Sahel.
“West Africa is a region dominated by security problems,” said Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye on meeting his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, saying it was “necessary to strengthen defense cooperation.”
Turkish construction companies, which are heavily involved in infrastructure projects like developing a $6.5 billion railway network in Tanzania, are also helping strengthen their nation’s reputation.
Trade between Turkiye and African countries in 2022 is set to exceed $40 billion.
And Turkish Airlines operates flights to some 50 destinations across the continent.


All square in Riyadh derby as Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal play out 1-1 draw

Updated 7 min 47 sec ago
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All square in Riyadh derby as Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal play out 1-1 draw

  • Champions were stunned by Al-Nassr but are not champions for nothing and eked out a solid draw

RIYADH: Al-Nassr drew 1-1 with Al-Hilal in a tense Riyadh derby on Friday.

The hosts took a first minute lead and managed to stay in front until 13 minutes from the end when the champions and leaders ensured that they made the short journey home with something. Al-Nassr can at least take heart that they have ended their rivals' perfect start this season while Al-Hilal move a point clear at the top of the Saudi Pro League above Al-Ittihad in second. Nassr stay in third, six points off the pace.

The yellows started well with Anderson Talisca’s goal inside the first minute but they were unable to put the visitors under enough pressure as the game went on and it was not a surprise when Sergej Milinkovic-Savic headed home an equaliser for Al-Hilal who had won their last 14 games in all competitions and last lost in the league back in May 2023.

Just over 50 seconds were on the clock when Al-Nassr took the lead and in some style. Otavio picked up possession midway in the Al-Hilal half and his chipped pass was a thing of beauty. There was still work for Talisca to do however. The Brazilian’s first touch took him past Ali Al-Bulaihi just inside the area and his second was a low shot past Yassine Bounou.

The champions were stunned but are not champions for nothing and almost hit back just four minutes later, Malcom broke free down the right but the Brazilian’s shot was excellently saved at the near post by Bento. 

Salem Al-Dawsari then went close twice and looked dangerous, though with Ruben Neves missing, the visitors were not quite as sharp in possession as usual. Al-Hilal did have the ball in the net following a corner but Aleksandar Mitrovic’s close range effort was ruled out for offside. The same happened soon after to Talisca who shot home from a similar position to his opener but he had just strayed too far forward when Cristiano Ronaldo made the pass.

The half ended relatively quietly as if both teams were preparing to start the second period with a real purpose. Al-Nassr knew that their rivals would come out fighting and almost took the lead. Marcelo Brozovic forced a fine save from Bounou and while Talisca bundled home the rebound, he did so from an offside position. 

And then, somehow, Al-Hilal didn’t score. In the 63rd minute, the ball fell to Al-Dawsari in the left corner of the area. The 2022 Asian Player of the Year shaped to curl into the opposite corner as he has done so many times before only for his shot to bounce back off the post. Renan Lodi was there for the rebound but while the defender’s shot wasn’t the cleanest as it bounced back up from the floor, it was heading goalwards only for Bento –falling backwards –to push it past the post.

It was then Ronaldo’s turn to come close, forcing a fine save from Bounou with a powerful shot from just outside the area but Al-Hilal, as they so often do, came up with a goal when they really needed one as they did in the 77th minute.

The goal was well-worked. Al-Dawsari’s cheeky backheel in the left side of the area freed Renan Lodi and his looping cross made it to the far post where Milinkovoc-Savic was unmarked and rose high to head the equaliser. Soon after, they were asking for a penalty that was not given and then Nassr had a breakaway but could not find the final ball in the area.

In the end, it wasn’t a vintage Riyadh Derby but while both teams will be frustrated and not taking all three points they will be able to take some from the game and move forward. There is still a long way to go.


WATCH: Rebuilding of Mosul’s famous leaning minaret nears completion

Updated 31 min 55 sec ago
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WATCH: Rebuilding of Mosul’s famous leaning minaret nears completion

  • The 12th-century Al-Nuri Mosque and its distinctive tower were destroyed by Daesh in June 2017
  • Restoration work on the mosque, part of UNESCO’s Revive the Spirit of Mosul project, is expected to be completed next month

LONDON: UNESCO has shared dramatic footage of a historic mosque minaret that has been rebuilt in Iraq, seven years after it was destroyed by Daesh.

Known as Al-Hadba, or “the hunchback,” the leaning 12th-Century minaret at Al-Nuri Mosque in Mosul was one of the city’s most famous landmarks. But it was destroyed when the extremist group blew up the mosque in June 2017.

The video from the UN’s cultural agency features drone footage that shows the minaret nearing completion. Though the rebuilt tower is still covered in scaffolding, the footage clearly shows that its famous lean has been retained.

“Watch as the iconic Al-Hadba minaret in Mosul rises once again,” UNESCO said in a message posted with the video on social media platform X.

“Soon, this historic landmark will reclaim its rightful place in the city’s skyline — standing tall, leaning, and proud.”

UNESCO said the restoration of the mosque and its 51-meter-tall minaret is expected to be completed by December.

The mosque was built in the second half of the 12th century and the minaret began to lean several centuries ago. After Daesh seized control of parts of Iraq in 2014, the group’s leader, Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, declared the establishment of its so-called caliphate from inside the mosque.

Three years later, it was destroyed by the militants as Iraqi forces battled to expel them from the city. Thousands of civilians were killed in the fighting and much of Mosul was left in ruins.

The restoration of the mosque is part of UNESCO’s Revive the Spirit of Mosul project, which also includes the rebuilding of two churches and other historic sites.


Saudi Arabia reaffirms commitment to ecosystem protection at COP16

Updated 42 min 20 sec ago
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Saudi Arabia reaffirms commitment to ecosystem protection at COP16

  • Representatives from 196 countries attended the 16th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Cali, Colombia
  • During the Oct. 21-Nov. 1 gathering, KSA was awarded the “Green List” certification for its achievements at the King Salman Royal Natural Reserve and the Ibex Protected Area

CALI, Colombia: The Kingdom remains committed to advancing global biodiversity and environmental protection, its delegates have emphasized at the meeting of the 16th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Cali, Colombia.

The delegation at the COP16 gathering, which began on Oct. 21 and runs to Nov. 1, was led by Mohammad Qurban, CEO of the National Center for Wildlife.

Representatives from 196 countries convened under the theme “Peace with Nature.”

“Saudi Arabia reaffirmed the Kingdom’s ambitious goal to protect 30 percent of its land and marine areas by 2030, in alignment with the UN’s biodiversity conservation objectives,” the Saudi Press Agency reported earlier this week.

“This pledge reflects Saudi Arabia’s proactive approach to conserving natural habitats, safeguarding endangered species, and tackling the pressing challenges of climate change.”

The Saudi delegation emphasized the importance of expanding data sources for biodiversity monitoring, stressing that comprehensive and accurate reporting is essential to strengthen conservation strategies.

They also advocated for enhanced integration of regional efforts with global biodiversity goals, while highlighting the critical need for capacity-building programs in the Arab region that focus on collaborative learning and information exchange.

Saudi Arabia was awarded the prestigious “Green List” certification at COP16 in recognition of its achievements at the King Salman Royal Natural Reserve and the Ibex Protected Area. This recognition highlights the Kingdom’s dedication to sustainable biodiversity practices and effective ecosystem management.

Reflecting on this recognition, Qurban said: “Our participation in COP16 reaffirms Saudi Arabia’s commitment to supporting global biodiversity efforts and advancing the goals of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted at COP15 in 2022.

“This ambitious framework provides a roadmap for achieving harmony with nature, with the 30x30 target — a commitment to protecting and restoring 30% of land and ocean areas by 2030 — as a key objective.”

Qurban added: “The Saudi delegation’s involvement in this conference reflects the Kingdom’s dedication to ecosystem protection and biodiversity enhancement, in alignment with Vision 2030, the Saudi Green Initiative, and the National Environmental Strategy.”

He expressed optimism about the conference’s potential to drive meaningful global biodiversity outcomes and inspire innovative solutions to sustainable development.

The Saudi Arabia delegates also highlighted national conservation initiatives, including preparations for the 16th Conference of the Parties to Combat Desertification, which Saudi Arabia will host from Dec. 2 to 13.

The Kingdom’s delegates extended invitations to their global counterparts and provided insights on conference documents that reflect Saudi Arabia’s national priorities.
 


What We Are Reading Today: Nationalism: A World History by Eric Storm

Updated 44 min 17 sec ago
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What We Are Reading Today: Nationalism: A World History by Eric Storm

The current rise of nationalism across the globe is a reminder that we are not, after all, living in a borderless world of virtual connectivity. In “Nationalism,” historian Eric Storm sheds light on contemporary nationalist movements by exploring the global evolution of nationalism, beginning with the rise of the nation-state in the 18th century through the revival of nationalist ideas in the present day.
Storm traces the emergence of the unitary nation-state—which brought citizenship rights to some while excluding a multitude of “others”—and the pervasive spread of nationalist ideas through politics and culture.