Olympics host Paris under scrutiny after Champions League 'fiasco'

PARIS, France - French authorities faced questions Sunday over police tactics at the Paris Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid that descended into scenes of chaos before kick-off, with critics asking if the capital was ready to host the Olympics in two years' time.

Liverpool called for an investigation into the treatment of their supporters ahead of the game at Paris' Stade de France on Saturday which the club said left thousands of ticket holders struggling to enter the stadium.

But European football's governing body UEFA blamed a problem with fake tickets, while the French government criticized the behavior of the English fans. 

The chaos outside France's national stadium prompted the kick-off to be delayed by over half an hour before the match was eventually won 1-0 by the Spanish side.

The scenes -- which saw some fans manage to vault into the stadium while evading security and police use tear gas -- were not what the French capital wanted two years before it hosts the 2024 Olympics and one year before the same venue hosts the rugby World Cup final.

The French interior ministry said 105 people had been detained, of whom 39 were placed under arrest and remanded in custody meaning they could face charges.

UEFA blamed "fake tickets which did not work in the turnstiles" for the 35-minute delay to the final.

But Liverpool said they were "hugely disappointed" that their supporters had been subjected to an "unacceptable" breakdown of the security perimeter.

"We have officially requested a formal investigation into the causes of these unacceptable issues," the club said.

Merseyside Police, which had officers deployed in Paris, said "the vast majority of fans behaved in an exemplary manner".

The UK government's Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis told Sky News that the English fans were "treated with a very aggressive approach."

But French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin pointed the finger at Liverpool fans, saying "thousands of British 'supporters' either without tickets or with fake ones forced their way through and sometimes behaved violently towards the stewards".

French Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera said that "attempts at intrusion and fraud by thousands of English supporters complicated the work of the stadium staff and the police."

Yet political foes of the government and President Emmanuel Macron said that the scenes pointed to wider problems in France and shamed the country.

"The image this gives is lamentable and it is also worrying because we see that we are not prepared for events like the Olympic Games," far-left French politician Jean-Luc Melenchon told BFM-TV.

He denounced "a complete failure of the police strategy... the people were treated as they usually are during any kind of demonstration. We can't continue like this."

Far-right leader Marine Le Pen told RTL that the world had seen on Saturday that "France is no longer able to organize major events without things degenerating."

French newspaper Le Monde commented: "The party that was supposed to precede the final... was spoilt and turned into real chaos."

"From party to fiasco," said France's leading sports daily L'Equipe.

Merseyside's leading regional newspaper the Liverpool Echo argued that poor organization and not the Liverpool fans were to blame.

"UEFA's shameless attempts to control (the) Liverpool narrative show they'll never learn after Champions League disgrace," it said.

Aurore Berge, a deputy for Macron's ruling party, said Paris had "barely three months" to get ready for the final which it was awarded after Saint Petersburg was stripped of the event due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Police fired tear gas after several dozen people attempted to climb over barriers, according to an AFP reporter on the scene, with security staff having to round up about 20 fans who succeeded in clearing the fence and getting into the ground.

Thousands of mainly Liverpool supporters were still massed outside the stadium with half an hour to go to kick-off.

UEFA said they were "sympathetic" to the fans affected and would review the situation together with local police and authorities,.

For Ronan Evain, executive director of the Football Supporters Europe network, the events "raises the question of France's ability to organize events of this size". 

"We continue to see the same organizational strategy that have already failed in the past. There is a very strong need to modernize the approach to securing these events," he told AFP.

In contrast to the scenes outside the stadium, Paris police noted that proceedings at two vast fans zones hosting thousands of supporters from both sides had taken place in a good atmosphere and without major incident.

Some 40,000 Liverpool supporters without a match ticket had packed into their zone in eastern Paris to enjoy the atmosphere. Despite the disappointment of defeat they left the area without any issue.

The Paris fire brigade -- which looks after all kinds of emergency situations -- said the night had largely been calm although it had treated some supporters for the effects of tear gas as well as excess alcohol consumption.

Agence France-Presse

‘Evil’ like Texas massacre a reason to arm, not disarm: Trump

Former US president Donald Trump rejected calls for tightened gun controls Friday following the Texas school massacre, saying decent Americans should be allowed the firearms they need to defend themselves against "evil." 

"The existence of evil in our world is not a reason to disarm law-abiding citizens... The existence of evil is one of the very best reasons to arm law-abiding citizens," he told members of the National Rifle Association.

Trump's remarks came as he headlined an NRA event in Houston, three days after a gun massacre at a Texas elementary school reignited the tinderbox debate about US gun control.

"The various gun control policies being pushed by the left would have done nothing to prevent the horror that took place. Absolutely nothing," he said.An 18-year-old gunman with a legally-bought AR-15-style rifle killed 19 children and two adults at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on Tuesday, marking the deadliest school shooting in the state's history.

Trump read out the names of all 19 children, whom he described as victims of an out-of-control "lunatic," before suggesting that efforts at gun control were "grotesque." 

"All of us must unite, Republican and Democrat -- in every state, and at every level of government -- to finally harden our schools and protect our children... What we need now is a top-to-bottom security overhaul at schools across this country," he added.

Multiple speakers, including Texas Governor Greg Abbott, pulled out of the event after the murders but Trump confirmed on Wednesday he would not be canceling his appearance at the NRA's annual "Leadership Forum."

President Joe Biden, who upbraided the US gun lobby in the wake of the shootings, is due in Uvalde on Sunday with first lady Jill Biden to "grieve with the community," White House officials said.

The NRA is considered the most powerful gun rights organization in the country, although its influence has waned as it has become mired in legal battles linked to a corruption scandal.

It has rejected most initiatives to prevent mass shootings, including expanded background checks on gun purchases, although it said ahead of Trump's speech that audience members would not be allowed to carry firearms.

Republicans in Washington have suggested "hardening" schools with beefed up security -- including armed guards posted at a single entry and exit point -- rather than restrictions on gun ownership. 

They have also spoken of the need to focus on mental health, although critics point out that other nations with stricter gun controls face the same issues and don't see regular mass shootings.

There have been 214 mass shootings this year in the United States, according to the Gun Violence Archive. 

They include a racist massacre at a supermarket in a Black neighborhood of Buffalo, New York, just 10 days before the Texas killings.

Agence France-Presse

Oxfam tells Davos: Time to tax growing billionaire club

DAVOS, Switzerland - The Covid pandemic has created a new billionaire every 30 hours and now one million people could fall into extreme poverty at the same pace, Oxfam said Monday as the Davos summit returns.

The international charity said it was time to tax the rich to support the less fortunate as the global elite gathered at the Swiss mountain haven for the World Economic Forum after a two-year Covid-induced absence.

Oxfam said it expects 263 million people to sink into extreme poverty this year, at a rate of one million every 33 hours, as soaring inflation has added a cost-of-living crisis on top of Covid.

By comparison, 573 people became billionaires during the pandemic, or one every 30 hours.

"Billionaires are arriving in Davos to celebrate an incredible surge in their fortunes," Oxfam executive director Gabriela Bucher said in a statement.

"The pandemic and now the steep increases in food and energy prices have, simply put, been a bonanza for them," Bucher said.

"Meanwhile, decades of progress on extreme poverty are now in reverse and millions of people are facing impossible rises in the cost of simply staying alive," she said.

Oxfam called for a one-off "solidarity tax" on billionaires' pandemic windfall to support people facing soaring prices as well as fund a "fair and sustainable recovery" from the pandemic.

It also said it was time to "end crisis profiteering" by rolling out a "temporary excess profit tax" of 90 percent on windfall profits of big corporations.

Oxfam added that an annual wealth tax on millionaires of two percent, and five percent for billionaires, could generate $2.52 trillion a year.

Such a wealth tax would help lift 2.3 billion people out of poverty, make enough vaccines for the world and pay for universal health care for people in poorer countries, it said.

Oxfam based its calculations on the Forbes list of billionaires and World Bank data.

Agence France-Presse

Tennis: Fired-up Djokovic braced for Alcaraz and Nadal challenge at French Open

PARIS, France -- Novak Djokovic admits he will be fired up by the fiasco of his high-profile deportation from Australia when he targets a record-equaling 21st major on his Grand Slam return at the French Open. 

World number one Djokovic captured a second Roland Garros title in 2021 followed by a sixth Wimbledon to move to 20 majors alongside Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

However, his unseemly exit from Melbourne following his refusal to be vaccinated opened the door for Nadal to claim a second Australian Open and 21st Grand Slam crown.

"It's something that I never faced before," said Djokovic, who turns 35 on Sunday, the opening day of the French Open.

"The amount of pressure and everything that I was feeling in the first few months of the year, as much as I've felt pressure in my life and my career, that was something really on a whole different level."

Djokovic has played only five tournaments in 2022 but arrives in Paris buoyed by a sixth Italian Open title, becoming just the fifth man to win 1,000 career matches in the process.

It was his 38th Masters triumph, two more than Nadal at the top of the all-time list.

He did not drop a set in Rome as he finished a memorable week with a final victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas, the man he defeated from two sets down in the 2021 French Open title match.

With 13-time French Open champion Nadal suffering a recurrence of a foot injury, another Spaniard is likely to be Djokovic's biggest headache in Paris.

Carlos Alcaraz, just 19, has rocketed to six in the world on the back of four titles -- three on clay -- in 2022.

- 'Special' Alcaraz-

He won a second Masters title in Madrid, sweeping Nadal, Djokovic and third-ranked Alexander Zverev on the way.

"He definitely is special," admitted Djokovic of Alcaraz who also claimed the prestigious Miami Masters earlier in the year.

Alcaraz was ranked 97 this time last year. He was only two when Nadal won the first of his 13 French Opens in 2005 but he made his mark at the 2021 tournament where he came through qualifying to reach the third round.

Djokovic has been responsible for two of only three losses suffered by Nadal in Paris.

One of those came in a bruising semi-final 12 months ago, the most recent clash of the pair's epic 58-match rivalry.

Nadal comes into Paris with major question marks over his ability to lift a 14th title.

A rib injury in March was followed by the re-emergence in Rome of his chronic foot injury where he limped to defeat in the last-16.

The 35-year-old Spaniard is due to practice at Roland Garros for the first time on Wednesday where he will have his own doctor on hand to assess his fitness.

- 'Living with injury' -

"I am a player living with an injury; it is nothing new," said Nadal, now ranked fifth in the world.

"Since I came back, the foot has been tough. It's tough for me to be able to practice the proper way."

Russian world number two Daniil Medvedev, who gave up a two-sets lead to lose to Nadal in the Australian Open final, only returned to action in Geneva this week after undergoing a hernia operation.

The US Open champion has 13 titles to his name but has yet to master the draining demands of clay.

At Roland Garros, he was winless in his first four visits before managing to stop the rot with a quarter-final run in 2021.

Medvedev is likely to use the ban on Russian players at Wimbledon this year as fuel for a surprise title tilt.

Greek world number four Tsitsipas has enjoyed a solid clay season.

He defended his Monte Carlo title before making the last-eight in Barcelona and semi-finals in Madrid.

Agence France-Presse

Twitter defends anti-bot efforts, Musk replies with poo emoji

SAN FRANCISCO, United States - Twitter's chief on Monday defended the messaging platform's battle against "bots" that aspiring buyer Elon Musk says vex the platform, only to have the billionaire respond with a poo emoji.

The exchange played out in tweets as Musk's $44 billion buy of Twitter remained "temporarily on hold," pending questions over the social media company's estimates of the number of fake accounts, or "bots."

"It appears the spam/bot issue is cascading and clearly making the Twitter deal a confusing one," Wedbush analyst Dan Ives said in a note to investors.

"The bot issue at the end of the day was known by the New York City cab driver and feels more to us like the 'dog ate the homework' excuse to bail on the Twitter deal or talk down a lower price."

Twitter chief executive Parag Agrawal said the platform suspends more than a half-million seemingly bogus accounts daily, usually before they are even seen, and locks millions more weekly that fail checks to make sure they are controlled by humans and not by software.

Internal measures show that fewer than five percent of accounts active on any given day at Twitter are spam, but that analysis can't be replicated externally due to the need to keep user data private, Agrawal contended.

Musk, who has said bots plague Twitter and that he would make getting rid of them a priority if he owned the platform, responded to that tweet by Agrawal with a poo emoji.

"So how do advertisers know what they’re getting for their money?" Musk tweeted in a subsequent response about the need to prove Twitter users are real people.

"This is fundamental to the financial health of Twitter."

The process used to estimate how many accounts are bots has been shared with Musk, Agrawal said.

The chief of SpaceX as well as Tesla, Musk is currently listed by Forbes as the world's wealthiest person, with a fortune of some $230 billion, much of it in Tesla stock.

Seen by his champions as an iconoclastic genius and by his critics as an erratic megalomaniac, Musk surprised many investors in April with his pursuit of Twitter.

Musk has described his motivation as stemming from a desire to ensure freedom of speech on the platform and to boost monetization of an Internet site that is influential in media and political circles but has struggled to attain profitable growth.

Musk said he favored lifting the ban on Donald Trump, who was kicked off the platform in January 2021 shortly after the former US president's efforts to overturn his election defeat led to the January 6 assault on the US Capitol.

Agence France-Presse

Country music star Naomi Judd died of self-inflicted gunshot wound, Ashley Judd reveals

Naomi Judd, matriarch of the country music duo the Judds, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound a day before being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, her family said on Thursday.

Judd, 76, suffered from mental illness, a disease that tells victims “you are not loved, you are not enough, that you are not worthy,” her daughter Ashley Judd said in an interview aired on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”

“Our mother couldn’t hang on until she was inducted into the Hall of Fame by her peers. That was the level of disaster that was going on inside of her,” Ashley Judd, a 54-year-old actor, said.

“She used a weapon. Mother used a firearm,” she said of the death, which was announced on April 30.

Ashley Judd said she was disclosing the cause of death in a televised interview to maintain “control” over the information before it became public, possibly through leaks about Judd’s autopsy.

The family’s revelation followed news that the rate of United States gun deaths surged during the pandemic to the highest point since 1994. Gun suicides, the leading cause of gun deaths, totaled 24,245 in 2020, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a report published on Tuesday.

Naomi and her daughter Wynonna Judd, 57, made up The Judds, the singing, guitar-playing duo inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame on May 1.

It was Ashley Judd who found her mother’s body, just a few minutes after they had embraced during a visit at her mother’s Tennessee home. Ashley Judd said she stepped outside to meet a friend and when she came back inside she found her mother upstairs.

“I have both grief and trauma” from discovering the body, Ashley Judd said.

The family urged anyone having suicidal thoughts to reach out for help by calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 (in the U.S.).

-reuters

Tatum out-duels Giannis, as Celtics force decider vs. Bucks

Boston forward Jayson Tatum poured in 46 points as the Celtics defeated the NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks 108-95 on Friday to force a decisive game seven in their Eastern Conference playoff series.

With his team facing elimination, Tatum delivered, drilling seven of the Celtics' 17 three-pointers and helping them withstand a 44-point, 20-rebound performance from Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo and knot the best-of-seven series at three games each.

Antetokoumpo posted the first 40-point, 20-rebound game since Shaquille O'Neal in 2001, but his third 40-point outburst in four games wasn't enough for the reigning champs to advance.

They'll have to battle for a place in the Eastern Conference finals in Boston on Sunday -- the same day that the team Milwaukee beat in last season's championship series, the Phoenix Suns, play the Dallas Mavericks in game seven of their Western Conference series.

Tatum reeled off 11 straight Boston points in the fourth quarter to help thwart a rally by the Bucks, who closed a 13-point deficit to four on Antetokounmpo's three-pointer early in the final period.

It looked briefly as if the Bucks might author another impressive comeback victory, after erasing a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit to win game five on Wednesday.

But Tatum and the rest of the Celtics wouldn't let that happen.

"I think we played with a little more toughness this game," Tatum said. "Our season was on the line. I knew that and we knew that. We had to give it all we've got."

Jaylen Brown scored 22 points, and point guard Marcus Smart added 21 points for the Celtics.

Jrue Holiday scored 17 for Milwaukee, who remain without three-time All-Star forward Khris Middleton, who has missed nine games with a sprained left knee.

Agence France-Presse

Final refrain for iPod as Apple stops production

SAN FRANCISCO, United States - Apple put out word it is no longer making iPods, the trend-setting MP3 players that transformed how people get music and gave rise to the iPhone.

Late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs introduced the devices nearly 21 years ago with his legendary showmanship flare, and the small, easy to operate players helped the company revolutionize how music was sold.

It packed "a mind-blowing 1,000 songs" the company said at the time, and together with Apple's iTunes shop established a new distribution model for the music industry.

Buying complete albums on vinyl gave way to paying 99 cents a piece for selected digital songs.

Industry trackers and California-based Apple itself have long acknowledged that the do-it-all iPhone would eat away at sales of one-trick devices such as iPod MP3 players.

The trend toward streaming music services, including one by Apple, has made devices designed just for carrying digital tunes around less enticing for consumers.

Apple said in a blog post that the current generation of iPods will only be available as long as current supplies last.

"Music has always been part of our core at Apple, and bringing it to hundreds of millions of users in the way iPod did impacted more than just the music industry," said Apple senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing Greg Joswiak.

"It also redefined how music is discovered, listened to, and shared."

Joswiak said that the "spirit of iPod" lives on in its lineup of products including iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and its HomePod smart speaker.

"Since its introduction over 20 years ago, iPod has captivated users all over the world who love the ability to take their music with them on the go," Apple said in a blog post.

"Today, the experience of taking one’s music library out into the world has been integrated across Apple’s product line - from iPhone and Apple Watch to iPad and Mac."

In addition, the Apple Music subscription service provides streaming access to more than 90 million songs, the Silicon Valley giant said.

The iPod endured despite analyst worries that the release of the iPhone in 2007 would destroy demand, since the smartphones provided much more than just digital music.

News of the end of the line for iPod prompted a flurry of sad, nostalgic posts on Twitter.

"Damn... low-key a little sad to see that Apple has officially discontinued the iPod from today," said a tweet fire off from the verified @MrDalekJD account of a UK Gaming YouTuber.

"This thing changed the music game forever. RIP."

Agence France-Presse

U2’s Bono gives ‘freedom’ concert in Kyiv metro

KYIV — Irish rock group U2’s frontman Bono and his bandmate The Edge performed a 40-minute concert in a metro station in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv on Sunday and praised Ukrainians fighting for their freedom from Russia.

“Your president leads the world in the cause of freedom right now… The people of Ukraine are not just fighting for your own freedom, you’re fighting for all of us who love freedom,” Bono told a crowd of up to 100 gathered inside the Khreshchatyk metro station. He was referring to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, pressing towards Kyiv before withdrawing its forces from near the capital at the end of March to concentrate its firepower on eastern Ukraine.

“I am grateful to [Bono, U2] for supporting our people and drawing even more attention to the need to help our people,” Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address.

Russia, which calls its action in Ukraine a “special military operation,” continues to carry out missile strikes across Ukraine. However, some life has returned to Kyiv even though air raid sirens sound regularly.

Bono rallied the crowd between songs during his performance.

“This evening, 8th of May, shots will ring out in the Ukraine sky, but you’ll be free at last,” he said. “They can take your lives, but they can never take your pride.”

-reuters

Golf: Jason Day grabs 3-stroke lead at PGA Wells Fargo

Australia's Jason Day, chasing his first US PGA title in four years, seized a three-stroke lead after Friday's rain-soaked second round of the Wells Fargo Championship.

Day fired a three-under par 67 to stand on 10-under 130 for 36 holes as more than half an inch of rain fell Friday at TPC Potomac at Avenel with more rain predicted all weekend.

The 34-year-old Aussie, who has Filipino lineage, made five birdies against two bogeys to finish three ahead of American Max Homa, who shot 66. Americans Luke List, Kurt Kitayama, Denny McCarthy and James Hahn shared third on 134.

"It's nice to be able to get in at 10-under through two rounds, especially with what kind of weather we've got coming in on the weekend," Day said.

"It's nice to be back in the mix, nice to be leading. It's still two more days left, so I can't get too far ahead of myself."

The suburban Washington course is hosting a PGA event for the first time since 2018 as a one-off because Quail Hollow, the regular Wells Fargo course in Charlotte, will host the Presidents Cup in September.

Day, ranked 127th, could win the title on the first Mother's Day since his mother, Adenil Day, died of cancer in March at age 65.

"I lost a little bit of momentum with my mum passing away and all that stuff," Day said. "Finally finding my footing again is nice."

Day, the 2015 PGA Championship winner who has been nagged for years by back issues, seeks his 12th US PGA title and his first since the 2018 Wells Fargo.

"All the work that I put in in the off-season, off weeks, it's starting to show," Day said. "I'm finding a lot of confidence in that swing."

Back-nine starter Day sank a seven-foot birdie putt at the par-3 12th, a 10-foot birdie putt at 18, back-to-back birdies at the par-5 second and par-3 third and an 11-foot birdie putt at the par-4 eighth on the soggy layout.

"When you have conditions like this, it's really hard to commit to a shot because you're going in there and you're doing it a lot quicker than your normal pre-shot routine," Day said.

Four-time major winner and defending champion Rory McIlroy, who opened with a 67, fired a 73 to make the cut on the number at level par 140.

US 10th-hole starter Joel Dahmen, who briefly led after an eagle at the par-4 14th had five bogeys and a triple bogey in the last 10 holes to shoot 75 and was nine back on 139.

- PGA: Garcia clock error -

Spaniard Sergio Garcia was vindicated in complaining about a Thursday lost ball penalty after the PGA said Friday that a review found the three-minute clock to find his ball started too soon, while Garcia was trying to cross a creek to the area where the ball landed.

A statement said his ball was found within the correct time limit.

That didn't erase the one-stroke penalty, however, and didn't ease reactions to comments Garcia made in frustration that seemed to indicate he was planning to drop the PGA Tour for the rival LIV Golf circuit, which debuts next month in London.

"I can't wait to leave this tour," Garcia said Thursday. "Can't wait to get out of here.

"Just a couple more weeks until I don't have to deal with you any more."

Garcia, who didn't speak to reporters after either round, fired a 71 on Friday to stand on 138.

Agence France-Presse

NBA: Paul shines for Suns in win over Mavs

LOS ANGELES -- Chris Paul and the Phoenix Suns poured it on in the fourth quarter, pulling away for a 129-109 victory over the Dallas Mavericks and a commanding 2-0 lead in their NBA playoff series.

Paul scored 14 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter as Western Conference top seeds Phoenix broke open a close game, withstanding a 35-point performance from Mavericks star Luka Doncic.

Dallas trying to head home for games three and four with a split of two games in Phoenix, took a 60-58 lead into halftime.

But the Mavs had no answer for Paul, who keyed a 23-2 fourth quarter scoring run that effectively sealed it for Phoenix with minutes to spare.

Devin Booker scored 21 of his 30 points in the second half for the Suns, who connected on a franchise playoff record 64.5% of their shots from the field. That included 52% from three-point range as the Suns drained 13 baskets from beyond the arc.

"(We) just had to be a little bit more aggressive," Paul said. "That second quarter we started turning it over. They got it going. Shooters were making shots and we just wanted to stay the course."

Booker helped launch the turnaround with back-to-back three pointers early in the third quarter, but the Suns' 89-83 lead heading into the final period of the physical, sometimes testy contest looked tenuous.

Paul, however, took control, making six straight shots to gut-punch Dallas.

"We just did what we were supposed to do," Paul said as he looked to games three and four in Dallas starting on Friday. "We won two games at home."

Agence France-Presse

Starbucks profits edge higher despite China weakness

NEW YORK, United States - Robust sales in North America were offset by weakness in China as Starbucks reported a modest profit increass as it boosts investment in US stores amid a unionization campaign.

The coffee giant scored a 12 percent jump in comparable sales in North America, while suffering a 23 percent slide in China amid that country's latest Covid-19 outbreak.

Interim Chief Executive Howard Schultz said the chain was ramping up investments in "high-returning" drive-thru stores and cafe renovations in its home market.

"We are single-mindedly focused on enhancing our core US business through our partner, customer and store experiences," Schultz said in a news release. 

"The investments we are making in our people and the company will add the capacity we need in our US stores today and position us ahead of the coming growth curve ahead." 

Net income edged up 2.3 percent to $674.5 million in the quarter ending April 3 following an 14.5 percent jump in revenues to $7.6 billion.

The company's North America division saw lower profit margins due to higher material costs, increased employee wages and "new partner training, on-boarding and support costs to address labor market conditions," Starbucks said in a news release.

Under Schultz -- the longtime leader of the company who rejoined in March -- Starbucks has doubled down on its opposition to a push to unionize stores that has grown following the December vote of two New York stores to unionize.

Some 250 Starbucks stores have launched unionization campaigns in the United States, with employees voting for a union in 47 stores, said the group, Starbucks Workers United.

Shares of Starbucks rose 1.8 percent to $75.63 in after-hours trading.

Agence France-Presse

Boxing: Stevenson dominates Valdez in super featherweight unification bout

LOS ANGELES -- Shakur Stevenson dominated Oscar Valdez on the way to a unanimous decision victory Saturday to add the Mexican's World Boxing Council super featherweight title to his own World Boxing Organization belt.

American Stevenson improved to 18-0 as he handed Mexico's Valdez his first defeat in 31 professional fights.

Stevenson sent Valdez to the canvas with a left to the head in the sixth round on the way to his first defense of the WBO title he won with a 10th-round technical knockout of Jamel Herring in October.

Valdez upset Miguel Berchelt in 2021 to win the WBC title and retained it with a unanimous decision over Robson Conceicao in September.

The 31-year-old Mexican, a two-time Olympian, was embroiled in controversy when the bout against Conceicao was allowed to go ahead after he tested positive for the banned stimulant phentermine eight days before the fight.

Valdez blamed the positive result on herbal tea and authorities ruled the drug was prohibited only during competition.

On Saturday, Valdez had no answer for Stevenson's speed and movement. Two judges scored it 118-109 in favor of Stevenson and a third saw it 117-110 for the American.

"He is a tough champion, but I prepared to beat him," Stevenson said in an in-ring interview. "I'm ready for anyone, I want all the belts."

But Stevenson had personal business to attend to immediately after the fight. He dropped to one knee in the ring to propose to his girlfriend, rapper Young Lyric, who said yes. The couple have a baby daughter.

Valdez acknowledged that Stevenson was the better fighter on the night.

"He has a very great boxing quality and today he was the best in the ring," Valdez said. "He moves very well, he's a champion. He has speed, he's a great boxer."

Agence France-Presse

Tennis: Halep upsets home favorite Badosa to reach Madrid third round

MADRID, Spain -- Simona Halep may have given what felt like a vintage performance on Saturday to knock out home favorite and world number two Paula Badosa in the Madrid Open second round but the Romanian insists this is Simona 2.0.

The former world number one and two-time Madrid champion won nine of the last 10 games to claim just her third top-10 victory since 2019 and win 6-3, 6-1.

Halep, whose 2021 campaign was hampered by injuries, is down to 21 in the world but her ruthless game against Badosa was reminiscent of the level she played during the 64 weeks she spent at the summit of the rankings.

"New Simona, I would say," assured Halep, who next faces American teenager Coco Gauff or Kazakhstan's Yulia Putintseva for a place in the quarter-finals.

"I felt great on court. I'm happy to be on court, and this is the most important thing at this age. I think I improved a lot in these past four weeks, and I'm still looking to improve more.

"I will take this match as a boost and confidence, because I played with one of the best players in the world.

"I played a great match without actually many matches before this tournament, so it gives me a good boost. We will see for the next one."

The 30-year-old Halep hired Serena Williams' former coach Patrick Mouratoglou earlier this month and the partnership seems to have got off to a promising start.

"It's a pleasure and an honour to have Patrick in my box as a coach. We are working very hard on some things and as I see I played well every match. I'm just focused on getting better and getting stronger," added the two-time Grand Slam champion.

Halep opened proceedings with a break of serve and skipped to a 2-0 lead. 

Fired up by the home crowd, Badosa, who is Catalan but lives in Madrid, pegged back the Romanian, taking the next three games. Still Halep pounced once again to scoop the first set.

-Badosa seeks treatment -

 After dropping seven consecutive games, trailing Halep 0-3 in the second, Badosa called the trainer to receive treatment on her right shoulder.

Badosa saved two match points to hold for 1-5 but Halep closed out the win shortly after, finishing with an impressive ratio of 21 winners to 14 unforced errors.

An emotional Badosa refused to blame her shoulder for the defeat and said Halep played a "perfect" match.

"It's not the best moment right now," said Badosa, holding back tears. 

"Quite bad. I don't know. It's tough to lose at home.

"It's been a tough week, as well. Very stressful, a lot of things. Tough draw, as well. But it goes how it goes, and I have to accept it.

"I think I need days off, because there are some tournaments that they seem like five, and this is the case right now."

Earlier in the day, former world number one Victoria Azarenka rallied back from a one-set deficit to overcome last year's Roland Garros semi-finalist Tamara Zidansek 3-6, 6-1, 6-3 in two hours and 20 minutes and faces American Amanda Anisimova next.

The 20-year-old Anisimova, a former Roland Garros semi-finalist, came through a tough three-setter against Croatian veteran Petra Martic 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Agence France-Presse