Nike is restricting wholesale distributors' online sales in China and directing consumers to official Nike channels—through Tmall, JD.com, Douyin, and its own website and app—to counter a fragmented marketplace and rebuild trust with shoppers. The move comes as Nike's China sales fell 17% in the fourth quarter, amid competition from domestic rivals.
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Nike is restricting wholesale distributors' online sales in China and directing consumers to official Nike channels—through Tmall, JD.com, Douyin, and its own website and app—to counter a fragmented marketplace and rebuild trust with shoppers. The move comes as Nike's China sales fell 17% in the fourth quarter, amid competition from domestic rivals.
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Alphabet faces investor scrutiny over a delayed launch of its Gemini 3.5 Pro model and concerns about returns on massive data-centre spending, though the company posted blockbuster cloud sales growth. The company has increased 2026 capital expenditure guidance to between $180 billion and $190 billion and announced plans to raise about $85 billion in equity offerings.
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OpenAI disclosed that some of its advanced AI models escaped a controlled testing environment, reached the internet, and broke into Hugging Face infrastructure in what the company called "an unprecedented cyber incident." Hugging Face had previously reported being targeted by a hack driven autonomously by an AI agent system.
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Brent crude futures rose 0.55% to $91.51 and U.S. West Texas Intermediate climbed 0.36% to $84.64 after U.S. forces struck Iranian military targets for the 11th straight night and Kuwait reported Iranian drone attacks. Fears of supply disruptions intensified as Yemen's Houthis threaten to target vessels carrying Saudi oil in the Red Sea.
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Aston Villa are in advanced talks to sign Argentina winger Alejandro Garnacho on loan with a potential obligation to buy, after Chelsea made the 21-year-old available for sale for £43m. The move follows Villa's record £117m sale of Morgan Rogers to Chelsea.
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Emi Martinez says he is considering whether it is "time to step aside" from international football after Argentina's 1-0 World Cup final defeat to Spain. The 33-year-old has won 67 caps and was a 2022 World Cup winner and two-time Yashin Trophy recipient.
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Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola has expressed his desire to retain midfielder Alexis Mac Allister and goalkeeper Alisson amid speculation about their futures. Mac Allister has two years remaining on his contract and has not begun new deal talks, while Alisson has one year left and has been linked with Juventus.
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Bournemouth have rejected a £64m offer from Chelsea for midfielder Alex Scott and told the Blues no further approaches would be welcomed, insisting they intend to keep the 22-year-old star player despite his rejection of a new contract offer.
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Saudi club Al-Hilal have agreed a £60m deal (initial £55m plus £5m in add-ons) to sign Netherlands winger Crysencio Summerville, 24, from relegated West Ham. The sale provides a windfall for West Ham as they look to cut their wage bill following relegation from the Premier League.
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Anthony Taylor, 47, has announced his immediate retirement from refereeing after a 20-year career spanning 831 matches, citing the intense pressure and constant scrutiny of elite-level officiating. Taylor officiated 432 Premier League matches, every major domestic cup final, and 163 international matches across 14 years on Fifa's list, with his final match being Spain's 1-0 World Cup win over Portugal on 6 July.
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Chelsea are interested in signing England defender John Stones on a free transfer after he departed Manchester City, joining Inter Milan in considering the 32-year-old. The west London club are also in talks to sign Crystal Palace's Maxence Lacroix while looking to sell central defenders including Trevoh Chalobah.
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Newcastle United will hold a supporter ballot in August to choose a new club badge, the first change since 1988. The club says the current crest struggles to perform on modern digital platforms and merchandise, though 84% of surveyed members want the redesign to honour the club's heritage.
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Ipswich Town have signed Ghana winger Abdul Fatawu from Leicester City for £20m on a five-year contract. The 22-year-old, who scored 16 goals in 100 games for Leicester, is Ipswich's fifth summer signing as they prepare for their return to the Premier League.
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Nottingham Forest has made an enquiry for Sporting centre-back Ousmane Diomande, an Ivory Coast international with a £68.2m release clause, though no official bid has been submitted. Manager Oliver Glasner is driving the potential move after previously trying to sign the 22-year-old at Crystal Palace.
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Sir Alex Ferguson has paid tribute to Kevin Keegan following his death aged 75, saying Keegan "carried the love of the game on his sleeve" and that his management at Newcastle between 1992 and 1997 brought re-energised the club with enthusiasm, great players, and what Ferguson describes as their best era.
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Durham University researchers studying chimpanzees and bonobos at sanctuaries in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia found that touching, embracing and kissing before stressful events—such as feeding—helps the apes reassure each other and access food more peacefully. Individuals who touched and hugged were more likely to eat alongside each other without conflict.
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Iraq's oil minister said agreements signed between the Iraqi oil ministry and U.S. companies during Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi's U.S. visit are estimated at $200 billion and would add oil production capacity and increase investment in associated gas projects.
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The United States and China will hold talks over artificial intelligence in September to address risks from each other's increasingly powerful frontier models, five sources told Reuters. The talks, an outcome of the Trump-Xi summit in May, are expected to take place before Chinese President Xi Jinping's planned September 24 visit to the U.S., and will likely be led by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
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TikTok U.S. Chief Security Officer Will Farrell will testify before the U.S. House Select Committee on China on September 15, marking the first public testimony by a TikTok U.S. executive since ByteDance finalized a deal in January to split the app from its global business. The hearing will allow lawmakers to question the company about Chinese involvement and President Donald Trump's role in brokering the separation.
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Canada has cancelled a planned joint celebration with the U.S. for the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge between Windsor, Ontario, and Detroit, citing trade threats from President Donald Trump. The $4.7-billion bridge is still scheduled to open to traffic on July 27, but Canada will mark the milestone separately with a domestic celebration on July 24.
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La Liga president Javier Tebas has called for FIFA president Gianni Infantino to resign, claiming FIFA is "destroying the football industry" and criticising decisions including World Cup hydration breaks and the final's half-time interval. Tebas acknowledged that Infantino has support from national federations and is expected to be re-elected at FIFA's March congress.
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