- Pakistan at 23-1 after Brook triple hundred takes England to 823-7
- Zelensky meets Starmer, Rutte on whirlwind tour of Europe
- South Korean same-sex couples make push for marriage equality
- Rafael Nadal calls time on epic tennis career
- Mumbai declares day of mourning for Indian industrialist Ratan Tata
- Philippines confronts China over South China Sea at ASEAN meet
- Kim Sei-young shoots 62 to take two-stroke lead at LPGA Shanghai
- The haircuts that help traumatised Ukrainian soldiers heal
- Sinner crushes Medvedev to set up potential Alcaraz Shanghai semi
- 7-Eleven owner restructures to fight takeover
- England's Harry Brook blasts triple century against Pakistan
- Chinese electric car companies cope with European tariffs
- Zelensky in London for whirlwind tour of Europe ahead of US vote
- Sri Lanka recovering faster than expected: World Bank
- Hong Kong, Shanghai rally as most markets track Wall St record
- Record-breaking Root, Brook both pass 200 as England pile up 658-3
- Football mourns Greek defender George Baldock's shock death at 31
- Uniqlo owner reports record annual earnings
- Hong Kong, Shanghai rally as markets track Wall St record
- Indonesia biomass drive threatens key forests: report
- Home is far away for Madagascar in AFCON qualifying
- Two months on, Donbas soldiers begin to question Kursk offensive
- Rugby Australia to counter-sue in dispute with Melbourne Rebels
- Mumbai mourns Indian industrialist Ratan Tata
- Philippines challenges China over South China Sea at ASEAN meet
- Mets advance on Lindor blast, Dodgers stay alive in MLB playoffs
- Injury-ravaged Krygios aiming to return at Australian Open
- Greek international Baldock, dead at 31: family
- EU talks deportation hubs to stem migration
- Deaths and repression sideline Suu Kyi's party ahead of Myanmar vote
- S. Africa offers a lesson on how not to shut down a coal plant
- China opens $71 bn 'swap facility' to boost markets
- Mets advance on Lindor grand slam, Yankees and Tigers win
- Taiwan President Lai vows to 'resist annexation' of island
- China's solar goes from supremacy to oversupply
- Asian markets track Wall St record as Hong Kong, Shanghai stabilise
- 'Denying my potential': women at Japan's top university call out gender imbalance
- China's central bank says opens up $70.6 bn in liquidity to boost market
- Zelensky on whirlwind tour of Europe ahead of US vote
- Youth facing unprecedented wave of violence, UN envoy warns
- 'A casino in every kitchen': Brazil's online gambling craze
- Nobel chemistry winner sees engineered proteins solving tough problems
- Lindor powers Mets past Phillies into NL Championship Series
- Wildlife populations plunge 73% since 1970: WWF
- 'Sleeper agent' bots on X fuel US election misinformation, study says
- Death toll rises to 109 after Haiti gang attack, official says
- Tigers beat Guardians and on brink of advancing in MLB playoffs
- Argentina MPs back Milei's veto of university funding
- Man City sink Barca in Women's Champions League as Bayern outgun Arsenal
- Greek international Baldock, 31, found dead in pool: state agency
Chicago Cubs owners to lead bid to buy Chelsea as Coe joins the fray
Chicago Cubs owners the Ricketts family have confirmed they are leading a consortium that will bid to buy English Premier League club Chelsea, as British athletics great Sebastian Coe announced his involvement in a rival effort to purchase the Blues.
New York merchant bank Raine Group has set a Friday deadline for bids, with Roman Abramovich's trophy-filled 19-year tenure as owner of the Stamford Bridge club coming to a close.
"The Ricketts family, owners of (Major League Baseball team) the Chicago Cubs, can confirm they will be leading an investment group that will make a formal bid for Chelsea Football Club this Friday," said a widely reported statement.
"As long-time operators of an iconic professional sports team, the Ricketts family and their partners understand the importance of investing for success on the pitch, while respecting the traditions of the club, the fans and the community."
The Ricketts family bought the Cubs in 2009 and celebrated a World Series victory in 2016, ending a 108-year wait for the title.
- 'Right man' -
Coe, now the president of global governing body World Athletics, said later Wednesday he had joined British businessman Martin Broughton's consortium bid to buy Chelsea.
Coe, the driving force behind London's succesful bid to stage the 2012 Olympics, said former Liverpool chairman Broughton was the "right man" to lead Chelsea into its next chapter" given his "exceptional" business record and experience at Anfield.
He added European champions Chelsea would continue to challenge for major trophies under Broughton.
"But most importantly, like me, he is a lifelong Chelsea supporter and Shed End season-ticket holder," Coe, the Olympic 1500 metres champion at both the 1980 and 1984 Games, said in a statement.
"We love our club and will always put the fans first."
Russian billionaire Abramovich put Chelsea up for sale on March 2 following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The British government imposed sanctions on Abramovich last week, describing him as part of Russian President Vladimir Putin's inner circle.
Chelsea's assets have been frozen but they are allowed to operate under a special licence, with the government taking oversight of the potential sale.
Abramovich cannot profit from the sale of Chelsea but had pledged to write off the club's £1.5 billion ($2 billion) debt and divert all proceeds to a charitable foundation, before the sanctions came into effect.
A number of other parties are understood to be interested in buying Chelsea, including a consortium led by US businessman Todd Boehly, a part-owner of MLB's Los Angeles Dodgers, and Swiss billionaire Hansjoerg Wyss.
D.Moore--AMWN