The Brazil international this week claimed he has an offer on the table to move to Camp Nou, with new Barca boss Ernesto Valverde said to be keen to bolster his midfield. Bakayoko nears Chelsea move While a switch to the Catalan club would be attractive for any player, Guangzhou team-mate Feng - who has scored only once in the CSL in the past six seasons - wants Paulinho to remain in China and help him improve his goalscoring record....

Datsyuk, at 35, is playing in his fourth Games — and first, obviously, in his home country. He was the unanimous choice, coach Zinetula Bilyaletdinov reportedly said, which is interesting; you'd think Ilya Kovalchuk, who left the New Jersey Devils for the KHL, and Alex Ovechkin, Russia's highest-profile player, would've gotten a little support. MORE: Datsyuk deserves heat for stance on anti-gay laws Regardless, the pressure is on for all of them; the country hasn't won a gold medal since 1992, and the roster it's bringing to Sochi is, at bare minimum, controversial; there are six KHL forwards on it, no Alexander Semin and a weak crop of defensemen....

Produced by pharmaceutical conglomerate Pfizer, the drug, called Paxlovid, was approved for at-home use and is meant to be taken in conjunction with a second drug, a generic antiviral known as ritonavir, twice daily for five days. Recent studies showed that Paxlovid could potentially reduce the likelihood that severely at-risk COVID patients will need hospitalization or die by up to 89 percent when compared with a placebo. “This authorization provides a new tool to combat COVID-19 at a crucial time in the pandemic as new variants emerge and promises to make antiviral treatment more accessible to patients who are at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19,” said Dr....

Under NBA rules, no matter where Anthony signs, he is able to start his next contract at 105 percent of his previous year’s salary. He will have made $21.39 million this year, which means his salary next year will be $22.46 million. Things diverge after that. If Anthony signs with the Knicks, he can sign using his Bird rights, a loophole in the CBA that allows an exception to the salary cap for teams signing their own players....

The recent fracas over PayPal’s user policy raises the specter of such a dystopia: a de-banked future—driven by de facto social credit scoring—that is quickly becoming our present. The payment processing company, one of the largest nonbank lenders in the world with some $75 billion in assets, recently modified its user agreement, threatening to fine those who use PayPal “for activities that…involve the sending, posting, or publication of any messages, content, or materials that, in PayPal’s sole discretion…promote misinformation” up to $2,500 per violation....

Site: Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Ga. When: Dec. 31, 12:30 p.m. ET TV: ESPN Series: Ole Miss leads 5-1 Last game: Ole Miss won, 20-7 on Oct. 15, 1983 Coaches: Gary Patterson (TCU); Hugh Freeze (Ole Miss) Players to watch: TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin, who finished fourth in Heisman Trophy voting, tops the Big 12 and is third nationally in total offense (363.0 yards per game). Linebacker Paul Dawson headlines a TCU defense that is ranked second nationally in turnovers forced (36) and is the only player in the nation with at least 100 tackles (128), five sacks and four interceptions....

They should all be available online, and some even offer subscriptions to have their caffeinated aroma delivered to you automatically each month. (No more scrambling to find an old bag of beans in the cabinet.) There are plenty of quality coffee roasters out there, so this list isn’t exhaustive by any means, but it will provide a starting point. It may help you figure out whether you want a safer, less expensive option or are up for something more bold and daring....

That reputation has not been lost on sports stars around the globe. While Pele will always have special place in the Brazilian pantheon of athletes, his influence reached far beyond Brazil or even South America, evidenced by an outpouring of emotional Pele tributes follow his death Thursday at 82, led Brazil’s current biggest star, Neymar. Beyond Brazil, some of the other biggest stars in the modern game had kind words for the legendary attacker....

NBA PLAYOFFS: Predictions | Bracket | What is the bubble? Gentry, who had been in charge since May 2015, guided the Pelicans to a 30-42 season in 2019-20, enough only for 13th place in the West. The Pelicans won just twice during their eight seeding games. New Orleans vice president of basketball operations David Griffin released a statement on the move. Owner Gayle Benson added: “Our intention moving forward is to find the right head coach that will guide this Pelicans team to compete for championships....

Trump revealed a “phased approach” to reopening businesses which would be based on current data, protect vulnerable individuals from contracting the virus, mitigate a resurgence of the coronavirus and be enacted at the discretion of state governors. “As I have said for some time now, a national shutdown is not a sustainable long term solution,” Trump said at a news briefing Thursday. “To preserve the health of our citizens, we must also preserve the health and functioning of our economy....

In his Players’ Tribune piece published Monday, the Penguins center revealed he had every intention of retiring at the end of last season before Pittsburgh general manager Jim Rutherford inquired about Cullen joining the team and offered him a spot on the roster. “Jim was really up front about what they were looking for: Fourth line center. Somebody who can help be a leader in the locker room. Somebody who can move up and down the lineup when there’s injuries,” Cullen wrote....

Players on Stanley Cup champion teams each year get a day with the coveted silver trophy. History tells of an incredible tour around the world and unusual uses for the venerated prize. On Thursday, the greatest trophy in sports got taken for a ride — when Penguins goalie Jeff Zatkoff carried it down a North Carolina waterslide. The speed of the slide was a bit disappointing, and those watching in the pool couldn’t have been entertained, but one does not risk dropping hockey’s holy grail on a reckless ride....

One man and his vision. And a few satellite football camps. “If we get one player from this camp,” says new Penn State coach James Franklin, “it’s worth it.” And therein lies the problem. You better believe Franklin, the coach whose staff recruited elite players to Vanderbilt of all places; whose staff won 18 games the last two seasons at Vanderbilt, of all places; who proved he could compete (and beat) the SEC heavyweights at Vanderbilt, of all places, is going to do the same thing at Penn State....

Houston fell victim to a four-game sweep at the hands of the Rangers on Thursday and has lost eight of its past 10 games. The club has also lost 26 of its past 34 road games but has an opportunity to end the slide with a nine-game homestand beginning Friday with the last-place Athletics. MORE: Worst September collapse by each team Although the Astros have lost 11 games in September, they remain in the second wild-card spot thanks to three straight losses by the Twins, who fell to the Angels 11-8 on Thursday....

“During a routine test yesterday, I tested positive for COVID-19. I have no symptoms and am feeling well and I am in isolation at home,” Wolf wrote in a tweet. “I am following CDC and Department of Health guidelines. Frances has been tested and, as we await the result, is quarantining at home with me.” In another tweet, the Democratic governor wrote: “As this virus rages, my positive test is a reminder that no one is immune from COVID....

“We understand the impact this has on our service members and their families. However, this is a necessary measure to keep our people safe and our military ready,” Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Matt Donovan said in a Politico report. The new Department of Defense order, which was issued in April, suspends domestic and overseas travel until June 30 for all DOD civilian personnel, dependents of service members, and DOD civilian personnel whose travel is government-funded....

HIMARS have become a key tool in the hands of Ukrainian troops, allowing Kyiv’s armed forces to strike key targets used by Russians to supply its troops. With the latest package, the U.S. will have sent a total of 20 HIMARS to Ukraine. The last HIMARS were sent by Washington in late July. “I think, at this point, the HIMARS are pretty famous, because you’ve seen how the Ukrainians can use these capabilities to take out critical Russian logistics nodes, command and control nodes, ammunition depots, and really weaken the Russian forces’ ability to respond,” Cooper said at the Pentagon’s press briefing....

Of course, not much feels normal anymore. Not in 2020, when a global pandemic has killed more than 160,000 Americans and transformed our way of life. Many colleges and universities across the country are preparing for remote learning, and college sports that would normally be played in the fall are being postponed. But perhaps not football—the most lucrative of them all. Yet then came news on Saturday that the Mid-American Conference was shutting down football for the fall....

For Unionist Protestants, the symbolic proposals may hurt the most. The RUC would be renamed the Northern Ireland Police Service; the British flag would no longer hang outside police stations, and pictures of the queen would disappear from station reception areas. The report also wants to treble the number of Roman Catholics on the force over the next 10 years. The report comes at a delicate moment. Former U.S. senator George Mitchell last week began his review of the peace process amid few signs of intercommunity good will....