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Hundreds of guests, including celebrities and former Obama administration officials, were set to attend Saturday’s event marking the former president’s milestone birthday, which falls on August 4. “Due to the new spread of the Delta variant over the past week, the President and Mrs. Obama have decided to significantly scale back the event to include only family and close friends,” Hannah Hankins, a spokeswoman for the former president told The New York Times....

The limited-edition doll is designed to celebrate the Mexican festival, during which people remember and pay respect to their lost loved ones. According to Mattel, the toy company behind Barbie, the doll “honors the traditions and symbols often seen throughout this time.” The Dia de Muertos Barbie doll comes with an embroidered dress that has hearts and butterfly details on it. Barbie’s face is adorned with the traditional skull face painting, often seen during Day of the Dead festivities in Mexico, with dark lipstick, detailing around the eyes and a red heart painted in the center of her forehead....

Barcelona were beaten 1-2 away to Ajax and although the side were missing key players Lionel Messi, Victor Valdes, Dani Alves, Jordi Alba, Adriano and Sergio Busquets, it was not an excuse for a performance which saw them fall 0-2 down in the first half and then fail to get back on level terms when their rivals were reduced to 10 men early in the second half, reports Xinhua....

Messi, 31, was named Barca skipper in August after Andres Iniesta’s departure from Camp Nou. Bartomeu said he had seen a change in the Argentina international, lauding the attacker for his leadership. “Messi is very happy here. He is delighted and excited about continuing to triumph at Barcelona,” he told Onda Cero on Monday. “Messi has made a change, he has decided to take on the captaincy and assume that responsibility in the team....

At least, that’s the way bettors are expected to back them in the 141st Kentucky Derby on Saturday at Churchill Downs. American Pharoah will be the favorite. Dortmund is the clear-cut second choice. They are trained by Bob Baffert, who seems likely to become the first trainer since Bobby Frankel in 2003 to send out the first two choices in a Derby and who is seeking to become the first trainer since Ben Jones in 1948 to run one-two....

In its daily assessment of the Ukraine war, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) gave an overview of the embattled area of Bakhmut, which has, for months, been one of the most intense arenas of fighting in the war. Russian forces in the region are being led by members of a notorious paramilitary unit, the Wagner Group, which was founded by Yevgeny Prigozhin, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin....

RELATED: 10 Action RPGs To Play If You Like Baldur’s Gate Since Baldur’s Gate 3 uses Fifth Edition Dungeons & Dragons as a baseline for its ruleset, many fans had a general idea of how each class would behave. Early access gives players six classes to toy with, but it is clear that not all are created equal. Whether its due to balance changes or bugs, some classes are better than others currently....

The news is sourced from BellOfLostSouls.net, which only sources Hasbro for the information. Hasbro reportedly discussed the status of 7 different games that were in development at various studios. Baldur’s Gate 3 and Dark Alliance being the only two games currently announced. Hasbro allegedly went on to say that “Baldur’s Gate 3 is scheduled for Early Access” later this year. RELATED: Baldur’s Gate 3 Gameplay Reveal Set for PAX East...

Larian Studio’s Director of Publishing Michael Douse warned players not to pre-order Baldur’s Gate 3 at this time. While it might sound odd for a publisher to warn players against buying its game early, Douse explains that those pre-orders are not sanctioned by Larian Studios. RELATED: What the Baldur’s Gate 3 Livestream Says About the Depth of Gameplay Douse said that the obvious signs that the pre-orders may not be upheld are evident....

Bale had been out since January 3 with a calf strain but made an instant impact off the bench at the RCDE Stadium, where Karim Benzema continued his own rich vein of form by scoring twice. Sergio Ramos was also on target with a brilliant header before Leo Baptistao kept Espanyol in sight. Bale and Benzema seemed to have wrapped things up but Raphael Varane was sent off with 18 minutes left and substitute Roberto Rosales drove in to set up a nervy finish....

Bale marked his return from a calf injury in last Sunday’s 4-2 win over Espanyol with his fifth LaLiga goal of the season, while he managed 23 minutes of the 3-1 Copa del Rey win at Girona on Thursday. The forward’s agent, Jonathan Barnett, told fan site Madridista Real this week Bale has never wanted to leave Madrid and he is tired of the “stupid lie stories” surrounding his future, with a Premier League return often mooted for the former Tottenham star....

The Wales international impressed during a Champions League victory over APOEL Nicosia in midweek, but has been jeered from the stands as title holders Real have stumbled to back-to-back draws in La Liga. Bale 50/1 to be CL top scorer Bale has received the backing of team-mates and his manager Zinedine Zidane during a testing run, and the 28-year-old remains confident that things will improve if supporters remain patient....

After Bale helped Madrid to beat United 2-1 in Tuesday’s UEFA Super Cup, Mourinho claimed it was “game over” for his hopes of signing the forward, who has been linked with a move to Old Trafford amid talk of Monaco’s Kylian Mbappe joining the European champions. Man Utd 15/4 to win the Premier League The United manager had said ahead of the match in Skopje he would consider the Wales international to be available if he were left on the bench, only to see him start....

NEWSWEEK: Until this year, you were a Colorado Supreme Court Justice, so perhaps you’re well placed to explain why there is so much anger at judges. Rebecca Love Kourlis: My sense is it falls into two general categories. One of them is dissatisfaction with the court system itself, based on personal experience or the stories of neighbors and friends. People believe the system is inefficient, extraordinarily costly, unpredictable and slow....

All sides expect a hit. Noting that kids make up 67 percent of the market, Kendall-Futuro CEO Joe Guarnieri points out that “after all these years, no one has ever sized a bandage just for them.” John Kelley, J&J Band-Aid product director, says that size isn’t everything: their research shows that moms care most about the thickness of the bandage pad. The move to add extensions to injury is the latest stage of an escalating battle over this $260 million market....

While video game developers are vying for better conditions and trying to form game development unions, at least one publisher is actively improving conditions for its workers. Bandai Namco has now announced that its developers will be getting a permanent pay raise, from entry level up. RELATED: Game Developers Are Sharing Their Salaries For Pay Transparency Bandai Namco revealed in a press release that its employees will be receiving a 50,000 yen pay increase, paid monthly....

Former Banyana coach Vera Pauw recently signed Motlhalo for the National Women’s Soccer League side, making her the second South African at the club after she signed Janine Van Wyk in 2016. The 19-year-old attacking midfielder has spoken of her ground-breaking move. “Words cannot describe how I feel about this. It still feels like someone is going to wake me up and tell me it’s just a dream.,” she told Safa....

An online petition urging school administrators at Samford University to cancel a scheduled speech by the author had received more than 1,000 signatures as of Saturday afternoon. Meacham, who has penned biographies on Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson, was initially set to talk next week about civic discourse at the inauguration of the school’s new president, Beck Taylor, AL.com reported. But in a letter sent Wednesday, Taylor wrote that the university would reschedule the address due to student concerns that Meacham has previously supported Planned Parenthood, an organization that provides a variety of women’s health-care, including abortion, services, AL....

This week, the Turkish Super Lig leaders stated that a move for Arda was close to being finalised. And Barca announced that the 30-year-old will make the move on loan for the remainder of his contract. LaLiga’s leaders also stated that they retain the right to sell Arda during this period, with Basaksehir holding an option to buy – although a price was not confirmed for this clause. Arda opted to join Barca from LaLiga rivals Atletico Madrid in July 2015, but a transfer ban imposed on the club meant he did not debut until the following January....