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Commonwealth Games events today including Laura Kenny and Alex Yee in action

Commonwealth Games events today including Laura Kenny and Alex Yee in action

Laura Kenny, Alex Yee and James Wilby are among the Tokyo medallists targeting the podium as the Commonwealth Games get underway in Birmingham on Friday.

Wilby will be looking to kickstart England’s gold rush in the pool as he defends his men’s 200 metres breaststroke title. Scotland’s Ross Murdoch, who finished runner-up to Wilby on the Gold Coast four years ago, may have other ideas. Birkenhead’s Freya Anderson is in the women’s 200m freestyle alongside Olympic champion Ariarne Titmus, while Wales’ Dan Jervis is in the men’s 400m freestyle.

Kenny will be in action when the track cycling gets under way at the Lee Valley Velodrome in London, racing alongside Josie Knight, Maddie Leech and Grace Lister in the women’s team pursuit. And husband Jason will be coaching as Ryan Owens, Joe Truman and Hamish Turnbull chase gold in the men’s team sprint.

Birmingham-born Joe Fraser, the former world champion on parallel bars, will lead England’s bid to retain their men’s team title at the NEC on a day that also doubles as individual qualifications. Experienced duo Frank Baines and Hamish Carter will hope to steer Scotland into at least the silver medal position, while Northern Ireland’s Rhys McClenaghan attempts to qualify on pommel.

Yee is a big favourite to build on his silver medal from the Tokyo Olympics as he stars in the men’s triathlon. The outcome of the women’s event is far less cut and dried with Georgia Taylor-Brown, like Yee a double medallist in Japan, facing stiff competition from former world champion Non Stanford, who is representing Wales, and another world champion in Bermuda’s Flora Duffy.

England’s bid to retain the netball title they won so thrillingly on the Gold Coast kicks off with a Group B game against Trinidad and Tobago. Featuring a sizeable contingent of players who were present on the Gold Coast, Jess Thirlby’s side are full of confidence, but are sure to have to overcome perennial favourites Australia and New Zealand once again.

Schedule and event timetable today

Friday 29 July

Lawn bowls and para lawn bowls: 8:30-13:45, 15:00-20:15

Badminton: 09:00-12:30, 14:00-17:30, 19:00-22:30

Gymnastics: 09:00-14:30, 17:00-20:30

Hockey: 09:00-12:30, 14:00-17:30, 19:00-22:30

Rugby Sevens: 09:00-13:30, 17:30-22:00

Table tennis and para table tennis: 09:30-14:30, 16:00-21:00

Cycling; track and para track: 10:00-13:00, 16:00-18:30

Aquatics; swimming and para swimming: 10:30-12:30, 19:00-22:00

Cricket T20: 11:00-14:30, 18:00-21:30

Triathlon and para triathlon: 11:00-16:00

Boxing: 12:00-15:00, 18:30-21:00

Netball: 12:00-15:30, 18:00-21:30

Squash: 12:00-15:15, 18:00-20:30

Basketball 3×3 and wheelchair basketball 3×3: 15:30-18:00, 19:30-22:00

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Danielle Kang announces she’ll miss events, including KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, due to spinal tumor

Danielle Kang announces she’ll miss events, including KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, due to spinal tumor
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More than 30 people, including children, killed in stampede at church event in Nigeria

More than 30 people, including children, were killed in a stampede at a church event in Nigeria. (CNN)


More than 30 people were killed and others injured when a stampede broke out at a church event in the southeastern Nigerian city of Port Harcourt on Saturday, according to police and security officials.


Most of the casualties were children.


The incident took place at a local polo club, where the nearby Kings Assembly Church had organized a gift donation drive, according to Olufemi Ayodele, a regional spokesman for Nigeria’s Civil Defense Corps.


“During the process of distributing the gift items, there was a stampede due to overcrowding,” he said. “Casualties were children mostly.”


The drive had not yet started when the stampede took place, said Grace Woyengikuro Iringe-Koko, a spokeswoman for the state police. Woyengikuro Iringe-Koko said the crowd forced their way into the venue, despite the fact that the gate was closed, resulting in the deadly charge.


Thirty-one people have been confirmed dead, Woyengikuro Iringe-Koko said. Seven injured people were hospitalized after the incident, she added.

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Kat Graham looks terrific in TWO numbers at Cannes Film Festival events including tuxedo leotard

Stunner: The singer and actress wowed the sea of photographers gathered outside the world premiere of the Elvis biopic in a tuxedo jacket and skirt combination

With the 75th annual Cannes Film Festival winding down to its last few days, Kat Graham made a point of being seen on Wednesday. 

After soaking in some of the sights of the resort town on the French Riviera, the actress and singer made a point of getting on the VIP guest list for the world premiere of Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis biopic.

She wowed the sea of photographers gathered outside the venue with a plunging tuxedo jacket and skirt combination that she stripped down to a plunging tuxedo leotard for an intimate dinner party later that night.

Stunner: The singer and actress wowed the sea of photographers gathered outside the world premiere of the Elvis biopic in a tuxedo jacket and skirt combination

Stripped down: The The Vampire Diaries alum looked to have stripped out of her skirt from earlier in the day, revealing her tuxedo leotard

Making the rounds: Kat Graham, 32, made the most of her Wednesday at the Cannes Film Festival by attending the world premiere of Baz Luhrmann’s new ‘Elvis’ biopic and an intimate dinner party later in the evening

Stepping in front of the rows of photographers on the red carpet, Graham’s fashionable number showed off her womanly curves with its form-fitting design.

The jacket’s plunging neckline allowed her to give more than a hint of her cleavage, while the skirt portion offered a leggy display by having a slit down the back side. 

The Vampire Diaries alum rounded out the look with a pair of black heels, and her shoulder-length dark tresses pushed back off her face and behind the ears.

Fashionista: Stepping in front of the rows of photographers, Graham's fashionable number showed off her womanly curves with its form-fitting and plunging design

Fashionista: Stepping in front of the rows of photographers, Graham’s fashionable number showed off her womanly curves with its form-fitting and plunging design

Stunner: The number gave more than a hint of her cleavage as she worked the red carpet

Stunner: The number gave more than a hint of her cleavage as she worked the red carpet

The Elvis film chronicles the life and career of the legendary singer, from his early days as a child to becoming one of the world’s first rock stars, as well as his complex relationship with his manager, Colonel Tom Parker.

The celebrity guest list for the premiere, which stars Austin Butler as Elvis Presley and Tom Hanks as Colonel Parker, also included the likes of Sharon Stone, Casey Affleck, MMA star Conor McGregor, Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone, Slave Play playwright Jeremy O. Harris, Passing director Rebecca Hall, French model Agathe Rousselle, House of Gucci actress Madalina Ghenea and Batwoman actress Wallis Day.

Once the credits began to roll out, the crowd all stood and proceeded to clap in rhythm and give a 10 minute standing ovation, according to Deadline.

In his review, the publication’s writer Pete Hammond called Elvis a ‘visual and vocal feast of a movie.’

Leggy: The skirt portion offered a leggy display by having a slit down the back side

Leggy: The skirt portion offered a leggy display by having a slit down the back side

Stripped down version: It looks as though Graham stripped down to a plunging tuxedo leotard and stockings when she attended fan intimate dinner party later on Wednesday night

Stripped down version: It looks as though Graham stripped down to a plunging tuxedo leotard and stockings when she attended fan intimate dinner party later on Wednesday night

Later Wednesday evening, Graham attended an intimate dinner at the Villa Bagatelle in Cannes, where it appears she was decked out in the very same ensemble, only without the skirt, which left a leotard version of the jacket that was paired with sheer stockings.

While relishing in the ambiance of the gathering, she chatted with French fashion model Cindy Bruna, who wore a revealing black leather outfit that also showcased her cleavage and legs.

Graham also struck a pose or two with Eli Mizrahi, who looked stylish in a bright fuchsia suit and white sneakers. Mizrahi, 36, has been dubbed the ultimate Millennial International Man of Mystery by Coveteur for being famous as an entrepreneur.

She began her career in the entertainment industry at age six, and went on to work in commercials and modeling before getting her big breaks in Hollywood.

Along with The Vampire Diaries (2009-2017), Graham’s resume also includes The Parent Trap (1998), 17 Again (2009), The Roommate (2011), Honey 2 (2011), Addicted (2014) and All Eyez on Me (2017).

The Honey 2 star chatted it up with the equally leggy Cindy Bruna, a French fashion model who was decked out in a revealing black leather ensemble

The Honey 2 star chatted it up with the equally leggy Cindy Bruna, a French fashion model who was decked out in a revealing black leather ensemble

Snuggling up: Graham also struck a pose with entrepreneur Eli Mizrahi at the dinner

Snuggling up: Graham also struck a pose with entrepreneur Eli Mizrahi at the dinner

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Memorial Day 2022 events planned for Kalamazoo area, including Fort Custer ceremony

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KALAMAZOO, MI — After two years without many Memorial Day ceremonies and activities taking place due to the pandemic, parades and services are returning to Southwest Michigan in 2022.

Two of the weekend’s marquee events will occur at Fort Custer over the weekend, beginning with a flag-placing ceremony Saturday, May 28 at the Fort Custer National Cemetery, 15501 Dickman Road, in Augusta.

By day’s end, over 23,000 flags are expected to have been placed on the graves of veterans who are interred at the cemetery, a news release from the cemetery states. The public is welcome to attend and help place flags. Those wishing to help are asked to arrive by 8 a.m.

The annual Memorial Day event, for the first time since 2019, will then take place at the cemetery grounds at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 29. Included in the program will be patriotic music by the Cereal City Concert Band and the Kalamazoo Area Pipers, a flyover by the renowned Hooligans Flight Team, a speech from Ret. Navy Lt. Com. T. R. Shaw, Jr., the laying of wreaths to fallen heroes and numerous other events.

“As we reflect on the cost of freedom we know how important it is to honor those individuals who have preserved that special gift for us,” said Deborah G. Owens, chairperson of the Fort Custer National Cemetery Advisory Committee. “That is what we do at the Fort Custer National Cemetery.”

Owens said she hopes those who attend this year’s events will not only honor those sacrifices but leave with a warmth in their heart for those who made them.

Kalamazoo Memorial Day

The Military Color Guard participates in a ceremony at the Riverside Ceremony following the 2019 Memorial Day Parade in Kalamazoo, Michigan. (MLive file photo)

Also returning for the first time since 2019 is the Kalamazoo Memorial Day Parade and ensuing service, co-sponsored by Charlie’s P.L.A.C.E. youth organization and the Rotary Club of Kalamazoo Sunrise.

The parade begins at 10 a.m. Monday, May 30 in front of the Kalamazoo County courthouse at 227 W. Michigan Ave., heads east down Michigan Avenue, north on Riverview Drive and east on Gull Road, ending at Riverside Cemetery at 1015 Gull Road, where a ceremony will follow the parade’s conclusion at 11 a.m.

“We are very, very excited,” said Charles Parker, executive director of Charlie’s P.L.A.C.E. and incoming president of Kalamazoo Sunrise. “It’s been two long years of nothing going on.

“It’s important to celebrate our veterans, both fallen and present, who served our country well, so we can have the rights and the freedom we have today.”

Parker said while Memorial Day is traditionally a day to honor those who have fallen it is important to take the time to honor those veterans who are still with us as well.

“We sometimes take them for granted, so it’s important to let them know that we appreciate them,” he said. “I always tell people that it’s good to give people the flowers while they’re alive, to let them know we really appreciate them.”

Among the highlights at the ceremony will be a musical presentation from a combined band made up of the Kalamazoo Central and Loy Norrix High School bands, Parker said.

Masks and hand sanitizer will be provided for those who need one, he said.

Some other events happening in the Kalamazoo area include:

Portage Memorial Day Service: Hosted by American Legion Post 207, the service will take place at 11 a.m. Monday, May 30 in Veterans Memorial Park, 300 Library Lane. The Portage Memorial Day Parade, traditionally hosted by VFW Post 5855, will not be held for the third consecutive year.

South Haven Memorial Day Parade: The South Haven Memorial Day Parade will commence at 9 a.m., Monday, May 30 at the intersection of Center Street and Michigan Avenue, head north to Phoenix Street and east toward Lakeview Cemetery, 191 Bailey Ave., where a ceremony will be held to remember fallen veterans.

Hickory Corners: A pancake breakfast will get the day started from 7-9:30 a.m. at the Hickory Corners Fire Department, 14505 Kellogg School Rd. and be followed with the parade, which will begin at 10 a.m. sharp. The parade begins at Cadwallader Park, proceeds east through town and ends at the East Hickory Corners Cemetery, where a ceremony will be held to honor fallen veterans.

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His dad built the house by hand in 1945. Then a tornado struck.

New building going up west of Kalamazoo to offer turnkey office solutions

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A week of events in Cambridge, Somerville, including Katie Kitamura and Asian Festival – Cambridge Day

A week of events in Cambridge, Somerville, including Katie Kitamura and Asian Festival - Cambridge Day

Ongoing

“Tip of the Tongue” art exhibition in its final week at Gallery 263, 263 Pearl St., Cambridgeport. Gallery hours are 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, and 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday. Free. Selected artists use “language as form and function” in a group show juried by Argentinean-born (but Milwaukee resident) multimedia artist Santiago Cucullu. Information is here.

“L O V E and sometimes Y” art exhibition by Ben Loiz at the Katherine Small Gallery, 108 Beacon St., Somerville. Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Free. This is a design shop specializing in typography, not an art gallery – which is why these works constitute only the second exhibit at it. When the gallery asked Los Angeleno Loiz, who’s worked with everyone from Nike to Neiman Marcus, for a some hand-painted alphabets, he instead sent art incorporating them. The works are up through June 11 with a show of Jessica Hische’s drop caps. Information is here.

Tuesday

First and Last Word Poetry from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at The Center for Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville. Tickets are $4. Readers are Mary Buchinger, Linda Haviland Conte and Hilary Sallick at this series held the third Tuesday of every month with hosts Harris Gardner and Gloria Mindock. There’s an open mic at the end. Information is here.

Wednesday

Author Katie Kitamura from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Cambridge Main Library, 449 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge. Free. The author of “Intimacies,” a novel listed as one of The New York Times’ 10 Best Books of 2021, speaks with Rivka Galchen, an author and staff writer at The New Yorker. Information is here.

Thursday

Third Thursdays jazz series at 8 p.m. at Harvard-Epworth United Methodist Church, 1555 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square. Admission is $10. This harmolodic jazz series begun in April by Dave Bryant, a keyboardist and composer who worked with Ornette Coleman, brings in Jerome Deupree (the original drummer in Morphine), Russ Gershon, J. Johnson, Rick McLaughlin, Bryan Murphy and Yahuba. Information is here.

Friday

A Night in Bloom Gala at 6 p.m. at The Center for Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville. General admission is $35. This fundraiser (which teases a reveal of plans for the center) is headlined by composer and violinist Daniel Bernard Roumain and includes appearances by Esh Circus Arts and Books of Hope. Flamenco artist Laura Sanchez performs for attendees paying VIP rates. Food is provided by Nada Cart and beverages by Aeronaut. Information is here.

“inTENtion” dance at 7:30 p.m. at the Multicultural Arts Center, 41 Second St., East Cambridge. General admission is $28. Urbanity Dance brings the premieres of works by choreographers Meg Anderson, Key’Aira Lockett, Levi Marsman, Asia Pyron, Nailah Randall-Bellinger and Chun Jou Tsai. Anderson said her work features six dancers performing in two locations – some in a different room from which they’re projected by video feed onto the stage to explore “what changes between the performers when they can see each other and when they can’t.” Information is here.

Saturday

Cambridge-Somerville Asian Festival from 1 to 3 p.m. at Starlight Square, 84 Bishop Allen Drive, Central Square. Free. This family-friendly, outdoor celebration of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month features food, performances, speakers, vendors and activity tables with arts and crafts. Information is here.

“inTENtion” dance at 7:30 p.m. at Multicultural Arts Center, 41 Second St., East Cambridge. General admission is $28. Information is here.

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Google Play adopts App Store-like features including in-app events and custom product pages – TechCrunch

Google Play adopts App Store-like features including in-app events and custom product pages – TechCrunch

At Google’s I/O developer conference, the company rolled out a series of updates for Android app developers who publish to Google Play. Among these were two high-profile changes to its Google Play app marketplace, custom store listings and in-app events, which follow updates Apple made to its own App Store just last year.

Google had been offering A/B testing for product page enhancements since 2015 — a feature that allows developers to see which text and graphics would best convert users.

Apple later adopted a similar feature when, at last year’s Worldwide Developer Conference, it introduced Product Page Optimization designed to help developers to try out different app screenshots, videos, and even app icons to try to appeal to different types of users. Developers could segment a certain percentage of App Store traffic to these cohorts to see which product pages performed better before deciding which page should be their default.

Apple last year also announced a related feature called Custom Product Pages that lets developers create different product pages to highlight different app features, each with its own unique URL to be used in external marketing channels.

Today, Google is following suit and essentially launching the same thing with Custom Store Listings.

Instead of simply testing different product pages, Android app developers will be able to make up to 50 custom store listings for their apps. Each page will have its own analytics and deep links available. Notably, this is more listings than Apple’s solution offers, which is currently set at 35 per app. Google explains developers can use this feature to display different listings to users based on where they’re coming from. For example, a developer with a recipe-finding app could target ad campaigns to U.S. users based on U.S. holidays, by showcasing recipes for Thanksgiving or July 4th. But it could target users from other markets at different times with recipes related to their own cultural traditions.

Apple last year also introduced an App Store feature, in-app events, to allow developers to promote real-time happenings going on inside their apps — like special events or even just seasonal deals.

Google Play is now rolling out its own take on this feature, as well.

With the launch of what it’s calling “LiveOps,” developers will be able to submit content for featuring on the Play Store, including major updates for their app or game, in-app events, and limited-time offers.

Google says LiveOps can drive 5% more 28-day active users to apps and deliver 4% higher revenue for those using the feature compared with those who don’t. The feature is in an invite-only beta testing phase for the time being.

While these changes were the highlights among those designed to help developers target, acquire and re-engage their users, Google also announced a few other notable Google Play updates.

The company said the Play Store would be updated to help people find the best tablet-optimized apps with new large-screen focused editorial content and a separate review and rating system for large-screen applications. Google Play will also later this year be updated to look better on tablets and foldable devices.

Image Credits: Google

For developers, Google also launched the Google Play SDK Index which lists over 100 popular SDKs and which app permissions they use, so developers can determine if they adhere to Google Play policies and help fill out their app’s privacy labels.

The company said it will soon launch a new Play Console page dedicated to deep links to put all the information and tools for deep links in one place. It also improved its Store Listing Experiments feature (aka A/B testing) to allow developers to see their results more quickly, with more transparency and control so they can better understand how long each experiment may need to run.

And beyond this, it rolled out features focus on improving app quality, including a new Developer Reporting API for accessing Android vitals metrics and issues data outside the Play Console; support for viewing vitals data at the country level; and Google said it’s making it possible to view vitals alongside Firebase Crashlytics. It updated the Play Console by adding revenue and revenue growth metrics to Reach and devices and overhauling its device catalog to include install data and filters by new device attributes like shared libraries. It said it’s now easier to test apps on different form factors including Android Auto and soon, Wear OS.

Play App Signing was updated to use Google Cloud Key Management and the ability for any app to perform an app signing key rotation in the event of an incident or as a security best practice from the Play Console.

And finally, Google’s In-app Updates API will now let users know if there’s an update available within 15 minutes instead of up to 24 hours.

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Navy Pier announces summer 2022 events, including fireworks

Navy Pier announces summer 2022 events, including fireworks

Navy Pier has released its summer calendar of events, including summer fireworks. According to the announcement Thursday, Navy Pier is bringing back both its weekly fireworks displays on Wednesdays and Saturdays and a day-long Fourth of July celebration on Monday, July 4, concluding in a lakefront fireworks show. Also on the list: A Navy Pier 5K run. The Live on the Lake! summer music series and a movie series. Plus Chi-Soul Fest, the SailGP boat race competition and Navy Pier Pride in June, Bastille Day in July and LatiNxt in August.