Win-win for Arsenal and England with fifth entry in next Champions League guaranteed

Arsenal’s win over Real Madrid conclusively sealed England’s long-expected fifth guaranteed entry in the Champions League next season. In the new 36-team Champions League format, UEFA awards bonus places to the two nations whose sides collectively perform the best over the three European club competitions this season. England, which has led the rankings since early…

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Brazil to play in U.S. group at 2026 World Baseball Classic; Taiwan in Japan’s pool

Brazil will join the United States, Mexico, Italy and Britain in Group B of the first round of next year’s World Baseball Classic at Houston’s Minute Maid Park. Major League Baseball and the players’ association on Wednesday allocated the four qualifiers for the 20-nation tournament, which runs from March 5-17. Taiwan was added to Group…

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Germany’s Merz unveils coalition deal to spur growth, tackle migration

German conservatives under Friedrich Merz clinched a coalition deal with the center-left Social Democrats (SPD) on Wednesday, aiming to revive growth in Europe’s largest economy just as a global trade war threatens recession. The deal caps weeks of haggling between chancellor-in-waiting Merz and the SPD after he topped elections in February but fell well short…

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