Kobe Bryant's widow awarded $16m leaked crash photos payout
Kobe Bryant's widow has been awarded $16m (£13.6m) in damages over leaked graphic photos of the helicopter crash that killed the US basketball star and his daughter in 2020, BBC reported.
Vanessa Bryant, 40, said she had panic attacks after learning images taken by Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies and firefighters had been shared.
A federal jury now said the county must pay Mrs Bryant for emotional distress.
Co-plaintiff Christopher Chester will be paid $15m.
Mrs Bryant's husband Kobe Bryant, 41, daughter Gianna, 13, and six family friends died when their helicopter crashed in California in January 2020. Mr Chester lost his wife Sarah and daughter Payton in the crash. A report by the Los Angeles Times claiming county employees took photos at the crash site and shared them with others has enraged the victims' families.
Last November, the county agreed to pay $2.5m (£2.1m) over the emotional distress caused to two families who lost relatives in the crash - but Mrs Bryant refused to settle.
Her federal lawsuit was made alongside Chris Chester, who lost his wife Sarah and daughter Payton in the crash.
Sobbing on the witness stand last week, Mrs Bryant recalled being at home with her other children when she read the LA Times story.
"I bolted out of the house and I ran to the side of the house so the girls couldn't see me. I wanted to run… down the block and just scream," she said.
Mrs Bryant said she had felt "blindsided, devastated, hurt and betrayed" by news of the leak and "[lives] in fear every day of... having these images pop up" on social media, according to BBC.
"I don't ever want to see these photographs," she said. "I want to remember my husband and my daughter the way they were."
Jurors at the trial heard how sheriff's deputies and firefighters took gruesome cell phone photos at the accident site and showed them to others, including at a bar and a gala event.
These employees "poured salt in an open wound and rubbed it in" with their actions, Mrs Bryant's lawyer Luis Li said during opening statements last week.
A lawyer for the county unsuccessfully argued that "site photography is essential" and that the photos had not been posted anywhere publicly.
Bryant, a five-time NBA champion, played for the LA Lakers throughout his career and is considered one of the greatest players in the game's history, BBC reported.
Newcastle and Man City draw six-goal thriller
English champions Manchester City produced a brilliant fightback as they came from 3-1 down to draw at Newcastle in a pulsating match featuring six goals and an overturned red card, BBC reported.
Newcastle were two goals ahead after 54 minutes but Erling Haaland and Bernardo Silva scored within four minutes of each other to preserve City's unbeaten start to their Premier League title defence.
The England goalkeeper made a number of saves before the hosts equalised with Miguel Almiron sliding in to meet Allan Saint-Maximin's cross, with the goal given after a video assistant review overruled an original offside decision.
The excellent Saint-Maximin ran at the City defence before finding Callum Wilson, who took a touch to create space and shot Newcastle into the lead, according to BBC.
The visitors had a chance to equalise but Pope pushed Haaland's effort on to the post and Kieran Trippier, sold by City in 2012 after coming through their academy, grabbed a brilliant third with a stunning 25-yard free-kick.
Haaland pulled one back, finishing from inside the six-yard box after Rodri's pass, before Silva equalised following Kevin de Bruyne's superb through ball.
Newcastle thought they had gone down to 10 men with Trippier shown a red card for a knee-high trip on De Bruyne. But referee Jarred Gillett downgraded it to a yellow after watching the incident again on a pitchside monitor - and both teams finished with a point, BBC reported.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe: Billionaire wants to buy Manchester United
British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe wants to buy Manchester United, BBC reported.
News of the 69-year-old's interest follows a Bloomberg report that the Glazer family are willing to sell a minority stake in the club.
"If the club is for sale, Jim is definitely a potential buyer," Ratcliffe's spokesperson told The Times.
"If something like this was possible, we would be interested in talking with a view to long-term ownership."
United, 20-time English champions, are bottom of the Premier League after losing both their opening games of the season under new manager Erik ten Hag.
The woeful start has intensified criticism of the Glazers and their perceived lack of investment in the team.
This summer has seen new signings fail to materialise, including a fruitless pursuit of Barcelona's Dutch midfielder Frenkie de Jong, while superstar striker Cristiano Ronaldo could leave Old Trafford.
The club has struggled since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013 and has not won a trophy since 2017.
There have been multiple protests against the Glazers' ownership in recent years, including one in May 2021 which caused the Red Devils' home league match against Liverpool to be postponed, according to BBC.
United fans are planning another protest against the American family during their latest meeting with their Anfield rivals on Monday at Old Trafford.
Lancashire-born Ratcliffe, the majority shareholder of chemical group Ineos, is a boyhood fan of the club. He also owns French side Nice, Swiss club Lausanne-Sport and Ineos Grenadiers cycling team, while Ineos has a partnership with the Mercedes F1 team.
"This is not about the money that has been spent or not spent," the spokesperson added. "Jim is looking at what can be done now and, knowing how important the club is to the city, it feels like the time is right for a reset."
Earlier on Wednesday, Elon Musk, the world's richest man, said he was joking after tweeting he was going to buy United.
Musk, 51, is reported to have a net worth of $270bn (£223bn) according to Forbes, while Ratcliffe is worth an estimated $16.3bn (£13.5bn).
In May, Ratcliffe made an unsuccessful £4.25bn offer to buy Chelsea after owner Roman Abramovich put the London club up for sale.
At the time, Ratcliffe told BBC Sport he was still a Manchester United fan and the reason he was not bidding for the Red Devils is because they were not for sale, BBC reported.
Sport turbulence: FIFA suspends All India Football Federation, court panel for Olympic body
A suspension from international football, the appointment of a Committee of Administrators (CoA) to run the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), and uncertainty over hosting the hockey World Cup. Even as the dust settles over a successful Commonwealth Games campaign, Indian sport has been thrown into turmoil, The Indian Express reported.
