FIFA 17’s top tribute to Chapecoense Doubts have emerged over Mikel’s Chelsea future as he has only six months left to run on his contract, and he continues to be linked with clubs ranging from Manchester United, to teams in China. The Nigeria captain hasn’t made a match-day sqaud for Chelsea since Antonio Conte took charge and has found himself out of favour at Stamford Bridge after he missed the start of the Premier League season to be part of his national team which won his country’s only medal at the Olympics....

“The Department of Justice has found and recaptured the majority of the ransom Colonial paid to the DarkSide network in the wake of last month’s ransomware attack,” Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said at a Monday press conference. She added, “Ransomware attacks are always unacceptable, but when they target critical infrastructure, we will spare no effort in our response.” The seizure was conducted as part of the department’s recently launched Ransomware and Digital Extortion Task Force....

The production of Scotch whisky is serious business, and rare bottles are known to sell at a hefty price. According to the Scotch Whisky Association, the beverage dates back at least to the 15th century. By 1644, the Scottish Parliament had begun imposing tariffs on its sale, prompting “an increase in illicit whisky distilling across Scotland.” In the present day, Scotch Whisky is enjoyed globally—but the beverage must meet strict standards in order to protect the product’s heritage and quality....

Several evangelical and Christian church leaders, including televangelist Pat Robertson, White House spiritual adviser Paula White and First Baptist Church Pastor Robert Jeffress, all made bold predictions about a sweeping Trump victory in the presidential election. Those hopes were dashed Saturday as nearly every major news outlet declared Biden the winner, prompting a scrambled effort among many so-called “prophets” to explain their glaring error in interpreting God. Update: Bethel Church’s Kris Vallotton has since deleted his Instagram apology for getting the election wrong....

Three days before Christmas, Washington Technology Magnet School Principal Stacie Bonnick sent an email to her staff that contained a reflection on the changes pandemic-induced safety precautions had brought to public education. “The job has always been a challenge, but nothing prepared me for the stress of this year,” she wrote in part, adding that she had found “moments of unexpected joy and success” amid the havoc. However, one of the recipients was not convinced of Bonnick’s sincerity....

Harrington was speaking specifically about shock and anger that many in his state, and the country, are feeling after a video of Floyd’s in-custody death surfaced this week. “The majority of the great people of Minnesota and the great people of Minneapolis… are still having their guts ripped out about the Floyd murder, and we’ll call it murder because that’s what it looked like to me,” he said. Floyd, 46, was arrested on Monday outside the Cup Foods in Minneapolis after he allegedly used a counterfeit $20 bill to make a purchase....

MLS Team of the Playoffs Duvall was with Minnesota for less than two hours, having been taken from the New York Red Bulls second overall in the MLS expansion draft earlier Tuesday. “We are very pleased to add Chris to our team,” Impact technical director Adam Braz told the team’s official website. “He has proven to be a versatile and reliable defender in his three seasons with the Red Bulls....

MORE: Opening Day schedule for all 30 MLB teams While the average salary for Major League Baseball players last year was nearly $4.1 million, according to the MLBPA, the maximum first-year player salary in the minor leagues is $1,100 per month. The provision in the $1.3 trillion “Save America’s Pastime Act,” on page 1,967 of the 2,232-page spending bill, proposes amending the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to include the following: 

Russia’s war on Ukraine has gone on for nearly a year, and as fierce military action continues, Chernobyl has been a focus of attention and concern. In April 1986, a meltdown of the plant’s reactor triggered the world’s worst nuclear disaster. This caused two devastating explosions, which led to radioactive debris and fuel pouring out into the surrounding area. The area is still highly radioactive today and off-limits to the public....

The eastern city of Kramatorsk, in the eastern Donbas region, was struck by two powerful rockets. Ukrainian officials say at least 39 were killed and more than 100 were wounded in the attack which President Volodymyr Zelensky said deliberately targeted civilians. A photograph showing the remains of what appears to be one of the rockets that struck the railway station bears an inscription that appears to push Russian propaganda that Russian children of the Donbas region are “suffering under Ukrainian shelling,” according to Berlin-based Eastern Europe expert Sergej Sumlenny....

Residents of tiny Ovett want to banish Camp Sister Spirit for one reason: Henson and many of her 40 cofounders are lesbians. Last Monday evening virtually the entire town (250 out of 300) packed the one-room community center to discuss how the feminists might be driven away. Most based their objections on religious grounds and concerns for the safety of the area’s young women. “These people could pick up our little girls and take them to this place and do whatever they want with them,” said Clint Knight, father of an 11-year-old daughter....

Not much else to report from the game other than the incredible buzzer-beater that East Union's Ty McDonald hit at the end of the first half. Things seemed to be clicking for East Union all game. (H/T Daily Journal)

Eric Schmitt, borrowing a tactic that has become increasingly popular with Republican attorneys general in recent years, has sued China over the coronavirus, challenged the results of the 2020 presidential election and is now targeting Missouri schools in the state’s Democratic cities with suits over mask mandates. “Now Republican [attorneys general] are flexing their muscles during the Biden administration as well, particularly on this issue of suing municipalities and essentially their own constituents,” said Paul Nolette, an associate professor at Marquette University and an expert on state attorneys general....

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch published an editorial on Monday urging Hawley and his Republican colleagues to “impose law and order on Trump” and cited the deadly Capitol riot on January 6. Hawley was one of the most prominent Republicans to object to President Biden’s 2020 election victory. He supported formal objections to the Electoral College votes from Arizona and Pennsylvania. The editorial said that Trump’s impeachment trial centered on a single question: “Did Donald Trump abide by his oath of office between the Nov....

Tigers coach Gary Pinkel — who supported his African-American players’ threat to boycott Saturday’s game against BYU in Kansas City in support of African-American students’ protests of their treatment on campus — announced Thursday what uniforms his team will wear for the game at Arrowhead Stadium. UPDATE: Pinkel retiring for health reasons | HAYES: Missouri players spark change, make people listen For the first time, Mizzou will wear, yes, all white....

In a joint statement Monday night, Missouri athletic director Mack Rhoades and football coach Barry Odom said they are gathering information about the nine-second clip, which shows a male who resembles Mauk snorting a line of white powder. It’s not clear when the video was taken. MORE: Impact players for 2016 “We are currently gathering information regarding the video in question,” the statement read. “This is an issue we take very seriously and one that will not be tolerated within our program....

McConnell reached an agreement with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to let Democrats raise the debt limit with Republican votes through a one-time process. That plan was approved by the House of Representatives on Tuesday but it will now head to the Senate, where 10 GOP votes are required to pass it. If the one-time process is approved, Senate Democrats will then be able to raise the debt ceiling with just 51 votes....

In a press conference in Kentucky, McConnell made clear that Republicans wouldn’t support the high cost of President Joe Biden’s $4.1 trillion sweeping infrastructure proposal and floated a smaller package. “I think it’s worth talking about but I don’t think there will be any Republican support—none, zero—for the $4.1 trillion grab bag which has infrastructure in it but a whole lot of other stuff,” the senator said. He added: “We’re open to doing a roughly $600 billion package which deals with what all of us agree is infrastructure....