Reigns appeared on Monday Night Raw this week sporting a new moniker “OTC1,” which stands for Original Tribal Chief. In his return to WWE, he helped Jey Uso after CM Punk beat Bron Breakker in a shot for a WWE title.
Punk took down Breakker to win the Gauntlet Match on Monday and will now have a chance to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Summerslam, but Gunther stands in his way.
As Punk was celebrating his victory, Bronson Reed stepped in and attacked him, which prompted Uso to get involved as he attempted to take out Reed. That’s when Reigns, or the OTC, stepped in.
Reigns hit Breakker with a Superman Punch and Reed with a Spear before helping Uso off the ground. After a brief stare down with Punk, Raw came to an end, leaving fans wondering what’s to come for Reigns and his new nickname.
Monday marked Reigns’ first appearance since the Raw after WrestleMania 41 in March. At WrestleMania 41, Reigns and Punk lost to Seth Rollins in a Triple Threat match that saw Paul Heyman turn on Reigns and Punk to join Rollins.
Many believed Reigns would return to the ring before the end of the summer, since he’s expected to be a part of SummerSlam at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Aug. 2 and 3, according to WrestleVotes.
SummerSlam should be interesting as John Cena will take on Cody Rhodes for the WWE Championship, and Gunther will take on Punk for the World Heavyweight Championship, and Reigns’ return to the ring only adds more anticipation to the event in a few weeks.
MIANWALI: Rescue 1122 personnel evacuate villagers from flooded-hit area of Cheenapura in Isakhel tehsil. More than 120 people along with their belongings and 135 domestic animals were moved to higher grounds on Sunday night. — Dawn
LAHORE: Six people died and dozens injured in rain-related incidents as widespread rain hit most parts of Punjab on Monday, submerging low-lying areas and triggering power outages.
In the last 24 hours, Lahore recorded 20.9mm rain, Okara 72mm, Sahiwal 66mm, Dera Ghazi Khan 51mm, Mianwali 38mm, Bahawalpur 36mm, Kot Addu 33mm, Gujranwala 30mm, Layyah 23mm and Murree 22mm.
Rain was also recorded in Rawalpindi, Attock, Sialkot, Faisalabad, Toba Tek Singh, Rahim Yar Khan, Multan and Lodhran.
In Okara, lightning killed two farm workers near Haveli Lakkha area.
Rescue 1122 said 19 people were injured in Okara district in different incidents.
In Bahawalnagar, two students were killed and 12 others injured when the roof of a seminary-cum-mosque collapsed due to rain in Minchinabad on Sunday night.
In Sahiwal, a man died while two others were injured in roof collapse incidents caused by heavy showers in villages 147/EB and 14/SP, Arifwala tehsil.
In Kasur, a woman died while her husband and son suffered injuries as the roof of the room they were sleeping in collapsed due to heavy spell of rain, on Monday, in Nathowala village, in the limits of Saddar police station.
In Toba Tek Singh, four people were critically injured in a roof collapse.
FORECAST: Rain is likely in most districts of Punjab in the next 24 hours.
The third spell of monsoon is predicted to last till July 17, according to a weather advisory issued by the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD).
Rain-wind/thundershower with scattered heavy falls (at times very heavy/extremely heavy) is expected in Islamabad/Rawalpindi, Murree, Galiyat, Attock, Chakwal, Jhelum, Mandi Bahauddin, Gujrat, Gujranwala, Hafizabad, Wazirabad, Lahore, Sheikhupura, Sialkot, Narowal, Sahiwal, Jhang, Toba Tek Singh, Nankana Sahib, Chiniot, Faisalabad, Okara, Kasur, Khushab, Sargodha, Bhakkar, Mianwali, Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar, DG Khan, Multan, Khanewal, Lohdran, Muzaffargarh, Rajanpur, Rahim Yar Khan, Kot Addu and Layyah from July 14 (evening) to 17 with occasional gaps.
Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Director General Irfan Ali Kathia said the water flow in most rivers of Punjab was normal. He said that there was moderate flood at Taunsa in the river Indus.
He said the flow of water in Chenab, Ravi, Jhelum and Sutlej was at normal level. The flow of water in Rajanpur hill torrents was also normal. A high level of flood is passing through Dera Ghazi Khan’s Vidor and Rudkohi torrents.
In view of the emergency situation, he directed the district administration and related institutions to remain alert. There is a possibility of further increase in the flow of water in rivers and streams due to monsoon rains.
The PDMA has issued a monsoon rain alert across the province. Thunderstorms and lightning are expected in most districts of Punjab from July 15 to 17.
Rains are expected in Rawalpindi, Murree, Galiyat, Attock, Chakwal, Jhelum, Mandi Bahauddin, Gujranwala, Hafizabad, Wazirabad.
Rains will also occur in Lahore, Sheikhupura, Sialkot, Narowal, Sahiwal, Jhang, Toba Tek Singh, Nankana, Chiniot and Faisalabad.
Heavy rains with thundershowers are expected in Okara, Kasur, Khushab, Sargodha, Bhakkar and Mianwali. Thunderstorms are also expected in Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar, DG Khan, Multan, Muzaffargarh, Khanewal, Lodhran, Rajanpur, Rahim Yar Khan and Layyah from the evening of July 14 to 17.
PDMA DG Mr Kathia issued instructions to the commissioners and deputy commissioners across the province to remain alert.
He said that there are concerns about an increase in water levels in the rivers and adjacent streams of Punjab.
LAHORE: A sessions court on Monday sought a reply from Johar Town police on a habeas corpus petition seeking the recovery of a man allegedly arrested for using abusive language against Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.
Muhammad Umar filed the petition for the recovery of his father, Muhammad Sajid.
Representing the petitioner, Advocate Sameer Khan Khattak alleged that Johar Town police had illegally detained his client’s father for the past two days.
He claimed that Sajid had been arrested without any registered case and had not been produced before any court.
The counsel also stated that the police had forced the petitioner’s father to record apology videos, which were later circulated on social media.
He asked the court to order the recovery and release of the petitioner’s father.
Additional District & Sessions Judge Ghulam Farid issued a notice to the Johar Town station house officer (SHO) and directed him to file a reply by July 15.
A few days ago, a video of Sajid riding a motorcycle in the rain went viral on social media, in which he could be heard using abusive language against the chief minister.
Tree populations need at least 100 and perhaps 200 years to respond to the changing climate – far too slow to keep pace with current global warming. That is according to a study, “Coupled, decoupled, and abrupt responses of vegetation to climate across timescales“, published in Science earlier this month, tracking pollen in lake sediments and showing how trees responded to climate change over a 600,000-year period.
Led by David Fastovich, a postdoctoral researcher at Syracuse University, who, working with, Tripti Bhattacharya, the Thonis Family Professor of Paleoclimate Dynamics and associate professor in the university’s Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, analysed how and when tree species migrated south (during Ice Ages) and north again as global temperatures cooled and warmed again over thousands of years.
“We’ve known these time lags have existed, but no one could put a firm number on them,” according to Fastovich. “We can intuit how long a tree lives. We can count the rings on a tree and estimate from there. But now we know that after one to two centuries—very close to how long a tree lives on average—entire forest ecosystems begin to turn over as trees die and are replaced in response to climate.”
David Fastovich (left) led a study that used pollen data from lake sediment cores to track how tree populations respond to climate change. In the photo above, he is shown sampling a sediment core from Lake Tulane, Florida, alongside Jack Williams (centre, University of Wisconsin–Madison) and Claire Rubbelke (right, Syracuse University). Credit: Syracuse University
Using spectral analysis, commonly used in physics and engineering, researchers established long-term ecological data, allowing them to compare the relationship between tree populations and climate over decades and millennia. One goal was to understand how closely tree population migrations, tree mortality, and forest disturbances from things like wildfires match climate changes over time, developing a unified statistical approach that connects how natural forest adaptation evolves from days to thousands of years. “This gives us a common language for people who observe forest change—ecologists, paleoecologists, and paleobiologists—to talk to one another about those changes, no matter if we study forests on annual or millennial timescales,” Fastovich said, adding that it can take up to eight centuries for forest changes to become larger, tied to natural climate variability.
“With this new technique, we can think about ecological processes on any timescale and how they are connected,” he said. “We can understand how dispersal and population changes interact and cause a forest to change from decades to centuries and even longer timescales. That hasn’t been done before.”
Syracuse University researcher David Fastovich. Credit: Syracuse University
According to Fastovich, the study suggests that forests will need much more human intervention to keep them healthy, who said that “assisted migration” – where foresters plant warmer climate trees in traditionally colder climates – would be crucial in helping woodlands adapt and flourish despite the heating of habitats due to climate change. “Forest adaptation to climate will be a slow, complex process requiring nuanced, long-term management strategies,” Fastovich notes. “There’s a mismatch between the timescales at which forests naturally change and what’s happening today with climate change,” he said. “Population-level changes aren’t going to be fast enough to keep the forests that we care about around. Assisted migration is one tool of many to keep cherished forests around for longer.”
Where’s the Wood? Climate Scientists Fear for the Future of Beech
Last year, Wood Central reported that English Oak trees could become the cornerstone of reforestation projects and timber plantations across Europe, with a study warning that the trees are one of the only species to survive global warming. Published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, A climate-induced tree species bottleneck for forest management in Europe, the study looks at the changes to European forests expected to occur over the next 100 years – adding to a squeeze on timber, expected to grow fourfold over the next 30 years, and compromising the EU’s push to build more with wood.
Led by the University of Copenhagen’s Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, European scientists have been updating forest inventories and calculating tree coverage with sustainable forest management, which is a key part of the EU’s new Green Deal. (Photo Credit: Science Advances Journal)
Led by Johannes Wessely and Stefan Dullinger from the University of Vienna, scientists tested 69 of the most common European tree species to see how they would react to warmer temperatures. It found that depending on the region, one-third to half of all tree species found today will no longer be able to cope with climate change: “This is an enormous decline,” according to lead author Johannes Wessely, “especially when you consider that only some species are of interest for forestry.”
Scientists found that just nine of 69 species are fit to withstand the future climate in Europe, compared to four in the UK. “Trees planted now for reforestation must survive under current and future conditions,” Dr Wessely said, “This is difficult because they have to withstand the cold and frost of the next few years and a much warmer climate at the end of the 21st century. There is only a minimal overlap,” they said.
For more information: David Fastovich et al. ,Coupled, decoupled, and abrupt responses of vegetation to climate across timescales, Science 389, 64-68 (2025). DOI:10.1126/science.adr6700
Wood Central is Australia’s first and only dedicated platform covering wood-based media across all digital platforms. Our vision is to develop an integrated platform for media, events, education, and products that connect, inform, and inspire the people and organisations who work in and promote forestry, timber, and fibre.
WWE RAW presented the July 14 edition of the show from Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama. The show presented the fallout of an action packed weekend and was a high captivating night beginning the road to WWE’s next major event, SummerSlam. Furthermore, the biggest highlight saw Roman Reigns finally make his return and make a huge statement at the expense of his foes.
Opening segment with Naomi
Naomi opened the show to gloat about her victory at WWE Evolution and becoming the new WWE Women’s World Champion. IYO Sky and Rhea Ripley came down to lay claim to another title shot, but Naomi told them to wait at the back of the line. Witnessing the tensions, GM Adam Pearce came out to announce a triple-threat title match between them for SummerSlam.
Asuka and Kairi Sane vs. Roxanne Perez and Raquel Rodriguez
This was a non-title tag team match between the two sides. The match was fast-paced and a good showdown to witness until the final moments when Dominik Mysterio tried to interfere. This gave Roxanne Perez the opening to roll up Asuka for the three count and score the pinfall.
Bayley vs. Lyra Valkyria
The match was a 2-out-of-3 falls to determine Becky Lynch’s No.1 contender for the WWE Women’s Intercontinental title at SummerSlam. The bout was exciting as Bayley secured the first pinfall, while Lyra Valkyria got the second one. In the final moments, Bayley had Valkyria trapped in the crossface, but she escaped and hit the Night Wing to secure the last fall.
Nikki Bella vs. Chelsea Green
Nikki Bella returned to action on RAW after Evolution and wrestled her first singles match in nearly seven years. She displayed an excellent showing against Chelsea Green and ended the match with a thunderous Rack Attack 2.0 to win. The Secret Hervice tried attacking her, but Stephanie Vaquer came to her aid.
World Heavyweight Championship #1 Contender’s SummerSlam Gauntlet Match
The match began after Paul Heyman endorsed Bron Breakker in front of the reigning World Champion, Gunther. The Wolf Dog started the Gauntlet with Penta, and the duo locked up with the bout picking up pace. However, Penta’s springboard attempt was stopped by a thunderous spear by Breakker, who eliminated him. LA Knight entered the Gauntlet next, and following a back-and-forth between him and Breakker, he was also eliminated with a spear. The next competitor to enter was Jey Uso. He put a valiant effort against Breakker and was about to hit the Uso Splash towards the end, when Bronson Reed interfered to help Breakker eliminate him. CM Punk was the last superstar to enter the match. It was another action-packed showdown between the duo. Bronson Reed once again tried to run interference, but Jey Uso neutralized him. Punk hit the GTS on Breakker to win and secure the title shot for SummerSlam. Breakker and Reed continue to attack them until Roman Reigns made his shocking return to take them both out and stand tall at the end of the show.Also read: Seth Rollins’ knee injury shocks WWE fans, raises doubts about SummerSlam role after Saturday Night’s main event
SINCE the big lunch, saat sumandar paar, in DC, politics in Pakistan is in such a deep sleep that the snores can be heard in all corners of the country.
Now that the Amreekans have put their stamp on where the power lies, by inviting the army chief to the big White House, it appears as if the mainstream political parties have decided the only way forward is to accept the suzerainty of Pindi and live happily ever after. It is the ever-after of arranged marriages, where the assumption is that role-playing and the trappings of family life are the best one can aspire to.
As long as there is a house, disposable income, kids, and social life, an existence can be passed off as happiness. And that is what our parties get — gormint houses and green number plates and protocol. So what if the real power lies elsewhere and so does the money. The house and the car are for free, and there are fewer court cases.
Let’s just celebrate the little things in life. As the famous song goes, ‘Dil hai chota sa, chottee see aasha’.
And if anyone expresses concern over the lunch in the White House and wonders where the prime minister was, simply extol the virtues of a hybrid system. There is no fighting and much cooperation — why should the dil maange more, the people are told.
In Islamabad, everything is possible and all options are being discussed.
And if the subtext of these statements is that the PML-N supremo wasted his life arguing for the opposite, then people are just overthinking. Why would anyone extrapolate this from just a lunch and the cool-headed analysis of the benefits of hybridity?
It seems the prime minister and the Punjab chief minister agree. They are in any case far too busy working and occasionally posing for pictures. Though there must be moments where the prime minister pats himself on the back that the family member in charge of Punjab gets so much attention and criticism. Despite being in the centre, he gets less flak — surrounded as he is by more important people, in Lahore and closer.
But despite this, there have been moments in the past week or so which suggest trouble in paradise. But only in the Pakistani sense where little appears logical. Which in fact is the reason they are taken seriously — for we only take senseless issues seriously and then discuss them even more earnestly. And in this department were the reports about Nawaz Sharif setting off to Adiala to meet the baani as Imran Khan is now called, when he can’t be bothered to attend parliament. And while this ‘piece’ of news was called out rather quickly and clarified, the second one did the rounds for longer.
In this second piece of news, Asif Ali Zardari was about to be thrown out of the presidency. When it was first put out, those in government went into a bit of ‘sakta’ — the predictable response of the politicos when there is a fear that the news may have come from those who cannot be named. I mean, in this marriage of protocol and cars, who is going to deny a piece of gossip or information that might have been whispered by those who allowed you the cars in the first place?
Hence, there was silence as tongues wagged in drawing rooms and posts on social media did the rounds. And when the denial came, it had to come from sources more mustanid than just the PML-N itself. Hence, the interior minister had to enter the fray.
The rumour may have died down but not the questions about why and how it was started. For it wasn’t just reckless journalists who are to blame. And hence the tongues continue to wag. Who wanted to shock (or should it be shake) the PPP a bit? And to what end? And why do experts keep pointing out that the judgment in the reserved seats (which has awarded the PTI allocation to the other parties such as PML-N, PPP and JUI-F) has made PPP less critical to the government?
And why do the same “experts” point out how bad the PML-N is at governance these days and how it has been made irrelevant by the famous lunch? The criticism over the import of sugar is not simply organic? It never is. Where is this analysis and this critique coming from?
Or are these all hints to all the politicos to pull their socks up? In the land called Islamabad, everything is possible and all the options are being discussed. And while we mortals are confused, so might be the politicians. They always should be. The car and the protocol can just never be taken for granted — ask Imran Khan. And Nawaz Sharif. And Asif Ali Zardari.
Which is why the PTI in power is working so hard to keep itself in the good books of the powers that be. So much so that the party has dumped even Imran Khan. He asked them to protest and they drove off to Lahore to have dinner. And the KP chief minister thinks rhetoric can make up for everything — including lack of governance and lack of politics. But then who cares, for the car and the protocol are all that matter. As well as a good dinner in Lahore.
For the bill for the good times he enjoys, as with the prime minister, is being footed by the same people. And it’s not the electorate, be it in Punjab, KP or elsewhere.
Indeed, it is all a bit like the conferences arranged for health practitioners by big pharma. Whatever the rhetoric, these fun events only work to the benefit of the organisers and the attendees. The people are not going to benefit. Not really. There was a word a property tycoon once used but it wouldn’t be appropriate.
Chelsea defender Levi Colwill is confident the Club World Cup winners will make a major impact at home and in Europe as they look forward to the new season.
England’s Women are still very much in the think of the action as they prepare for their Euro 2025 showdown with Sweden.
Meanwhile, 39-year-old Luka Modric has a new club after deciding to extend his illustrious career further.
The Blues are back
Levi Colwill insists Chelsea’s Club World Cup win was no fluke and the Premier League and Champions League are now in their sights.
The Blues defied the odds to beat Paris St Germain 3-0 at the MetLife Stadium on Sunday evening and lift the Club World Cup, providing further evidence of their revival following a difficult few years at Stamford Bridge in the wake of the Todd Boehly-led takeover in 2022.
Defender Colwill said: “Everyone was rooting for PSG or saying they were going to beat us but it’s not an upset because we know how good we are. If other people don’t believe that, then hopefully we have changed their minds now.
“I said at the start of this tournament that our plan was to win it and people looked at me as if I was crazy! So I’m going to say the exact same thing now going into the Premier League and Champions League. I think we’re ready and we’ll see next season.”
Williamson taking nothing for granted
Leah Williamson is refusing to play down the threat posed by quarter-final opponents Sweden to England’s hopes of retaining their European crown.
The Lionesses booked Thursday night’s Euro 2025 last-eight showdown with the Swedes, who they beat 4-0 in the semi-finals on their way to lifting the title three years ago, with a 6-1 Group D victory over Wales, and captain Williams is not under-estimating the danger they represent.
She said: “Sweden are a fantastic team. They’re relentless in the way they go about their game.
“They sort of avoid the expectation of every tournament and nobody really talks about them, (which is) slightly disrespectful, I think, because they always show up and they always seem to pose a threat to most teams, and normally come out with a medal or (become) a semi-final team, so, yes, they are a strong team (and) we’re looking forward to the fixture.”
Luka who’s joined AC Milan
AC Milan have completed the signing of Croatia captain Luka Modric following his departure from Real Madrid.
The 39-year-old former Dinamo Zagreb and Tottenham midfielder has put pen to paper on a one-year contract at the San Siro with the option of an extension for a further 12 months.
Modric had a trophy-laden 13-year stint at the Bernabeu, during which he claimed four LaLiga titles, six Champions League crowns and five Club World Cups.
He won the Ballon d’Or in 2018 and has made a record 188 appearances for his national team.
What’s on today?
England continue their preparations for Thursday night’s Euro 2025 quarter-final clash with Sweden in Zurich.
Elsewhere, Welsh champions The New Saints are in action in the second leg of their Champions League first qualifying round tie against Shkendija in North Macedonia, while there are 15 group stage fixtures in Scotland’s Premier Sports Cup.
AND, just like that, the PTI’s ill-timed ‘Second Pakistan Movement’ seems to have been put to rest. The party’s bête noire these days, KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, announced on Sunday that the PTI will be reconsidering its options over an extended 90-day period rather than going all out before the Aug 5 deadline given by its jailed chief. It may be recalled that Imran Khan had said last week that the PTI would no longer engage in talks and should instead prepare for a protest movement that would ‘peak’ on Aug 5, coinciding with the two-year anniversary of his incarceration. When the party’s on-ground leadership met on Sunday, many were expecting a comprehensive plan for the protests. Instead, supporters were informed that the showdown would now occur after 90 days.
The KP CM’s statement left many scratching their heads. On one hand, he said that “We have to decide within 90 days whether we should even do politics in this country,” while also regretting that there was no use of politics in the country as “there is no politics.” PTI supporters also got no clarity on the Aug 5 protests, because Mr Gandapur said the campaign would peak that day, but using ‘political means’ instead. Further, the KP CM also contradicted what Mr Khan had said about talks. “Now we are giving an open offer to hold dialogue with us, or we will tread on our own path with a clear timeline and targets,” he said. Interestingly, this U-turn could have been sanctioned by the PTI chief himself, given that other party leaders did not contradict him on the occasion. Such chaos is typical of the PTI, but it seems that the party may just have been walking itself back from the brink. It was clearly in no position to launch a major protest movement, as wished for by Mr Khan, and perhaps realised in time that it would be better to weigh its options carefully. What its next move will be is anybody’s guess. Pressure from the rank and file to secure Mr Khan’s release has been growing, and the party’s on-ground leadership seems at a complete loss as to how to pacify the voices of discontent. One wonders what cards its leaders are hiding up their sleeves, or if they even have any left.
