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Rasmussen Claims First IndyCar Win as ECR Shines in Milwaukee Breakthrough

Christian Rasmussen’s breakthrough win at the Milwaukee Mile was more than just a personal milestone—it was a moment of triumph for Ed Carpenter Racing (ECR) and a rare shared celebration with teammate Alexander Rossi. As Rasmussen climbed out of his No. 21 Chevrolet to mark his first-ever NTT IndyCar Series victory, Rossi was the first to congratulate him.

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Christian Rasmussen’s breakthrough win at the Milwaukee Mile was more than just a personal milestone—it was a moment of triumph for Ed Carpenter Racing (ECR) and a rare shared celebration with teammate Alexander Rossi. As Rasmussen climbed out of his No. 21 Chevrolet to mark his first-ever NTT IndyCar Series victory, Rossi was the first to congratulate him.

“Your first-career win is a moment you’ll obviously never forget,” Rossi said. “It’s huge for your career, and he’s been so good on the ovals this year.”

The win was a bright spot in a season that’s been full of ups and downs for ECR. Rossi acknowledged the significance of the moment not just for Rasmussen, but for the entire team: “It’s been a long time coming for ECR as well. It’s been a tough couple years for them. … It’s never an easy road and there’s a lot of work still in front of us. But it’s just an amazing accomplishment for the organization today.”

ECR entered 2025 with tempered expectations. The team had brought in Rossi—winner of the 2016 Indianapolis 500 and runner-up in the 2018 championship—to replace Rinus VeeKay. Despite his pedigree, Rossi had only one win in the previous five seasons and was joining a team that had managed just one podium in the last three years.

Back in January, Rossi told IndyCar.com he didn’t expect instant success: “not going to go from the results that have existed the past couple of years to all of a sudden winning every race,” but he believed there was “potential to surprise a lot of people at points.”

That potential came to life in Milwaukee. ECR executed a bold strategy that placed both cars in the top four, with Rasmussen stunning the field to claim his first win. Initially brought on in 2024 to race only on road and street circuits, Rasmussen wasn’t expected to compete on ovals—those were still Ed Carpenter’s domain. But after Carpenter stepped aside from oval duties in August 2024, Rasmussen quickly proved himself as a rising star on short ovals.

During Sunday’s race, Rossi led the ECR charge early, climbing from 12th to the top five by short-pitting the field. A brief rain shower late in the race allowed both drivers to pit for fresh tires with 28 laps to go. Rasmussen capitalized, vaulting from sixth to first. Rossi, meanwhile, couldn’t match the pace in the final stint and finished fourth, 11.45 seconds behind.

“We saved tires through practice for that scenario,” Rossi explained. “I just wish we were able to be a little bit stronger on that restart. Got caught up fighting Pato (O’Ward) a little bit.
“It is what it is. I mean, it still was the right call, obviously. It won the race.”

Despite missing out on the win himself, Rossi was visibly pleased with the team’s performance. Both drivers have had flashes of brilliance this season—Rossi started strong with three top 10s in four races and now has back-to-back top fives, while Rasmussen had already earned a podium at World Wide Technology Raceway and three top 10s in five starts before Milwaukee.

Until now, ECR hadn’t seen both drivers shine on the same weekend. Milwaukee changed that. It was the first time in 2025 that both finished in the top five—or even the top 10.

With just one race left in the season, the result gives ECR a much-needed boost and a shared achievement to build on after a year marked by isolated successes.

“There was a lot of missed opportunities this year,” Rossi admitted. “… There’s been some really good moments and really disappointing moments, but ultimately I think we knew that, especially on the ovals, the pace was in the car. We showed that today.”

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Transcript: VAR audio of West Ham’s disallowed goal

VAR: The left arm of Pablo comes across Raya and holds on to the left arm of Raya as he goes to win the ball.

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David Raya incident explained as VAR saves Gunners

Referee (REF): Chris Kavanagh 

Assistant Referee 1 (AR1): Dan Cook

VAR: Darren England 

Assistant VAR (AVAR): Akil Howson

RO: Hawk-Eye replay operator

When the on-field team is able to hear the VAR discussion, the text is shown in bold.

VAR: Possible foul on keeper.

VAR: Watch has gone.

AVAR: Goal given.

AR1: I don’t see any foul on the goalkeeper.

REF: On-field decision is goal.

VAR: Checking the on-field decision of goal.

VAR: OK, let’s play it through, let’s play it through. Let’s just get a feel now.

VAR: So, the keeper there…

VAR: Then it’s just a shot. So, it’s literally just a possible foul on Raya, what I’m seeing in terms of that.

AVAR: Yeah, and to make sure he doesn’t have it in his hand.

VAR: OK, let’s get a tighter angle on the goalkeeper please.

VAR: On the Arsenal goalkeeper.

RO: Yeah.

VAR: This one. Slow it down, frame by frame.

VAR: For me, there is a foul. Potential foul with the arm.

VAR: His hand is holding his arm down. That’s impactful, for me.

VAR: The left arm there, is holding, is across the body.

VAR: He’s across the head and he’s holding the left arm of Raya, there.

VAR: Which impedes his ability to get to the ball properly.

VAR: Doesn’t look that impactful from that angle.

RO: I’ve got a pole-cam angle.

VAR: Give us pole-cam.

AVAR: It’s like, Raya…

AVAR: Because that contact we’ve got there, we’ve got…

VAR: Just keep delaying. Just checking possible foul on the goalkeeper.

AVAR: You’ve got that straight behind him as well, look.

VAR: Yeah.

RO: I’ll go back to the original angle.

VAR: Yeah.

VAR: But this happens before.

RO: Do you want to see it at full speed?

VAR: Yes please.

VAR: Is it impactful on the goalkeeper that, for me.

VAR: Go back to the second angle you showed me, the second angle.

RO: No problem, just going to look now.

AVAR: Can you do a split screen on both of them as well?

VAR: This one here, this one. Yeah, give us a split screen. That one and then the first angle.

RO: OK, goalline?

VAR: No, sorry, this one and this one, thank you.

AVAR: I don’t like Trossard not facing the ball and you’ve got…

AVAR: I agree, it’s impactful, it’s just everything else that’s going on as well.

AVAR: Let’s say we’re saying that’s a foul, then what are we saying about Trossard’s actions on the same player?

AVAR: What are we saying about Declan Rice behind?

VAR: Yeah.

VAR: He still gets a hand to the ball, doesn’t he? When he’s getting to the ball.

AVAR: What’s your initial opinion as you watched it?

VAR: I think, for me, we send him for an on-field review to look at the possible foul on the goalkeeper.

VAR: And then we get him to look at the other incidents as well. I think that’s the best decision in terms of this.

VAR: OK.

VAR: Chris (Chris Kavanagh – REF), I’m going to recommend an on-field review for a possible foul on the goalkeeper but there are some other incidents to look at while you’re at the monitor as well.

REF: OK.

VAR: So, I’m going to show you a possible foul on the goalkeeper.

RO: This angle?

REF: OK.

VAR: The left arm of Pablo comes across Raya and holds on to the left arm of Raya as he goes to win the ball.

REF: Yeah.

VAR: I’m showing you that now.

REF: I can see the clear holding on him across.

VAR: Yeah, but then I’m just going to show you some, obviously, other angles on that incident, of players.

REF: OK.

AVAR: You’ve got Declan Rice and you’ve got Trossard.

REF: I don’t know what you’re trying to show me, give me a clue.

VAR: Trossard on Pablo. Just if you look at Trossard on Pablo. Give me a better angle on that.

VAR: I’ll get you a better angle.

REF: I don’t think there’s much in that at all, I’m happy with that.

VAR: Yeah, OK.

REF: That’s nothing.

VAR: And then if you just want to consider the actions of Declan Rice on Mavropanos at the back.

VAR: But the foul happens on the goalkeeper before.

REF: Before it, so… After review, West Ham number…

VAR: 19.

REF: 19. Foul.

REF: Just confirm his number again for me.

VAR: 19.

VAR: Yeah, confirmed.

REF: Mic open.

REF: After review, West Ham number 19 commits a foul on the goalkeeper. Final decision is direct free-kick.

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Breaking News: Defiant Florentino Pérez Holds Explosive Press Conference Amid Resignation Calls

Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez has vowed not to step down despite mounting pressure following the club’s worst season in recent history. Speaking at a fiery press conference on Tuesday, Pérez dismissed speculation about his health, accused referees of bias, and announced that he will call new elections at the club.

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Florentino Perez

Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez has vowed not to step down despite mounting pressure following the club’s worst season in recent history. Speaking at a fiery press conference on Tuesday, Pérez dismissed speculation about his health, accused referees of bias, and announced that he will call new elections at the club.

Real Madrid ended the 2025–26 campaign without winning a major trophy. The club was eliminated in the Champions League quarterfinals, lost LaLiga to arch-rivals Barcelona, and failed to secure domestic silverware. The disappointing season has fueled calls for Pérez to resign after more than two decades at the helm.

In a defiant tone, Pérez declared:

“I am NOT resigning. I am calling for new elections at the club. There are campaigns against me. But I’m still here, and I’m the president. People said I have cancer; this is all MADE UP.”

He emphasized his record, noting that under his leadership, Real Madrid has won 37 titles, including 7 Champions League trophies and 7 LaLiga titles, while insisting he should have won more but was “robbed” by refereeing decisions.

Pérez accused referees of favoring opponents and claimed Real Madrid lost 18 points in LaLiga due to biased officiating. He announced the club will submit a dossier to UEFA highlighting these grievances and referenced the ongoing Negreira case, a corruption scandal involving payments to referees linked to Barcelona.

“We are going to submit a dossier to UEFA so that they put an END to the case. The Negreira scandal is still causing repercussions,” Pérez said, aiming a direct dig at Barcelona.

The president also addressed leaks from within the club, criticizing those who spread internal disputes to the media. He defended players like Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni, saying the leaks were more damaging than the incidents themselves.

“The enemies inside the club who leak things? Leave them to me, I take care of them… TRUST ME,” Pérez warned.

Shortly after the press conference, FC Barcelona issued a statement:


“Regarding the press conference called by the president of Real Madrid, Florentino Pérez, we inform you that our legal department is carefully studying his statements and accusations.”

Pérez confirmed he will not resign but will instead call elections, allowing Real Madrid’s members (socios) to decide his future. He insisted:


“Florentino is NOT going anywhere until the socios decide he has to.”

The announcement sets the stage for a dramatic showdown within the club as Real Madrid attempts to rebuild after a disastrous season, while tensions with Barcelona continue to escalate.

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NetOne Leads Digital Growth and Rural Connectivity in POTRAZ Q4 2025 Report

Harare, Zimbabwe – NetOne closed 2025 on a strong note, with the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ) confirming the operator’s leadership in digital growth and rural connectivity in its Fourth Quarter 2025 Sector Performance Report.

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NetOne Building

Harare, Zimbabwe – NetOne closed 2025 on a strong note, with the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ) confirming the operator’s leadership in digital growth and rural connectivity in its Fourth Quarter 2025 Sector Performance Report.

The report shows NetOne recorded the strongest growth in mobile internet and data traffic among Zimbabwe’s major operators, with usage rising by 18.50% from 25.29 billion MB in Q3 to 29.97 billion MB in Q4. This translated into a 1.14 percentage point increase in market share, further strengthening NetOne’s competitiveness in the country’s data-driven telecommunications sector. The company also grew its active subscriber base from 4,062,894 to 4,101,492, reflecting sustained customer confidence.

Driving this momentum is NetOne’s deliberate infrastructure expansion strategy. During the quarter, the operator added 89 LTE base stations and increased its 5G sites from 21 to 26. POTRAZ noted that NetOne “continued to make strides particularly in 3G and LTE deployments, to expand its network coverage.” The report also revealed NetOne’s dominance in rural connectivity, commanding 46.14% of Zimbabwe’s rural base stations. This footprint is bridging the digital divide by connecting underserved communities to education, healthcare, financial services, and digital commerce.

Group Chief Executive Officer Engineer Raphael Mushanawani said the results affirm NetOne’s commitment to building an inclusive digital future. “These results affirm our commitment to connecting communities, empowering businesses and accelerating Zimbabwe’s digital transformation through resilient and accessible network infrastructure,” he said.

Beyond infrastructure, NetOne has intensified its corporate social responsibility initiatives, including drilling boreholes in drought-prone areas, supporting schools with digital learning tools, and partnering with healthcare institutions on community wellness programmes. The company’s inclusive culture is also reflected in its workforce, with women accounting for 436 of its 1,045 employees.

NetOne’s transformation into a modern digital services provider has earned national recognition, with Engineer Mushanawani recently inducted into the prestigious Business Leaders Hall of Fame 2026. As Zimbabwe moves toward a data-centric economy powered by broadband, 5G, and digital services, NetOne’s Q4 2025 performance demonstrates that the operator is not only adapting to change but helping lead it.

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