Brothers BJ and Justin Upton hit back-to-back homers as the Atlanta Braves beat the Colorado Rockies 10-2 to complete a sweep of their double-header on a cold day in Denver.
The siblings become only the second in major league history to score back-to-back home runs as they braved -5C temperatures to guide the Braves to victory.
"It's always cool when you can see him have success before you and then you go up and do the same thing," said Justin Upton, acquired as part of a seven-player trade with Arizona in January.
"It was definitely cool for us to tack on those runs when we needed them. That was nice."
Justin had homered in game one to help the Braves to a 4-3 win, then repeated the feat in game two, immediately after his brother had also gone yard off Jon Garland, for his MLB-leading 11th homer.
It was the third time this season the pair have both homered, but the first time they have done it back to back.
Fredi Gonzalez, the Atlanta manager, said the Uptons were displaying the kind of 1-2 punch that the Braves were hoping for when they acquired them.
"It makes your line-up a lot better when you've got B.J. going and you've got Justin, too," Gonzalez said.
"For me, Justin is your No. 3 hitter and it doesn't matter who is on the mound that night."
Bartolo Colon pitched seven scoreless innings as the Oakland Athletics routed the Boston Red Sox 13-0.
Seth Smith began the assault with a two-run homer, while Brandon Moss had three hits, two runs and drove in a pair as the Oaklands chased Alfredo Aceves from the game in 3 1/3 innings.
The game was played with steady rain falling throughout and was called after seven innings.
Ichiro Suzuki's two-run single in the ninth helped the New York Yankees to a 4-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays and the Baltimore Orioles were 4-3 winners over the Toronto Blue Jays.
Adam Wainwright hurled 8 1/3 shutout innings to lift the St Louis Cardinals to a 2-0 win over the Washington Nationals.
Allen Craig and Carlos Beltran drove in the runs for the Cardinals, while Edward Mujica registered the save.
Darwin Barney homered in the 10th after Carlos Marmol blew a asave and the Chicago Cubs beat the Cincinnati Reds 4-2.
Jeff Locke shut down Philadelphia for six innings, allowing just two hits as the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Phillies 2-0.
The Los Angeles Dodgers were 7-2 winners over the New York Mets
Minnesota and Miami split their double-header, the Twins winning game one 4-3 and the Marlins gaining revenge with an 8-5 victory in the evening game.
The Seattle Mariners were 3-2 winners over the Houston Astros and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the San Diego Padres 6-3, while in two games that went to 11 innings the Los Angeles Angels edged out the Texas Rangers 5-4 and the Arizona Diamondbacks overcame the San Francisco Giants 6-4.
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Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
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From Conquest to Deportation
Jeronim Perovic, Hurst
The five pillars of Islam
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
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Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Cinco in numbers
Dh3.7 million
The estimated cost of Victoria Swarovski’s gem-encrusted Michael Cinco wedding gown
46
The number, in kilograms, that Swarovski’s wedding gown weighed.
1,000
The hours it took to create Cinco’s vermillion petal gown, as seen in his atelier [note, is the one he’s playing with in the corner of a room]
50
How many looks Cinco has created in a new collection to celebrate Ballet Philippines’ 50th birthday
3,000
The hours needed to create the butterfly gown worn by Aishwarya Rai to the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.
1.1 million
The number of followers that Michael Cinco’s Instagram account has garnered.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
