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BEIJING — Tesla is voluntarily recalling nearly 3 million vehicles in China to address safety concerns with its electronically operated door handles, which have been linked to multiple deaths after rescuers were unable to open car doors following crashes, according to notices published Friday by Tesla and China’s product safety regulator.

The recall covers 2,975,910 vehicles spanning Tesla’s entire lineup, including the Model 3, Model Y, Model S and Model X, built between March 4, 2019, and April 29, 2026, according to CNBC, marking Tesla’s largest-ever recall in China. The action stems from a design flaw in which severe collisions can cause a vehicle’s low-voltage electrical system to fail, disabling the electronically controlled exterior and interior door buttons that Tesla popularized across the auto industry.

China’s State Administration for Market Regulation described the safety hazard in stark terms in its recall notice, saying the malfunctioning door handles “could hinder occupants from quickly opening the doors to escape and impede rescue efforts by those outside the vehicle, posing a safety hazard,” according to Insurance Journal. The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which has separately opened its own investigations into the issue, characterized the mechanical backup releases even more critically as “hidden, unlabeled, and not intuitive to locate during an emergency,” according to Yahoo Autos.

The practical difficulty of using the backup mechanism has been a central concern for regulators. According to Yahoo Autos, Model Y rear passengers facing a power failure must remove a cover from a door pocket and pull a concealed cable to manually exit the vehicle, a process regulators have warned becomes significantly more difficult for occupants under the stress of an emergency, in darkness, or amid a vehicle fire. Bloomberg reported that the door handle flaws have been linked to vehicle entrapment and multiple fatalities, though the exact number of deaths specifically tied to the Chinese recall has not been detailed in the regulatory notices.

Tesla’s remedy for the recall does not involve a hardware redesign of the door mechanism itself. Instead, according to CNBC, the company will affix warning labels to recalled vehicles identifying the location of emergency door releases and will push an over-the-air software update to its window control system, allowing windows to automatically lower after an accident is detected, providing an alternative escape route even if the doors themselves remain difficult to open. According to Electrek, the recall is scheduled to take effect Sept. 25, 2026.

Tesla was not alone in Friday’s recall action. According to TechCrunch, Reuters reported that 11 automakers in China issued related recalls addressing the same hidden emergency door release problem, with nine manufacturers, including Tesla, agreeing to install warning labels helping occupants locate the releases. Xiaomi, Xpeng, and Geely-owned brands Zeekr and Lynk & Co. were among the other manufacturers issuing recalls. Electrek separately reported that eight other automakers filed recalls with China’s market regulator on the same day for the identical interior-release problem, including Leapmotor, Chery, Dongfeng, BAIC BluePark and FAW, describing the coordinated action as one of the broadest safety interventions Chinese regulators have taken on the issue, with Tesla’s nearly 3-million-vehicle recall dwarfing the scope of the other manufacturers’ actions. Bloomberg reported that more than 4 million vehicles in total were affected across the full scope of the crackdown.

China is also moving to prevent similar problems in future vehicle designs. According to Yahoo Autos, a new national standard, GB 48001-2026, takes effect Jan. 1, 2027, and will ban fully hidden door handles outright, making China the first country to explicitly prohibit the flush-handle design Tesla popularized across the industry. Under the new standard, new vehicles must feature mechanical exterior handles with a minimum grippable space of 60 by 20 by 25 millimeters, while previously approved models will be given until Jan. 1, 2029, to come into compliance.

Regulatory scrutiny of the design has extended beyond China’s borders as well. According to Yahoo Autos, NHTSA has opened preliminary investigations into roughly 179,000 Model 3 vehicles and approximately 174,000 Model Y units in the United States, and has signaled it intends to develop new intuitive-access requirements specifically governing emergency door releases across the broader auto industry.

Alongside the door handle recall, Tesla issued a separate, unrelated recall affecting its driver monitoring systems. According to Not a Tesla App, the company issued an immediate recall covering more than 2.74 million domestically produced Model 3 and Model Y vehicles built between March 2019 and December 2025, rolling out a free over-the-air update that enables active cabin camera tracking alongside steering wheel torque sensors to help ensure drivers keep their eyes on the road while the company’s Autosteer driver-assistance feature is engaged.

Friday’s recalls arrive at a challenging moment for Tesla’s position within China, the world’s largest auto market. According to CNBC, the Model Y remains one of the best-selling vehicles in the country, but Tesla continues to face intensifying competitive pressure from domestic Chinese automakers, including BYD and Xiaomi, which have introduced increasingly affordable and technologically innovative electric vehicles of their own. Electrek noted that flush door handles similar to those Tesla popularized have also been adopted by several of its Chinese competitors, including Xiaomi, Geely and others, several of which issued their own recalls addressing the same underlying safety concern on the same day.

TechCrunch noted that Tesla is not the only automaker to have relied on a hard-to-locate manual door release as a backup to electronic latches. Rivian customers and employees previously raised similar concerns regarding the manual release mechanism on the company’s R1 vehicles, which required passengers to remove a panel and pull a cord to exit manually; Rivian subsequently said it would relocate that release to a more accessible position on its newer, lower-cost R2 model, which launched this year. Separately, Ford briefly halted sales of its Mustang Mach-E in 2025 and issued its own recall aimed at reducing the risk of its electronic door latches malfunctioning in the event of a power loss.

Tesla has said it is working on redesigning its door handles for future vehicles, according to TechCrunch, though the company has not provided a specific timeline for when that broader hardware redesign might be implemented across its lineup. As Chinese regulators move forward with the new national ban on fully hidden door handles ahead of its January 2027 effective date, automakers across the industry, including Tesla, are likely to face continued pressure to reconsider flush-handle designs that have become a signature aesthetic feature of modern electric vehicles, even as the safety concerns tied to those designs draw increasing regulatory scrutiny in markets well beyond China alone.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Michael Caruso, a former Republican state legislator who helped pass one of Florida’s toughest child sex abuse laws, was arrested Tuesday, Aug. 18, on five felony charges alleging he sexually abused a young relative, according to authorities.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced the arrest of Caruso, 67, who currently serves as Palm Beach County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller, an appointed position he has held since August 2025. According to Newsweek, Caruso faces five felony counts: kidnapping, child molestation, lewd or lascivious exhibition, luring or enticing a child, and child abuse causing mental injury. An arrest affidavit indicates investigators allege the abuse occurred on multiple occasions between fall 2024 and August 2025.

Caruso, a married father of seven, was appointed to his current post by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. Gov. DeSantis suspended Caruso from office immediately upon learning of the allegations Tuesday. “It was a very easy decision for me to yank him from that position,” DeSantis said at a news conference, according to Newsweek. When asked whether he or anyone in his administration had been aware of any prior allegations against Caruso before appointing him, DeSantis said no. “Of course not,” he said. “He had a clean vet, he was well-regarded in the community,” DeSantis added, describing the alleged crimes as “horrific.”

The case carries particular legal weight given legislation Caruso himself supported while serving in the Florida House. In 2023, Caruso voted in favor of House Bill 1297, a measure allowing prosecutors to seek the death penalty against adults convicted of sexually battering a child under the age of 12. DeSantis signed that bill into law, making Florida the first state in the country to reintroduce capital punishment as a potential sentence for that specific crime. Referencing his own state’s law directly, DeSantis said of Caruso, “he is going to be in a world of hurt” if convicted.

As of this report, prosecutors have not charged Caruso with capital sexual battery specifically, according to The People’s Voice, though legal analysts and multiple outlets covering the case have noted that Florida authorities have indicated the case could be presented to a grand jury for consideration of that more severe charge. According to Raw Story, sources with knowledge of the allegations told the Miami Herald that the alleged victim was younger than 5 years old at the time.

Lisa Haba, an attorney involved in the case, characterized the significance of the arrest in a statement shared with Newsweek. “This arrest is a decisive line in the sand. When someone targets a child, they don’t just break the law — they shatter a community’s trust,” Haba said.

Caruso was booked into custody following his arrest and is being held without bond, according to Planet Today. He had been running unopposed in Tuesday’s Republican primary for his elected clerk position at the time of his arrest, according to Boing Boing.

Florida’s 2023 death penalty statute for child sex offenders states that such crimes “destroy the innocence of a young child and violate all standards of decency held by civilized society,” according to language cited by The People’s Voice. The law took effect in October 2023, before the period during which Caruso is now accused of committing the alleged abuse.

Legal analysts cited by Planet Today noted that converting the current charges into a capital case would require a formal grand jury indictment, proof meeting the specific statutory elements of sexual battery, and satisfaction of the procedural safeguards built into the 2023 law. That same report noted that critics of Florida’s Republican leadership have raised questions about how Caruso received what DeSantis described as a “clean vet” for his high-profile appointment, given that some reports have referenced prior, unspecified family allegations that had previously been deemed unfounded. Supporters of the governor, according to the same report, have countered that allegations previously found to be without merit cannot reasonably disqualify someone from public service, and that the administration’s swift suspension of Caruso once formal charges emerged demonstrates institutional accountability.

Caruso’s political career spanned service in the Florida House of Representatives before his 2025 appointment to the Palm Beach County clerk position, a role that includes oversight of court records and county financial administration. His arrest has drawn significant national media attention, in large part due to the direct connection between the specific criminal statute he helped enact and the charges he now personally faces.

The case remains in its early stages, with Caruso having been formally charged but not yet tried. As is standard practice in ongoing criminal cases, the charges against Caruso represent allegations rather than proven facts, and he retains the presumption of innocence unless and until a conviction is secured in court. Prosecutors have not publicly indicated a timeline for when the case might proceed to a grand jury or trial.

DeSantis’ administration has continued to face scrutiny over the vetting process that led to Caruso’s appointment, even as the governor has emphasized the speed of his response once the allegations became public. As the case continues, further developments are expected regarding both the scope of the criminal charges Caruso ultimately faces and the broader political fallout within Florida’s Republican Party, given Caruso’s prior legislative role in helping craft the very death penalty statute now central to public discussion of his case.

This story involves allegations of child sexual abuse. If you or someone you know has experienced sexual abuse, the National Sexual Assault Hotline is available 24/7 at 1-800-656-4673, or online at RAINN.org.

RAVENNA, Italy — Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho returned to professional football Thursday, Aug. 20, more than a decade after his last competitive match, as he was formally presented as the new number 10 for Ravenna FC, an Italian third-division club, in a beachside ceremony that drew thousands of fans.

The 46-year-old former Ballon d’Or winner attended an induction ceremony in Ravenna, meeting with local supporters as the club officially unveiled him as part of its roster for the 2026-27 season. Ravenna declared the day “Ronaldinho Day” to mark the occasion, and approximately 6,000 fans gathered near the venue on the Adriatic coast, waving flags and cheering as Ronaldinho made his appearance.

According to Colombia One, Ronaldinho will also become a shareholder in the club, combining an investment role with his commitment to potentially contribute on the field. Ravenna club president Ignazio Cipriani, who is part of the family behind the well-known Cipriani restaurant brand, first announced the surprise signing in June, describing the move as part of a broader effort to raise the club’s profile as it competes to climb through Italy’s football pyramid.

Ravenna vice-president Ariedo Braida initially suggested Ronaldinho’s role would be limited strictly to marketing activities rather than actual playing time. “Ronaldinho will do a marketing event with us but will not play for Ravenna in Serie C next season. Also because he’s 46, I wish he could still play,” Braida said at the time, according to Goal.com. He later softened that stance considerably in comments to the Italian news agency ANSA. “Ronaldinho is a timeless champion. He has signed with Ravenna and, for a club like ours, it’s an extraordinary coup. Over the next few days, there will be an event to unveil this extraordinary character. Will he play? We’ll see, but it’s not ruled out,” Braida said.

Speaking to fans and media during Thursday’s presentation ceremony, Ronaldinho struck a similarly open-ended tone regarding his own playing future. When asked about his physical condition, he smiled and replied simply, “I’m fine.” Pressed on when he might actually take the field in a competitive match, he deferred the decision to club leadership. “It depends on the chairman and the manager. I don’t know,” Ronaldinho said.

Ronaldinho also addressed the collaborative spirit behind his decision to join the project, framing the move as rooted primarily in personal friendship rather than a calculated football decision. “I’m very happy to be here with my friends, but let’s wait and see if things go well with the team,” he said, according to Goal.com’s coverage of the beachside ceremony.

Cipriani, for his part, has expressed hope that Ronaldinho’s involvement extends beyond ceremonial appearances. He revealed that he dreams of Ronaldinho scoring his final career goal while wearing a Ravenna shirt, a sentiment Ronaldinho appeared to embrace when the possibility was raised directly. “Wouldn’t that be even better? I came here because we are friends. Now, let’s see how the team does. I came here to help the team,” Ronaldinho said. In earlier comments following the initial June announcement, Cipriani offered a personal reflection on what the signing means to him. “[Ronaldinho] was my idol growing up,” Cipriani said at a presentation event held in Miami in June. “I hope his involvement inspires a new generation of supporters to fall in love with Ravenna.”

Ronaldinho’s career stands among the most decorated in the history of Brazilian football. He was a key contributor to Brazil’s victory at the 2002 World Cup, held jointly by South Korea and Japan, and won the Ballon d’Or in 2005 while at the peak of his powers with FC Barcelona, where he also won two La Liga titles and the 2006 UEFA Champions League. His European career additionally included spells with Paris Saint-Germain and AC Milan, the latter from 2008 to 2011, meaning his move to Ravenna marks his second spell playing club football in Italy. Following his time in Europe, Ronaldinho returned to Brazil, playing for clubs including Grêmio and Flamengo before his final professional appearance came with Fluminense in 2015.

In the more than a decade since that last competitive match, Ronaldinho had largely stepped away from formal club football, instead appearing in exhibition matches and legends events around the world rather than pursuing another competitive playing contract. His decision to sign with Ravenna in June therefore came as a significant surprise within the football world, described by Fox Sports as “one of the most unexpected moves in recent football history.”

Ravenna’s first Serie C match of the new season will be an away fixture against Reggiana on Aug. 24, though Ronaldinho is not expected to feature in that opening match, according to Colombia One. It also remains undecided how many matches he might ultimately participate in over the course of the season, with his specific role continuing to be evaluated by the club’s coaching staff under manager Andrea Mandorlini.

Cipriani has emphasized that the broader purpose behind bringing Ronaldinho to the club extends well beyond any individual playing appearances he might make. “This was an operation to bring the whole city closer to the team,” Cipriani said, according to Goal.com’s coverage of the June announcement. “To create a fan base with lots of joy and excitement for this new season.” Following the club’s June announcement of the signing, a special-edition Ravenna FC collaboration jersey featuring Ronaldinho’s involvement sold out rapidly amid the global attention generated by his high-profile arrival.

As Ravenna prepares to open its Serie C campaign this week, questions surrounding exactly when and how often Ronaldinho might actually appear in competitive matches remain unresolved, with both the player and club leadership indicating that any playing time will ultimately depend on decisions made collaboratively between Cipriani and the team’s coaching staff as the season progresses.