Debutant Aamir Jamal helped Pakistan to a six-run victory over England in an absorbing contest as the hosts opened up a 3-2 lead in the seven-match T20I series.
Pakistan were all out for 145 in 19 overs in Lahore, with Mark Wood (3-20) leading the way for England, who fell just short despite Moeen Ali’s half-century off 35 balls.
Jamal claimed his maiden international wicket on just the second ball of his career and, under immense pressure, the youngster held his nerve to steer Pakistan to a tense win.
Wood’s fierce pace had put England in command as he removed half of Pakistan’s top six, with Babar Azam (9), Haider Ali (4) and Asif Ali (5) failing to reach double figures.
Mohammad Rizwan top-scored for Pakistan with 63 from 46 – his fourth half-century this series – but David Willey (2-23) and Sam Curran (2-23) restricted the home side’s total.
Chris Woakes, making his first appearance since March, wrapped things up thanks to a swipe from Haris Rauf (8) as England were set a more-than-gettable target of 146.
However, opener Alex Hales went inside five balls for just a single run and fellow opener Phil Salt (3) pulled a short ball straight into the hands of Rauf soon after.
The tourists struggled for momentum, with Harry Brook (4) and Dawid Malan (36) trapped lbw after Ben Duckett (10) spooned Mohammad Wasim’s short ball to Shan Masood.
Curran (17) sliced Jamal’s second ball to Wasim as England chased boundaries, with Woakes (10) close behind, but Moeen kept his side ticking along.
England required 15 from the final six balls and would have forced a super over had David Willey cleared the boundary off the last ball, but it was not to be as Jamal held his nerve.
Maiden international wicket on just the second ball of his career! 👏
England would have fancied their chances of chasing just 146 for the win in what was a low-scoring contest, but they struggled in the power play and did not recover from 31-3 after five overs.
Unbeaten Moeen – the only England player to have taken over 30 wickets and scored over 500 runs for England in this format – kept his side in the hunt with 51 off 37 balls, though it was ultimately not enough.
England fall short
Jamal was thrown in somewhat at the deep end on his Pakistan bow but did superbly to restrict England to just seven runs in the final over when requiring 15 for victory.
The 26-year-old’s death bowling ensured the home side avoided back-to-back losses at the Gaddafi Stadium for the first time since October 2019.
Red Bull have described as “speculation” claims they breached Formula 1’s budget cap last season.
Formula 1’s governing body is said to be preparing to announce that two teams, Red Bull and Aston Martin, exceeded last year’s $145m (£114m) cap.
Red Bull’s Christian Horner told BBC Sport it was “purely speculation”.
Aston Martin, the other team linked with a breach, said they were “in discussion with the FIA and awaiting certification”.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolfftold BBC Sport: “The cost cap is probably the most important evolution of regulations to keep a level playing field to allow teams that haven’t got the full budget to catch up and to put a ceiling on the spending of the top teams.
“It is of huge importance for a demonstration that these regulations are policed and I have no reason to believe otherwise.
“The FIA, particularly Mohammed [bin Sulayem, the president], has shown a pretty robust stance on enforcing all kinds of regulations. So if we are talking now about something big, he will show the same integrity and leadership that he has done before.”
The FIA told the teams this week that they would be issuing certificates of compliance with the 2021 financial regulations – or not – on 5 October.
A number of teams questioned, when approached by BBC Sport, why the process of ensuring compliance with the budget cap had taken so long.
The accusations, if proved to be true, risk exacerbating problems F1 has had with the credibility of the 2021 season and extending them into this year.
The claims relate to the 2021 season, when Red Bull’s Max Verstappenclinched his maiden title from Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton after a controversial end to the season in which FIA race director Michael Masi failed to implement the rules correctly during a late safety-car period.
But the budget teams spend during a season also includes their development for the following year’s car, so any breach would have had an impact on a team’s performance in 2022.
And if a team is found in breach in 2021, it is likely to have an impact going forward – they are likely to have used the same methodology to assess costs and spending in 2022, so could be in breach this year, too; and this would have an impact on 2023 car development.
The budget cap was introduced as part of a swinging set of regulation changes aimed at closing up the field and making the racing in F1 more competitive.
This year, Red Bull have dominated the season, helped by a series of errors and failures by Ferrari, and Max Verstappen is poised to clinch his second world title with several races to spare.
McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl said: “I don’t want to comment on specifics because I don’t have any information, but it is clear that in terms of the financial regulations, similar to the technical and sporting regulations, good governance and policing is in place because the integrity of the sport is the most important thing.
“We have a lot of faith in the new president of the FIA and his team, seeing the rigour with which they investigated the budget cap on our side.
“We trust them to make the right judgement.
“It is also important to have proper penalties in place so the cap works as intended.”
An FIA spokesperson said: “The FIA is currently finalising the assessment of the 2021 financial data submitted by all F1 teams. Alleged breaches of the financial regulations, if any, will be dealt with according to the formal process set out in the regulations.”
What are the potential penalties?
The cost-cap regulations define an overspend of less than 5% as “minor” and more than that as “material”.
Sanctions for a minor breach can include a decision of points for the championship in which the breach took place, a suspension from a limited number of events, limitations on research and development and a reduction of the cost cap for the team in question.
For a material breach, the possibility of banning a team or driver from an entire championship is included.
Teams regard it as an open secret that there has been both a major and a minor breach. At least one team has been given that information direct from the FIA.
And there is concern that the FIA will try to reduce the offence to a minor one to limit the damage to the championship.
Red Bull and the FIA are known to have been in conversation on the matter of compliance with the budget cap for some time.
One senior figure said that breaking the cost cap was analogous to doping as the financial increase involved is directly related to performance.
However, there is no expectation within F1 that the results of last year’s championship will be changed. But there is serious concern among teams that the championship could be distorted by breaches of the budget cap.
Even a minor breach could give a team a significant advantage.
A 5% overspend in 2021 would amount to an overspend of $7.25m.
This is in the upper reaches of a leading team’s annual spend on in-season development, so even a minor breach could amount to the equivalent of effectively an entire season’s development.
Another way of viewing the figure is that an extra $10m would allow a team to employ a further 100 people, based on a typical top team’s average salary figure.
The budget cap reduced to $140m in 2022 and is coming down to $135m in 2023. The exchange rate is fixed at $1.2961 to the pound – so the cap is not affected by the recent reduction in the value of sterling.
The Police has arrested a Chinese national for causing harm to his Ghanaian co-worker at a construction site at Kweikuma suburb of Takoradi, in the Western Region.
Preliminary investigation carried out by the Police indicates that the suspect, Xue Hue, on September 28, 2022, attacked his colleague mason with a knife, inflicting a cut on his neck.
The victim, whose identity has not been disclosed has since been treated and discharged.
Meanwhile, the suspect is in custody assisting with investigation.
According to the Police, Xue Hue will be put before a court of law on September 30, 2022, to face justice.
Rory McIlroy believes “golf is ripping itself apart right now” as the battle between the PGA Tour and the LIV Golf Invitational Series rages on.
The introduction of the Saudi-backed LIV Golf has caused a huge divide in the sport, with big names such as Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau defecting from the PGA Tour to LIV Golf.
The storm has also seen some defectors file lawsuits against the PGA Tour after it banned those who made the switch to LIV Golf from playing in its events.
And McIlroy, who has remained fiercely loyal to the PGA Tour, sees the dispute as harmful for players on both sides of the divide, telling reporters: “I don’t want a fractured game. I never have.
“You look at some other sports and what’s happened and the game of golf is ripping itself apart right now.
“It’s no good for the guys on, you know, this side or the sort of traditional system and it’s no good for the guys on the other side, either.
“It’s no good for anyone. There is a time and a place for it. I just think right now, with where everything is, it’s probably not the right time.
“I’ve always said I think there is a time and a place where everyone that’s involved here should sit down and try to work together. It’s very hard for that to happen right now when there’s two lawsuits going on.”
Frenchman Romain Langasque leads the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship after producing an outstanding 11-under-par opening round of 61 on Thursday.
Langasque – who is 272nd in the official world golf rankings – hit two eagles, eight birdies and just one bogey in his round, equalling the best-ever at The Old Course at St Andrews made by Ross Fisher in 2017.
However, he sits just one clear of compatriot Frederic Lacroix, who went round in 62 at Kingsbarns.
It was a good day for the French as Antoine Rozner looked to have locked out the top three for them, before Dane Niklas Noergaard Moeller also carded an opening round of 63.
“It feels very good,” Langasque said of his achievement. “As I said to my caddie, it didn’t feel like I shot 11 under today. I was having a good run, but just five, six was the way I think of it, but just the end of the course was amazing.
“I holed a few long putts. The game was great but it didn’t feel [like] I shot 11 under.
“I never [thought] I’d have the course record at St Andrews, now I think my name is on this board so I am really happy about this. It’s only the first round so I want to stay really focused for the next few days.”
Eight birdies and two eagles in @Lancaisse‘s opening round ✍️
Rory McIlroy could not match those numbers at Carnoustie, hitting six birdies and two bogeys as he finished with 68, but the world number two was pleased enough with his first round.
“I started really well,” he said. “I played the back nine very well, then sort of stalled a little bit and made a couple of bad swings coming in. Overall, you are not going to get Carnoustie in easier conditions so I feel like I left a few shots out there.
“It was a decent day and to play decent, you do not want to be chasing in what looks like really bad weather tomorrow so I’ve put a red number on the board and have a few shots to play with.”
The PGA Tourhave accused the LIV Golf Invitational Series of making “astronomical” offers to players in a bid to “sportswash” Saudi Arabia’s global image in a lawsuit filed on Wednesday.
The controversial LIV series – which counts the likes of Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia and Bryson DeChambeau among its ranks – launched an antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour last month.
Eleven LIV golfers were originally named as plaintiffs in that claim, although eight – including Mickelson – have since withdrawn.
The PGA Tour have now hit back with legal action of their own, alleging: “A key component of LIV’s strategy has been to intentionally induce Tour members to breach their Tour agreements and play in LIV events while seeking to maintain their Tour memberships and play in marquee Tour events, so LIV can free ride off the Tour and its platform.”
The PGA’s counterclaim goes on to accuse LIV of offering players “astronomical sums of money” in an attempt “to use the LIV Players and the game of golf to sportswash the recent history of Saudi atrocities”.
The LIV Team Championship is set for October 28-30 in Miami 🌴
In a widely publicised statement, LIV responded by saying: “The Tour has made these counterclaims in a transparent effort to divert attention from their anti-competitive conduct.
“We remain confident that the courts and the justice system will right these wrongs.”
FedEx Cup champion Rory McIlroy – who has been a staunch critic of the LIV series – declared golf was “ripping itself apart” earlier on Thursday, as the bitter divide between the two circuits shows no signs of healing.
One day earlier, McIlroy called on LIV players to do more to foster a sense of reconciliation between the tours, declaring: “The ball is in their court.”
Davis Riley produced a bogey-free opening round to claim a share of the lead alongside Will Gordon after the opening day of the Sanderson Farms Championship on Thursday.
Mississippi-native Riley carded a six-under-par 66 including four birdies in his first seven holes to set the pace at the Country Club of Jackson.
Riley he also holed an 18-foot putt for birdie on the 17th, backing up his birdie on the 16th for a strong opening round.
Gordon, who was among the last to finish on the opening day, came in strong with three birdies in his final five holes. He sunk a 23-foot birdie putt on the ninth.
Seven players are tied at five-under, including tour rookie Brandon Matthews who finished his round with back-to-back birdies to card 67.
Matthews is tied with Andrew Putnam, Kevin Yu, Mark Hubbard, Thomas Detry, Trevor Cone and Christiaan Bezuidenhout, the latter fresh from his Presidents Cup debut.
Among the day’s highlights were aces on the fourth hole to Brandon Wu, who is three-under-overall, and M.J. Daffue, who had just double bogeyed the par-five third hole.
Reigning champion Sam Burns carded a bogey-free two-under-par 70, while one of the pre-tournament favourites Denny McCarthy is a further stroke behind after birdieing his final two holes.
Sahith Theegala (one over), Russell Henley (two over) and J.T. Poston (four over) struggled on the opening day, with the latter carding four bogeys and one double bogey in the par-four 12th.
Mali’s military leader Col Assimi Goïta welcomed the Ecowas leaders as they arrived at the Modibo Keita International Airport in Bamako on Thursday, according to the Malian presidency on Facebook.
The military-led government had postponed the arrival of the Ecowas delegation to Thursday, citing “calendar constraints”. They had been due to arrive two days earlier.
Senegalese President Macky Sall and his Togolese counterpart, Faure Gnassingbe, were to be part of the delegation announced last Thursday, during an extraordinary Ecowas session the same day in New York, on the side-lines of the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly.
Ecowas chairperson Umaro Sissoco Embalo had hinted at fresh sanctions for Mali if it continued to detain the 46 Ivorian soldiers.
Mali’s Foreign Minister, Abdoulaye Diop, said his country would not obey any order on the detention of the soldiers, accused of being mercenaries.
Broadcast has resumed on Burkina Faso national TV after it went blank amid reports of gunfire and soldiers staged at different locations in the capital, Ouagadougou.
A journalist monitoring the coverage says the station is showing a story about cotton farming and no reports of the suspected coup attempt.
Many reports from local media in Burkina Faso and regional experts are pointing to a coup attempt.
Heavy gunfire was reported near the main military camp in the capital Ouagadougou, and the state broadcaster, La Radiodiffusion Télévision du Burkina, has suspended transmission.
There has been confusion amid the gunfire at Baba Sy military barracks and reports of the state broadcaster building being surrounded by soldiers.
Current leader Lt Col Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba seized power in a coup in January.
Last week, Lt Col Damiba addressed the 77th session of United Nations General Assembly where he described the military coup as having been “an issue of survival” for the nation.
RTB (national broadcaster) is back online showing a story about cotton farming, nothing about what is happening with the potential coup. This has been an ominous sign in the past. #BurkinaFasopic.twitter.com/joPGooUQ5o
Two giants of the Italian game meet as Inter Milan host Roma at the San Siro with both looking to improve on inconsistent starts to their respective seasons.
Joint-league leaders Napoli and Atalanta are in action at home hoping to extend their unbeaten league starts against Torino and Fiorentina, respectively.
Reigning champions AC Milan will feel they have a point to prove as they visit Empoli having slipped out of the top four, sitting behind Lazio on goal difference.
Juventus, meanwhile, are down in eighth and need a win at home to Bologna to spark some life into their season.
Game of the week: Inter Milan vs Roma (Saturday, 5pm)
Both sides will be desperate for a big win to inject some positivity into their league campaigns — but Inter will fancy their chances.
The Nerazzurri have won more games (75) and scored more goals (290) in Serie A against Roma than any other opponent in their history.
Additionally, Inter have not lost any of the last 10 meetings between the pair in the competition (four wins, six draws), with Roma last triumphing in 2017.
While the hosts sit seventh in the table, they can rely on their strong home form having won each of their last seven league outings at San Siro — keeping four clean sheets in that period.
Roma will rely on striker Andrea Belotti to turn the tide in their favour — since 2016, no player has scored more away goals against Inter than he has (four).
Napoli vs Torino (Saturday, 2pm)
Napoli’s attacking numbers have made them Serie A contenders
Napoli are one of just two teams yet to lose in Serie A this season — and they will be intent on keeping it that way against Torino.
In fact, the Azzurri are unbeaten in their last 11 outings in the competition (nine wins, two draws) and also boast a 14-game unbeaten record (10 wins, four draws) against Saturday’s opponents.
The Partenopei may be forced to wait to score, however. Torino have only conceded one goal in the first half of matches — and five of the other six have come in the 80th minute or later.
Luciano Spalletti’s men can also expect plenty of set-piece situations to exploit, with Torino committing the second-most fouls in the division (108) while Napoli have won the second-most (99).
Empoli vs AC Milan (Saturday, 7.45pm)
Milan will be out to right some wrongs after losing their unbeaten status in a 2-1 defeat to title rivals Napoli last time out.
In Empoli, they face an opponent against whom they boast a strong record. The Rossoneri have won the last three league meetings in a row and have only lost one of the last 11 in the competition (six wins, four draws).
The 2021-22 champions will be wary of Empoli striker Mattia Destro, however, who has scored the joint-most Serie A goals against them of any player since 2019 (four).
Atalanta vs Fiorentina (Sunday, 5pm)
Atalanta come into this game unbeaten in Serie A this season and level on points with league leaders Napoli as they welcome Fiorentina.
Remarkably, though, most of their success has come on the road this term. In fact, Atalanta have only won one of their last nine Serie A games at home (five draws, three defeats).
Conversely, Fiorentina have not travelled well of late. They have lost five of their last six league games on the road (one draw), scoring just three times in that run. ]
La Viola have attempted the second-most crosses of any team in Europe’s top five leagues this term (138) but have failed to convert any of those into a goal.
They will need to be more creative if they are to break through the team with the best defensive record in Serie A this season (three goals conceded).
Atalanta’s Ruslan Malinovskyi, meanwhile, has two goals and two assists in his last five league appearances against Fiorentina and will be keen to add to his tally.
Ruslan Malinovskyi is pulling all the strings for Atalanta
Juventus vs Bologna (Sunday, 7.45pm)
A glance at the history books makes it almost inconceivable that Juventus should slip to defeat against Bologna.
The Bianconeri have lost only once in the last 39 league meetings between the pair (28 wins, 10 draws) and Bologna have not drawn (49) or lost (78) more Serie A games against any other opponent.
Bologna’s recent away form in the Italian top flight leaves much to be desired, managing just one win in their last 13 matches on the road (five draws, seven defeats).
Additionally, Juventus boss Max Allegri has 15 wins against Bologna — the second-most of any coach against a team since the 1994-95 season.
Juventus are struggling to get the ball into their dangerous players
Former Zambia President Edgar Lungusays he is ready to face the law if he stole during his term.
Mr Lungu is unhappy that he, as well as his former government officials and family members, have been subjects of investigation for crimes allegedly committed when he was president.
He was particularly displeased that state investigators on Thursday went to a piece of land that he owns to carry out investigations.
Mr Lungu has since appealed to his successor Hakainde Hichilema to start the process of removing his constitutional immunity from prosecution so that he can clear his name.
“He who alleges, must prove and we will defend ourselves,” he later told members of parliament and supporters from his Patriotic Front party who visited him.
“My urge is that may the president institute the lifting of my immunity by going to parliament to lay a case so that he can eventually prove what crimes I committed,” he said.
Mr Lungu, who last year lost power to Mr Hichilema, has previously denied many allegations of corruption during his time as president.
A suicide attack at a tuition centre in the Afghan capital Kabul has killed at least 19 people, most of them female students, police and witnesses say.
Nearly 30 others were wounded at the Kaaj education centre in the Dasht-e-Barchi area in the west of the city.
Students had been sitting a practice university exam when the bomber struck. No group has yet claimed the attack.
Footage on local TV and shared on social media appeared to show scenes from a nearby hospital, where rows of covered bodies were laid out on the floor. Other media reportedly from the site of the private college showed rubble and upturned tables in the damaged classrooms.
“We didn’t find her here,” a woman who was looking for her sister at one of the hospitals told AFP news agency. “She was 19 years old.”
Eyewitnesses told the BBC that most of the victims were girls. A student who was wounded told AFP that there were around 600 people in the room when the attack happened.
Image caption, Friends and relatives have been looking for their loved ones in hospitals in the capital
The Kaaj tuition centre is a private college which teaches both male and female students. Most girls’ schools in the country have been closed since the Taliban returned to power in August last year, but some private schools are open.
Hazaras, most of whom are Shia Muslims, have long faced persecution from IS and the Taliban, which both adhere to Sunni Islam.
The Hazaras are Afghanistan’s third largest ethnic group.
On Friday the Taliban’s interior ministry spokesman said security teams were at the site and condemned the attack.
Abdul Nafy Takor said attacking civilian targets “proves the enemy’s inhuman cruelty and lack of moral standards”.
The attack was also strongly condemned by the United Nations and the US.
“Targeting a room full of students taking exams is shameful; all students should be able to pursue an education in peace and without fear,” said Karen Decker, charge d’affaires at the US mission to Afghanistan, in a tweet.
The security situation in Afghanistan, which had improved after the end of fighting following the Taliban takeover, has been deteriorating in recent months, with a number of attacks on civilians but also Taliban supporters. Some have been claimed by IS, which is a bitter rival of the Taliban.
Schools and hospitals have been targeted in the Dasht-e-Barchi area in a series of attacks, most of which are thought to have been the work of IS.
Last year – before the Taliban returned to power – a bomb attack on a girls school in Dasht-e-Barchi killed at least 85 people, mainly students, and wounded hundreds more.
Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes has hit out at the club’s recruitment in recent transfer windows, describing it as a “complete mess”.
United missed out on Champions League qualification last season despite spending big to attract the likes of Jadon Sancho, Raphael Varane and Cristiano Ronaldo to Old Trafford, and left it late to do their business this year.
Although Casemiro and Antony arrived shortly before the closure of the transfer window, United frustrated fans with a drawn-out, fruitless pursuit of Frenkie de Jong, while they failed to sign a striker amid uncertainty over Ronaldo’s future.
While a run of four consecutive wins has got Erik ten Hag’smen back on track after they lost their first two games of the Premier League campaign, Scholes believes something must change.
Recalling last year’s transfer activity while speaking to Gary Neville for the Overlap, Scholes said: “[In Sancho] you’ve got a young player you spent a lot of money on who, don’t get me wrong, did great in Germany but was unproven in the Premier League.
“Cristiano was proven, of course he was, but he was 36. Varane, I always think, ‘why would a club like Real Madrid let Varane go?’
“If you looked at him last season, he didn’t look right. I didn’t think it was a great transfer window.
“It’s been a complete mess. It looks like there’s nobody in charge of it. Nobody at the club is taking responsibility for it.
“It is [director of football] John Murtough? Is it the manager? I think they need to put someone in charge of recruitment. What will happen eventually is the manager will get blamed for it.”
United began the campaign with humiliating defeats to Brighton and Hove Albion and Brentford before Ten Hag adopted a more pragmatic counter-attacking style, and Scholes believes that approach is necessary given the make-up of their squad.
“I think even with the new manager now, he’s stumbled across it,” Scholes said.”I think the Old Trafford crowd get nervous when the goalkeeper is trying to play it 10 yards to the centre-back.
“When you talk about a club with a philosophy, that’s not Manchester United, it’s Barcelona, it’s Manchester City now, it’s Ajax.
“I don’t know if the manager’s done it on purpose or just got lucky. After Brentford he realised, ‘I don’t really have the players to do that’. After the Brentford game, there was a change.”
About 20 members of a Jewish sect held at a facility in Mexico after a police raid on their jungle base have fled.
Footage showed men, women, and children streaming out of the site in Huixtla, in the west, on Wednesday night.
They had been there since the raid last Friday when two members were arrested on suspicion of human trafficking and serious sexual offences.
The sect, Lev Tahor, is known for extremist practices and imposing a strict regime on its followers.
It advocates child marriage, inflicts harsh punishments even for minor transgressions and requires women and girls as young as three years old to completely cover up with robes.
Local media said members of the group had been protesting against their detention since their arrival, including rioting and assaulting personnel.
Video from Reuters news agency shows the detainees, dressed in gold, grey and white robes, forcing their way past two guards at a gate as one of their members holds it open.
One of the guards trying to hold them back falls down and the group climb over him as they make their escape. A youth is seen turning and kicking the guard as he lies on the ground.
It is unclear where the group has gone. Associated Press said they were collected by a lorry and headed towards the border with Guatemala, while news site El Heraldo de México said they went by foot for several miles before disappearing into the night.
Their compound, 11 miles (17.5km) north of Tapachula in Chiapas state, was raided by an elite police unit after a months-long investigation and surveillance operation involving Mexican and Guatemalan authorities and a private four-man team from Israel including former Mossad and domestic intelligence agents.
Twenty-six members were found at the site, among them Israelis with dual citizenships including Canada, the US and Guatemala, Israel’s foreign ministry said.
IMAGE SOURCE,RAFFI BERG
Image caption, The group had been under surveillance by an Israeli team and Mexican police for months
It said a Canadian and an Israeli citizen were arrested, while two other wanted members reportedly left the compound two days before the raid and are being sought. Five more were detained for allegedly breaking immigration rules.
The operation stemmed from an appeal to a former member of Israel’s domestic intelligence agency, Shin Bet, by a former member of the sect, Yisrael Amir.
Mr Amir fled the group’s base in Guatemala in 2020, having to leave his then one-year-old son there.
His son was released in the raid last week and flown back to Israel with his father.
The group had lived in Guatemala since 2014, but in January members illegally crossed into Mexico, settling in the jungle.
The leadership in Guatemala has been at the centre of a kidnapping case since 2018. Nine of the sect’s members have been charged, four of whom have so far been convicted.
Lev Tahor – Hebrew for Pure of Heart – was formed in Israel in 1988 and is thought to number up to 350 members, according to an ex-members group.
It has been forced to move from country to country in recent years after coming under scrutiny from local authorities. It is currently spread between Israel, the US, North Macedonia, Morocco, Mexico and Guatemala. Between 70 and 80 members are still in Guatemala.
While the group is often described as ultra-Orthodox, it follows its own sets of rules and has been declared a “dangerous cult” by an Israeli court.
Its leaders have denied breaking local laws and say the group is being targeted because of its beliefs.
Ghanaian footballer, Eugene Quaynor, on Wednesday, September 28, 2022, died in a car crash in the United States.
The fatal accident occurred at East 71st Street and South Yale Avenue after Eugene Quaynor stopped under the red light.
The driver who caused the accident was driving at high speed when he got to the section of the traffic light. He rammed into Quaynor’s car from behind to push the player’s car into the middle of the road.
Eugene Quaynor’s sedan car instantly burst into flames.
Reports have it that the late footballer attempted to escape but he was stuck inside his car and lost his life.
A report from the Tulsa Police Department (TPD) revealed that the driver of the large SUV who caused the accident is suspected to have been driving under the influence of alcohol. He also sustained minor injuries and was taken to the hospital.
The 23-year-old Ghanaian player is said to have passed away three days after celebrating his birthday on September 22nd.
Eugene Quaynor was born in Accra, Ghana and schooled at the Oyoko Methodist SHS where he led his team to win the ‘interco’ games. He later furthered his education at the University of Ghana where he helped the school place third at the GUSA games.
Quaynor later gained a scholarship to further his studies in the United States at Oral Roberts University to study Sports Management.
The Ghanaian player who played as a tough tackling footballer was the captain of the Oral Roberts football team at the time of his death. Eugene Quaynor’s last match for his team was on the day of his death in a 3-1 win over Lindenwood men’s team.
“We loved him, we genuinely loved him.” – @andywagstaff@FlintCityBucks described Eugene Quaynor as the heart and soul of the team
Ghana target Callum Hudson-Odoi says it was the right time to move from England to join Bayer Leverkusen ahead of the 2022 World Cup.
The 21-year-old joined the Bundesliga side on a season long loan in the recent summer in order to get game-time under his belt after falling out of favour under Thomas Tuchel at Stamford Bridge.
The move was sanctioned by owner Todd Boehly in the summer with both parties agreeing that first team football was necessary in order to help Hudson-Odoi reach his full-potential.
“Coming out here my aim was to get as many games as possible and build on the fitness that I haven’t really had in the last couple of seasons for Chelsea,” he said as quoted by astamfordbridgetoofar.com.
“Game wise I have been playing a lot here and I’m really enjoying it and every moment here, trying to help the team as much as possible, scoring goals and assisting goals, just doing whatever even it’s not scoring or assisting, just being influential in the team.”
Hudson-Odoi has made five appearances for Bayer Leverkusen across all competitions and provided one assist.
At least 23 people have been killed and dozens more injured in a Russian missile strike on a humanitarian convoy in south Ukraine, local officials say.
The BBC saw half a dozen bodies lying at the scene, apparently civilians. Baggage and coats strewed the tarmac.
A Russian-installed local official blamed Ukraine for Friday’s attack.
The convoy was hit in the early hours of Friday as people were preparing to travel to the Russian-occupied part of the region to pick up their relatives and also deliver humanitarian aid.
“The enemy launched a rocket attack on the outskirts of the regional centre,” Zaporizhzhia regional head Oleksandr Starukh said in a post on social media, describing it as “another terrorist act” by Russia.
Near the missile’s impact crater, the BBC spoke to Kateryna Holoborod, sat on her suitcase in a state of shock.
‘We arrived in a line, to join a column going towards Kherson,” she said.
“We got out to see what number we had in the queue. Then the first rocket hit, behind the wagons.
“We dropped to the ground. Then the second one hit in the centre of the queue. There was glass everywhere, people screaming and running. I don’t remember much.
“It was very scary. I then got up to see what happened, help the injured. I tried to help an injured young man when the third explosion happened.”
Image caption, Ukraine said the attack was “another terrorist act” by Russia
The attack comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin is preparing for a signing ceremony in Moscow to annex Zaporizhzhia along with Ukraine’s Donetsk, Luhansk and Kherson regions.
The move follows self-styled referendums in the eastern and southern regions, which have been condemned by Ukraine and the West as a sham.
Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February, and Moscow currently controls the majority of the Zaporizhzhia region, including Europe’s biggest nuclear power plant there – but not the regional capital.
Moscow-installed regional official Vladimir Rogov blamed “Ukrainian militants” for the Zaporizhzhia attack, Russian state-run media reported.
Emile Heskey has dismissed Liverpool’s title chances because he fears they will be unable to keep pace with “relentless” Manchester City.
The Premier League returns this weekend, with City already flying high and on the coat-tails of early leaders Arsenal.
Pep Guardiola’s City team are undefeated with five wins and two draws so far, plus a league-high goal difference of plus 17, six better than any other side.
By contrast, Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool have won only two of six games to date, struggling to match the high standards they set when pushing City all the way to the final day in last season’s championship.
Former Reds striker Heskey declared Liverpool are “probably not” in this season’s title race, stating: “I think their main focus is top four now because Champions League is a must.
“I think City are relentless. Give them an inch, they’ll take a mile. They know how to exploit things.
“They might be 1-0 down, but you know that they’re going to come back. And this is the relentlessness that I think Liverpool had a couple of seasons ago, and they’re trying to get back now.
“I don’t think it’s going to be a particularly bad season getting into the top four, I think it is still massive.”
Heskey said “everyone knows” losing Sadio Mane to Bayern Munich amounted to “a huge miss” for Liverpool, with the sale having gone through in late June, ending a six-year Anfield stay for the Senegalese forward.
Former England international Heskey rates Luis Diaz and is hopeful Mohamed Salah will roar back to Golden Boot form, having made a somewhat underwhelming start to the campaign, with two goals and two assists in six league games.
“The thing with Mo, is we are so used to it,” Heskey said of the Egyptian’s prolific scoring. “But when it wasn’t Mo, we had another person that could take up that mantle.
“And if you haven’t got that other person to take up that mantle, who will get you the goals that Mo used to as well, you can then start pointing back at Mo and saying, ‘Well, he’s not doing this, he’s not doing that’.
“But the pressures come with that and he understands that, and he’s able to get on with that and deal with it. He’s a fantastic player.
“I think just give him the ball and let him go and enjoy himself again. When you saw Mo Salah smiling, that’s when you know that you’ve got something good. Even when he’s missing chances and he’s smiling, you know that he’s on form.”
Liverpool face Brighton and Hove Albion in the Premier League on Saturday, their first domestic game in four weeks, after two postponements in the wake of Queen Elizabeth II’s death were followed by the international break.
Darwin Nunez has yet to show his peak Benfica form in a Liverpool shirt since switching from the Portuguese giants in the close season, but Heskey suspects the talent is there for the Uruguayan striker to become a “phenomenal” Premier League performer.
As was the case with a pair of Arsenal greats, Heskey feels Nunez could come good after a settling-in period.
Heskey said: “He’s still a young player and one thing we’ve got to understand is, these players coming from abroad who are coming and adapting, not all of them adapt straight away.
“It’s a bit of an anomaly for the ones who just come in and just fit straight in.
“You need to give them time. You’ve got to remember Patrick Vieira and Thierry Henry didn’t just fit in and click straight away, and we’re talking about Premier League greats. So give him the opportunity, and give them the time to settle in. I know we don’t have time, but give them time to settle in and he will be a phenomenal player.”
The Mozambican police chief has asked residents in areas recently attacked by jihadists in the northern Cabo Delgado province to resist the attackers.
In talks with the local population, Bernardino Rafael urged people to use all the means at their disposal and called for greater vigilance to protect the community.
“Now is not the time to run away. It’s time to resist. When they [the jihadists] enter our fields what we have to do is chase them and resist with a knife, a machete [or] a spear and then one of you runs to communicate to the security forces to join and chase these jihadists away,” he said.
He assured the population that the militants were being pursued and some had been killed during armed confrontations.
The police chief assured that those who are qualified would be integrated into the local force – a group that works with government soldiers and international allies in the fight against terrorism.
In talks with the local population, Bernardino Rafael urged people to use all the means at their disposal and called for greater vigilance to protect the community.
“Now is not the time to run away. It’s time to resist. When they [the jihadists] enter our fields what we have to do is chase them and resist with a knife, a machete [or] a spear and then one of you runs to communicate to the security forces to join and chase these jihadists away,” he said.
He assured the population that the militants were being pursued and some had been killed during armed confrontations.
In Quissanga district, local residents, particularly the youth, asked for weapons to help defend their land from jihadist invasions.
The police chief assured that those who are qualified would be integrated into the local force – a group that works with government soldiers and international allies in the fight against terrorism.
The North American country has been drawn in the same group as Ghana for this year’s mundial.
With less than two months before the tournament starts in Qatar, Ronald Araujo is set to undergo surgery.
According to a statement from his club FC Barcelona, he would undergo surgery on a torn thigh muscle.
After the surgery, he will need at least two months to make full recovery. This could rule him out of the tournament entirely.
“The operation will be undertaken by doctor, under the supervision of club medical services, in Turku, Finland. Once the operation is complete a new medical statement will be made,” a statement from FC Barcelona said on Monday.
This year’s world cup is scheduled to start in Qatar on November 20.
Besides Ghana, Uruguay will face Portugal and South Korea at the group stages of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Antonio Conte is relaxed regarding his contract situation at Tottenham, despite his current deal expiring at the end of the season.
Although Spurs have a year’s option on Conte’s deal – which initially runs until 2023, speculation has suggested he could be tempted to return to Juventus at the end of the campaign.
Speaking on Thursday ahead of Tottenham’s trip to north London rivals Arsenal, Conte labelled such reports “disrespectful”, and the Italian has now said there is no rush to agree fresh terms.
“There is not [a] contract, there is not [an] option… if the club and the manager want to work together, they will continue to work together. If they don’t want to work together, they finish,” Conte told reporters.
“The most important thing for me is that I’m really enjoying working with Tottenham, with these players, especially, and the relationship with Daniel [Levy] and Fabio [Paratici] is good.
“I’m okay and I think the club is happy about this situation. Now, the most important thing for Tottenham’s present and Tottenham’s future is to get the best possible result [against Arsenal].”
Asked whether the Premier League’s upcoming break for the World Cup could represent the ideal time to engage in talks over a renewal, Conte added: “There doesn’t exist a right time.
“It could be tomorrow. It could be the last day of the Premier League season. The most important thing for me and the club is to understand we want to continue together, to go in the same direction.
“Otherwise, I don’t see a problem. I said in the past I didn’t need another contract to be sure to stay in a club.
“Also, for the club, it’s a good investment to have a coach like me and my staff. At the right time, I will take the best decision. At this moment, I’m really happy.
“I don’t want to push the club about the situation because it’s not the right time. We have just started the season and we have a long time to live together and to understand, to continue to work together.”
Newcastle United have won the race for the signature of exciting 18-year-old Australian forward Garang Kuol.
Kuol, who debuted for the Socceroos in Sunday’s 2-0 win over New Zealand, reached an agreement with the Magpies to join the Premier League outfit from A-League club Central Coast in January.
The Egypt-born forward scored five goals in 12 games in all competitions last season after bursting on to the scene with the Mariners.
Kuol dazzled in May’s A-League All-Stars game against Barcelona, reportedly sparking interest from several top clubs, including the Blaugrana and Chelsea.
Newcastle Unitedsporting director Dan Ashworth said: “Garang is a very promising young talent and we are excited that he’ll be continuing his development as a Newcastle United player.
“Our philosophy is to invest in our Academy and in exciting young players for the future, as well as in players required to make an immediate impact in the first team.”
Kuol is in the mix for Australia’s World Cup squad, with the Socceroos grouped with France, Tunisia and Denmark.
Fresh air strikes against Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region killed at least six people on Tuesday, an aid worker told the BBC, with rebel forces accusing neighbouring Eritrea of carrying out the attack.
The Eritrean government, whose troops previously fought alongside Ethiopian soldiers in the region, has not responded to the accusation.
Tuesday’s attack targeted Adi-Daero town, located near the Eritrean border, the aid worker said.
He added that he saw people injured in the attack being taken to hospital by an ambulance.
The Tigrayan authorities say the air strikes were carried out “repeatedly” on Tuesday and destroyed residential houses.
The regional media run by the Tigray authoritiesaired footage of the devastation caused by the alleged attack.
The BBC is unable to verify the events. All means of communication have been cut off in the region and journalists have been denied access to the region.
However the BBC has analysed satellite images showing a major military build-up around Shiraro, a border town the Tigray forces had reportedly lost a few weeks ago.
The satellite images taken this month show troops and heavy artilleries positioned along the border between Ethiopia and Eritrea.
Burkina Faso state TV is currently off-air amid heavy gunfire in the capital Ouagadougou.
There are soldiers along the main avenue leading to the presidency, and some areas near buildings around the national radio have been restricted.
On Thursday, hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets in the western Burkina Faso city of Bobo Dioulasso to demand his resignation.
The protesters reportedly blamed Damiba for the chaotic management of the security situation.
A local outlet reports that gunfire was heard at other military barracks located in towns across Burkina Faso.
The news site, Actualite Burkina Faso, has not named the towns.
Initial reports had only indicated heavy gunfire from the main military barracks in the capital, Ouagadougou.
The situation in Burkina Faso is confusing and it’s unclear who is behind the deployment of soldiers in the capital, Ouagadougou, and around the presidential palace.
It is however notable that bodies of 11 soldiers and 50 civilians were discovered on Monday in the northern town of Djibo after an ambush on Monday.
The military took power promising an end to the Islamist insurgency that started in 2015, but violence still rages.
🔴 #BurkinaFaso La situation était confuse ce matin à #Ougadougou, où des soldats se sont déployés dans la nuit autour de points stratégiques de la ville. Le président #Damiba se trouve dans la capitale et va bien, selon l’un de ses proches.https://t.co/3cSPgqVXWm
Tyson Fury’sco-promoter Frank Warren has accused Anthony Joshua’s camp of radio silence, stating they have “bent over backwards” in pursuit of an agreement.
The saga surrounding the ‘Battle of Britain’ bout on December 3 rumbles on without an apparent conclusion, after Fury issued his rival a deadline of Monday to sign a contract before he walked away.
Joshua failed to do that, leading Fury to close the door on a bout, but he handed an olive branch to his compatriot once again on Thursday, though made it clear a verdict would need to be reached before the end of the day.
On AJ’s side, Eddie Hearn has said he was ‘baffled’ by Fury’s behaviour and dubbed the deadlines as ‘unrealistic’ but Fury’s camp have a contrasting view, claiming they are not getting any responses.
“We’ve done all that’s necessary with BT, ESPN and DAZN. They’re all happy. We gave them a contract. They’ve had it for two weeks and it hasn’t come back yet,” he told TalkSport.
“Ticketing and the venue is ready to go. We’ve agreed transparency with them. Everything in the pot. Everything they needed, co-promotion, the lot – we’ve bent over backwards. We’ve not had anything back.
“I had a bet with Tyson that we’d get it done in the next few days. He said ‘no, Joshua doesn’t want the fight’. I’ve lost the bet. Joshua said he wanted the fight, so let’s get it done. I don’t understand this.”
Fury has consistently made it clear he will fight in December regardless of the opponent, having stepped back into contention after announcing his retirement after defeating Dillian Whyte at Wembley in April.
If a fight against Joshua does not materialise, Mahmoud Charr stands as the most likely opponent for Fury after he took to social media on Thursday to verbally accept a proposal to face the German.
“Mahmoud Charr, it seems now that AJ is finally out, he’s ducked his way out, coward, and you’re the man who wants to fight, so I like that,” he said on an Instagram video.
“I like the fact you’re very vocal and you’re calling for a fight like a man should do. Any man who wants to fight a man should call him out as you’ve been doing to me. So I accept your challenge Mahmoud Charr, let’s get it on.”
However the geometric blue, teal and yellow design is a pattern called zellige, which is common in Moroccan mosaics, the ministry’s lawyer said.
The neighbouring nations have a long history of tensions, as they continue to dispute Western Sahara.
Lawyer Mourad Elajouti wrote on Facebook that he had issued a legal warning to Adidas, on behalf of Morocco’s Ministry of Culture.
In a letter to the company’s chief executive Kasper Rorsted, Mr Elajouti said the new design was cultural appropriation and “an attempt to steal a form of Moroccan cultural heritage and use it outside its context”.
He has demanded the German sportswear brand remove the design within two weeks.
Mr Elajouti added that Algeria’s 2022-2023 season kit “contributes to the loss and distortion of the identity and history of these [zellige] cultural elements”.
The BBC has contacted Adidas for comment.
IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES
Image caption, Morocco’s culture ministry claims the designs are too similar to zellige, a style of Moroccan mosaic tilework
Algeria and Morocco share a nearly 2,000 km (1,242 miles) border, which has been a source of tension since independence from French colonial rule.
In 1963, they had the Sand War over Morocco’s claim to territory in Algeria.
Later on, Algeria backed the Polisario Front’s campaign for Western Sahara’s independence from Morocco, leading to the 1975-1991 Western Sahara War.
The border was then closed in 1994 for security reasons after militant Islamists bombed a hotel in the historic Moroccan city of Marrakesh.
More recently, in 2021 Algeria cut diplomatic ties with its neighbour, accusing Morocco of “hostile acts”. Morocco called the move “completely unjustified”.
The flood waters have been so severe they have trapped some people in their homes, officials said, with the National Guard going door to door in the city of Orlando to rescue those stranded.
The 10 deaths that have have been confirmed were all in the south-west Charlotte County, which saw intense winds.
Joseph Tiseo, a local commissioner, told the BBC the area had a “tremendous wind event that lasted for 12 hours straight… it was brutal”.
A little further south, Lee County took the brunt of the storm surge.
The state’s Governor Ron DeSantis told a news conference on Thursday evening that the damage in Fort Myers, a harbourside city there, was “almost indescribable”.
“To see a house just sitting in the middle of Estero Bay, literally must have gotten picked up, flown because of the massive wind speed and the storm surge and deposited in a body of water,” he said.
“I would say the most significant damage that I saw was on Ford Myers Beach, some of the homes were wiped out, some of its was just concrete slabs”
One woman who lost her home said the experience is “numbing” and has her feeling “overwhelmed”.
“It’s not my first hurricane but it’s my first total loss,” Karen, who lives on San Carlos Island in Fort Myers told Reuters.
Some residents had to swim out of their homes.
“You have to either swim or drown,” an Orlando woman told CBS News, the BBC’s partner in the US.
A woman in Fort Myers, who swam to safety when her ground floor apartment began to flood, said when she returned home she “had to wait about five minutes for all the floodwaters to come out”.
And at the Sun Seekers mobile home park in North Fort Myers, residents recounted their terror as they tried to protect themselves with blankets.
“It was terrifying, because you’re helpless”, one of the residents, Kim said. “We had no [phone] service to call anyone, but no one would have come anyway.”
IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES
Image caption, Hurricane Ian shattered Lee County in Florida, with homes on Fort Myers Beach left wrecked after the storm passed
At the governor’s briefing, Kevin Guthrie, director at the Florida Division of Emergency Management warned about “indirect deaths” – the fatalities that can happen after a storm system has passed.
He warned homeowners to watch out for power lines mixed in trees and said no one should be tinkering with generators and chainsaws, or climbing ladders without proper training.
“People need to be extremely careful,” Mr Guthrie said.
“If you do not know how to use a chainsaw. If you do not know how to climb a ladder. If you do not know the difference between a cable line and a power line, you should not be doing that.”
Some parts of Naples, a seaside city south of Fort Myers, have been rendered a dark and deserted ghost town, and the city’s iconic pier has been smashed in half.
The BBC’s Bernd Debusmann, who is reporting from Naples, says a concession stand – which just days ago marked the halfway point on the pier – now stands precariously over the water, with splintered pieces of wood hanging off.
About a block from the beachfront, some roads remain impassable and underwater, while others have been left covered in mud as the water slowly recedes.
Hurricane Ian hit Cuba first, causing a total blackout in the country on Tuesday.
Meanwhile in Puerto Rico, the massive clean-up effort continues, after the hurricane hit the Caribbean island last week.
There was also a power blackout there, and ten days on, more than 269,000 households are still without electricity, according to poweroutage.us.
Puerto Rico was already reeling from Hurricane Fiona, a category one storm that hit just days earlier, on September 18.
As Hurricane Ian rolls on and attention moves to Florida, many on the island are worried about being forgotten.
“To the people of Puerto Rico, we have not gone away,” President Biden said on Thursday, speaking at the headquarters of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) in Washington DC.
“I am committed to you and the recovery of the island, we will stand by you no matter how long it takes to get it done.”
Marin Cilic had to come from behind to defeat Dominic Thiem as he sealed a spot in the quarter-finals of the Tel Aviv Open.
Cilic, who was also celebrating his 34th birthday, was given a thorough test initially by the wild card, but Thiem ultimately faded away.
After losing the first set, second seed Cilic eventually won 6-7 6-2 6-4 as he succeeded in putting the Austrian’s serve under intense pressure, setting up a quarter-final with either fifth seed Botic van de Zandschulp or Liam Broady.
Reacting to the victory, Cilic said: “I think it was a fantastic match. I think it was an amazing, amazing level.
“We don’t get so many chances to play [a] second-round [match] in front of this big [of a] crowd, so thank you so much. It was a fantastic birthday.”
Maxime Cressy, seeded fourth, was far more comfortable as he defeated fellow American Sebastian Korda 6-4 6-4 thanks to a break of serve in either set.
The only other seed in action was seventh favourite Adrian Mannarino. The Frenchman came unstuck against his countryman Constant Lestienne, who won 7-6 6-4.
At the Sofia Open, two high seeds were surprisingly dumped out on Wednesday.
Home favourite Grigor Dimitrov, seeded third, was beaten in straight sets by Ilya Ivashka, who showed commendable focus to see out a 6-3 7-6 win despite the crowd’s support of his opponent.
Number six seed Nikoloz Basilashvili was the other big name to suffer a shock defeat, with 38-year-old Fernando Verdasco beating him 7-6 7-5 as the seven-time ATP Tour title winner rolled back the years.
Lorenzo Musetti bucked the trend, however. Seeded fourth, the Italian was made to sweat by Bulgaria’s Alexander Lazarov as the first two sets went to tie-breaks, but the Italian had too much in the end as he won 6-7 7-6 6-2.
Earlier in the day, Musetti’s compatriot Lorenzo Sonego comfortably dealt with Bernabe Zapata Miralles 6-3 6-4.
Casper Ruud saw off a fightback from Nicolas Jarry to book his spot in the quarter-finals of the Korea Open, as well as this year’s ATP Finals.
The top seed was given a second set scare by the Chilean but wrestled back control to emerge as the victor in a 6-2 3-6 6-3 encounter.
The two-time grand slam finalist, having been runner-up at Wimbledon and the US Open this year,will face Yoshihito Nishioka after he saw off Japanese compatriot Taro Daniel in a 6-2 6-4 win.
His victory also ensured his place at the ATP Tour’s end-of-year finale in Turin, alongside Spanish duo Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz.
Cameron Norrie remains on course to set up a potential final in Korea with Ruud after brushing aside Kaichi Uchida with a comfortable 6-2 6-2 victory.
The Briton will face eighth seed Jenson Brooksby after he turned over home favourite Kwon Soon-woo in a 6-3 6-4 result in Seoul.
Brooksby’s fellow Americans Mackenzie McDonald and Aleksandar Kovacevic also came through their last-16 encounters to set up a quarter-final clash against each other.
Giovanni Reyna is expected to return to action within 10 days despite suffering a muscle strain on international duty, handing the United States a welcome boost ahead of the World Cup.
Reyna was substituted during the first half of the USA’s goalless draw with Saudi Arabia earlier this week, after which it was revealed he had suffered from “muscle tightness”.
His exit from that match – his country’s final friendly ahead of November’s trip to Qatar – set alarm bells ringing, particularly given Reyna missed much of last season with similar muscle injuries.
But Borussia Dortmund head coach Edin Terzic moved to allay fears of another long-term absence on Thursday, stating: “Gio has a strain and will be out for seven to 10 days. We hope he is available to play following the Sevilla game on Wednesday.”
Terzic was also able to offer a positive update on Marco Reus’ fitness after the BVB captain was injured in a 1-0 win over local rivals Schalke earlier this month.
“In Marco Reus’ case, the injury is fortunately not as bad as first feared,” Terzic added. “We hope he will be able to slowly ease his way back into team training after the weekend.”
Dortmund have won five and lost two of their first seven Bundesliga games this campaign to trail surprise leaders Union Berlin by two points.
UPDATE: Gio Reyna was experiencing muscle tightness and came out of the match as a precaution. https://t.co/GET8j1zGc1
Paul Pogba has expressed his desire to emulate Juventus legends upon his return to the club, following a six-year stint with Manchester United.
The French World Cup winner returned to Turin ahead of the 2022-23 season but is yet to feature in his second spell at the club due to injury.
Pogba has hopes of becoming a club legend like Andrea Pirlo, Gianluigi Buffon and Georgio Chiellini, who he played with in his previous stint with Juventus.
He also conceded the final half of his spell with United was not up to scratch and believes the stars aligned to present him and Juve with a fresh challenge together once again.
“I like to think and say that it is my heart that made the choice. It was also perhaps the right time to come back here. The last three years in Manchester, affected by injuries, did not go as I wanted,” he told GQ Italia.
“Add this to the fact that Juve have come from two years in which they did not win the Scudetto, it was a good challenge for both of us. Maybe it was the right time to meet again, try to take back the place we deserve, and above all get back to winning.
“I always want to play and I want to give my best. I know that this shirt is special, it brings out my best. We have built a good story, which I never forgot even when I left Juve. I never had any doubt that this was my place.
“The first time here I was younger, I did not have the experience I have now. I grew up in my personal life, I have two children, a wife, and also as a footballer. I won the World Cup with France, the Europa League with United, I played with great players and a great team.
“I learnt so much, it was totally different from my previous experience. I had to take on more responsibility than I had a Juve when I was young and I had experienced players close to me.
“Now, I look at myself and I think I’ve become like these players, like Pirlo, Buffon, Chiellini. And now it’s up to me to do at Juve what they did.”
Pogba made it clear he retained a soft spot for the Juventus supporters and the encouragement he received from them, even when he departed.
“When I left, they were very grateful for the years together. I was young and they really always pushed me in the stadium, they were always behind me,” he added.
“I always felt the love of these fans, that’s the truth. I’ve never heard fans so loud, not even at Manchester United.”
Emile Heskey believes Gareth Southgate should be given the chance to turn England’s fortunes around after relegation from League A in the Nations League.
The Three Lions’ manager has come in for criticism after his team finished bottom of Group 3, failing to win any of their six outings against Italy, Hungary and Germany (D3 L3).
With the World Cup in Qatar kicking off in less than two months, the pressure is on Southgate to deliver, though he did guide England to the semi-finals in Russia in 2018 before reaching the final of the rescheduled Euro 2020 tournament last year.
Heskey – who made 62 appearances for England – thinks Southgate and his players can turn it around and can take positives from their 3-3 draw with Germany at Wembley on Monday.
Speaking to Stats Perform, the former Liverpool and Aston Villa striker said: “I think the draw against Germany did redeem [England] in some cases.
“I thought the fight they showed was fantastic to get it back to 3-2 because they could easily have given up at 2-0 [down]. But they fought back to make it 3-2 and then 3-3, obviously.
“Football has always fascinated me [because] we put no pressure on them, and [then] they get to a semi-final and a final, then we suddenly heap a load of pressure on them and you can see what’s happening.”
Prior to the six-goal thriller with Germany, England had failed to score with any of their previous 62 non-penalty shots, a run of seven hours and 30 minutes without a non-penalty goal.
Southgate’s men are also winless in their last six games in all competitions, their longest run since April to June 1993 (also six). It is their longest ever winless run going into a major tournament.
“When you’re not doing well, they’re going to justify criticism, and you’ve got to accept that criticism. It’s how you bounce back from that,” Heskey added.
“None of these have turned into bad players overnight, and the manager isn’t a bad manager overnight. I think you’ve got to give him the opportunity to turn it around and turn the fortune of the players around as well.”
One of the concerns widely discussed has been whether Southgate knows his best team before they take on Iran, the United States and Wales in Group B at the World Cup, but Heskey pointed out selection headaches mean the manager has a number of credible options available to him.
“You could put it either way,” he said. “It could be alarming, or it could be a good thing that we don’t know the best 11 because players are coming in.
“You’ve even got Ivan Toney coming into the [last] squad… [Mason] Mount’s played a lot of games and then come back in and scored.
“So it’s always good to keep the manager on his toes. But you really should know who your starting 11 is coming up to a major tournament.”
At least 19 people have died in Morocco’s northern city of Ksar el-Kebir after drinking toxic alcohol at a roadside shop.
Local media reports that dozens of other people were taken to hospital in critical condition, with two in intensive care.
A 48-year-old man has been arrested in connection to the incident. Police are said to have recovered about 50 litres of the alcohol at his store.
In Morocco, selling alcohol to Muslims is forbidden, but it is often discreetly sold in restaurants and stores.
In August, eight people died after drinking contaminated alcohol in the northern Oriental region, and at least 20 died in July last year in a similar incident in Oujda in eastern Morocco.
Lewis Hamilton has stated that he “feels for the fans” after Max Verstappen’s dominance of the F1 championship battle this season.
The Red Bull ace tops the standings by a whopping 116 points heading into Sunday’s race at Singapore, where he can clinch the crown if a series of permutations are met.
It is unlikely that Singaporewill be the race where Verstappen wins the title, with a more likely scenario seeing him crowned champion the following week in Japan.
Either way, a second title in a row for Verstappen is inevitable and Hamilton has declared it is “never great” when the battle is concluded prematurely.
“I definitely feel for the fans because for everyone and even for us, last year, going right down to the wire, that was intense for everybody. So, it’s never great when the season finishes early,” he said at a news conference on Thursday.
“Even when I’ve experienced having it finish early in places like Mexico. For you as the one individual, it’s great but for the actual sport it’s not spectacular.
“I’m really grateful to have had 2008 right down to the last 17 seconds, and obviously last year, pretty much the same thing. Let’s hope for the future, it’s a bit better.”
The number of confirmed Ebola cases in Uganda has risen to 31. One more death has also been recorded, bringing the total number of confirmed deaths to six.
One of the six medical workers who tested positive with the virus is now in critical condition, according to information from the country’s health ministry.
Uganda’spresident has defied calls by medical workers to put the Ebola-hit central region under quarantine to prevent the virus spreading to the rest of the country.
He went on national TV on Wednesday to say no such measures were needed because Ebola is not airborne, and said a laboratory would be set up in the virus epicentre to speed up patient testing.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization believes that Uganda’s Ebola outbreak may have been detected late, given that the first person who had it showed symptoms back in August yet the outbreak wasn’t declared until late September.
Global health experts say it is unrealistic to think Ebola will ever be eradicated, but it is now easier to prevent a crisis.
A campaign group in Mozambique is calling for tough action to stop the sexual abuse of women and girls in higher education, and has offered to pay the legal costs of students wanting to take their cases to court.
The Observatory for Women says a recent study it conducted revealed the province of Tete had the worst level of such offences, and says it has spoken to multiple victimswho allege they were harassed by one particular professor.
“I did not file a complaint with the university – I am very frustrated because now I have to cross paths with the professor in hallways every day,” one of the alleged victims told the campaign group.
The alleged abuser is himself taking legal action against the students who had accused him of attacking them, sparking outrage from the Observatory for Women.
“If teachers continue to have this practice, we, as a civil society, are available to freely sponsor students to file lawsuits,” the group added.
Soon Ugandans who need organ transplants will no longer have to travel abroad, thanks to a new law allowing the procedure in the country.
Kidney patients are currently the biggest group in need of transplants in Uganda. There is just one dialysis unit in the whole country.
A kidney transplant can cost at least $30,000 (£27,000) abroad, but experts say this could come down to about $8,000 if done within the country.
The new law will clear the way for transplantation centres and a national waiting list of organ recipients to be created, but also contains stringent measures in case of organ trafficking or abuse of donors’ rights.
Operating an illegal transplant clinic or harvesting organs from a living person without their consent may attract life imprisonment.
Parliament has approved the new transplant law meaning that it will come into force as soon as the president gives his assent – which is largely a formality, because assent is almost always given.
Bayern Munich head coach Julian Nagelsmann says he cannot help but “take every criticism to heart”, after a poor recent run of form led to questions over his position.
A 1-0 defeat to Augsburg last time out made it four Bundesliga games without a victory, dropping them to fifth in the table.
Some feel Bayern’s streak of winning 10 league titles in a row is under threat, with them sitting five points behind early leaders Union Berlin, and there is also talk of sacked Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel being a potential replacement for Nagelsmann if he was axed.
And Nagelsmann admitted he takes the negative assessments of him personally, telling reporters: “I take every criticism to heart. It’s normal that the last two weeks have been tough.
“I am aware that I am not responsible for everything. I know that I invest a lot in the job. I claim to be an orderly person. Football is a very important part and an important passion for me. But it doesn’t define me as a person.”
Sadio Mane, brought in from Liverpool in the transfer window, is another Bayern man under fire, having scored three in three league games to start the season but failing to find the net in his last five for his new side in all competitions.
But his head coach is not worried about the Senegal international returning to form with his coaching staff’s help, with Nagelsmann adding: “I have individual talks with all the players.
“In the end he has to help implement the plan, then he is a great support. In the end, it’s the player’s job to implement what the coach tells him to do.
“Then he will quickly find his way back to top form, I’m in good spirits. The performance is the responsibility of the coaching staff to get him where we want him to be.”
Bayern are in action on Friday as they look to end their winless run, but will face a Bayer Leverkusen side who themselves are desperate for points, sat one place above the relegation zone having won just one league match this season.
Nagelsmann is expecting an improved performance from the defeat to Augsburg, commenting: “From my side, I expect that the players show what they’re made of.
“I know that we haven’t shown some things yet. It is still important to be brave. We still have to be aware that we are Bayern Munich.
“Leverkusen doesn’t have an outstanding situation either, but it’s a top game.”
Kylian Mbappeis a smart enough player to create space and play with freedom alongside Lionel Messi and Neymar, according to Paris Saint-Germain coach Christophe Galtier.
France international Mbappe appeared to question the tactics used at PSG when admitting last week he has “a lot more freedom” when playing for his country.
The 23-year-old was speaking on the back a 2-0 win over Austria in which he and strike partner Olivier Giroud linked up throughout, with both players on the scoresheet.
But while Galtier agrees that PSG could do with a Giroud-type player in their squad, he does not believe his side have a problem getting the most out of Mbappe in attack.
“I don’t think he has less freedom,” Galtier said ahead of Saturday’s Ligue 1 clash with his former club Nice. “With Giroud, he has someone who opens up spaces for him.
“We don’t have that player profile but he’s just as smart to find other moves with Leo and Neymar giving him the ball in his preferred space.
“Kylian’s analysis is correct. He’s not in the same system for his club and national team. This is a discussion I’ve had with the president and Luis Campos about our attack.
“We were all convinced we needed a fourth player in that position with a different profile, but that player did not come [in the transfer window]. It’s a shame but that’s how it is.
“The technical relationship between Neymar, Leo and Kylian is different to what he has with the national team.”
The relationship between PSG’s star-studded front three was again in the spotlight this week when Neymar declined to comment on his relationship with Mbappe.
Speaking earlier this month, Mbappe admitted he has “hotter and colder moments” with the Brazil international, though added they have a strong mutual respect.
But when probed on the pair’s relationship on Thursday, Galtier insisted he is more than happy with the chemistry in the dressing room.
“I am surprised I have to always repeat the same thing,” he said. “Since I arrived here, to the current day, all I’ve experienced is normal things in the life of a locker room.
“There is nothing that’s surprised me, nothing that has challenged me. The players here want to win together and they are also in competition [for a place in the side].
“They are all great champions with competitiveness, with egos. We have a pleasant dressing room. There is a discrepancy between what you hear and the reality.”
The Parisians enter the contest with Nice top of Ligue 1 with seven wins and a draw from the opening eight matches of their latest title defence.
However, PSG have scored only one goal in both of their past two league outings – not since September 2020 have they failed to score more than once in three straight games.
Galtier said during the international break that his side need to show more of a “killer” instinct in front of goal, having managed 12 shots on target across the two matches.
“I want to remind the players that it would be beneficial to us to hurt teams quickly,” Galtier added at Thursday’s press conference.
“It will help with the management of the squad and playing time. But it must be said that opposing goalkeepers have also performed well against us.”
PSG are unbeaten in their past 17 Ligue 1 games ahead of their return to action this weekend, which is the longest current run in the division.
Antonio Conte wants a lifelong ban from football to be imposed on the supporter who threw a banana at Richarlison while the Tottenham striker was on Brazil duty.
The apparent act of racist abuse came as Richarlison celebrated scoring in a 5-1 win over Tunisia at the Parc des Princes in Paris on Tuesday.
Richarlison expressed outrage after the game and called for stiff punishments to be imposed, while appearing to doubt such strong action would be taken.
The likes of his Spurs team-mate Harry Kane and former England captain Rio Ferdinand have offered their support, demanding action is taken, and now Tottenham boss Conte says there must be heavy sanctions.
“I think we have to take the good part of the situation. Richy played with the national team, scored goals,” Conte said.
“Then what happened is incredible because in 2022 to witness this type of situation is embarrassing for everybody.
“For sure I hope these people are banned from football for the rest of their lives.
“It’s a very disappointing situation to have to make a comment on this. I want to take the best part of the game from Richy. He scored goals and he enjoyed playing with Brazil.”
Tottenham said in a statement on Wednesday the club were “disgusted” by the abuse, adding: “This has no place in football, or anywhere. We stand with you, Richy.”
People going into stadiums & think it’s acceptable to throw a banana…
Authorities don’t care!
I’ve got my own kids waking up saying, “u seen that banana thrown at Richarlison!” 🤬
Candidates for next February’s presidential elections in Nigeriahave signed an agreement promising to run peaceful campaigns.
They’ve also agreed to respect electoral laws before, during and after the elections to ensure a violence-free process.
In a recorded video massage to the signing ceremony in Abuja, outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari urged candidates to run “issue-based campaigns”, shun “personal attacks, insults and incitement” and avoid spreading fake news.
Mr Buhari is serving his second and final term in office and the election will be to choose his successor.
Campaigning for the crucial election in Africa’s largest democracy officially started on Wednesday.
Elections in Nigeria are usually held in a tense atmosphere.
The National Peace Accord initiative was first introduced during the 2015 election season – following post-election violence in 2011 when hundreds of people were killed.
AFPCopyright: AFP Campaign season began on Wednesday
Antonio Conte described reports linking him with a return to Juventus as “disrespectful” ahead of Tottenham’s North London Derby clash with Arsenal.
Spurs are unbeaten in their seven Premier League games this season and trail the Gunners by just one point ahead of Saturday’s trip to the Emirates Stadium.
Should Tottenham avoid defeat at the home of their local rivals, it will be just the second time they have gone unbeaten through their first eight games of a Premier League season, having previously done so in 2016-17.
Conte’s work with Tottenham has seen him linked with a return to Juventus, who he led to three consecutive Serie A titles between 2011-12 and 2013-14.
Bianconeri boss Massimiliano Allegri is under pressure after they recorded just two wins in their opening seven Serie A matches this season, but Conte has rubbished speculation he would be tempted by a return to Turin.
“This is incredible. In this period I think this is disrespectful for the coach that works in Juventus and for me working in Tottenham,” Conte said on Thursday.
“We have just started the season. Many times I have spoken about this topic and I’ve always said I’m happy and enjoying my time with Tottenham.
“We have the whole season to find the best solution for the club and for me, and for sure I’m enjoying my time at Tottenham. I have a great relationship with the owner [Daniel Levy] and [sporting director Fabio] Paratici.
“I don’t see any problems at the moment in the future. We both signed the contract. I don’t want to listen to someone speaking about this.”
Tottenham overcame Arsenal in a tense battle for Champions League qualification last season, going on to claim fourth place after beating the Gunners 3-0 in May.
Conte, however, believes Mikel Arteta’s side have improved since then, adding: “For sure Arsenal had a fantastic start, they lost only one game against [Manchester] United. They are showing to be a really good team.
“In the summer they made good signings and improved the team that, don’t forget, before the last three games of last season, were four points up on us.
“We are talking about a really good team that, last season, we did a really good job to overcome in the last three games.
“At the same time, I know the quality of this team, that they are working with Arteta for many years. For me, he’s a really good coach. He can have in front of him a great career.”
Both Hugo Lloris and Dejan Kulusevski are reportedly doubtful for the trip to Arsenal with minor injuries, and Conte believes the punishing nature of the schedule between now and the World Cup will reveal which sides are genuine title contenders.
“I have seen that many clubs are having big problems with players that played these two games [in the international break], and for sure Tottenham is one of these clubs,” he added.
“You have to understand this was the last game [for the players] to show they deserve to play the World Cup, also for the coaches it was the last period to call the players.
England goal number 51 for Harry and 90 minutes for Eric 🦁
“For sure, to play so many games before the international break, and then again now to play 13 games in 43 days, it’s crazy, it’s crazy.
“For sure, we have to face it with injuries. In this period, you understand which are the really competitive squads.
“This is the moment in which you understand who are the title contenders and the teams that are competitive for Champions League.”
Saturday’s match will be the first North London Derby since December 2007 to begin with one of the sides sitting top of the Premier League.
Should Spurs win, it would be the first time in top-flight history that either of the teams has beaten the other to replace them at the top of the table.
Sarina Wiegman’s Lionesses will collide with Japanand Norway in November as they bid to bring the curtain down on a historic year in style.
The Euro 2022 winners are set to spend the final international camp of 2022 at the Pinatar Arena football centre in Murcia.
And England’s time in Spain will see them lock horns with the Japanese on November 11 before tackling the Norwegians four days later.
Wiegman, 52, said: “I am really pleased we can continue to test ourselves against strong opposition, especially as we are fully focused on our preparation for the World Cup [next summer].
“Japan are one of the best teams in Asia and offer a different style of play to what we are used to.
“Norway had a difficult summer. However, they qualified directly for the World Cup and I am confident they will bounce back. They have always proven to be strong opponents.
“With both teams wanting to make a good impression as they build towards a major tournament, it will be a great opportunity to see where we stand.
“Furthermore, I hope a change of scenery and good climate for that time of year can contribute to keeping the players fresh after what has been an exciting and at the same time intense year for all.”
We’re off to Spain in November! ☀️
The #Lionesses@FIFAWWC preparation will continue with fixtures against 🇯🇵 and 🇳🇴 at the Pinatar Arena in Murcia.
England hammered Norway 8-0 on the road to Euros glory earlier this year and won their last match against Japan 1-0 in the 2020 edition of the SheBelieves Cup in the United States.
Before the November double-header, the Lionesses face the US at a sold-out Wembley on October 7 and the Czech Republic in Brighton on October 11.
The 2023 Women’s World Cup, hosted in Australia and New Zealand, kicks off on July 20.
Tyson Fury has backtracked on his decision to rule out a December bout with Anthony Joshua after giving his rival until the end of Thursday to agree terms.
WBC champion Fury opened the door for a ‘Battle of Britain’ with Joshua last month after it became clear a unification bout against Oleksandr Usyk would not occur this year.
After weeks of talks between the fighters’ camps, however, Fury said on Monday any chance of the pair meeting was “officially over” after his self-imposed deadline was not met.
But Fury set Joshua, who has lost three of his past five fights, a new deadline in his latest video message on social media that was directed at the two-time world champion.
“My promoter Frank Warren convinced me to let Queensberry [Warren’s company] carry on negotiating with your team this week, despite me knowing you were never going to do this fight,” Fury said.
“So the deadline was Monday. I allowed Frank to continue doing meetings with your team and your broadcasters and all that.”
My promoter Frank Warren convinced me to let Queensberry carry on negotiating with your team this week, despite me knowing that you were never going to do this fight… pic.twitter.com/XpcHOpZJzk
Eddie Hearn has slammed Tyson Fury for his antics in the ongoing discussions for a bout against Anthony Joshua, saying he has been left “baffled by the situation”.
Fury had initially set Joshua a deadline of Monday to sign the contract for a December 3 bout and said discussions were “officially over” after the paperwork was not received.
However, the WBC heavyweight champion then backtrackedon Thursday and issued his compatriot another deadline for the ‘Battle of Britain’ bout, giving him until the end of the day to agree terms.
An imminent end to the saga seems unlikely, however, with Joshua’s promoter Hearn questioning why the Gypsy King was setting “unrealistic deadlines”.
“I don’t want to get involved with back and forths that are going to negatively impact this fight being made, but to be honest, we are quite baffled by the situation,” he told Sky Sports.
“Firstly, when we agreed terms for the fight, it took us over a week to receive a draft contract. We have not had that contract for 14 days.
“Over the next week, we’ve worked tirelessly and had a number of meetings with Queensberry to get the contract in some kind of decent shape.
“Last Monday, we sent our final draft of the contract to Queensberry, only to see that Fury had publicly pulled out of the fight and it was no longer on the table.
“Yesterday we then received comments back from Queensberry on our final draft of the agreement, of which is now being reviewed.
“I’m not sure why Fury keeps setting unrealistic deadlines whilst also offering the fight to a number of other heavyweights for the selected date.
“If he is serious about the fight being made, I suggest he allows Matchroom and Queensberry to keep working hard to make the fight, of which everyone has been trying hard to do.
“You can’t publicly keep pulling out of a fight and then restart negotiations when there has been so many positive conversations had. We’ll see what happens from here.”
Queen Elizabeth II died of old age, extracts from her death certificate published by the National Records of Scotland published on Thursday, September 29, 2022, reveal.
The document was signed by her daughter, Princess Anne.
The certificate noted that the Queen died aged 96 at 15:10 BST in Balmoral Castle in Scotland on 8 September, 2022.
The death was recorded on 16 September by the Registrar General for Scotland.
Her death certificate also bears the name of her father, King George VI, and mother, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon.
A statement from Buckingham Palace stated that “The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon.”
A state funeral was held for the late Queen on September 19, 2022.
Hundreds of thousands of people gathered to catch a glimpse of the Queen’s funeral procession, while guests from around the world took their places in the Westminster Aabbey.
A bell in Westminster Abbey tolled 96 times, counting out the years of Queen Elizabeth II’s long life.
Five hundred heads of state and foreign dignitaries were in London for the ceremony. All heads of state and royals arrived at the Westminster Abbey via a bus with the exception of the US president, Joe Biden, to the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.
The White House demanded that Biden travels via a six-car motorcade for “security reasons”.
They joined King Charles III and the Royal Family in the congregation at the Westminster Abbey funeral.
At the funeral, the Dean of Westminster paid tribute to the Queen’s “lifelong sense of duty”.
The black burial stone has been set into the floor of the George VI Memorial Chapel, where the monarch was buried.
The stone is engraved in memory of the Queen, her parents, and her late husband, the Duke of Edinburgh.
It replaces a previous slab dedicated to George VI and the Queen Mother.
The fresh stone now reads “George VI 1895-1952” and “Elizabeth 1900-2002” followed by a metal Garter Star, and then “Elizabeth II 1926-2022” and “Philip 1921-2021”.
The President of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni, has stated that imposing restrictions in Ebola hotspots in the central region is not necessary as the viral disease is not airborne.
Mr Museveni said his government had the capacity to control the epidemic due to previous experience with similar outbreaks. This is the fourth time Ebola has broken out in Uganda.
He said that health experts who had previously dealt with Ebola outbreaks had been deployed to the affected region.
Ebola is spread through contact with an infected person or infected surfaces and human waste.
The association of medical workers in the country had previously called for the affected region to be put under quarantine to stop further spread of the haemorrhagic fever.
It is currently taking 24 hours for samples to be tested and laboratory results to be released.
The president said the government would set up a laboratory at Mubende district headquarters, the epicentre of the outbreak, to quicken the sample processing.
Six medical workers who treated the 24-year-old man who was later identified as the first case, have tested positive for Ebola.
A total of 24 people have been confirmed to be infected by the virus in the country, five of whom have died, since the outbreak was declared last week.
LeicesterTigers’ Freddie Steward, George Martin and Jack van Poortvliet have signed new deals to stay with the Premiership champions.
Full-back Steward, 21, was named England men’s player of the year and young player of the year at the Rugby Players’ Association awards in May.
Scrum-half van Poortvliet and lock Martin, both 21, made their Test debuts for England in the past 18 months.
“This is an exciting day for the club,” said Tigers boss Steve Borthwick.
“All three of these young men – George, Freddie and Jack – are proud Leicester Tigers players, who have been a part of the club since they were kids and grown up, together, at the club.
“There is so much growth in all of their games; the steps they have taken so far in their young careers has been brilliant to witness and a privilege to be a part of at Leicester Tigers.”
Steward started for Tigers in their Premiership final win against Saracens last season, while Martin came off the bench.
Van Poortvliet helped Leicester reach the Twickenham showdown, coming off the bench in the semi-final win against Northampton.
That is the year England – favourites to win the World Cup that starts in New Zealand on 8 October – have been named as hosts for the next edition of the tournament.
England have played at Twickenham before, but have previously combined their match with a men’s fixture at the stadium.
They beat France, their closest Six Nations rivals in recent years, to win the title for a fourth consecutive title in April 2022.
Earlier in the tournament, England set an attendance record of 15,836 at Leicester’s Welford Road.
England head coach Simon Middleton said the fixture at Twickenham, which will be broadcast on BBC Two along with all of England’s games, is “a real marker of where the game is at”.
He added: “We know there are some big targets to sell out the stadium at the 2025 World Cup and it’s great we have the opportunity to draw a big crowd two years out.”
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