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May 21, 2025

Blackburn Women players felt ‘devalued’ over club withdrawal

Images courtesy of Getty

Emma Sanders

Women’s football news correspondent for BBC Sport

five hours ago

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Rachel Dugdale, a defender for Blackburn Women, claims that players’ “lack of communication” with the club regarding their decision to withdraw from the Women’s Championship has caused them to feel “devalued.”

Rovers announced on Tuesday that the club would leave the second-tier next year because Venky, the league’s administrator, is unwilling to meet its standards for facilities, player welfare, and staffing.

Dugdale claimed that manager Simon Parker only received the news an hour before it was made public before the club’s HR department sent an email.

According to the email, which was viewed by BBC Sport, the decision would “significantly impact the staffing and playing structure moving forward.”

Dugdale told BBC Sport the day after the news was confirmed that “there is just a feeling of being devalued.”

“Our sacrifice and dedication paid off” despite having by far the league’s most modest budget for the amount of work we put in this year.

“We really felt devalued as players by not having that communication,” he said. Owners and those in charge don’t have the will or desire to do what right by us, so it sends a really bad and powerful message to younger female footballers.

The 28-year-old added that since the announcement, the club has “absolutely nothing” and that the club’s members are still unsure of their future.

Dugdale has played for a squad that has since dropped out of the league after Reading moved up to the fifth tier in 2024 for the second time in a row.

The Northern Ireland international defender added that there have been discussions with us about paying out the rest of our contracts or what that would mean.

“They still don’t know what tier we’ll be in,” he added. That is currently the main subject we are thinking about.

We “demorise and need additional support for the staff and the players.”

I didn’t have the courage to speak up before.

Rachel Dugdale playing for Reading last year

Dugdale wanted to speak out about the situation because she believed it was crucial that clubs treated footballers as “people not just players.”

Players from Wolves Women were frustrated in April because the organization had already decided not to apply for the Women’s Championship, despite the players’ claims that they were chasing promotion. This was followed by players from Reading last year.

Dugdale said she was “too worried to speak up about it” last year while studying in Reading, but she doesn’t want women’s teams to continue to suffer lower down the pyramid.

All of the advice that was given to us was really well-intentioned, including that we shouldn’t speak out, we should protect ourselves in terms of making sure we get those final salary payments, and make sure we don’t appear a troublemaker for future clubs.

That advice was given to me last year. However, my current top priority is influencing and improving the women’s game.

“I don’t believe there was enough noise at Reading last year. I had no sense of bravery to speak out. That, in my opinion, has made it acceptable and acceptable for Blackburn to do it this year.

“I don’t want any more players or staff to go through this uncertain and challenging time.” I want the women’s soccer team to continue to expand.

Dugdale claimed that she made £15, 000 annually at Blackburn, which is below the national minimum wage, and that the majority of players make an average of £9, 000 annually.

She stays with a friend and travels from the south of England to Blackburn on weekends to play games.

The 28-year-old added that while the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA), which represents the majority of Blackburn’s players, does not provide that legal support, she is “lucky.”

She demanded change before moving forward.

“The issue is that you can only be a part of the PFA as a female player if you have participated in the Women’s Super League, like I did with the Doncaster Belles,” said Dugdale.

It descends to the fourth tier in the men’s game all the way down. I don’t see why the PFA shouldn’t be covering the Women’s Championship because it is completely professional going into the following season.

“It is very important that many of my team-mates haven’t received the support I do right now,” said one of my teammates. That needs to change, in my opinion.

Dugdale also wants the “fit and proper person test,” a background check conducted by the Football Association, to make sure potential club owners and directors are qualified to buy and run them.

What requirements must that meet? Is it a “sweeping test” that the men’s team takes while the women’s team is “bolted on”? she continued.

related subjects

Football
Women’s Football

May 21, 2025

Russia blames Ukraine war, Europe for delaying arms supply to ally Armenia

By 234Radio in News, World News

Russia’s top diplomat has blamed the war in Ukraine for affecting the supply of arms to Armenia, and has expressed concern that Moscow’s longstanding ally would now look to the West for military support instead.

Speaking in Yerevan on the second day of a two-day visit to Armenia, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that some of Russia’s weapons contracts with the former Soviet republic had been delayed or reassigned due to the pressures created by the war in Ukraine.

Armenia has long relied on Russian weapons in its bitter dispute with neighbouring Azerbaijan, against whom it has fought a series of conflicts since the late 1980s.

“We are currently in a situation where, as has happened throughout history, we are forced to fight all of Europe,” Lavrov said, in a barbed reference to European support for Ukraine in response to the Russian invasion.

“Our Armenian friends understand that in such conditions, we cannot fulfil all our obligations on time.”

As Russia has failed to deliver on weapons contracts paid for by Armenia, Yerevan has increasingly turned to countries like France and India for military supplies.

Lavrov said that Russia would not oppose these growing ties, but said that they raised concerns about its traditional ally’s strategic intentions.

“When an ally turns to a country like France, which leads the hostile camp and whose president and ministers speak openly with hatred toward Russia, it does raise questions,” he said.

Armenia has strengthened its ties with the West amid recent ongoing tensions with Azerbaijan, fallout from the last major eruption of conflict and Russia’s role in that.

In September 2023, Azerbaijan launched a military operation to retake Nagorno-Karabakh, a separatist enclave in Azerbaijan with a mostly ethnic Armenian population that had broken away from Baku with Armenian support amid the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Armenia accused Russian peacekeepers of failing to protect the more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians who fled the region, fuelled by decades of distrust, wars, mutual hatred and violence, after Azerbaijan’s lightning takeover.

May 21, 2025

Reps Demand Implementation Of All Approved Pension Increments

By 234Radio in News, Nigeria News

The House of Representatives demanded the immediate implementation of all approved pension increments in response to a motion that was made regarding the need to address the Federal Government’s failure to pay pension increments and withholding of approved palliatives.

The House also urged the Federal Ministry of Finance to release all palliative measures that had been delayed and to ensure that pensioners’ suffering was alleviated.

The President’s approval of a N25, 000 wage award palliative and an additional N32, 000 pension increase for federal pensioners was brought to the House by Hon. Ibrahim Isiaka, who moved the motion.

Also read: Senate Moves to Make Fruit Ripening With Chemicals Legal.

The House of Representatives has decided to take the move after considering a separate motion.
to examine operational issues involving driver’s license issuance, revenue generation, and usage over the past three years.

The Hon. sponsored motion. Afam Ogene stressed the need to know exactly which government agency is legally responsible for creating, producing, and issuing a driver’s license.

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has a state of emergency, which the House wants to see enforced by the federal government, to ensure that necessary medical equipment is purchased, medical personnel are hired, and hospitals are upgraded.

This is a follow-up to Hon. Hon.’s motion of urgent public importance. Nnamdi Ezechi speaks about the FCT healthcare system’s imminent health crisis.

The House noted that the population of the FCT has increased significantly over the past 20 years as a result of the government hospitals and medical facilities being severely overstretched, leading to a severe shortage of bed spaces and medical personnel.

The House is concerned that many of the country’s current government hospitals have been constructed.
several years ago, little or no expansion was made to meet the growing demand for healthcare services.

May 21, 2025

French Prosecutors Urge 10-Year Terms For Key Accused In Kardashian Theft

By 234Radio in Entertainment News, News

The four men accused of robbing American superstar Kim Kardashian of about $10 million worth of jewelry at a Paris hotel were ordered on Wednesday by the prosecution to offer them 10-year prison sentences.

The reality TV star’s sentencing demands were made during the trial’s final days, when she told a packed court last week that she feared the masked men who held her at gunpoint on October 3, 2016, would kill her.

Despite the “trauma,” where most of the suspects are now in their 60s and 70s and are now known as “Grandpa robbers” in French media, she also offered her forgiveness.

The four men accused of committing the robbery are facing sentencing nine men and one woman, with the prosecution seeking the most severe 10-year prison sentences.

On Wednesday, prosecutor Anne-Dominique Merville told the court that she “knows, just like you do, that eight of the ten accused reaffirm their innocence.”

She continued, “It is my steadfast conviction that they are all guilty.”

Read more about the Kim Kardashian trial in Paris over the 2016 racial robbery.

Kardashian was tied up, taped, and threatened with a gun by the attackers.

They robbed of items that, notably, were never recovered, including a diamond ring that rapper Kanye West gave to Kardashian in her early marriage, and that were only estimated to be $3 million ($3.9 million).

They were wearing gloves and were holding her while wearing gloves. They don’t care about Kim Kardashian or the receptionist, Merville claimed.

She made an appeal to the panel of judges and jurors, who will decide the verdict on Friday and remember that the defendants are accused of being involved in a violent crime.

She said that “thieves” were recruited in this “meticulously prepared” robbery because they “came for the ring, they got it, and they knew what they were doing exactly.

“Give him compensation for his crimes”

Aomar Ait Khedache, the alleged mastermind of the robbery, should be given a 10-year prison sentence, according to the prosecutor.

He denies being the robbery’s ringleader, but he has acknowledged tieding up Kardashian.

According to the prosecutor, Khedache, 69, “gave orders,” recruited others, and traveled to Belgium to sell the jewelry.

Khedache, who admitted to being one of the men who went to Kardashian’s bedroom, was accused by the prosecution of “minimising the violence.”

She acknowledged that he must “pay for his crimes,” but that there is no chance of him reoffending.

Didier Dubreucq, 69, who was also in the hotel room, according to the prosecution, is still unharmed. Merville demanded a similar sentence.

Yunice Abbas, 71, who wrote a book about the robbery, acknowledged that she and two accomplices were riding bicycles to “keep watch” at the scene of the robbery.

The prosecutor asked for a 10-year sentence, citing for him as well, that “the truth has many facets.”

Also available are Kim Kardashian’s Rise to Fame, From Sex Tape to Reality TV Star, and &nbsp.

Marc-Alexandre Boyer, the only youngster at the time, was the fourth suspected team member of the night, and she also demanded 10 years, citing his denials, criminal history, and “risk of reoffending.”

Gary Madar, the chauffeur’s brother of Kardashian, and Florus Heroui, both of whom the prosecution claims obtained and shared information about his schedule in Paris, are serving seven-year sentences.

Harminy, Khedache’s son, is accused of driving the robbery’s evening and is serving eight years in prison.

The prosecution claims that Cathy Glotin, the only woman on trial, was in charge of setting up the meetings between her partner Khedache and the accomplices, and that she deserves six years.

defendants who are aging

Regardless of the court’s decision, the accused are above all attempting to avoid being put in jail again regardless of whether they are currently detained.

Some of the accused could have faced up to 30 years in prison as a result of the armed robbery and sequestration charges, but it appears the prosecution took their ages and medical conditions into the sentencing demands into account.

Abbas has Parkinson’s disease, which he underwent while undergoing heart surgery while awaiting trial.

May 21, 2025

EU, Arab diplomats come under Israeli fire in occupied West Bank’s Jenin

By 234Radio in News, World News

According to the Palestinian Authority (PA) and numerous other nations, a diplomatic delegation from the European Union, Arab, and Asian countries, were shot by Israelis while visiting the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank.

As the Israeli military’s fourth-month-long offensive there, which has resulted in deaths and displacement, enters its fourth month, the diplomats were on a diplomatic mission on Wednesday to assess the humanitarian situation there.

The delegation had deviated from a previously agreed route and entered an area it was not authorized to be in, according to the Israeli army’s soldiers who fired warning shots to get it out. No injuries were reported.

The Israeli Civil Administration’s commander in the West Bank told Israeli officers to meet with delegation representatives in a statement from the military, “and will soon hold personal conversations with the diplomats and update them on the findings of the initial investigation conducted on the matter.”

Because Al Jazeera has been barred from the West Bank and Israel, Hamdah Salhut, an Al Jazeera correspondent from Amman, Jordan, claimed the incident demonstrates how reality is at work and how anyone can be shot by Israelis in the occupied West Bank.

Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been forced to leave their homes as part of the ongoing military operations in Jenin, Tulkarem, and surrounding areas in the occupied West Bank, she continued, adding, “These places in the Palestinian territory have come under complete siege.”

When shots are heard ringing out very close to the group and forcing it to flee for safety, delegation members appear in videos on social media.

Two Israeli soldiers were also seen nearby with their rifles pointed at them, according to footage captured by Al Jazeera’s Sanad fact-checking agency.

The diplomatic delegation is conducting a field tour around the Jenin refugee camp to find out how much the suffering the residents of the area have endured. The occupation forces opened heavy fire from inside the camp.
قوات الاحتلال تطلق النار بشكل كثيف من… pic. https://twitter.com/qafjqQP0Sg

A humanitarian aid worker who spoke on condition of anonymity told The Associated Press that about 20 diplomats were being informed about the situation in Jenin at the time. No one was hurt, according to witnesses, and it’s not known where the shots came from.

The Israeli occupation forces intentionally targeted an accredited diplomatic delegation with live fire, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates in “the strongest possible terms.”

Ambassadors were summoned, calls for investigation, and condemnation.

Other governments in Europe and the Arab world called for responses in addition to their own condemnations.

The Foreign Ministry of Turkiye said the firing was “in the most emphatic terms” and that Turkey was “demanding an immediate investigation and accountability.”

The ministry said in a statement that this attack, which endangered diplomats’ lives, is yet another example of Israel’s ongoing disregard for international law and human rights, adding that a diplomat from its own consulate in Jerusalem was one of the delegation.

Jean-Noel Barrot, the French ambassador, announced that he would call the Israeli ambassador. In a letter to the ambassador, Barbrot wrote on X, calling the incident “unacceptable” and demanding an explanation.

Two Ramallah-based Irish diplomats, who are members of the group, are named in the statement by Ireland’s foreign affairs minister, Simon Harris, who described it as “shocked and appalled.” I vehemently condemn this and say that it is completely unacceptable.

Jose Manuel Albares, the ambassador to Israel, was summoned by Spain’s foreign minister in Madrid. We demand accountability and clarity, he continued.

The strongest pro-Palestine voices in the EU have been led by Spain and Ireland, who have called for the end of the Israeli occupation of Gaza and the suffering of the West Bank’s and enclave’s residents.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government demanded an explanation, claiming that its vice consul was one of the critics. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation will be contacted to explain the situation to Israel’s ambassador to Italy.

Kaja Kallas, the head of the EU’s foreign policy, said it was unacceptable to fire warning shots.

The occupation forces’ firing at a diplomatic delegation that included more than 25 Arab and European ambassadors were a clear violation of international and humanitarian laws and a crime against all diplomatic standards, according to Jordan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates.

Its statement posted on X read, “We call on the international community to assume its legal and moral responsibilities and compel Israel to stop its aggression against Gaza and its escalation in the West Bank.”

Since January, a significant Israeli military operation has focused primarily on Jenin, Tulkarem, and Nur Shams. Since then, Israeli forces have accelerated a process that is already taking place: forced mass displacement, home demolitions, and arrests of Palestinians.

May 21, 2025

Patricia Hodge says she’s ‘lucky to work’ as she returns to screens aged 78

By 234Radio in Entertainment News, News

With a wealth of well-known credits from her career, Dame Patricia Hodge details her most recent TV adobe role in BBC1’s most recent drama Death Valley.

The actress is playing the role of Helena in the new BBC drama Death Valley(Image: Jonathan Buckmaster)

Murder is no laughing matter for Patricia Hodge, who will be playing the role of Helena in the new BBC1 Saturday night drama Death Valley, starring Timothy Spall.

She says of Death Valley, which is “sort of that new genre of humorous murder mysteries,” because she doesn’t believe there is anything funny about murder. She is a veteran of long-running shows like Poirot, Miss Marple, Waking the Dead, Inspector Morse, and Inspector Morse. However, it is a relatively new phenomenon.

Working with Tim Spall, a darling, was wonderful. Anyway, I’m curious to see how it turns out. However, I’m not the new Vera.

READ MORE: BBC TV star opens up on neurodiversity battle as she admits ‘I have ADHD’

Patricia returns to our screens for the new BBC1 drama Death Valley(Image: Getty Images)

For the show, Patricia, 78, follows eccentric retired actor John Chapel (Spall) and detective sergeant Janie Mallowan (Gwyneth Keyworth) through their unlikely, but frequently humorous, partnership to solve crimes in and around the Welsh valleys.

Patricia is one of a number of guest stars, and she is undoubtedly one of the many who are keeping her name in mind as to add more mystery to the plot.

Continue reading the article.

Despite being close to 80, the star of A Very English Scandal is also busy working on another BBC murder mystery series, The Marble Hall Murders, based on the Anthony Horowitz books.

Patricia clearly enjoys working, with credits like Four Weddings and a Funeral and The Elephant Man. She asserts that “working is what we are.” I enjoy being challenged. I don’t want to be left behind. I want to approach head-first.

“I am filming this new Anthony Horowitz thing at the moment, The Marble Hall Murders, and I have been filming in Dublin and Greece, and I have never been to Greece, so that has been lovely. I am very lucky to work. Work engages me.”

She is also adjusting to living without her late husband, music publisher Peter Owen, who passed away from dementia at the age of 85. Patricia, a star of Downton Abbey, continued to care for him until his passing, raising awareness of dementia.

Patricia has previously spoke heartfelt about her guilt over allowing her husband’s memory loss, which ultimately led to him being unable to recognize her. She is not interested in finding anyone else.

She recalls her loss, saying, “It’s always a significant adjustment, isn’t it? ” Without Peter, we spent more than 40 years together, and it is now approaching nine. I’m not looking for new people. It is not at all on my radar. Really, I’m not sure what I feel. My friends are wonderful. I’m very fortunate to work.

Besides acting, Patricia has been committed to supporting Historic Royal Palaces – the charity which oversees the restoration of ageing ancient palaces, held in trust for the nation by King Charles and the Royal Collection. She enjoys seeing new life being breathed into these impressive sites, for the nation to enjoy.

She was made an OBE in 2017 in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list for her services to drama(Image: Getty Images)

Patricia, who resides in Barnes, South West London, continues, “When the Historic Royal Palaces emerged from the public purse and was designated a charity, I was on the development board.” All of these palaces were suddenly given back to the people. Additionally, they acquired their private ownership.

“I’m not working on it anymore, but it was amazing to be a part of it, and I want to do it once more.” I believe a day is only short of hours. We oversaw the opening of Kew Palace during my time, which was incredible because no one had ever seen it before, and the work they did was absolutely stunning. I’m close to Barnes because I’m from there.

Patricia, a devoted follower of history, was also eager to honor VE Day’s 80th anniversary. She claims that she watched the bombers come over Hammersmith Bridge during the VE Day flypast. I had no idea what our parents went through, so I was devastated. How they endured and how they were treated.

Patricia is eager to pay tribute to the man who created her meticulously well-groomed appearance in more ambiguous situations. She asserts, “I have very long-lasting relationships. Since 1981, I have had the same hairdresser for all of my friendships because they all go back a long. Hugh Green is the name of the man.

Patricia has an incredibly ageless image despite being extremely fashionable. She continues, “I have never, never lied about my age.” There is no purpose, in my opinion, because it is so simple to discover.

It’s better to rejoice in who you are than to try to stifle it, in my opinion. What else are you lying about if people discover your lying and believe it to be true? You realize that accepting the truth is far better than living it.

Despite being widely regarded as acting royalty, Patricia prefers to be known simply as “Hodge.” She says: “The diminutives in Patricia are a nightmare. I was called Patricia for my first ten years of life.

Patricia played Mrs Pumphrey on All Creatures Great and Small(Image: Playground Entertainment)

Then, without any hesitation, the teacher introduced me as Pat at a school where I attended from day one. That meant you could call someone Patricia if you knew they were Pat.

“And then I started to tire, not because Pat Hodge and I are a great team.” I was called Trish or Trisha when I attended drama school.

There are many people who simply refer to me as Hodge, and I believe there are only two, if not three of us (Hodges) in the entire equity. So I now say “Hodge” when I answer the phone. “

When Hodge, Pat, Trisha, or Trish inquired whether Dame Patricia Hodge had a certain ring to her, it becomes obvious that this grand dame of British acting will take it seriously if she receives another call from the Palace.

She replies, “I don’t think about it.” We shouldn’t be awarded for just doing a job. I hold an OBE. What do you know? It occurs if it occurs.

Continue reading the article.

On Sunday, at 8:15 p.m., BBC1 will air the new series Death Valley.

READ MORE: 72-year-old shares delight at ‘plump and glowy’ skin after using £10 overnight cream for 2 weeks

Archive May 21, 2025

I didn’t have the courage to speak up before.

related subjects

“Give him compensation for his crimes”

defendants who are aging

Ambassadors were summoned, calls for investigation, and condemnation.

With a wealth of well-known credits from her career, Dame Patricia Hodge details her most recent TV adobe role in BBC1’s most recent drama Death Valley.