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Archive May 1, 2025

When is the British and Irish Lions squad named?

By in News, Sports News
Images courtesy of Getty

Head coach Andy Farrell will announce his team for the British and Irish Lions’ tour of Australia on Thursday, May 8 at a live event in London, after months of rumors.

There might only be a few players from Wales after their disappointing results last year, but Scotland and England should also be well represented.

Players who are not in the Six Nations’ squads, such as Racing 92’s Owen Farrell and Jack Willis from Toulouse, have also been linked with a place in the squad.

A total of 37 players were chosen for the Lions’ initial squad for their final South African tour in 2021, despite Farrell’s not revealing how many players he will select.

Ieuan Evans, a former Lions chairman and former wing of Wales, will reveal the squad while he is a member of the team’s successful Australian tour in 1989.

The captain will be who?

The Lions are one of the top contenders behind England lock Maro Itoje and Ireland lock Caelan Doris, both of whom are national team captains.

How to follow the BBC’s announcement about the Lions squad

From 13:00 BST, you can follow live text coverage on the BBC Sport app and website.

Chris Jones, a correspondent for BBC Radio 5 Live, will be covering the announcement.

BBC reporters will also be present at sporting events and rugby unions in Wales, Ireland, and England.

What games are between the Irish and British Lions?

Before departing for Australia, the Lions will play their opening game in Dublin against Argentina on June 20.

Before Brisbane’s three-test series with the Wallabies kicks off on July 19th, the visitors will have five warm-up games to play.

Lions vs. Argentina at the Aviva Stadium on Friday, June 20.

Perth Lions vs. Western Force on Saturday, June 28 (Optus Stadium).

Lions vs. Queensland Reds game at Suncorp Stadium on Wednesday, July 2 (Suncorp Stadium)

Sydney Lions vs. NSW Waratahs on July 5 (Allianz Stadium)

Lions vs. ACT Brumbies game on Wednesday, July 9 at GIO Stadium in Canberra.

Lions vs. Invitational AU & NZ, Adelaide (Adelaide Oval), Saturday, 12 July.

First Test of the Lions vs. Australia match takes place on Saturday, July 19 at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.

Lions vs. Melbourne Rebels at Melbourne’s Velo Stadium on July 22.

Second Test between the Lions and Australia at Melbourne (Melbourne Cricket Ground/MCG) on Saturday, July 26.

Third Test match between the Lions and Australia at Sydney (Accor Stadium) on Saturday, August 2.

The Lions’ coaches are who?

Farrell’s coaching staff heavily relies on the Ireland setup he left behind to lead the Lions.

As assistant coach, Lions great Johnny Sexton, who started all three Tests of the 2013 series win over Australia, is joined by attack specialist Andrew Goodman and scrum coach John Fogarty, who was Ireland’s interim head coach prior to this year’s Six Nations.

Both England’s senior coach Richard Wigglesworth and Scotland’s forward coach John Dalziel are present.

Australia’s history of the Lions

The Lions played club and regional sides before their first World War II appearance in 1888, but the touring party had already played before the Wallabies.

They returned the following year before visiting again in 1904, 1908, 1930, 1950, 1959 and 1966, when they also toured New Zealand.

They only traveled to Australia once more in 1989, winning the Wallabies 2-1.

England’s Jason Robinson scored a stunning opening try in the third minute to win their first Test match 29-13 at the Gabba on their subsequent tour in 2001.

They had a half-time lead in the second, but Australia rallied to end the game and force a final decision.

The hosts would win the series 2-1 and win the Tom Richards Trophy in Sydney with a famous 29-23 victory.

The Lions would make amends for their 2013 victory, which they won 2-1.

One of the greatest tries in Lions history, George North, scored for the visitors in the opening Test to give them a 23-21 victory, before Australia added a point to tie the series at one point.

related subjects

  • Irish Lions and British &
  • Rugby Union

Canelo Alvarez vs William Scull: Fight start time, undercard, stream, purse

By in News, World News

In a highly anticipated boxing match that will make him the men’s undisputed super middleweight champion of the world, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, one of the most well-known and highly-paid athletes, will face William Scull, who is currently the most popular and highest-paid athlete.

Alvarez will return for the first time as part of his Riyadh Season contract, which will give him a chance to reclaim his IBF belt.

What information about the fight is important to you:

The Alvarez vs. Scull fight will take place when?

On May 3, the fight is scheduled for Saturday, May 3.

Where is the Alvarez-Scull fight taking place?

The match will take place at Riyadh’s ANB Arena in Saudi Arabia.

What time does the Alvarez vs. Scull fight begin?

At 18:00 GMT, the pre-fight activities will begin, followed by the undercard fights.

Before 22:00 GMT, no ring walks are anticipated for the main fight.

How do I watch the live Alvarez vs. Scull fight?

At 22:00 GMT, Al Jazeera Sport will begin live coverage of the pre-fight build-up and undercard results, followed by a detailed text and photo blow-by-blow account of the main fight.

On DAZN pay-per-view, the fight will be broadcast live.

On the undercard, who is it?

A rematch between Bruno Surace and Jaime Munguia, the fight’s pick, makes up the title of the fights.

Marco Verde, Mexico’s silver medalist at the Paris Olympics in 2024, will also make his professional debut on Saturday night by facing compatriot Michel Polina.

What the undercard looks like in this example:

  • Super middleweight fight between Bruno Surace and Jaime Munguia
  • Heavyweight fight between Martin Bakole and Efe Ajagba.
  • Cruiserweight match between Badou Jack and Norair Mikaeljan
  • Michel Polina vs. Marco Verde: a light middleweight
  • Middleweight fight between Aaron Guerrero and Brayan Leon
[Richard Pelham/Getty Images] Marco Verde will make his professional Riyadh debut.

The fight purse is what?

Canelo is expected to make $80 million from the fight, according to Spanish sports newspaper Marca, despite not having the official purse revealed.

Canelo Alvarez, who is she?

Alvarez, a professional boxer from Guadalajara, Mexico, is one of the most well-known fighters of the modern era. The 34-year-old started fighting at age 15 in 2005 and eventually turned professional five years later, better known as “Canelo.” With a $275 million worth, the Mexican, who comes from a rural background, has established himself as one of the best boxers in the world, according to Forbes magazine.

Alvarez has won belts in four of these weight classes, all the way from welterweight to light heavyweight.

In his 15 years of professional football, Alvarez has defeated numerous famous foes with an orthodox stance, reach, and height of 1.75 meters.

He currently holds the titles of world boxing champion and world champion in the super middleweight division, along with the WBC, WBC, and WBO belts.

Alvarez defeated challenger Edgar Berlanga by unanimous decision in his final professional fight in three rounds in September of that year.

FILE - Canelo Alvarez reacts before fighting Edgar Berlanga in a super middleweight title bout on Sept. 14, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)
Edgar Berlanga defeated Canelo Alvarez in Las Vegas in September 2024.

William Scull, who is he?

Scull, who was born in Matanzas, Cuba, turned professional when he was 24 years old and has a stellar professional resume.

Alvarez gave up his belt in 2024, making him the super middleweight champion of the International Boxing Federation.

The Cuban is a formidable figure in the ring because of his orthodox stance and 73-inch ring reach.

He won the vacant IBF super middleweight belt in his most recent fight, which was against Vladimir Shishkin, in October of 2024.

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA - APRIL 30: William Scull trains during the media workout ahead of his IBF, WBC and WBO World Super Middleweight titles fight against Canelo Alvarez as part of the Fatal Fury City of Wolves card at Boulevard City Studio on April 30, 2025 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
Before his IBF, WBC, and WBO world championship fight against Canelo Alvarez in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, William Scull trains with the media.

Canelo Alvarez and William Scull are fighting for which boxing titles?

With Scull’s IBF belt, which Alvarez relinquished, the fight will bring together the WBC, WBA, and WBO super middleweight titles.

What is Alvarez’s record in fights?

  • Fights: 66
  • Wins: 62
  • 39 wins in a knockout.
  • Losses 2
  • Draws: 2

What is Scull’s record in fights?

  • Fights: 23
  • Wins: 23
  • wins 9-out of 10 in a row.
  • Losses: 0
  • Draws: 0

What has Canelo Alvarez said about the conflict?

The fighters have exchanged disparaging remarks about what to expect from Saturday’s fight, with Alvarez refuting Scull’s claims that he ate the Mexican.

On Wednesday, Alvarez told iFL TV, “He’s going to eat punches, that’s what he’s going to eat.”

The well-known boxer has previously stated that he will take pride in the fight because it gives him the chance to fight abroad.

“It inspires me to fight in a different country,” I said. It makes me feel fantastic. I value this conflict very highly. I never find it easy.

What has Scull said about the conflict?

Scull has stated that he will “eat” his opponent in the ring if he doesn’t want to disrespect him.

The challenger stated on Tuesday, “I’m here to win, and that’s it.”

I’m going to eat him, I promise. I’m now focused on what needs to be done. I’m very excited because I’m here to “close some mouths” and carry out my obligations.

Alvarez and Jake Paul fought, but why did he withdraw?

The Mexican boxing legend was referred to as “a money-hungry squirrel” chasing his “next nut” when he refused to fight Jake Paul, the host of a rumored fight with the YouTuber and boxer in favor of a deal with Riyadh Season in February.

Alvarez and Riyadh Season have a four-fight contract, with the first one being their upcoming fight against Scull.

DRC seeks to lift ex-President Kabila’s immunity over alleged war crimes

By in News, World News
According to the justice minister, the government has requested that the Senate remove former president Joseph Kabila’s immunity so that he can be tried for supporting a rebel uprising in the east.

Constant Mutamba told reporters in Kinshasa on Wednesday evening that authorities have gathered solid proof linking the former president to “war crimes, crimes against humanity, and massacres of peaceful civilians and military personnel” in the east.

Mutamba claimed that Kabila, a former president and senator, has requested that the army’s attorney general grant him lifetime prosecution immunity.

The justice minister added that the former president is accused of “treason, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and involvement in an insurrectional movement.”

Kabila allegedly supported the M23 rebels and “prepared an insurrection” with them, according to his successor, President Felix Tshisekedi, who earlier claimed this year.

Kabila served as president of the DRC from 2001 to 2019, taking office at the age of 29 and extending his mandate by halting elections for two more years. Laurent Kabila, his father, was killed in 2001, according to his father.

He left the DRC last month, largely as a result of deteriorating ties with the Tshisekedi government, and he returned there last month. One of his associates said that he planned to “participate in peace efforts” in the rebel-held eastern city of Goma.

The M23 have taken control of the important cities of Goma and Bukavu, leaving their resurrected after fighting broke out in the eastern DRC once more in January.

About 3,000 people have been killed in the fighting, which has worsened what is already one of the largest humanitarian crises in the world, leaving about 7 million people displaced.

About 200 armed organizations are vying for control in the mineral-rich eastern DRC near the Rwandan border. According to UN experts, Rwanda’s neighboring country has about 4, 000 soldiers supporting the rebels.

Fighting is still ongoing in the eastern province of South Kivu despite the DRC’s army and M23 agreeing to work toward a truce this month.

The justice minister’s actions amount to “relentless persecution,” according to Ferdinand Kambere, the People’s Party for Reconstruction and Democracy’s deputy secretary-general.

The former president’s actions are “intentionally” seen as showing that the regime is about to end, according to us. According to Kambere, “they have nothing to use against Kabila.”

Israeli attacks kill dozens as UN demands lifting of ‘cruel’ Gaza blockade

By in News, World News

At least 29 people have been killed by Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, according to Gaza’s civil defense organization, as a result of the UN’s request for Israel to ratchet up its blockade of Palestinian territory and allow humanitarian aid to enter.

According to civil rights official Mohammed el-Mougher, at least eight people were killed when an Israeli bomb targeted the Abu Sahlul family’s home in the southern Gaza refugee camp.

At least 17 more people were killed in other assaults across the enclave on Thursday, including one on a tent housing displaced civilians close to Deir el-Balah, in addition to the four who were killed in an airstrike in the Tuffah neighborhood of Gaza City, east of Shaaf.

Witnesses reported a Khan Younis trail of destruction to the AFP news agency. “We arrived here and discovered all these houses destroyed, and young people and children all falling apart,” said Ahmed Abu Zarqa. We’re all tired, please. We are unsure of our future plans. We’d rather die than lead this kind of life.

Aid should never be used as a bargaining chip.

The besieged territory, which has been under a total Israeli blockade for two months, is the subject of dire warnings about the humanitarian situation there.

The UN’s Volker Turk, the head of human rights, claimed that Israel’s policies on Palestinians in Gaza are “increasingly incompatible with their continued existence as a group.” He warned that if one uses starvation to fight, they could commit war crimes.

Palestinians are teetering on the verge of widespread starvation, according to Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum, who was based on the ground.

“Parents have frightened their kids to eat spoiled food, literally starting to skip meals.” He claimed that canned food has become a luxury. The World Food Programme reportedly ran out of stock, leaving soup kitchens overwhelmed and barely functioning, while aid-supported bakeries have shut down and are now in full operation.

Locals want secure, long-lasting humanitarian corridors, but Israel’s regulations say meaningful aid must only be entered with permission, he added. Many in Gaza feel as though they are experiencing “an engineered misery” that has caused famine on a devastating scale as the blockade is now in its second month.

On Thursday, the UN’s humanitarian chief, Tom Fletcher, echoed those concerns. He claimed that “aid and the civilian lives it saves never should be a bargaining chip.”

“Blocking aid kills,” It uses cruel collective punishment. He criticized Israel’s plan to distribute private aid to Gaza, calling it insufficient and unconcerned with fundamental human rights.

We reiterate this brutal blockade to the Israeli authorities and to those who can still reason with them. He urged humanitarians to save lives.

More than 3, 000 aid trucks are stuck at the Gaza border, according to UNRWA, including UNRWA, preventing the delivery of essential supplies. According to estimates, one million children are at risk. In a post on X, UNRWA stated that “the siege must be lifted.

Israel is criticized by Qatar at the ICJ.

Following the UN General Assembly’s request for an advisory opinion last year, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) held a week-long hearing on Israel’s obligations to provide humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

Mutlaq al-Qahtani, Qatar’s ambassador to the Netherlands, told the court that Israel has continued its “genocidal war against the Palestinian people” and expanded settlement efforts in the occupied West Bank on Thursday.

According to Mutlaq al-Qahtani, Palestinians in Gaza are still in “famine-like conditions” as Israel continues to thwart “any delivery of life-saving aid.”

Virginia Giuffre’s ‘heartbreak as estranged children not allowed to see her before death’

By in Entertainment News, News

Campaigner Virginia Giuffre, who made headlines last week after accusing Prince Andrew of sexual abuse, which he’s denied, passed away at the age of 41.

Virginia Giuffre passed away at the age of 41, according to an announcement made last week.

Virginia Giuffre was reportedly estranged from her children in the lead up to her death. The news comes after it was announced last week that she’d taken her own life after being a “lifelong victim” of sexual abuse and sex trafficking.

Virginia, who alleged that paedophile Jeffrey Epstein trafficked her for sex at the age of 16, made headlines after accusing Prince Andrew, now 65, of sexually abusing her while she was a teenager. He has repeatedly denied the claims and, in 2022, paid Virginia an undisclosed sum in an out-of-court settlement. It’s been reported that the agreement did not admit liability.

Virginia Giuffre, wearing a blue dress, speaking with members of the media outside of federal court in New York in 2019.
It was announced just days ago that Virginia Giuffre had been found dead, aged 41, at her home(Image: Bloomberg via Getty Images)

It was announced last week that Virginia, who was living in Australia after relocating from the US, had died aged 41. Her family said that she had taken her own life. Her father, Sky Roberts, has since questioned if that was the case.

Following the news of her death, Daily Mail Australia reported that Virginia – who was separated from her husband Robert Giuffre – had become estranged from her three children. The outlet reported that ‘strict court orders’ meant that her children were not able to visit her during her most recent hospital stay or even text her. It added that Virginia had not seen or heard from them in the lead up to her death.

Virginia’s mother, who is alleged to have been her carer, described her as “a really good mother, she was an exceptional mother, and she loved her children.” She did, of course, find separation to be very difficult to deal with.

Continue reading the article.

As previously reported, a source told MailOnline that Virginia’s life “imploded” in recent months. They said that her marriage “broke down” and that she was in “pain”. The source also claimed that she had been taking prescription pain pills “since she was with Epstein”.

She hasn’t seen her children since her husband placed a restraining order earlier this year, the source continued. She expressed concern for everything that was said about her. However, her main concern was having to watch her children.

Her family last week revealed Virginia’s death. We are saddened by the news that Virginia passed away last night at her farm in Western Australia, according to their statement. After being a continuous victim of sex abuse and trafficking, she committed suicide.

Paying tribute to her, they added in the statement given to NBC News: “Virginia was a fierce warrior in the fight against sexual abuse and sex trafficking. She was the light that lifted so many survivors. In the end, the toll of abuse is so heavy that it became unbearable for Virginia to handle its weight.”

The news came after a post on Virginia’s Instagram account in March stated that she had been given days to live following a car crash. It included a photo that appeared to show extensive bruising whilst she lay in a hospital bed.

No matter what your car is made of, a tin can might as well be it, even though this year has been the worst start to a new year, the caption reads: “I won’t bore anyone with the details, but I think it’s important to note that when a school bus driver comes at you driving 110 kilometers as we were slowing for a turn.

I had kidney renal failure, and they gave me four days to live before moving me to a urology specialist hospital. You know what they say about wishes, but not until I see my babies once more. I can guarantee that it will still be s*** at the end of the day if I have s*** in one hand and wish in the other.

However, Western Australia Police Force told the Mirror that it had received a report of “a minor crash” between a bus and a car north of Perth on March 24. They said in a statement: “The Western Australia Police Force received a report of a minor crash which occurred between a bus and a car in Neergabby on 24 March just after 3pm. The collision was reported by the bus driver the following day. The car sustained approximately $2000 (£967) worth of damage. There were no reported injuries as a result of the crash.”

As previously reported, her brother, Sky Roberts, later clarified the “four days to live” comment, stating that doctors had informed the family that without urgent treatment, her condition could have been fatal. He said: “Let’s be clear, she never stated the bus accident was the cause of all her other injuries. Nobody ever said her liver issues and kidney failure were ever from that … that’s up to her doctor to determine.”

Continue reading the article.

The Samaritans have a free helpline that is available 24/7, accessible at 116 123, for those who are struggling and need to talk. You can also contact Jo at jo@samaritans.org or visit their website to find your local branch.

If you are 18 or under and have experienced this story, call Childline on 0800 1111. The NSPCC Helpline can also be reached by dialing 0808 800 500 or emailing help@nspcc.org. uk. Call 999 if a child is in immediate danger.