San Francisco Unicorns opener Finn Allen smashed a record 19 sixes in his incredible 151 off 51 balls against defending champions Washington Freedom in the opening match of the new Major League Cricket (MLC) season.
The New Zealand international opener’s knock on Thursday evening at Unicorns’ Oakland Coliseum, was the Twenty20 league’s highest individual score since its 2023 debut season.
Allen’s six-hitting display passed the previous record of 18 in a T20 match held by West Indian great Chris Gayle and Estonian Sahil Chauhan, who registered the knock in the European Cricket League.
The Unicorns amassed 269-5, an MLC team record, with Allen taking 34 balls to bring up his 100 against a bowling attack that included fellow New Zealand internationals Ben Sears, Rachin Ravindra and Glenn Phillips.
Phillips took a catch at long-on to dismiss the 26-year-old off Mitchell Owen’s bowling in the 18th over of the innings.
Freedom, led by Australian international Glenn Maxwell, were all out for 146 in 13.1 overs in reply, suffering a comprehensive 123-run defeat.
Allen, who was named Player of the Match, has already smashed two centuries and five fifties in 52 T20 international innings for the Kiwis, and hits at a strike rate of 163.
This was his 22nd fifty in domestic T20 cricket, where he has also scored two centuries but hits at a strike rate of 173.
The Royal Family and Buckingham Palace are taking care of their last minute preparations ahead of Trooping the Colour 2025 tomorrow, where King Charles’ official birthday will be celebrated in style.
With a host of senior working royals, including the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children, expected to step out onto the Palace balcony in a matter of hours, thousands of eager royal fans will flood the Mall to catch a glimpse of the royal family and celebrate the spectacular annual event.
With a huge military event and procession kicking off the celebrations, the day will be topped off with a balcony appearance by the royals and a stunning flypast by the RAF.
However, there looks set to be a big change for the King at this year’s Trooping the Colour as he continues to undergo cancer treatment. He is not expected to appear on horseback and will instead travel in a carriage for the procession from Buckingham Palace to Horse Guards Parade and back
The last time the King rode at the ceremony was in 2023 which was the first time the monarch had ridden in the parade since Queen Elizabeth did in 1986.
Charlotte Foster
King Charles two birthdays explained – and why Prince William may only get one
Trooping the Colour celebrates the monarch’s birthday, even though King Charles’ actual birthday takes place in November. He is not the only monarch to have two birthdays marked in the royal calendar, as Queen Elizabeth II, and many previous monarchs, also celebrated Trooping the Colour only to have their actual birthdays later in the year.
But why does the monarch have two birthdaysin the first place? And why isn’t Trooping the Colour celebrated on the King’s actual birthday? The answer comes down to two very British things: tradition and the weather.
However, while Charles has the privilege of two birthdays, the annual tradition could change when Prince William becomes king.
Read the full story here – King Charles two birthdays explained – and why Prince William may only get one
(PA)
Charlotte Foster
Prince William ‘scolded’ at Trooping the Colour by unimpressed Queen’s telling off
In one of the most memorable moments from the year’s past at Trooping the Colour, Prince William caught the world’s attention when he was told off by the late Queen Elizabeth.
During the monarch’s 2016 birthday celebrations, Prince William was captured crouching down on the the Buckingham Palace balcony to have a sweet moment with Prince George – who was just three years old at the time.
Depsite the wholesome moment warming the hearts of royal onlookers, the break in royal etiquette did not go down well with Her Majesty.
Read the full story here – Prince William ‘scolded’ at Trooping the Colour by unimpressed Queen’s telling off
Prince William was called out by the unimpressed Queen over a break in royal etiquette (AFP via Getty Images)
Charlotte Foster
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s ‘awkward exchange’ at Trooping the Colour explained
The last time the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were included in the coveted royal balcony line up at the annual Trooping the Colour, fans spotted a seemingly tense moment between the two.
In 2019, Harry and Meghan were joined on the balcony by a large group of senior royals as they all marvelled in the RAF flypast, when eagle-eyed fans seemed to spot a tense exchange between the couple.
However, when a video of the full moment was shared online, it seems there was more than meets the eye.
Read the full story here – Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s ‘awkward exchange’ at Trooping the Colour explained
Harry and Meghan at Trooping the Colour in 2019 (Getty Images)
Charlotte Foster
What is Trooping the Colour? Here’s what to expect from the King’s birthday celebration
With Buckingham Palace and the royal family busy preparing for the King’s birthday tomorrow, we have taken a look back at some of the most memorable moments from Trooping the Colour celebrations in years past.
With a huge military event and procession kicking off the celebrations, the day will be topped off with a balcony appearance by the royals and a stunning flypast by the RAF. Here’s everything we know about Trooping the Colour 2025, including what royals are expected to attend, how to watch, and where the longstanding tradition comes from.
Read the full story here – Trooping the Colour 2025: King Charles to ‘skip’ birthday parade tradition
The Firm are busy preparing for 2025 Trooping the Colour, with the King’s birthday celebrations kicking off tomorrow (Andrew Parsons / Kensington Palace)
Noel Gallagher has told his pal Bono he is ‘shocked’ at how the Oasis rehearsals are sounding. In the first revelation from the singer songwriter since the band reunited, US frontman Bono revealed Noel is confident the Oasis Live 25 reunion tour should sound great.
Bono, an Oasis fan himself, teased fans by saying we were going to have a “good Summer” and he would be at the Gallagher gigs too.
On Oasis, Bono said in a new interview: “I love them. I just love them. And what I really love is this, the sort of preciousness that had gotten a part of what was called indie music. They just blew it out.
“And there was just a swagger. The sound of getting out of the ghetto, not glamorising it. And they’re both funny, funny, funny.
“I’m still very close with Noel. And he got a message to me, and he says that he’s kind of shocked by how great the band is. So I think we’re going to have a good summer.”
Liam and Noel Gallagher are back in the rehearsal room and sounding better than ever ( PA)
Asked if he would be going to see Oasis himself, Bono told Zane Lowe: “Of course! And remember what they did as well. Those kind of big guitars, big Neil Young generous sounds.
“They were against the law in the UK, and they’re like, ‘No, I have to do what I f**king want.’
“And then they had this kind of rhythmic, beautiful quality. ‘Today is gonna be the day…’ So that’s a kind of, that’s an almost R&B rhythm.
“But Manchester was very influenced by dance music, so they were groovier than anybody. They were rawer than anybody.
“And Edge and myself met them in the first album. We went to Noel’s flat. And they’re like… it’s literally a basement flat first album.
“And it’s like, ‘Yeah, I’m into U2. Noel’s like, ‘Yeah, you’re the Edge! Wow!’ And Liam’s whatever.
“And I’m saying, you know, America’s great, because at that time It didn’t get through – till now. By the way, Oasis message didn’t get through maybe to America, and America didn’t get through to… so this is going to be, this would be like their first tour in the US. People that know how great they are.”
Noel and Liam will walk on stage for the first time together in public, since the band split nearly two decades ago, on July 4 at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium. There will also be dates in Manchester, London and Dublin as part of the tour.
The legendary Manchester band are reuniting for their first tour in 16 years, dubbed Oasis Live ’25, after finally burying the hatchet last year.
Earlier this week frontman Liam admitted he was sad about the split.
A user asked on X: “How does it feel singing songs with ur brother again? Like old times? (sic)”
To which, Liam replied: “You know what it’s spiritual but I can’t help think about all those wasted years, what a waste of PRECIOUS time (sic).”
Oasis split following a backstage bust-up between the Gallaghers at Rock en Seine festival in Paris in 2009.
Their return to the stage has been one of the most anticipated music events of the decade, with rehearsals now well underway in London.
* The full interview with Bono is on The Zane Lowe Show on Apple Music 1.
Grey’s Anatomy and Euphoria star Eric Dance was emotional as he gave a candid update on his health following his devastating ALS diagnosis earlier in the year
Eric Dane was emotional while discussing his condition(Image: ABC)
Grey’s Anatomy star Eric Dane has tearfully opened up about his struggles following his ALS diagnosis. The actor, 52, revealed his rare health issue in April and has now labelled it “crushing”.
The star, also known for his role on Euphoria, appeared on stateside television to provide the emotional update. Speaking to the team on Good Morning America, Eric confessed: “I wake up every day and I’m immediately reminded that this is happening.
As journalist Diane Sawyer candidly told him: “It’s not a dream,” he repeated it back. “I don’t think this is the end of my story,” he went on.
Eric Dane is comforted by Diane Sawyer(Image: ABC)
Elsewhere in the interview, a defiant Eric insisted: “I don’t feel like this is the end of me.” The full interview is set to air on Monday, but in another teaser Eric was seen to be looking emotional as Diane questioned his first thoughts on his diagnosis.
ALS stands for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. It can also be referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease, which is a rare motor neurone disease (MND). There is no cure with treatment only available to help ease the pain, which can be severe particularly on and around the nerves and joints.
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Eric opened up about his struggles(Image: ABC)
The condition usually affects those over 50 but can occur at any age and sadly there’s no cure. In the UK, it affects 5,000 adults at any one time, according to the MND Association.
Eric previously told PEOPLE: “I have been diagnosed with ALS. I am grateful to have my loving family by my side as we navigate this next chapter.
“I feel fortunate that I am able to continue working and am looking forward to returning to the set of Euphoria next week.I kindly ask that you give my family and I privacy during this time.”
Eric revealed his diagnosis just weeks after calling off his divorce from Rebecca Gayheart. They had initially filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences for their reason. However, they appeared to have a change of heart as Rebecca filed documents to have the petition dismissed in March.
Rebecca Gayheart and Eric Dane(Image: WireImage)
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The duo have two children together, daughters Billie Beatrice, 15, and Georgia Geraldine, 13. The couple tied the knot back in 2004 in Las Vegas after a whirlwind romance of 10 months.
As well as his role as Mark ‘McSteamy’ Sloan in Greys Anatomy, Eric has also starred The Last Ship, the movie Burlesque, Kabul and Bad Boys: Ride or Die. According to IMDb, he will next appear on screen in TV series Countdown and Family Secrets, with the latter being in post-production.
Israel on Friday morning struck multiple Iranian military and nuclear facilities, as well as residential homes in Tehran known to house senior security officials, pulling the region to the brink of a full-fledged war between the rivals.
The attacks killed multiple senior members of Iran’s military. They included General Mohammad Bagheri, the chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces and the country’s highest-ranking military official.
Who was Bagheri?
Bagheri was born Mohammad Hossein Afshordi in the 1960s. In his current role, he oversaw both the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and the rest of the country’s military, also ensuring coordination between those different arms of the country’s security apparatus.
He reportedly had a distinguished military career with the IRGC; however, little is known about him outside of his record of service, academic achievements and multiple sanctions imposed by various international bodies.
“A lot [of] higher-ranked intelligence and military officials in Iran tend to be more on the secretive side,” Reza H Akbari, Middle East and North Africa programme manager at the Institute for War and Peace Reporting, told Al Jazeera.
Bagheri joined the IRGC in 1980, a year after the Iranian revolution and the same year the Iran-Iraq war began. That conflict lasted eight years and saw hundreds of thousands of people killed on both sides, with Iran enduring the greater losses.
One of those killed was Bagheri’s older brother, Hassan, who had reportedly founded the IRGC’s military intelligence branch in 1980 and who, aged 27, led a division.
Bagheri fought in the Iran-Iraq war, according to a United States congressional research report, which described him as “an early IRGC recruit who fought against a post-revolution Kurdish uprising and in the Iran-Iraq War”.
According to Iranian media, Bagheri became the head of the IRGC’s intelligence operations in 1983, after the death of his brother. After the war, he also served as deputy head of intelligence and operations, and as the head of the armed forces’ common affairs.
He played a “special role” in a 1997 operation in Iraq against Kurdish forces, according to Rokna, an Iranian state-affiliated news agency. In 2016, he replaced Major-General Seyyed Hassan Firoozabadi as the chief of staff of the IRGC.
A view of a scene following an attack in the Iranian capital, Tehran, on June 13, 2025. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has announced that Israel conducted strikes on Iran [Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu]
He was affiliated with an “elite force within the IRGC,” according to Akbari, tasked with “carrying out the most sensitive missions, especially those related to the air force unit”.
Bagheri was sanctioned by the US in 2019, when the first Trump administration levelled sanctions against what they called the “inner circle” of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
The European Union, meanwhile, reportedly sanctioned Bagheri for supplying Russia with drones, while he was further sanctioned by the US, Canada and the United Kingdom for his role in the crackdown on the 2022 protests in Iran following the killing of Mahsa Amini.
Following Bagheri’s assassination, Iran appointed Ahmad Vahidi, a former defence and interior minister, as his interim replacement.
An injured person sits on a roadside in the aftermath of Israeli strikes, in Tehran, Iran, June 13, 2025. [Majid Asgaripour/West Asia News Agency via Reuters]
In addition to Bagheri, Israel also assassinated Hossein Salami, commander in chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, and Gholamali Rashid, deputy commander-in-chief of the armed forces.
They also killed multiple nuclear scientists in the Friday morning attacks.
The attacks came as the US and Iran were preparing for their next round of nuclear talks on Sunday in Muscat. Rhetoric over a possible attack from Israel and the US had intensified in recent days and US embassy staff had been put on alert in numerous locations, while Iran had responded with its own warnings of potential retaliation if struck.
The attacks were condemned by many in the international community, including many Gulf states, such as Saudi Arabia, Oman and Qatar, who called it a “flagrant violation” of international law.
US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said on Friday morning that he still expected talks to continue on Sunday.
But Akbari of the Institute for War and Peace Reporting said he saw little likelihood of the US-Iran negotiations continuing. “I find the plausibility of talks continuing as slim to none,” he said.
Firefighters work outside a building that was hit by Israeli air strikes north of Tehran, Iran, on June 13, 2025 [Abedin Taherkenareh/EPA-EFE]
Made In Chelsea’s Sam Thompson and ex Zara McDermott split earlier this year and now Zara’s new beau Louis Tomlinson is set to come face to face with Sam again this weekend
Sam and Zara split earlier this year(Image: Instagram)
Sam Thompson and Zara McDermott split earlier this year – and now he faces an awkward run in with her new man. The former Love Island star turned documentary maker is now dating One Direction star Louis Tomlinson.
In awkward timing, fresh from their split earlier this year, Sam, 32, is playing in the Soccer Aid game this weekend alongside the singer, 33, after they went public with their new romance. The pair have been spotted together multiple times.
As they prepare for another awkward run in this weekend – having trained together this week – people have been looking back at Sam and 28 year old Zara’s romance as they rumbled the real reason for their split.
One person, whose comment had more than 300 upvotes, said at the time: “A shame but not surprising. I always found it odd how much they talked about wanting to get married one day but never got engaged. I always sensed Sam wasn’t sure.”
Sam and Louis are both playing in Soccer Aid this weekend(Image: James Veysey/Shutterstock)
Another fan agreed, saying: “This is it for me for two people who seemed so committed to show themselves as happy and healthy they did not seem in any rush to get engaged and married. That’s always a sign things probably aren’t going as well as they want to make everyone believe,” whilst one said: “It’s common when you meet young to wait a bit to get married.”
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Just last year, Sam, admitted he felt “no pressure” to wed Zara, whilst she said she’d love to tie the knot.
“I’m so happy being with the person I know I’m going to spend the rest of my life with, I don’t see any sort of rush at all. We speak about marriage a lot, but there’s no pressure to put a ring on it,” he said at the time.
Following the split, a source told OK! that Sam and Zara were “devastated” by their split. The insider said: “Although they have known it’s been over for a while, Sam and Zara are both devastated and heartbroken that they couldn’t make it work as they had so much love for each other. When they had problems in the summer they vowed to give it one more try and hoped that they could work through their issues, but it proved impossible as they were just at different stages in their lives.”
Sam and Zara were together for years before they split(Image: Mike Marsland/WireImage)
Sam also gave a heartbreaking interview later where he said people could “see a sadness behind his eyes”.
“I went through a breakup and everyone keeps saying they can see sadness behind the eyes,” he said, “I’m terrified about where I am going. The way I see it, I am a plane and the pilot has passed out in the cockpit, and they are like: ‘Does anyone know how to fly?'”
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Asked what he was doing for self love, he said: “Not much, to be honest with you. I suppose a lot of people look for validation in other people, and they look for the other person instantly to fill that hole. I can’t do that.”
