The police killed a delivery driver on Thursday night in an effort to stoke cost-of-living demonstrations has heightened protests in Indonesia. The death of Affan Kurniawan is thought to reflect the issues they themselves face, according to protesters.
The first Old Firm derby of the season typically gives players the opportunity to challenge authority, boost morale, and win accolades.
And Celtic has typically accepted that chance, as of late anyway.
However, the Parkhead outfit’s season has begun differently than they have before, as well as their rivals all over the city.
Both Celtic and Rangers enter this tense encounter in exasperating states, fleetingly.
In the early stages of this disastrous campaign, both on and off, there were more jeers than cheers.
Brendan Rodgers and the Celtic board will experience the heat at high noon on Sunday, especially from the pockets of away fans at Ibrox, even though they have a six-point lead over Russell Martin’s Rangers.
If this question had been posed a year ago, those of a Celtic ancestry would have laughed heartily at it.
Rodgers had a nearly flawless report card against Rangers up until the turn of the year, with just one defeat in 20 derbies.
Following a routine 3-0 league win, Celtic’s previous campaign had a similar beginning, but they were ultimately overtaken by their rivals in the penalty shootout in the League Cup final.
However, it has since changed a little sour-eyed since then.
Since September 1st, 2024, Rodgers’ Celtic haven’t defeated Rangers in 90 minutes since Phillipe Clement and Barry Ferguson’s defeat in the final meeting last year. Five meetings with one victory.
When put in that manner, it’s difficult to explain why this isn’t a must-win.
But how does Celtic reverse that trend? Rodgers insists that it’s “not rocket science.”
In a lengthy and egregious press conference, the manager remarked, “Play well and play without fear.
Rodgers noted, among other things, that it was impossible to “couldn’t be further from the truth” if any suggestion of disconnect existed within the organization during the pre-game press conference.
The tone of the music has changed once more.
Rodgers has previously expressed his frustration with the lack of transfer activity, but more will follow, but he has now assured that he and his board are “connected.”
Rodgers remarked, “We have a board of directors who bleed for the club.”
“They want the club to succeed, so everyone is connected,” they said.
It’s impossible to tell the difference between what I see and what I hear, and all this disconnection.
We love Celtic, but Dermot Desmond, the board, and everyone else, wants them to be the absolute best.
The lack of signings has caused the disconnect and dissatisfaction with various club aspects from afar.
Rodgers has expressed his hope for high-quality players to arrive before each milestone since beginning the pre-season. Before the deadline of 23:00, the Champions League play-off will take place.
The arrivals of left-back Marcelo Saracchi and winger Michel-Ange Balikwisha after the club were confirmed as a member of the Europa League were unusual, with the exceptions of Kieran Tierney and Benjamin Nygren.
Rodgers and supporters alike find that particular subject to be Groundhog Day.
Rodgers compared Celtic’s continued business late in the window to a trend.
It’s not about investing, he said. The club will make investments, but I believe timely investment is essential, and that is certainly what we need to consider.
They are now a little tail-chasing.
Rodgers acknowledged that Adam Idah has been “interested” and that Swansea has agreed to pay him, but he also stressed that “no one can leave unless we get players in to replace them.”
Although he is “pretty certain” that the club will be “pretty busy” before Monday’s window shuts.
Anthony Ralston, Kasper Schmeichel, …
No, we won’t be able to predict the team, but Rodgers did mention Anthony Ralston, who endured as much hardship as he could on Tuesday in Kazakhstan, “should be okay tomorrow.”
Ralston and impressive academy star Colby Donovan are competing for the right-back spot, but Saracchi and Alistair Johnston are also available for the position.
After scoring an impressive comeo in the first leg against Kairat Almaty, Yang was given the nod out wide against Kazakhstan, where the 23-year-old and Celtic as a whole struggled.
Rodgers believes Balikwisha is “ready-made” to play because he has kept his fitness levels high for Royal Antwerp.
Even with only 12 months until Idah’s permanent signing, that might be his debut.
In the Scottish Cup final, he scored the “fairytale” winner in the 90th minute against Rangers, earning the big money-movie.
US Open 2025
Dates: August 24 through September 7 in Flushing Meadows, New York
Carlos Alcaraz cruised into the US Open fourth round with a comfortable straight-set victory over Luciano Darderi despite the fact that he was “not an early person.”
The 22-year-old Spaniard had won the tournament’s first two matches on Arthur Ashe Stadium in the evening sessions, but on Friday he started play on that court at 11:30 local time.
In one hour and a half, Italian 32nd seed Darderi, who only had previously appeared in the third round of a Grand Slam, was beaten 6-2, 6-4, 6-0.
Alcaraz remarked, “I’m not an early person.” It’s challenging for me to get up in the morning.
I just tried to get up, he continued. Since I’m not used to starting at 11: 30, I wanted to have a good start.
“I tried to play long rallies and push him to the limit,” I said. I had a great time playing tennis, and I’m very proud of it.
Alcaraz, who was leading 5-4 in the second set while receiving treatment for his right knee and quadricep muscle, later admitted that the discomfort had vanished quickly and that he was “not concerned about it.”
He declared, “I’m feeling good. I requested a physio because, at the end of the third point, I just felt a knee problem after he broke my serve.
It was gone after five or six points.
Alcaraz broke serve in the very next game to move two sets before rattling quickly through the third set to win.
Alcaraz, who retained his French Open crown in June, won his first Grand Slam at the US Open in 2022. He now wants to win his second major of the year.
If he matches or surpasses Jannik Sinner’s performance in New York, he will rise to the top of the world rankings.
Unseeded Arthur Rinderknech, who is entering the last 16 of a Grand Slam for the first time in his career, will be his fourth-round opponent.
Shirley Ballas recalls the precise moment when the world sank. Her phone suddenly lit up as she snuggled up with her 87-year-old mother Audrey at 9 p.m. on the day of her 64th birthday.
It was a relative of her fiance Danny Taylor telling her that he’d gone missing, his phone was off and his family were very worried about him. Suddenly she was engulfed by the harrowing thoughts of her brother David who had tragically taken his own life, in 2003, aged 44.
She chimes in quietly, “All those memories came flooding back… it triggered all these emotions.” She spent the next few hours frantically looking for Danny, calling all of his friends and family, before giving her number to the police, who were also concerned about the circumstances.
She noticed that Danny had read her Whatsapps at 2 a.m. However, Danny returned the following day and continued as if nothing had happened, causing him to grow angry. She realized almost immediately that she couldn’t have someone who could end her suffering once more.
“From the moment I die, I will never forget that day.” She says, “I can tell you that my mother was just so upset and replaying all of her trauma when I looked across in the middle of the night.” I initially believed that this couldn’t continue. Not just for my sake, but also for my mother.
Strictly Come Dancing star Shirley is opening up to the Mirror as she prepares to release her incredible new memoir, Best Foot Forward. And talking to the warm-hearted star, it’s clear the night of her birthday has left an indelible mark.
READ MORE: Brooklyn Beckham’s ‘heartbreaking’ wedding vow speech moves parents
Shirley recalls how much she still loved him but felt she couldn’t continue to do so. It’s all very depressing, they say.
She and Danny, both 13, met while performing panto together in 2018, and Danny is 13 years younger. In Jack and the Beanstalk in Liverpool, the TV star was playing Mother Nature and Danny was the evil Fleshcreep. The pair had been dating for four and a half years. She acknowledges that after getting engaged in 2021, she quickly fell head over heels for him. Even the wedding rings were purchased by her.
“It was obvious how much I cherished that man,” she said. And he entered my life when I had a great deal of need, she explains. He was such a kind person. What’s the nicest way to say this, though? There were red flags along the line that I chose to ignore, but it only got to the point where the relationship was becoming increasingly difficult for me.
If there was a disagreement or heated discussion between them, Shirley claims that Danny was a “drifter by nature.” They would not talk for days. She claims it was similar to her father, who frequently fought off with her during her early years.
Things she once found endearing, like not knowing when his train arrived at her front door or arriving at her house with a broken suitcase, quickly started to deteriorate. She describes in the book how she “thinks that’s how I should show him I loved him” by giving him gifts.
So he received the “best of the best” items like custom-made clothing, Gucci shoes, Mont Blanc cufflinks, gorgeous holidays, and a Mini Coupé. Since he wasn’t making a living, she even hired him as her temporary resident during Covid.
We weren’t progressing together anymore, and she says, “I’m already worried about things that are going on in his life,” and she’s growing even more concerned. I simply needed some tranquility.
After splitting following that fateful night, communication between the two of them has been sparse. They exchange the odd text message but it feels that Shirley has been doing the heavy-lifting on that front. “We still haven’t seen each other face to face since that night, which I’ve asked for many times,” she says. “I’m a person who needs closure, and it’s just never closed. I always think it’s nice to sit in a room, because when people write text messages, you don’t really know the tone.”
Unsurprisingly, Shirley admits she’s not keen to rush into another relationship, if at all. She has been married twice before. She tied the knot with her dance partner Sammy Stopford in 1980 but divorced after four years. Then there was a fiery marriage to another dancer Corky Ballas with whom she has a son, Mark.
Due to allegations of infidelity, it ended in 2007. She briefly engaged to her first dance partner, Nigel Tiffany, at the age of 16, and they are still close friends today.
She says, “I don’t think I’ll ever have another relationship, but it would have to be with someone who was much calmer and saw our growth go forward.” That doesn’t mean that I didn’t adore Danny during those six years we spent together. I simply didn’t really have a choice.
She admits in the book that she feels “incomplete and a little lost” despite having grown used to being on her own once more. Even though she jokes that she is considering joining dating app Raya, these experiences have only strengthened her conviction that nothing is everlasting.
“I believe my toyboy days are over.” If they are fit, I would say anything from 55 to 70, she goes on. It is obvious that her son, 38, and mother, Audrey, 38, are now her true love.
The latter moved in with Shirley in her south-east London home in 2021, shortly after being diagnosed with cancer. Like this time around, she’s always been by her daughter’s side.
She wasn’t sure about it when I told her I wanted to get married at the age of 16. She laughs and then I got married at age 19, so I believe I was a constant source of pain in her butt for the rest of her years. “And then, of course, I left my first husband and fled to America, and then, of course, I became pregnant in the middle of my career.
I remember calling her and telling her, “You know what, Mum, I’m pregnant,” and she was shocked. She has seen it all, therefore.
Shirley Ballas’ best book, BEST FOOT FORWARD, was released by BBC Books on September 11th at a price of £22 (copyright).
The biggest name that went missing when Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle named the final squad for Nigeria’s 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Rwanda and South Africa was Bayer Leverkusen forward Victor Boniface.
The 23-year-old’s summer has been turbulent because of medical concerns that led to the collapse of his move to AC Milan.
Regulars made the cut for the mar or mar games scheduled for early next month, including Victor Osimhen, William Troost-Ekong, Ademola Lookman, Stanley Nwabali, Ola Aina, Alex Iwobi, Wilfred Ndidi, Samuel Chukwueze, and Calvin Bassey, among others.
Felix Agu, Benjamin Fredericks, and Christantus Uche, all players who impressed during the Unity Cup earlier this year, were invited by Chelle.
On September 6 at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, Akwa Ibom, Nigeria will welcome the Amavubis of Rwanda.
On September 9, 2025, the three-time African champions travel to South Africa to face the Bafana Bafana.
After only seven points from six games, the Super Eagles must overcome a difficult situation in order to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
They must win all of their remaining games to have a chance of qualifying for the tournament because they are currently fourth in the Group B log.
In the Champions League, Liverpool, Man City, and Real Madrid (FULL DRAW) READ ALSO.
EAGLES – SEPTEMBER 2025
Next up: South Africa’s World Cup qualifiers vs. Rwanda andamp; twitter.com/fWodiRLkKE
The full list of players invited to the games in Rwanda, South Africa, is provided below.
Goalkeepers: Adeleye Adebayo (Volos FC, Greece), Stanley Nwabili (Chippa United, South Africa), Amas Obasogie (Singida Blackstars, Tanzania), and Amas Obasogie (Chippa United, South Africa).
Defenders: William Troost-Ekong (Al-Kholood, Saudi Arabia), Calvin Bassey (Fulham, England), Olaoluwa Aina (Nottingham Forest, England), Bright Osayemael (Olympiakos, Greece), Chidozie Awaziem (Nantes, France), Felix Agu (Werder Bremen, Germany), and Benjamin Fredericks (Dender, Belgium)
In midfielders Alex Iwobi (Fulham, England), Frank Onyeka (Brentford, England), Fisayo Dele-Bashiru (Lazio, Italy), Raphael Onyedika (Club Brugge, Belgium), and Christantus Uche (Getafe, Spain) are available.
Grand Prix of the Netherlands
Dates: 29-31-Aug, 2018 Start time: 14:00 BST on Sunday
Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso ruled out any prospect of competing with the McLarens for a front-row starting position at the Grand Prix of the Netherlands despite splitting Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in Friday practice.
After winning both sessions at Zandvoort, Alonso was only 0.08 seconds behind Norris.
The two-time champion, however, laughed when it was suggested he might participate in Saturday’s qualifying with the McLarens.
Alonso said, “I don’t believe it’s within our reach to fight with the McLarens,” but “some of the top teams, Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull, they seem not too distant.” We’ll make an effort to be in that group.
“The Astons are never that far off in P2,” said Norris. They consistently and frequently perform well in P2. They have improved significantly. They were also fairly quick in Budapest. It doesn’t come as a big surprise. They appear to be moving the quickest right now, but Max (Verstappen) is close enough.
Alonso and team-mate Lance Stroll shared the lead in both sessions, setting a fourth-fastest time in the first session. After locking his left front brake on the entryway to the corner, Stroll left the session early on with a significant impact at the banked Hugenholtz hairpin.
After some minor car improvements in recent races, the team has since improved to sixth place in the constructors’ championship despite a difficult start to the season.
Alonso once said, “I feel optimistic. Undoubtedly a little more optimistic than some of our previous Fridays.
Hungary “strong for us,” and now that we have the race under our belts, we are still showing some good pace in our free practice. Although it is only free practice, it is encouraging to see how we are doing.
After falling behind Norris by 0. 292 seconds in the first session, Piastri is now nine points clear of him for the weekend.
Both McLaren drivers claimed they had had a good day getting ready for the weekend, with the teams anticipating rain that will affect running on Saturday.
Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari was second fastest, ahead of Verstappen’s Red Bull, and who was 0. 848 seconds off the pace at Mercedes.
The seven-time champion never lost a single hit during his two spins during the day.
The first was during the first session when he spun into Hugenholtz, and the second was when he ran a little wide out of Turn Nine’s tricky right-hander and re-engaged the rear wheel.
Hamilton made a positive start to the season’s final stretch after a difficult first for the Briton, finishing the day 0.0396secs and two places ahead of team-mate Charles Leclerc.
Not the worst of days, Hamilton declared. We were progressing. In P1, things were a lot further apart than usual. We made progress, but we still have a lot of work to do overnight.
We are where we are, if you prefer. We’ll try our best, but I’m not sure how we’re going to find 0. 8 seconds.
He claimed that his spins simply were pushing too hard. The car is quite unpredictable, and the ride quality isn’t what we’d like. I had a snap when I touched the grass the second time.
Leclerc described it as “probably the worst Friday of the season,” calling it “a very, very, very difficult Friday” and claiming that they were losing “90% of the time” in two corners. The tricky two right-handers from Turns Eight and Nine were the one he chose, but he did not name them.
Leclerc predicted that the situation would need a “miracle.”
Yuki Tsunoda of Red Bull was seventh, and Alex Albon was another, who crashed in the Williams’ second session, going straight into Tarzan’s front wing and breaking it against the barriers.
Verstappen himself experienced a problem after the first session, causing him to misinterpret his braking into the Tarzan hairpin, which initiates the lap after a practice start.
Alpine’s Franco Colapinto finished ninth fastest behind Leclerc, followed by Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg, who was rounded out the top 10 behind Oliver Bearman from British Haas.
Colapinto’s future at the team was in doubt during the official press conference held in the interim of the sessions, led by Alpine’s de facto coach Flavio Briatore.
The Argentine has failed to impress, having been drafted as a reserve driver from Williams over the winter and racing alongside Australian Jack Doohan from the French team since the sixth race of the season.
Briatore responded, “I see everything already,” when asked what he needed to see from Colapinto in order to keep his seat. I don’t need to look at anything anymore.
It’s challenging, they say. It’s very challenging for this driver to handle this vehicle. These vehicles are quick and heavy. And for a young driver to enter Formula 1, Franco might not have had the right timing. Perhaps he needs another year or two to compete in Formula 1?
