Archive May 11, 2025

Hamas says it will release US-Israeli captive Edan Alexander

By in News, World News

Hamas has said it will release a US-Israeli captive held in Gaza, as the group confirmed it was engaged in direct talks with the United States towards securing a ceasefire in the war-ravaged enclave and getting aid flowing again to a suffering Palestinian population.

The Palestinian group released a statement on Sunday: “Israeli soldier Edan Alexander, a dual US national, will be released as part of efforts towards a ceasefire” and the reopening of aid crossings. Israel has blocked all aid, including food, medicine and fuel, for 70 days.

The Hamas statement did not indicate when the 21-year-old Alexander would be released, but it is thought to be in the coming 48 hours.

Israeli media reported that US envoy Steve Witkoff will be in Israel on Monday as part of the deal.

It comes shortly before US President Donald Trump’s visit to the Middle East this week – which does not include a trip to Israel. Trump and Witkoff have frequently mentioned Alexander by name in the past few months.

In its statement on Sunday, Hamas said it was willing to “immediately begin intensive negotiations” that could lead to an agreement to end the war and would see Gaza under a technocratic and independent administration.

“This will ensure calm and stability for many years, along with reconstruction and the end of the blockade,” the group said.

There was no immediate comment from Trump administration.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Sunday that the US told Israel that Hamas’ freeing of Alexander would lead to negotiations for the release of more captives. The statement added that Israel’s policy hasn’t changed: negotiations will be conducted under fire with a continued commitment to achieving all war objectives.

Alexander, who grew up in the US, was taken from his military base during the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack.

Earlier on Sunday, two Hamas officials told the AFP news agency that talks were ongoing in the Qatari capital of Doha with the US and reported “progress” had been made.

One Hamas official, speaking about the talks with the US, said there was “progress made … notably on the entry of aid to the Gaza Strip” and the potential exchange of captives for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli custody.

A second official also reported progress “on the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip”.

Israel shattered the last ceasefire, which lasted two months, on March 18, launching a major offensive in Gaza and ramping up its bombardment of the territory.

It has also cut off all aid to Gaza since March 2, saying it would pressure Hamas to release the remaining captives. None have been released since the fleeting truce earlier this year when several were exchanged for Palestinian prisoners.

Starvation has taken hold across Gaza due to the Israeli blockade.

Earlier this month, the Israeli government approved plans to expand its offensive in the Gaza Strip, with officials talking of retaining a long-term presence there.

Who made Troy’s Premier League team of the week?

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After every round of Premier League matches this season, BBC football pundit Troy Deeney will give you his team and manager of the Week.

Troy's Team of the Week XI: Ramsdale; Munoz, Van Hecke, Bednarek, Collins, Mykolenko, Soucek, Eze, Tonali, Watkins, Welbeck
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Aaron Ramsdale (Southampton): A big shoutout to Southampton. I thought they handled the situation really well with their choice of tactics.

You saw Manchester City complaining but Southampton did what they had to do to avoid that terrible points record of being level with Derby as the worst side in Premier League history.

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Daniel Munoz (Crystal Palace): One of my favourite players to watch. He gets up and down the field, gets an assist, he can attack really well.

Jan Paul van Hecke (Brighton): Van Hecke has been excellent all season. He’s one of those players where you wonder whether Brighton will struggle to keep hold of him in the summer. He’s broken into the Dutch national team as well. Again he was cool, calm and collected. He just gives a real solid presence.

Jan Bednarek (Southampton): I’m going to give him credit not just for dealing with Erling Haaland defensively. But he also wound Haaland up – and a few of the other City players, getting them frustrated to get their heads out of the game.

Southampton have been awful all season, so for them to keep a clean sheet is a massive bonus.

Nathan Collins (Brentford): Collins is one of the unsung heroes. He defends well and is a set-piece threat. An all-round solid individual but you don’t really hear much about him.

He’s always a seven out of 10. I want to give him some credit this season. I think he’s been excellent again, another breakout year, and you can just see him going from strength to strength.

Vitalii Mykolenko (Everton): He came up with a goal. He’s a really underrated player this guy, but under David Moyes, he seems to have found his stride and his patterns.

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All of my midfielders scored but I’m not putting them in for their goals, I’m putting them in for their all-round play.

Tomas Soucek (West Ham): Sometimes you watch games and guys just stand out on the pitch. Whenever you watch West Ham, Soucek is one of those guys who stands out.

He has a solid defensive framework. He heads it, kicks it, tackles. Offensively he’s a threat as well. He’s a really important player for them and they’re going to have to think of a way of moving on from him at some point because him and Jarrod Bowen keep stepping up for West Ham.

Sandro Tonali (Newcastle): Tonali has been in this team three or four times already this season. He is an excellent, excellent footballer. There was talk about him being sold earlier on in the season. I can’t see how they can sell him, I really can’t.

Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace): Eze is just a joke, isn’t he? Loads of people in Fantasy Football, like myself, will be really happy with his two goals.

I think at the start of the year he would’ve felt he’d get the move like Michael Olise. He didn’t get that move and got his head wrapped around it. Now he’s just developing into this special, special talent.

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Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa): Watkins broke the record for most Villa goals in the Premier League, taking over from Gabby Agbonlahor.

But he also put in a full shift for his team, linking up the play well, winning fouls when he had to, and obviously came up with that deft touch to beat Bournemouth and keep alive Villa’s hopes of Champions League football.

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Simon Rusk and the rest of Southampton’s coaching staff: I’m going to go for Southampton’s interim manager Simon Rusk, and also the team’s whole coaching staff.

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Emily Atack wore a £2k Rivals-inspired dress to the BAFTAs and we found a £55 version

By in Entertainment News, News

Emily Atack gave a nod to her role in Rivals at the BAFTAs with her 80s-inspired white maxi dress and leather gloves – and we’ve tracked down a £55 version on sale

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Emily Atack’s 80s-inspired BAFTAs dress was a hit(Image: Getty Images)

When Jilly Cooper’s book Rivals was turned into a series last year, it was an instant hit, with Emily Atack becoming a stand out star for her role as Sarah Stratton. With her opening scene up for a BAFTA nomination at this year’s awards ceremony, it was only right that the actress gave a nod to her role in the series with an 80s-inspired look.

Emily wore a floor length white gown that looks to be Alex Perry’s Asymmetric Draped Crêpe Gown, which costs £2135 (though you can currently save 10% on it with the code FIRST10), which she paired with some elbow length black leather gloves – the perfect nod to the 80s. For fans coveting Emily’s look but want something a little more budget-friendly, we found the perfect alternative thanks to Karen Millen’s Premium Viscose Jersey Ruched Maxi Dress.

READ MORE: Claudia Winkleman just wore her signature Traitors leggings for the BAFTAs red carpet

READ MORE: Maura Higgins’ BAFTAs makeup included this exact blusher combo and it has 20% off

Usually priced at £169, the Karen Millen dress currently has a huge 60% discount, knocking the price down to £68. Plus, you can get an extra 20% off using the code SALE20, taking it down to £54.40 – not too shabby for a red carpet-worthy look.

LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 11: Emily Atack attends the 2025 BAFTA Television Awards with P&O Cruises at The Royal Festival Hall on May 11, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Kate Green/BAFTA/Getty Images for BAFTA)
Emily completed her look with leather elbow length gloves(Image: Getty Images)

Just like Emily’s designer gown, the Karen Millen Ruched Maxi Dress has a figure-hugging silhouette, with long sleeves and a high neck. It also features flattering ruching and draping around the waist, with a detachable white and silver belt. By simply removing the belt, you’ll get a very similar streamlined look to Emily’s gown, with the draping mirroring that gathered details of her Alex Perry dress.

It’s currently still available in sizes XS to large, and you can also pick it up in black if you prefer a darker colour. It does differ from Emily’s in some ways – it’s made of jersey, rather than crepe, and has a more wearable ankle length cut rather than a floor length one, which makes it easier to move around in.

Karen Millen white maxi dress
The Karen Millen dress is now on sale down to £55(Image: Karen Millen)

If you prefer a floor-length fit, this Rat & Boa Rodeo Dress is £295 and is a true maxi length, with the hemline gently pooling on the floor in an elegant drape. The design is more simple, though, with less draping and no thigh split, but it does have a similar neckline to Emily’s with a more rounded boat-style neck.

It also has a very dramatic draped cowl back, that bares some skin to balance the full length and long sleeve design. Club L’s Victoria White Long-Sleeve Maxi Dress With Wrap Skirt, £75, also has a similar look to Emily’s gown, with a wrap design and dramatic thigh split, and comes in white, black and olive green.

The pièce de résistance of Emily’s look is, of course, her leather gloves, and we’ve even managed to track down an affordable version of these if you want to go all out replicating her outfit. The QECEPEI Women’s Long Leather Gloves are currently on sale down from £36.99 to £32.99 and are made from genuine lambskin leather with a soft velvet lining that makes them comfortable to wear. They even have a touch screen feature, so you can use your smart phone whilst wearing them.

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With the second season of Rivals beginning filming this month it won’t be too much longer to wait until it’s back on our screens – so you better get your 80s-inspired outfits sorted now.

UPDATED: PDP Govs, Wike, Others Meet In Abuja

By in News, Nigeria News

Governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are holding a meeting with leaders of the party at the Bauchi governor’s lodge in Abuja.

The meeting, which was convened by the Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum, Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, also has the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, in attendance.

Some of the governors currently present for the meeting include Ademola Adeleke (Osun), Caleb Mutfwang (Plateau), Ahmadu Fintiri (Adamawa), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), and Peter Mbah (Enugu).

Others who are in attendance include former governors of Cross River, Liyel Imoke, Achike Udenwa of Imo, Olagunsoye Oyinlola of Osun, Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia, and Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa.

PDP Governors are holding a meeting with leaders of the party at the Bauchi governor’s lodge in Abuja.

A former governor of Akwa Ibom, Udom Emmanuel, and  Samuel Otom of Benue also attended the meeting.

The PDP Acting National Chairman, Umar Damagun, a former Caretaker Committee Chairman, Ahmed Markafi, and some other members of the party’s National Working Committee are attending the meeting.

PDP Governors are holding a meeting with leaders of the party at the Bauchi governor’s lodge in Abuja.

Although the agenda was not made known to journalists, this is the second public meeting of the forum since the beginning of the year, and the first since Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, and his cabinet defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

READ ALSO: Delta Gov Oborevwori, Deputy, Commissioners, Others Dump PDP For APC

The opposition party has been battling internal crises since the 2023 general elections.

The situation worsened with the conflict between Governor Sim Fubara and Nyesom Wike in Rivers State.

Several attempts by the party’s leadership bodies, the National Working Committee, Board of Trustees, National Executive Committee, and the PDP Governors’ Forum, to mediate have not resolved the crisis.

On April 23, Oborevwori, a former governor of Delta, Ifeanyi Okowa, and other officials from the state joined the APC.

National Assembly members have also been leaving the PDP.

Arsenal first-half performance unacceptable – Arteta

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Alex Howell
BBC Sport football news reporter

Mikel Arteta has labelled Arsenal’s first-half performance in their 2-2 draw with Liverpool as “unacceptable”.

The Gunners went two goals down after conceding twice in as many first-half minutes at Anfield. For the opener, they were caught unaware as the hosts took a quick throw-in with Andy Robertson then crossing for Cody Gakpo to head in.

But Arteta’s side fought back in the second half with goals from Gabriel Martinelli and Mikel Merino to gain a point which they held on to despite Merino being sent off for a second booking.

“What we did in the first half is nowhere near the level so to do it after that [fight back] is not acceptable. We reacted, great but it is unacceptable.” Arteta said speaking to Sky Sports after the game.

Arteta was then asked in his post-match press conference by BBC Sport what part of his side’s performance was unacceptable.

“A lot of parts, especially the defending standards and the errors after we gave the ball away, which is totally prohibited against this team,” he said.

“We were very far off it. I was really upset. Yeah, we had a reaction but I hate reaction, I like action.

“If we want to be there winning trophies, there is going to be a moment where you win it or you don’t. If you don’t, you have to play another one when you have been working for nine months. That is here, today.

Arsenal were without England international Declan Rice who was ruled out through injury while Jurrien Timber, although named on the bench, was not fit enough to feature.

“We missed half of the team again and you can still [come back] from 2-0 at Anfield,” Arteta said.

“We played the way we played, came back and maybe should have won it, and at the end maybe lost it with something that was in our hands.

“If we want to really win it, the consistency level [has to be there] for 95 minutes. I don’t like to talk about the players that are not here and excuses. I am disappointed.”

Arsenal have now won just one of their last six Premier League matches and need to pick up points across their final two fixtures to secure second place. Two points are also needed to be certain of a top-five finish and Champions League qualification.

After missing out on the title to Manchester City by two points last season, the Gunners are 15 points adrift of champions Liverpool this time.

Having reached 84 points in 2022-23 and 89 points in 2023-24, Arsenal will end this campaign with a maximum of 74 points. Arteta admitted earlier this week that his side have gone backwards in the league.

“I have full trust in all my players and we have full clarity in what we want to do,” Arteta added.

“It will be a tough game [against Newcastle] and we want to secure the Champions League and the second spot as well. It is a big opportunity.

“If you cannot be the best, then you have to be the best of the rest.

“That is very important. Again today we played with 10 men, half of our team injured, and some of them playing when they should not, and still we performed in a way we have done for seven or eight months.

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