Sensational Canada shock New Zealand to make final

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Women’s Rugby World Cup semi-final

New Zealand (7) 19

Tries: Kalounivale, Mikaele-Tu’u, Sorensen-McGee Cons: Holmes, Sorensen-McGee

Canada (24) 34

Canada sensationally deposed Women’s Rugby World Cup holders New Zealand, inflicting the Black Ferns’ first defeat in the tournament in 11 years to advance to the final.

It will be only Canada’s second final appearance, after they lost to England in the 2014 showpiece. They could face the Red Roses again with England taking on France in Saturday’s second semi-final.

Whoever the opposition, Canada, who had a million-dollar fund-raising drive entitled Mission: Win Rugby World Cup to cover their preparation costs, will be confident of claiming their first world title after ruthlessly burying the Black Ferns in Bristol.

Six-time champions New Zealand came into the game as slight favourites given their pedigree at the business end of World Cups, but Canada were supreme on both sides of the ball and in every department.

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Even their most ardent fans though would not have expected victory by such an emphatic margin.

After first-half tries from scrum-half Justine Pelletier, wing Asia Hogan-Rochester, centre Florence Symonds and second row Sophie de Goede, Canada headed down the tunnel 17 points clear.

Three minutes after the restart, centre Alex Tessier, who plays her club rugby in Exeter, stepped off her right foot and sauntered in to make it 31-7 and all but extinguish Kiwi hopes.

New Zealand won their world title by overhauling England’s double-digit lead at Eden Park three years ago.

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Canada impose order and never let go

After a frantic two-minute opening passage of play in which possession switched sides several times, Canada imposed themselves on the chaos and never really gave up control.

Taking advantage of Renee Holmes’ kick out on the full, Tessier collected a chip-ahead and from the resulting phase Pelletier darted, dummied and danced under the posts.

Shortly after, wing Hogan-Rochester breezed past full-back Holmes to extend the lead to 12 points in as many minutes.

A reeling New Zealand had occasional openings, but Alana Bremner spilled the ball to curtail one promising attack, while Canada’s ground game proved too strong on another.

The excellent De Goede got over the top of a breakdown to win a penalty in midfield, before Symonds was sent over by Tessier’s smart hands for a third unanswered try.

Prop Tanya Kalounivale barged over to belatedly get the Black Ferns on the board, but there was no reeling in Canada. De Goede cantered away for another try off Pelletier’s delicious one-handed offload and her team headed down the tunnel 24-7 to the good.

It was not just the scoreboard where New Zealand were down. They had also conceded five penalties to Canada’s none by the break.

Tessier’s score shortly after the restart was gleefully celebrated by Canada who sensed it was the one that put them out of reach.

They were right.

New Zealand huffed, puffed and improved in the second half, but were never able to inject jeopardy back into the contest.

De Goede ate up the minutes clipping over a gimme of a penalty to take Canada back out beyond two converted scores and could have created another try had she found wing Alysha Corrigan after a late intercept.

It did not matter in the final reckoning.

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What they said

Canada’s Sophie de Goede: “The Black Ferns are six-time world champions, we knew we had to put in an incredible performance.

“Our tagline is Be-leaf, Belief. We’ve defied the odds time and time again and that propels you forward. We’ve fostered a knowledge in the group that we can overcome anything.

“The defensive focus was huge this week. Our attack has been firing all tournament, but we knew we had to do a big job in defence. We were able to do that and that’s why you saw that result.”

Her message to the fans back at home: “Thank you so much for your support. But I know we have one job left to do for you guys. The dream is to win a World Cup, and getting to the final is a huge part of this. Words can’t express how much your support means to us.”

Canada scrum-half Justine Pelletier: “That was crazy. It was fun to play rugby and we’ve shown what rugby can be.

“A lot of grit, a lot of resilience, a lot of hard work. It’s not just one game, it’s a lot of hustle in the dark. Now we’re in the light. Thanks for everyone’s support.

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New Zealand head coach Allan Bunting: “All I can say is our ladies didn’t leave anything out there, they gave their absolute best. Canada were accurate today and we weren’t, and that’s the difference.

“It comes down to the pressure. Our intent and our effort to do our best today (was there), I’m proud of that, they were just more accurate than us.”

Black Ferns captain Kennedy Tukuafu: “Canada were exceptional and it will be a great final.

Line-ups

New Zealand: Holmes; Sorensen-McGee, Waaka, Brunt, Woodman-Wickliffe; Demant, Pouri-Lane; Viliko, Ponsonby, Kalounivale, Roos, A Bremner, Mikaele-Tu’u, Tukuakfu, Olsen-Baker.

Replacements: Lolohea, Henwood, Rule, C Bremner, Sae, Joseph, Setefano, Leti-I’iga.

Canada: Schell; Corrigan, Symonds, Tessier, Hogan-Rochester; Perry, Pelletier; Hunt, Tuttosi, Menin, De Goede, O’Donnell, Crossley, Paquin, Forteza.

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PA arrests Palestinian suspect decades after deadly Paris restaurant attack

In a move that comes as France prepares to recognize a Palestinian state, the Palestinian Authority (PA) has made an important arrest for a key suspect in a 1982 fatal attack on a Jewish restaurant in Paris.

Six people were killed and 22 others were injured in the terrorist attack on the Jo Goldenberg restaurant in Le Marais on August 9, 1982.

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The National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office of France announced in a statement on Friday that Interpol had informed the French government of Hicham Harb’s arrest in connection with a 2015 international warrant.

The suspect had been detained in the occupied West Bank, according to President Emmanuel Macron, and his nation is now working with the PA to expedite his extradition to France.

Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot stated on X that Macron’s recognition of an independent Palestinian state, “enabling us to request extradition,” had made the arrest possible.

Macron is scheduled to address the landmark declaration at the UN General Assembly in New York next week along with representatives from about 10 other nations, including Australia, Belgium, the UK, and Canada.

Wanted man

One of France’s most wanted men, Harb, who is known as Mahmoud Khader Abed Adra, has been the subject of a 10-year international arrest warrant.

The 70-year-old is accused of leading five other assailants in the restaurant’s gunfire assault, which was regarded as France’s most systematic anti-Semitic attack since World War II.

Assailants entered the restaurant and opened fire with Polish-made machineguns before the assault, which was blamed on the Palestinian Abu Nidal Organization, which started at noon.

Harb is suspected of supervising the assault and of being one of the gunmen who opened fire on diners and bystanders.

In July, French judges formally indicted him on suspicion of murder and attempted murder in connection with the attack. Harb and five other defendants were sent to the trial.

A 66-year-old Norwegian of Palestinian descent, Abou Zayed, has been in French custody since his 2020 extradition from Norway. He has refuted the allegations.

The arrest of Zayed’s alleged accomplice is seen by Bruno Gendrin and Romain Ruiz, Zayed’s defense, as proof that “the investigation was not complete.”

They told the news agency AFP in a statement that “as usual, the anti-terrorism courts wanted to rush things, and we are now seeing the results.”

BBC Strictly Come Dancing’s Dianne Buswell ‘banned from working with Chris McCausland’

Dianne Buswell and Chris McCausland, who reportedly have been barred from working together once the season premieres in late September, are now facing a ban on collaboration.

Strictly’s Dianne Buswell and Chris McCausland ‘not allowed’ to work together(Image: BBC)

Due to the tight schedules Strictly Come Dancing requires, Dianne Buswell and Chris McCausland, who were the winners of Strictly last year, are reportedly “not allowed” to collaborate this year.

Chris was the first blind contestant on the show, so it was a historic partnership between the professional dancer and comedian last year. They eventually prevailed, and along the way they developed a lovely friendship. Since then, they have co-hosted a podcast called Winning Isn’t Everything, which makes reference to what Dianne’s father had in mind when she first teamed up with Chris.

On Friday (19 September), the day before Strictly’s launch show, Chris took to X, formerly known as Twitter to share a worrying update about the podcast. A fan wrote: “Chris!! Your podcast can’t be ending, I spend all week wishing it was Thursday. We were robbed with a shorter one too this week.”

Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell together
Chris and Dianne’s podcast seems to be in jeopardy after Chris tweeted that Dianne may not be allowed to do it during Strictly(Image: @diannebuswell/Instagram)

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Chris responded by stating that it was, regrettably, something that was possible. He said, “It’s a possibility.” “At the moment, it doesn’t seem like Dianne will be permitted to do it through Strictly,” Dianne said.

Couples can sometimes spend hours in the rehearsal room during the strictly scheduled rehearsals, which are a common occurrence. Fans have previously expressed concern for Dianne’s well-being because they were concerned about her putting herself through such a demanding schedule given that she just announced she is pregnant.

The Australian dancer took to social media last week to share that she and partner Joe Sugg – who she danced with on Strictly in 2018 – are expecting their first child together. She is the first person to compete on the show whilst pregnant and is said to be taking the Strictly and all its rehearsals at her own pace with regular breaks.

Joe Sugg and Dianne Buswell pregnancy announcement
Dianne revealed she is pregnant on Instagram(Image: Instagram)

Every employee who works on Strictly adheres to duty of care and welfare guidelines, according to an insider. There will be frequent breaks and rest/warm-up periods throughout the rehearsal, which will have been planned by Dianne and tailored to the partner’s pace.

For her pregnancy announcement, Dianne and Joe uploaded a video to their social medias. Fittingly set to the Elton John son Tiny Dancer, the two set up a canvas and pretended to paint before swivelling the picture around to reveal a painting of three stick figures. One represented Dianne, with her signature red hair, another represented Joe and a third, much smaller stick figure represented their baby.

The painting’s top also had “2026,” but that was the only information they provided regarding the due date. Joe’s caption did, however, reveal a baby id. The YouTuber continued with the video, “Our little boy, we can’t wait to meet you.”

Dianne and Joe made it to the final when he appeared on Strictly, but were beaten to the glitterball by Stacey Dooley and Kevin Clifton, who are also in a relationship now. Dianne has been in the final a total of three times, the third being with EastEnders’ Bobby Brazier. However, she has only won the once.

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She also won a BAFTA for her most recent series, which’s waltz in “You’ll Never Walk Alone with Chris” was chosen as the year’s most memorable performance.

The Mirror have contact the BBC for comment.

India avoid Oman upset at Asia Cup with 21-run T20 win

India, the reigning world champion, defeated an obedient Oman team to win the final group match of the Asia Cup by 21 runs and maintain their T20 title.

After taking the first wicket on Friday in Abu Dhabi, India had already qualified for the Super Four stage and placed 188-8.

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Oman, who is ranked 20th in the world T20 rankings, produced a strong batting display with a 167-4 record following top hits from Hammad Mirza and Aamir Kaleem, who hit 64.

The left-right batsmen of Kaleem and Mirza attempted to end the chase with some late boundaries that scared India, scoring 93 runs for the second wicket.

In the following over, Mirza was sent back with his pace bowling after Hardik Pandya made a stunning outfield catch to dismiss Kaleem off Harshit Rana.

Arshdeep Singh, the first Indian bowler to surpass the century mark, took the fourth wicket of the innings for his 100th appearance in T20 games.

Sanju Samson, a wicketkeeper-batsman, top-scored with 56 runs before his second-wicket partnership with explosive opener Abhishek Sharma, who made 38 off 14 balls, set the tone for India’s total.

In their first encounter with the T20 World Cup winners, Oman repeatedly delivered blows.

Two wickets were taken by Shah Faisal, Jiten Ramanandi, and Kaleem, a fellow left-arm quick.

After winning a group game, India and Pakistan moved into the Super Four, and they will meet again on Sunday.

Harry Styles’ one reason for going public with Zoe Kravitz relationship

When it comes to his budding romance with Zoe Kravitz, Harry Styles has a habit of keeping his love life a secret.

Harry and Zoe have been travelling the globe together(Image: Renee Orshan / SWNS)

It is no secret in the celebrity world that the newest couple on the block is Harry Styles and Zoe Kravitz. Neither of the pair is a stranger to dating fellow A-listers, and it looks like they’re back at it again by striking up a romance themselves.

In a few weeks, some people may assume that the pair has transformed their relationship from a pit of disintegration to a true love. However, it could be that they will stay together forever. Numerous times have Zoe and Harry been seen scurrying hand in hand. Their budding romance is illustrated in this image.

However, it seems that the two people have been friends far more than most of us would have thought. Despite being seen kissing the likes of Emily Ratajkowski and Kendall Jenner, Cheeky-chap Harry, 31, has dated a number of well-known women but frequently kept his relationship with his girlfriends a secret.

Although there have been discussions about how Harry and Zoe might use the relationship to promote his next album and Zoe’s upcoming film, it’s claimed that this is the real deal. They have known each other for years, according to a source, and what the majority of people are unaware of is this.

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Zoe and Harry were first seen in Rome
Zoe and Harry were first seen in Rome(Image: Social Media)

They continued, noting that their relationship doesn’t appear to be moving at all. Because of their friendship, they can feel “super comfortable” with one another. However, sources claim that despite being notoriously private, he has a long history of success and can still keep things private.

A source told The Sun that Harry is a very private man. He has dated numerous people, but it’s not always so publicly. Harry is a master at keeping things under wraps if he so desired. He has a long history in the field and is aware of how his loyal following reacts. He doesn’t take it lightly to introduce a new girlfriend to the world. He has given it a lot of thought, but he is aware of the reaction because he believes Zoe to be the real deal. The source continued, “The romance is not a quick fling.”

traveling the globe together

In more than one nation have the couple been spotted interacting with one another. When they were spotted in Rome last month, Harry first sparked rumors with Zoe.

Just last week, the two met in New York City and were there together. Lenny Kravitz, her father, and Harry met her at lunchtime in a restaurant.

Before Lenny arrived, they made their way to the Sant Ambroeus venue in a handshake. Harry’s appearance suggests that Lenny has already ratified Harry.

According to a source, “Lenny’s friends say he is very protective of Zoe, but it really seemed like he enjoyed meeting Harry.” He believed Harry to be polite, honest, and genuinely interested in getting to know the family, as best as people could tell.

Lenny seemed to have a feeling that Harry would respect Zoe because he had always wanted to be with her. At lunch, they were laughing a lot, and Lenny seemed to have appreciated Harry’s sense of humor. He enjoys when someone can lighten the load.

Harry and Zoe then traveled to Italy once more to attend Charlie XCX’s wedding, which is said to have been a joint event.

PDA

Zoe and Harry aren’t afraid of a little PDA, despite it still being in their early stages. Although Harry’s signature style of dating has been documented, they haven’t been seen doing this.

Despite having been linked to a lot of celebs over the years, Harry is known for being private about his love life.

Harry is a very private man, according to a source, who has dated numerous people but not always in public. Harry is a master at keeping things under wraps if he so desired.

“He’s been in this industry a long time and he knows how his fanbase reacts to things. He doesn’t take introducing the world to a new girlfriend lightly. He has thought long and hard about it but he’s prepared for the backlash because he thinks Zoe is the real deal.”

They continued, saying that no one should ever be able to date Harry, even though he and Zoe have already discussed how it would look. They stated that they are both committed to the long run and that it is not just a “fling.”

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