Louis Rees-Zammit insists he is bigger, faster and stronger after making a rapid international return with Wales.
The 24-year-old came on to win his 33rd cap in Sunday’s 52-28 defeat by Argentina at Principality Stadium.
Rees-Zammit is in contention for his first start since the 2023 World Cup quarter-final defeat to the Pumas when Steve Tandy’s side host Japan on Saturday.
The wing or full-back returned to rugby with Bristol this summer after two years attempting to make it in American football.
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Rees-Zammit spent time with Jacksonville Jaguars and Kansas City Chiefs, initially as a running back before trying out as a wide receiver.
He believes that has helped him be a power option on the wing rather than just a speed merchant.
“There is a lot that I have brought in that I learnt out there. I am a lot more explosive, physical both defensively and ball in hand,” said the former Gloucester back, who did not feature in a regular season NFL game.
“I feel that I can have a different part of my game than before in terms of my physicality and trying to break through contact, trying to get gain line on carries as opposed to trying to use my speed too much.
Back in a ‘happy place’
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Rees-Zammit suffered a toe injury in his fourth game for the Bears, but proved his fitness to earn selection on Wales’ bench for the autumn opener.
That led to plenty of pre-match focus being on a replacement and he got some of the biggest cheers of the afternoon.
Wales might have suffered a heavy loss, but the wing was still able to reflect on being in his “happy place” in a social media post.
“It was a great experience,” he said. “I did really miss being able to play at the Principality Stadium in front of our fans.
“It was incredible. You don’t really know you’ve left until you go back. When I came on and heard the crowd – all the support I had, it meant so much to me.”
Wales won just one of 19 Tests while Rees-Zammit was out of the picture in America, but the wing is confident of brighter times under Tandy.
“You could see glimpses last weekend of what’s to come. That was building a foundation of where we want to be and what team we want to be,” he said.
“We can do as much as we can in training, but we’ve got to show it on the weekend when all the fans have paid good money to come watch us play. It’s what they deserve.”
Rees-Zammit’s last international victory was against Georgia at the 2023 World Cup and he intends to help Wales repeat their summer success against Japan in a vital game ahead of December’s World Cup draw.
Eddie Jones’ Brave Blossoms would leapfrog Tandy’s side into 12th in the world rankings if they upset the odds in Cardiff.
Meghan Markle’s powerful message to her husband and other veterans across the world has a hidden meaning that will have likely caught the attention of the royals, according to one expert
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Meghan has posted a poignant tribute to veterans, including her husband Prince Harry(Image: Netflix)
The Duchess of Sussex has posted a poignant tribute to Prince Harry and other veterans to mark Remembrance Day, and one expert believes there’s more than meets the eye in the emotional message.
Meghan took to Instagram on the night of Armistice Day to share a famous video of her husband in military uniform. In the footage, Harry is seen tearing off his mic mid-interview to race to a nearby helicopter during his 2013 tour in Afghanistan. Alongside the clip, Meghan wrote: “As my husband says, ‘Once served. Always serving’. Thank you to all who served, sacrificed, and continue to serve. Honoring you on Veterans Day. And every day.”
It’s somewhat of an unprecedented move for Meghan – while she always lovingly supports Harry in his charity work with veterans, she doesn’t usually mark Remembrance Day with a tribute post on social media. The gushing post comes after Harry found himself in hot water last week after announcing his ‘faux royal’ tour in Canada moments after his estranged brother Prince William touched down for the biggest event of his royal career to date.
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Harry, who released an passionate essay about what it means to be British while he was in Canada for numerous events supporting veterans, was forced to respond to the claim that he overshadowed the future King, with his team shutting down the rumours and putting timings down to security reasons.
Then, while senior royals including Princess Kate and King Charles honouring the war dead at a poignant Festival of Remembrance on Saturday night, Harry and Meghan were spotted partying the night away at Kris Jenners’ 70th birthday bash. The duchess faced criticism for not wearing a poppy to the event.
The spotlight remains firmly on the Sussexes after last week’s unfortunate diary clash and Harry’s striking essay about life in the UK, despite self-exiling to the States. And Meghan’s powerful tribute may serve as a uncomfortable reminder for the royals back on home soil, according to an expert.
Judi James, body language and communications expert, told The Mirror: “Meghan’s ‘Once served, always serving’ sounds like a personal homage to her husband here, especially as she even claims him as the source of the quote.
“As a message to her husband of her ongoing admiration and respect this posting looks impeccable although it might possibly have made him blush to see it does star him over the millions of other options.”
But away from the pride for her husband, Meghan has shared a hidden message, according to Judi. She said: “The wording suggests it might also be aimed at reminding the public not only about Harry’s active service but also about his claims of an ongoing ‘life of service’ despite leaving the Royal Family.
“In the face of the criticism over not wearing a poppy or PR clashes this might also be an intended reminder that Harry is actually one of the veterans that the day was all about.”
It comes as pictures of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at Kris Jenner’s lavish birthday party have mysteriously disappeared from Kim Kardashian’s Instagram. The second Kardashian daughter uploaded a series of snaps from the James Bond themed bash to her social media, including some with some A-list celebrities.
In now photos that now appear to have been deleted, Meghan was seen posing with Kim, while Harry could be seen chatting to someone off camera. Kim’s photo with Meghan was initially posted as part of her carousel of pictures uploaded to Instagram, where the reality TV star could be seen with a number of famous faces, including Snoop Dogg, Mariah Carey, old pal Paris Hilton and the cast of her new series All’s Fair.
But that photo appears to now been deleted, confusing many fans. Taking to the website Reddit, some wondered what was going on. One wrote: “Why delete their pic, we saw them at the party?”
Another speculated that the Sussexes may have asked for their photos to be taken down. They said: “A bit cringe to accept the invite but not want your pics associated with attending (esp when there are pap shots of you going in or out).”
And now there’s another awkward clash at play as Meghan’s Netflix Christmas special is set to conflict with a major event in the royal calendar. The Duchess took to Instagram to share that her Christmas-themed special episode of With Love, Meghan will premiere on December 3.
The release of the programme will come on the same day as the three-day German State Visit kicks off in the UK, with King Charles and Queen Camilla set to begin hosting duties of their own at Windsor Castle as they welcome President Steinmeier and his wife, Elke Büdenbender.
WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT. One of Rizwan Khan’s victims has bravely opened up about her harrowing rape ordeal at the hands of the disgraced former Hollyoaks star
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Rizwan Khan has been sentenced to 11 years and nine months(Image: Terry Blackburn)
A woman who survived a horrific rape at the hands of a former Hollyoaks star has spoken about the sickening demand he made of her during the vile attack.
Rizwan Khan, 40, was convicted earlier this year of raping two women. He was also found guilty of sexually assaulting an individual and slapping a child, in separate incidents. He was convicted of raping the first woman after physically assaulting her, and was also convicted of raping another woman after she’d fallen asleep. Jurors heard how she’d woken up to find Khan performing a sex act on her.
On Monday, the disgraced soapstar, who denied all charges against him, was handed an 11-year and nine-month prison sentence at Teesside Crown Court, where harrowing statements written by the two rape survivors were read aloud. One woman described suffering from anxiety and nightmares following her ordeal, sharing: “What he did goes round and round in my head. When I see his face in the newspaper, I feel sick.”
READ MORE: Hollyoaks’ Rizwan Khan jailed for rape as chilling demand heard in court
Addressing jurors at the same court earlier this year, Prosecutor Robin Turton shared the heinous order Khan had given his victim: “I need what I need. I want what I want. You, as a woman, should abide by what a man wants.”
The unnamed woman described how Khan had been violent with her before asking for sex. She told police officers that Khan had raped her, after she’d told him “no.” Explaining that she was terrified that Khan would assault her, she added, “In the end, I just let him.”
The prosecutor told the court that Khan had slapped the woman in the face, punched her in the back, picked her up and threw her on a bed. Turton said: “He forced himself up on her. She kicked him, and he got off. He pushed her against the wall and he put his hands around her, strangling her.”
Another survivor told police that she rejected Khan’s proposition for sex at 3am when she was tired and had work in the morning. He then proceeded to rape her.
On top of his prison sentence, Khan, of Union Street, Middlesbrough, will sign the sex offenders register for the rest of his life, and he has also been made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order. Restraining orders, preventing him from contacting the survivors, have been enforced, reports TeessideLive. Judge Paul Reid said: “Your pre-sentence report says you demonstrate entitlement and hostility towards females.”
Former call centre worker Khan broke into acting at the age of 34, and in 2019 played Doctor Peak. The father of one returned to the Channel 4 soap the following year to play a paramedic and has also made appearances in Vera, Holby City, This England, and the 2021 film Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, which saw him play a parent.
If you’ve been the victim of sexual assault, you can access help and resources via www.rapecrisis.org.uk or calling the national telephone helpline on 0808 802 9999
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Do you have a story to share? Email me at julia.banim@reachplc.com
READ MORE: Hollyoaks star Rizwan Khan found guilty of raping two women and sexual assault
The expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure is threatening billions of lives around the globe, Amnesty International has said in a new report, urging world leaders to halt an “obsession” with energy sources that fuel the climate crisis.
Released on Wednesday, the report found that at least 2 billion people – about one-quarter of the world’s population – live within 5km (3.1 miles) of more than 18,000 fossil fuel infrastructure sites currently in operation.
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More than 3,500 new sites are also being developed that will affect 135 million more people, Amnesty International chief Agnes Callamard told reporters.
“This ever-expanding industry is endangering billions of lives, irreversibly altering the climate system and destroying critical natural ecosystem[s],” Callamard said at a news conference on the sidelines of the COP30 UN climate conference in Brazil, where the report’s findings were unveiled.
Living near fossil fuel infrastructure – such as oil-and-gas extraction sites and coal mines and plants – has been associated with elevated risks of cancer, asthma, cardiovascular illnesses and other health problems, Amnesty said in its report.
The industry has also been linked to human rights abuses, including killings and enforced disappearances, particularly against environmental activists and Indigenous peoples defending their territories against fossil fuel projects.
Wednesday’s report noted that “despite representing less than 5 percent of the global population, at least 16.1 percent of known global fossil fuel infrastructure is sited on Indigenous territories” around the world.
“We are presenting those findings here at COP to warn of the current harm, to warn of the immense damage that the fossil fuel obsession is doing to many peoples and to warn against what they are going to do to future generations,” Callamard said.
“The age of fossil fuel must end now. It is a major source of human rights violations. It may be one of the main source[s] of human rights violations historically speaking.”
World leaders, human rights activists, climate experts and others have been gathering in the Brazilian city of Belem for COP30, the UN’s annual climate conference.
While countries have pledged to tackle the climate crisis, observers have questioned how they plan to meet their commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while fossil fuel projects continue to expand.
Indigenous activists also stormed the summit this week to demand that their voices be heard in the discussions.
Kumi Naidoo, president of the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty campaign, called on world leaders to leave COP30 with “a clear statement that you are going to support a roadmap for the phase-out of fossil fuels”.
“It’s high time that we recognise that, for 30 years … we’ve been mopping up the floor and treating the symptoms of the problem without turning off the tap,” Naidoo said during Wednesday’s news conference.
“Let’s be very clear and say it over and over again, that the primary cause of the climate emergency is our addiction and our dependency on fossil fuels.”
According to the UN, coal, oil and gas “are by far the largest contributor[s] to global climate change”, responsible for about 68 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Meanwhile, more than 80 percent of people around the globe want their leaders to take stronger action to mitigate the effects of the climate crisis, according to a 2024 UN Development Programme survey.
Algeria has agreed to pardon French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal, who has been detained for a year on charges of “undermining national unity”.
Algeria’s presidency announced plans to free the 81-year-old writer on Wednesday, saying President Abdelmadjid Tebboune had accepted a request from his German counterpart to pardon him on “humanitarian grounds”.
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Sansal, a prize-winning author in francophone North African literature, is known for his criticism of Algerian authorities.
He was arrested last November after giving an interview in which he said that France had unjustly transferred Moroccan territory to Algeria during the colonial period from 1830 to 1962 – a claim Algeria views as a challenge to its sovereignty.
In March, Sansal was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment under “anti-terrorism” laws. He has slammed the case against him as senseless, arguing Algeria’s constitution “guarantees freedom of expression and conscience”.
When questioned about his writings during a court session in June, Sansal asked: “Are we holding a trial over literature? Where are we headed?”
Sansal’s daughter expresses relief
Sansal’s case has soured relations between Algeria and France, which nosedived last summer when France shifted its position to recognise Morocco’s sovereignty over the disputed Western Sahara territory, and which were further aggravated when Algeria rejected French attempts to return Algerians slated for deportation.
While France had urged for leniency in Sansal’s case, Algeria was more responsive to the intervention from Germany, whose President Frank-Walter Steinmeier appealed to his “longstanding personal relationship” with Tebboune in issuing the pardon request.
Sansal’s daughter Sabeha Sansal told the AFP news agency that she was relieved following the pardon and hoped to see her father soon.
Crackdown on dissent
Human rights advocates in Algeria claim the country has used the controversial “anti-terrorism” law employed in Sansa’s case to stifle dissent following the 2019 pro-democracy Hirak protests.
On Tuesday, Algerian poet and activist Mohamed Tadjadit – who rose to prominence for his public recitations during the Hirak demonstrations – was jailed for five years on charges including “condoning terrorism”. About 20 NGOs, including Amnesty International, have denounced the allegations against him as “baseless” and called for his release.
Also imprisoned in Algeria is French sports journalist Christophe Gleizes, who was found guilty in June for “glorifying terrorism” after he allegedly communicated with an official of a football club in the Kabyle region who also heads a banned Kabyle nationalist group, according to France’s Le Monde newspaper.
