Rehan Ahmed, Jordan Cox, and Sonny Baker have been chosen for England’s international team to play for the senior side during their tour of Australia.
Leg-spinner Ahmed, age 21, opted to join a Lions squad to provide support and warm-up for Ben Stokes’ Test side after missing out on the main Ashes squad.
The Lions, a three-day encounter a week before the first Test in Perth, are England’s only warm-up match in Australia.
Along with fellow spinner Tom Hartley and pace bowlers Josh Hull and Matthew Fisher, Ahmed is one of four Lions players to have won Test caps.
Ahmed, wicketkeeper-batter Cox, and pace bowler Baker appear to be the Lions squad’s most likely replacements, if needed, from the 18-man Lions squad.
Had Jacob Bethell not lost a broken thumb, which gave him the opportunity to make his Test debut in New Zealand last year, Essex’s Cox, 24, not had broken it.
Although highly regarded, Hampshire’s 22-year-old was pricey both for his Twenty20 debut against Ireland and for his one-day international debut.
When England releases a new list of players in the near future, he will likely receive a central contract for the upcoming year.
The Lions squad also includes promising Somerset batsmen James and Thomas Rew under the direction of England legend Andrew Flintoff.
Eddie Jack from Hampshire and Mitchell Stanley from Lancashire join Baker and Hull in a young pace-bowling attack.
First calls-ups for Glamorgan duo Ben Kellaway and Asa Tribe are rewarded for their excellent form. Tribe has played international cricket for Jersey, while Kellyway has an ambidextrous spinner.
The Lions play Australia A, a Prime Minister’s XI, and a Cricket Australia XI following the senior match against England.
The Ashes Test in Brisbane will be played on December 8 and their tour will come to an end.
Farhan Ahmed’s younger brother, Farhan, has been named captain of the England Under-19s team that will travel to the Caribbean in October.
Rehan Ahmed, Sonny Baker, Jordan Cox, Matthew Fisher, Emilio Gay, Emilio Gay, Nathan Gilchrist, Tom Hartley, Tom Haines, Josh Hull, Eddie Jack, Ben Kellaway, Tom Lawes, Ben McKinney, Matthew Revis, James Rew, Thomas Rew, Mitchell Stanley, Asa Tribe, are the Lions of England’ tour members.
William Saliba, a centre-back for Arsenal, claims he has a new five-year contract because of Mikel Arteta’s staff’s commitment to helping him “become the best” defender in the world.
The 24-year-old France international’s previous contract was set to expire in June 2027, according to rumors that Real Madrid might target him.
Saliba remarked, “The boss is one of the best coaches in the world.” He and his staff have helped me greatly, so I’m thrilled to have them as my coaches.
We are aware that he still has a lot to offer.
Saliba made a loan move to the French side Saint-Etienne in July 2019 before beginning a loan spell in Ligue 1 at Nice and Marseille.
He made 105 league starts for the Gunners, contributing six goals and adding two assists, and made his Arsenal debut in August 2022.
“William has grown a lot since joining us, accepted responsibility, and has developed a strong connection with our supporters and everyone at the club,” Arteta said.
We are aware of his potential potential and will continue to work together to continue to improve with the goal of winning significant prizes.
Saliba makes a commitment to the north London club in the same way that his center-back partner Gabriel Magalhaes did when he extended his Gunners contract until 2029 in June.
Following a last-gasp win over Newcastle United on Sunday, which placed the Gunners second in the Premier League and just two points clear of leaders Liverpool, Saliba’s new deal was announced.
According to Andrea Berta, the head coach of Arsenal, “William has become one of the best defenders in the world thanks to his composure, intelligence, and physical presence.” Over the past three seasons, William has developed into an incredible defender.
Huge for our nation, Coady
Conor Coady, a former defender for Liverpool and the Wolves and currently playing for Wrexham, claimed Saliba’s signing of a new deal will help Arsenal.
William Saliba has played far beyond his years whenever I have played him, said Coady.
“When players are slashing their deals, they have the upper hand,” they say.
Arsenal will be “thanking God he has signed,” he’ll think.
“Our country benefits enormously from having these players in the Premier League.” Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and other teams are difficult to reject.
A significant piece of the Arsenal business
Howell, Alex
Football journalist
Both the signing of a new contract for William Saliba and the summer training for Arsenal’s squad building work are significant.
All parties always believed in getting a deal, and Saliba and the rest of the team made the noises, and the centre-back himself promised to “hopefully” sign a new deal with the club while on the club’s pre-season tour of Singapore and Hong Kong.
He might be their most significant defender. The Premier League’s partnership between Sabina and Gabriel Magalhaes is unquestionably the best, and their presence is a key component of Arsenal’s threat from set pieces.
Demetre Daskalakis, the former US vaccine director, claims a “chaose agent” is in charge of the nation’s health department, which is harming vulnerable people. Following her months-long dispute with health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Dr. Daskalakis was one of the three directors to resign in August. Since then, Dr. Daskalakis has publicly criticized Kennedy, accusing him of intentionally destabilizing the nation’s vaccine program by supporting his own ideology and sidelining experts.
In Indonesia, a school building collapsed during prayer time, injuring dozens and killing several students. As parents wait for news about their loved ones, rescue efforts are still being made to find those who are still ensnared.
Islamabad, Pakistan – A powerful car bomb blast outside the headquarters of Pakistan’s paramilitary Frontier Corps in the southwestern city of Quetta has killed at least 10 people and wounded more than 30 others, authorities said.
The explosion, swiftly followed by heavy gunfire, tore through the vicinity of Zarghoon Road in Quetta, capital of Balochistan province, on Tuesday.
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“Two law enforcement personnel were killed while the rest of the dead were civilians,” Bakht Muhammad Kakar, the provincial health minister, told Al Jazeera.
Rescue workers carry a victim’s body to hospital after the car bombing in Quetta [Arshad Butt/AP Photo]
A security camera video posted on social media showed a vehicle turning towards the regional headquarters of the Frontier Corps and exploding within seconds.
Naresh Kumar, a witness, said he was standing outside his office close to the targeted building when the explosion took place. “My mind just went blank. I got hit by shards of glasses in my arm and back. The explosion was just massive,” Kumar told Al Jazeera.
Inam, another injured person who only gave his first name, was brought to the hospital where he was treated for wounds after glass shards injured his back due to the explosion.
“Our office is right around the paramilitary building. We were working in our office when the explosion totally rocked us and then everything went dark. I could hear firing which lasted for a while before the law enforcement arrived to take control,” he told Al Jazeera via telephone from the hospital.
Balochistan’s Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti condemned the incident, labelling it a “terrorist attack”. Speaking after the blast, Bugti confirmed that at least four attackers were killed by the security personnel.
Security officials examine damaged vehicles at the site of the bombing in Quetta [Arshad Butt/AP]
Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari issued a strong condemnation over the attack, saying, “The misguided extremists were acting on India’s agenda.” He did not give details.
India has not yet responded to the allegation. No group has claimed responsibility for the bombing.
Balochistan’s economic significance
Balochistan is Pakistan’s largest yet most sparsely populated province. Home to about 15 million people in a country of roughly 240 million, it remains the country’s poorest province despite possessing vast reserves of oil, coal, gold, copper, and gas. While these resources contribute substantially to the revenues of the federal government, the province itself faces economic hardships.
Balochistan is also home to Gwadar, a strategic deep-sea port which is the centrepiece of $60bn China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project designed to establish a trade link between southwestern China and the Arabian Sea.
However, Chinese investments, particularly in Balochistan, have fuelled local resentments. Residents accuse Chinese firms of “stealing local resources” and this sentiment has repeatedly driven local armed groups to attack Chinese personnel and installations.
The province also has the Reko Diq reserves, which are said to contain the world’s fifth-largest copper deposits.
Canadian firm Barrick Mining has been operating at the site since 2022. Earlier this month, Pakistan also signed a $500m deal with a United States-based firm to export critical minerals and rare earth elements.
Injured victims of the blast receive treatment at a hospital in Quetta [Arshad Butt/AP]
The local resentments have fuelled a rebellion movement for decades, which aims to establish an independent Balochistan state.
As violence escalates in the province, analysts have questioned the government’s ability in eliminating the armed and rebel groups such as the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) or the Baloch Liberation Front (BLF).
Muhammad Arif, an expert on international relations, said the demography of Balochistan is complex for both the violent groups as well as the government as he pointed out a logistical challenge inherent in the province’s topography.
“It is not possible for non-state actors to take control of the region of Balochistan with its vast, difficult terrain, but at the same time, the security of each and every corner of the state is difficult for the same reasons,” he said.
Arif suggested that a recent surge in violence could be linked to the government’s counter-insurgency operations.
“It is believed that the Baloch Liberation Army and other groups have suffered heavy casualties in the last couple of weeks, with the Pakistani forces helped by Chinese communication equipment along with drones and Pakistani jet fighters. [Tuesday’s] attack could be a retaliation move,” the Quetta-based analyst told Al Jazeera.
Amanda Holden has appeared on some the country’s most loved TV shows down the years, but she has recently opened up about trying to find the balance between work and family time
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Amanda Holden has opened up on home struggles(Image: Getty Images)
Britain’s Got Talent judge Amanda Holden has lifted the lid on the latest goings-on in her life as she shared a confession about her home life.
In recent decades, Amanda has been an ever-present on our screens thanks to roles on Britain’s Got Talent and, more recently, on the radio waves co-hosting Heart Breakfast alongside Jamie Theakston.
However, away from the mics and cameras, Amanda has been raising her family of four alongside her husband, Chris Hughes.
During a recent chat with Closer magazine, she opened up on the realities of juggling a busy work life while raising her two daughters, Lexi and Hollie: “I have questioned why (I do it at all)”, she says, adding: “I’ve been knackered”!
“Obviously, I’m a mother as well and, no word of a lie, I get calls from my daughter all the time asking about netball club and whether I can sign her up for whatever club is on at school. But I would always rather be busy”.
Amid her struggle to make enough time for her family, she said she was able to take some time out from her busy work schedule this summer to enjoy time abroad with them: “I take the summer off, so I just have that chunk with Chris and the girls, and I always look forward to that”.
However, it seemed somewhat short-lived, as she admitted that filming with Alan Carr got in the way: “Although, I was smashing a house down with Alan this summer, so was technically working”!
Following her marriage with Les Dennis from 1995 until 2003, she first crossed paths with music producer Chris while in Los Angeles.
After meeting three years earlier, the pair started their family together in 2006 with the birth of Lexi, before tying the knot and having their second daughter in the six years that followed.
While Amanda opened up about her busy work life, one of her latest TV adventures has seen her team up with close friend and presenter Alan Carr for their BBC home renovation series.
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Travelling across some of the most idyllic landscapes in Italy and Spain, over the course of two series, the media personalities have attempted to turn around the fortunes of dilapidated properties in a bid to bring them back to their former glory.
