Australian TV network Seven has accused a member of the England staff of a physical confrontation at Brisbane Airport.
England were travelling from Brisbane to Adelaide on Saturday afternoon before the third Test.
While the team moved through the airport, a member of the England security staff attempted to place himself between a cameraman and the squad.
The back-and-forth continued through the airport and the footage was broadcast by Seven.
Throughout the series Cricket Australia has issued instructions to media that teams will not be available for interview in transit through airports and all images should be captured from a respectful distance.
In the Seven report, journalist Tom Wilson said cameraman Nick Carrigan was “well within his rights to be filming” and “respects the unwritten rules of not getting too close”.
A spokesperson from Seven said: “There was an incident at Brisbane Airport involving a 7NEWS camera operator and a member of the England cricket team’s travelling party.
“While conducting routine filming in a public space, the camera operator was physically confronted despite acting respectfully and professionally.
“The safety and wellbeing of our staff is paramount. This matter is being taken seriously and is now being managed through the appropriate channels.”
England have not commented, but it is understood Seven has raised the incident with the touring team.
Cricket Australia has also declined to comment.
The episode comes as England ended their break in Noosa and prepare to return to training on Sunday before the crucial third Test.
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England have drawn plenty of attention from local media during the Ashes tour – players were trailed through Perth airport when they arrived in the country in November.
Seven was one of the outlets to follow England to their break in Noosa and, to this point, the network believes its interactions with the travelling party has been positive.
Both players from England and Australia were captured when the arrived at Adelaide airport on Saturday afternoon.
Interactions with media in airports is one difference players encounter touring in Australia when compared to playing in the UK, due to the necessity of internal flights in the country.
“Things are going really, really well,” she says. “He just has the most beautiful energy and everyone feels it when they’re in his presence.”
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Alison Hammond said: “I am so grateful that he chooses to spend his life with me.”(Image: Instagram)
She’s the hardest-working woman on TV, so when Alison Hammond tells us she’s hoping for a “chilled-out” Christmas, we almost breathe a sigh of relief on her behalf.
2025 has seen her bring her bubbly charm to our screens in four huge shows: The Great British Bake Off , This Morning , Alison Hammond’s Big Weekend and — alongside her son, Aiden — Alison Hammond’s Florida Unpacked . No wonder the Birmingham-born presenter is ready to put her feet up.
“I’m going to tone it down this year, babes, I’m not going to lie,” she tells us. “I have been killing it every single Christmas — you know, at least 12 people coming round for lunch — so I might just go out to a lovely restaurant with my beautiful son and my boyfriend, just the three of us. Then I don’t have to cook… or wash up.”
Alison, 50, has been dating masseur and model David Putman, 28, since early last year. Addressing the 22-year age gap, she has previously explained that, as David is “mature and sensible” and she’s “so not”, they’re extremely well-matched.
“Things are going really, really well,” she says. “He just has the most beautiful energy and everyone feels it when they’re in his presence. It’s very rare. I am so grateful that he chooses to spend his life with me.”
While Alison, who shot to fame on the third series of Big Brother back in 2002, already seemed more than happy with her lot, being with David has made her feel even more blessed.
“It’s a lovely feeling to be in love,” she says. “It makes you more patient, it makes you kinder, because you’ve always got somebody you want to care for — and they’re caring for you.”
It’s clear that Alison is smitten with David, so we can’t help but wonder if a festive proposal might be on the cards for the star.
“I think this is a question you need to ask my fella, not me,” she chuckles. “No, there are no plans for weddings or marriage right now, because we don’t feel like we need to. We live together and we’re happy the way it is. I don’t need a ring to show my love to somebody.”
But after a brief pause, she adds, “What I will say is, if he asked me tomorrow to marry him, it wouldn’t be a ‘no’. That’s all I’m going to say to you.”
With her personal life in such great shape, talk turns to TV — and a certain high-profile job vacancy that has Alison’s name written all over it. Again, the presenter pulls no punches — her eyes are clearly on the Strictly prize.
“They’d be silly not to go for me with the Claudia [Winkleman] role, up in the gods, talking to all the contestants. We all know that is my job,” she says confidently. “If they don’t go for me, that’s OK. It wasn’t my path. I’ve had quite a lot already, so you know, I don’t want to be greedy. But guys, that is my job!
“You’ve got to visualise it and see it – and I see it. So whoever gets that job, good luck to them. But it probably will be me.” Cackling, she tells us, “That’s your headline: ‘Alison for Strictly !’ Let’s just put it out there.”
If her prediction turns out to be true, who would Alison pick to be her ‘Tess Daly’? “I could get on with anyone,” she says, adding that Amanda Holden, Davina McCall and her This Morning co-host Dermot O’Leary would all fit the bill. “I could do a Vernon Kay, too. Don’t you worry, I could do ’em all.
“But if I was the producers — and this is me doing myself out of a job, really — I’d sign up Davina McCall and Amanda Holden.”
There’s no doubt Alison has the Midas touch right now, but asked to share the secret to her success, she insists she’s got where she is simply by being herself.
“I believe I can bring joy to people,” she explains. “If you Google ‘Alison’s best bits’, they can actually take you out of a dark space. I don’t take that lightly and that’s what gives me confidence — knowing that I’m helping people. We need joy right now.”
With her knack for making others feel good, it’s no wonder Specsavers chose Alison to help shine a light on their Home Visits service, which even saw her shadow one of their optometrists on her rounds.
“I want people to know that Specsavers have this amazing service — and it’s literally free,” Alison says. “Nearly half of carers say the people they look after are missing vital appointments and that just really struck me. My mum used to use a wheelchair and if I’d known about this amazing service back in the day, a million percent I would have used that for my mum. Home tests make such a huge difference.”
As to what, or rather who, makes a difference to Alison’s life, top of the list is her “amazing” son, Aiden, 20, an aspiring music producer.
“He’s my everything,” she beams. “I love the fact he actually wants to be with me now, because there was a time in his teenage years where I was the last person he wanted to be around. But he’s come full circle now and wants to spend time with his mum. That’s a really lovely feeling.”
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Alison says she still hopes to be co-hosting This Morning when she’s “grey and old”, but in the unlikely event it all ended tomorrow, she’d take it on the chin.
“There might be a day where they tell me, ‘Alison, there’s no more work for you on TV,’” she says. “And you know what, if it did end tomorrow and it was my time, I’ve had it all, I really have. I’m so happy and grateful for everything that I’ve achieved and that people have accepted me into their lives when I’ve not had to change anything. I’ve just had to be myself. It’s a lovely feeling. Because honestly, my life so far has been wonderful.”
President Bola Tinubu has congratulated Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, as he marks his 58th birthday on December 13.
In a statement issued on Saturday and signed by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu praised Wike for a life distinguished by purpose, courage, and dedicated public service.
Describing Wike as “an audacious top performer who defies obstacles and delivers results,” the President highlighted the minister’s significant contributions to the ongoing transformation of the Federal Capital Territory, particularly through his aggressive infrastructure renewal agenda.
Tinubu specifically acknowledged Wike’s recent intervention in breaking a 14-year deadlock in the construction of the Apo–Karshi Road.
READ ALSO: No Regret Supporting President Tinubu Since 2022 — Wike
The President commended Wike’s resilience, “can-do attitude,” and commitment to excellence, thanking him for his consistency in delivering impactful projects and reforms.
“Nyesom Wike has been one of the shining stars in the cabinet — an exceptional performer, developing infrastructure in the Federal Capital like never before and proving that his ‘Mr. Project’ moniker extends beyond his home state of Rivers,” Tinubu said.
“I commend him for being one of the champions of our Renewed Hope Agenda, even though he belongs to another party, and wish him continued strength and fulfillment as he marks another year in his life journey.”
Goalkeeper Luca Zidane, a son of France football icon Zinedine Zidane, was named on Saturday in the Algeria squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), which kicks off on December 21 in Morocco.
The 27-year-old plays for Spanish second-tier club Granada and represented France at the youth level before switching his international allegiance to Algeria.
He debuted for Algeria in a World Cup qualifier against Uganda two months ago and is one of three goalkeepers chosen. The others are Oussama Benbot from USM Alger and Anthony Mandrea of Caen.
Speaking after his debut, Zidane said: “It is an honour for me, and I will give 100% to make the Algerian people proud.”
“I’m sure the players will arrive highly motivated and ready to play in this AFCON,” said Algeria coach and former Switzerland coach Vladimir Petkovic after announcing the squad.
“The main objective is to get past the first round… with the ambition to go as far as possible in the tournament.”
Algeria start their Group E campaign against Sudan on December 24, then face Burkina Faso and Equatorial Guinea.
Group winners and runners-up automatically qualify for the round of 16. The best four of the six third-placed nations also advance to the knockout stage.
Senegal coach Pape Thiaw selected six Premier League players in his squad for the AFCON, where they face Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Benin in Group D.
They are defender El Hadji Diouf (West Ham), midfielders Idrissa Gueye (Everton), Pape Matar Sarr (Tottenham) and Habib Diarra (Sunderland) and forwards Iliman Ndiaye (Everton) and Ismaïla Sarr (Crystal Palace).
“We are among the favourites, and we accept that. I want a dominant team,” said Thiaw, who was in the Senegal squad that reached the 2002 World Cup quarter-finals.
Video shows children in Gaza desperately trying to sweep floodwater away from their makeshift tents. Storm Byron has flooded camps where hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians live. Israel continues to ban the import of temporary homes and shelter materials into the strip.
Angry fans attending Lionel Messi’s tour of India ripped up seats and threw items towards the pitch after his appearance at Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium.
Thousands of adoring supporters had paid up to 12,000 rupees (£100; $133) to catch a glimpse of the football star, but were left disappointed when he emerged to walk around the pitch, and was obscured by a large group of officials and celebrities.
When the Argentina and Inter Miami forward was whisked away early by security after around 20 minutes, elements of the crowd turned hostile.
Messi is in India for his ‘GOAT tour’, a series of promotional events in Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mumbai and New Delhi.
His tour began with the unveiling of a 70ft statue of himself in Kolkata, which had been assembled over the course of 27 days by a 45-strong crew.
It was unveiled virtually due to security reasons, meaning thousands of fans instead travelled to the city’s stadium for a chance to see the footballer.
They were chanting, buying jerseys and wearing “I love Messi” headbands.
Messi initially walked around the stadium waving to fans, but after his appearance was abruptly ended on Saturday, frustrated fans stormed the pitch and vandalised banners and tents, as others hurled plastic chairs and water bottles.
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“Only leaders and actors were surrounding Messi … Why did they call us then … We have got a ticket for 12 thousand rupees, but we were not even able to see his face”, a fan at the stadium told Indian news agency ANI.
One angry fan told the Press Trust of India news agency people had paid the equivalent of a month’s salary to see the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner.
“I paid Rs 5,000 for the ticket and came with my son to watch Messi not politicians.
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Kolkata is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal and has a large football fanbase in an otherwise cricket-crazed country.
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Announcing an enquiry, Banerjee apologised to Messi and “sports lovers” for the incident at the stadium.
“The [enquiry] committee will conduct a detailed enquiry into the incident, fix responsibility, and recommend measures to prevent such occurrences in the future,” she said on X.
In the early hours of Saturday, thousands lined the roads and congregated outside the hotel where Messi was staying to try and catch a glimpse of him.
Hitesh, a 24-year-old corporate lawyer, flew nearly 1,900 kilometres from the south Indian city of Bengaluru.
“For me it’s personal. You can see I am quite short, and I love to play football with my friends,” Hitesh told the BBC, standing in front of the statue.
“Messi is the player I related with the most, no one can match his talent. He gives me hope that with talent you can do anything.”
It is just a small part of India’s homage to the former Barcelona and Paris St-Germain forward.
