T20 Blast round-up: Bears stun leaders Lancashire

Rex Features

Ed Barnard helped Bears comfortably beat T20 Blast North group leaders Lancashire by 36 runs at Edgbaston to keep the qualification race wide open.

Barnard’s 54 in 34 balls, his fourth half-century of the tournament, helped the hosts rack up 203-9 having been sent in, after Dan Mousley smashed 32 in just 12 balls.

Phil Salt whacked 21 from nine deliveries in reply but Jos Buttler was out for a duck as Lancashire’s chase never got going and they were bowled out for 167.

Lancashire’s heavy defeat saw them slip off the top of the table and below Durham on net-run rate, while Bears climbed to third with their sixth victory.

Surrey were sent in at Bristol and got off to a flier as Will Jacks hit five sixes in making 57 off 35 balls and captain Sam Curran struck 46 from 33 before they regressed to 118-5 after 14 overs.

Tom Curran then picked up the innings and his 32 from just 15 balls helped the visitors set 193-7.

It was comfortably defended as only D’Arcy Short, with 70 from 53 deliveries, gave chase and Gloucestershire could only make 165-9, ending a run of four straight victories.

Stephen Eskinazi battingRex Features

At Marchant Taylor’s School, Leus du Plooy took charge of Middlesex after Stephen Eskinazi stood down for personal reasons, and looked like delivering immediate success.

Eskinazi responded to the change by making his joint-second highest T20 score, 94 in only 48 balls, but from 151-1 after 15 overs, Middlesex collapsed to 187-8, with Scott Currie taking four wickets in two overs.

Joe Weatherley made 41 from 22 balls in reply as Hampshire were left needing 53 from the final four overs.

Hampshire climbed to fourth on net-run rate, level on points with Kent after a remarkable late recovery by Joey Evison helped the latter chase 149 at Sussex.

The home side began the night fourth in the South group but were bowled out for just 148 having won the toss.

Tom Clark’s 29 off 20 balls was Sussex’s best as Nathan Gilchrist picked up 4-42, by far the most expensive bowler but ultimately the most successful.

But the target looked like being plenty enough as Kent slumped to 110-8 in the 16th over, only for Evison to begin an extraordinary assault.

Thursday’s T20 Blast fixtures

North Group

Leicester: Leicestershire Foxes v Northamptonshire Steelbacks (18:30 BST)

Derby: Derbyshire Falcons v Worcestershire Rapids (19:00 BST)

South Group

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As Texas floodwaters recede, lawmakers grapple with emergency preparedness

In the aftermath of the devastating floods that swept through the Texas Hill Country in Texas in the United States, a tight-knit community is mourning the loss of at least 110 lives to flash flooding – including 27 at Camp Mystic, an all-girls summer camp situated along the Guadalupe River.

Camp Mystic bore the brunt of the floodwaters, but the region is home to several popular sleepaway camps and youth facilities serving families from across Texas, including Hill Country Youth Ranch. Tony Gallucci, who has lived in the area for more than 40 years, works there.

“We’re gonna have some clearing [of debris like fallen trees] to do, we’ve got a log jam and that kind of stuff,” Gallucci said. “We do have one road [in their facilities] that buckled; it’ll have to be repaired.”

The ranch sits uphill from the river, unlike Camp Mystic, where 2.4 metres (8ft) of water filled cabins with sleeping campers in the early morning hours of July 4, and the Guadalupe River rose more than six metres (20ft) in two hours. Among the dead is camp director Dick Eastland, who perished trying to save the girls from the rushing floodwaters.

Flash flooding is a recurring threat in this part of Texas. The Hill Country, including Kerr County where the camp is located, has thin soil and limestone bedrock that limits rain from soaking into the ground, funnelling it quickly into rivers and creeks. Storms fuelled by gulf moisture and clashing air masses often drop several inches of rain in a short span, overwhelming the terrain.

That was the case last week, as deep tropical moisture in the wake of Tropical Storm Barry, which had just struck southern Mexico, fuelled intense rainfall. The Guadalupe River has flooded catastrophically in the past, with notable incidents in 1978, 1987 and in 2002, raising longstanding concerns about the vulnerability of riverside camps. Because this risk is well known, the latest tragedy has renewed scrutiny over what went wrong – and whether it could have been prevented.

A policy problem

Earlier this year, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cut 600 positions at the National Weather Service (NWS) – the agency tasked with forecasting storms and issuing warnings. As a result, many local offices lack the staff needed to adequately inform the public. In Houston, 30 percent of NWS positions remain vacant.

“Accurate weather forecasting helps avoid fatal disasters. There are consequences to Trump’s brainless attacks on public workers, like meteorologists.” Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy said in a post on X.

However, both the San Antonio and San Angelo NWS field offices, which oversee forecasting for the region that includes Kerr County, were adequately staffed at the time of the flash floods, and the office actually had more staff than usual, with five people on duty instead of the typical two.

Murphy’s office did not respond to Al Jazeera’s request for comment.

The NWS issued a flash flood watch at 12:41am Central Time (05:41 GMT), warning that “excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations. Creeks and streams may rise out of their banks”.  As conditions worsened, a flash flood warning was issued at 1:14 am, and a flash flood emergency was declared after 5:30am local time.

Still, Tom Fahy, legislative director for the National Weather Service Employees Organization, told The New York Times that the San Angelo office remains understaffed overall, missing a forecaster, a meteorologist-in-charge, and a senior hydrologist. Fahy did not respond to Al Jazeera’s request for comment.

The recent job cuts by DOGE could hinder the ability of NWS offices nationwide to predict and respond to future severe weather events. There are additional reductions to the NWS included in the tax bill signed into law by President Donald Trump last week.

The legislation rescinds funding for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which oversees the NWS. Those changes were drafted by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, chaired by Texas Senator Ted Cruz.

“Only a shameless and soulless partisan hack would tie the One, Big, Beautiful Bill to the Texas floods. The funds rescinded had nothing to do with weather forecasting, but were instead used for ‘heat awareness’ campaigns, ‘Green Collar jobs,’ creating a climate resilience plan based on an Indian tribe’s ‘traditional knowledge’ of weather, building a new visitor’s center at an aquarium, and ‘citizen science’ around fishing. None of the rescinded funding was obligated for any existing operations or forecasting activity,” Macarena Martinez, communications director for Senator Cruz, said in a statement.

The bill actually includes funding for additional “Weather Observing Systems” but only specifies those to be set up at airports. The legislation also maintains current funding levels for the NWS.

“After getting a 41 percent increase in its budget in the last decade, NOAA now spends roughly $3bn annually on weather forecasting, research, and related infrastructure. Even the Biden administration had proposed to cancel millions in future radar research, in part because much of the project has already been completed and would explain why, after nearly three years, the funds remained unspent. There’s simply more productive ways to be faithful stewards of public money and improve weather forecasts than continuing to overfund every possible NOAA account,” Martinez added.

The Biden administration proposed cuts to NOAA in March 2024. The Trump administration’s fiscal year 2026 proposal would cut funding for climate research, which would cut the development of new weather forecasting technologies that would, contrary to Cruz’s claims, impact weather forecasts.

The White House did not respond to Al Jazeera’s request for comment.

Poor flood infrastructure

Texas has increased funding for flood-related infrastructure projects in recent years, but those efforts have largely been reactionary rather than preventive.

“The loss of life is tragic. While we can’t predict every storm, we do everything we can to prepare. Texas is strong and takes every disaster seriously,” Coalter Baker, head of the Gulf Coast Protection District (GCPD), a state-funded agency responsible for coastal resiliency planning, told Al Jazeera.

The Texas Gulf Coast has experienced some of the most devastating flooding events in US history. After Hurricane Harvey – a storm in August 2017 so intense that the NWS had to add new colours to its rainfall maps – the state created the Texas Infrastructure Fund. Since the fund’s launch, it has allocated roughly $669m in funding, though only one project was located in Kerr County.

“After Tropical Storm Allison in 2001, we invested in flood prevention that still protects us today. Hurricane Ike in 2008 led to the Coastal Texas Project – the largest US Army Corps of Engineers effort ever – to defend our coast and communities. And after Hurricane Harvey in 2017, we created a first-of-its-kind flood infrastructure fund to reduce future risk. We’ll keep working – federal, state, and local – to protect lives, homes, and our economy,” said Baker, who previously served in the Trump administration and worked in the Texas Office of State-Federal Relations alongside Governor Greg Abbott.

But in this part of Texas – more than 480 kilometres (300 miles) inland – flood infrastructure improvements haven’t materialised.  According to a new Houston Chronicle investigation, Kerr County, where the affected camp is located, requested state funding three times to improve its flash flood warning system. The state rejected its requests.

Instead, the state deferred the responsibility to the county. Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly told The New York Times taxpayers would oppose providing local funding because of the cost.

In April, the Upper Guadalupe River Authority (UGRA), a state-funded government agency, granted a more than $72,000 contract to develop a flood warning system despite concerns being raised almost a decade ago. The UGRA did not respond to our request for comment.

This comes as the Texas state house failed to pass a bill this year that would have improved the state’s emergency communication infrastructure. Among those who voted against the bill was Representative Wes Virdell, who represents Kerr County. Virdell did not respond to our request for comment.

Following the recent floods, Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said the state will now pay to install a flash flood warning system, despite the state previously denying such requests.

“That’s going to be one of the issues that we begin to address in less than two weeks in the state legislature. We’re going to address every aspect of this storm to make sure that we’re going to have in place the systems that are needed to prevent deadly flooding events like this in the future.” Governor Greg Abbott said in a news conference on Tuesday.

Abbott’s office did not reply to Al Jazeera’s request for further details.

When asked about the current system, Judge Kelly told reporters at a Friday news conference, “We do not have a warning system.”

“This is the most dangerous river valley in the United States, and we deal with floods on a regular basis. When it rains, we get water. We had no reason to believe that this was going to be anything like what’s happened here. None whatsoever.”

Kelly did not respond to Al Jazeera’s request for comment.

PSG Thrash Real Madrid To Reach Club World Cup Final

Fabian Ruiz scored twice as European champions Paris Saint-Germain turned on the style in their reunion with Kylian Mbappe on Wednesday, thrashing Real Madrid 4-0 in the semi-finals of the Club World Cup to set up a final showdown with Chelsea.

Ruiz and Ousmane Dembele scored inside the opening nine minutes to stun Real and silence the majority of the 77,542 crowd who were wearing white at the MetLife Stadium outside New York.

The Spanish midfielder added another before half-time and Goncalo Ramos got a late fourth as Luis Enrique’s side moved one game away from glory at FIFA’s new tournament.

Real Madrid’s French forward #09 Kylian Mbappe shakes hands with Paris Saint-Germain’s Portuguese midfielder #17 Vitinha after the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 semifinal football match between France’s Paris Saint-Germain and Spain’s Real Madrid at the MetLife stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on July 9, 2025. (Photo by JUAN MABROMATA / AFP)

Victory against Chelsea on Sunday would complete a campaign of unparalleled success for the Parisians, who won the French title and then the first UEFA Champions League in their history in May.

After blowing away Inter Milan 5-0, the biggest victory in European Cup final history, PSG began their Club World Cup bid by putting four past Atletico Madrid and the ease with which they disposed of Real here was striking.

PSG’s fluidity contrasted starkly with Madrid, who are a work in progress under new coach Xabi Alonso. Meanwhile Mbappe struggled to make any impact on his first start at the tournament and in his first game against PSG since leaving the French club a year ago.

Real Madrid’s French midfielder #14 Aurelien Tchouameni and Turkish midfielder #15 Arda Guler and Spanish defender #35 Raul Asencio react at the end of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 semifinal football match between France’s Paris Saint-Germain and Spain’s Real Madrid at the MetLife stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on July 9, 2025. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP)

READ ALSO: Joao Pedro Brace Sends Chelsea Into Club World Cup Final

The France captain was hoping for a different outcome against the team for whom he scored a club record 256 goals, and the defeat is a real blow to Real as they hoped to win the first 32-team Club World Cup to add to their record tally of 15 European Cups.

But PSG have improved without Mbappe and are now such a well-oiled machine that they appear unstoppable — it would be a big surprise if they failed to beat Chelsea.

Luis Enrique was without imposing centre-back Willian Pacho due to suspension following his sending-off against Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals, but that did not matter.

Lucas Beraldo slotted into the defence with ease, and the rest of PSG’s first-choice line-up was there.

 Day to forget for Mbappe

Real were missing central defender Dean Huijsen through suspension, while the absence of Trent Alexander-Arnold was an added blow.

The return to the starting XI of Mbappe, who missed the entire group stage through illness, did not prevent young striker Gonzalo Garcia from keeping his place.

But the Spanish giants’ front line, completed by Vinicius Junior, made no real impact, such was the extent of PSG’s domination.

Real goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois made two superb saves inside the opening five minutes, the first to tip away a Ruiz shot, and the second to deny Nuno Mendes from point-blank range.

Paris Saint-Germain’s French forward #10 Ousmane Dembele (L) celebrates with teammate French midfielder #14 Desire Doue (R) after scoring his team’s second goal during the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 semifinal football match between France’s Paris Saint-Germain and Spain’s Real Madrid at the MetLife stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on July 9, 2025. (Photo by JUAN MABROMATA / AFP)

Yet Courtois could not prevent Paris from scoring in the sixth minute, as Dembele pounced on slack defending by Raul Asencio. The Real ‘keeper saved at the forward’s feet but Ruiz converted the loose ball.

Three minutes later and the contest was effectively over when Antonio Rudiger failed to control a simple pass from Jude Bellingham, allowing Dembele to run through before finishing low into the corner.

Like his friend Mbappe, Dembele was starting for the first time at the competition having been injured. That was a 34th club goal since August for a player who is a serious candidate for the Ballon d’Or.

It was turning into a humiliating afternoon for Real as PSG got their third midway through the first half.

A deflected shot by Mbappe was easily held by Gianluigi Donnarumma, and no Madrid player touched the ball again before they were picking it out of their own net a minute later.

Dembele released Achraf Hakimi on the right and he squared for Ruiz, the Spain star taking a touch to hold off Fede Valverde before finishing.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia could have got a fourth before the interval, while Desire Doue had a goal disallowed for offside early in the second half.

But Real were not coming back, and Alonso opted to take off Bellingham and Vinicius just after the hour mark in a clear sign of surrender.

PSG then got their fourth after 87 minutes when Ramos controlled a pass from fellow substitute Bradley Barcola, turned and fired in.

Love Island’s Molly Marsh and Zachariah Noble split again just months after adopting dog

Love Island fans have been told tonight that former finalists Molly Marsh and Zachariah Noble have now split up again after having met on the ITV2 show two years ago

It’s been announced that Molly Marsh and Zachariah Noble have split up(Image: Getty Images for Lionsgate UK)

A couple who reached the final of Love Island together have split up, it’s been announced this week. Molly Marsh has shared that she’s no longer in a relationship with Zachariah Noble after starting a romance two years ago.

Molly, 23, and Zachariah, 28, met on the tenth series of the ITV2 show, which aired in 2023. They remained together after leaving the villa, though briefly separated last year before rekindling their romance months later. It’s now been announced that they have parted ways once again. Molly shared the news with fans through a statement that she posted on her Instagram Story this evening, with her suggesting to fans that they remain “friends”.

Statement issued by Molly Marsh confirming her split from Zachariah Noble.
Molly Marsh has announced that she’s split from Zachariah Noble(Image: Instagram/mollygracemarsh)

She wrote in her post: “I just want to confirm the rumours. Myself and Zac have split up and are no longer together. We have parted ways as friends and thank you all for your love and support of our relationship over the past 2 years.”

A source has told the Sun that “nothing bad” has happened between them. The source said: “They just made the decision to split on a mutual basis. The pair have no bad blood between them and will continue to be friends.”

The source added that the exes want to “cherish” the memories that they have made together. They concluded: “Sometimes relationships work, and sometimes they don’t but they want to continue to be friends and cherish the couple of years they have spent together and are both grateful for Love Island bringing them into each others lives.”

Molly and Zachariah were original islanders on Love Island in 2023, but the former’s time was cut short when she was dumped from the villa just weeks in. She left after Kady McDermott coupled up with Zachariah upon her arrival.

A twist for Casa Amor however saw Molly return just days after her departure. She then ended up recoupling with Zachariah and the pair later reached the final. They placed fourth, with Jess Harding and Sammy Root winning instead.

Zachariah Noble and Molly Marsh at a film premiere in 2025.
Zachariah (left) and Molly (right) got together after meeting on Love Island in 2023(Image: Alan Chapman/Dave Benett/WireImage)

Molly and Zachariah continued their relationship after returning to the UK following the final. It was however announced in March last year that they had decided to separate, with the relationship said to have ended on “good terms”.

Just months later, it was reported that they were back together and they went on to move in together. Molly later opened up about the relationship and said that they were “definitely stronger” after taking some time apart.

She told OK! magazine last year: “When you think about it, we fell in love in reverse. When we were on Love Island we lived together, really, then you go your separate ways and get to know each other more. It was completely backwards.”

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Molly also revealed at the time that as well as having moved in with each other, the couple had got a dog after getting back together. It was revealed that they had adopted a Doberman puppy named Scooby.

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Sinner Powers Into Wimbledon Semi-Finals To Ease Injury Fears

Jannik Sinner eased pre-match injury fears to sweep past Ben Shelton in straight sets on Wednesday, setting up a Wimbledon semi-final against Novak Djokovic or Flavio Cobolli.

Sinner wore a protective sleeve on his right arm during his 7-6 (7/2), 6-4, 6-4 quarter-final victory against 10th seed Shelton in two hours 19 minutes.

But the 23-year-old, who hurt himself in the previous round against Grigor Dimitrov, battled through the discomfort to reach his second semi-final at the All England Club.

Sinner, who grimaced after returning one of Shelton’s serves in the second set, said after the match on Court One that he was on the mend.

“You know, when you are in a match with a lot of tension, you try to not think about it,” said the Italian when asked about his injury.

“It has improved a lot from yesterday to today. Yesterday, my day was very short on the practice court, 20 minutes with the coaches only.”

READ ALSO: Djokovic Eyes Wimbledon History, Wounded Sinner In Spotlight

But he added: “This is no excuse. There is no better stage to play tennis and think I showed this today. Again, you know, the atmosphere helps me so much, so thank you so much for the support.”

The top seed had sparked fears he may have to pull out of the tournament after falling early in his fourth-round tie against Dimitrov.

The Italian top seed was trailing by two sets and on the brink of a shock exit when the Bulgarian pulled a pectoral muscle while serving and had to retire.

Sinner, a three-time Grand Slam champion, slashed his training schedule on Tuesday and had a scan to determine the extent of his injury.

The world number one, who has never reached the Wimbledon final, is the first Italian man to reach the last four at the All England Club multiple times, following his previous semi-final appearance in 2023.

Beaten by Carlos Alcaraz in an epic French Open final in June, when he blew a two-set lead and squandered three championship points, Sinner had been revitalised in his first three matches at Wimbledon.

He dropped just 17 games to equal a 53-year-old record for the fewest games conceded en route to the Wimbledon men’s last 16.

Shelton had surpassed his father and coach Bryan, who reached the Wimbledon last 16 31 years ago, but he was no match for Sinner, who is seeking to reach his fourth straight Grand Slam final.

The Italian ground his way through a gruelling first set lasting 52 minutes.

Shelton was also in the wars and the 22-year-old needed his left ankle re-taped late in the set.

Sinner broke in the 10th game of the second set to seize a two-set lead.

The third set was a tight affair, going with serve until the 10th game, when Shelton faltered.

Sinner needed three match points but celebrated when the American went long.

Michelle Collins pockets six-figure payday after shock EastEnders return boosts earnings

Actress Michelle Collins has seen a major financial boost following her EastEnders return, with her company It Worx Limited jumping majorly financially

Michelle Collins pockets six-figure payday as EastEnders return boosts earnings(Image: WireImage)

Michelle Collins has revealed that her dramatic comeback as the iconic Cindy Beale in EastEnders has paid off not just creatively, but financially, with her personal company, It Worx Limited, seeing a major surge in earnings following her return to Albert Square.

The actress, 63, who founded the company in 1996 to manage income from her television work, saw its cash reserves jump from just £20,000 to nearly £200,000 in the year ending March 2024.

According to newly published Companies House records as seen by The Sun, she now faces a Corporation Tax bill of £69,694, suggesting her earnings from the period were roughly five times that amount.

Despite the financial success, Collins admitted she initially felt uncertain about reprising her role as Cindy after 25 years off-screen.

Speaking at the TRIC Awards at Grosvenor House in London, she said: “I didn’t know if people would be happy that she was back. I really didn’t know, you have to take that risk! But I think she’s gone down quite well.”

Michelle Collins
She first appeared in EastEnders back in 1988(Image: Getty Images)

Since her shock return, following a twist that revealed Cindy had faked her death and lived under the alias Rose Sawyer in witness protection, Collins has thrown herself back into the soap’s most outrageous storylines.

Now entangled in messy relationships and dramatic feuds, Cindy’s latest arc includes an affair with her ex-husband George Knight’s son, Junior.

Collins says audiences have embraced the character’s villainous streak. “I think people are liking her,” she said. “People don’t want to see nice Cindy. She was nice for a while, and they don’t want to see nice Cindy – I promise you, they don’t.

“Sometimes I’ll pick up the scripts and I’ll go, ‘Oh no, you can’t. Really? Having an affair with his son? No, it’ll be fine, people love her.’”

Michelle Collins
The EastEnders star’s business has soared(Image: PA)

Michelle originally joined the cast in 1988, before returning in 1992 for a longer stint. Her 2023 return marked a major moment in soap history, with the twist that she had never actually died in prison as previously believed.

Outside of EastEnders, the 63-year-old is preparing to debut a one-woman show titled Motorhome Marilyn at the Edinburgh Festival this summer.

The play follows a Marilyn Monroe impersonator on the road, and Collins has been granted a month-long break from filming to take part.

While she’s remained quiet about how Cindy will temporarily leave the Square, she hinted that details of her character’s exit will be revealed soon.

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