Athens warns it will now arrest people entering Greece without authorisation from North Africa.
Greece has suspended asylum applications for people arriving by sea for three months.
That has come about after a large rise in the number of people crossing the Mediterranean Sea from Libya to the Greek island of Crete.
Athens wants to stop their boats from even entering Greek waters.
Human rights groups said denying them asylum is against international law.
So can a change in policy really stop people heading to Europe? Are North African countries able to help in reducing the number of boats? And what are the likely outcomes of this suspension?
Presenter: Adrian Finighan
Guests:
Eleni Spathana – lawyer with Refugee Support Aegean and author of Legal Assistance for Asylum Seekers and Refugees in Greece
Fans of Jeff Lynne’s ELO were left disappointed tonight as thousands of ticketholders were booted from Co-op Live when the gig was cancelled at the very last minute
Jeff Lynne has dropped out of his Co-op Live gig
Jeff Lynne’s ELO fans have been booted out of Manchester’s Co-op Live arena after the gig was cancelled just minutes before the band were due to start. Thousands of ticketholders were left disappointed when they were informed that the performance would not be going ahead tonight.
Jeff Lynne’s ELO took to X to an announce that the show had been cancelled “due to illness” and that Jeff was “devastated” that he could not perform. “Unfortunately due to illness, tonight’s scheduled performance of Jeff Lynne’s ELO at the Co-op Live will not be going ahead. Jeff is devastated he cannot perform this evening,” they said.
Thousands were kicked out of the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester
“More information will become available as soon as possible. For refunds please go to your point of purchase.”
Fans soon took to social media to share their upset, with one writing: “Tonight’s ELO concert cancelled at 8.10 pm. Jeff Lynne too ill. Devastated. Hope he’s ok. Had tickets since December.”
“THEY CANCELLED ELO TONIGHT BECAUSE JEFF IS ILL????? YOU CANT MAKE THIS UP WE’RE ALL BEING BOOTED OUT,” a second wrote.
“Jeff Lynne’s ELO cancelling 12 MINUTES before they’re due on stage. That’s tragic,” posted another.
The band performed their the first night of their Manchester leg last night, with Jeff revealing that he injured his hand while in London.
“I was in London and a taxi dashed off from where he was coming from and smashed my hand. It really hurt at the time. That’s why I haven’t got a guitar – I normally would have,” he explained.
A fan who was at Wednesday night’s gig told The Mirror that the injury appeared to affect Jeff’s performance.
“At the start of the set he came on and couldn’t play the guitar because he has injured his hand.
“He sounded shaky to begin with but his singing and energy picked up and was great until the last 10 minutes of the show.
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“A chair was brought onto the stage and he had to sit down to sing the last few songs, he appeared to be unsteady on his feet at the end and was helped off the stage by staff.
“He really wasn’t well, it was obvious to fans at the gig he wasn’t himself and it is sad to see.”
A year ago, Amanda Anisimova was doing her best to avoid thinking about Wimbledon after failing to qualify for the main draw. Now she has a final to prepare for.
The American stunned world number one Aryna Sabalenka – and herself – to reach Saturday’s showpiece, with a 6-4 4-6 6-4 win.
The 23-year-old will face Poland’s Iga Swiatek in her first Grand Slam final after fulfilling the potential she had shown as a teenager several years ago before taking a lengthy break to look after her mental health.
“To be honest, if you told me I would be in the final of Wimbledon I would not believe you. Especially not this soon,” Anisimova said.
“It’s been a year’s turnaround. To be in the final is just indescribable, honestly.”
After losing in the third round of qualifying while ranked 191st in the world, this time last year she was relaxing with her friends and family to take her mind off Wimbledon.
“Every time I’m out of a Grand Slam or a tournament, I take a few days off. I don’t turn my phone off, but I don’t really follow [what is going on],” she said.
“I like to just relax and spend as much time with whoever I’m with. That’s what I was doing [last year].”
Watched on Centre Court by her sister Maria and nephew Jaxson, who was celebrating his fourth birthday, and her best friend and fellow player Priscilla Hon – who had cancelled a training session to be there – Anisimova was surrounded by her loved ones for different reasons on Thursday.
Delivering the type of big-hitting performance that she had shown six years ago in a breakthrough year when she reached the French Open semi-finals, she put herself one win away from a first major title.
Anisimova ‘always had the potential’
Getty Images
She may be only 23 but Anisimova has been touted as a Grand Slam finalist for a long time.
At the age of 15 she was the junior world number two and she lifted the US Open girls’ title in 2017, where she beat two-time Grand Slam singles champion Coco Gauff in the final.
A foot injury then hampered her progress the following year but then in 2019 she had a breakthrough year, winning her first WTA title at the age of 17 to become the youngest winner on the tour since Serena Williams 20 years earlier.
She carried that momentum on into a brilliant run to the French Open semi-finals, beating defending champion Simona Halep and Sabalenka along the way and drawing predictions of a bright career ahead.
But she was stopped in her tracks a couple of months later after the sudden death of her father Konstantin, who was also her coach, just before the US Open.
She struggled on court and it was not until 2022 that she had another deep run at a Grand Slam, when she reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals.
But she then missed much of the 2023 season to look after her mental health before returning last year ranked outside the world’s top 400.
She said this run at Wimbledon was a “special message” to anyone who warned her against taking a break.
“A lot of people told me that you would never make it to the top again if you take so much time away from the game,” added Anisimova, who reached the Queen’s final last month.
“Just me being able to prove that you can get back to the top if you prioritise yourself [has] been incredibly special to me.”
This Wimbledon run will lift her to a career-high ranking inside the world’s top 10 and she could become the third American woman to win a Grand Slam title this year after Madison Keys at the Australian Open and Coco Gauff at the French Open .
“Amanda Anisimova always had the potential, but she needed to put everything back together in order for her to be able to play at the level she played today,” said former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli, who is a BBC pundit.
Creative on court, an artist off it
Anisimova, whose parents moved from Russia to the United States before she was born, took up tennis because she used to watch her sister Maria’s practice sessions.
With a formidable backhand, Anisimova is one of the best returners in the women’s game. She had shown nerves during her quarter-final against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova but was far more single-minded against Sabalenka, even opting not to offer a customary apology for an unfortunate net cord in the third set.
She seemed to be in disbelief at the end when a forehand winner sealed the victory.
When her achievement finally sinks in, she will be able to start thinking about how her Wimbledon run might translate into her other great love – art.
Anisimova has previously sold her artwork to raise money for mental health causes.
Asked what she might paint to represent her Wimbledon run, she replied: ” I don’t know. I typically do abstract, so it would be hard.
Britain’s Joe Salisbury missed out on a maiden Wimbledon title as he and Brazilian partner Luisa Stefani lost to Sem Verbeek and Katerina Siniakova in the mixed doubles final.
Salisbury and Stefani, competing at their second tournament as a partnership, suffered a 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-3) defeat by Dutchman Verbeek and Czech Siniakova on a blustery Centre Court.
Wimbledon remains the only title missing from Salisbury’s illustrious doubles career.
After a tight opening set where the duos could not be separated, Verbeek and Siniakova rapidly took a 5-1 lead in the tie-break.
Two brilliant rallies offered Salisbury and Stefani a glimmer of hope but the damage had already been done, and Stefani’s volley dropped long to hand Verbeek and Siniakova the opener.
A break of serve apiece in the second set teed up another tie-break, and Siniakova showed why she is a 10-time major doubles champion with clever net play and confident volleys.
The 29-year-old’s overhead smash sealed victory for the pair and Verbeek picked up his partner and hugged her before leading the crowd in singing ‘happy birthday’ to his father.
It is a maiden major title for Verbeek and a first Grand Slam mixed doubles triumph for Siniakova.
Katie Price, who performed at Portsmouth Pride last month, was listed as the headline act for an afterparty at Barnsley Pride this weekend but she’s now said to have dropped out
Katie Price is said to have dropped out of an event this weekend(Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images for WFTV Awards)
Organisers have said that Katie Price has dropped out of an event just days before she was due to perform. The news was shared today, with it suggested that she will no longer take to the stage due to “unforeseen circumstances”.
Katie, 47, had been due to make an appearance at Barnsley Pride over the weekend. The event – which is just one of the Pride celebrations that are taking place in the UK this summer – will be held in the town of Barnsley on Saturday. She was scheduled to headline the afterparty at nightclub Funny Gals. It was previously advertised that Kerry Katona, 44, would be the headliner, with Katie said to have replaced her pal after she previously pulled out of it herself.
Katie Price (left), pictured with her partner JJ Slater (right), is said to have dropped out of an afterparty gig at Barnsley Pride this weekend(Image: Alan Chapman/Dave Benett/Getty Images)
Organisers of the afterparty shared the news on social media this afternoon. They wrote: “Important announcement. We sincerely apologise to all our visitors who are looking forward to join us for our Barnsley Pride 2025 events.”
They continued by saying that Katie would no longer headline. Organisers wrote: “Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, Katie Price will no longer be headlining our Funny Gals Main Stage / After Dark Official Pride Afterparty.”
Fans were told that those behind the event were “disappointed”. They said: “We want to make it clear that this is beyond our control and that we are genuinely disappointed, as we were very excited to have her as part of our line up of amazing acts.
“Additionally, the original headliner, Kerry Katona, also had to cancel due to personal reasons. The entire team here at Funny Gals shares in this disappointment, and we deeply regret any inconvenience or disappointment caused.”
Organisers have said she was due to headline after replacing Kerry Katona in the line-up(Image: Photo by Kate Green/Getty Images)
Organisers then provided details of the “incredible line-up of acts” that are still scheduled to perform. They concluded: “We look forward to celebrating pride with you and thank you for your understanding and continued support.”
It’s stated that the afterparty will feature drag artist Vicki Vivacious, who appeared on RuPaul’s Drag Race UK back in 2023. The line-up for the event is said to also include X Factor’s Sami Brooks, a Pink tribute act and other performers.
Last month, Katie performed at a Pride event in Portsmouth. She later shared that she had an “amazing night” at Portsmouth Pride, where she performed songs such as We Don’t Have to Take Our Clothes Off and I Got U.
Katie, who was joined by her daughter Princess Andre at the event, was seen on stage in footage shared on social media. At one point, she brought reality TV star Ella Morgan onto the stage.
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They paid tribute to each other at the gig and Katie said that despite speculation they “love each other”. She also poked fun at Ella having been romantically linked to Katie’s partner JJ Slater whilst on Married at First Sight.
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One of India’s greatest adversaries has shown up at Lord’s and given England the edge on the first day of the third Test.
As England’s best batter, Joe Root has had a middling impact on the tied Test series so far. But grafting for more than five hours on a roasting pitch on Thursday earned him an unbeaten 99 that was easily beaconed in a total of 251-4 at stumps.
Root fought for almost the entire first day to vindicate captain Ben Stokes’s decision to bat first. Stokes was with him at stumps, on 39, but struggling with a groin or adductor issue that may affect whether he bowls. He had a chance in the last over to run a second single to give Root his century but declined.
Root’s grit typified an approach by England that was more caution than aggression, unconventional in the team’s three years under coach Brendon McCullum and Stokes, the “Bazball” era.
“Slightly different to the way we usually put together an innings but we’ll take it,” batter Ollie Pope told the BBC radio broadcast. “We want to be a team that is positive and entertaining, but we want to play to the situation. Our order is pretty fast scoring on our good days. We all know we can score hundreds off 120 balls, but we need to dig in off this sort of surface.”
Joe Root of England, far left and Mohammed Siraj of India, centre, exchange words during day one of the third Test [Stu Forster/Getty Images)
Bazball takes a break at Lord’s
Despite hardly a cloud in the sky over Lord’s, usually a template for a great batting day, England displayed its slowest scoring in the first session of a Test and reached 100 at its second slowest pace under Bazball. The run rate dropped to 2.75 in the afternoon.
India’s fearsome pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj squeezed the scoring. India’s fielding was tight, and the green-tinged pitch became sluggish enough for spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar to bowl 20 of the day’s 83 overs and take one wicket.
Root was slow but steadfast without offering India a single chance.
In the process, he became the first batter to hit 3,000 Test runs against India. He reached his 23rd half-century in 33 Tests against India – he’s averaging 58 – and was one run away from his 11th Test hundred against India, which would tie Steve Smith’s record.
His only previous half-century in the series held together the successful last day run chase in the Leeds opener when England was four down and still 118 runs behind.
This time, he fought for almost the entire day to glue England’s first innings in two big partnerships of 109 with Pope and an unbeaten 79 with Stokes. Root has set the platform for England to rack a big total on Friday while India will be pleased it has not been “Bazballed”.
“Joe Root has inspired everyone in the changing room and in this country,” Pope said. “Fingers crossed he can make it a massive one tomorrow.”
England was more “Bazbore” for a long time in the afternoon as Root and Pope grinded out a sleepy wicketless session, including 28 straight dot balls.
There also was a lengthy delay to treat India wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant’s index finger, which was damaged while half-stopping leg byes. He didn’t return for the last half of the day.
After Root and Pope scored only 70 runs in 24 overs in the middle session, the tea interval broke Pope’s focus. In the first ball after tea, Pope went after Jadeja, and Jurel produced a brilliant reflex catch at the stumps. Pope left for 44 off 104 balls.
Harry Brook was then castled on 11 by Bumrah, who grabbed his first wicket in 35 overs stretching back to the Leeds Test. He was rested at Edgbaston.
Ben Stokes of England receives treatment for an injury as Joe Root of England takes a drink [Clive Mason/Getty Images]
England captain hit by leg injury
Stokes joined Root and was playing fluidly until he called for the England medic. He has 39 off 102 balls. Root has 99 off 191, including nine boundaries.
Root came into the game just after the first drinks break in the morning.
Opening batters Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley wobbled during the first hour when the pitch was at its most wicked. But they survived even Bumrah, who found more movement off the pitch than anyone else in the series so far and got a breather at the drinks break. And then they were gone.
The unassuming Nitish Kumar Reddy came into the series only in the second Test for his batting and bowled six expensive overs at Edgbaston. On Thursday, he changed in for Bumrah, and his medium pace lulled Duckett, Crawley and Pope into errors in the same over.
Duckett pulled, Crawley drove and both edged behind. Pope edged to gully, but India captain Shubman Gill couldn’t pull off a stunning one-handed catch.
