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‘Dragons have done nothing in 20 years – if WRU cuts one team, it’ll be them’

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United Rugby Championship: Dragons v Cardiff

Venue: Rodney Parade, Newport Date: Friday, 17 October Kick-off: 19:45 BST

Former coach Lyn Jones believes the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) would be justified in cutting Dragons if the governing body reduces the number of professional teams.

The WRU wants to halve the number of regions, from four to two, after two dire years for Welsh rugby at domestic and international level.

Jones said Dragons have been Welsh rugby’s weakest team during the regional era – that began in 2003 – and are the obvious choice to be discarded.

“Everything in rugby is business,” he added.

“If the union go ahead with their plans [and] there’s one team to go, of course it’ll be the Dragons because they haven’t been successful over the last 20 years.”

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Jones’ verdict came on the day Dragons were preparing to host arch rivals Cardiff in the United Rugby Championship at Rodney Parade.

Jones was in charge of Dragons the last time the Newport-based side beat their local rivals – in 2015 – which has been followed by a 19-game losing streak against Cardiff.

“It’s 10 years since Dragons won the game, you can’t believe it,” said Jones.

“Can they win tonight? I’m sure they can, but they have to play much better than we’ve seen over the last few weeks.

“The weakness for the Dragons is the front row and the second row.

“They have to be physical tonight against the boys from Cardiff as they’ve got a good front row.

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Kenya holds state funeral for opposition leader Odinga after mourning chaos

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Kenya has held a state funeral for revered opposition leader Raila Odinga, a day after security forces killed several people after opening fire to disperse crowds of mourners at a stadium hosting a public viewing of his body.

Thousands of mourners gathered amid a heavy security presence at Nairobi’s Nyayo National Stadium on Friday, waving white handkerchiefs and dancing at the venue, which was bedecked with large banners featuring Odinga’s portrait, while others blew whistles and vuvuzelas, a brightly-coloured plastic horn.

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President William Ruto attended the ceremony, alongside heads of parliament and the judiciary. Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was among the African dignitaries present.

Odinga, 80, died from a suspected heart attack at a health clinic in southern India on Wednesday, triggering a huge outpouring of grief across much of his home country.

Affectionately known as “Baba” (father in Swahili), Odinga was arguably the most important political figure of his generation in Kenya.

Though mainly known as an opposition figure, Odinga became prime minister in 2008 and also struck a political pact with former President Uhuru Kenyatta in 2018, and with Ruto last year in a career of shifting alliances.

Although he never succeeded in winning the presidency despite five attempts, he played a central role in returning the country to multi-party democracy in the 1990s and is credited as the main force behind a widely praised constitution passed in 2010.

The mourners who attended Friday’s ceremony paid tribute to Odinga’s efforts as an activist.

“Raila Odinga, the father of democracy in Kenya, was a selfless leader who would risk everything – even his life – to make Kenya work,” Jean Jerry Abeka, 24, told the Reuters news agency.

Odinga had, however, become a controversial figure of late, said Al Jazeera’s Catherine Soi, reporting from his funeral service.

There have been a lot youth-led antigovernment protests over the past year, said Soi, and Odinga’s political party “aligned with the government so a lot of people say that he was a betrayer”.

However, “right now they’re saying that even though there was anger, a lot of them are saying they want to remember him for the things that he did for this country,” concluded Soi.

There were chaotic scenes on Thursday as his body was repatriated from India and taken to a stadium on the outskirts of Nairobi to lie in state.

As huge crowds surged towards a VIP gate at one point, security forces opened fire, killing at least three people, according to prominent rights group VOCAL Africa.

It said on X that it had confirmed “three bodies from Kasarani (stadium) have been received this evening at City Mortuary.”

Police also said three people were killed, but Kenyan channels KTN News and Citizen TV put the number of deaths at four, with dozens injured.

Odinga’s body will next travel to western Kenya, his family’s home region, where more huge crowds are expected on Saturday, before a private burial service on Sunday.

Penny Lancaster says Rod Stewart ‘shows true colours’ in front of sons

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Penny Lancaster shares two children, Alastair and Aiden, with legendary singer Sir Rod Stewart

Penny Lancaster says husband Sir Rod Stewart showed his “true colours” in front of their two sons. The model shares sons Alastair, 19 and Aiden, 14, with Maggie May singer Rod.

The couple have been together for 26 years now and tied the knot in 2007. They celebrated the occasion with a ceremony in La Cervara near Portofino, Italy.

On the White Wine Question Time podcast with Kate Thornton, Penny, 54, praised 80-year-old Rod’s vulnerability. In particular she highlights how he behaves in front of their sons, as well as his reaction to his 2017 prostate cancer diagnosis.

She said: “Rod has been such a great example to our boys, from everything, from like when we have a row, or if he says something he shouldn’t have, he will immediately go, ‘Boys, I’m apologising to your mum because I shouldn’t have spoken to her like that’.

“It’s a man that can apologise who shows his true colours, so make sure you learn to apologise and accept you are wrong.

“When he went through prostate cancer he spoke up about it and said, ‘Come on guys, get that test in, get into the doctors early’, and then his phrase was ‘finger up the bum, no harm done’, to just try and add that humour.”

Penny, who has recently released her memoir Someone Like Me, has recently opened up about how she had to fit in with Rod’s family when they got together. Rod had been twice married and had six children when the pair met

Speaking to Hello!, Penny said: “I couldn’t go in thinking, ‘What about me? What do I want?’ I had to take myself out of the equation because there was so much to dissect and understand.

“I had to be transparent and genuine, and I knew it was going to take time. Each child is an individual and had their own ideas, so there was going to be a different moment for each of them. Finally, we’re all holding hands.”

Additionally, when discussing her relationship with Rod’s former wife, Rachel Hunter, Penny revealed they now enjoy a strong bond after an initially distant start.

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She said: “At first, you feel as though you’re miles apart… Ultimately, we want to see our children flourish and be happy. It couldn’t be better now. We have respect for each other, and there’s a connection that is quite unique.”

Penny says Rod was reluctant to become a father when they met. She admits she would have ended the relationship if Rod didn’t reconsider his stance on children.

Aldi launches designer bags for less than £10 but you need to be quick

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The budget supermarket said it is about to sell a ‘must-have’ bag

Aldi has teamed up with a designer to unveil an “iconic” new bag, costing £9.99 in UK stores nationwide. The budget supermarket giant revealed on Friday, October 17, that it’s preparing to launch the “must-have” accessory.

The “universal” bag is available in Aldi’s signature colours: navy, orange, red and white. A spokesman for the retailer confirmed that “die-hard Aldi fans will be able to get their hands on the limited-edition product in stores on October 23.” However, they added: “But shoppers will need to hurry as this exclusive item is expected to fly off shelves.”

The bags will be stocked at more than 1,000 outlets, with the Specialbuy expected to quickly sell out. Created by fashion designer Anya Hindmarch, the Aldi Universal Bag is made from 100% recycled plastic and fully certified under the Global Recycling Scheme (GRS).

Built with strength in mind to cope with the weekly shop, the Aldi Universal Bag also has a clever, convenient freepost returns pocket integrated directly into the bag. When it reaches the end of its long life, customers can fold the bag into its built-in pocket, which functions as a pre-addressed envelope, and post it to be 100% recycled locally.

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This, combined with its price point and availability, renders it “essential for shoppers”, Aldi said. Julie Ashfield, chief commercial officer at Aldi UK said: “We are so excited to be collaborating with Anya Hindmarch on the launch of the new Universal Bag.

I was wrong, Palmer out for six more weeks – Maresca

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Flora Snelson

BBC Sport journalist

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca says Cole Palmer will be out for six more weeks as he continues his recovery from a persistent groin injury.

The 23-year-old forward hasn’t played a competitive match since 20 September, when he was forced off by the recurrence of an issue that first emerged during the Blues’ shortened pre-season following their successful Club World Cup campaign.

Palmer has made just three Premier League appearances this season and is running short of opportunities to impress England manager Thomas Tuchel before next summer’s World Cup.

Chelsea decided to rest Palmer before the international break to give him the best chance of being fit and ready by November – but Maresca has pushed his potential return back to the end of next month.

The Chelsea manager said he was confident Palmer, who scored 15 Premier League goals last season, would not need surgery.

“We try to protect Cole as much as we can,” Maresca said. “The most important thing is when he comes back, he is fully fit.

“The medical staff are not magicians. We hope six weeks are enough. We need to see it step-by-step. For sure, he’s going to be OK.

“He looks relaxed. He has tried to recover from the injury and is doing all the therapy.”

Speaking before his side continue their Premier League campaign away at Nottingham Forest on Saturday, Maresca conceded Palmer would be a big miss.

“To replace Cole is difficult, because Cole is a very important player for us – probably one of the best players in the Premier League – so to replace that kind of player is always difficult,” he said.

“We don’t have another player like Cole, because Cole is unique.”

Palmer will miss Premier League games against Sunderland, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Burnley and Arsenal, and a League Cup tie at Wolves.

A major blow – analysis

Nizaar Kinsella

Football reporter

It is no secret Cole Palmer is one of Chelsea’s star players, so any prolonged absence is a major blow.

The 23-year-old was involved in 39 Premier League goals in 2024 (26 goals and 13 assists), breaking Chelsea’s club record for a single calendar year.

Last season, Palmer starred in the Conference League and Club World Cup finals, delivering two goals and three assists across both matches.

Medical staff have since dealt with Palmer’s recurring groin injury, trying unsuccessfully to manage him through the season so far.

Palmer withdrew from the warm-up minutes before facing West Ham in August, pulled out of England international duty in September and came off after 21 minutes in the defeat at Manchester United.

That Manchester United match proved the final straw, as Chelsea sought to resolve his injury once and for all.

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