“I think what we’re seeing is … an evolution of Netanyahu’s descent into insanity.”
Netanyahu wants to “redraw the map of the Middle East”
Afghanistan dominate Hong Kong in Asia Cup 2025 cricket opener
Azmatullah Omarzai hammered a 20-ball fifty as Afghanistan thrashed Hong Kong by 94 runs in the opening match of the Asia Cup in Abu Dhabi.
Afghanistan elected to bat first and posted 188-6, with opener Sediqullah Atal playing the anchor role with an unbeaten 73 on Tuesday.
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His fifth-wicket partnership of 82 with Omarzai, who hit 53 off 21 balls, including two fours and five sixes, proved key for Afghanistan in the Group B fixture.
Afghanistan’s bowlers then combined to keep Hong Kong down to 94-9.
Temperatures early on touched 40C (104F), but it was the humidity in the evening that tested the fitness of the players, who took regular drinks breaks.
Hong Kong bowlers delivered two early blows to Afghanistan, but Atal stood firm to put on 51 runs with veteran Mohammad Nabi, who scored 33, as the two counter-attacked.
Off-spinner Kinchit Shah broke the stand to dismiss Nabi, but Atal raised the run-rate with Omarzai, who hit his first T20I fifty – the fastest by an Afghan batter – with three sixes and a four before his departure.
Hong Kong, whose fielders dropped five catches, were never in the chase after they slipped to 22-4 inside five overs, including two run-outs.
Afghanistan were playing less than 48 hours after their loss to Pakistan in the final of a tri-series in Sharjah on Sunday.
Their next Asia Cup fixture is against Bangladesh on September 16.
Tournament favourites India begin their campaign in Group A on Wednesday when they face hosts United Arab Emirates in Dubai.
India and Pakistan meet on September 14 in the most-awaited match of the Twenty20 tournament, which serves as a build-up for next year’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.
Trump pushing EU to slap 100% tariffs on China, India, reports say
United States President Donald Trump has urged the European Union to slap 100 percent tariffs on China and India as part of his efforts to pressure Russia to end its war in Ukraine, US and British media have reported.
Trump made the call after dialling into a meeting of US and EU officials in Washington, DC, on Tuesday, according to the reports.
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The Financial Times, which first reported the news, said Trump indicated he was prepared to impose steeper tariffs on China and India, two major buyers of Russian oil, if European nations did as well.
“We’re ready to go, ready to go right now, but we’re only going to do this if our European partners step up with us,” the Times quoted an unnamed US official as saying.
Trump’s proposal was confirmed by multiple outlets, including Reuters, Bloomberg and CNBC.
Trump last month raised the tariff rate on Indian imports to 50 percent, citing the South Asian giant’s continuing purchases of Russian oil.
On Tuesday, Trump said in a social media post that Washington and New Delhi were continuing negotiations on trade barriers and that he looked forward to speaking to his “very good friend” Narendra Modi, the Indian prime minister, in the coming weeks.
“I feel certain that there will be no difficulty in coming to a successful conclusion for both of our Great Countries!” Trump said on Truth Social.
Responding to Trump on Wednesday, Modi said he was confident the talks would “pave the way for unlocking the limitless potential of the India-US partnership”.
“I am also looking forward to speaking with President Trump,” Modi said on X.
“We will work together to secure a brighter, more prosperous future for both our people.”
Trump has yet to target China, which is in the midst of negotiating a trade deal with Washington, over its oil purchases specifically.
Trump, who pledged to bring a swift end to the war in Ukraine during his election campaign, has expressed growing frustration at the difficulty of reaching a peace deal amid Russia’s escalating attacks on Ukrainian cities.
How realistic is a non-Old Firm title challenge?
With champions Celtic arguably in a weaker state and city rivals Rangers enduring their worst league start since 1983, is this the season a non-Old Firm club finally delivers a serious Scottish Premiership title challenge?
Despite Brendan Rodgers’ side being a penalty shootout win away from securing another domestic treble just four months ago, there is a sense things have gone a bit stale at Parkhead.
The Celtic support became increasingly irate throughout the transfer window because of a lack of business they deemed acceptable.
That fury only intensified when a hugely underwhelming deadline day followed the club’s Champions League exit and a blunt display in a goalless Old Firm draw.
Rangers, meanwhile, have splashed the cash under new ownership but have won just three games out of 11 under head coach Russell Martin, who is also yet to taste victory in four league matches.
Can Hearts challenge under Bloom’s influence?
Following the dreary derby stalemate at Ibrox, many were starting to feel Tony Bloom’s bullish comments were not so outlandish.
Last month, the Brighton & Hove Albion owner, who now has a 29% stake in Heart of Midlothian, said the Tynecastle club have a “very good chance of at least being second” this campaign.
The Gorgie side are making use of Bloom’s Jamestown Analytics software, which proved integral in Union Saint-Gilloise’s remarkable rise to become Belgian top-flight champions for the first time in 90 years just last season.
Despite that, Bloom’s bold remarks were predictably sneered at across the country.
A month later, Celtic and Rangers played out one of the worst Old Firm derbies in living memory off the back of their own European humiliations.
Martin’s men failed to have a shot on target in the match. Brendan Rodgers’ side had just two.
On the evidence of that contest alone, there should be nothing to frighten non-Old Firm teams when facing Glasgow’s big two this term.
And it was Bloom’s fearlessness that caught the eye when he declared Hearts are in a position to challenge now.
That is also the view of former Hearts boss Robbie Neilson, who told the BBC’s Scottish Football Podcast: “At the start of the season, I said it was probably going to be a one-horse race. Now I think it’s potentially a two, maybe even a three, if you look at what Hearts have done.”
Well, what have Hearts done?
As well as recruiting 10 new faces with the influence of Bloom’s Jamestown model, they have appointed a head coach in Derek McInnes whose vast experience in Scottish football includes pushing Celtic for titles with Aberdeen.
In four straight seasons between 2014-15 and 2017-18, McInnes’ Dons finished as runners-up in the Premiership.
This term, his Hearts team have needed late goals and comebacks to take 10 points from their opening four league games but that tally leaves them level with a Celtic side who are top on goal difference.
What information do we collect from this quiz?
Continuity key for Gray’s impressive Hibs
Despite being five points off Celtic and Hearts with a game to spare, Hibernian might well have the same aspirations as their city rivals after their third-placed finish last term.
European exploits have been a factor in their back-to-back league draws with Kilmarnock and St Mirren, but the Leith side’s performances on the continent demonstrated how serious a team they are.
David Gray’s men can count themselves unlucky with the draws they were handed, yet they still avoided defeat in three away legs with Midtjylland, Partizan Belgrade and Legia Warsaw.
A vital part of those impressive showings has to be the continuity within the squad.
Hibs have retained almost all of their best XI from last term and have arguably upgraded the midfield with the additions of Josh Mulligan, Jamie McGrath and Miguel Chaiwa.
At the end of November, Gray’s side were bottom of the table, but a remarkable run of form stretching to the end of the season earned them third spot.
In their past 28 league games, they have lost just three times.
Their points-per-game tally over that period is verging on two, which would average out to a total of 76 over the course of a 38-game season.
That would have been enough to finish just a point above Rangers last term but Celtic on 92 would have still been way in the distance.
What does recent history tell us?
It tells us to put a big pin in our balloon of optimism – or at least let a good bit of air out of it.
It is easy to watch either – or both – of Glasgow’s big two and bin them off after they fail to pass the eye test, but they will likely still go on to post points tallies non-Old Firm clubs cannot find the consistency to come close to.
We are seeing that already in the infancy of the current campaign, with Hibs drawing two of their three opening games.
Meanwhile, despite a statement end to the transfer window, Aberdeen are rooted to the foot of the table with three straight defeats.
Closing the sizeable margin between second and third could prove hard enough. The average distance between the two spots over the past five seasons is 22 points.
That gap reflects a widening financial chasm, with qualification for Uefa’s club competitions playing a key role.
While Celtic and Rangers have both failed to reach the Champions League this season, both still accounted for about 86% of the transfer fees spent in the Premiership this summer, according to Transfermarkt.
It makes the Edinburgh pair breaking their transfer records in the past window look like a tiny drop in the ocean.
And Hearts (74) and Hibs (67) would likely also have to smash their top-flight points records to stand a chance of even finishing second.
A Rangers side that was led by Barry Ferguson for the final three months of last term failed to win 16 games over the course of the 2024-25 Premiership campaign yet they still finished 17 points clear of Hibs in third.
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- Scottish Football
- Heart of Midlothian
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Obesity now main form of malnutrition afflicting youth: UNICEF
Obesity has outpaced undernourishment to become the leading form of malnutrition worldwide for the first time among children and teenagers, according to UNICEF.
The United Nations children’s agency stated in a report released on Tuesday that nearly one in 10 children aged five to 19 is living with the chronic disease. The epidemic is being fuelled by easy availability of ultra-processed foods “even in countries still grappling with child undernutrition” and aggressive marketing.
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Today, “when we talk about malnutrition, we are no longer just talking about underweight children”, UNICEF chief Catherine Russell said in a statement accompanying the release of the report: “Feeding Profit: How Food Environments are Failing Children”.
“Ultra-processed food is increasingly replacing fruits, vegetables and protein at a time when nutrition plays a critical role in children’s growth, cognitive development and mental health.”
For the first time, obesity has surpassed underweight among school-age children and adolescents globally, reveals UNICEF’s latest report.
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The fight to reduce world hunger is bearing fruit in some areas, with the prevalence of underweight youths on a downward trend, falling from 13 percent to 10 percent between 2000 and 2022 among five- to 19-year-olds, according to data collected in 190 countries.
But over the same period, overweight numbers in the age range soared, more than doubling to rise from 194 to 391 million.
The spike is even more pronounced for obesity, a more serious form of being overweight, associated with metabolic disorders such as diabetes, certain cancers, anxiety and depression.
In 2022, 8 percent of youths worldwide, or 163 million, were obese, compared with 3 percent in 2000.
Given the distinct trends, UNICEF believes “a historic turning point” was reached this year, with the global prevalence of obesity at 9.4 percent for youths surpassing that of underweight, at 9.2 percent.
According to the report, 188 million children and adolescents are now obese.
Unethical
UNICEF bluntly described the primary culprit not as poor nutrition decisions by families, but unethical business practices designed to generate profits.
Children “are being bombarded by … unhealthy food marketing of junk foods”, especially at school where they are exposed to sugary drinks and salty snacks, Katherine Shats, a UNICEF legal expert in nutrition, told the AFP news agency.
Such products are often cheaper than fresh foods like fruits, vegetables and proteins, which are being steadily replaced in families’ diets.
UNICEF stresses the fault lies neither with children nor their families, but “a failure of society to protect the environments that children grow up in”.
Historically, levels of overweight have been higher in more developed nations. They remain high, for example, in Chile, at 27 percent in the age group of five to 19, and in the United States at 21 percent.
But since 2000, the gap between rich and poor countries has narrowed, with obesity rates soaring in some Pacific islands where imports are replacing traditional products.
For some nations, it is a double curse as they grapple with both undernutrition and growing obesity.
Stacey Solomon, 35, makes huge life decision as she fears early menopause
Stacey Solomon is concerned that she is heading into an early menopause after experiencing a range of symptoms so has ruled out more kids if that is the case
Stacey Solomon is concerned that she is heading into an early menopause. The former Loose Women star, 35, is well over a decade away from the average age in which the reproductive stage for a woman ends, but can’t help but worry that it is coming sooner than normal after noticing just how ‘tired’ and ‘snappy’ she has been.
The TV star, who is married to ex-EastEnders actor Joe Swash and has Rex, five, Rose, three, and two-year-old Belle with him but also has Leighton, 13, and 17-year-old Zachary from previous relationships, has returned to screens alongside her husband with their BBC reality show Stacey & Joe, and on Tuesday’s episode, she had a candid chat with her sister Jemma.
As they spoke, Stacey reminded her sister that early menopause could potentially run in the family. She said: “I think I’m going through the menopause, I’m perimenopausal, I’m so snappy and tired. I wake up tired, I have eight hours’ sleep and I wake up and I’m exhausted. On mum’s side the menopause came early so we’re likely to go through it early too.”
READ MORE: Stacey Solomon huge monthly earnings disclosed but she fears ending up pennilessREAD MORE: What happened to Joe Swash’s forgotten EastEnders family 21 years after TV debut?
Jemma, 36, who has three children herself, then joked to Stacey: “You’ve got to remember you have 18 children, 17 dogs, 45 chickens, you work full-time, you have a busy life.”
Stacey, who shot to fame as a contestant on The X Factor in her late teens and has since carved out a major career as a television personality, then ruled out the idea of having any more children if indeed she is heading for the menopause at this stage in life.
She said: “If you could test tolerance mine would be at its all time low. If I am going through the menopause and that’s it, no more children for me, then I think I will open an animal sanctuary.”
Later on, Stacey was joined by Joe, who also has Harry, 18, with his ex Emma Sophocleous, where she opened up to her personal physiologist Dr Olly, and told him: “I feel like I’m drying out. I think my ovaries are pruned and they have said goodbye.
“All my friends on Loose Women talk about it all the time. Some things I can’t relate to. But I do think that as I get older I do get more agitated.”
Later on, she told the camera: “My health anxiety started when I had Zach. I think when you have kids you start to recognise your own mortality. Meeting Olly and having that friend that can go down the rabbit hole with you has really helped.”
Women generally enter the menopause between 44 and 53 years old, and symptoms can include anxiety and depression as well as irregular periods, hot flashes and mood swings.
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Even though Stacey has seemingly quashed the idea of having another child, insiders recently claimed to The Mirror that it wouldn’t be a ‘surprise’ to anyone if another little one arrived.
The source said: “They’ve both got so much love to give and Joe is the best, most hands-on dad. They would have another baby if the time was right, but their lives are so busy. They’ve talked about Joe having a vasectomy but even then they’ve joked about it being reversible. No one would be surprised if a number seven came along!”