Can India and Pakistan avoid a fourth war over Kashmir?
Changes at Spurs regardless of Europa League victory
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Tottenham can salvage what has been a troublesome season with their first trophy since 2008 when they face Manchester United in the Europa League final on 21 May – yet in many ways reaching the showpiece game was immaterial for Tottenham.
Change will come at the club regardless of their success in Europe, given Spurs are currently 16th in the Premier League, with some of those internal adjustments already taking shape.
The most important decision will be the confirmation of head coach Ange Postecoglou’s future.
Spurs in talks with Paratici over return
An annual departmental review could also lead to adjustments. Their destabilising injury record this season could leave the medical and strength and conditioning teams under scrutiny.
There will be new faces the boardroom too.
Vinai Venkatesham, the former Arsenal chief executive, is joining the club before next season in the same position he vacated at Emirates Stadium.
Similarly, a potential return of former managing director of football Fabio Paratici is an ongoing process.
BBC Sport understands machinations towards Paratici’s possible comeback are in motion, though sources close to the situation have expressed caution by insisting a full agreement for the Italian’s return is yet to be finalised and may take a while longer to be reached.
There is a sense, however, that a deal with a view to appointing Paratici to the club’s new-look executive team is achievable.
Paratici, having first joined Spurs 2021, left the club in 2023 after an appeal against a two-and-a-half-year Fifa ban for alleged financial irregularities dating back to his spell at Juventus was rejected by Italy’s highest sports court.
Despite the suspension, Paratici – who held talks with AC Milan in recent weeks – has remained a constant at Tottenham, working for the club in an unofficial consultancy capacity.
The Italian has also been a regular at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium since his ban was enforced in spring 2023.
Paratici’s suspension is due to expire in July, which could pave the way for his return if discussions are successful.
The 52-year-old remains one of the most respected football executives in European football and his connections would be invaluable to Tottenham as they approach a key summer transfer window.
Who could Spurs target if Postecoglou is sacked?
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If Paratici does return, then it would be hard to see a scenario in which he and current chief football officer Scott Munn can co-exist at the same club.
Munn’s future at Tottenham has been under major doubt for months, and the work towards Paratici’s re-appointment suggests the Australian executive’s future may lie elsewhere.
Johan Lange, who was appointed technical director last summer, is expected to stay and play a lead role in talent identification during the transfer window.
It remains to be seen how heavily Lange is involved in the appointment of Postecoglou’s replacement if the head coach leaves.
If the Dane is central to the process, the chances of Brentford head coach Thomas Frank replacing Postecoglou could increase.
Lange is believed to be a big admirer of his compatriot, who has vast experience of working within the sort of data-driven recruitment ethos the Tottenham executive is implementing.
Fulham manager Marco Silva, Bournemouth head coach Andoni Iraola and Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner are also among the candidates to replace Postecoglou.
It is pertinent to add that success against Manchester United in Spain will likely have a bearing on how Tottenham approach the summer.
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‘I will run right over you’: New FEMA head issues warning to Trump critics
The new head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in the United States has warned his staff that he will not tolerate any resistance to President Donald Trump’s agenda for the organisation.
Friday was the first full day of David Richardson’s leadership at FEMA, after the agency saw a shake-up at its helm earlier this week. But he began his tenure as head with a stark warning for the agency.
“I — and I alone in FEMA — speak for FEMA. I’m here to carry out the president’s intent for FEMA,” he reportedly told staff in an agency-wide call.
He predicted that 20 percent of the staff would oppose Trump’s vision for the FEMA, which he has pledged to dismantle.
“Obfuscation, delay, undermining. If you’re one of those 20 percent of people and you think those tactics and techniques are going to help you, they will not, because I will run right over you,” Richardson said.
“Don’t get in my way,” he added. “I know all the tricks.”
FEMA is the agency charged with coordinating and carrying out the federal government’s response to natural disasters and other emergencies, ranging from hurricanes and flooding to domestic attacks.
But it has long been criticised for lagging response times, inadequate resources and disorganisation, particularly during major disasters like 2005’s Hurricane Katrina, which displaced tens of thousands of residents in Louisiana and killed more than 1,300 people.
Trump has responded to such criticisms by pledging to do away with FEMA altogether and redistributing its functions to individual states.
“ When there’s a problem with the state, I think that that problem should be taken care of by the state,” Trump said in January. “That’s what we have states for. They take care of problems. And a governor can handle something very quickly, you know?”
During his campaign for re-election in 2024, he also spread falsehoods about the agency, including that it had refused to offer relief to Republican residents in North Carolina, which had recently suffered widespread flooding from Hurricane Helene.
Since taking office in January, Trump has followed through with his plans to restructure the federal government, reducing the funding and staff to independent entities like the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).
Trump and his allies have framed the cuts as necessary to combat “fraud” and “waste” across the government, though he has not offered definitive proof of wrongdoing.
At FEMA, an estimated 2,000 employees were terminated or accepted buyout offers to resign. A 2023 Government Accountability Office report indicated that FEMA only had 5,000 full-time staff members, as well as a group of reservists and emergency-response workers who could be called up to address a crisis.
To become the administrator of FEMA requires undergoing a Senate confirmation hearing and a vote.
But while those Senate hearings continue for high-level government positions, Trump has named interim leaders to govern the organisation in the meantime.
Cameron Hamilton, a former Navy SEAL, served in that role since Trump started his second term.
He had been a prominent critic of FEMA during the administration of former President Joe Biden. But his time as FEMA chief came to an abrupt halt earlier this week, in the wake of an appearance before an appropriations subcommittee in the House of Representatives.
At Wednesday’s hearing, a Democratic Representative, Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, asked Hamilton about the idea that FEMA could be shuttered.
Hamilton responded with measured opposition. “I do not believe it is in the best interest of the American people to eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency,” he said.
He added that it was ultimately not his decision to make and criticised FEMA as part of an “overextended federal bureaucracy”.
“I’m not in a position to make decisions and impact outcomes on whether or not a determination such as consequential as that should be made. That is a conversation that should be had between the president of the United States and this governing body,” Hamilton told the committee.
But the very next day, Hamilton was removed from his role as FEMA’s interim head and replaced by Richardson, a Marine veteran.
On Friday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that Hamilton’s removal was related to his testimony at the subcommittee hearing.
“My understanding is that this individual testified saying something that was contrary to what the President believes and the goals of this administration in regards to FEMA policy,” Leavitt said. “And so, of course, we want to make sure that people in every position are advancing the administration’s goals.”
Critics, including Representative DeLauro, blasted the switch-up as indicative of a White House that will not tolerate dissent, even when necessary.
“The Trump administration must explain why [Hamilton] has been removed from this position,” DeLauro said in a statement. “Integrity and morality should not cost you your job.”
Richardson, meanwhile, has proceeded to set a stricter tone for his tenure, with his fiery Friday phone call. He warned FEMA staff that any actions not “within our missions” would be considered a waste of taxpayer funds.
“We’re going to find out how to do things better. We’re going to find out how to push things down to the states that should be done at state level. Also we’re going to find out how we can do more cost-sharing with the states,” he said.
Trump has been criticised for denying requests for assistance, including from Republican-led states like Arkansas, which suffered tornadoes during the week of March 14, destroying neighbourhoods. Multiple deaths were reported.
Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders — who worked as Trump’s press secretary during his first term — has written to the president to appeal his denial of aid.
“Since 2023, Arkansas has experienced an unprecedented frequency of disasters, with four federally declared disasters and ten state-declared disasters. These overlapping events have severely strained the capacity of state and local agencies to respond and recover effectively,” Huckabee Sanders wrote.
Pedersen wins Giro opener as Landa injured in crash
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Denmark’s Mads Pedersen outsprinted Wout van Aert to win the first stage of the Giro d’Italia in Albania.
Britain’s Tom Pidcock finished fifth for his new Q36.5 team, in a race in which the 25-year-old hopes to contend for the coveted overall pink jersey and also win stages.
But another contender for pink, Mikel Landa of Spain, crashed violently with about 5km to go, with the Soudal-Quick Step rider appearing to collide with a lamppost on the approach to the centre of Albania’s capital city Tirana.
He was placed in an ambulance at the scene and has subsequently abandoned the race.
Lidl-Trek’s Pedersen will wear pink in Saturday’s second-stage time trial after benefiting from the pace set by his team-mates on the front of the peloton over the final Surrel climb, which saw the pure sprinters in the race dropped from the leading bunch.
“It’s absolutely amazing, especially after the team work like this, it’s really incredible that the team works that hard and I can pay them back with a win,” he said.
Pedersen is a highly decorated rider, having won the 2019 Road World Championship, one-day classics and now his seventh Grand Tour stage.
The 29-year-old beat Visma-Lease A Bike’s Van Aert to the line by a wheel – the Belgian is expected to be Pedersen’s main rival for the ciclamino-coloured points jersey.
Drama in the Giro already
It was a typically dramatic first stage for the Giro, on unknown roads in Albania, which is hosting the start of a Grand Tour for the first time.
During the final two climbs many riders lost touch with the peloton, including sprinters Kaden Groves and Olav Kooij, because the pace was so high, even though the climbs themselves were not considered to be overly difficult.
But the real surprises came in the battle for the general classification. Canada’s Derek Gee was dropped from the peloton for Israel-Premier Tech, losing almost a minute, and Ineos Grenadiers’ Thymen Arensman lost over a minute and a half.
Then, the often luckless Spaniard Landa was left writhing in pain on the pavement, his bike lying at the bottom of a lamppost.
The crash saw other riders come to grief as they took evasive action in the ensuing melee, including France’s Geoffrey Bouchard of Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale.
Giro d’Italia stage one results:
1. Mads Pedersen (Den/Lidl-Trek) 3hrs 36 mins 24secs
2. Wout van Aert (Bel/Visma-Lease A Bike) Same time
3. Orluis Aular (Spa/Movistar)
4. Francesco Busatto (Ita/Intermarche Wanty)
5. Tom Pidcock (GBR/Q36.5)
6. Diego Ulussi (Ita/XDS-Astana)
7. Richard Carapaz (Ecu/EF Education-EasyPost)
8. Max Poole (GBR/Picnic-PostNL)
9. Nicola Conci (Ita/XDS-Astana)
Giro d’Italia overall standings:
1. Mads Pedersen (Den/Lidl-Trek) 3hrs 36 mins 14secs
2. Wout van Aert (Bel/Visma-Lease A Bike) 4secs
3. Orluis Aular (Spa/Movistar) 6secs
4. Francesco Busatto (Ita/Intermarche Wanty) 10secs
5. Tom Pidcock (GBR/Q36.5) Same time
6. Diego Ulussi (Ita/XDS-Astana)
7. Richard Carapaz (Ecu/EF Education-EasyPost)
8. Max Poole (GBR/Picnic-PostNL)
9. Nicola Conci (Ita/XDS-Astana)
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PSL postponed indefinitely after UAE plan scrapped
The Pakistan Super League has been postponed indefinitely, after initial plans to move the tournament to the United Arab Emirates were scrapped.
The league was suspended on Thursday amid escalating tensions between India and Pakistan over the territory of Kashmir.
Players travelled to the Gulf state on Friday with the intention of resuming the tournament, but those plans have now been cancelled.
The Indian Premier League has also been suspended for a week over safety concerns.
Reports in India claimed the Emirates Cricket Board declined to host the PSL because of security concerns and not wanting to risk its relationship with the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI).
However, sources in the UAE told BBC Sport the Emirates Cricket Board did not refuse the PSL approach.
Pakistani authorities say 31 people have been killed and 57 injured by Indian air strikes in the country and Pakistan-administered Kashmir since Wednesday morning.
Twenty-six civilians were killed in Indian-administered Kashmir last month and India has accused Pakistan of supporting militants behind the attack – an allegation the neighbouring country has rejected.
“The last 24 hours have seen a worsening of the situation,” said the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
“The decision to postpone has been taken pursuant to advice received from the Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif.
“Cricket, while being a unifying force and a source of joy, must take a respectful pause when the country is facing such callous opposition.
“We have sincere regard for the mental well-being of participating players and the sentiments of our foreign players, and we respect the concerns of their families who want to see them back home.”
The PSL has eight remaining fixtures to be played in the 10th edition of the tournament, which had initially been scheduled to run until 18 May.
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Sugarland forced to pull out of ACM Awards as Jennifer Nettles secretly fell ill
The Academy of Country Music Awards was thrown into chaos at the last minute when a singer was forced to pull out with their bandmate revealing she’d fallen ill
A huge singer was forced to pull out of The Academy of Country Music Awards on Thursday. Sugarland had been due to take to the stage but it later ermeged that things had dramatically been switched up at the last minute.
Sugarland had taken to social media just one day before the prestigious event to share their excitement ahead of the awards ceremony as they encouraged fans to tune in on Prime Video. However, it emerged that the band wouldn’t be on stage and were replaced at the last minute by Little Big Town who performed their track Girl Crush, originally released in 2014. But the decision didn’t go unnoticed by fans who instantly took to social media to share their confusion.
“I need to know- what song were you going to sing?! Missed you tonight,” said one follower. A second went on to add: “Wait, Little Big Town sang instead?” asked a second. Another took to X, formerly known as Twitter commenting: “Watching the #ACMawards solely to see Jennifer Nettles (Sugarland) perform and Little Big Town takes their place.”
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“I think Little Big Town replaced Sugarland on the ACMs. It looks like Jennifer didn’t make it, only Kristian is there,” said another. Sugarland, consisting of Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush had also been scheduled to present the Duo of the Year award but only one half of the duo took to the stage.
Kristian presented the gong to Brooks & Dunn. Explaining Jennifer’s absence, he said: “I was supposed to be presenting this ACM Award for Duo of the Year with my amazing partner Jennifer Nettles. Sadly, she got sick this morning, proving that when it comes to duos, it really does take two.
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“Jennifer, I love you, we love you, feel better soon.” The comments instantly prompted an outpouring of support from fans, with one sharing on social media: “Get Well Soon @jennifernettles.” A second typed: “@jennifernettles hope you feel better soon. You were missed!!”
Jennifer is yet to comment on her illness. Before their scheduled performance, the duo teased that they were planning on “going all out” and fans “won’t want to miss” their set.
But it appears that there’s no love lost between the band as Sugarland and Little Big Town joined forces last year at the CMT Music Awards for a performance of the Phil Collins hit, Take Me Home.
They later went on to release the track as a single on the same day. Elsewhere, they co-headlined a tour, the Take Me Home Tour, which ran between October 24 and December 13 of last year.
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At the awards, Lainey Wilson took home the top prize of Entertainer Of The Year for the second year in a row.
And that was after she cleaned house, taking home trophies for both female artist and album of the year. “I really do have the best fans in the world,” she said in her final acceptance speech, admitting to experiencing impostor syndrome. “I dreamed about entertaining. … Country music has given me more than I deserve.”