Norwegian riot police used pepper spray to disperse a pro-Palestinian protest outside a World Cup qualifier match between Norway and Israel, which the hosts won 5-0. Several activists were arrested.
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A renegade military unit in Madagascar has announced that it will take control of the armed forces, intensifying a crisis after the elite soldiers who once helped bring the current president to power switched sides to join antigovernment protesters.
“From now on, all orders of the Malagasy army – whether land, air or [naval] – will originate from CAPSAT headquarters,” officers from the administrative and technical contingent said in a video message on Sunday.
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The declaration came hours after the presidency accused unnamed forces of attempting to overthrow President Andry Rajoelina. In a statement, the presidency said “an attempted illegal and forcible seizure of power” was under way in the African nation, without providing details.
The crisis marks the gravest threat to Rajoelina’s rule since his disputed 2023 reelection, with the very soldiers who installed him through a 2009 coup now turning against him.
On Saturday, military personnel from the CAPSAT, an influential army unit urged their comrades to stop following orders and instead back the youth-led uprising.
“We have become bootlickers,” some members of the unit said in a video posted on social media. “We have chosen to submit and execute orders, even illegal ones, instead of protecting the population and their property.”
“Do not obey orders from your superiors. Point your weapons at those who order you to fire on your comrades in arms because they will not take care of our families if we die,” they said.
Prime Minister Ruphin Fortunat Zafisambo, a military general appointed after Rajoelina dismissed his predecessor under pressure from demonstrators, said the government was “fully ready to listen and engage in dialogue with all factions – youth, unions or the military”.
Madagascar’s army has a long history of intervening in politics during crises. Since independence in 1960, it has backed or led several power shifts, including coups in the 1970s and in 2009, when it helped oust President Marc Ravalomanana and bring reformist mayor, Rajoelina, to power.
Though the military has stayed mostly in the background in recent years, it remains an influential force in the country’s often fragile political landscape.
The current protests began in late September as rallies against chronic water and electricity shortages but have escalated into the gravest threat to Rajoelina’s authority since he won a disputed second term in 2023.
Only around one-third of the population has electricity access, the IMF reports, with blackouts routinely stretching beyond eight hours daily.
“People don’t have refrigeration for medication, don’t have water for basic hygiene, and then there’s massive corruption,” Ketakandriana Rafitoson, the global vice chair of Transparency International, told the Reuters news agency.
The United Nations says at least 22 people have been killed and more than 100 injured since the protests erupted on September 25, though the government disputes these figures.
Security forces have frequently clashed with demonstators firing tear gas and rubber bullets.
The announcement by members of the CAPSAT unit marked a dramatic turn in the country’s weeklong political crisis.
After the soldiers broke ranks and they escorted thousands of protesters into May 13 Square, a symbolic site for political uprisings that had been sealed off and heavily guarded throughout the last few weeks, in the capital, Antananarivo.
Videos shared online showed CAPSAT troops addressing crowds outside the capital’s town hall, with demonstrators and military personnel standing together atop a destroyed police vehicle.
Demonstrators, most of them young people and university students, are demanding that Rajoelina resign, apologise to the nation, and dissolve the Senate and electoral commission.
The protesters, organised under the banner Gen Z Madagascar, have rejected repeated government offers for talks, saying in a statement: “We do not reach out to a regime that every day crushes those who stand up for justice.”
The movement, which has drawn inspiration from youth-led protests that toppled governments in Nepal and Sri Lanka, has adopted a pirate skull and crossbones symbol from borrowed a skull-and-crossbones image from the anime One Piece.
The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, issued a statement expressing “deep concern” over developments in Madagascar and called on all parties to “exercise calm and restraint.”
World Cup qualifying, Group C: Scotland v Belarus
Venue: Hampden Park, Glasgow Date: Sunday, 12 October Kick-off: 17:00 BST
Scotland head coach Steve Clarke says World Cup qualification would “put right” the disappointment of failing to beat Ukraine in the play-offs for the 2022 finals.
The Scots sit level on points with qualifying Group C leaders Denmark and are favourites to enhance their chances as bottom side Belarus visit Hampden Park on Sunday.
Clarke led the country back to a major men’s tournament for the first time since 1998 by qualifying for Euro 2020 and repeated the feat for last summer’s Euros.
But he is determined to banish the memory of the 3-1 Hampden defeat by Urkraine that ended hopes of a place in Qatar.
A Scotland win – in a match being broadcast live across the BBC – over Belarus , combined with defeat for Greece in Denmark later on Sunday evening, would guarantee another play-off place and enhance the Scots’ chances of getting to a first men’s World Cup in 28 years.
Scotland finished second behind the Danes in the last campaign, losing only to the group winners, and could be heading for a showdown with the same opponents for automatic qualification in the final group game next month.
Clarke will manage his country for the 72nd time on Sunday, eclipsing the previous record mark set by Craig Brown, but that defeat by Ukraine remains a painful memory.
“It was on the back of what I felt was a really good campaign,” Clarke recalled of a game in which victory would have set up a play-off final with Wales.
“Everybody forgets that game should have been played in March [it was rescheduled because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine], when we would have had more people fit.
“You get to the game in June and the build-up was very, very strange and we’d lost two or three key players – and it didn’t go for us on the night.
“Disappointment, yes. Something we’d like to put right, yes.
Ian Watkins’ ex-girlfriend has revealed she started to cry when she heard he was dead. On Saturday, it was announced that the former Lostprophets frontman had been stabbed to death in jail.
He was serving a 29-year prison sentence for child sex offences. Watkins, aged 48, was attacked with a knife on Saturday morning. Emergency services were sent to HMP Wakefield, but he was pronounced dead on the scene. A Prison Service spokesperson said in a statement: “We are aware of an incident at HMP Wakefield which took place this morning. We are unable to comment further while the police investigate.”
Wakins was jailed in December 2013 with a further six years on license after he admitted a string of sex offences, including the attempted rape of a fan’s baby. Following the news, Jo Mjadzelics, 48, who first told the cops about Watkins’ dark fantasies, said she cried when she heard the news.
She told the Mirror: “I was shocked having the news out of the blue as I would with anyone who’s died.” Jo added: “There were tears, but only because of the shock – not tears for him.” She went on to explain that she was “surprised” it had taken 13 years for Watkins to be killed.
“I was worried sick he’d get out and track me down or something,” she added. A spokesperson for West Yorkshire Police said yesterday: “At 9.39am this morning (Saturday), police were called by staff at HMP Wakefield reporting an assault on a prisoner.
“Emergency services attended and the man was pronounced dead at the scene a short time later. Detectives from the Homicide and Major Enquiry Team are investigating and inquiries remain ongoing at the scene.” Two years prior to his death, he suffered severe but non-life-threatening injuries after being taken hostage.
In 2013, the Welsh native, 48, pleaded guilty at Cardiff Crown Court to 13 child sex offences. He also admitted to the rape and sexual assault of a child who was under the age of 13. Watkins also admitted conspiring to rape a child, three counts of sexual assault involving children, seven involving taking, making or possessing indecent images of children and one of possessing an extreme pornographic image involving a sex act on an animal.
Sentencing Mr Justice Royce said the case broke ‘new ground’ and ‘plunged into new depths of depravity’. He said Watkins had a ‘corrupting influence’ and had shown a ‘complete lack of remorse’. He added Watkins posed a significant risk to the public in particular to women with young children.
The musician was later handed an extra 10 months after he was discovered to have a mobile phone in his possession while behind bars. Initially, he denied having a three-inch GSTAR phone in his cell. As the verdict was read out, Watkins claimed that “known murderers” in his prison told him to keep an eye on the phone after chucking it on his bed.
During the hearing, Judge Rodney Jameson QC said: “I am very conscious of the fact you are serving a very long time and you will be well into middle age by the time you are released.
“The fact of the matter is, if there is not an appreciable penalty for having had a mobile phone in these circumstances, then of course you would draw from that the lesson you could have another one, and that is not a position I would want to encourage.”
Speaking about possible repercussions, he said: “Chances are someone would sneak up behind me and cut my throat. It’s not like one-on-one. Stuff like that, you don’t see it coming.” He was said to be sharing his wing with murderers, killers, rapists and paedophiles, who he described as “the worst of the worst”. Asked to describe his music career during an earlier appearance, Watkins told the court his band had sold between five and ten million records across the world between 1999 and 2012.
Watkins said the Lostprophets had toured all over the world, headlining at Wembley Arena and the MEN Arena in Manchester. Watkins was allegedly paying for protection in prison after being stabbed with a “sharpened toilet brush”. The convicted sex offender reportedly had “access to money” and “spent his time” buying both protection and friendships after the attack in 2023, which was reportedly over a £900 drugs debt.
If you’ve been the victim of sexual assault, you can access help and resources via www.rapecrisis.org.uk or calling the national telephone helpline on 0808 802 9999
Dragan Stojkovic resigned as Serbia boss immediately after his side’s 1-0 World Cup qualifying defeat by Albania on Saturday.
Rey Manaj scored the only goal to make it back-to-back defeats for Serbia following last month’s 5-0 thrashing by England.
It leaves them third in Group K, with England top on 15 points and Albania second on 11, having played a game more.
“I spoke with the president and general secretary and I offered my resignation,” Stojkovic told a post-match news conference.
“I personally did not expect this defeat. I am someone who accepts full responsibility and is solely accountable.”
Serbia’s next match is away at Andorra on Tuesday.
Stojkovic was appointed Serbia boss in 2021 and led them to the 2022 World Cup, where they finished bottom of their group with just one point from three games.
Saturday’s game was relocated from Serbia’s capital to the southern city of Leskovac because of security fears, with the two countries having a long history of political tensions.
With the release of Life Of A Showgirl, Taylor Swift’s 12th original album, the pop sensation has been posting snapshots from music videos and photoshoots depicting the ‘Showgirl’ aesthetic. And last week, Taylor may have sparked a resurgence in an old jewellery trend as one of these pictures, posted to her Instagram, showed off the singer’s envious legs, adorned in fishnet tights and crowned with a sparkling anklet.
While the exact ankle stack Taylor wore is likely designer, we’ve found the perfect, affordable alternative to copy Taylor’s latest jewellery style with this dazzling pick from Abbott Lyon.
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This Tennis Chain Anklet is perfect for adding that dash of glitz and glamour to your accessories, whether you’re opting for a dress and tights like T-Swift, or fancy elevating your day-to-day style with a subtle elegance.
Described as 100% waterproof, heat and sweat-resistant, anti-tarnish and crafted to last, this piece of jewellery is set to shine all day, every day, without leaving your ankle turning green. Retailing for the reduced price of £47.20, down from £59, this piece of jewellery is adjustable to fit all from 8-10 inches.
Crafted from silver-plated stainless steel, this anklet is designed to complement any outfit. The silver Tennis Chain Anklet is adorned with clear cubic zirconia gems, adding a subtle shine to any dress code, from workout gear to party looks. Make it even more unique by adding a pendant.
If you’re not a fan of silver, Abbott Lyon has a range of alternative anklet styles in both silver and gold for you to peruse. For more of a stack-like look, this customizable Initial & Birthstone Anklet Set in gold (£42 down from £70) could be just the ticket. Either select your initial or birthstone, or for die-hard fans, why not opt for T instead?
If you’d prefer to shop elsewhere, Prya has this Raisa Anklet duo in your choice of metal finish, which retails for the more affordable £28. Alternatively, head over to Amazon to find the PROSTEEL Anklets Set in a range of styles and colours, starting at £19.99.