Brazil’s Supreme Court has sentenced former President Jair Bolsonaro to over 27 years in prison for plotting a coup after his 2022 election loss. The historic trial has deepened political divisions in the country and triggered a sharp backlash from US President Donald Trump.
Cricket must “look at the schedule” of a “unrelenting” calendar, with some players “obviously exhausted” this summer, says England and Wales Cricket Board chairman Richard Thompson.
This year’s Hundred competition got under way the day after a thrilling England men’s Test series against India finished, with some players missing the opening round of games.
“Cricket arguably does play too much,” Thompson told BBC Sport.
England batters Ben Duckett and Jamie Smith have been rested from the ongoing T20 series against South Africa, less than six months before a World Cup in the format.
Both they and Harry Brook have played all 15 international fixtures to date for England this summer, along with the Hundred last month.
England drew the Test series against India 2-2, and Thompson accepts the closely fought contest took its toll.
The series began on 20 June and ended on 4 August, with all five Test matches lasting five days.
“I’m not surprised some of the players were obviously exhausted… I can’t ever remember a five-Test series going five days in every Test,” Thompson said.
“This was a one-off in the sense of ensuring the players actually had the ability to get to the end of it. But yes, there were some creaking bodies.
“We have to look at the schedule. We’re reducing the number of T20 Blast games we’re playing. We’re looking to potentially reduce the amount of Championship cricket.”
In July, research by players’ union the PCA found 83% of players expressed concerns about their physical wellbeing, with 67% concerned about their mental wellbeing because of the volume and intensity of domestic cricket. It demanded “urgent schedule reform”.
Teams will play two fewer games in the group stages of the Blast from next year, reducing the number of matches from 14 to 12, with counties yet to decide how to revamp the championship.
Some of the Hundred’s new investors have made clear they expect their England players to be available throughout next year’s competition. Next year the Hundred is set to start two days after a one-day international (ODI) series against India and three days before the first Test against Pakistan.
Thompson says scheduling more space either side of the event will have to wait until 2028 when the next TV rights cycle starts.
“This Hundred investment has come when we’re actually in the middle of a rights path that we can’t change. So we’re only three years away from being able to ensure there is a gap at the beginning and end of that period, so there isn’t a situation where the players are exhausted.”
Just two days after the end of this year’s Hundred, an unprepared England began their ODI contest against South Africa, and a 2-1 defeat means they have lost five of their past six series in the format since the 2023 World Cup.
“Whether it’s in 50-over format or T20 format, we have a World Cup every year, so we have an exam to sit that does put white-ball players actually under more pressure,” said Thompson.
Last month the government pledged £1.5m for two new indoor sport domes in Luton and Lancashire. Thompson says the ECB wants to build 40 of the facilities to improve opportunities in towns and cities for state-school children to play all year round, and make the sport more inclusive.
When asked if the £520m generated by the sale of stakes in the eight Hundred franchises to private investors would help, Thompson said: “The Hundred windfall is as much to wipe out the debt of the game… £50m will be going to grassroots.”
Cindy Butts, the chair of the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC), whose landmark 2023 report concluded that the English game was elitist, racist and sexist, has said the ECB made a “mistake” in not committing to making participation in the county talent pathway free of charge.
But Thompson said: “I think in terms of where we’re investing, this is a far better use of our money… the pathway is significantly subsidised wherever we can do that.
“But this is really the game-changing moment for the game. I believe that cricket is going into a golden era, and for it to be that, you need somewhere for kids to come and play. The [T20] Women’s World Cup next year is going to activate a lot of interest. That’s why it’s so important we can soak that interest up.”
When asked whether enough had been done to make the English game more inclusive since the 2023 ICEC report, Thompson said: “We’ve made a huge amount of progress in the last two years to get there, but we’ve still got a long way to go. Inclusivity is a very broad term, it’s not just race… anybody that wants to play cricket can and should be able to play cricket, and that’s the ambition.
Love Island’s Mitch Taylor has admitted he is struggling to adjust to life away from the cameras, revealing he is back in full-time work and far from happy about it.
Mitch, who first rose to fame on the 2023 summer series of Love Island before returning for the All Stars spin-off the following year, told fans he is back to his old trade as a gas engineer after two years of chasing fame.
The 27-year-old used Snapchat to open up about the reality of post-villa life, saying: “Yes guys listen giving you an update on my life and to be honest with you. I’ve just not posted on Snapchat at all since. I’m grafting so much.
“Guys, I didn’t have a nine to five for two years because old rock star famous cool guy. Now, I’m poor, so I’ve got to work. And I can’t go on a dating shows because I’m in love with a girl. But it’s not that guys, it’s just like I’ve been working loads.”
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His remarks sparked interest because during his time on the show he was often labelled “messy Mitch” for jumping between girls in the villa.
Viewers first saw him pair up with Molly Marsh, only for him to later pursue Leah Taylor, Jess Harding, Ella Barnes and Abi Moores.
After returning to the UK, he briefly dated Ella, though the relationship ended quickly. He was later pictured alongside his former flame Abi, fuelling more headlines about his complicated love life.
In 2024, Mitch gave the villa another go in Love Island: All Stars, but the experiment was short-lived.
He was eliminated on day 16 after clashing with Liberty Poole, once again confirming his reputation as one of the franchise’s most unpredictable Islanders.
Now, his attention is firmly on life away from TV. Mitch has been dating South African TikTok creator Hayley Griffin for over a year, and the pair went public in July 2024.
Hayley has joked about keeping him out of reality TV for good, quipping in a viral video: “Me taking Mitch on as a boyfriend so no one has to watch him on Love Island again.”
While Mitch has returned to the stability of his career before fame, his comments hint that he misses the excitement and lifestyle that came with being in the public eye.
For fans, though, “messy Mitch” will remain one of the most memorable Islanders in recent years.
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Jessie J has opened up on her clash with a huge pop star for the first time as she admitted it came “out of nowhere”. The singer, 37, was branded ‘a d***head’ but remained silent at the time.
However, she has now decided to open up about the situation as she said: “Let me just talk about something that I’ve never talked about. I’ve never worked with this person but I just want to acknowledge it in this moment because I feel safe.”
Jessie, who is receiving treatment following her breast cancer diagnosis, admitted: “I probably shouldn’t but here we go.” She then explained what happened on KISS FM, but left out the name of the pop star.
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The Pricetag hitmaker said: “So on TV, she said I was a d***head, out of nowhere.” However, host Harriet Rose told her: “No she didn’t. I saw this clip and I don’t want to say it because it’s very wrong, but she said that you were overrated.”
Jessie stood by her word and she clarified: “No, no that was one time, but then there was another interview where someone said to her ‘who are three people that are being a d***head,’ and she named me, Geri Haliwell and James Cordon.
“And I was like I’ve literally met her once.” It seems Jessie was referring to Spice Girl Mel B, who appeared on Channel 4’s The Big Narstie Show in 2022.
Comedian Mo Gilligan asked who she thought the biggest d***head celebrity she’s ever met was. Mel B then listed a couple of surprise answers, including her former bandmate Geri.
She quipped: “So, there’s a few. James Corden, Geri Halliwell, Jessie J and me. I know, I love Geri to bits but she’s really f***ing annoying.”
Mel explained why she doesn’t like James as she explained: “I think you always have to be nice to the people that you work with whether it be production, camera guys, sound, lighting – we all work for the same thing. So you should always be nice and he hasn’t been very nice.”
The Spice Girl never explained why Jessie was on the list. However, it wasn’t the first time shade has been thrown between the two stars.
In July 2019, Mel B was chatting with Heart Breakfast hosts Jason King and Kelly Brook when she was asked about who she loved in the music biz, and who she thought wasn’t all that. Her answer was Jessie as she branded her “overrated”.
Two months later, Jessie decided to hit back as she shared a clip of her singing her hit Big White Room. She cheekily captioned the video: “‘Overrated’ *Mel B Voice*.”
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The Bauchi State Civil Service Commission has sacked Emos Joshua, a Principal Assistant Education Officer at Government College, Azare, for alleged sexual harassment.
The Commission said the officer’s action amounted to serious misconduct in violation of Rules 0327 (xxviii and xxix) of the Bauchi State Public Service Rules.
In a statement on Thursday, the spokesperson of the commission, Saleh Umar, said the decision was reached during its 32nd plenary session held on September 11, 2025.
“The disciplinary action was taken against the officer after general disciplinary procedures had been exhausted as contained in Rules 0317 of the Public Service Rules and Regulations,” the statement read.
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During the sitting, Umar said the commission also elevated two Deputy Directors in acting capacity to the rank of Directors of Physical Planning and Development Control on grade level 16.
“Similarly, a Chief Physical Planning Officer was moved to acting capacity as Deputy Director of Physical Planning on grade level 15,” he stated.
In the same vein, 80 Nursing Officers and Nursing Superintendents were promoted to their next grades, ranging from levels 10 to 14.
The spokesperson said the decisions were based on submissions from the Bauchi State Special School Management Board, the State Public Procurement and Physical Development Board, and the Health Management Board.
Commenting on the dismissal, the Chairman of the commission, Ibrahim Muhammad, confirmed that due process was strictly followed in line with established regulations.
He stressed that the decision was not punitive but necessary to uphold discipline and integrity within the service.
Katie Price has faced concern over the health of her kittens after one died and the others had to be taken to the emergency vets. The former glamour model, 47, has previously been hit with calls and petitions for her to be banned from owning pets.
Just a few weeks ago, her sphynx cat Doris gave birth to a litter of kittens. Sadly, one of them died shortly afterwards and became the eight animal to die in Katie’s care.
The other kittens have also suffered a decline in health and have been bottle fed by the mum-of-five and boyfriend JJ Salter after Doris contracted an infection. It meant she was unable to feed her kittens as she was placed on antibiotics.
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Katie has now kicked off her UK tour with Kerry Katona, with the four kittens travelling the country with her. This week, Katie became distressed when JJ found the little cats limp and unwell.
“All of them now have declined so bad even though we took them to the vets earlier,” she said on Snapchat. “JJ had to rush them to the emergency vets.
“We’re on our way back to the vets, it’s not looking good. Fingers crossed, they are like our babies. We’re doing everything we can. We’re just gutted at the minute. And we’ll be gutted if they can’t do anything for them.”
Katie later revealed they had been kept in overnight, and Doris’ condition had improved. She told her followers: “Good morning, didn’t have a very good sleep last night at all.
“The vets ringing us three times in the night. I’ll give you an update on the kittens again just not in the right frame of mind. But Doris is alright.”
The TV star confirmed Doris has now returned home but has not shared an update on her kittens. A spokesperson for Katie told the Mirror: “Kate has been taking advice from the vets and has been following everything the vets have told her to do in regards to the kittens.”
The RSPCA say kittens need to be kept with their mother until at least eight to nine weeks of age. Kittens can meet other healthy fully vaccinated cats and dogs, as well as other people and children from eight to 12 weeks.
This week, Katie was spotted cradling one of her kittens as she left her theatre show on Monday in Chester. She explained on Facebook: “They were born two weeks premature and we have been bottle feeding them as well as their mum feeding them.
“But they’ve all been really healthy. We’re all really attached to them, they look at me like they’re second mum because obviously I feed them.”
She explained: “So JJ calls and says he thinks two of the kittens are dead because they’re not moving. He showed them me and they were all limp with their tongues out, two of them. I said you need to get them to the vets straight away.
“He took them to the vet and the vet said it would be best to let them go basically, put them to sleep. I said, ‘No chance they must be able to do something.’ Thank God I didn’t go with what the vet said. £1400 later they are now home. I’m just keeping a close eye on them. Thank god because they are like my babies.”
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