England midfielder Angel Gomes has joined nine-time French champions Marseille after his contract expired at fellow Ligue 1 outfit Lille.
Roberto de Zerbi’s Marseille had already reached an agreement in principle to sign the 24-year-old, who announced in May he would leave Lille at the end of his deal.
Gomes earned his first four senior caps for England under interim manager Lee Carsley last year, but has yet to feature under current boss Thomas Tuchel.
The midfielder began his career at Manchester United but left in 2020 having made just 10 appearances in all competitions, after making his debut as a 16-year-old in 2017.
He spent the past four seasons in Ligue 1, after initially being loaned to Boavista in Portugal, scoring 10 goals and providing 19 assists in 134 appearances for Lille.
FCT Minister Nyesom Wike says those questioning his source of wealth know little about his background and has defended his usage of a Rolls-Royce.
A former governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, had questioned Wike’s source of wealth during Thursday’s edition of Channels Television’s Politics Today, especially when he was spotted with the luxury car.
However, a day after, Wike said he was born into a comfortable family before taking up political leadership.
“I have a Rolls-Royce. So what? Nobody gave it to me. Before harmattan, there was cold. I didn’t come from the same background as Rotimi Amaechi,” the FCT minister said on Friday’s edition of the show.
“As a student, I was using a Mercedes-Benz. My father was the general manager of many companies. I will not say [my family was] too rich like the Dangotes. ”
READ ALSO: Respect Is By Integrity, Honour Not Age, Wike Replies Amaechi
Watch Wike’s response to those questioning his source of wealth below:
If he wins the general election in November, Zohran Mamdani could become New York City’s first South Asian mayor and the first of Indian origin.
But the same identity that makes him a trailblazer in United States politics has also exposed him to public outcry in India and within its diaspora.
Ever since Mamdani achieved a thumping win in the Democratic mayoral primary on June 24, his campaign has weathered a flood of vitriol – some of it coming from the Hindu right.
Experts say the attacks are a reflection of the tensions that have arisen between supporters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and critics of the human rights abuses under his leadership, particularly against religious minorities.
A number of those attacks have fixated on Mamdani’s religion: The 33-year-old is Muslim. Some commenters have accused the mayoral hopeful of being a “jihadi” and “Islamist”. Others have called him anti-Hindu and anti-India.
Kayla Bassett, the director of research at the Center for the Study of Organized Hate (CSOH), a Washington-based think tank, believes the attacks against Mamdani are a vehicle to attack the Muslim community more broadly.
“This isn’t just about one individual,” she said. “It’s about promoting a narrative that casts Muslims as inherently suspect or un-American. ”
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has faced criticism for the treatment of religious minorities in India [Jermaine Cruickshank/AP Photo]
Backlash from Modi’s party
That narrative could potentially have consequences for Mamdani’s campaign, as he works to increase his support among New York voters.
Mamdani will face competition in November from more established names in politics. He is expected to face incumbent mayor Eric Adams in the final vote. His rival in the Democratic primary, former Governor Andrew Cuomo, has also not yet ruled out an independent run.
The mayoral hopeful has vocally denounced human rights abuses, including in places like Gaza and India.
That unabashed stance has not only earned him criticism from his rival candidates but also from overseas.
Members of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), for example, have been among the voices slamming Mamdani’s remarks and questioning his fitness for the mayor’s seat.
BJP Member of Parliament Kangana Ranaut posted on social media, for example, that Mamdani “sounds more Pakistani than Indian”.
“Whatever happened to his Hindu identity or bloodline,” she asked, pointing to the Hindu roots of his mother, director Mira Nair. “Now he is ready to wipe out Hinduism. ”
Soon after Mamdani’s primary win, a prominent pro-BJP news channel in India, Aaj Tak, also aired a segment claiming that he had received funding from organisations that promote an “anti-India” agenda.
It also warned of a growing Muslim population in New York City, an assertion it coupled with footage of women wearing hijabs.
But some of the backlash has come from sources closer to home.
A New Jersey-based group named Indian Americans for Cuomo spent $3,570 for a plane to fly a banner over New York City with the message: “Save NYC from Global Intifada. Reject Mamdani. ”
Mayoral candidates Andrew Cuomo, Michael Blake, Zohran Mamdani and Whitney Tilson participate in a Democratic mayoral primary debate on June 4 in New York [Yuki Iwamura/AP Photo]
A critic of human rights abuses
Much of the pushback can be linked to Mamdani’s vocal criticism of Hindu nationalism and Modi in particular.
In 2020, Mamdani participated in a Times Square demonstration against a temple built on the site of the Babri mosque in Ayodhya that was destroyed by Hindu extremists in 1992. He called out the BJP’s participation in and normalisation of that violence.
“I am here today to protest against the BJP government in India and the demolition of the Babri masjid,” he said.
Then, in 2023, Mamdani read aloud notes from an imprisoned Indian activist ahead of Modi’s visit to New York City.
That activist, Umar Khalid, has been imprisoned since 2020 without trial on terrorism charges after making speeches criticising Modi’s government.
More recently, during a town hall for mayoral candidates in May, Mamdani was asked if he would meet with Modi if the prime minister were to visit the city again. Mamdani said he wouldn’t.
“This is a war criminal,” he replied.
Mamdani pointed to Modi’s leadership in the Indian state of Gujarat during a period of religious riots in 2002. Modi has been criticised for turning a blind eye to the violence, which killed more than a thousand people, many of them Muslim.
In the aftermath, Modi was denied a US visa for “severe violations of religious freedom”.
“Narendra Modi helped to orchestrate what was a mass slaughter of Muslims in Gujarat, to the extent that we don’t even believe that there are Gujarati Muslims any more,” Mamdani told the town hall. “When I tell someone that I am, it’s a shock to them that that’s even the case. ”
Protesters in 2014 gather to mark the anniversary of the violence in the Indian state of Gujarat [File: Ajit Solanki/AP Photo]
Barriers of class and religion
It’s that “fearless” and consistent criticism of Modi that has made Mamdani the target of outrage from the Hindu right, according to Rohit Chopra, a communications professor at Santa Clara University.
“Among the Hindu right, there is a project of the political management of the memory of 2002. There’s this silence around Modi being denied a visa to enter the US,” said Chopra.
The professor also said class fragmentation among Hindu Americans may also fuel scepticism towards Mamdani.
Hindu Americans are a relatively privileged minority in terms of socioeconomic status: The Pew Research Center estimates that 44 percent Asian American Hindus enjoy a family income of more than $150,000, and six in 10 have obtained postgraduate degrees.
That relative prosperity, Chopra said, can translate into social barriers.
“They don’t necessarily even identify with other Hindu Americans who may come from very different kinds of class backgrounds – people who might be working as cab drivers, or dishwashers, or other blue-collar jobs,” he explained.
Meanwhile, Suchitra Vijayan, a New York City-based writer and the founder of the digital magazine Polis Project, has noticed that many lines of attack against Mamdani centre on his identity.
“Mamdani is an elected leader who is unabashedly Muslim,” she said.
She pointed out that other Muslim politicians, including US Congress members Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, have sparked similar backlash for reproaching Modi over the Gujarat violence.
But Mamdani’s family ties to the region make the scrutiny all the more intense.
“In Mamdani’s case, he’s Muslim, he’s African, but also his father is of Gujarati descent and has openly spoken about the pogrom in Gujarat,” Vijayan said.
New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani waves to supporters at an event on July 2 [David ‘Dee’ Delgado/Reuters]
A ‘seismic’ victory
Despite the online backlash, experts and local organisers believe Mamdani’s campaign can mobilise Indian American voters and other members of the South Asian diaspora who traditionally lean Democratic.
The Pew Research Center estimates that there are 710,000 Indians and Indian Americans living in the New York City area, the most of any metropolitan centre in the US.
Preliminary results from June’s mayoral primary show that Mamdani scored big in neighbourhoods with strong Asian populations, like Little Bangladesh, Jackson Heights and Parkchester.
A final tally of the ranked-choice ballots was released earlier this week, on July 1, showing Mamdani trounced his closest rival, Cuomo, 56 percent to 44.
“I’ve heard his win described as ‘seismic’,” said Arvind Rajagopal, a professor of media studies at New York University. “He can speak not only Spanish but Hindi, Urdu, and passable Bangla. A candidate with this level of depth and breadth is rare in recent times. ”
Rajagopal added that Mamdani’s decision to own his Muslim identity became an asset for him on the campaign trail, particularly in the current political climate.
With President Donald Trump in office for a second term, many voters are bracing for the anti-Muslim rhetoric and policies that accompanied his first four years in the White House.
Back then, Trump called for a “total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States”, saying they represented an “influx of hatred” and “danger”.
“The moment of Trump is something that Mamdani answers perfectly,” Rajagopal said. He called Mamdani’s success “a big reality check for the Hindu right”.
Whatever backlash Mamdani is facing from Hindu groups, Jagpreet Singh is sceptical about its influence over New York City.
“I can assure you – it’s not coming from within the city,” said Singh, the political director of DRUM Beats, a sister organisation to the social justice organisation Desis Rising Up and Moving.
That group was among the first in the city to endorse Mamdani’s candidacy for mayor.
Since early in his campaign, Singh pointed out that Mamdani has reached out to Hindu working-class communities “in an authentic way”.
This included visiting the Durga Temple and Nepalese Cultural Center in Ridgewood and speaking at events in the Guyanese and Trinidadian Hindu communities, Singh pointed out. During his time as a state assembly member, Mamdani also pushed for legislation that would recognise Diwali – the Hindu festival of lights – as a state holiday.
At a Diwali celebration last year, Singh said Mamdani “took part in lighting of the diyas, spoke on stage, and talked about his mother’s background as being somebody who is of Hindu faith”.
Noel and Liam Gallagher have taken to the stage tonight in their iconic comeback tour after not performing together since 2009 and showed they’ve ended their feud
The brothers held hands on stage(Image: Samir Hussein/WireImage)
Noel and Liam Gallagher have been seen holding hands in a historic snap during their Oasis come-back tour. The brothers took to the stage in Cardiff for the first show of their reunion tour.
The pair have clearly put their differences aside after the band first split in 2009 as they have now been seen closer than ever on stage. The brothers held hands as held them up for the thousands of fans in the Welsh stadium. Tonight was the first night of their come-back tour that fans have been waiting almost two decades for.
Noel and Liam have been open about not seeing eye to eye over the years but they have now put this to one side much to the delight of their super fans.
The pair announced last year that they would be going on tour 16 years after splitting. At the time of the announcement, they shared a video to promote the comeback when Liam was heard saying: “When we both come together, you have greatness. “
READ MORE: Oasis have released new tickets for UK tour – how to buy yours if you missed out
The brothers performed together for the first time since 2009(Image: Samir Hussein/WireImage)
Noel then says: “I know my brother better than anybody else. This is it, this is happening. ” The brothers have performed some of their biggest hits during the first show of the reunion.
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Thousands of fans came to see the band(Image: PA)
Their set list has consisted of hits such as Roll With It, Fade Away, Morning Glory and Stand By Me. They began the show with their song Hello.
However, the gig was thrown into chaos as one fan had to be rushed out on a stretcher after falling ill. There was a medical incident in the crowd, and one person had to be taken off on a stretcher.
An onlooker revealed that one gig-goer was seen being carried off by the medical crew, with people waving to get out of the way.
Click here for the Mirror’s live updates on the Oasis tour.
The woman who needed medical help was being guided across the front of the stage in the pit area, right by the barrier. The incident happened during the band’s song D’You Know What I Mean before they went on to sing Stand By Me.
Cardiff marked the first of 17 shows across the UK, with fans set to flock to London, Manchester and Edinburgh too. Oasis will also play in Dublin before the band takes the show on the road to North America, Mexico, South Korea, Japan, Australia, Chile and Argentina.
Noel had given an interview where he discussed the huge universal appeal of Oasis. “A new generation recognises how Oasis wasn’t manufactured. It was chaotic, and flawed, and not technically brilliant. We were rough and ready guys from a rehearsal room, and people recognised it,” he said.
He added: “I didn’t invent anything. I had good taste in music, a cool record collection, I could write a melody simple enough to make it work, and it was 50% inspiration and 50% copying. “
Substitute Hercules scored his second goal in as many second-half appearances to send Fluminense into the FIFA Club World Cup semifinals with a 2-1 quarterfinal win over Al Hilal in Orlando, Florida.
The tournament underdogs struck first on Friday through Matheus Martinelli in the first half before Al Hilal hit back after the break when Marcus Leonardo found the net.
But Fluminense refused to be denied and regained their lead in the 70th minute through Hercules to secure a memorable win over Al Hilal in the first meeting between the two clubs.
The Brazilian side, who entered the tournament as one of the biggest long shots, will now face the winners of Friday’s other quarterfinal clash between fellow Brazilians Palmeiras and English Premier League side Chelsea.
Al Hilal exit despite a fourth tournament goal for striker Leonardo.
The Saudi side was the last from Asia remaining, having pulled off the tournament’s biggest upset with a 4-3, extra-time victory over Manchester City in the second round on Monday.
Martinelli put Fluminense in front in the 40th minute with a brilliant strike. His first touch took Gabriel Fuentes’s pass beyond a charging Al Hilal defender, and his second unleashed a ferocious left-footed shot that beat goalkeeper Yassine Bounou to the top right corner from about 15 yards (14 metres).
A minute into first-half stoppage time, Fluminense keeper Fabio sprawled to his left to push Kalidou Koulibaly’s powerful header beyond the post.
After nearly levelling before halftime, Koulibaly won another dangerous header six minutes into the second from a corner.
This time it landed at the feet of Leonardo, who balanced himself and scooped a finish from close range past Fabio and two defenders on the line.
It remained level four minutes later when Bounou sprawled to his right to take the ball off the feet of German Cano, who was trying to dribble round him after intercepting a pass deep in the attacking half.
Hercules put Fluminense in front for good in the 70th when he was rewarded for his own persistence.
After his first long-range shot was deflected high into the air, he continued his run forward as teammate Samuel Xavier won the next header.
It landed at the feet of Hercules, whose wonderful first touch put him in shooting position before his second sent a right-footed shot into the bottom left corner, prompting jubilation from yet another largely pro-Brazilian crowd at this tournament.
Al Hilal pressured Fluminense in the dying stages, but could not create a clear chance on Fabio’s goal.
Fluminense head coach Renato Portaluppi praised his players after the match.
“We knew it was going to be a difficult game, but I am so pleased with the way my players reacted,” Portaluppi told DAZN. “I am so happy that we have gone through to the semifinals. ”
Asked about what he said to Hercules when he came off the bench for the second half, he replied: “I told him just to keep doing what he has to do. He would have the opportunity to score, and when it came, he took it. ”
Meanwhile, it was a tough day for Al Hilal’s Portuguese players competing just a day after the Liverpool FC and Portugal national team star Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva died in a car accident in Spain.
Palestinian group Hamas says it has given a “positive” response to a United States-brokered proposal for a Gaza ceasefire, raising hopes of a possible breakthrough in halting Israel’s deadly offensive.
US President Donald Trump earlier announced a “final proposal” for a 60-day truce in the nearly 21-month-old war, stating he anticipated a reply from the parties in the coming hours.
Hamas said late on Friday that the group had submitted its reply to Qatar and Egypt, who are mediating the talks.
“The movement [Hamas] has delivered its response to the brotherly mediators, which was characterised by a positive spirit. Hamas is fully prepared, with all seriousness, to immediately enter a new round of negotiations on the mechanism for implementing this framework,” a statement by the group said.
Trump said earlier this week that Israel had accepted the main conditions of a proposed 60-day truce, during which time negotiations would aim to permanently end the war. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has yet to publicly endorse the plan.
Netanyahu, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) over alleged war crimes in Gaza, is expected to meet Trump in Washington on Monday.
According to Israeli media reports early on Saturday, Israeli government officials had received Hamas’s official response to the latest ceasefire proposal framework and were reviewing its contents.
Details from the proposed deal
According to a translated copy of the framework shared with Al Jazeera, the deal would include a 60-day truce, guaranteed by Trump, with a phased release of Israeli captives and increased humanitarian aid.
The proposed exchange includes the release of 10 living and 18 deceased Israeli captives from the “List of 58”. Releases would occur on days one, seven, 30, 50, and 60 – beginning with eight live captives on the first day.
Palestinians displaced by the Israeli air and ground offensive on the Gaza Strip stand in an area at a makeshift tent camp at dusk in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Wednesday, July 2, 2025[Abdel Kareem Hana/AP Photo]
Under the plan, aid would flow into Gaza immediately following Hamas’s approval, in quantities comparable to the January 2025 agreement. Distribution would be handled by agencies including the United Nations and the Palestine Red Crescent Society.
As part of the proposed Gaza ceasefire framework, all Israeli military operations would stop once the agreement takes effect, Al Jazeera has learned.
The deal includes a pause in military and surveillance flights over Gaza for 10 hours each day – or 12 hours on days when captives and prisoners are exchanged.
Negotiations for a permanent ceasefire would begin on day one under the supervision of mediators. Talks would cover a full exchange of captives for Palestinian prisoners, Israeli troop withdrawal, future security arrangements, and “day-after” plans for Gaza.
‘Much-awaited response’
Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Gaza City, said the Hamas response was “much-awaited, much-anticipated”, with anxious besieged Palestinians asking when it would come.
“We don’t know whether this response … is going to bring an end to the ongoing killings … or the presence of the [Israeli] drones,” he said.
Heavy shelling and gunfire continue near food distribution points, and uncertainty remains over whether serious negotiations will lead to relief.
“None of this is clear right now,” Mahmoud added, “but at least it’s a first step. ”
Trump, speaking early on Friday, said he expected clarity from Hamas “over the next 24 hours”.
He added, “We hope it’s going to happen. And we’re looking forward to it happening sometime next week. We want to get the hostages out. ”
Israel pushing for side deal with Trump
Despite Hamas’s endorsement, the group has reportedly sought guarantees that the proposed truce would lead to a permanent end to Israel’s war and prevent Tel Aviv from resuming attacks at will.
According to two Israeli officials quoted by the Reuters news agency, details of the proposal are still under negotiation. Meanwhile, Israel is said to be pressing Trump for written assurances that it can resume operations if its key demands – Hamas disarmament and the exile of its leadership – are not met.
Israeli broadcaster Channel 14, citing a senior political source, reported earlier this week that the deal includes a side letter from Trump granting Israel the authority to “renew the fire” should Hamas fail to comply. The document would allow Israel to determine whether the terms had been fulfilled.
Netanyahu has repeatedly insisted that any Palestinian resistance groups in Gaza must be dismantled as a precondition for peace – an issue that remains a major sticking point.
A previous two-month truce ended when Israeli strikes killed more than 400 Palestinians on March 18 and led to what UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called “the cruellest phase of a cruel war”. More than 6,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel broke the truce.
