It is hard to imagine Zinedine Zidane looking back on his playing days and feeling like he missed out on anything, but the French legend has admitted there is one club he really wished he had played for.
From his breakthrough as a world star at Juventus, to dominating the game with Real Madrid, and international glory with France, too, there is very little Zidane could say he has not achieved as a footballer.
But, like any top professional, there will always be that itch for more. It could be more trophies, more goals, or simply, being able to say you represented your boyhood club.
It is the latter that fills Zidane with regret, as he told Marseille’s official website that he wished he could have played for the club at some point, having been born and raised in the French city.
“Olympique Marseille is in a good position. I never played here, but it was a desire that was never fulfilled,” Zidane said. “To be here at La Commanderie, to see the facilities…it looks like a big club. There are some really interesting things.”
Zidane bypassed his local side in his early days, developing through the AS Cannes academy before joining Bordeaux, where he remained for four years before that all-important move to Juventus.
Of course, Zidane established himself as one of the greatest footballers of all time during his stay at Real Madrid between 2001 and 2006, and it is there that he called time on his career.
Many players in the modern game often head back to their boyhood clubs for a final swansong, but Zidane was so good, he never needed to take a step down from the very top level.
Ten years later, Zidane returned to Real Madrid to begin his managerial career, and he has now had two stints in the top job at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Perhaps one day, Zidane will take on the manager’s role at Marseille to help him fulfill that dream of representing his local club. He is currently out of work as things stand, but has been linked with various top jobs in the past.
However, despite strong rumours suggesting he could take over at Manchester United one day, his agent has insisted the English game is not something that would suit Zidane.
Curled from Sports Bible
Catholic Church officials in Greece have been accused of sending more than €3m (£2.5m) of embezzled money to be laundered through cafes and nightclubs.
An investigation by Greece’s Anti-Money Laundering Authority, which has uncovered that the Catholic Church’s money was used to fund Greek nightlife, has already frozen the bank accounts and assets of five nightclub owners in the southern region of Peloponnese.
According to Euronews, the case goes back eight years ago, when the first unusual transaction to one of the five private individuals, disguised as an ordinary investment, took place.
The most recent suspected illegal transfer of €50,000 occurred just a few days ago.
The case, which began as a random audit, has been sent to the chief prosecutor’s office for further criminal investigation. The prosecutor’s office is next expected to question the seven over alleged embezzlement and money laundering and open felony proceedings.
In response to the allegations, the Catholic Church in Greece said in a statement on Thursday that it was unaware of the two priests’ actions.
“Following today’s press reports on embezzlement and money laundering, we declare that we have no official information on the issue. Therefore, we are awaiting an update from the relevant authorities so that we can take an official position on the matter,” it said.
Curled From Linda Ikeji
One year ago, Saudi Arabia and Israel were on the precipice of a normalization deal that would have realigned the Middle East and further isolated Iran.
This week, Saudi Arabia and Iran held their first-ever joint naval drills in the Gulf of Oman, their ministries revealed, in what would seem to be a sign of rapprochement between the longtime regional foes.
“The Royal Saudi Naval Forces had recently concluded a joint naval exercise with the Iranian Naval Forces alongside other countries in the Sea of Oman,” Saudi armed forces spokesperson Turki al-Malki confirmed to the French news outlet AFP.
He added “no other exercises are being addressed during this period of time.”
Shiite Muslim-dominated Iran and Sunni-dominated Saudi Arabia severed ties in 2016 and have long backed opposing sides in regional conflicts. They resumed relations last year in a China-brokered deal, even as the U.S. hoped to bring them into an Abraham Accords-style deal that would normalize their relationship with Tehran’s enemy number-one, Israel.
This week, Saudi Arabia, led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, above, and Iran held their first-ever joint naval drills in the Gulf of Oman. (Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/Handout via Reuters.)
Iran claimed that it was Saudi Arabia that organized the drills.
“Saudi Arabia has asked that we organize joint exercises in the Red Sea,” the commander of Iran’s navy, Admiral Shahram Irani, was quoted as saying by ISNA.
The U.S. has military facilities and troops stationed in Saudi Arabia. The U.S. conducted a large-scale logistics exercise with the Royal Saudi Armed Forces and United Arab Emirates Armed Forces in May.
“Hard not to exaggerate the significance of this. It’s as if the U.S. and Russia were to hold a joint military exercise,” Iranian-born commentator Hooman Majd wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Other experts said the exercises proved only that the kingdom is fearful of Tehran.
“The Saudis are concerned about being caught between [Iran and Israel],” Meir Javedanfar, an Iran lecturer at Reichman University in Tel Aviv, told Fox News Digital, adding that they took part in the naval drills to “not be seen as taking Israel’s side.”
“Behind closed doors, the Saudis remain deeply suspicious of Iran’s policies, especially in Yemen.”
“I would see this more as a ‘hedge your bets’ situation,” said Victoria Coates, deputy national security advisor during the Trump administration.
“They are concerned about whether or not the U.S. would be robust in its defense of the kingdom in the event that the Iranians, in retaliation for whatever Israel will or will not do targets them.”
“Built into the original Iranian charter is the assertion that the House of Saud is the illegitimate keeper of the two mosques, and that they should be in Shiite hands. So fundamentally, those two can’t play in the same sandbox,” she added, referring to the two holiest sites in Islam, Mecca and Medina, both under Saudi Arabia’s control.
This week’s drills came after Iran conducted naval drills with Russia and Oman in the Indian Ocean last week, with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Thailand participating as observers to the drills.
In Yemen, a Saudi-led coalition has been fighting the Iran-backed Houthis since 2015. The U.S. has stepped up its strikes on Houthi postures in Yemen in recent weeks, after Houthis have terrorized shipping lanes in the Red Sea over the past year.
The original outline of a Saudi normalization deal with Israel paid little heed to the Palestinian cause. Now, as Saudi Arabia has demanded a ceasefire in Israel’s war with Hamas, the kingdom insists that it will not normalize relations with Israel without a Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital.
President Joe Biden’s team had been working on a Saudi-Israeli normalization deal when Hamas launched its attack on Oct. 7. Many believe the attack was intended primarily to thwart efforts to secure such a deal. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues to insist that he can nail down negotiations with Riyadh – but not until after the presidential election.
His U.S. allies who helped broker the Abraham Accords deals with the UAE, Bahrain and Morocco have long held out hope too, despite Israel’s bloody offensives to eradicate Hamas in Gaza and push back Hezbollah in Lebanon.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, met with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia this week.
On Oct. 1, Iran rained down some 200 ballistic missiles on Tel Aviv. (Credit Yoav Dudkevitch/TPS-IL)
“I’m cautiously optimistic we can pull this off,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.
Saudi Arabia, Graham argued, might be the only hope for a post-war Gaza.
“Israel can’t occupy Gaza,” he said. “The only viable solution here for permanent security, for Israel and stability and peace is have Saudi Arabia and the UAE rebuild Gaza and reform the [Palestinian Authority] in a way that will give better governance to the Palestinian people, eliminate the corruption, de-radicalize the school system and give security buffers to Israel.”
The military drills came after Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, traveled to Riyadh earlier this month – where he reportedly threatened their oil facilities if Israel were to attack Iran’s oil.
Ali Shihabi, a Saudi analyst close to the Saudi royal court, said: “The Iranians have stated: ‘If the Gulf states open up their airspace to Israel, that would be an act of war.'”
The Saudis, in turn, urged the U.S. to implore Israel to avoid striking Iran’s oil facilities in response to the 200 missiles it rained down on Tel Aviv on Oct. 1, a U.S. source confirmed to Reuters.
Credit: Fox News
The Biden administration was made aware of Israel’s plans to strike Iran in retaliation for the Oct. 1 ballistic missile attack days in advance of the strike Friday night.
A source familiar with the proceeding confirmed to Fox News that multiple conversations were held between U.S. and Israeli officials, and the exact time of attack was communicated to Washington on Friday.
Speculation surfaced earlier in the day that the long-awaited attack – which Israel vowed to hit Tehran with immediately following the Oct. 1 attack – was imminent given the announcement by U.S. Central Command confirming the deployment of more F-16’s to the region.
FILE – President Joe Biden, right, talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, July 25, 2024. U.S. officials say the Biden administration believes it has won assurances from Israel that it will not strike Iranian nuclear or oil sites as it looks to strike back following Iran’s missile barrage earlier this month. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private diplomatic discussions, cautioned that the pledge is not iron-clad and that circumstances could change. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
White House National Security Council (NSC) communications director John Kirby would not confirm whether the reinforcement of U.S. defenses in the region signified that an Israeli-led attack was forthcoming, but said it showed an “ironclad” commitment to Jerusalem.
Following Israel’s strikes on Iran early Saturday morning local time under a mission dubbed “Days of Repentance,” NSC spokesman Sean Savett confirmed the operation had begun “against military targets in Iran as an exercise of self-defense and in response to Iran’s ballistic missile attack against Israel on Oct. 1.”
Roughly three hours after the Israeli attack started – in which some 140 Air Force planes were reportedly sent to the skies for the assault, according to Israeli local news outlet Channel 12 – the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced the operation was “completed.”
Following the attacks, the Pentagon released a statement noting that, “Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III spoke with Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant today to receive updates on the Israel Defense Forces’ strikes on military targets in Iran.”
The statement added, “Secretary Austin reaffirmed the ironclad commitment of the United States to Israel’s security and right to self-defense. The Secretary emphasized the enhanced force posture of the United States to defend U.S. personnel, Israel, and partners across the region in the face of threats from Iran and Iran-backed terrorist organizations and the U.S. determination to prevent any actor from exploiting tensions or expanding the conflict in the region.”
Many rockets, fired from Iran, are seen over Jerusalem from Hebron, West Bank on October 01, 2024. The Israeli army announced that missiles were fired from Iran towards Israel and sirens were heard across the country, especially in Tel Aviv. (Wisam Hashlamoun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
IDF Spokesperson, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari addressed Iran directly in a statement once all Israel’s planes had returned. “If the regime in Iran were to make the mistake of beginning a new round of escalation — we will be obligated to respond.”
He continued, “Our message is clear: All those who threaten the State of Israel and seek to drag the region into a wider escalation — will pay a heavy price.
We demonstrated today that we have both the capability and the resolve to act decisively — and we are prepared — on offense and defense — to defend the State of Israel and the people of Israel,” Hagari concluded.
Strikes on military bases in Syria and Iraq were also reported Friday by Israeli news outlets, though the IDF did not mention these locations in their release.
Israeli DM Gallant and military echelon in the Kirya HQ in Tel Aviv during the strike (Ariel Hermoni (IMoD))
Senior Israeli defense source told Fox News Digital the targets of the attack were “solely military and intelligence targets.”
Iranian news outlet Tasnim news agency, which has known ties to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), cited a senior source who said, “We reserve the right to respond to any attack.”
“Israel will undoubtedly receive a proportional response to any action,” the source added, suggesting the aggressive volley between Israel and Iran will continue.
Neither U.S. nor Israeli officials have yet commented on the effectiveness of Israel’s strikes, though local Israeli news outlet Channel 12 reported that Iran’s air defense system had been damaged.
The IRGC headquarters in Tehran was also reported to have allegedly been hit by strikes, though Fox News has not been able to independently verify this.
Iranian air defense reportedly operating as Israel began striking Iranian targets in Tehran. (Obtained by Fox News)
Al-Mayadeen channel, a Lebanese pro-Hezbollah and Iran-aligned network, claimed, “Air defense systems intercepted all hostile targets in Tehran. Israel’s attempt to strike air defense bases around Tehran has failed.”
The IDF said its Air Force “struck missile manufacturing facilities used to produce the missiles that Iran fired at the State of Israel over the last year.”
“These missiles posed a direct and immediate threat to the citizens of the State of Israel,” the IDF added. “Simultaneously, the IDF struck surface-to-air missile arrays and additional Iranian aerial capabilities, that were intended to restrict Israel’s aerial freedom of operation in Iran.”
Credit: Fox News
Allan Lichtman – an American historian and pollster – has stood by his prediction about who will win the US election next month.
Dubbed the “Nostradamus” of polling, Lichtman has been forecasting the results of the presidential election since the 80s and claims to have predicted all but one accurately, which was George W Bush’s 2000 win.
The academic’s forecasting method – known as “The Keys to the White House” – was developed alongside a Russian academic, Vladimir Keilis-Borok. It uses a 13-point checklist that applies true or false statements to a number of factors, including the health of the country’s economy, scandals during the previous administration’s tenure and the candidates’ charisma.
“My predictions have stood the test of time, my indicators have always been right,” he said on his YouTube channel. “The keys are very objective and quantitative.”
In an interview with NewsNation, Lichtman revealed that he stands by his prediction that Kamala Harris will win the 2024 election, but says this election’s prediction has been met with a wave of criticism.
He said: “My predictions are totally non-partisan. I predicted the two most conservative presidents of our time, Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump, along with liberals like Barack Obama. I’ve been doing this for 42 years and I’m constantly getting criticism.
“I have never experienced anything close to the hate that has been reaped upon me this time. I’ve been getting feedback that is scurrilous, vulgar, violent, threatening, and even beyond that, the safety and security of my family has been compromised.”
According to his method, eight of the thirteen points on the checklist favoured Ms Harris, suggesting the current Vice President will win the election on November 5.
Curled From MSN
With 10 days until Election Day, two new major national polls indicate Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Trump are in a dead heat in the race to succeed President Biden in the White House.
With the clock quickly ticking, the two nominees and their running mates are fanning out across the key battleground states this weekend.
Trump starts Saturday with a rally in Novi, Michigan, in suburban Detroit. Later in the day, he’ll campaign in another of the crucial swing states — Pennsylvania — as he holds a rally in State College, home to Penn State University.
Former President Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, speaks at a campaign rally Thursday in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, the Republican vice presidential nominee, starts his day in Atlanta before holding campaign events in Erie and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Top Trump surrogates Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who ended his long-shot White House run and endorsed Trump, and former Democratic presidential candidate and former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, who days ago switched from an independent to a Republican, will team up for Trump in swing state North Carolina. And Elon Musk, the Tesla and Space X magnate who’s the world’s richest person, stumps for Trump in Pennsylvania.
Harris on Saturday will team up with former first lady Michelle Obama, arguably the most popular Democrat in the country, at a get-out-the-vote rally in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The stop comes two days after the vice president shared the stage in suburban Atlanta with former President Obama.
Former President Obama gestures to Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, after introducing her to speak during a campaign rally Thursday in Clarkston, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, makes two stops in battleground Arizona Saturday, first in Window Rock and later in Phoenix.
In a sign of just how important a role Pennsylvania is playing with its 19 electoral votes up for grabs, first lady Jill Biden campaigns for Harris in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, while progressive champion Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, a two-time runner-up for the Democratic nomination, stumps for Harris in Erie.
On Sunday, Harris is scheduled to make multiple retail stops in Philadelphia. Trump will hold a rally at Madison Square Garden in New York City, the media capital of the world.
Trump’s campaign says the former president, who has long wanted to hold a rally in the legendary New York City venue, will frame his closing argument during the rally. And the campaign will hold a backstage fundraiser for major donors with top-tier access costing $924,600.
It can’t get any closer than this.
Two major national polls conducted Sunday through Wednesday and released Friday indicate Harris and Trump in a dead heat.
Former President Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, laughs after speaking during a campaign rally Thursday in Las Vegas. (AP/Alex Brandon)
Grabbing headlines first is a New York Times/Siena College survey indicating the Democratic Party and GOP presidential nominees are tied at 48%.
That’s a switch from a previous poll, earlier this month, when Harris held a slight three-point edge.
A CNN survey had the candidates deadlocked at 47% among likely voters nationwide. Its previous poll from late September indicated the vice president had a razor-thin one-point margin.
There were warning signs in the two surveys for both candidates, however.
Harris lost her favorability advantage over Trump in both polls.
After replacing President Biden atop the Democrats’ 2024 ticket in July, the vice president’s favorable ratings soared. But they’ve steadily eroded over the past month.
Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, speaks during a campaign event at Riverside Park in Grand Rapids, Mich., Oct. 18. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Another red flag for Harris are polls indicating her support among Black voters is below Biden’s levels in the 2020 election.
For Trump, his support among White voters is on par with his standing in the 2020 election, when he lost the White House to Biden.
And the former president still faces a healthy deficit to the vice president when it comes to being trustworthy and caring about people.
While national polls are closely watched, the race for the White House is not based on the national popular vote. It’s a battle for the states and their electoral votes.
And the latest surveys in the seven crucial battleground states whose razor-thin margins decided Biden’s 2020 victory over Trump and will likely determine whether Harris or Trump wins the 2024 election, are mostly within the margin of error.
The latest Fox News national poll indicated Trump had a two-point edge, but Harris had a 6-point advantage among respondents questioned in all seven battleground states.
Former President Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris (Fox News)
While there’s a margin of error in the polls, there is a clear frontrunner in the battle for campaign cash, another important indicator in presidential politics. And it’s Harris.
According to the latest figures the two major party presidential campaigns filed with the Federal Election Commission, Harris hauled in $97 million during the first half of October.
That far outpaced the $16 million the Trump campaign said it raised during the first half of this month.
Both campaigns use a number of affiliated fundraisings committees to raise money. And when those are included, Trump narrowed the gap, but trailed $176 million to $97 million during the first two weeks of this month.
The new filings also spotlight that the Harris campaign continues to vastly outspend the Trump campaign.
During the first 16 days of October, the Democratic presidential nominee’s campaign outspent Trump $166 million to $99 million, with paid media the top expenditure for both campaigns.
However, Harris finished the reporting period with more cash in her coffers. As of Oct. 16, she had $119 million cash on hand, while Trump had $36 million. When joint fundraising committees are also included, Harris holds a $240 million to $168 million cash-on-hand advantage.
Curled from The Fox News
Living in a shipping container is more glamorous (and affordable) than you might realize.
It’s been a tough year (OK, a tough few years) for prospective homebuyers. With several different tiny houses available at Amazon, you may still be able to buy the cute little vacation home or starter house of your dreams after all. We’ve recently spotted a few different styles of vacation-ready tiny homes at Amazon — like a beautiful A-frame cabin — and this prefab two-story container house is the perfect find for under $25,000. You can use it for a getaway or to bid goodbye to your current mortgage and move into this more affordable abode full-time. It’s big enough to sleep a small family, with two levels, up to four bedrooms, and a balcony for additional living space. How’s that for “tiny” living?
Inspired by the shipping container home trend, this house is a sturdy 20-by-20-foot, two-story steel square retrofitted with tons of windows and doors to let natural light fill the interior. The basic layout has a full kitchen and bathroom with separate wet and dry areas, two bedrooms, and a living area. But the best part is that you can customize the plan: choose one larger bedroom or up to four small rooms to sleep more people. The price doesn’t change, as confirmed by the seller.
The benefits of buying a tiny house on Amazon include the convenience of purchasing online with a click of a button and getting a whole flat-packed and ready-to-assemble house delivered to your door — and all for under $30,000, when the average price of a house in the U.S. is currently over $400,000. Steel container homes, in particular, are known for their durability in wind, rain, and other inclement weather. Traditional shipping containers are even sometimes used as storm shelters because they’re so strong. The one caveat: the brand says to keep snow from accumulating on the balcony, which is standard for any structure with a flat roof.
The house is not as portable as a lot of other tiny homes that are built on wheels, but it can be disassembled, “folded down,” and refolded several times throughout its projected 25-year lifespan. The interior is ripe for personalization, from the open- or closed-plan kitchen to the flooring materials. All you’ll need is a little plot of land to put it on.
Another tiny home option with a balcony is this two-story cabin; the first floor of this modular container home contains a living room, full kitchen, and bathroom. An exterior spiral staircase leads to a balcony and a spacious second-floor bedroom. The whole structure measures 20 feet long and 10 feet wide. “This has to be one of the most appealing tiny homes on the market,” one reviewer wrote says.
With floor-to-ceiling windows running along one whole wall, this tiny house option is not hurting for natural light. It has an ultra-modern look, and the interior can be customized. Like the other homes, this container home has a balcony, with exterior stairs connecting the bottom and top levels.
At the time of publishing, the price started at $23,040.
Curled from Travel and Leisure
History was made in the United States last night as basketball icon Lebron James and his LA Lakers team-mate Bronny James became the first ever father-and-son pair to play together in the NBA.
The Premier League has also had plenty of players who emulated their dads by following them into top-flight football, including one who made his debut earlier this season – Tottenham Hotspurdefender Archie Gray.
His dad, Andy Gray, made 51 appearances in the competition as a forward for Leeds United, Nottingham Forest and Sunderland.
Even more amazingly, Archie’s great uncle, Eddie, managed Leeds in the Premier League, while his grandad, Frank, won a European Cup as a player.
Archie’s debut has taken the total number of Premier League players whose dads also played in the division to 26.
| Father | Apps | Son | Apps |
| Peter Schmeichel | 310 | Kasper Schmeichel | 284 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ian Wright | 213 | Bradley Wright-Phillips | 32 |
| Shaun Wright-Phillips | 316 | ||
| Paul Ince | 306 | Tom Ince | 48 |
| Steve Bruce | 148 | Alex Bruce | 48 |
| Bryan Gunn | 104 | Angus Gunn | 31 |
| Alan Cork | 46 | Jack Cork | 304 |
| Kevin Campbell | 325 | Tyrese Campbell | 4 |
| Rob Lee | 280 | Elliot Lee | 2 |
| Gus Poyet | 187 | Diego Poyet | 3 |
| David Hirst | 135 | George Hirst | 7 |
| Gordon Strachan | 96 | Gavin Strachan | 14 |
| Paul Furlong | 64 | Darnell Furlong | 38 |
| Steve Potts | 204 | Dan Potts | 2 |
| Alvin Martin | 45 | David Martin | 5 |
| Rory Delap | 359 | Liam Delap | 10 |
| Jimmy Phillips | 99 | Nat Phillips | 19 |
| Richard Cresswell | 67 | Charlie Cresswell | 5 |
| Jon Olav Hjelde | 17 | Leo Hjelde | 2 |
| Lee Clark | 185 | Bobby Clark | 6 |
| David Johnson | 14 | Brennan Johnson | 81 |
| Alf Inge Haaland | 181 | Erling Haaland | 74 |
| Patrick Kluivert | 25 | Justin Kluivert | 40 |
| Neil Danns | 5 | Jayden Danns | 2 |
| Claudio Reyna | 105 | Giovanni Reyna | 9 |
| Andy Gray | 51 | Archie Gray | 4 |
Two stars of the inaugural 1992/93 Premier League season, Peter Schmeichel and Ian Wright, have seen their sons enjoy great success in the competition.
Kasper Schmeichel lifted the Premier League trophy with Leicester City in 2015/16 and made 284 appearances in the competition, only 26 fewer than his father Peter, who was a five-time title-winner with Manchester United.
Wright, who scored 113 Premier League goals in 213 matches, has two sons who played in the top flight – Shaun Wright-Phillips and Bradley Wright-Phillips.
Shaun came through Manchester City‘s academy and made his Premier League debut for the club, before enjoying spells at Chelsea and Queens Park Rangers. Bradley also represented City, 32 times.
Of all the Premier League players’ sons who have featured in the competition, Shaun has made the most appearances, with 315, followed by the 304 of Jack Cork.
Paul Ince and Steve Bruce were in the same Man Utd side with Peter Schmeichel that won the title in 1992/93. Their sons Tom Ince and Alex Bruce also played together, for Hull City in 2014/15, and have both made 48 Premier League appearances.
Erling Haaland emulated his father Alf-Inge Haaland when he joined Man City, and he made an immediate impact by winning a historic Treble in an incredible 2022/23 debut season, following that achievement with a second successive Premier League title and Golden Boot award in 2023/24.
Alf made 181 appearances for Nott’m Forest, Leeds United and Man City between 1994 and 2004.
Brennan Johnson, whose dad David Johnson played for Ipswich Town in 2000/01, also enjoyed a memorable debut campaign in 2022/23. The striker scored eight goals and produced three assists to help Nott’m Forest secure their top-flight status.
Following a move to Spurs in August 2023, Johnson overcame an indifferent start in north London to finish the 2023/24 season with five goals and 10 assists. He has begun the 2024/25 season in great form, scoring three goals in Spurs’ first eight Premier League matches.
The list could grow further in 2024/25, with a number of players hoping to follow in their fathers’ footsteps by making a Premier League debut.
Southampton‘s summer signing Nathan Wood, 22, who joined from Championship side Swansea City, is the son of former Crystal Palace and Middlesbrough defender Dean Gordon.
Brentford winger Kyreece Lisbie has the ambition of emulating his father – Kevin Lisbie – by playing first-team football, having been a part of the Bees’ B side last season.
Stanley Mills, the son of former Leeds and Man City defender Danny Mills, hopes to be pushing for a place in Sean Dyche‘s senior Everton squad this season. Stanley joined League One side Oxford United on loan in August 2023 before suffering a knee injury that cut short his campaign.
Curled From The Premier League/X
From ‘very demure, very cutesy and very mindful’ to ‘that’s so brat’ or throwing it back to ‘YOLO’, pop culture regularly wriggles its way into our vocab – whether we like it or not.
And sometimes, we don’t even realise where some of the most-used phrases of all time come from. Just like the case with calling using the term ‘G.O.A.T’.
Obviously, short for Greatest of All Time, it gets thrown around a fair bit from sport stars like Lionel Messi and Simone Biles to actors, musicians and just general icons.
But it actually came from a music star argued to be one of the greatest themselves. LL Cool J arguably originated the ‘G.O.A.T’ phrase but the rapper says he ‘had no idea’ he’d end up invented one of the most-used terms.
Recently releasing his first new album in over 11 years, THE FORCE, the ‘Mama Said Knock You Out’ rapper tells Metro of the phrase: “There’s no question I came up with that!”
Also known for his acting career, he used the acronym for his eighth studio album, G.O.A.Tback in 2000 which debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200.
LL Cool J explains the inspiration for the term came from ‘smashing together’ the famous ‘I am the greatest’ quote from Muhammed Ali along with the nickname given to street basketball legend, Earl ‘the Goat’ Manigault.
He admits that’s ‘it’s pretty wild that it turned out how it did’ with it now basically being part of our everyday language. “I had no idea it was gonna become a worldwide phrase and statement,” the NCIS actor adds.
The 56-year-old does wish he had trademarked the phrase (I mean, who wouldn’t regret that?) but tries not to dwell on it. LL Cool J does have an impressive list of credits to his name to be able to get over that after all.
Instead, the rapper uses the Greatest of All Time title as inspiration for his future work.
“To be able to touch the world through my art like that is pretty dope. What it says to me is that I can do more creatively,” he explains.
“It says to me, if I’m capable of creating terminology for the entire globe, I can do some big things.”
Well, pretty inspirational stuff from one of the absolute legends of rap and hip-hop. Now let’s see if his new album lives up to the G.O.A.T status.
Curled From LadBible
Featured Image Credit: NDZ/Star Max/GC Images and Photo by Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images
Burkina Faso has issued a new biometric passport without the logo of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
The passport redesign reflects the nation’s severed ties with ECOWAS, following sanctions imposed on Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali after military coups in the three countries.
Announcing the passport update on Tuesday, Burkina Faso’s security minister, Mahamadou Sana, said: “On this passport, there’s no ECOWAS logo and no mention of ECOWAS either. Since January, Burkina Faso has decided to withdraw from this body, and this is just a realisation of the action already taken by Burkina Faso.”
The decision to omit the ECOWAS emblem is symbolic of a broader rejection of the bloc’s policies, particularly its response to the recent political upheavals. While ECOWAS imposed only suspensions on the three countries, they have denounced any potential return, accusing the bloc of abandoning pan-Africanism in favour of selfish interests.
He said that old passports are valid until they expire.
Those seeking new passports will pay a fee according to a previously fixed rate of 50,000 West African CFA francs ($84.46), but “certain amenities around the new passport may be subject to taxes,” he said.
The new document is made from polycarbonate, according to the head of the National Identification Office (ONI), Parfait Loure.
The Chinese company Emptech designed the new passport.
“The new passport belongs to the latest generation of passports recommended by international civil aviation authorities,” according to Loure, who said it is the culmination of a process launched in 2022 that makes Burkina Faso the first country in West Africa and the 10th on the continent to acquire a state-of-the-art identification document.
Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger withdrew last year from ECOWAS, which had threatened to militarily intervene in those countries after a coup in Niger in July 2023.
They formed the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) earlier this year and announced the creation of a joint military force to counter spiralling security challenges posed in their countries by terrorist groups.
Curled from LIB
The Executive Vice President of Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (Downstream), Adedapo Segun, says the company wants a competitive market to ensure stable fuel prices and supply in Africa’s most populous nation.
According to Segun, the current fuel pump price does not accurately reflect prevailing market conditions.
“The pump price today is not market reflective. NNPCL is the sole importer of PMS in the country, which is abnormal. We should be moving towards a situation where the free market determines prices,” he said, stressing that market forces, rather than any single entity, should dictate fuel prices.” Segun said on Arise Television’s Morning Show on Thursday, September 5.
Segun said that NNPCL’s role as the sole importer of Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) was not a deliberate choice by the company but a response to market conditions.
“Let me put it in the proper context. NNPCL is not a regulator. We didn’t choose to be the sole importer. We don’t determine who plays in the market. We stepped in when others reduced their participation. It’s not about wanting to be monopolists,” he explained.
He said that achieving a stable fuel supply and price would require a more liquid foreign exchange market.
“Market conditions need to be perfect, and there must be FX liquidity,” he added, suggesting that broader economic reforms may be necessary to address the fuel pricing issue.NNPCL has been working closely with private refineries, such as Dangote, to ensure a steady supply of crude oil for refining.
“We have supplied about 30 million barrels to Dangote so far: 6.3 million this month, and we will supply 11.3 million in October,” he added.
Curled From LIB
Transfer Deadline Day is officially here and clubs now face a race against time to finalise their business.
Across Europe’s top five leagues, there are numerous different closing times, with the Bundesliga the first division to shut up shop.
The 2024 summer transfer window will close at 19:00 BST in Germany, followed by Ligue 1 at 22:00 BST and La Liga at 22:59 BST.
The summer transfer window in both the Premier League and Serie A ends at 23:00 BST.
Last year, there were a number of high-profile transfers that went through on summer Deadline Day.
In the Premier League, Cole Palmer joined Chelsea for €47 million, Matheus Nunes signed for Manchester City for €62m, and Tottenham Hotspur paid €55m to purchase Nottingham Forest winger Brennan Johnson.
Meanwhile, on the continent, Joao Felix joined Barcelona on loan, Paris Saint-Germain splashed €90m on Randal Kolo Muani, and Getafe agreed a loan deal for Mason Greenwood.
On Deadline Day in January, Aston Villa signed Morgan Rogers, Bryan Zaragoza joined Bayern Munich, and Eintracht Frankfurt signed Hugo Ekitike on loan.
Below, FootballTransfers lists every transfer completed on Deadline Day in Europe’s top five leagues.
Neal Maupay: Everton to Marseille – Loan
Sam Johnstone: Crystal Palace to Wolves – €11.9m
Daniel Jebbison: Bournemouth to Watford – Loan
Aaron Ramsdale: Arsenal to Southampton – €21.4m
Carl Rushworth: Brighton to Hull – Loan
Amario Cozier-Duberry: Brighton to Blackburn – Loan
Enzo Barrenechea: Aston Villa to Valencia – Loan
Djordje Petrovic: Chelsea to Strasbourg – Loan
Myles Peart-Harris: Brentford to Swansea – Loan
Billy Crellin: Everton to Accrington – Loan
Kevin Mbabu: Fulham to Midtjylland – Undisclosed
Stefan Bajcetic: Liverpool to RB Salzburg – Loan
Jeremy Sarmiento: Brighton to Burnley – Loan
Wanya Marcal: Leicester to De Graafschap – Loan
Josh Bowler: Nottingham Forest to Preston – Loan
Orel Mangala: Lyon to Everton – Loan
Scott McTominay: Man Utd to Napoli – €30.5m
Harrison Ashby: Newcastle to QPR – Loan
Neto: Bournemouth to Arsenal – Loan
Mahmoud Dahoud: Brighton to Eintracht Frankfurt – Loan
Frank Onyeka: Brentford to Augsburg – Loan
Marcelo Pitaluga: Liverpool to Livingston – Loan
Fabio Silva: Wolves to Las Palmas – Loan
Tom Cannon: Leicester to Stoke – Loan
Hayden Meghoma: Southampton to Brentford – Undisclosed
Ben Nelson: Leicester to Oxford – Loan
Manuel Ugarte: Paris Saint-Germain to Man Utd – €50m
Billy Gilmour: Brighton to Napoli – €14m
Odeluga Offiah: Brighton to Blackpool – Loan
Ryan Fraser: Newcastle to Southampton – Free
Nat Phillips: Liverpool to Derby – Loan
Ben Doak: Liverpool to Middlesbrough – Loan
Isaac Schmidt: St. Gallen to Fulham – Undisclosed
Andre: Fluminense to Wolves – €22m
Chiquinho: Wolves to Mallorca – Loan
Eddie Nketiah: Arsenal to Crystal Palace – Undisclosed
Morato: Benfica to Nottingham Forest – Undisclosed
Giovani Lo Celso: Tottenham to Real Betis – €4m
James Ward-Prowse: West Ham to Nottingham Forest – Loan
Mason Holgate: Everton to West Brom – Loan
Nayef Aguerd: West Ham to Real Sociedad – Loan
Carlos Soler: PSG to West Ham – Loan
Jay Stansfield: Fulham to Birmingham – €12m
Alex Mighten: Nottingham Forest to San Diego – Undisclosed
George Edmundson: Ipswich to Middlesbrough – Loan
Carlos Fernandez: Real Sociedad to Cadiz – Loan
Alberto Mari: Valencia to Real Zaragoza – Loan
Iker Almena: Girona to Al-Qadsiah – Undisclosed
Enzo Barrenechea: Aston Villa to Valencia – Loan
Reinier: Real Madrid to Granada – Loan
Juan Bernat: Paris Saint-Germain to Villarreal – Loan
Matija Nastasic: Mallorca to Leganes – Undisclosed
Adu Ares: Athletic Club to Real Zaragoza – Loan
Nabil Fekir: Real Betis to Al-Jazira – Undisclosed
Arnaut Danjuma: Villarreal to Girona – Loan
Fabio Silva: Wolves to Las Palmas – Loan
German Valera: Atletico Madrid to Valencia – Undisclosed
Orri Oskarsson: Copenhagen to Real Sociedad – €20m
Valery Fernandez: Girona to Mallorca – Loan
Dario Essugo: Sporting to Las Palmas – Loan
Nikola Maras: Alaves to Sporting Gijon – Loan
Sory Kaba: Las Palmas to Elche – Loan
Chiquinho: Wolves to Mallorca – Loan
Giovani Lo Celso: Tottenham to Real Betis – €4m
Sebastien Haller: Dortmund to Leganes – Loan
Nayef Aguerd: West Ham to Real Sociedad – Loan
Vakoun Bayo: Udinese to Watford – Loan
Sebastian Walukiewicz: Empoli to Torino – €5m
Saba Sazonov: Torino to Empoli – Loan
Pietro Pellegri: Torino to Empoli – Loan
Lorenzo Lucchesi: Fiorentina to Reggiana – Loan
Franco Carboni: Inter to Venezia – Loan
Giacomo Faticanti: Lecce to Juventus Next Gen – Loan
Rachid Kouda: Parma to Spezia – Loan
Matias Moreno: Belgrano to Fiorentina – €5m
Mathis Lambourde: Rennes to Hellas Verona – €3m
Sofyan Amrabat: Fiorentina to Fenerbahce – Loan
Antonio Colak: Parma to Spezia – Undisclosed
Kevin Bonifazi: Bologna to Lecce – Loan
Rui Modesto: AIK to Udinese – €1.5m
Davide Bettalla: Monza to Frosinone – Undisclosed
Federico Ceccherini: Hellas Verona to Cremonese – Undisclosed
Nicolo Casale: Lazio to Bologna – Loan
Tomas Palacios: Independiente Rivadavi to Inter – €6.5m
Tommaso Marras: Monza to Caldiero – Undisclosed
Stefano Gori: Juventus to Spezia – Loan
Gianluca Gaetano: Napoli to Cagliari – Loan
Nehuen Perez: Udinese to Porto – Loan
Elayis Tavsan: Hellas Verona to Cesena – Loan
Nicholas Pierini: Venezia to Sassuolo – Undisclosed
Anthony Partipilo: Parma to Frosinone – Loan
Scott McTominay: Man Utd to Napoli – €30.5m
Mandela Keita: Royal Antwerp to Parma – €12m
Ajdin Hrustic: Hellas Verona to Salernitana – Free
Domagoj Bradaric: Salernitana to Hellas Verona – Loan
Danilo Cataldi: Lazio to Fiorentina – Loan
Alexis Saelemaekers: Milan to Roma – Loan
Tammy Abraham: Milan to Roma – Loan
Robin Gosens: Union Berlin to Fiorentina – Loan
Samuel Gigot: Marseille to Lazio – €3m
Luis Hasa: Juventus to Lecce – Undisclosed
John Yeboah: Rakow to Venezia – Undisclosed
Ayanda Sishuba: Lens to Hellas Verona – Undisclosed
Manu Kone: Gladbach to Roma – €18m
Ignace Van der Brempt: Salzburg to Como – Loan
Billy Gilmour: Brighton to Napoli €14m
Festy Ebosele: Udinese to Watford – Loan
Edoardo Bove: Roma to Fiorentina – Loan
Mitchel Bakker: Atalanta to Lille – Loan
Alessandro Bianco: Fiorentina to Monza – Loan
Stiven Shpendi: Empoli to Carrarese – Loan
Oliver Abildgaard: Como to Pisa – Loan
Alessandro Plizzari: Pescara to Venezia – Undisclosed
Paolo Gozzi: Genoa to Troyes – Undisclosed
Arthur Atta: Metz to Udinese Calcio – Loan
Francesco Mezzoni: Napoli to Perugia – Loan
Andrea Favilli: Genoa to Bari – Loan
Flavius Daniliuc: Salernitana to Hellas Verona – Loan
Junior Samba: Salernitana to Empoli – Loan
Federico Magro: Lazio to Hellas Verona – Undisclosed
Luca Monticelli: RSCA Futures to Hellas Verona – Undisclosed
Konstantinos Koulierakis: PAOK Salonika to Wolfsburg – €11.75m
Omer Beyaz: Stuttgart to Unattached – Free Transfer
Erencan Yardimci: Eyupspor to Hoffenheim – Undisclosed
Dominik Javorcek: MSK Zilina to Holstein Kiel – Loan
Chrislain Matsima: Monaco to Augsburg – Loan
Derrick Kohn: Galatasaray to Werder Bremen – Loan
Gabriel Vidovic: Bayern to Mainz – Loan
Koji Miyoshi: Birmingham to Bochum – Undisclosed
Denis Vavro: Copenhagen to Wolfsburg – Undisclosed
Andrej Ilic: Lille to Union Berlin – Loan
Lutsharel Geertruida: Feyenoord to RB Leipzig – €20m
Maxence Lacroix: Wolfsburg to Crystal Palace – €18m
Niklas Dorsch: Augsburg to Heidenheim – €3.50m
Mahmoud Dahoud: Brighton to Eintracht Frankfurt – Loan
Frank Onyeka: Brentford to Augsburg – Loan
Robin Gosens: Union Berlin to Fiorentina – Loan
Manu Kone: Gladbach to Roma – €18m
Arne Engels: Augsburg to Celtic – €11m
Sebastien Haller: Dortmund to Leganes – Loan
Edmilson Fernandes: Mainz to Brest – Loan
Aboubacar Ali Abdallah: Strasbourg to Nimes – Loan
Mathis Lambourde: Rennes to Hellas Verona – €3m
Ibrahim Salah: Rennas to Brest – Loan
Benjamin Bourigeaurd: Rennes to Al-Duhail – €10m
Chrislain Matsima: Monaco to Augsburg – Loan
Jeremy Le Douaron: Brest to Palermo – €4m
Djordje Petrovic: Chelsea to Strasbourg – Loan
Juan Bernat: Paris Saint-Germain to Villarreal – Loan
Marc-Aurele Caillard: Metz to Lille – Loan
Lucas Perris: Strasbourg to Hamburg – Loan
Andrej Ilic: Lille to Union Berlin – Loan
Matias Fernandez-Pardo: Gent to Lille – Loan
Orel Mangala: Lyon to Everton – Loan
Warmed Omari: Stade Rennais to Lyon – Loan
Martin Adeline: Stade Reims to Troyes – Undisclosed
Samuel Gigot: Marseille to Lazio – €3m
Pierre Ekwah: Sunderland to Saint-Etienne – Loan
Jota: Al-Ittihad to Stade Rennais – €8m
Timothee Pembele: Sunderland to Le Havre – Loan
Ayanda Sishuba: Lens to Hellas Verona – Undisclosed
Manuel Ugarte: Paris Saint-Germain to Man Utd – €50m
Yassine Benhattab: Aubagne to Nantes – Undisclosed
Massadio Haidara: Lens to Brest – Free
Bamba Dieng: Lorient to Angers – Loan
Mitchel Bakker: Atalanta to Lille – Loan
Mohamed Jaouab: Stade Rennais to Amiens – Loan
Sinaly Diomande: Lyon to Auxerre – Free
Miha Zajc: Fenerbahce to Toulouse – Loan
Paolo Gozzi: Genoa to Troyes – Undisclosed
Wilfried Zaha: Galatasaray to Lyon – Loan
Lucas Stassin: KVC Westerlo to Saint-Etienne – Undisclosed
Arthur Atta: Metz to Udinese Calcio – Loan
Edmilson Fernandes: Mainz to Brest – Loan
Carlos Soler: PSG to West Ham – Loan
Curled from Football Transfers
According to the 2023 Fiscal Accounts Report of the Accountant General of the Federation, Nigeria’s Federal Government made a revenue of N5.99tn, spent N19.50tn, and recorded a deficit of N13.50tn—225% of the total revenue.
What does this mean? The government spent more than three times what it earned in revenue.
Where did the revenue come from?
N3.80 trillion came from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC), FG share of independent revenue raked in N1.98tn, the FG share of the Federation Account contributed N2.39tn, exchange rate differences was N715.75bn, while VAT added N441.87bn.
How was the money spent?
Debt servicing accounted for 43.9% of the budget at N8.56tn—the largest single expense. Non-debt spending took up 27.8% at N5.42tn, while capital expenditure was 23% at N4.49tn.
It goes without saying that a significant portion of government spending was directed toward debt servicing, surpassing the revenue generated.
As a result, the government continues to drift away from fiscal responsibility by borrowing more than it earns, resulting in a deficit of N13.50tn.
BudgIT/X
Little Elsie Dot Stancombe was laid to rest to the sound of Taylor Swift‘s Love Story, nearly a month after she was one of three killed in a knife rampage while attending a dance class centered around the American singer
In a heartbreaking scene as her funeral drew to a close, with a trembling voice a solo singer, guitarist and piano recited the poignant ballad – one of the seven-year-old’s favourite songs.
The voice filled the space as her coffin was quietly led from the church where she was baptised years before, carried by pallbearers wearing frienship bracelets of the type commonly traded by Swifties.
Her brave family wiped tears from their eyes as they left the church behind the procession, following behind her tiny coffin.
The singer, who reacted after the girls were killed while dancing to her songs, previously told of how she was at a ‘complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families’. She said: ‘These were just little kids.’
Grieving locals, emergency services and members of little Elsie’s cheerleading troop lined the sides of the road as her carriage was led to her funeral by horses adorned with rainbows.
Behind the procession, lines of grieving friends trooped in a procession, wearing bright colours that matched the pink ribbons tied to lampposts along the route. Elsie’s family had asked those attending not to wear black.
Friends of the family and Elsie’s teachers paid tribute to the joyful and ‘sassy’ child, reading memories from her classmates who told of a girl who always had the ‘prettiest socks and the shiniest shoes’.
Swift reportedly said that her Wembley appearance last week was ‘the hardest of her career’, with the families of the victims being invited to see her perform.
Elsie’s tiny coffin, dressed in a light, multicoloured shroud, was carried into St John’s Church, in Birkdale, near Southport this morning on the shoulders of four men.
Earlier, Elsie’s family had paid tribute to their ‘amazing and truly unforgettable’ daughter.
At her funeral today, her teachers and classmates spoke of a girl who made ‘everybody laugh’.
The little girl died alongside Bebe King, six, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, after an attacker went on the rampage at the Taylor Swift holiday club they were taking part in last month.
Today her parents, Jenni and David, youngster sister, Rosie, three, and extended family and friends are celebrating her life at the service.
The church was full to capacity for people to pay their respects to Elsie, who vicar Reverend Jennie Hardy described as an ‘extraordinary girl’. She said she was a ‘a little girl who loved a big party’.
Emily Ridgway, speaking on behalf of Elsie’s parents, told the service: ‘Her confidence grew and grew, she was turning into this wonderfully polite and kind little girl, a testament to her parents and all the other grown-ups in her life.
‘Her teachers at Farnborough Road were always full of praise for her ability to always try her best and she never once got cross if something wasn’t quite going the way she expected it to.
‘Her heart was too kind for anger and upset, she would find a way of working out a solution that would best support her and went from there.’
Speaking about Elsie and sister Rosie, Ms Ridgway told the service: ‘Elsie’s proudest moment came when she found out she was being given the title ‘big sister’. As any of us who are big sisters will know, it’s an incredibly privileged title to have and one that she was so excited for.
‘She absolutely adored her little sister Rosie, she doted on her, mothered her and loved her like no-one else could.
‘The three best friends became four best friends and family time together was so, so precious. Elsie and Rosie have grown up with their parents showing them how to truly live, how to embrace everything that life throws at you and to always, always be there for one another.’
Speaking directly to her parents, Ms Ridgway said: ‘Your beautiful, perfect little girl made you her mummy and daddy and that can never be taken away. Elsie was a gift given to you and to her sister and she made your lives immeasurably joyful.
‘Her story doesn’t end here today, her story will be told every single day by those who love her. Her name, such a special name, will be said every single day. She will make you smile every day, just as she did when she was by your side.
‘Elsie absolutely will continue to make a difference to this world because of her pure, kind heart. She always did what made her happy and she would want you to continue her happiness in your hearts.
‘The light you brought to our lives will never diminish, your sparkle will always shine. Thank you, Elsie for being exactly who you were made to be.’
Speaking earlier in the service, Elsie’s former teacher, Katie Sykes, who taught her at Farnborough Road School, in Birkdale, spoke to remember the ‘sassy’ girl who loved sparkly nail varnish, brought in her glittery heels for show and tell and proudly cuddled her dad when he came to deliver the school post.
In a touching tribute, her father’s colleagues later made a procession of Post Office vans as they followed her hearse through Southport.
Ms Sykes said: ‘She made everybody smile just by being her.’ She added: ‘She truly was one of a kind.’
With her voice cracking, she read out tributes from her school friends, she remembered a girl who was a great cheerleader, always making her mates laugh and who had the ‘prettiest socks and the shiniest shoes in the whole class’.
Ms Sykes said Elsie had an ability to make her laugh and was an ‘encyclopaedia of knowledge.’
‘Farnborough Road will never be the same again,’ she added.
Another teacher at the school, Jennie Sephton, held back tears as he read a poem ‘We only wanted you’. The poem reads: ‘If love alone could have saved you, you never would have died. In life we loved you dearly, in death we love you still.’
Chris Greene, Deputy Chief Constable of Merseyside Police, also spoke to Elsie’s parents during the service.
He told them: ‘You have shown that Southport is not just a place, it’s your home and will forever be Elsie’s home. You and your extended family are not alone. Elsie, Alice and Bebe will forever be in our hearts.’
Hundreds of people lined the streets near the church to pay their respects after the couple urged the community to come together on ‘Elsie’s Special Day.’
As the service came to an end, mourners joined together – and even did the actions for – ‘Be Bold, Be Strong’ – a song she would have enjoyed in her school assemblies.
As well as those gathered in the church, others watched the funeral on screens at the church hall and Liverpool Road Methodist Church.
Hundreds more gathered in late summer sunshine to pay their respects outside The Atkinson art gallery on Lord Street in the centre of Southport, where a vigil was held the day after the attack.
The square outside the gallery became a shrine of thousands of flowers left by well-wishers – festooned with pink balloons, candles, teddy bears and photos of the girls who lost their lives.
Both sides of Lord Street were lined with people of all ages, some children blowing bubbles, hugged by their parents and grandparents, stood in silence awaiting the funeral cortege.
As the cortege approached, the silence was broken by applause as the hearse slowly passed, followed by funeral cars carrying Elsie’s heartbroken family.
They were followed by nine red Royal Mail vans, a tribute to Elsie’s father David, a postman, each one with pink ribbons tied to the vehicle.
As the cortege walked down St John’s Road, Dancing in the Sky rang out across the close-knit town.
Members of Elsie’s cheerleading group, Vortex Cheer, formed a guard of honour as the coffin, topped with a blue cuddly toy, was carried into the church, down a pink carpet and through a balloon arch, with bubbles in the air.
A pink carpet was rolled out in front of the church to welcome mourners, as they celebrated the little girl’s life.
People wearing bright and pastel colours and florals gathered outside the church, where songs including Fleetwood Mac’s Songbird were performed by singer Wendy Chalke as they waited for the cortege to arrive.
Among the mourners were members of the emergency services and Ibrahim Hussein, imam of Southport mosque – which was damaged in disorder the night after Elsie’s death.
The family dog, Bobby, was also outside the church to see the procession arrive.
Inside, the church was decorated with pastel-coloured flowers, pink ribbons and a screen with an illustration of a dancer which welcomed those attending to ‘Elsie’s Special Day’.
The Lighthouse Choir performed From Now On, from The Greatest Showman, and Wind Beneath My Wings, which was played on speakers outside the church as people entered.
Ahead of the service Mr and Mrs Stancombe released a new poignant black and white image of their family, describing themselves as the ‘the four best friends in the whole wide world.’
They added that Elsie would be ‘forever in our hearts.’
‘Elsie spent every day just simply enjoying life with determination, persistence, love and kindness,’ they said.
‘Elsie was an amazing little girl. She had the ability to light up any room that she entered, she was truly unforgettable.’
The couple, who are understood to have met Elsie’s pop hero Taylor Swift at Wembley this week, said their daughter was a ‘devoted Swiftie’ who loved to dance.
They said she ‘gave every activity a go’ but her real passion was cheerleading, adding: ‘Her weekly classes couldn’t come around quick enough.
‘Her persistence was admirable, from completing a 3k run and 10k charity walk for her local hospice, as well as moving up book bands in school, everything she did she gave 100 per cent and would never give up.
‘Our family affirmation is, ‘as long as you try your best, enjoy yourself and have fun, nothing else matters. We are the four best friends in the whole wide world,’ – that mantra will remain with us for the rest of our lives, sound in the knowledge that Elsie is here with us and forever will be in our hearts.’
Elsie’s family will walk behind her cortege from her home to the church, where a pink carpet has been laid for the occasion.
Royal Mail staff will also pay tribute when the cortege passes as Mr Stancombe is a postal worker.
Liverpool Lighthouse choir will perform at the service, while a singer and pianist will also play some of Elsie’s favourite songs, including by Taylor Swift.
Elsie’s family also thanked the Southport community for their support since her death, on July 29.
‘Elsie has brought light, love and joy to so many lives and it has been clear to us in the overwhelming response from everybody that knew her and everybody within the community,’ they added.
‘We will always be grateful for the love and support we have had over these past weeks and we are and will continue to be proud to live in Southport.
‘To that end, Elsie’s legacy will continue and as a family we will ensure that her impact and legacy endures with positivity and hope and with Elsie by our side forever and always.’
Reverend Jennie Hardy, who will preside over the church service, told BBC Radio Merseyside that Elsie’s parents had described her as an ‘extraordinary little girl’.
Ms Hardy said they had told her she was ‘very kind-natured’ and ‘would look after other people’.
She added: ‘She loved chatting, she loved having fun. She loved a party and a celebration.
‘She was unusual in some ways that she could really connect and converse with adults along with children.
‘She was wise beyond her years; emotionally intelligent and just an absolute joy to be around.’
The service will be live-screened at St John’s Church Hall and Liverpool Road Methodist Church in Birkdale.
Elsie’s family will go on to a private service in Burscough.
A vigil is also planned at The Atkinson arts centre in Lord Street in Southport later.
Eight other children and two adults were seriously injured during the knife attack.
On Wednesday the parents of Elsie, Bebe and Alice had a private meeting with King Charles following his visit to the town a day earlier.
The Monarch examined the sea of floral tributes, teddy bears and balloons outside Southport Town Hall, before meeting survivors and emergency service workers who responded to the attack. He also signed a book of condolence.
Charles previously said he had been ‘profoundly shocked’ to hear of the ‘utter horrific incident’ and sent his ‘prayers’ to those affected.
Axel Rudakubana, 18, has been charged with three counts of murder and 10 of attempted murder, plus possession of a knife, and is due to stand trial next year.
Curled from the Daily Mail
Mr Samuel, in an exclusive interview with this newspaper on Thursday evening, also alleged that the spiritual products VeryDarkMan claimed he got and administered to people with disabilities were not authentic.
Earlier, this newspaper reported that VeryDarkMan showcased the effectiveness of Prophet Fufeyin’s miracle products in a 24-minute YouTube video. The video featured the administration of these products to individuals with disabilities.
VeryDarkMan conducted the experiments at an undisclosed disability home in Abuja, which houses approximately 1,500 persons with disabilities.
“More importantly, there is clear evidence that he has forged some church receipts to claim that he has a contract with Prophet Jeremiah falsely. An intensive investigation has been conducted, and those items do not originate from the registry or inventory of the court; we have a letter from the court to that effect. The purported receipts he used to buy those materials do not come from the church, and we have a disclaimer letter from the church to that effect. He claims to have obtained these items from the Christ Mercyland Deliverance Ministry (CMDM) in Warri, where the church headquarters is based, which he never did. He got them (spiritual products) from the roadside. We will address this further. The police are already investigating the matter, and he will be invited, allowing the law to take its course. VeryDarkMan, being a person of questionable character, continues to engage in cyberbullying and cyberstalking in complete violation of Section 24 of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act.”
The case, which is ongoing at the Federal Capital Territory High Court, was adjourned for hearing on 6 September by Justice Nwosu Iheme last Friday.
Justice Iheme further ordered a status quo injunction, preventing Mr Fufeyin and VeryDarkMan from altering the current situation while the case is ongoing. A status quo injunction maintains the existing conditions until a final ruling.
Furthermore, Mr Samuel stated that VeryDarkMan is not authorised under the Nigerian Constitution to demand any product authenticity or NAFDAC certification.
He said: “Nigerians have the right to freedom of religion; VeryDarkMan does not have the right to interfere with the expression of Nigerians’ religious beliefs in any manner, provided they (Nigerians) don’t commit a crime in the expression of their religious beliefs. VeryDarkMan lacks the capacity and oversteps his bounds by attacking the prophet about his spiritual products because social media is not a place for taking legal steps. He (VeryDarkMan) is not part of any Nigerian regulatory agency, nor is he a staff member, ambassador, or the Attorney General of the Federation to institute cases on behalf of the government.
“What he does is purely cyber-bullying, cyber-stalking, meddlesome behaviour, and the law will take its course. If he has issues, there are law enforcement agencies and courts he can resort to, and it’s not recognised in the Nigerian constitution to come to social media to cyberbully and defame—it’s never done anywhere. You write to the authorities if you feel someone has committed criminal infractions. What VeryDarkMan did constitutes infractions under the Cybercrime Prohibition Act and many other laws. The truth is that the law will take its course.”
Additionally, Mr Fufeyin’s legal counsel alleged that VeryDarkMan disregarded court orders for continuous defaming, cyberbullying, and cyberstalking of his client.
Mr Samuel emphasised the potential legal consequences, stating that the social media influencer could face imprisonment for his reckless behaviour and false claims against Mr Fufeyin.
“There is an order to maintain the status quo because as soon as the court precedent of the FCT was served, it became an automatic injunctive order of status quo, meaning no steps should be taken to undermine the court proceedings and the matter before the court. VeryDarkMan, in defiance of that, came on social media, called the man names again, and said, ‘Papa, don’t sue me; the soap is fake.’ The soap in question has a NAFDAC number. It’s just a soap like any other but in the form of a spiritual material, where a pastor or prophet blesses it and says the member can apply it. So, that is not a crime.
“That’s not for VeryDarkMan to start labelling and cyberstalking. Subsequently, we returned to court later and informed the court about the atrocious act of several defamatory videos continuously made by VeryDarkMan against our client. The court looked at it and found merit in our oral application. We had a pending application, written summons, and filed a motion, which the court asked VeryDarkMan to respond to. We had a motion for an injunction, and the court found merit in what we were saying, so the court officially granted an injunctive order of status quo,” he added.
Mr Fufeyin’s attorney stated that his client remains steadfast in the legal proceedings against VeryDarkMan, noting that complete machinery will be enforced against him.
Debunking VeryDarkMan’s allegation of the miracle products being removed from the church website, he noted, “No, the said products are on the church website, and they are not illegal. They are all in the church. It is a false story he cooked up that they’re removed. That is not to what is even before the court; what is before the court is whether VeryDarkMan cyberbullied, labelled and slandered Prophet Jeremiah.”
Mr Samuel maintained that the ongoing case is at the stage of hearing the preliminary applications.
“We have several motions for an injunction, and VeryDarkMan said he has a motion for a proposed bridge or whatever. VeryDarkMan should understand that he lacks the local standing to initiate matters on behalf of NAFDAC. He is not the Attorney General. When the time comes, we will prove that in court.”
Meanwhile, VeryDarkMan lawyer Ademola Adedokun told this newspaper in an interview that his client didn’t violate contempt of court—court status quo order—in the ongoing legal battle against Prophet Fufeyin.
He said: “He has not violated any order made by the court in whatever respect. He continues to maintain his status quo, and that’s what we stand for. They (Mr Fufeyin and his lawyer) said on the 17 of July, he (VeryDarkMan) made a defamatory post, and that his 17 of July post, which, if you go to his page, is still there, and that is maintaining the status quo, and we are maintaining it.
“What is the thing afterwards? If you go to the pages of their (Jeremiah Fufeyin) website now, it is an issue because we also have our case; we have a contract with them, and the court said we should maintain the status quo. All the products they advertise on their website have been removed. Are they maintaining the status quo by removing all those items?”
Furthermore, VeryDarkMan’s counsel stated that the court denied Mr Fufeyin’s request for an injunction to prevent his client from further defaming him.
He said: “Prophet Jeremiah Omoto Fufeyin, through his client, applied to court after filing his writ of summons on 22 of July, according to the date on the writ. They appeared in court on 25 July asking for another ex parte that the court should restrain the defendant, that is, my client, from continuing to defame him (Jeremiah Fufeyin), and you will agree with me that for a court to now make such an order that he (VeryDarkMan) should stop defaming him (Jeremiah Fufeyin) when the court has not heard from the other side.
“When the court has not heard the main case, it is statically luring the court to conclude that the defamation had never occurred. So the court declined to make that order on the 25 of July that Vincent Martins Otse should stop defaming him because saying that would mean that the court would be biased; the court would have said, you have defamed him, then stop defaming him. The court refused the order and asked us to come and show cause, asking why what they were asking for should not be made.”
Additionally, Mr Adedokun also stated that on 30 July, during their (his and VeryDarkMan’s) court appearance, they confirmed receiving the court documents.
“When we were in court on the 30th of July, we acknowledged that the court process had been served on us and that ordinarily, when the court process has been served on parties, both parties usually maintain the status quo.
“So another status quo is not relative to either of the parties; it is relative to both of them and then that order relates to the dispute. So, if it is a building over land in dispute, both parties will leave the structure where it is, as they went to court. So I told the court that ordinarily law lawyers know, and our clients also know, that if the case is in court, the status quo should be maintained”, he noted.
This newspaper reported that the 53-year-old clergyman announced on Sunday via his Facebook page that the church would take legal action against VeryDarkMan for making false accusations about him and his products.
In a statement signed by Sophia Lloyd, the church alleged that VeryDarkMan, in a recent video, claimed the church had removed all approved spiritual items from its official website.
The church denied the allegations and labelled them unfounded lies and cheap propaganda. It announced it had instructed its legal team to take action against the social media influencer.
Responding to the church’s legal threat, VeryDarkMan’s lawyer claimed they hadn’t received a formal court notice, saying, “We are waiting for whatever action they want to take. It’s a legal battle, and it has started, and the substance of the case is still before the court.
“Ordinarily, I would not comment on the substance of the case, apart from all these peripherals and the issue that relates to public curiosity. All these peripheral issues that relate to the issue of public curiosity are the only things we can respond to. But so far, we have not heard anything from them. And we are waiting.”
Curled from Premium Times
Heman Bekele created the soap when he was in middle school.
A 14-year-old student has created a new kind of soap that he hopes could potentially be used to treat skin cancer someday.
Heman Bekele, a high school student in Fairfax, Virginia, says it costs only $8.50 to create a batch of 20 bars of the soap, which he calls Skin Cancer Treating Soap, or SCTS.
“People might not have the equipment or have the facilities to be able to treat this disease,” Heman told ABC News about the innovation, which he said could eventually be used in the early stages of skin cancer if proven to be effective. “A bar of soap is just so simple, so affordable, so accessible in comparison to these modern new skin cancer treatments.”
According to Heman, who created the soap in 8th grade, when skin cancer cells develop, they weaken dendritic cells in the body that boost human immune responses, allowing the cancer to take over. He said SCTS contains agents that could potentially reactivate dendritic cells that help eliminate the cancer cells.
“It does this as a sort of a compound-based bar of soap,” he said. “It’s charged with different cancer fighting chemicals. And the main one, there is this drug called imidazoquinolines.”
Heman earned the title of America’s Top Young Scientist and a $25,000 prize last month after his innovation won first place in the 3M Young Scientist Challenge, an annual competition that gives 5th through 8th grade students “the chance to change their world for the better with a single innovative idea,” according to the 3M Young Scientist Lab.
He is an incredibly bright, passionate and focused young man,” Deborah Isabelle, Heman’s mentor for the 3M Young Scientist Challenge and a product engineering specialist at 3M, said about him in a statement. “Heman is both compassionate and charismatic, which are great traits for a scientist. With his curiosity and determination, I have no doubts he will change the world for the better.”
When asked the likelihood of SCTS actually treating skin cancer, Isabelle replied that it was possible, but it would need to undergo typical clinical trials that could take between five and 10 years. At this point, Heman said he has not performed any physical trials, instead using digital molecular testing, secondary data analysis and formulaic computations to reach his results.
According to Isabelle, there are topical creams that treat skin cancer, but they are more expensive than SCTS, and use different ingredients and formulations. Heman was born in Ethiopia and moved to the U.S. at age 4. He said he remembers the toll poverty took on many of the people in Ethiopia and how they would live, work and toil under the glaring sun. According to the young scientist, those images stuck with him, leaving him to wonder how constant exposure to ultraviolet rays from the sun were affecting the people of his homeland.
“This isn’t even an issue that’s strictly in Ethiopia. It’s an issue that’s worldwide,” Heman said. “So, then, when they do end up developing issues like skin cancers, it’s really just incredibly difficult for them to be able to afford the cures.”
For now, Heman said he has a five-year plan: At the end of it, he hopes to have created a nonprofit organization where he can provide equitable and accessible skin cancer treatment to as many people as possible. But to accomplish his goal, he would have to get his treatment through clinical trials, obtain a provisional patent and have it certified by the Food and Drug Administration, he said.
When asked by ABC News what motivates him to reach for such lofty goals, Heman responded, “I think I can condense that answer into one word, and it all revolves around it: It’s ‘impact’ — making sure the science that you’re working on can have a direct impact on the world or make it a better place, in one way or another.”
Credit: Times/ABC
The widow of billionaire Richard Lugner – who has today passed away aged 91 just weeks after marrying his sixth wife – has broken her silence as she penned a heartfelt tribute to her husband.
Forty-two-year-old Simone ‘Biene’ Reilaender, who was 49 years his junior, called the late entrepreneur ‘the dream of her life’.
‘And when I saw you shining, from the way I saw you shine, I knew was yours too,’ she wrote on Instagram. ‘In love.’
She also shared a painting of Richard to go with the sweet message – having only a few posts earlier shared details of her wedding dress at their nuptials.
Richard was known for his extravagant lifestyle, many wives and glamourous dates with A-listers – and died after suffering several health issues.
The construction tycoon and socialite, who made headlines for paying the world’s VIPs to attend Vienna’s annual Opera Ball, passed away in his Viennese villa on Monday, Austrian media reported.
Lugner – nicknamed Mr Concrete – was notorious for the celebrity friends he was often seen partying with, with the billionaire reportedly paying six-figure sums to stars like Kim Kardashian, Geri Halliwell and Paris Hilton to be on his arm at the Opera Ball.
Speaking to Kurier in April – just a few months before their June wedding – Simone said that ‘everything she wanted in a man was like Richard’.
‘A successful man who represents something, who you can cling to, look up to and learn from,’ she gushed.
‘Men like that are very rare at a younger age these days.’
And after they tied the knot, Richard had told the outlet: ‘It was a fantastically beautiful wedding, the speech by the registrar was beautiful, the celebration was beautiful and the bride is beautiful.’
Since 1992, Lugner invited acting icons like Goldie Hawn, Joan Collins and Jane Fonda as a special guest for the event, with Fonda saying he paid her ‘quite a bit of money’ to attend.
Born in Vienna on October 11, 1932, Lugner quickly made a name for himself in the construction business by focusing on small-scale projects amid the 1960s building boom, according to APA news agency.
In 1975, Lugner landed his first major coup, when he was commissioned to build the Vienna Islamic Centre, Austria’s first and biggest mosque.
More than a decade later, he built his eponymous ‘Lugner City’ shopping centre.
The eccentric 91-year-old was an integral part of Vienna’s high society, with Lugner frequently dominating the headlines, including criticism he faced over his sexist comments.
A fan of the limelight, Lugner had been inviting the world’s celebrities to the famous Vienna Opera Ball since 1992, most recently bringing Priscilla Presley to the event and dancing the night away with the former wife of Elvis Presley.
Sarah Ferguson attended the Opera Ball with Lugner in 1997, after he paid her a fee said to be between $50,000 and $150,000
More former guests of Lugner include celebrities like Sophia Loren, Pamela Anderson, Paris Hilton, Jane Fonda – who attended last year’s event – Geri Halliwell and Joan Collins.
American actress Fonda said she accepted the Austrian building tycoon’s invitation to attend the Vienna Opera Ball because he offered to ‘pay me quite a bit of money.’
While the amount the tycoon paid his guests of honour has mostly remained a closely guarded secret, he seized on the opportunity to promote his brand and made sure to invite at least one star per year to the ball.
One of the star guests Lugner invited to the Opera Ball was Kim Kardashian, who he famously called ‘annoying’ after she and her mother Kris Jenner attended as his double date to the bash in 2014.
Kim claimed she fled the event because she was reportedly offended following a reported racial slur from a guest.
After the ball, Lugner – nicknamed Concrete due to his roots in the building trade -claimed the star would not dance with him despite being paid a jaw-dropping $500,000 (nearly £400,000).
But Kim insisted she was approached by a white male who was working at the event in ‘blackface’ and began to mimic her then-fiancé Kanye West, which was why she ran away.
Despite calling the Vienna Ball ‘super glamorous’, Kim admitted she had been already suffering anxiety largely because the event was ‘super claustrophobic’.
In 1961, Lugner got married to Christine Gmeiner and their union lasted until 1978.
He then married Cornelia Laufersweiler in 1979, but got swiftly divorced four years later in 1983.
His wedding to his third wife, Susanne Dietrich, followed a year later, with the couple divorcing in 1989.
Lugner was married to his fourth wife, Christina Lugner, from 1990 to 2007, before tying the knot with his fifth wife, Playboy Bunny Cathy Schmitz, in 2014. The couple with a 57-year age difference got divorced just 809 days later in 2016.
The billionaire announced his relationship with Simone Reilaender in 2021 and the couple got married in front of 50 guests June this year – just weeks before his death.
Lugner had four children: Alexander and Andreas Lugner, from his first marriage, Nadine Jeannine Cutter from his relationship with actress Sonja Jeannine, and Jacqueline Lugner from his fourth marriage.
During the late 1990s, Lugner first dabbled in politics, winning almost 10 percent of the presidential vote in Austria in 1998.
In 2016, he ran for president for a second time, but finished last, securing just over two percent.
Last month Lugner was treated for a ruptured heart valve at the Vienna General Hospital and was reportedly suffering several health problems recently.
It followed several cancer diagnoses. In 2016, Lugner announced that he had prostate cancer, which he managed to defeat after several months of radiotherapy.
He was then diagnosed with skin cancer in 2020 and the disease returned in 2021 after he underwent surgery following both diagnoses.
Lugner’s cause of death has not yet been revealed.
Credit: Daily Mail
Federal authorities have announced charges against five people over the death of Friends actor Matthew Perry
Five people have been charged in connection with American actor Matthew Perry’s death last year, including his assistant and two doctors.
On October 28, 2023, 54-year-old Perry was found face down in his hot tub at his home in Los Angeles, soon after paramedics were called and immediately declared him dead.
His autopsy, released in December, revealed that he had the same amount of ketamine in his bloodstream as the level used for general anaesthesia during surgery.
At a press conference on Thursday, US Attorney Martin Estrada announced a series of charges related to the actor’s death.
Mr Estrada said two of the defendants, Dr Salvador Plasencia, 42, of Santa Monica and Dr Mark Chavez, 54, of San Diego, allegedly worked together to supply Perry with large amounts of ketamine – charging Perry $2,000 (£1,500) for a vial that cost Dr Chavez approximately $12 (£9).
Before Perry’s death, Dr Plasencia allegedly wrote in a text message: “I wonder how much this moron will pay,” and “lets find out”.
“These defendants took advantage of Mr. Perry’s addiction issues to enrich themselves. They knew what they were doing was wrong,” Mr Estrada added.
The defendants allegedly exchanged messages soon after Perry’s death referencing ketamine as the cause of death, and Estrada said they tried to cover up their involvement in supplying the drug.
Perry’s live-in assistant Kenneth Iwamasa, 59, of Toluca Lake, was also arrested after he allegedly distributed and injected the vials of Ketamine to the “Friends” star.
DEA Administrator Anne Milgram said: “As Matthew Perry’s ketamine addiction grew, he wanted more, and he wanted it faster and cheaper, that is how he ended up buying from street dealers who sold the ketamine that ultimately led to his death.”
Eric Fleming, 54, of Hawthorne allegedly sourced the Ketamine from a drug trafficker known as “The Ketamine Queen”, Jasveen Sangha, 41, of North Hollywood.
Sangha allegedly sold 50 vials of Ketamine to Perry for $11,000 (£8,553) in cash.
“The ketamine supplied by Sangha would ultimately be the dose that took Matthew Perry’s life,” Ms Milgram told the briefing.
In May, Los Angeles police said that they were working with the US Drug Enforcement Administration and the US Postal Inspection Service with a probe into why Perry had a such a high amount of the anaesthetic in his system.
The drug was listed as the primary cause of death, which was ruled as an accident with no foul play suspected – drowning and other issues were contributing factors.
Ketamine is typically used for anaesthesia, but its use for depression, anxiety, and pain has been increasing in recent years.
People close to Perry told coroner’s investigators that he was undergoing ketamine infusion therapy.
However, the medical examiner stated that Perry’s final treatment one and a half weeks before his death would not account for the levels of ketamine in his blood. The drug is usually metabolised within a few hours.
According to the medical examiner’s report, Perry was being treated by at least two doctors; a psychiatrist and an anaesthesiologist who served as his primary care physician.
No illicit drugs or paraphernalia were discovered at his residence.
Perry struggled with addiction for years, even during his time on the 90s sitcom Friends, where he played Chandler Bing alongside Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer.
In November 2022, Perry released the book Friends, Lovers and The big Terrible Thing where he talked about his life, addiction and that he was in “sobriety”.
Curled from ITV
An autopsy report named acute effects of ketamine as Perry’s cause of death.
Multiple arrests have been made and federal charges filed in connection with “Friends” actor Matthew Perry’s October ketamine death, ABC News has learned.
The arrests were made in an early morning operation, and charges will be announced at a news briefing on Thursday with the U.S. Attorney for Los Angeles and the DEA Administrator. Five people — including two doctors — have been charged with conspiracy to distribute ketamine, according to a federal source.
The charges will also include the death of another person who is referred to in the indictment by the initials C.M., according to the federal source.
An autopsy report from the Los Angeles County coroner in December named acute effects of ketamine as the cause of death for Perry.
According to the report, Perry reportedly was on ketamine infusion therapy and had a ketamine infusion one and a half weeks before his death. However, the medical examiner concluded that the ketamine in his system could not have been from that infusion, as ketamine has a half-life of three to four hours or less.
The report also listed drowning, coronary artery disease, and buprenorphine effects as contributing factors not related to the immediate cause of death. Perry’s death was ruled an accident.
Buprenorphine is a medication used to treat Opioid Use Disorder, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
Here is a look at what ketamine is and how it is used in medical treatment.
Ketamine is part of a class of medications called dissociative anesthetics.
“It can interrupt a person’s perception of the reality and what that looks like is when someone might be awake but not fully conscious,” ABC News medical correspondent Dr. Darien Sutton explained on “Good Morning America” Monday.
Ketamine may be used medically to induce anesthesia. In more recent years, it’s also been used for treatment-resistant depression, according to StatPearls, an online library published in the National Library of Medicine.
“Ketamine, at low doses, can be prescribed. It’s most often used in a clinical setting under close cardiac monitoring,” Sutton explained.
“In terms of using it with someone who might have a history of substance use disorder, it also has been studied for the use of substance use disorders and found benefits. For example, ketamine has been shown to be beneficial in helping patients decrease their cravings and helping them with abstinence away from drugs,” Sutton continued.
Ketamine has a “potential for recreational misuse,” according to American Addiction Centers.
“It can negatively affect your heart rate, your blood pressure, it can cause deep levels of sedation and even stop breathing and for these reasons are reasons why it needs to be always be used under the close monitoring management of a medical professional,” Sutton said.
“The use of ketamine recreationally or anything outside of a prescription can cause danger,” Sutton added. “Ketamine can cause you to be in a vulnerable state where you might be at harm, at risk from your environment. And it also, again, causes deep levels of sedation and you just don’t know exactly how much is in whatever dose you have so you always have to pay attention and again, consult a medical professional.”
According to the Drug Enforcement Agency, ketamine was approved in the 1970s as a rapid-acting anesthetic by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
In recent years, off-label ketamine has been used to treat psychological disorders like depression and PTSD.
“The average antidepressant takes about two months to produce a reduction in symptoms,” Dr. John Crystal, co-director of the Yale Center for Clinical Investigation, told ABC News’ Eva Pilgrimin November. “Ketamine produces those same kinds of improvements within 24 hours in many people.”
Ketamine therapy made headlines in 2021 when former NBA player Lamar Odom opened up to “Good Morning America” about his use of the drug therapy to help him battle addiction. “I went to rehab and did some other things, but ketamine came into my life at the right time,” Odom told ABC News’ Steve Osunsami.
“I think of ketamine as an intervention that is part of an overall treatment,” said Crystal. “Ketamine can be something that can facilitate and enhance the impact of psychotherapy.”
“Death by ketamine overdose rarely occurs if ketamine is the only drug someone takes,” according to American Addiction Centers.
The lethal dose of ketamine is estimated to be about 5.6 milligrams per pound for a 154-pound human, according to the StatPearls journal in the National Library of Medicine.
Beyond the risk of death, Dr. John Crystal, co-director of the Yale Center for Clinical Investigation, told Eva Pilgrim in November that ketamine therapy should not be used by people with schizophrenia or people who are developing a psychiatric illness.
Curled from ABC News
Former President Donald Trump held a news conference Thursday afternoon at his Bedminster golf club — his second in a week – and said he’s “entitled” to insult Vice President Kamala Harris because he doesn’t respect her.
“I think I am entitled to personal attacks. I do not have a lot of respect for her. I don’t have a lot of respect for her intelligence, and I think she’ll be a terrible president. And I think it is very important that we win. And whether the personal attacks are good, bad – I mean, she certainly attacks me personally. She actually called me “weird.” “He’s weird.” It was just a soundbite,” he said.
“She’s not—she’s not smart. I don’t believe she loves our country,” he added.
Trump began by highlighting inflation and hitting Harris on the cost of grocery prices as he stood between two tables full of food store items such as cereal, deli meat, milk, eggs, baby formula and bread with a sign saying, “Price Increases since Kamala Harris took office.”
“Harris has just declared that tackling inflation will be a Day 1 priority for her. It’s going to be Day 1. But Day 1, really, for Kamala was three and a half years ago. Where has she been?” Trump said.
He ticked off a long list of what he said were higher costs for a variety of common grocery items but offered no sourcing, other than claiming the numbers came from “the government.”
Inflation peaked at 9.1% during the Biden-Harris administration but since cooled to 2.9% in July compared to a year ago — the lowest inflation reading since March 2021.
He eventually veered off into talking about immigration, energy and other favorite topics, speaking for 45 minutes before taking any questions.
Thursday’s news conference follows one that Trump held at his Mar-a-Lago estate last Thursday, fielding questions for more than an hour on a range of topics including his recent attacks on Harris, immigration and reproductive rights.
During the long and, at times, rambling exchange with reporters, Trump often pushed false claims on several topics, including the outcome of the 2020 election and size of the crowd at his Jan. 6, 2021, rally before the attacks on the U.S. Capitol by a pro-Trump mob.
“She refuses to do any interviews or press conferences, almost 30 days now, she has not done an interview,” Trump said of Harris on Wednesday in North Carolina. “You know why she hasn’t done an interview? Because she’s not smart. She’s not intelligent,” he said.
His campaign says she’s trying to “duck and hide” from the news media.
Trump’s recent news conferences appear to be part of the campaign’s attempt to draw a contrast between the two candidates.
“She hasn’t done an interview — she can’t do an interview,” Trump claimed during his Mar-a-Lago press conference last week.
He added that he “look[s] forward to the debates” as a way to “set the record straight.”
The Harris campaign has been using Trump’s news conferences to highlight flubs he has made and criticize policies he advocates.
“Trump did the only thing he knows how to do — he went out and lied, made up stories, mixed up dates, attacked the media, and, overall, reminded Americans that he is a deeply unwell man,” the Harris campaign said in a statement reacting to Trump’s news conference.
During her time out on the campaign trail since announcing her White House bid, Harris has held a few exchanges with reporters aboard Air Force Two and answered a few shouted questions; however, her campaign says she will participate in a sit-down interview before the end of the month.
“We will commit to directly engage with the voters that are actually gonna decide this election and that is gonna be complete with rallies, with sit-down interviews, with press conferences, with all the digital assets we have at our disposal,” Michael Tyler, communications director for the Harris-Walz campaign, said on CNN Wednesday when pressed multiple times to commit to press conferences and media interviews.
Though she hasn’t made herself as available to the media as the former president, Harris did spend the week with her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, crisscrossing the country visiting battleground states.
Trump just visited the solidly conservative state of Montana to stump for GOP Senate candidate Tim Sheehy last week, and is holding a rally in battleground Pennsylvania over the weekend.
Curled from ABC News
