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Pep Guardiola sends major Man City threat - just days after signing new contract
‘We’ll send the MRI’ – Arteta hits back at Saka injury doubters as Arsenal star scores after missing England dutySeamer Mohammed Shami will not be considered for India’s fourth and fifth Tests in Australia due to a knee injury. The 34-year-old has fully recovered from his heel injury after undergoing surgery in February. He was not picked in the squad but there had been a chance he could have been added to support pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, if he were fit and available. Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today Shami has not played international cricket since the ODI World Cup last year but has returned to domestic cricket to prove his fitness. “His left knee has exhibited minor swelling due to increased joint loading from his bowling workload. The swelling is on the expected lines, owing to the increased bowling after a prolonged period,” the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said in a statement. “Based on the current medical assessment, the BCCI medical team has determined that his knee requires more time for controlled exposure to bowling loads. “Consequently, he has not been deemed fit for consideration for the remaining two tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.” India battled hard to earn a draw in the rain-hit third test in Brisbane, leaving the five-match series tied at 1-1 heading into the Boxing Day clash. Despite not having Shami by his side, the Boxing Day Test wicket is likely to have Bumrah licking his lips, regardless of the expected Day 1 furnace at the MCG. The MCG has made a deliberate effort over the past few years to make its Test pitches more friendly for pace bowlers. Head curator Matt Page was asked if Bumrah, the standout bowler in the series so far, would be pleased with the pitch prepared. “All the good bowlers get excited when they come here now. It gets through well for us,” Page said on Monday. “We’re never going to be as quick as Perth and Brisbane, but over the last few years we’ve managed to get some pace in it, which has created that excitement. “There’s a bit of grass on it. If you’re a fast bowler and you look at it, you probably do get excited.” Depending on how long the fourth Australia-India Test lasts, Melbourne Cricket Club chief executive Stuart Fox says a total attendance of more than 250,000 could be possible. Day 1 on Thursday is sold out, with the temperature expected to hit 40C. Page added the forecast heat over the next couple of days would not affect the pitch preparation unduly. “It probably means it might quicken up a bit quicker than what it would if it was 20C,” he said. “Whether we leave a bit more moisture in it, I can’t say yes or no at this stage. “We’ll keep monitoring the weather ... and adjust our preparation accordingly. “We’ve been really happy with the last couple of years, so it’s a rinse-and-repeat job for us.” India have been training at the MCG for a couple of days already and there are murmurs out of their camp about the quality of the net wickets. Page countered that how his team prepared the net wickets was standard ahead of Boxing Day. “Three days out, we prepare Test match pitches. If teams come and train before that, they get what pitches we’ve had. It’s stock-standard procedure for us,” he said. Fox said the MCG would have extra bottles of water available on Thursday and urged fans to look after themselves in the heat. “It’s going to be challenging for everyone,” Fox said of the Day 1 weather. Fox is also excited about what sort of crowd figure the match would generate. “Why couldn’t we have a Test match that is 270,000? There are no limits,” he said. Page was asked how he would feel if the Test did not go into Day 4, as was the case in Adelaide. “If the game only goes for two-and-a-half days, but you see a great game, is that good for the game?” he posed.
Greece's former royal family expresses 'deep emotion' after reclaiming citizenship - 50 years on from being forced into exile when the monarchy was abolished Members of Greece 's former royal family have applied for Greek citizenship READ MORE: Greek royal family hold a private thanksgiving service for the life of King Constantine a day after Windsor service led by Queen Camilla By ELEANOR DYE and GINA KALSI Published: 20:15, 23 December 2024 | Updated: 20:16, 23 December 2024 e-mail 3 View comments Members of Greece 's former royal family expressed 'deep emotion' on Monday following the decision to reinstate their citizenship. The late King Constantine II and his family members were stripped of Greek citizenship in 1994 in a dispute with the government over formerly royal property and over claims that he refused to renounce any right to the Greek throne for his descendants. The Greek monarchy was abolished by referendum in December 1974, when voters overwhelmingly backed a republican constitution, months after the fall of a seven-year military dictatorship. The exiled royals then lived in England for many years. In a decision published in the government gazette, dated Friday, citizenship was granted to 10 members of the former royal family. They include the five children of the late king and former Queen Anne-Marie as well as to five of their grandchildren. The royal family's statement was shared by Crown Prince Pavlos - Constantine's eldest son - to his Instagram account and was posted in both Greek and English. The official statement read: 'It is with deep emotion that, after 30 years, we hold the Greek citizenship again. The law of 1994 deprived us of our citizenship, rendering us stateless with all that this entails in terms of individual rights and great emotional distress. 'Our father and our family fully respected the result of the 1974 referendum. Members of Greece 's former royal family expressed 'deep emotion' on Monday following the decision to reinstate their citizenship. Pictured: Crown Princess Marie-Chantal, Crown Prince Pavlos and Maria Olympia in 2018 Citizenship was granted to the five children of the late king and former Queen Anne-Marie (pictured in September) as well as to five of their grandchildren 'However, the provision of the 1994 law on citizenship, a result of the political status at the time, was not befitting of a former head of the Greek state and an institution that served the country faithfully. The passing of our father marked the end of an era.' Constantine's five children are Alexia, 58; Pavlos, 56; Nikolaos, 54; Theodora, 40; and Philippos, 37. Pavlos' five children were also granted citizenship: Maria-Olympia, 27; Constantine-Alexios, 25; Achileas-Andreas, 23; Odysseas-Kimon, 19; and Aristidis-Stavros, 15. 'After 50 years since democracy's restoration, we have a strong democracy and protected constitution that can defend itself, with laws that apply without any footnotes or exceptions,' government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said Friday before the decision was published. Interior Ministry official Athanasios Balerpas said that relatives of the late king, who died last year at the age of 82, signed a declaration on Thursday acknowledging the republican government. They are also adopting a new surname, 'De Grece' - which is French for 'of Greece'. Members of the royal family lived in exile for decades before Constantine returned as a private citizen in his seventies. They were stripped of their Greek citizenship in 1994 during a legal battle over the former royal estate, which is now state-owned. They had previously refused to adopt a surname, distancing themselves from the name Glucksburg, assigned in a 1994 law, which they saw as linking them too closely to their German ancestry and making them seem less legitimately Greek. Princess Theodora - who recently got married in July - has reportedly requested Greek citizenship The full statement was posted on the Greek Royal Family's website on Monday Prince Philippos is pictured with his wife Nina Flohr celebrating the wedding of Theodora of Greece and Matthew Now that the decision has been published in the official government gazette, they can apply for state identity cards and Greek passports. Some politicians from centre-left and left-wing opposition parties objected to the surname chosen by the former royal family members, arguing it sounds like a title rather than a standard surname, but did not oppose their right to citizenship. Mr Balerpas said on the state-run radio station: 'A historically pending matter is being resolved. 'Let's look to the future now. I think it's a good moment because it closes an account from the past and we can now look forward as a people.' The family got together at the end of September to celebrate Princess Theodora's wedding to LA-based lawyer, Matthew Kumar. The couple had a four-year delay in tying the knot, but finally had a lavish ceremony at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens. Theodora is the goddaughter of the late Queen Elizabeth II and has close ties to both the Danish and Spanish royal families. The Prince of Wales was King Constantine's godson. Several members of the latter households, including the bride's paternal aunt Queen Sofia of Spain and her maternal aunt Princess Benedikte of Denmark, as well as the Greek Royal Family, attended the glittering occasion a couple of months ago. The royals were stripped of their Greek citizenship in 1994 during a legal battle over the former royal estate, which is now state-owned. Pictured: Marie-Chantal and Pavlos Former Queen Anne-Marie, former King Constantine II, Prince Pavlos, Princess Marie-Chantal, Princess Alexia, her husband Carlos Morales Quintana, Princess Theodora and Prince Philippos of Greece attend a dinner in 2014 However, many British royals missed the occasion, with Prince William likely staying at home to support his wife Kate after she completed her cancer treatment. King Charles and Queen Camilla missed the nuptials as they were in Scotland for the 25th anniversary of Parliament at the time. However, in October 2021, when Theodora's brother Prince Philippos of Greece married Nina Flohr, the daughter of a billionaire, both Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie were in attendance, as well as Beatrice's husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi. The Greek royals suffered heartache earlier this year when Prince Michael of Greece and Denmark, who was Prince Philip 's first cousin, died at the age of 85 in July. Prince Michael was the last remaining grandson of George I with a lineage to the House of Bourbon through his mother's side of the family. Prince Constantine Alexios (pictured with Princess Maria-Olympia) may be one of the late former King's grandchildren who applied for citizenship Prince Achileas-Andreas of Greece (pictured with Isabella Massenet) could be one of the grandchildren who applied for Greek citizenship Prince Michael of Greece died at the age of 85 in July this year. Pictured in November 2023 He was well known for his devotion to his wife Marina Karella and his turbulent personal life which saw him tragically lose his father at the age of just one. Prince Michael had to give up his rights to the Greek throne to marry Marina in 1965 as despite being an acclaimed painter and sculptor, she was not a member of the royal family . Their marriage took two years to negotiate, with Michael forced to give up his rights to the Greek throne in order to marry a commoner. But when they did tie the knot on February 7, 1965, at the Royal Palace in Athens it was an event to be remembered, with the guest list including Queen Frederica, King Constantine, Queen Anna-Maria and, the Count and Countess of Paris. He later said he 'didn't hesitate' to give away his birthright for love, adding that by doing so it 'gave me a sense of freedom' and meant he was no longer beholden to the Royal Family, allowing him to choose his own profession. 'It was love at first sight – it has never, ever changed,' he said, adding: 'Now we are married 58 years ... Marina and my country Greece are the same.' 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NORMAL, Ill. (AP) — Wenkers Wright ran for 118 yards and two touchdowns and No. 13 Illinois State knocked off North Dakota for the first time, 35-13 in the regular season finale for both teams Saturday. The Redbirds are 9-2 (6-2 Missouri Valley Conference) and are looking to reach the FCS playoffs for the first time since 2019 and sixth time in Brock Spack's 16 seasons as head coach. Illinois State opened the game with some trickery. Eddie Kasper pulled up on a fleaflicker and launched a 30-yard touchdown pass to Xavier Loyd to cap a seven-play, 70-yard opening drive. Simon Romfo tied it on North Dakota's only touchdown of the day, throwing 20 yards to Nate DeMontagnac. Wright scored from the 10 to make it 14-7 after a quarter, and after C.J. Elrichs kicked a 20-yard field goal midway through the second to make it 14-10 at intermission, Wright powered in from the 18 and Mitch Bartol caught a five-yard touchdown pass from Tommy Rittenhouse to make it 28-10 after three. Seth Glatz added a 13-yard touchdown run to make it 35-10 before Elrichs added a 37-yard field goal to get the Fighting Hawks on the board to set the final margin. Rittenhouse finished 21 of 33 passing for 187 yards for Illinois State. Loyd caught eight passes for 121 yards. Romfo completed 11 of 26 passes for 135 yards and a touchdown with an interception for North Dakota (5-7, 2-6). Illinois State faced North Dakota for just the fourth time and third time as Missouri Valley Conference opponents. The Redbirds lost the previous three meetings. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-footballThe Minister for Refugees and Repatriation, Khalil Ur-Rahman Haqqani, was killed on Wednesday afternoon in a suicide bombing at the ministry's offices in the Afghan capital. Thousands of men, many of them armed, gathered for Haqqani's funeral in his home village of Sarana, in a mountainous area of Paktia province, south of Kabul. The funeral included heavy security, with armoured vehicles, snipers and personnel manning the area and the road from Kabul, which was jammed with hundreds of cars as mourners travelled from surrounding provinces. Senior Taliban officials, including the Chief of Army Staff Qari Fasihuddin Fitrat, and Maulawi Abdul Kabir, political deputy of the prime minister's office, attended the funeral, according to an AFP team on site. The deceased's nephew, the powerful interior minister, Sirajuddin Haqqani, also attended, along with foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi. In a speech there, Muttaqi said the latest IS attacks had been planned "abroad", denouncing, without naming them, "countries harbouring" the organisation. "We call on all nations to work together to stop the common enemy, which does not recognise any kind of morality." In September, the Taliban authorities said IS had training camps in Balochistan province of Pakistan, which also regularly faces jihadist attacks. Haqqani, the highest ranked member of the Taliban government to be killed in an attack since their return to power, "was a big loss for us, the system and the nation", said Paktia resident Hedayatullah, 22. "May God protect our other leaders and keep them victorious." "Our leader... who had his life brutally taken away, achieved martyrdom," said Bostan, 53, haranguing the "cowardly attack" that killed Haqqani. The United Nations mission in Afghanistan condemned the attack on Thursday, offering condolences to the victims' families. "There can be no place for terrorism in the quest for stability," the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said on X. The European Union and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation also condemned the attack, along with Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Iran. Haqqani -- who is on US and UN sanctions lists and never appeared without an automatic weapon in his hand -- was the brother of Jalaluddin Haqqani, founder of the feared Haqqani network responsible for some of the most violent attacks during the Taliban's two-decade insurgency. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack, saying a bomber detonated an explosive vest inside the ministry, according to a statement on its Amaq news agency, as translated by the SITE Intelligence Group. Taliban authorities had already blamed IS for the "cowardly attack" -- the first targeting a minister since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. Violence has waned in Afghanistan since the Taliban forces took over the country that year, ending their war against US-led NATO coalition forces. However, the regional chapter of IS, known as Islamic State Khorasan, is active in Afghanistan and has regularly targeted civilians, foreigners and Taliban officials with gun and bomb attacks. bur-qb-sw/nro
Five clues Love Island winners Nicole and Ciaran have split – as fans share awkward video that ‘proves’ secret break upBARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Tens of thousands of Spaniards marched in downtown Barcelona on Saturday to protest the skyrocketing cost of renting an apartment in the popular tourist destination. Protesters cut off traffic on main avenues in the city center, holding up homemade signs in Spanish reading “Fewer apartments for investing and more homes for living" and “The people without homes uphold their rights.” The lack of affordable housing has become one of the leading concerns for the southern European Union country, mirroring the housing crunch across many parts of the world, including the United States . Organizers said that over 100,000 had turned out, while Barcelona’s police said they estimated some 22,000 marched. Either way, the throngs of people clogging the streets recalled the massive separatist rallies at the height of the previous decade’s Catalan independence movement. Now, social concerns led by housing have displaced political crusades. That is because the average rent for Spain has doubled in last 10 years. The price per square meter has risen from 7.2 euros ($7.5) in 2014 to 13 euros this year, according to the popular online real estate website Idealista. The growth is even more acute in cities like Barcelona and Madrid. Incomes meanwhile have failed to keep up, especially for younger people in a country with chronically high unemployment. Protestor Samuel Saintot said he is “frustrated and scared” after being told by the owners of the apartment he has rented for the past 15 years in Barcelona’s city center that he must vacate the premises. He suspects that the owners want him out so they can renovate it and boost the price. “Even looking in a 20- or 30-kilometer radius outside town, I can’t even find anything within the price range I can afford,” he told The Associated Press. “And I consider myself a very fortunate person, because I earn a decent salary. And even in my case, I may be forced to leave town.” A report by the Bank of Spain indicates that nearly 40% of Spaniards who rent dedicate an average of 40% of their income to paying rents and utilities, compared to the European Union average of 27% of renters who do so. “We are talking about a housing emergency. It means people having many difficulties both in accessing and staying in their homes,” said Ignasi Martí, professor for Esade business school and head of its Dignified Housing Observatory. The rise in rents is causing significant pain in Spain, where traditionally people seek to own their homes. Rental prices have also been driven up by short-term renters including tourists. Many migrants to Spain are also disproportionately hit by the high rents because they often do not have enough savings. Spain is near the bottom end of OECD countries with under 2% of all housing available being public housing for rent. The OECD average is 7%. Spain is far behind France, with 14%, Britain with 16%, and the Netherlands with 34%. Carme Arcarazo, spokesperson for Barcelona’s Tenants Union which helped organize the protest, said that renters should consider a “rent strike” and cease paying their monthly rents in a mass protest movement. “I think we the tenants have understood that this depends on us. That we can’t keep asking and making demands to the authorities and waiting for an answer. We must take the reins of the situation,” Arcarazo told the AP. “So, if they (the owners) won’t lower the rent, then we will force them to do it." The Barcelona protest came a month after tens of thousands rallied against high rents in Madrid. The rising discontent over housing is putting pressure on Spain’s governing Socialist party, which leads a coalition on the national level and is in charge of Catalonia’s regional government and Barcelona’s city hall. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez presided over what the government termed a “housing summit” including government officials and real estate developers last month. But the Barcelona’s Tenants Union boycotted the event, saying it was like calling a summit for curing cancer and inviting tobacco companies to participate. The leading government measure has been a rent cap mechanism that the central government has offered to regional authorities based on a price index established by the housing ministry. Rent controls can be applied to areas deemed to be “highly stressed” by high rental prices. Catalonia was the first region to apply those caps, which are in place in downtown Barcelona. Many locals blame the million of tourists who visit Barcelona, and the rest of Spain, each year for the high prices. Barcelona’s town hall has pledged to completely eliminate the city’s 10,000 so called “tourist apartments,” or dwellings with permits for short-term rents, by 2028.
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