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England cricket players were woken up by a fire alarm before the final Test match against Australia commenced, reports say. The hosts have impressed at times this series but won't be winning the urn, with a draw the best they can manage. According to the Daily Mail, England's attempts to finish on a high were hampered on Wednesday - the day the last Test started on. And that's because a fire alarm sounded at their team hotel. Players such as Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali and Jonny Bairstow were already up and enjoying breakfast when the alarm supposedly sent off at 8.10am. They then had to leave immediately, while some of their team-mates 'emerged from their rooms bleary-eyed'. Stokes was then spotted in the lobby with golf clubs in his possession, while Bairstow 'stole a few extra minutes' to finish his food. Sometimes, before big sporting matches, fans do whatever they can to disrupt the preparations of their rivals. But it's claimed a resident on...

Comparisons between Carlos Alcaraz and the likes of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic 'make no sense', according to coach Patrick Mouratoglou. The Spaniard is in the spotlight ever since his stunning win at Wimbledon earlier in the month. Alcaraz was outstanding as he beat Djokovic in five sets, ending the Serb's dominance of the competition in the process. And he's drawn comparisons with his opponent, Federer and Nadal in the short time since. However, Mouratoglou, the former coach of Serena Williams, has now shut down those claims - arguing they 'make no sense'. "I don't like the idea of the Big Three label for Alcaraz," he said. “We're in a different era. There is no more Big Three anyway. "There is Novak who's dominating the game and then Carlos comes in, wins two Grand Slams at 20 years old and is in a position that is incredible. And he shows incredible qualities. “To label him Big Three, for me, makes n...

A social worker has been told she cannot apply for anymore jobs within social services after she challenged whether transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney should model a sports bra for Nike. Louise Chivers, who has 25 years experience, cannot apply for a job while an investigation is carried out after a manager at Leicestershire County Council suggested there was a risk she “might misgender someone”. The mum-of-two described Mulvaney, a TikTok star who identifies as female, as “a skinny gay man with no t*ts” and also accused the TikTok influencer of being a “misogynist who mocks women” during a training day. Following her comments, she has now been referred to Social Work England which regulates social workers across the country. “On this particular occasion, we had been discussing gender-neutral toilets and I said I wasn’t comfortable using them because statistics show women are eight times more likely to be raped in one," Chivers told The Telegraph. “The conversation t...

England bowler Stuart Broad will retire from cricket after the conclusion of the fifth Ashes test. The 37-year-old will see out his career at The Oval after taking 602 wickets in 167 test matches, making him the second most successful paceman in Test history, behind teammate James Anderson. “Tomorrow or Monday will be my last game of cricket,” he told Sky Sports. “It’s been a wonderful ride, a huge privilege to wear the Nottinghamshire and England badge as much as I have. “It’s been a wonderful series to be part of and I’ve always wanted to finish at the top. This series just feels like it’s been one of the most enjoyable and entertaining that I’ve been part of.” Broad, who made his Test debut against Sri Lanka in 2007, sits fifth on the all-time list of Test wicket-takers. Alongside team-mate Anderson, he is one of only two fast bowlers to pass 600 Test wickets for their country and took his 150th Ashes wicket in his final game this week. The Nottinghamshire player leaves...

A medical student has been expelled after footage of a corpse being dissected was posted on social media. A video of the cadaver - which had been donated to the university for medical science - was shared online by the student in a gross violation of strict ethical rules. The body was one of hundreds bequeathed to the University of Dundee to help the next generation of doctors and scientists, with students able to practise surgery and study anatomy. The watchdog responsible for policing the strict rules about the use of dead bodies launched an investigation after the incident was reported. His Majesty’s Inspector of Anatomy for Scotland (HMIAS) probed the “serious incident” last year. However, there is now issues surrounding transparency amid claims that it was covered up by the university and the authorities. The SNP Government admitted an investigation took place because a student "uploaded a video of dissection activity to social media". A university spokesman...

A man who was wrongly imprisoned for a rape he didn’t commit may now have to pay for his time spent in prison. Andrew Malkinson, 57, had his conviction quashed on Wednesday, yet he may have to spend more years proving his innocence to qualify for the government’s compensation scheme. He has now had all his charges against him dropped but is still awaiting a declaration of innocence from the Court of Appeal. He needs this to claim compensation. Malkinson was sentenced to seven years in 2003 for the rape of a mother in Greater Manchester. This was extended by another decade as the man maintained his innocence. He was released from jail in December 2020, but his name was still kept on the sex offenders register. Since being released, the 57-year-old has described his current financial hardship where he criticised the current route to compensation. "I feel very strongly about this. Somehow the prison service has lobbied the government in the early 2000s,” he told the BB...

Women's World Cup star Linda Caicedo collapsed in training with the distressing scenes caught on camera. The 18-year-old previously beat ovarian cancer three years ago and has flourished at the tournament so far. Caicedo scored on her debut just days ago as Colombia cruised to a 2-0 victory over South Korea to get their tournament off to a positive start. However, her future involvement in this year's competition is now up in the air. EL MOMENTO QUE PREOCUPÓ A TODO UN PAÍS Linda Caicedo, ya recuperada, entrena con normalidad junto a sus compañeras. 📹 DSPORTS, en Australia pic.twitter.com/02vIjZisaU — DSportsCo (@DIRECTVSportsCo) July 27, 2023 Terrifying footage uploaded by @DIRECTTVSportsCo shows the youngster jogging with her team-mates. She then suddenly stops, holding her chest and falls to the ground - sparking panic from those around her. Concerned players gathered around Caicedo before a member of training staff rushes onto the scene, along with other t...

Flames lit up the evening skies in central Greece yesterday after strong winds triggered a series of explosions at an air force ammunition dump. The inferno in the region of Volos reached an ammunition dump outside a military air base in Nea Anchialos. The fire likely triggered subsequent explosions which reportedly led to windows being shattered on houses in the surrounding area. The air force said the ammunition dump, which is just four miles north of the airbase, was evacuated well in advance of the blast. Officials have said no injuries were reported following the incident. Nearby villages were also ordered to evacuate the scene and the local fire service added no injuries were reported. Fire Service spokesman Ioannis Artopios said 12 villages were ordered evacuated in the Volos-Nea Anchialos area. “Despite their superhuman efforts, our forces were unable to stop the blaze,” he said. LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: Putin has 'almost abandoned' hopes of military win in ...

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has opened an inquiry after classified emails intended for US counterparts were instead sent to a Russian ally. Mistakes have arisen due to typing errors, the suffix of US military email addresses is .mil, while the domain for Mali is .ml. Carelessly missing out the letter i in the email handle has caused classified information from the UK and other nations to be directed to West Africa. Colonel Assimi Goïta, Mali's military ruler, has relied upon Wagner group mercenaries to cling on to power and thwart resistance from jihadist rebels. Mali is one of six African nations to have had its palms greased by free grain from President Putin at a summit in St Petersburg yesterday. The Kremlin used the summit to position itself as an alternative to Ukrainian grain exports, after it pulled out of the Black Sea grain deal. Most of the emails directed to Mali contained trivial information, such as MoD and Foreign Office annual leave dates. However, on...

England’s Lionesses winning the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 Championships has been voted the greatest sporting moment of all time, according to a new poll of Brits. Sarina Wiegman's side beat old rivals Germany 2-1 in the final to spark jubilant scenes around the country. A poll conducted by Sportsbreaks.com sees that triumph top the list, with Andy Murray's triumph at Wimbledon in 2013 coming second. The Brit beat Novak Djokovic in the final that year, 12 months after he'd been beaten by Roger Federer at the same stage. Coming in third is Liverpool's stunning Champions League final win from 2005. The Reds found themselves 3-0 down at half time after a brace from Hernan Crespo and strike from Paulo Maldini. But Liverpool then came roaring back to draw level and ended up winning on penalties, with goalkeeper Jerzey Dudek the hero. Next on the poll is Mo Farah's 10,000 metres gold medal at the 2012 Olympics in London. Great Britain won three gold medals in 45...

Eco-activists from the Scottish direct action group This Is Rigged have applied pink spray paint to a King Charles portrait exhibited in Edinburgh. Singling out the painting of the monarch in the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, two protesters took a stencil to the artwork before supergluing themselves to the floor. The pontificating pranksters emblazoned King Charles III with their logo, before spraying the words: “The people are mightier than a lord.” This Gaelic saying was previously adopted as a rallying cry by the Highland Land League, which used direct action to oppose unscrupulous landlords in the 1880s. Activist Ben Taylor, a 28-year-old gardener from Ayrshire, said: “Why does the Scottish government think it’s acceptable to keep allowing new oil and gas projects to go ahead, without even opposing them? “If we want a future for our young people, they need to oppose all new oil and gas licences. “This is the most basic step they can take to secure a chance at a li...

A former US intelligence officer appeared before a congressional hearing on Wednesday, giving evidence on unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP). Retired Major David Grusch delivered testimony to a House Oversight committee, suggesting the US government is in possession of non-human vehicles and alien bodies. In a moment of high theatre at Rayburn House Office Building, a sceptical US Republican Eric Burlison cross examined the UFO whistleblower. Grusch said in the recorded hearing : “I was informed in the course of my official duties of a multi-decade UAP crash retrieval and reverse engineering program to which I was denied access.” The former intelligence officer claimed to be aware of officials who recovered “nonhuman” aircraft, some of which contained “biologics” that were collected for study. Burlison asked Grusch: “At one point you had said that there has been harmful activity, or aggressive activity. Has any of the activity been aggressive, been hostile, in your repor...

Novak Djokovic's father wants his son to retire from tennis next year. The Serb has enjoyed a remarkable career, winning a stunning 23 Grand Slam titles to lead the likes of Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. Djokovic has won the Australian Open and French Open so far this year while also recently making the Wimbledon final. But his father, Srdjan Djokovic, would like to see the 36-year-old retire next year. Speaking in an upcoming documentary titled 'Novak Djokovic - Untold Stories', Srdjan said: "As far as my wishes for him go, he has already fulfilled them all seven to eight years ago. "The rest is this amazing bonus." He added: "My wish as a father - I think for some time that he should have stopped working this extremely difficult job. "It's physically and mentally challenging and very demanding - with him being fully dedicated for 30 years, and not taking his foot off the gas, there is not much time for other things in life. ...

North Korea’s Supreme Leader, Kim Jong-un, welcomed delegations from UN-defying kindred spirits Russia and China, as he celebrated the Korean War anniversary with a bout of sabre-rattling. Russia’s defence minister Sergei Shoigu and representatives of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) were given a whistle-stop tour around DPRK’s missile armouries, ranks of goose-stepping soldiers and a state banquet. Impressed with what he saw, Shoigu hailed North Korea as the “most powerful military in the world” and pledged ambitions to forge closer ties over a nuclear regime. The delegations met in Pyongyang to mark 70 years since a truce was signed that put a pause to the 1950-53 Korean War, a day known in North Korea as Victory Day. To celebrate the armistice, the delegates marvelled at cutting edge military technology and the Russian defence minister indicated that military ties with Pynogyang would be strengthened. In a statement released by the Russian defence ministry via Telegram a...

The BBC have refused to apologise after receiving complaints following Carlos Alcaraz's recent Wimbledon final win over Novak Djokovic. Some fans felt the corporation favoured the Serb, who narrowly missed out on a record 24th Grand Slam title. Commentator Andrew Castle has received a backlash after saying it was 'understandable' after Djokovic smashed a racket against the net in anger. However, the BBC have refused to apologise and insist they condoned the former world No 1 for his actions. "We’ve received complaints from people who felt our commentary favoured Novak Djokovic and/or condoned his behaviour after hitting the net post with his racket," a statement published via the Daily Express read. “While Andrew Castle highlighted that Djokovic’s anger and frustration was 'understandable' at such a crucial point in the match, it was also made clear that this behaviour is wrong, and that Djokovic rightly received a conduct violation for it. ...

The creative director of The Beano has opened up about hiring sensitivity readers to adapt to the modern age ahead of the comic’s 85th anniversary. Mike Stirling, 49, has revealed that new Beano characters are vetted and written with the help of Inclusive Minds, a consultancy that recently eliminated offensive material Roald Dahl’s novels. Inclusive Minds have been hired by Britain’s longest running comic to provide a digital focus group of children and act as advisers seeking to “embed authenticity” into the strips. The iconic Bash Street Kids have had their ranks bolstered by the additions of new pupils. The class of 2023 characters include Khadija Raad, a talented artist who wears a hijab; Mandira Sharma, a girl battling anxiety; Jemima Jones, a ghost hunter who is black; and Rubi, a ginger haired scientist who uses a wheelchair. Meanwhile, familiar students Fatty and Spotty have been rebranded as Freddy and Scotty, with a mind to protecting youths from feeling insecure...