announces

England’s World Cup-winning captain Zoe Stratford has announced she is pregnant with her first child.

Announcing the news on Instagram the 29-year-old said the baby is due in September.

“We are so incredibly grateful and excited,” added Stratford.

The news comes seven months after she led the Red Roses to a World Cup triumph on home soil.

Stratford’s news will rule her out of the Women’s Six Nations, where England will open their campaign against Ireland at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham on Saturday, 11 April.

England are yet to confirm who will lead the side in the 2026 campaign, but Marlie Packer and Meg Jones were vice-captains during the World Cup, with Alex Matthews taking the skipper’s armband for their pool match against Australia.

Red Roses head coach John Mitchell will name his Six Nations squad on Friday.

Stratford was named World Player of the Year in 2021 and has also co-captained her club Gloucester-Hartpury to three back-to-back Premiership Women’s Rugby titles.

Since the World Cup success, she has also opened a coffee shop with England and Gloucester team-mate Natasha Hunt.

Stratford becomes the third England women’s player to announce they are expecting this year, following Bristol duo Lark Atkin-Davies and Abbie Ward.

ALICE Evans has shared the devastating news that her father has passed away – just months after losing her brother.

The actress, 57, revealed that her dad David died on Friday as she shared a heartbreaking tribute post with fans today.

Alice shared a series of throwback photos of her dad and her late mum when they were younger, along with a photo of her with her parents.

She penned: “Dear Dad, You left us on Friday. Only six months after the death of your beloved son Tony.

“Now all three of you are gone – you, Mum, Tony and it’s just me and Phil from the OG family.

“I hope the three of you are together. I hope there is a place where we get to see the people we’ve lost and that the three of you are having a blast, free from pain and the worry and anxiety and sometimes pure hell of life on earth.”

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Fresh heartache for Alice Evans as she reveals her brother tragically died

She continued: “I hope you know how much wisdom you passed on to me that I am now passing on to my girls.

“Your crazy maths problems, brain teasers, your brilliant anecdotes, encompassing both the respect you had for the incredibly high position you reached in the world of academia, and at times the absurdity of the whole system.

“You taught me to laugh. You taught me that there is humor in almost anything. You taught me to play the piano.

“You taught me not to care what people thought because ‘if you do A, they’ll say you should have done B.

“And if you do B they’ll say you should have done A’. That stayed with me forever.

“Godspeed, Dad. Give Mum and Tone the biggest hug from me.

“David Vincent Evans 27th October 1940. – 13th March 2026 RIP.”

Alice was flooded with messages of support from her followers.

One wrote: “I am so sorry for your loss!!! Sending you all my love.”

A second posted: “Oh Alice, I’m beyond sorry, my heart goes out to you. You’ve endured so much loss, but know your parents’ love and legacy live on through you. Sending you love, prayers, and compassion God bless sweetheart.”

Another added: “So sorry to hear this news. Thinking of you. My condolences. I fully understand how painful this must be right now.”

In August 2025, Alice revealed her beloved brother Tony has tragically passed away.

She had previously revealed that her brother Tony has been through a lot of trauma.

Alice shared a series of touching photos from their childhood together, as well as special moments from each other’s weddings,

She wrote in the caption: “I can’t believe I’m writing this.
On Thursday, at 6.42pm, our beloved Tone left this earth.

“My brother, my best friend, the most incredible husband to Rachel, and beloved Uncle Tone to my girls who became so close to him in these past few years thanks to the wonders of face time.

“Tony was the kindest, most loyal, funniest, warm person I could have ever hoped to have had as a sibling.

“He will leave a gaping hole in the lives of me and the girls, that I have no idea how I will fill.

“Rachel, you are the strongest person I know and this week has been hell for all of us but especially you.

“You are the most caring, beautiful person and my sister forever. You and Tone were meant for each other.

“I have never met another couple so in love and so dedicated. It’s just unthinkable that your story has to end here.

“Tone – I don’t remember life without you in it and I have no idea how to even go about trying. RIP my beautiful, perfect brother.”

It comes after Alice’s ex Ioan and his new wife Bianca welcomed their first child together in November.

The couple wrote alongside a photo of them enjoying a kiss in the hospital: “November was a biggie…  Name: Mila Mae Gruffudd.

“Birth date: 2 November 2025. Due date: 2 December 2025.

“Bubba Bear and Rocky: Absolutely smitten. Daddy & Mummy: Completely and totally in love with our tiny little angel

“Extremely grateful this thanksgiving.”

It comes more than three years after Fantastic Four star Ioan, 52, divorced British-American actress Alice, after having split in 2021.

She played Chloe Simon in the film 102 Dalmatians as-well as Esther Mikaelson in the third season of the The Vampire Diaries.

The pair officially ended their marriage amid a bitter court battle and vicious custody row over their daughters.

Hollywood star Ioan also obtained a restraining order in 2022 against Alice.

Ioan and Bianca went public with their relationship in 2021.

The couple announced they were engaged in January 2024.

He revealed he was looking forward to giving marriage another go, captioning the photo on Instagram: “The most precious thing happened…”

They married in April this year and shared a video showing their romantic wedding ceremony.

Welsh actor Ioan could be seen wiping away tears as he expressed his love to Bianca.

Weeks later, they revealed they were expecting their first child together.

March 16 (UPI) — The Israeli military announced Monday that soldiers were conducting “limited and targeted ground operations” in southern Lebanon against Hezbollah, amid its larger war against the militant organization’s backer, Iran.

Israeli troops were reported in Lebanon earlier this month, but Monday’s announcement appears to formalize and broaden the mission. The language in the announcement was also consistent with other reports that Israel may be planning to significantly expand its ground operation.

“This activity is part of broader defensive efforts to establish and strengthen a forward defensive posture, which includes the dismantling of terrorist infrastructure and the elimination of terrorists operating in the area, to create an additional layer of security for residents of northern Israel,” the IDF said in a social media statement.

Israel has been attacking Hezbollah in Lebanon for years, and launched a ground operation there in October 2024 that ended with a fragile cease-fire, with both sides accusing the other of violations. Fighting erupted again late last month after the United States and Israel launched a war against Iran.

Specifics about the ground operation were minimal, including the day it began, with the IDF stating on Telegram that the troops entered Lebanon “in recent days.”

Troops from the 91st Division are conducting what the Israel Defense Forces called “limited and targeted ground operations” against Iran-backed Hezbollah strongholds.

Videos of the operation taken from apparent night-vision cameras worn by the soldiers and distributed by the IDF online show Israeli forces and military vehicles seemingly operating in southern Lebanon.

The operation was aimed at enhancing the forward defense area and was part of broader efforts to strengthen Israel’s forward defensive posture, the IDF said, which is consistent with reporting by Axios that Israel plans to seize all of Lebanon south of the Litani River and will be a major operation.

The IDF said airstrikes were conducted before the soldiers of the 91st Division moved in, with a Hezbollah site attacked on Saturday. Troops on Sunday searched the area and found a storage facility housing dozens of rockets, explosive devices and guns, it said in a Monday update on the operation.

Photos included in the release show rockets laid upon a couch inside a debris-filled residence.

Two Hezbollah operatives were also killed, it said, stating the militants had advanced on the Israeli troops.

“The IDF will continue to operate with determination against the Hezbollah terrorist organization following its deliberate decision to attack Israel on behalf of the Iranian regime,” the IDF said.

“The IDF will not tolerate any harm to the residents of the State of Israel.”