denied

LORD Alan Sugar has publicly hit out at a credit card company for allegedly refusing to increase his spend limit.

It comes despite the businessman’s reported £1.138 billion net worth and his reputation as a entrepreneurial tycoon.

Taking to his X account on Monday, the billionaire – who has no qualms about speaking his mind – slammed card issuer American Express as he claimed they haven’t allowed him to borrow more money on his credit card.

He wrote: “I spent a hour on the phone with American Express. I was passed to 4 different people.”

“I was asking for an increase in my credit limit.

“Finally I got to speak to a person in the UK at Brighton who knew who I was and my financial status. However my request was refused due to their system.”

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In the replies, several users were confused as to why Lord Sugar – who fronts BBC show The Apprentice – would need more money on his credit card.

One wrote: “I’m not sure why anyone worth a billion pounds needs a credit card”.

Another joked: “I have a spare 20 quid I can lend you if you’re struggling to see the month out? Just let me know.”

Responding to users questioning him, Lord Sugar explained he needs a credit card ‘to buy things’ as he ‘doesn’t carry bags of cash’.

He wrote in one response: “DO PRACTICE BEING AN IDIOT. I DON’T WALK AROUND WITH BAGS FULL OF CASH. I NEED A CREDIT CARD TO BUY THINGS .”

“I AM NOT MOANING JUST EXPOSING WHAT A BUNCH OF IDIOTS AMEX ARE,” he said in another tweet.

The Sun has reached out to American Express for comment.

The famous businessman began building his fortune by founding consumer electronics company Amstrad.

He now has a portfolio of companies under his umbrella, as well as his booming TV career on the BBC.

Joe Cordina faces a court appearance in July after being charged “with assault and threatening a person with an offensive weapon in a public place”.

The 34-year-old Welshman is a former super-featherweight world champion and had been due to fight for the WBO lightweight title in the United States on 4 July.

South Wales Police (SWP) has confirmed Cordina and another man have been charged in connection with an incident that took place outside a petrol station in the Cardiff suburb of Pentwyn last February.

SWP stated: “Joseph Cordina, 34, from Pontprennau, has been charged with assault and threatening a person with an offensive weapon in a public place. He is due to appear at Cardiff Magistrates’ Court on July 7.

“Jamie O’Brien, 32, from Pentwyn, has been charged with assault and is due to appear at Cardiff Magistrates’ Court on July 28.”

Cordina was due to fight American Abdullah Mason in Cleveland on Saturday, 4 July, but said on Wednesday the United States embassy in London turned down his visa application.

Cordina revealed in a social media post on Wednesday that he had been denied a US visa, saying: “I was due to fly to the United States this week. A couple of days back I went to the US embassy in London and they basically denied me a visa.

“I tried to explain certain things, and had all the paperwork to back it up, and they wasn’t having it.

“They just sort of basically told me you ain’t getting in.”

Egypt’s team will return to their training base in Spokane, about 450km east of Seattle, after rejected flight.

The Egyptian FIFA World Cup team’s plan to fly directly from Vancouver to Seattle ahead of their final group match against Iran was declined by local security officials, coach Hossam Hassan has said.

“The security authorities refused the team’s request to stay in the city of Seattle as planned after the New Zealand match in the World Cup, and therefore the team’s delegation will return to the city of Spokane,” Hossam said in a statement released by the Egyptian Football Association on Monday.

The Egyptian team had submitted a request to remain in Seattle this week, but will now return to their training base in Spokane, about 450km (280 miles) east of Seattle, according to a report by the Daily Mail.

Egypt posted their first-ever World Cup victory on Sunday over New Zealand in Vancouver. Mohamed Salah scored as Egypt rallied from a goal down to win 3-1.

Partey’s visa was denied due to the multiple charges of rape he faces in the United Kingdom.

Ghana midfielder Thomas Partey will not play in his team’s World Cup opener after Canada denied his visa application while he awaits trial on multiple charges of rape in the United Kingdom.

FIFA said on Friday in a statement that the 32-year-old Partey won’t be able to travel from his team’s base camp in Smithfield, Rhode Island, for Ghana’s opening match with Panama in Toronto on Wednesday.

“His visa application has been refused by the Canadian government,” the governing body of world football said.

“FIFA is not involved in the immigration processes of host countries, including the adjudication of visas. As with previous FIFA events, the host government ultimately determines who receives a visa and is admitted into the country.”

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) said in a statement that every person wanting to come to Canada is assessed individually “based on the facts available and the law that applies”.

“Canada is proud to be a host country for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and is working to facilitate a successful event while maintaining the safety and security of Canadians,” the IRCC said in the statement.

“Canada has been consistent that hosting major events does not change Canada’s immigration laws.”

Partey was travelling back to Ghana’s base camp in Rhode Island after his visa denial. He will be able to play on June 23 when Ghana play England in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Ghana conclude group play on June 27 against Croatia in Philadelphia.

Partey is scheduled to stand trial in November or later on allegations dating to his time with English club Arsenal from 2020-25. Partey, who now plays in Spain for Villarreal, has pleaded not guilty.

A second World Cup player, Morocco defender Achraf Hakimi, is awaiting trial on similar charges in Paris.

Ghana are making their fifth appearance in the last six World Cups.

The United States government has faced sharp criticism from immigration and human rights experts due to the ongoing visa-related complications and entry denials for athletes and officials participating in the FIFA World Cup.

The censure of US President Donald Trump’s administration grew after top Somali football referee Omar Artan, who was set to officiate in World Cup games, was denied entry into the country this week.

“Human rights organisations and advocacy groups have repeatedly raised concerns regarding immigration enforcement practices and treatment of migrant communities in the US,” international sports lawyer Khayran Noor told Al Jazeera last month.

Noor said that while these debates are “independent” of football, they inevitably become relevant when a country hosts one of the world’s largest international gatherings.

“The challenge is that major sporting events rely not only on logistics and security but also on atmosphere and perception.”

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk called for a “massive rethink” of US immigration policies, saying that he hoped issues around “racial profiling, around surveillance, around immigration enforcement are not going to affect this World Cup in the way that they have already done”.

Although Artan returned home on Wednesday to a hero’s welcome and sporting a positive attitude, the incident rehashed the conversation on geopolitics and racism being cloaked by US visa denials ahead of the 48-nation, 39-day tournament starting on Thursday.

Fans from several countries, including Morocco and Scotland, who spent thousands of dollars on flights, hotels and tickets for the most expensive World Cup in history, have also reported having their travel documents denied or revoked just days before they were due to travel.

Here’s a look at the athletes, officials and fans affected by US visa complications:

Omar Artan: Somalia

Artan, 34, was set to make history as the first Somali referee to officiate at a World Cup, but his dream debut ended at Miami airport where he was denied entry into the country and flown back to Istanbul, despite having a valid US visa and all required documents.

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed to Al Jazeera on Monday that Artan was “determined to be inadmissible” to the country “due to vetting concerns”, despite having been listed as one of FIFA’s 52 World Cup referees.

Trump has targeted both Somalia and the Somali-American community with inflammatory rhetoric, at one time calling the community “garbage”, and has put Somalia on the US travel ban list.

Iranian World Cup squad and officials

Until last week, there was uncertainty over whether Iran’s football team would be granted visas by the US due to the ongoing US-Israel war on Iran, which has brought geopolitical tensions into the sports sphere.

The US awarded visas to all the players on Friday, just ⁠10 days before their first match, but several members of the ⁠support squad were denied visas, including “key managerial and administrative members,” according to the Iranian football federation.

Iran’s team, whose base camp was to originally be in Arizona, will be based in Tijuana, in neighbouring Mexico, throughout the tournament, despite playing their entire group stage on the US West Coast.

The team will be able to enter the US the day before each of their three World Cup matches, the DHS said on Tuesday.

Media reports over the weekend quoted the Iranian ambassador to Mexico, Abolfazl Pasandideh, as saying that Iran’s team would have to enter and leave the US on the same day as they were playing, raising questions about logistics and whether it would affect team performance.

Aymen Hussein: Iraq

Iraq striker Aymen Hussein was detained for nearly seven hours and his phone inspected at Chicago’s O’Hare airport before he was eventually allowed into the country.

“Why is America hosting the World Cup if it is so hostile to foreign nationals?” the 30-year-old said after the incident.

Meanwhile, national team photographer Talal Salah was held for more than 10 hours, underwent similar phone checks, and was ultimately denied entry into the US.

Woodensky Pierre: Haiti

Woodensky Pierre, the only member of Haiti’s national football team who lives in the Caribbean country, was granted a late visa by the US government to play in the World Cup.

Pierre had been training with local players in an upscale area of Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, as he awaited the visa, which was a “great moment for him, a moment of happiness”, an official of the Haitian Football Federation had said.

The midfielder from Cite Soleil was unable to play in a friendly against New Zealand because his visa was not approved by US authorities until it was too late. He landed at Miami airport around half-time with Haitian football officials and hoped to catch the last part of the game.

Breel Embolo: Switzerland

Swiss forward Breel Embolo was unable to travel with his team due to a flagged visa, but eventually caught up with them after being cleared to enter the US.

The snag was linked to a previous conviction over an altercation in Basel in 2018. Embolo had been convicted of making threats five years later, which he chose not to appeal, but it left his fate to be decided at a meeting at the US Embassy in Bern, where he made his case and was cleared for travel.

Is FIFA obligated to ensure visas?

FIFA’s bidding rules in 2017 for nations wanting to host this World Cup stated that visa processing “must be applied in a non-discriminatory manner”, with the caveat it must not “adversely affect the national immigration and security standards”.

Sports lawyer Noor explained that states understandably retain sovereign responsibilities regarding border control and national security, but global sporting events often require exceptional frameworks.

“This is not about requiring states to abandon immigration laws or surrender sovereignty.

“Rather, it is about asking whether hosting the world’s largest sporting events also carries responsibilities around meaningful inclusion and access,” Noor said.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has fended off concerns and criticism, saying the global football body’s executives are not “kings of the world” and cannot override government decisions.

Infantino, facing questions from the media on the eve of the World Cup on Wednesday, said that FIFA ⁠is focused on being a “sports organisation” and will not intervene in helping the US determine approvals for entry into the country.

“We try always to find solutions – always,” Infantino said at a news ⁠conference in Mexico City. “But then we need to respect that we are not the kings of the world who can rule over governments and police forces and I don’t know what. We are a sports organisation; we try to do our best ⁠with the means that we have.”

A Ryanair passenger claims she was recently told it was “unlikely’ she’d be able to board a plane for an unexpected purpose. Aisling Finlay was left taken aback and has since issued an alert

A Ryanair passenger was left concerned after she was reportedly told she’d be “unlikely to board a plane”, and it’s not the first time someone has claimed they were denied a seat with the airline. Aisling Finlay recently opened up about her alleged travel issue, as she wanted to alert others to the fact that it could happen.

Aisling recently shared her story on TikTok, where she claimed she didn’t know something like this was possible when travelling with Ryanair. The clip has since gone viral as people couldn’t believe how events unfolded in the unlikely air travel tale that left many taken by surprise.

It’s not the first story of its kind to be shared either. Previously, a four-year-old boy was said to have been told he couldn’t board a plane either.

In the clip, she said: “There’s a high chance we’re not getting on this flight. So, a reminder to everyone to check-in way in advance, as they’re overbooking the planes.

“So, we’re flying to Spain at 11am. So, I checked in last night at about like 10pm, and weren’t able to like reserve a seat or allocate a seat, so I was like ‘strange’.

“And then our boarding card came up saying ‘seat allocated at the gate’, and then we arrived there, and they’re basically like ‘we’ve overbooked the flight by nine seats’.

“We’re number five and six to get on the plane. So she was like ‘it is unlikely you’ll get on the flight’. Brilliant.”

The video has been viewed over 27,000 times since it was shared, and people were quick to comment too. Hundreds have since offered their thoughts on the matter.

One said: “In all my years travelling bumping has never happened to me, and I’ve never seen it happen. It must be a very new thing with Ryanair.”

Another added: “I had that once. Due to fly from Dublin to Bristol. They couldn’t get me on so they flew me to Birmingham and then paid for a taxi to Bristol, and a few weeks later I got £250 compensation. More than I paid for my whole trip.”

A third replied: “This is becoming so common. Happened two weeks ago. One member of our party didn’t get on, and was lucky to get a seat the next day. Check in as early as possible and book seats to make it safer.”

Meanwhile, a fourth also commented: “Most airlines do this!” One more also noted: “Every airline does this.”

What you need to know

When Ryanair was approached for comment, it stated as a policy the airline does not overbook flights. The airline also claimed the passenger travelled on the flight from Dublin to Palma de Mallorca on June 3.

However, some more information is available on its website. It states: “Ryanair, as a policy, does not overbook its flights. However, in the unlikely event that a seat is not available for a passenger with a confirmed reservation, we will seek volunteers to surrender their seats in exchange for benefits that we and the volunteer may agree upon before involuntarily denying boarding to other passengers.

“If there are insufficient volunteers, and we deny you boarding involuntarily, you are entitled to the rights set out below.” These rights are outlined on the website.

Expiry dates aren’t the only passport detail holidaymakers need to check before flying – another overlooked rule could derail your travel plans

Preparing for a trip abroad can be stressful enough. From making sure you’ve packed everything you need to checking airport liquid restrictions and ensuring your passport is still valid, there is plenty for holidaymakers to think about before they travel.

However, some holidaymakers could face an unwelcome surprise at check-in even if their document have months to years left before it expires.

This relates to the number of blank pages remaining in a passport. While many people focus on expiry dates, some countries require visitors to have one, two or even more completely blank pages available for entry stamps or visa stickers.

Travel experts warn that passengers who fail to meet these requirements could be denied boarding by airlines or refused entry on arrival.

Airlines are often responsible for ensuring passengers meet a destination’s entry requirements and can face penalties for transporting travellers who do not qualify for entry.

According to travel guidance published by Schengen, some destinations require at least two blank passport pages for visas and border stamps. The guidance warns that airlines may refuse boarding if passengers do not have sufficient space remaining in their passport.

The requirement can catch out frequent travellers whose passports are filled with entry and exit stamps from previous trips. Experts say many people mistakenly assume a passport is suitable for travel provided it remains in date.

For travel to the Schengen Area, for instance, passport rules already require Brits to ensure their passport was issued within the previous 10 years and remains valid for at least three months after their planned departure date. Some guidance also notes that travellers may need at least two blank pages available for visas and stamps where applicable.

A recent travel warning highlighted that a lack of blank pages can become a particular issue for frequent flyers and those taking multi-country trips. Countries may require empty pages for visa stickers, while immigration officials also need room for entry and exit stamps.

Travel experts recommend checking passport validity, issue dates and the number of remaining blank pages well in advance of departure. Unlike an expired passport, extra pages cannot simply be added to a modern British passport, meaning travellers who are running out of space may need to renew the document before travelling.

According to guidance cited by travel experts, some countries require between two and four blank pages depending on the destination and visa requirements. Travellers planning complex itineraries involving multiple countries are therefore advised to check entry rules carefully before travelling.

A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge has denied Bill Cosby’s request for a new trial after a civil jury recently found he was liable for $19 million in damages in a sexual assault case.

Judge Bradley S. Phillips ruled Friday that Cosby did not prove there was “any irregularity” in the court proceedings that would have prevented him from getting a fair trial and that the damages awarded to his accuser were not “excessive.”

“The Court finds that there was sufficient evidence … to support the jury’s finding that defendant’s conduct caused plaintiff’s damages,” Phillips wrote in Friday’s order.

In March, a jury awarded former waitress Donna Motsinger $19.25 million in damages after she sued Cosby in 2023, alleging that the disgraced comedian drugged and sexually assaulted her in 1972 after escorting her to one of his shows.

Motsinger, now 84, claimed Cosby picked her up at her home and gave her wine and a pill she thought was aspirin on the way to the venue.

“Next thing she knew, she was going in and out of consciousness while two men attending to Mr. Cosby were putting her in the limousine,” the original complaint said. “The last thing Ms. Motsinger recalls were flashes of light,” before waking up in her house in nothing but underwear.

Cosby has denied Motsinger’s allegations, as well as those brought by dozens of other women who said they had been drugged and sexually assaulted by the former actor. Cosby served about three years in a Pennsylvania prison on sexual assault charges before that case was overturned in 2021.

Cosby had filed a motion for a new trial in the Motsinger case in early April. Attorneys for Cosby did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Friday’s ruling.

Times staff writer Fedor Zarkhin contributed to this report.