injury

Welsh has twice been loaned out by Celtic, most recently to Mechelen in the first part of 2025. All in all, he has made 107 competitive appearances.

First-team regular Luke McCowan and 18-year-old defender Colby Donovan scored in Celtic’s 2-1 win at Pairc Ui Chaoimh.

“He’s very competitive and I like him,” Rodgers said of Donovan. “He’s very aggressive, he passes forward.

“He’ll become a bit less rash as his career moves forward but I like his personality and I like his dominance and he can play football, which you have to be able to do when you play for Celtic.”

Meanwhile, Sweden defender Gustaf Lagerbielke, 25, has left Celtic to join Braga in Portugal.

Jannik Sinner said he could not accept his progress to the Wimbledon quarter-finals “as a win” after a tearful Grigor Dimitrov was forced to retire in an emotional end to their match.

World number one Sinner was staring at the prospect of a shock defeat as he trailed Dimitrov by two sets when the Bulgarian 19th seed dropped to the floor in pain.

The 34-year-old Dimitrov, who has now been forced to retire in each of his past five Grand Slam appearances, clenched his right pectoral muscle and could not continue following a short medical timeout.

Italy’s Sinner, a three-time major winner, has become only the ninth man in the Open era to reach seven consecutive Grand Slam quarter-finals.

But that was not an achievement he felt that he could celebrate on Centre Court on Monday night, instead concerned only with his friend’s wellbeing after a heartbreaking conclusion.

Sinner, who reappeared for his on-court interview after assisting a devastated Dimitrov off the court, said: “I don’t take this as a win at all, this is just an unfortunate moment for all of us to witness.

“He has struggled in the last Grand Slams with injuries a lot, so seeing him again with this injury is very tough.

“We all saw by his reaction how much he cares about the sport. He is one of the hardest-working players on tour and it is very unfortunate.”

The 23-year-old added, before calling on the crowd to join him in applauding Dimitrov and his team: “This is not the end we wanted to see and it’s very sad. We all wish him only the best.”

Henry Slade is out of the tour of Argentina and the United States with a hand injury, leaving England with inexperienced midfield options as they attempt to seal a series win over the Pumas.

Slade played the full 80 minutes in the 35-12 first-Test win over Argentina in La Plata on Saturday but will miss the rematch in San Juan this weekend.

Seb Atkinson made his first Test appearance in La Plata while Max Ojomoh, Luke Northmore and Oscar Beard – the other specialist centres in the 36-player squad – are still uncapped.

Fraser Dingwall and Ollie Lawrence, who emerged as England’s first-choice midfield during the Six Nations, are both injured while the versatile Elliot Daly has returned from the British and Irish Lions tour of Australia with a fractured arm.

Slade, who won his 73rd England cap against Argentina, was also a back-up option at fly-half, with uncapped Charlie Atkinson the only direct cover for the experienced George Ford.

Co-captains Ford and Jamie George and flanker Sam Underhill – with 102, 100 and 41 caps respectively – are now the only players with more than 40 caps in the squad.

England, whose tour will conclude with a one-off Test against the United States on 19 July, have no plans to summon a replacement for Slade.

Steve Borthwick’s side produced one of their best performances of the head coach’s reign in La Plata, surviving the sin-binning of Alex Coles and Seb Atkinson to lead 3-0 at half-time, before accelerating away to victory via four second-half tries.

The win takes England above their opponents to fifth in the world ranking.

The Pumas, who rested some of their France-based players for the first Test, have brought in Bordeaux-Begles second row Guido Petti for the second game.

The 30-year-old, who scored a try in their Top 14 final loss against Toulouse on 28 June, will join up with Harlequins next season.

The Angels placed rookie second baseman Christian Moore on the 10-day injured list with a sprained left thumb on Thursday.

Moore left the Angels’ 8-3 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday night with the injury. Moore suffered the injury when he dove for Ozzie Albies’ ground ball in the sixth inning. Moore’s hand bent awkwardly when he hit the ground.

Angels interim manager Ray Montgomery said he was grateful Moore would not require surgery, though he wouldn’t put a timetable on how much time the rookie might miss.

“Anytime you see somebody like him have an injury like that, you fear the worst,” Montgomery said, adding the hope Moore could miss two weeks might be “looking at the best-case scenario.”

Moore, a 2024 first-round draft pick from Tennessee, was hitting .189 in 53 at-bats following his promotion to the Angels on June 13.

Infielder Chad Stevens, whose contract was selected from triple-A Salt Lake, moved into the starting lineup at second base on Thursday night in his major league debut.

“He’s been playing really well,” Montgomery said of Stevens. “He’s done everything he can do to earn this opportunity.”

The 26-year-old Stevens was hitting .307 with 14 homers at Salt Lake.

The Angels released right-hander Héctor Neris, who had a 7.80 ERA in 23 games.

A flawed start and a worrying amount of possession and opportunity for the Force gave way to a strong win in the end for the Lions.

McCarthy was a compelling force up front as the Lions backline eventually ran amok.

They will sweat on what looked like a hamstring injury for Williams, who had been playing like a thoroughbred.

Jamison Gibson-Park has not yet played for these Lions, although he is expected to be available for midweek in Brisbane. It is a worry for coach Andy Farrell.

The Lions got off to a flyer on the night after a sustained bout of possession when Russell dipped into his box of tricks with a sumptuous cross-kick to Sheehan on the right wing.

Sheehan tapped to James Lowe, who gave it back to his captain for the score. The creator banged over the conversion.

A blistering beginning, but there was trouble ahead. Just as the Lions scored with their first attack, so too did the Force.

Again it was a slow turning of the screw before White sprung from the bottom of a ruck just short the line. Ben Donaldson was good with the conversion.

The Force were heavy underdogs but for 40 minutes they played with a confidence that belied their poor season in Super Rugby. They repeatedly got into the Lions 22 and time and again the tourists got pinged.

The Lions conceded five penalties in 80 minutes against the Pumas in Dublin. They conceded four in 10 minutes in Perth. Sheehan was warned about the ill discipline of his team as early as the 11th minute. This is not how it was supposed to be.

If the Force had been more accurate they would have capitalised on all those entries into the Lions 22.

They won a penalty and went for touch on the right, but nothing came of it. They won another penalty and went for touch on the left, but nothing came of that either.

Credit the tenacity of the Lions defence too, but they were doing much of it. When they got ball in hand, they were the polar opposite of the Force.

It must have been a sickener for the hosts when the visitors lifted the siege in their own territory only to score straight away.

A break from Ireland’s Josh van der Flier, a big burst from England’s Pollock and a support line from Wales’ Williams and over they went. Ruthless. More Force wastefulness followed and soon another Lions try arrived.

Like the first, it was Russell at the root of it, his tap penalty, break and offload putting Daly over. A minor scuffle broke out in the aftermath.

The Force’s angst carried on. Once more they had a close-range lineout – and a one-man advantage after Pollock saw yellow at breakdown – but they could not execute.

Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova has withdrawn from Eastbourne with a thigh injury just four days before her SW19 title defence begins.

The Czech was taken to three sets in both of her matches on the south coast, beating Britons Harriet Dart and Jodie Burrage in round one and two respectively.

She was set to face France’s Varvara Gracheva in the quarter-finals but pulled out before the match began.

Two-time major singles champion Krejcikova initially felt the issue on Wednesday and said it had “got worse” overnight.

“I’m very sorry to have to withdraw as I’m having some soreness in my right thigh,” the 29-year-old said.

“I think it’s better with Wimbledon in the next couple of days just to rest it and to see what’s going on and to resolve that.”

Krejcikova, who will open play on Tuesday at Wimbledon as the defending women’s champion, has played just six matches this year after a lengthy lay-off with a back injury.

She lost her first-round match at Queen’s last week then saved match points against both Dart and Burrage.

The world number 17 beat Italy’s Jasmine Paolini in the Wimbledon final last year.

A day after having to leave the biggest game of his life, Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton shared his first public comments since tearing his right Achilles tendon early in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.

“Words cannot express the pain of this letdown,” Haliburton wrote on X (formerly Twitter) after undergoing surgery Monday to repair the tendon. “The frustration is unfathomable. I’ve worked my whole life to get to this moment and this is how it ends? Makes no sense.”

But for the majority of his five-paragraph post, which Haliburton accompanied with a photo of himself smiling and forming a heart with his hands from a hospital bed, the two-time All Star also delivered a message of optimism and determination. And he did so, in part, by quoting late Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, who overcame the same injury in 2013.

“I think Kobe said it best when in this same situation,” Haliburton wrote. “‘There are far greater issues/challenges in the world then a torn achilles. Stop feeling sorry for yourself, find the silver lining and get to work with the same belief, same drive and same conviction as ever.’

“And that’s exactly right. I will do everything in my power to get back right.”

Bryant’s words were part of a lengthy Facebook post early in the morning on April 13, 2013, hours after tearing his left Achilles tendon while driving to the basket during a game against the Golden State Warriors the previous night. After suffering the injury, Bryant famously stayed in the game long enough to sink two free throws.

In his post, Bryant describes his raw emotions and even uncharacteristically expresses some self-doubt before his famous Mamba Mentality inevitably surfaces.

“All the training and sacrifice just flew out the window with one step that I’ve done millions of times!” wrote Bryant, who was 34 at the time. “The frustration is unbearable. The anger is rage. Why the hell did this happen ?!? Makes no damn sense. Now I’m supposed to come back from this and be the same player Or better at 35?!? How in the world am I supposed to do that??

“I have NO CLUE. Do I have the consistent will to overcome this thing? Maybe I should break out the rocking chair and reminisce on the career that was. Maybe this is how my book ends. Maybe Father Time has defeated me…Then again maybe not!

Kobe Bryant writhes in pain after suffering a torn Achilles tendon during a game against the Golden State Warriors on April 12, 2013, at Staples Center.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

“Its 3:30am, my foot feels like dead weight, my head is spinning from the pain meds and Im wide awake. Forgive my Venting but whats the purpose of social media if I wont bring it to you Real No Image?? Feels good to vent, let it out. To feel as if THIS is the WORST thing EVER! Because After ALL the venting, a real perspective sets in.”

That’s where Bryant writes the words that Haliburton quoted.

“We don’t quit, we don’t cower, we don’t run,” Bryant wrote later in the post. “We endure and conquer.”

True to his word, Bryant returned to the floor with the Lakers on Dec. 8, 2013. He dealt with several other injuries — including a knee injury that ended his 2013-14 season just six games after he returned from the Achilles — before retiring at the end of the 2015-16 season, his 20th in the NBA.

More than a decade later, a 25-year-old star is using Bryant’s words as inspiration, days after being unable to help his team in a 103-91 loss to the Thunder with the NBA championship on the line.

Here is Haliburton’s full post:

“Man. Don’t know how to explain it other than shock. Words cannot express the pain of this letdown. The frustration is unfathomable. I’ve worked my whole life to get to this moment and this is how it ends? Makes no sense.

“Now that I’ve gotten surgery, I wish I could count the number of times people will tell me I’m going to ‘come back stronger’. What a cliche lol, this s— sucks. My foot feels like dead weight fam. But what’s hurting most I think is my mind. Feel like I’m rambling, but I know this is something I’ll look back on when I’m through this, as something I’m proud I fought through. It feels good to let this s— out without y’all seeing the kid ugly cry.

“At 25, I’ve already learned that God never gives us more than we can handle. I know I’ll come out on the other side of this a better man and a better player. And honestly, right now, torn Achilles and all, I don’t regret it. I’d do it again, and again after that, to fight for this city and my brothers. For the chance to do something special.

Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton falls to the court with an injury next to Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander during the first quarter of Game 7 of the NBA Finals on June 22.

(Nate Billings / Associated Press)

“Indy, I’m sorry. If any fan base doesn’t deserve this, it’s y’all. But together we are going to fight like hell to get back to this very spot, and get over this hurdle. I don’t doubt for a second that y’all have my back, and I hope you guys know that I have yours. I think Kobe said it best when in this same situation. ‘There are far greater issues/challenges in the world then a torn achilles. Stop feeling sorry for yourself, find the silver lining and get to work with the same belief, same drive and same conviction as ever.’ And that’s exactly right. I will do everything in my power to get back right.

“My journey to get to where I am today wasn’t by happenstance, I’ve pushed myself every day to be great. And I will continue to do just that. The most important part of this all, is that I’m grateful. I’m grateful for every single experience that’s led me here. I’m grateful for all the love from the hoop world. I don’t ‘have to’ go through this, I get to go through this. I’m grateful for the road that lies ahead. Watch how I come back from this. So, give me some time, I’ll dust myself off and get right back to being the best version of Tyrese Haliburton.

“Proverbs 3:5-6 ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.’”

The Ducks traded Trevor Zegras to the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday, ending the exciting forward’s inconsistent half-decade in Orange County.

The Ducks get forward Ryan Poehling and the 45th overall pick in the upcoming draft that initially belonged to Columbus, along with a fourth-round pick next season.

Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek said he dealt away the Ducks’ charismatic former leading scorer in part because Zegras no longer fit the Ducks’ roster as they attempt to end their seven-year playoff drought.

“You start imagining lines and how you want certain players to complement each other,” Verbeek said. “We started looking at that scenario, so ultimately we made the decision to move Trevor because of that.”

Zegras is a natural center who wants to be a playmaker in the middle, but rising stars Leo Carlsson and Mason McTavish have earned those spots on Anaheim’s top two lines, which has forced Zegras to play left wing or to center a depth line. The Ducks also recently acquired longtime Rangers forward Chris Kreider, who works out with Zegras in the summer, to play left wing on one of their top two lines.

“I think he’ll be given that opportunity in Philadelphia to play center,” Verbeek said. “He’s more creative in the middle of the ice and (not) having to play from the wing. We’re fortunate that there’s Leo and there’s Mason, (but) Trevor has to kind of get pushed to the wing, and that probably doesn’t suit his best attributes.”

Verbeek also acknowledged the financial realities of the deal. Zegras will be a restricted free agent next summer, when the Ducks also will need to re-sign Carlsson, promising forward Cutter Gauthier and talented young defensemen Jackson LaCombe, Pavel Mintyukov and Olen Zellweger.

The big, speedy Poehling will become a key contributor on the Ducks’ awful special teams, Verbeek predicted. Poehling was one of the Flyers’ top penalty-killing forwards last season while scoring 31 points — just one fewer than Zegras.

Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek speaks to reporters during a news conference in June 2023.

(Ashley Landis / Associated Press)

Verbeek still realizes his decision will rankle some Ducks supporters who won’t be happy to lose the most interesting player on a few terrible Anaheim teams in recent years. Zegras remained a fan favorite at Honda Center throughout his tenure with the Ducks, who hired coach Joel Quenneville last month with the stated goal to return to the playoffs next spring.

Zegras was the Ducks’ first-round pick in 2019, and he had two 60-point seasons early in his NHL career. He finished as the runner-up to Detroit’s Moritz Seider in 2022 for the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie.

Zegras also became well known outside Anaheim for his proficiency with the Michigan goal, in which a player lifts the puck with his stick blade and wraps it into the net from behind.

But the 24-year-old Zegras struggled with injuries and consistency for the past two seasons, scoring just 47 points in 88 combined games. He had 12 goals and 20 assists in 57 games last season, increasing his production at midseason after a slow start and a 22-game absence with a knee injury.

Zegras’ commitment to defense was also widely questioned in Anaheim, although he appeared to make significant strides on that end of the ice last season.

Zegras has been a frequent topic of loud trade rumors for the past two seasons, although Verbeek claimed Monday that “there was never really anything talked about in the past as far as Trevor.”

The Flyers made another major deal with the Ducks in January 2024, with GM Danny Briere sending the disgruntled Gauthier to Anaheim for defenseman Jamie Drysdale, Zegras’ longtime friend. Both Zegras and Drysdale were drafted in the first round by the Ducks before Verbeek took over the front office.

Gauthier had a strong rookie season for the Ducks with 20 goals and 24 assists, while Drysdale scored 20 points with a minus-32 rating last season for the Flyers.

Philadelphia also has a new coach for the upcoming season with the hiring of Rick Tocchet.

Poehling had 12 goals and 19 assists in 68 games as a depth forward for Philadelphia last season. After starting his career in Montreal and getting traded to Pittsburgh for the 2022-23 season, he signed with the Flyers as a free agent and produced the best two offensive seasons of his career.

Beacham writes for the Associated Press.

Could Achilles injuries be the Achilles heel of the NBA?

Regardless of allegiance, anyone watching Game 7 of the NBA Finals on Sunday had to be struck by the calamitous impact of the injury to superstar Tyrese Haliburton on the Indiana Pacers.

Haliburton had the ball in the first quarter, took a step backward and began to go left. Pushing off with his right foot, the right tendon tore, and the Pacers chances of defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder were shredded.

“In that moment, my heart dropped for him,” OKC guard and Finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander told reporters. “I couldn’t imagine playing the biggest game of my life and something like that happening. It’s not fair.”

It’s also not uncommon. Haliburton was the third superstar lost during the playoffs to an Achilles tear, following Damian Lillard of the Milwaukee Bucks and Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics.

Players who sustained the injury during the regular season include Dejounte Murray of the New Orleans Pelicans, Dru Smith of the Miami Heat and two of Haliburton’s Indiana teammates — Isaiah Jackson and James Wiseman.

Regenerative medicine doctor Jesse Morse pointed out in X posts that the high-grade calf strain Haliburton suffered in Game 5 was a precursor to the Achilles injury.

“Hailburton was playing with fire by playing in Games 6 and 7 after being diagnosed with a high-grade calf strain, an injury that is notoriously slow to heal,” Morse wrote. “There was a significantly increased risk of a possible Achilles tear due to him already having the high-grade calf strain, regardless of what the ‘data shows.’

“We saw it with Kobe Bryant. We saw it with Aaron Rodgers. Likely more. A calf strain lead to an Achilles tear.”

Bryant ruptured his left Achilles on April 12, 2013, after playing every minute of eight consecutive quarters as the Lakers pursued a playoff spot with two games remaining in the regular season. Bryant had suffered injuries to his knees earlier in the game. He returned to action eight months later.

Rodgers tore his left Achilles in his first game as quarterback of the New York Jets on Sept. 11, 2023, shortly after he’d experienced tightness in his calf. He missed the entire season but returned in 2024 at age 41.

The Achilles tendon is a fibrous cord that directs movement from the leg to the foot, connecting muscles from the calf to the heel bone. A sudden explosive movement like running or jumping can cause the tendon to tear or rupture.

The origin of term Achilles stems from the hero of that name in Greek mythology. His mother sought to make him immortal by dipping him into a river that held magical powers. She held him by the heel, however, leaving it vulnerable.

Sure enough, the seemingly eternally brave Achilles was killed by an arrow to his heel during the Trojan War. The Achilles’ heel has been known ever since as a metaphor for a person’s vulnerable spot.

Haliburton certainly displayed a knack for heroics all season, culminating in the jump shot he made with 0.3 seconds to play in Game 1 of the Finals that gave the Pacers a victory over the heavily favored Thunder.

He helped them to reach Game 7 and hit a trio of three-point shots early in the contest only to — alas — crumple to the floor when his Achilles tendon popped. The Thunder prevailed, 103-91.

“We needed Ty out there,” Pacers forward Obi Toppin told reporters. “For him to go down in a game like that, that sucked the soul out of us.”

Stones has been with City for nine seasons after joining from Everton for £47.5m.

He has enjoyed a trophy-filled spell at the club, winning six Premier League titles, the Champions League, two FA Cup and four League Cups, while also being capped 83 times for England.

Though he has played 277 games for his club, he only managed 13 starts last term, including six in the Premier League.

“I think we all self-doubt as players and feel things, and we want to get back as quick as possible. Maybe that’s a downfall sometimes that you try and push too soon,” he said.

“Definitely family [help], I think that’s my biggest thing, being around them and having their support.

“You can feel very lonely at times when you’re training by yourself and that’s the difficult part of it, being in a team sport, not training with the team when you run out on the pitch in your rehab.”

Stones has suffered a succession of foot, hamstring and thigh injuries over the past two campaigns, missing a total of 164 days and 33 games, according to Transfermarkt., external

Stones said: “There’s been points where you think you’ve been giving all this effort, you dedicate all your life – especially how I approach or go about my life and football, I give everything – on and off the pitch to be here or be ready to play games, and those are the dark days.

“I think everyone’s been through them and think, ‘why is this happening?’. You wish it would have gone a different path, but like I said, it’s self-doubt, there’s a lot of things.

“All of us have been through different upbringings and challenges through life and what did we do within those situations, was it fight or was it give up?

“I was a fighter from a young age, in difficult moments, you have to look at the bigger picture and realise what are your morals, what you believe in, and fight to make it worthwhile.”

Many Brits seek summer sun abroad from Turkey to Cape Verde, but holidays often turn into costly disasters with delays, illness, and nightmare accidents

Every summer, millions of Brits jet off in search of sunshine and relaxation – but for some, dream holidays can quickly spiral into disaster.

From flight delays and lost luggage to heatstroke, food poisoning, and unexpected injuries, the holiday season often brings more chaos than calm.

Travel insurance providers report spikes in claims during July and August, with accidents abroad, hospital visits, and missed connections among the top complaints.

Here, the Mirror looks at some dream getaways that quickly became nightmares…

Horrific joke gone wrong

A “joke” on a lad’s holiday in Benidorm ended up with a dad breaking his neck after he was shoved into a pool.

Martin Bullen, 31, described how someone who he didn’t know playfully pushed him into the water at a Benidorm pool party on June 10.

The single dad-of-two said he tried to turn his fall into a dive but he didn’t realise how shallow the water was and he split his head open on the bottom of the pool.

Luckily one of the revellers at the party was an army medic who helped get Martin out of the pool and kept him still until an ambulance arrived.

Paramedics took Martin, who works as a sales advisor, to a nearby hospital where doctors gave him 16 stitches in his head and found that he had fractured his neck in three places and broken his back.

READ MORE: ‘Cause of death’ of Beth Martin, 28, whose heart was removed after dying on holiday

He said that the trip to Benidorm had been intended as a relaxing getaway with his cousins to give Martin a break from being a busy single dad.

Martin explained that he had gone to book travel insurance before the holiday, but he had gotten distracted before paying and forgot to purchase it – a mistake he dubbed ‘stupid’.

The tourist ended up forking out £1,500 for the hospital stay and extra flights. He urged holidaymakers travelling this summer not to make the same “daft mistake” as him.

Martin, from Wigan, Greater Manchester, said: “I was having a drink but I had my wits about me and stuff. Somebody pushed me into the pool and I didn’t know it was a shallow pool.

“I’m thinking I’ll just dive in and dive back up and my head hit the floor straight away and it split open my head.

“It was quite scary. I’ll be honest, there was at one point I thought I was going to die on my own [in hospital] because I didn’t know what was going on or who to talk to.

“It was a moment of madness [not to take out insurance]. I was looking at getting it, I put it in the WhatsApp group for my cousins to get it and as I went to do mine something came up with the kids.

“Then it just slipped my mind and then I forgot all about it and didn’t get it done. It was a daft mistake. I knew I needed to get it. Failure to prepare is preparing to fail, that’s the best thing I could say.”

Raw buffet food hell

What was supposed to be a dream getaway quickly spiralled into a holiday from hell for 25 Brits after they allegedly suffered gastric illnesses while staying at the Riu Karamboa, in Boa Vista in Cape Verde.

The group claim there were disturbing scenes around the hotel’s buffet – birds, flies, and even cats wandering freely. The food, they allege, was often “raw and undercooked,” served alongside “dirty crockery and cutlery.”

One NHS worker who splurged £3,000 to celebrate early retirement said she ended up hospitalised with a severe E.coli infection during her holiday.

Sharon Burrow, 56, of Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, recalled how the luxury break became “one of the worst experiences of her life,” and eight months on, she still battles ongoing complications.

Another guest, Penny Robson, a 55-year-old paramedic from London, was forced to take antibiotics after battling a brutal bout of gastric symptoms – bloating, diarrhoea, nausea, and stomach cramps. Penny, who paid £2,000 for a weeklong stay with a friend in September 2023, had to cancel two prepaid excursions, including a stargazing trip and a private island tour, after falling ill five days in.

The Riu Karamboa resort told the Mirror: “For RIU Hotels & Resorts, the health and safety of our guests is our highest priority. That is why we adhere to strict Health & Safety protocols and comply with all applicable regulations.

“Additionally, we work closely with local health authorities to ensure a safe environment for both our guests and employees. As part of our proactive approach to preventing health issues, we conduct thorough internal and external audits on a regular basis.

“Our hotels in Cape Verde, which consist of six properties with a total of 4,650 rooms, maintain an average occupancy rate of over 80%. Given this high level of activity, we continuously monitor our operations to uphold the highest health and safety standards.”

‘Never leaving UK again’

It was a luxury holiday of celebration that turned into a nightmare. Alison Shah had celebrated her big birthday in style with a month-long trip to countries including Bangkok and Thailand when she tried to get home with her partner Richard Kay, 52, and chaos ensued.

The couple finally made it home after a three-day trek but their ordeal has made them vow ‘never again’. “I have never experienced anything like this,” said Alison. “We paid a lot of money for the holiday and it has ended in a nightmare.”

The couple had flown from Thailand to Dubai last April to find the airport in turmoil due to severe storms, with their plane circling above the airport for an hour and a half before it was able to land. They had a few hours to wait until flying to Manchester.

“Finally at 8am, we started to board the plane, the plane was there,” said Alison. “We then sat there for two and a half hours in the holding area waiting to get on the plane. Nobody was answering any questions and people were getting frantic.”

The couple’s frustration peaked when they were informed of their flight had been cancelled. “We were then told our flight was cancelled and we had to leave the airport,” added the emergency control operator. “We went back the following day and joined another queue for seven and a half hours.

“We were waiting to board the plane and it kept saying delayed, delayed, delayed. The screen changed from Manchester to Sydney and they sent us away again.”

After spending money on a hotel stay, the couple faced further uncertainty at the airport the next day when they were offered a flight to Manchester on April 28 – 12 days after they were meant to head back home. “We couldn’t do that. We had to go to work and we had already been out of the country for a month,” Alison said.

“I asked if they could get us to another airport, if I could get near the UK I could work it out. They got us a flight to Istanbul.”

But their ordeal wasn’t over – landing in Istanbul on April 19, Alison and Richard were greeted with the news that their luggage had gone missing, meaning they had to buy clothes there. The couple then made their way from Istanbul to Dalaman, Turkey, on Saturday in hopes of catching a flight to Manchester.

“We’re pleased to be home, but really really upset not to be able to give the grandchildren the gifts and open the cases and do what you normally do when you get home,” Alison said.

Sir Tim Clark, President of Emirates Airline, penned an open letter at the time of the disruption, which said: “The UAE experienced its highest rainfall in 75 years. Storm winds and torrential rain disrupted activities across the cities.

“While our hub in Dubai continued to operate, albeit with reduced flight movements for safety reasons, the flooded roads hampered our customers, pilots, cabin crew, and airport employees from getting to the airport, and also affected the delivery of essential supplies like meals and other flight amenities..

“We know our response has been far from perfect. We acknowledge and understand the frustration of our customers due to the congestion, lack of information, and confusion in terminals. We acknowledge that the long queues and waiting times have been unacceptable.”

Terrifying break-in

Becca Farley, 27, from Eastleigh, Hampshire, was enjoying a getaway in Benidorm with her family when she encountered intruders in their accommodation. The family had shelled out £2,500 for their week-long retreat.

On their final evening, amidst hotel notices about an impending power outage, Becca headed to their room to charge mobile phones ahead of their journey back. She recounted the unsettling moment: “As I got in the lift these two teenagers got in the lift with me and just pressed my floor level. I honestly didn’t think anything of it because there’s five rooms per floor, so I just assumed they were going to one of them.”

However, the situation took a turn when the youths exited the lift before her and made a beeline for her room, which was propped open with a shoe. Initially confused, Becca thought she had got off on the wrong floor, but she quickly realised that wasn’t the case.

“It happened all quite quickly and they just strolled straight into my room,” she said. Becca decided to follow them inside and confront them.

“But I just didn’t really think and went straight into the room and shouted ‘What are you doing in my room? Get the f*ck out, get the f*ck out, get the f*ck out’.” Thankfully, the teenagers did.

Yet, the ordeal hadn’t ended—the youth hammered on the door shortly after while Becca remained barricaded inside. “I was absolutely petrified,” she confessed.

“I know it sounds silly and people have said you should have done this, you should have locked them in the room, you should have decked them but at that moment I think it was just that invasion of privacy. This is supposed to be your safe place when you are away, you’re away from home, we don’t travel all that often so we were really shaken.”

READ MORE: ‘Struggling’ mum ditches regular diets to lose 4 stone with 3 children under five

Australia have dropped Marnus Labuschagne for their opening Test against the West Indies with Steve Smith also missing through injury.

In their places, teenage opener Sam Konstas and Josh Inglis come in for the series opener in Barbados, which starts on 25 June.

Labuschagne opened the batting for Australia in their World Test Championship final defeat by South Africa last week but finished with scores of 17 and 22 to continue his lean spell.

The 30-year-old has not made a Test hundred since the fourth Ashes Test of 2023.

“Marnus at his best can be a really important member of this team. He understands his output hasn’t been at the level we, or he, expects,” said selection chair George Bailey.

“We will continue working with him on the areas of his game we feel he needs to rediscover. We continue to value his skill and expect him to work through the challenge positively.”

Smith, meanwhile, dislocated his right little finger on day three of the final at Lord’s.

Though he has avoided surgery and travelled to the Caribbean, he must wear a splint for up to eight weeks but could return for the second Test in Grenada in July.

“Steve needs more time for the wound to heal so we’ll give him another week’s rest and assess his functionality after that,” Bailey said.

“We have made the decision to give Josh and Sam the opportunity to replace Steve and Marnus. We are excited to see them get the chance to further their fledgling Test careers.

“In his only opportunity in Test cricket to date, Josh was outstanding in Sri Lanka, showing great intent and ability to put pressure on the opposition.”

June 6 (UPI) — Johnson Health Tech Trading is recalling nearly four million units of Bowflex adjustable dumbbells because their weight plates can dislodge and injure users, the Consumer Product Safety Commission said.

In a notice Thursday, CPSC urged owners to stop using them immediately and to seek out a refund.

The recalled dumbells have been on the market since at least 2004, according to Consumer Reports.

BowFlex changed its corporate name in 2023 from Nautilus Inc. In March 24, BowFlex filed for bankruptcy protection and the brand was acquired by Johnson Health Tech Retail.

Johnson Health Tech Trading said it has received 12 reports of the plates dislodging during use with no injuries for units sold. Nautilus said it received 337 reports of the plates dislodging during use for units sold, including 111 resulting in injuries such as concussions, abrasions, broken toes or contusions.

In 2012, Nautilus issued a recall for its 1090 model of adjustable dumbbells because the weight selector dial could fail when the dumbbells were lifted from their cradles. That recall occurred after 16 reports of problems resulted in three injuries.

The product allows users to lift dumbbells of different weights, without owning a full set of individually weighted dumbbells.

The 3,844,200 units, which come in single units and pairs, involve model 522 from 5 to 52.5 pounds, and model 1090, from 10 to 90 pounds.

Of those products, 3.7 million were under the Nautilus name.

Johnson Health Tech Trading has a form for owners to fill out.

The company said it will refund its customers for the dumbbells’ purchase price in the form of a voucher or for replacement units.

Consumers who purchased the dumbbells from BowFlex may request a refund in the form of a prorated voucher. They are also eligible to receive a one-year digital fitness membership through Johnson Health Tech Trading.

Gabe Knight, a senior policy analyst on CR’s safety policy team, said: “Consumers should be able to receive their money back in full, no strings attached.”

CR tested one of these products in 2021. The 552 model earned a recommendation, and our evaluators didn’t experience any safety issues during testing

Johnson Health Tech Trading told CR the design of the 552 and 1090 have been updated but aren’t yet on the market.

“The selector disks on these new models are entirely metal for enhanced durability,” the company told CR.

The Dodgers’ lineup should be back at full strength soon.

When they’ll be able to say the same about their pitching staff is anyone’s guess.

First, the good news for the team: After fracturing the fourth toe on his left foot (the one closest to the pinky toe) last week and missing all three games against the New York Yankees, shortstop Mookie Betts went through a full slate of pregame hitting, baserunning and defensive drills on Monday and seemed probable to be available off the bench for the Dodgers in their series-opener against the New York Mets.

Assuming he continues to feel good, Betts should also return to the starting lineup on Tuesday, manager Dave Roberts said.

“That’s all contingent on if he recovers well tonight,” Roberts said.

Based on Betts’ activity level Monday, he certainly appeared to be ready to return. As one of the first Dodgers players on the field before the game, he spent several minutes running the bases, then went through a full session of infield grounders at shortstop. Betts also took batting practice, a day after Roberts said his swing in the batting cage “wasn’t compromised at all” by the freak injury.

“For me, I just want to make sure I move to make plays for those guys,” Betts said Sunday. “Hitting, hopefully that comes along. I just want to make sure I can play defense.”

As for the less encouraging update: A week after throwing his first bullpen session since going on the injured list in April with shoulder inflammation, Tyler Glasnow has been feeling general body discomfort, Roberts said.

Dodgers pitcher Tyler Glasnow delivers against the Phillies on April 6, 2025 in Philadelphia.

(Derik Hamilton / Associated Press)

Glasnow has continued to play catch, including on Monday afternoon in the outfield of Dodger Stadium. But Roberts said he is “not sure when he’s gonna get back on a mound.”

“There was one ‘pen, and then [his] body didn’t respond,” Roberts said. “So we’re trying to figure out when we can ramp him back up.”

Given Glasnow’s extensive injury history, such a setback qualifies as only mildly surprising. The 31-year-old has never made more than 22 starts or pitched over 134 innings in a major league season. And while he set both of those high-marks in his first season with the Dodgers last year — arriving in Los Angeles via a trade from Tampa Bay two winters ago and an ensuing five-year, $136.5-million extension — he never returned from an elbow tendonitis injury he suffered in August, despite repeated attempts to comeback in time for the playoffs.

“I know he’s just as frustrated as we all are [that] the process since we’ve had him, it just hasn’t been linear, as far as getting him back,” Roberts said. “He’s champing at the bit, so that’s a good thing. He’s very anxious to get back out here and help his team.”

Of the Dodgers’ injured quartet of star pitchers — which also includes Blake Snell, Roki Sasaki and Shohei Ohtani — Glasnow was initially expected to return first.

Now, however, he and Snell might be on more similar timelines. Snell made notable progress in his throwing progression this week and could begin throwing bullpens early next week.

“He’s in a really good spot physically and mentally,” Roberts said of Snell.

Sasaki has also been throwing lately, though Roberts noted it has been low-intensity. Ohtani, meanwhile, threw his second live batting practice over the weekend, and remains on track to return sometime after the All-Star break.

In the bullpen, the Dodgers should get a couple of reinforcements in the coming days.

Hard-throwing right-hander Michael Kopech (out since the start of the season with a shoulder injury) will be in Los Angeles this week after completing a minor-league rehab assignment, though exactly when he will be activated remains to be seen. Kopech yielded 11 runs and 11 walks in 6 ⅓ innings with triple-A Oklahoma City, and Roberts said the club wants to “evaluate, see how he is” up close before having him make his MLB season debut.

Another veteran right-hander, Kirby Yates, threw his second bullpen session on Monday since suffering a hamstring strain last month. He will next throw a live batting practice on Wednesday, and could be activated as soon as next weekend.

CLEVELAND — Mike Trout originally expected to return to the Angels’ lineup on Monday in Boston.

It turns out the timeline was moved up one series and three days.

Trout was activated off the injured list before Friday night’s game against the Cleveland Guardians. The Angels slugger missed 26 games with soreness in his left knee eventually diagnosed as a bone bruise. The three-time American League MVP had two operations last year on the knee after tearing his meniscus.

“I’m just itching to get out there,” Trout said before the game. “I think came out of the other day (of running bases) good. I wasn’t too sore or anything, I told them I was good enough to go out there and have some good at-bats.”

Trout’s return comes with something he hasn’t done in his 15-year big league career. This will be the first time in 1,532 starts that he will be hitting fifth in the lineup.

The only other time Trout batted fifth in 1,547 previous games was on May 14, 2022, against the Athletics, when he entered in the fourth inning and finished the game in center field.

“We know where Mike Trout is in the order. It doesn’t matter where he is hitting, he could be hitting ninth,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “It’s got to be a different feeling for sure for them. I mean, he’s been in the two or three hole for what, 12 years now? But he’s still a really good player.”

Manager Ron Washington is happy to have Trout back, especially since he noted Trout wasn’t aggressive in rushing back. Washington also knows that Trout isn’t ready to return to his normal spot batting second or third.

“He hasn’t seen anything. So when you look at what we have, that’s where he sits,” Washington said. “It doesn’t make sense for him to protect (Logan) O’Hoppe. So I’ll put Mike behind him to protect O’Hoppe. He’s not ready to be at the top of the lineup, especially with those guys up there. As we go along the next couple of days, he’s not going to remain fifth.”

The 33-year old Trout was hitting .179 with nine home runs, 18 RBIs and a .727 OPS in 29 games before the injury. He will be the designated hitter for the weekend series against the Guardians before possibly returning to right field when the Halos head to Boston on Monday for a three-game series.

Even though Trout has shied away from wanting to be the designated hitter, he has done well in that spot. In seven games this season, he is eight for 28 (.286) with six home runs and nine RBIs.

Trout said whether or not he plays more games than originally planned at DH the remainder of the season is something that remains to be seen.

“Bone bruises are tricky. I know I am going to be sore but I can deal with it,” he said. “I definitely have to be cautious, especially the first couple games.”

Trout’s return comes with the Angels on a five-game skid after an eight-game winning streak that included a three-game sweep of the defending World Series champion Dodgers. Los Angeles were 25-30 going into Friday’s game.

“There’s so many games that any sense of newness or something to make you excited is something that you’d latch on to. So today is definitely a moment like that,” O’Hoppe said about Trout’s return. “He’s the heart of this organization. So we’re happy to have our heart beating again for sure.”

Trout has missed 404 of the Angels’ 664 games — almost 61% — since May 17, 2021, when he tore his calf muscle against Cleveland and was sidelined for the rest of that season. This is the fifth straight year he has had a stint of at least 25 games on the IL.

He missed five weeks of the 2022 season with a back injury, and all but one game after July 3 in 2023 after he broke a bone in his hand on a foul ball. Trout played in 29 games last season before the meniscus injury.

Substitute Ousseni Bouda scored in the 74th minute, and the San José Earthquakes extended the Galaxy‘s MLS-record season-opening winless streak with a 1-0 victory Wednesday night.

Bouda slipped between two defenders and got his third goal of the season on a precise pass from fellow substitute Preston Judd for the Quakes, who ended a four-game losing streak in the California Clasico rivalry.

The defending MLS Cup champion Galaxy (0-12-4) are edging toward historic ignominy after dropping yet another game at the stadium where they went unbeaten in 2024 and won their league-record sixth title in December.

The MLS record is 19 consecutive winless matches in league play by the MetroStars in 1999. Real Salt Lake played 18 in a row without a win from 2005-06.

Earl Edwards Jr. made six saves to keep his third clean sheet of the season for San José, which is unbeaten in eight games across all competitions in May. Quakes coach Bruce Arena had a successful return to the stadium where he led the Galaxy for nine seasons and won three MLS Cup championships.

The Galaxy nearly salvaged a draw in the final minute of second-half injury time, but Edwards saved captain Maya Yoshida’s header deep in the San José box. Supporters chanted “We want better!” after the final whistle.

The Galaxy’s woes have only compounded throughout the new season despite the return to health of stars Joseph Paintsil, Gabriel Pec and Marco Reus. All three international veterans played major roles on last year’s championship team,but were limited by injury in the new year.

Reus left in the 59th minute against San José after sitting down on the grass without contact and eventually walking off the field. Reus struggled with a knee injury earlier in the season but had been playing well in recent games.

Disorganized in attack and lacking any crispness in their passing, the Galaxy still look lost without Catalan midfielder Riqui Puig, who orchestrated their excellence throughout the 2024 season before tearing a knee ligament in the conference final. Puig could return this summer, but the Galaxy also had to part with a handful of key contributors to last season’s team due to the salary cap constraints created annually for the MLS champion by title bonuses in their players’ contracts.

The Galaxy’s leadership has declined to panic during this mammoth skid, even extending the contract of coach Greg Vanney two weeks ago when the winless streak was at a mere 13 games.

The Galaxy’s Novak Micovic had to make two diving saves in the first two minutes of play, and he finished with four saves in the scoreless first half. San José’s Ian Harkes hit the crossbar from long range in the 22nd minute.

The Galaxy host Salt Lake on Saturday night. If they don’t beat Salt Lake or win at St. Louis on June 14, they could tie the MetroStars’ record June 25 at Colorado.

Against the Chicago Sky, the Sparks found themselves in a must-win situation, not in the grand scheme of the standings, but for peace of mind. A win to help with confidence and morale.

After a week riddled with injuries and a three-game skid, Sunday’s matchup carried weight beyond the court — it mattered in the locker room. The pressure was starting to show, with visible signs of frustration from head coach Lynne Roberts down to the end of the bench.

The Sparks were a team searching for anything to swing the momentum back in their favor.

That shift came in the form of their superstar, Kelsey Plum, who took it upon herself to ignite the turnaround with a shooting clinic in the third quarter. Her flurry helped lift L.A. to a much-needed 91-78 win over the Sky at Crypto.com Arena.

Despite a back-and-forth start and a 43-39 halftime lead, the question remained: Which version of the Sparks would emerge after the break — the lethargic, disconnected squad or a group finally ready to deliver the full 40-minute effort Roberts has pleaded for?

Out of the locker room, the Sparks found a renewed energy. What followed was a shooting barrage from beyond the arc.

Plum sparked the run, and fittingly, she helped seal it too.

As she let her first left-handed three fly, the confidence in her stroke started to build. The second, from the top of the key, came with a signature gesture — Plum pointing to her veins, signaling the ice running through them. Then came the heat check: back-to-back threes that only added to her fire. A final three dropped cleanly through the net, punctuating the outburst.

Plum went five for six in the quarter, scoring 15 of her 28 total points, helping L.A. stretch the lead to 76-64 by the end of the third. The Sparks finished eight of 11 from the field in the quarter as a team.

Plum left it all on the floor for the Sparks. At one point, she took a shot to the nose and stayed down for a couple of minutes. But after brushing off the injury, Plum returned to the lineup and finished the game, embodying the grit the Sparks desperately needed.

But even against the league’s worst scoring offense (66.0 points per game) and defense (96.0), in what seemed like the perfect opportunity to exploit a team with even worse early-season woes, the game unfolded as two physical squads refusing to back down.

Coming in, there was no doubt that low-post anchors Dearica Hamby and Azurá Stevens would face a tough challenge, tasked with matching up against Chicago’s frontcourt duo of Kamilla Cardoso and Angel Reese — both boasting a clear advantage in size and length.

In the first half, however, Hamby and Stevens limited Cardoso and Reese to a combined 12 points and nine rebounds — a small but important victory against a Sky team ranked third in the WNBA in rebounding (39.0 per game).

Reese finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds — her third double-double of the season — while Cardoso added 12 points but was limited to just six boards. The Sparks’ frontcourt tandem managed to keep the damage manageable, preventing the kind of interior dominance Chicago has leaned on throughout the early season.

TAIWO AWONIYI received a hero’s welcome on his return to the City Ground as he watched Nottingham Forest’s bid for a Champions League return.

Awoniyi was back in the Forest stadium for the first time since his horror injury that had seen him put in a coma for a abdominal operation.

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The Forest striker was paraded out on to the playing surface where fans inside the stadium gave him a huge cheer to welcome him back.

Awoniyi remains injured but was watching on as his teammates tried to secure a Champions League place against Chelsea.

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City have had a poor campaign, relinquishing hold of the Premier League trophy, exiting the Champions League in the last 16 and being stunned by Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final.

They end the season with a trip to Fulham on Sunday (kick-off 16:00 BST), knowing a point should clinch a Champions League place for next season.

But City have a quick turnaround this summer as they will be competing in the expanded Club World Cup, which starts in the US on 14 June.

“It’s obviously difficult because the lads are mentally drained from this season,” said Foden. “I believe everyone needs the right time to recover to go back to next season.

“Obviously there will be this competition that’s coming up. It’s going to be a funny one, some clubs will take it more seriously than others but I know City and the club we are, we’ll definitely take it seriously.”

Before that, manager Thomas Tuchel names his England squad on Friday for the World Cup qualifier in Andorra on 7 June and friendly against Senegal at Wembley three days later.

Asked if he needs to rest his ankle, Foden said: “Obviously it’s a difficult situation for me with the internationals right around the corner.

“It’s something we have to speak with the club and national team to see maybe if it’s better to rest and get my ankle fully 100% back how I want it.

“I just don’t know at the moment. It’s a conversation to be had and we’ll see what happens.”