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After starting with four pars, Lowry – who is without an individual victory since September 2022 – carded back-to-back birdies at the fifth and sixth holes.

The former Open champion vaulted into a share of the lead with a run of five straight birdies from the par-four 11th before picking up a shot at the last to edge ahead of Nakajima.

“It’s not that hard when you hit it in play out there, but you start missing fairways it becomes quite tricky, so I’m happy with that,” said Lowry.

He added: “You need to shape it around the course, hit it in position off the tee and it’s all about your iron play. That’s one of my strengths and I took advantage of that today and managed to roll a few putts in on the back nine, which was nice.”

Lowry added there was a “little bit” of Ryder Cup chat with playing partners Fleetwood and Donald.

“We could hear the horns from the road, it was not as off-putting as the Bethpage [Black] crowd,” he said with a smile, referring to the hostile New York fans at last month’s Ryder Cup.

Fleetwood mixed four birdies, an eagle and two bogeys to sit four shots back.

Donald, who is playing his first tournament since his second Ryder Cup success as captain, carded five birdies and a bogey to match fellow Englishman Fleetwood and 2023 Open champion Brian Harman.

Playing with McIlroy, US Ryder Cup player Ben Griffin opened with a 68 while McIlroy’s European team-mate Viktor Hovland signed for a 71.

Beth Mooney produces a brilliant innings, making 109, to save Australia’s innings against Pakistan as her side recover from 76-7 to 221-9 at the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup.

FOLLOW LIVE: ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup – Australia v Pakistan

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Pyongyang claims South Korea’s army fired more than 10 warning shots from a machinegun towards North Korean troops.

North Korea has accused South Korean forces of firing warning shots earlier this week at its soldiers who were part of a border reinforcement project, warning Seoul that its actions risked raising tensions to “uncontrollable” levels.

In a report published on Saturday, Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) quoted the North ‘s Korean People’s Army Vice Chief of the General Staff Ko Jong Chol as saying that the South should stop its “premeditated and deliberate” provocation, which he described as “inciting military conflict”.

Calling the incident a “serious provocation”, Ko said the South Korean military fired more than 10 warning shots towards North Korean troops.

“This is a very serious prelude that would inevitably drive the situation in the southern border area, where a huge number of forces are stationing, in confrontation with each other, to the uncontrollable phase,” Ko said.

The incident took place on Tuesday as North Korean soldiers were working to permanently seal the heavily fortified border that divides the peninsula, state media outlet KCNA said, citing a statement from Ko.

South Korea did not immediately comment on the reported encounter, and the country’s official news agency, Yonhap, reported that it had no immediate confirmation from officials in Seoul on Pyongyang’s claim.

The reported firing of warning shots is only the latest confrontation between North and South Korean forces, which have been at odds for decades over the heavily guarded border that divides both nations.

The last border clash between the archrivals was in early April when South Korea’s military fired warning shots after a group of 10 North Korean soldiers briefly crossed the border.

Those troops were spotted in the Demilitarized Zone between the two countries, parts of which are heavily mined and overgrown.

In more recent months, South Korea has been taking steps to ease border tensions following the election of President Lee Jae-myung in June.

‘Corresponding countermeasure’

North Korea’s army announced last October that it was moving to totally shut off the southern border, saying it had sent a telephone message to United States forces based in South Korea to “prevent any misjudgement and accidental conflict”.

Shortly after its announcement, it blew up sections of the unused but deeply symbolic cross-border roads and railway tracks that had once connected the North and South.

Ko, in the statement published by state media, warned that North Korea’s army would retaliate to any interference with its efforts to permanently seal the border.

“If the act of restraining or obstructing the project unrelated to the military character persists, our army will regard it as deliberate military provocation and take corresponding countermeasure,” he said.

Last year, North Korea sent thousands of rubbish-carrying balloons southwards, saying they were retaliation for anti-North Korean propaganda balloons sent by South Korean activists.

Later, Seoul turned on border loudspeaker broadcasts for the first time in six years, which included K-pop tunes and international news. Pyongyang responded by blaring strange sounds along the frontier, unsettling South Korean residents.

Seoul has since turned off the loudspeaker broadcasts following orders from newly elected President Lee.

San Bernardino police responded to what they described as “an officer-involved shooting” involving federal immigration officers Saturday morning.

When police officers responded to the area of Acacia Avenue and Baseline Street shortly before 9 a.m., they encountered immigration agents who said they had fired at a suspect who then fled the scene.

Soon after, according to the San Bernardino Police Department, a man — who has not been identified — contacted the dispatch center, saying that masked men had tried to pull him over, broke his car window and shot at him. He said he didn’t know who they were and asked for police assistance.

In a statement Saturday night, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said agents had been conducting a targeted enforcement operation in San Bernardino and said that “Customs and Border Protection] officers were injured during a vehicle stop when a subject refused to exit his vehicle and tried to run them down.”

“In the course of the incident the suspect drove his car at the officers and struck two CBP officers with his vehicle,” the statement read. Because of that, the official said, a CBP officer discharged his firearm “in self-defense.”

According to a news release from the Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice, federal agents broke the driver and passenger windows of the vehicle and fired three times. Video the group uploaded on Facebook appeared to capture the interaction, showing agents wearing “police” vests and shouting at those inside to roll down the window.

“No la voy a abrir,” the man said from inside, saying he wasn’t going to open it.

Soon after, the video captured the sound of shattering glass and what sounded like three shots being fired. The video showed a man wearing a hat with CBP on it.

The video appears to show the vehicle leaving after the windows are smashed, but does not capture the driver striking the officers.

“This was a clear abuse of power,” the Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice said in its release. “Firing at civilians, harassing families without cause, and targeting community voices must stop.”

According to the San Bernardino Police Department, officers later located the vehicle in the 1000 block of Mt. View Drive and made contact with the man, but they said it was unclear what federal agents wanted him for.

“Under the California Values Act, California law enforcement agencies are prohibited from assisting federal officials with immigration enforcement, so our officers left the scene as the investigation was being conducted by federal authorities,” police said in a news release.

In a statement, a DHS spokesperson misidentified the police department, describing it as the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, and said local authorities had the man in custody but then set him free.

“This decision was made despite the subject refusing to comply and wounding two officers — another terrible example of California’s pro-sanctuary policies in action that shield criminals instead of protecting communities,” the unidentified spokesperson said.

At 1:12 p.m., federal officials requested assistance from the department because a large crowd was forming as they attempted to arrest the suspect, the police said. At that time, federal agents told police he was wanted for allegedly assaulting a federal officer.

Police responded and provided support with crowd control, according to the department.

The Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice said in a news release that the agents didn’t present a warrant and remained outside the home until 3:45 p.m., “pressuring the individual to come outside.”

The group added that two community members “were detained using unnecessary force, including one for speaking out.”

“Federal agents requested assistance during a lawful arrest for assaulting a federal officer when a crowd created a potential officer safety concern,” the police department said in a statement. “This was not an immigration-related arrest, which would be prohibited under California law.”

Federal investigators are currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the shooting, according to the police.

LOVE Island stars reunited last night for a very boozy reunion that saw the shots flowing.

Nearly all of this year’s villa stars were in attendance, and it was a case of good vibes only as they partied on a sunny night in London.

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The cast dressed to the nines and hit Kaso Rooftop at One Hundred Shoreditch for the fun event.

While the cameras weren’t rolling for this one, the Islanders let fans in via their social media feeds.

As the night went on, the craziness increased.

Irish beauty Andrada Pop, who looked close to stealing Dejon Williams from Meg Moore at one stage on the show, was at the centre of the action.

She knocked back shots and looked very cosy with Remell Mullings, who she didn’t get a chance to meet in the villa.

But while fans appreciated the obvious chemistry between them, they were also worried it could jeopardise her taking part in All Stars next year if they were to hook up.

And Blu Chegini and bombshell Rheo Parnell also looked very compatible as they cosied up in posh car, before having fun with the slow-cam booth.

Series winners Shakira Khan and Harry Cooksley only had eyes for each other, looking very smitten as they kissed outside the venue.

Love Island lothario Harrison Solomon was nowhere to be seen.

Avoiding the potential for drama, he had an appearance at an event in Swansea nightclub.

But his night ended in drama after his car suffered a flat tyre, leaving him with a £200 Uber bill.

There were no such issues for his partner Lauren Wood though, as she sang and danced with co-stars.

Meanwhile, Dejon couldn’t resist the allure of the photobooth and snapped pics with bombshells Poppy Harrison and Lucy Quinn.

Slow-cam footage showed them all dancing together and fans think it’s a sign that Dejon could be in trouble with Megan, who he had a tumultuous time with in the villa.

“Oh you know there’s been an argument tonight,” wrote one fan on the clip posted to TikTok, with a second noting: “Meg ain’t gonna be happy.”

“He’s still flirting smh [shaking my head]” said a third, with a fourth writing: “He’s actually taking the p*** now”.

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Water polo players briefly left the pool after shots were fired near an Under-20 World Cup game in Brazil.

Brazilian police have said there were no injuries after shots were fired near an Under-20 World Cup water polo women’s game between China and Canada in the city of Salvador.

China won 12-8 on Sunday – the opening day of the tournament – but footage showed the game being briefly interrupted as players got out of the pool, lay down and took cover by a small barrier after hearing gunshots outside the water polo venue in the Pituba neighbourhood. China led Canada 3-2 at the time.

“The match stopped for about a minute. Our team saw that the police were taking care of it,” Marco Antonio Lemos, head of the Bahia state water sports federation, said in a statement on Monday.

Police said the cause of the shots was a confrontation with an alleged local thief who was outside the venue and tried to escape. No more details were given.

Spectators were told about the incident after the game had resumed.

Brazil is hosting the 16-team tournament for the first time.

A WOMAN has revealed that she now looks like a “circus freak” after getting illegal bum shots aged 22.

Courtney Barnes, 35, decided to go to extreme lengths to get a huge bum, after finding that working out at the gym made her bum smaller.

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The influencer underwent three rounds of illegal bum shots at “black market pumping parties”, and now has a 59inch bum.

However, she now completely regrets the illegal procedures she got, and is determined to reverse them.

“At one point I wanted a bigger butt at any cost”, Courtney, from Miami, Florida told Truly.

“But now I realise it could cost me my life.”

“I may look like a circus freak, but I just want people to see me for me”, she said.

The surgery that Courtney needs to undergo to remove her bum injections is very complicated, and will set her back more than £14,000.

“There are a lot of risks involved, and I don’t even think doctors fully know the risk”, she said.

Due to the illegal injections, Courtney’s bum is now discoloured and saggy.

She is also constantly “stalked” by people fascinated by her behind, and receives a lot of hate online for her unusual physique.

Trolls have claimed her bum “looks like melted cheese”, and that she must have low self-esteem.

Courtney is now hoping to completely transform her image, and has even got herself a life coach.

“I’m ready to look like the girl next door”, she said.

As well as getting her bum injections removed, Courtney is aiming for a more conservative look, so as to be taken seriously as an author.

She has written a book about her story, to warn people about the dangers of cosmetic surgery.

“There are a lot of women who want cosmetic surgery because they do not like their bodies, and I just want to say ‘don’t do it.”

“I’ve made a lot of mistakes, and I’m looking to put all that behind me.”

As fighting continues between factions in southern Syria and the country’s army faces threats from Israel if it intervenes, Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr says Israel’s posture poses a major challenge to the Syrian government.

Bethany Clarke, 27, and her best friend Simone White, 28, met in Laos, Southeast Asia, for the trip of a lifetime, but after consuming vodka shots that are thought to have been tainted with methanol, it ended in tragedy

It was meant to be a fun-packed couple of weeks travelling through Southeast Asia for Bethany Clarke and her best friend Simone White. Enjoying free shots of vodka at their hostel, the pair couldn’t wait to find out what their adventure would bring.

Sadly, it ended in tragedy after the pair were poisoned by what they believe was methanol.

Bethany, who was 27 at the time and lived in Brisbane, Australia, and Simone, who had turned 28 just a week before the trip and lived in London, Greenwich, met in Laos as a halfway point for a holiday together. They had been best friends since the first year of primary school, and after amending their plans to include two Southeast Asia countries, they were excited to explore Laos before heading to Cambodia.

During the first few days of their trip in November 2024, they spent time in Vang Vieng, a small town on the Nam Song River in Laos, which had once been a notorious party destination for backpackers. In between activities, like tubing down the river, they stayed two nights at the Nana Backpackers Hostel after being impressed by its numerous “positive reviews”.

READ MORE: Dad heard ‘loud bang’ in Canary Islands hotel, then saw little girl impaled on glass

At the hostel, they met one of their friends from home who had also been travelling, and on their second night, the three friends took advantage of the hostel’s happy hour, offering free vodka and whiskey shots from 8pm to 10pm. That night, Bethany and Simone drank vodka with a mixer, like Sprite, but Bethany recalled it tasting “quite weak”.

“I remember thinking ‘that’s unusually weak’, but I didn’t think anything of it. I just thought it’s happy hour, the chances are they’re wanting to cut costs, so they’re probably putting water in it,” Bethany exclusively told the Mirror. “I hadn’t heard about methanol poisoning and about how organised crime rings would add methanol in, to cut costs.”

Looking back, Bethany recalled that the whiskey was “black” and that her friend didn’t like it, but again, didn’t think much of it. When the happy hour ended, Bethany went to bed feeling tired, while Simone and their friend went across the road to an Irish bar for some more drinks.

“I just remember thinking I’m unusually tired, and I do get tired after drinking, but that was quite extreme. I don’t know whether it was the methanol already kicking in, or whether it was jet lag. Looking back, it was probably the methanol”.

She explained that being asleep could have “masked” some of her symptoms. According to the UK Health Security Agency, the substance can cause “convulsions, blindness, nervous system damage, coma and death.”

The next morning, Bethany said she felt “weak and not very well coordinated”. She added: “My brain wasn’t really able to problem-solve or think very clearly. I had no hunger whatsoever, which, again, is quite unusual if you’re hungover, but I just had no interest in food at all.”

Putting it down to being hungover, Bethany and Simone “forced themselves to eat something” and went out for their booked tour to the Blue Lagoon in the morning, before a kayaking experience in the afternoon. However, during the day out, Bethany said that they didn’t have “any sensible conversation” but instead were just talking about how they were feeling, “it was like having the brain of a five-year-old, it was really, really strange.” She also recalled Simone being sick off the kayak, which she said was “unusual”.

Later that day, they caught a bus to their next destination in Vientiane, but halfway through, Simone was sick and Bethany fainted and hit her head. “We didn’t have any conversations with anyone around us, and nobody seemed concerned,” Bethany said.

Showing no signs of improvement, they went to a public hospital after being dropped off by the bus. Still unaware of the severity of the situation, Simone and Bethany were checked over and were told that it could be “food poisoning”.

“We had different diets, so that didn’t make sense,” Bethany shared. “They put an IV in me, which I reluctantly agreed to, and eventually Simone came into the room, still walking and talking. I gave her some electrolytes once she got a bed, but she threw them up immediately.

“I checked her heart rate, and it wasn’t bad. And given that she had eaten something, I wasn’t too worried – at that point she had eaten more than me, so I thought maybe I was worse as I had fainted. We also thought that, as she had chosen to come in this last minute, she was presumably feeling a little bit better, but turns out the opposite was true.”

She continued: “Less than two hours later, she went into respiratory distress and was gasping for air. Simone wasn’t able to talk anymore or look at me, her eyes were glazed, looking in a different direction.” Simone was moved to the ICU part of the hospital before their friend suggested going to a private hospital for further care.

They arrived at the private Kasemrad International Hospital in Vientiane, around 27 hours after they consumed their drinks at the hostel. Tragically, Simone’s condition deteriorated, and she needed emergency brain surgery before being placed on life support.

Simone’s mum flew in from Kent to be with her daughter, and was given the heartbreaking ultimatum on whether to keep her on life support. Bethany said that doctors had to explain to Sue how to switch off her daughter’s life support, and she was told she’d have to do it herself, due to religious reasons.

Sue made the heart-wrenching decision to take the tube out of her daughter’s mouth and turn off her life support. The 28-year-old died on 21 November 2024, just nine days after drinking the shots at Nana Backpackers Hostel in Vang Vieng.

An inquest into her death earlier this year confirmed that Simone tragically died from a bleed on the brain. Simone is one of six tourists to have died from suspected methanol poisoning in Laos.

The hostel closed, but now appears to be rebranded as Vang Vieng Central Backpacker Hostel. According to Tripadvisor, it is planning to reopen and is taking bookings from August this year.

Bethany recovered, but has been left with the devastating heartache of losing her best friend. Now, she has launched the Simone White Methanol Awareness campaign to help raise awareness and prevent this from happening to anyone ever again.

She has called for the government to do more to help travellers understand the dangers of drinking alcohol abroad, including putting up warning posters in airports. In addition, Bethany set up a petition for the dangers of methanol poisoning to be taught in schools across the UK.

Bethany shared with us: “Since the poisoning, I’ve found out more information about Vang Vieng in general, because it does seem to have a history of very loose safety regulations. There were no documented cases of methanol poisoning in Laos when we were there, so how were we meant to know? It’s frustrating that these cases go undocumented because no one really understands the true extent of what’s actually going on.”

Worryingly, Bethany claims that “so many” of the hostel’s reviews had been deleted, which she found out just days after the alleged poisoning happened. She claimed: “On reviews, people were saying that people were being poisoned and to stop serving these drinks, but they’d come back immediately, saying this is slander and all that. Then, less than a day later, the review would be gone from Google.”

This led Bethany to actively share warnings and messages on social media, while they were still in hospital, about the Vang Vieng hostel in a bid to warn others about the serious risk of the drinks. “I’m so glad I did that at the time, you don’t know how many more people could have gone, it’s so scary,” she added.

Describing her best friend, Bethany shared: “She was a very caring person, she had great listening ears and if I had any problems, she would help me out. She was an organiser, and she had a very busy social schedule and so many friends. She was my best friend, and I probably won’t ever meet anyone like that again.”

India captain Shubman Gill scores 150 for the first time in his Test career as his side move towards a big first innings score on day two of the second Test against England at Edgbaston.

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