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News_Naija

Army Kills Two Gunmen In India

India’s army said they had killed two gunmen in Kashmir close to the contested frontier with Pakistan, a day after attackers massacred at least 26 people in separate violence. The army’s Chinar Corps reported Wednesday a “heavy exchange of fire” with gunmen they said were part of an “infiltration bid” at Baramulla, saying it had seized large quantities of weapons and ammunition. “Two terrorists have been eliminated”, the army said. Muslim-majority Kashmir has been divided between nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan since their independence in 1947, with both claiming the territory in full. India has an estimated 500,000 soldiers permanently deployed in the territory. Rebel groups have fought for decades demanding independence for Kashmir or its merger with Pakistan. Security forces are undertaking a major manhunt after gunmen in the popular tourist spot of Pahalgam slaughtered at least 26 people on Tuesday, the region’s deadliest attack on civilians since 2000. Fighting has decreased since 2019 when Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government cancelled the partial autonomy of the territory and imposed direct control from New Delhi AFP

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Futbol

'Watching Football Hurts' - Williams Seeking Return

Former Manchester United defender Brandon Williams says it "hurts watching football" after being without a club since last summer. Williams was released by boyhood team Manchester United at the end of the 2023-24 season after his contract expired and has spent this campaign watching the game from the outside. The 24-year-old's last appearance came in December 2023 during a loan spell with Ipswich. In March, Williams admitted to a charge of dangerous driving - he had been caught in August 2023 doing almost 100mph before crashing his car in Cheshire. "I go into this mode where I just don't care," Williams said on Ben Foster's Fozcast podcast, external. "I have this switch where I don't care what happens. They [family and friends] wanted me to get back to football but they could see I'd fallen out of love with. "It hurts me watching football now because I just want to be there, I just want to play. I miss being in a team, on the coach, travelling to games, having meals together and just doing things." Williams came through Manchester United's academy to make his senior debut under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in 2019. The left-back made 51 appearances, including two in the Champions League, but struggled to tie down a regular spot and spent time on loan at Norwich and Ipswich. He featured under Kieran McKenna at Ipswich but the former Manchester United coach sent Williams back to his parent club after seeing that "something wasn't right". "I had a few problems going on off the pitch at the end of the year," Williams said. "He [McKenna] said 'get yourself sorted and come back as Brandon'. "When I did come back to Manchester, things increased off the pitch with family problems and friend problems." Williams will be sentenced for his dangerous driving charge on 9 May at Chester Crown Court. He was caught driving in an erratic manner and at up to 99mph in a 70mph zone. In March, the court heard he was seen with a balloon at his mouth. The CPS said a female passenger was seen filming them at one point on her phone, adding that it was clear to witnesses that Williams' Audi was out of control before colliding with another car. Williams was breathalysed but the test was negative. Williams is seeking a route back into the game but admitted that he found it difficult to deal with being in the spotlight since breaking into the first team at Old Trafford. He met with Mick Farrell, a psychologist at Manchester United, but feared opening up completely on his struggles in case word spread around the club and he received an unsympathetic response. Williams said he was going through some "dark" times and Farrell would come to visit in the morning to try to get him to leave his apartment. The England under-21 international believes his time away from the game has afforded him the opportunity to "reset" and feels he is ready to get back playing again next season. "I want to have that feeling again of winning and being around the changing room environment," Williams said. "I've had loads of teams trying to get me out - America, Europe and England - but I haven't been ready. I want to go somewhere 100% focused and kick on. "I would like to experience that different culture. I'm only 24 so I could do three or four years abroad. Definitely Europe at a good club or an upcoming club."

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News_Naija

Police Launch Probe As Rivers Inspector Shoots Self Dead

An inspector attached to the Rivers State Police Command, identified as Maxwell Zubu has allegedly shot himself dead. The incident happened in the Eagle Island axis of Port Harcourt on Tuesday. Zabu was said to be a security detail to a former Chairman of the Port Harcourt City Local Government Area. Details of the incident were sketchy as of the time of filing this report as the circumstances leading to his death could not be immediately ascertained. Investigation by our correspondent revealed that the incident has been reported to the Police post at the Eagle Island which is under the Azikiwe Police Division at Illabouchi in Mile 2 Diobu, Port Harcourt. A police source, who pleaded anonymity said, “Some policemen from the Azikiwe Police Division visited the scene as part of preliminary investigation procedures.” When contacted, spokesperson for the State Police Command, Grace Iringe-Koko, confirmed the incident though did not give any details. Iringe-Koko, a Superintendent of Police, however, said the investigation is ongoing to ascertain the immediate and remote causes of his death. She stated, “Yes I can confirm, but we have commenced investigation to ascertain the cause of the incident and we will make our findings public. “For now the matter has been transferred to State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department in Port Harcourt for detailed investigation.”

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Futbol

UK Set To Host 2035 Women's World Cup As Only 'valid' Bid

The United Kingdom is set to host the 2035 Women's World Cup as the sole "valid" bidder for the tournament, Fifa president Gianni Infantino says. England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland submitted a joint expression of interest in March to hold the World Cup across the home nations. Under Fifa rotation rules, the tournament must be in Europe or Africa. Spain's federation president Rafael Louzan said last week that they were "working on" a joint bid alongside Portugal and Morocco. However, the deadline for expressions of interest passed on Monday and Infantino says the UK's bid is the only one received for 2035, while the United States are set to host the 2031 edition. "Today I can confirm as part of the bidding process that we received one bid for 2031 and one valid bid for 2035," Infantino said at a Uefa congress in Belgrade. "The 2031 bid is the United States of America and potentially some other Concacaf members and the 2035 bid is from Europe and the home nations. "So the path is there for the Women's World Cup in 2031 and 2035 to take place in some great nations and further boost the women's football movement." FA chief executive Mark Bullingham said: "We are honoured to be the sole bidder for the Fifa Women's World Cup 2035. The hard work starts now to put together the best possible bid by the end of the year." Scottish FA chief executive Ian Maxwell said: "We look forward to working together to finalise our proposal and lay the foundations for a tournament that will excite football fans around the world and inspire girls and women across Scotland." Patrick Nelson, chief executive of the Irish FA, said: "There's still a lot of hard work to be done along with our partners in bringing it all together, however this will be a brilliant opportunity to show the world what Northern Ireland and Belfast have to offer." Noel Mooney, chief executive of the Welsh FA, said: "With our first ever participation in a Women's Euro's coming up this summer and the hosting of major women's finals coming to Cymru [Wales], we are on an incredible journey so we must make the most of this to inspire the next generation of players, volunteers and supporters." England women's manager Sarina Wiegman said: "We know from the experience of the Euros [in 2022] how big the game is already here and what the momentum did in the country. "Another tournament on an even bigger stage would be incredible and give another boost to the game." Formal bids for the 2035 World Cup must be submitted this winter, with a vote taking place to confirm the hosts in a Fifa congress in 2026. Infantino also confirmed that the 2031 Women's World Cup will be a 48-team tournament, up from 32 in 2027. Should the UK's bid be confirmed, the 2035 Women's World Cup will be the second time a World Cup has been held in the home nations after the 1966 men's tournament in England. English FA insiders are delighted by the news and see it as a hugely significant moment for both women's football in the UK as well as the governing body's relationship with Fifa, which officials have been trying to improve. England failed to win the right to host the men's World Cups in both 2006 and 2018, and then in 2022 a proposed UK and Ireland bid for the 2030 tournament was abandoned after it became clear it was futile. But assuming this bid for the 2035 Women's World Cup is ratified at next year's Fifa congress - and it appears a formality - the UK can finally look forward to staging a global senior football competition for the first time since 1966. The hosting of men's Euro 2020 games in England and Scotland, and then all of the women's Euros in England in 2022, will have helped restore trust - along with the fact the men's Euros in 2028 is being played across England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland. While details are yet to be finalised, England is expected to host the bulk of the games in 2035, and the final is also expected to be at Wembley.