HARARE - Dynamos' interim coach Lloyd 'Mablanyo' Chigowe has expressed his disappointment over Zimbabwe's lack of CAF certified stadiums for international matches.
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UFC HEAVYWEIGHT champ Jon Jones has all but confirmed his imminent retirement from MMA and ended Tom Aspinall’s hopes of ever facing him.
Aspinall, 31, has been gunning for a unification fight with Jones since sensationally claiming the interim title at Madison Square Garden last November.
The UFC, however, have been steadfast in their refusal to axe Jones’ postponed bout with former titleholder Stipe Miocic, which has been rescheduled for November 16.
But Jones has seemingly ended fans’ – and Aspinall’s – hopes of a unification bout materialising by revealing he plans to place his gloves on the Octagon canvas after his MSG melee with Miocic.
The UFC Hall of Famer told Clocked N’ Loaded: “This is gonna be the last time [I fight].
“The last time, more than likely.”
Jones’ apparent pre-fight confirmation of his retirement has seen Dana White’s “guarantee” of a fight with Aspinall materalising go up in smoke.
Speaking after a recent episode of Dana White‘s Contenders Series, the 55-year-old said: “So Jon is a very unique individual to deal with.
“Jon Jones will fight everybody.
“Jon Jones was absolutely — he wanted Francis [Ngannou]! You saw what happened with Ciryl Gane.
“He will tell you like he told us that he would do the same thing to Francis Ngannou. He wanted that fight so bad.
“And for anybody who thinks — I know the whole internet, ‘Oh Jon Jones!’ that I’m up Jon Jones’s a, these are f***ing facts. Facts.
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“And since everybody has been such d*****bag about this, I’m coming out with a nice little punch in the face for all you f***s that think Jon Jones isn’t the greatest of all time.
“Dislike him, whatever your beef is with Jon Jones, knock yourself out.
“There’s no way in hell that Jon Jones doesn’t want to fight Aspinall. That I guarantee you.”
Stepping inside the octagon with Jones would be a dream come true for Aspinall, although the Brit insists he’ll be more than content with his career if the fight never comes to fruition.
The Wigan warrior told SunSport: “Ultimately, I want to be the heavyweight champion of the world It doesn’t really matter about Jon Jones.
“It’d be nice, it’d be a lovely cherry on the cake to have the scalp and get that experience.
“I’m a massive Jon Jones fan, first and foremost. It would just be awesome to experience that with Jon.
“But as Jon said, Jon said, ‘Don’t let me hold you back.’
“And when he said that, I thought, ‘You know what, he’s right.’ I’m not letting Jon hold me back.
“He’s doing his thing, I’m doing my thing. If we cross paths, I’ll try my best to take him out.”
INSTAGRAM has announced a major shake-up that will restrict a number of top features on teen accounts.
And the social networking giant will also be on the look out for anyone who has lied about their age to avoid the changes.
The Mark Zuckerberg-owned platform will place those under 16-years-old onto new Teen Accounts which require parental permission to make any adjustment to the default settings.
As part of the move, teen users accounts will automatically be switched to private – and tough messaging restrictions will make it impossible to DM anyone they’re not already friends with on the app.
In addition, teen account holders will have their interactions limited so that only people they follow can tag or mention them.
They’ll even be sent a notification telling them to leave the app after an hour’s use each day.
Sleep mode will also be on by default, which mutes notifications and auto-replies to direct messages between 10pm and 7am each day.
Parents will have the option to see who their teen kids have been messaging in the past seven days as well – though they won’t be able to see the contents of the messages.
Former UK deputy prime minister Sir Nick Clegg, who now works as Meta’s president of global affairs, said the aim of the overhaul is to “shift the balance in favour of parents” when it came to using parental controls.
“This (change) really tries to very meaningfully shift the balance in favour of parents by basically putting teens into the strictest default settings over what content they see, who they can be connected with, what time they can spend … and crucially, if you’re under 16, they’ll have to ask mum and dad if they can change those settings,” Sir Nick told PA.
“And yes, from our point of view it might mean that some teens may use our apps less, but we feel, given everything we have learned and heard over the last, crucial years – and quite rightly, we’ve been put under an immense amount of scrutiny on these issues – we felt it was time now to shift the playing field in favour of simple, transparent, easy-to-use controls for parents, that’s the motivation behind this.”
It comes as online platforms like Instagram have faced accusations of failing to keep younger users away from harmful material on their sites, with many campaigners calling for stronger regulation to force companies to respond.
New teen users who sign-up from today will be put on a teen account.
Existing users will be shifted across starting from next week.
Teens in the UK, US, Canada and Australia should be moved within two months, and those in the EU later this year.
Child safety campaigners cautiously welcomed the step.
Ian Russell, the father of Molly who took her life aged 14 after viewing disturbing content online, said: “Anything that may improve safety online has to be welcomed. In my experience, it’s difficult to get too excited about an announcement, because we’ve had announcements in the past.
“For example, the announcement in early 2019 when Adam Mosseri [head of Instagram] said that Instagram would no longer allow graphic self-harm content.
“And yet Molly Rose Foundation research last November … showed that it was still easy to find, maybe not quite as easy as it was when Molly was looking, but it was still there and algorithmically recommended.
“So there are promising signs, but it’s really hard to know if this is just another bit of corporate spin or if this hopefully is a sign of real change of corporate culture that might lead to a safer platform.”
If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support.
The following are free to contact and confidential:
Mind, www.mind.org, provide information about types of mental health problems and where to get help for them. Email info@mind.org.uk or call the infoline on 0300 123 3393 (UK landline calls are charged at local rates, and charges from mobile phones will vary).
YoungMinds run a free, confidential parents helpline on 0808 802 5544 for parents or carers worried about how a child or young person is feeling or behaving. The website has a chat option too.
Rethink Mental Illness, www.rethink.org, gives advice and information service offers practical advice on a wide range of topics such as The Mental Health Act, social care, welfare benefits, and carers rights. Use its website or call 0300 5000 927 (calls are charged at your local rate).
Heads Together, www.headstogether.org.uk, is the a mental health initiative spearheaded by The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales.
TEAM GB stars have paid tribute to a top athlete who died in a horror accident.
Ethan Walsh, 27, has tragically passed away after sustaining “serious injuries” in a car accident.
His family confirmed the devastating loss on social media, with Ethan’s father stating that they are “broken.”
Molly Caudery, Team GB pole vaulter, posted a tribute on her Instagram story.
She wrote: “The most heartbreaking news.
“Never failed to make everyone around you smile, will be missed by so many.”
SHE is the unmistakable, upbeat voice of BBC Radio 2’s popular breakfast show.
Yet behind the microphone, Zoe Ball has faced an overwhelming series of personal tragedies.
Her absence from the airwaves in recent weeks has left fans concerned for her well-being.
For the last five weeks, a slew of stars have filled in for the 53-year-old broadcaster.
Neither Zoe nor the BBC have given any explanation for her absence.
However, in recent years, the tragic loss of her mother to cancer and split with her partner of nearly six years, Michael Reed, has had a devastating impact on her.
Having ditched the booze after years of partying, she also had to struggled to with not drinking again when her partner Billy Yates sadly killed himself.
Despite so many struggles, Zoe has bounced back every time. Here we look at the brave presents tough times in recent years.
In April this year, Zoe announced that her mum, Julia Peckham, had passed away following her cancer diagnosis.
She announced the news with a post on social media that read: “Sleep tight dear Mama.”
In a tribute, she said: “We are bereft without you but will hold so tight to each other.
“Thank you for teaching us how to love unconditionally, to always show courage and empathy, and how, even in the darkest of days, laughter is the greatest of gifts.”
Just days before the announcement, Zoe had revealed that Julia had been moved to hospice care after her condition became worse.
Zoe and her mum spent 14 years estranged after her parents divorced when she was two years old.
Zoe was raised by her father, Johnny Ball, and stepmum, Di.
Although TV star Johnny never had a problem with her connecting with her mum, Zoe says she never responded to her birthday cards and presents.
They reunited after Zoe got an invitation to her mum’s 40th birthday. Although she almost backed out of going at the last minute, she showed up at the party.
Describing their reconciliation in an interview with the Mirror in 1997, she said: “I could hardly breathe. My heart started pounding like mad. I suddenly panicked: ‘What if we hate each other?’
“Mum hadn’t changed a bit, except she didn’t seem quite so tall. We spent such a lovely first day together… lots of crying and girlie emotion.”
In July this year, she also opened up about her family’s pain after the loss of her stepfather, Rick, who died from motor neurone disease.
Dedicating a portion of her show to rugby star Rob Burrow, who died after battling the condition, Zoe said: “I sobbed last night when I heard.
“We lost our stepdad Rick to motor neurone disease. My mum looked after people and passed on advice to other families about what they’re going through and helped out the families in the Sussex area.”
When she first burst onto the scene in the 1990s, Zoe was known as the poster girl for wild partying.
Speaking to Grazia magazine in an interview, she said: “I loved it at first. Hanging out with people who partied every day, woke at 5pm, had a few shots of vodka and a bag of chips, then went clubbing again.”
These days, she has taken a step back from the lifestyle and lives a much quieter one.
She has said that her drinking came as a result of the insecurities she faced whenever she found herself with a big group of people.
Hanging out with people who partied every day, woke at 5pm, had a few shots of vodka and a bag of chips, then went clubbing again.
Zoe Ball
In an interview, she explained: “It’s weird because you do this job and you are talking and are gregarious and all these things but I am actually quite shy.
“You could be in a room full of musicians or you could be in a room full of people who were some of your heroes and you could feel like you could hold your own if you had some sort of prop or something that made you feel a bit more at ease.
“But you could walk into the room if you’d had a drink.”
Zoe sought help at rehab and, after several attempts to curb the habit, she finally overcame it.
Zoe has also suffered through high-profile heartbreaks and relationship dramas that have played out in the public eye.
In the 90s and early 2000s, her marriage to Norman Cook, also known as Fatboy Slim, kept their names in the headlines.
The pair met in 1997 when they worked for the BBC in Ibiza.
After developing a friendship that later turned romantic, they married in 1999 and had two kids, Woody, 23, and Nelly, 13.
They briefly split in 2003 after Zoe cheated with his pal DJ Dan Peppe.
Three months later, they got over the betrayal and reconciled.
But in 2016, they decided to end their relationship for good after 18 years.
At the time, they said they had “come to the end of our rainbow”.
In 2017, he said in an interview that their split had been “traumatic”.
But the pair are now in a much better place. In an interview, Zoe called him “the best dad”.
She also said: “He [Norman Cook] is such a good friend and a good guy. It’s not always been easy and it’s taken time.
“He’s been through a lot, I’ve been through a lot, but now we’re in a great place as parents together.”
In 2017, when she was pictured with Billy Yates, it appeared that Zoe had found love again after splitting from DJ Fatboy Slim.
Even her telly star dad Johnny, seemed to be pleased with her newfound romance.
He said: “We are very happy that she is finding a new lease on life.
“She is very happy at the moment, and that is lovely.”
He got on his bike and he cycled off and he turned round and he blew me a kiss goodbye, and that was the last time I saw him.
Zoe Ball
But a few months into their relationship, in May of that year, he killed himself at his home in Putney, South London.
His death devastated Zoe with friends saying she was dealing with an overwhelming sense of shock and grief.
The following year, Zoe broke down in tears as she discussed the last time she saw him alive.
“He got on his bike and he cycled off and he turned round and he blew me a kiss goodbye, and that was the last time I saw him”, she said.
Zoe was born in Blackpool and is daughter of the children’s TV presenter Johnny Ball and his wife Julia.
She appeared on television at a young age as part of the studio audience of the Saturday morning children’s show, Saturday Superstore when her father was a guest.
The star began her career in broadcasting as a presenter on the pre-school programme Playdays.
After various behind the scenes roles, she earned a spot as a regular host of Top of the Pops, when she alternated with the likes of Jayne Middlemiss and Jo Whiley.
In 1996, she was chosen to front BBC One‘s saturday morning show Live & Kicking, which led to stints on The Big Breakfast on Channel 4.
But she maintained a huge presence on the radio as she was chosen to be the co-host of BBC Radio 1 Breakfast alongside Kevin Greening in October 1997.
Zoe was later appointed the sole host of the show in a groundbreaking move by the corporation as she was the first female DJ to hold the post.
The presenter chose to leave the station in March 2000 to start a family, where she was succeeded by Sara Cox.
As a mainstream face in TV through the noughties, she hosted a range of huge programmes for ITV, including the Brit Awards in 2002, Extinct in 2006, and both Soapstar Superstar and Grease Is The Word in 2007.
In mid-2002, she returned to radio when she joined Xfm (later known as Radio X), when she was the voice of the weekday drivetime show until December 2003. In 2004, she stood in for Ricky Gervais while he filmed the second series of The Office.
In October 2005, she appeared as a contestant on the third series of Strictly Come Dancing, where she was partnered with Ian Waite, The star impressed viewers with her footwork and the duo waltzed into third place.
In 2011, she returned to the franchise as she took over as the host of the magazine spin-off show, It Takes Two.
She also filled in for Claudia Winkleman on the main show in 2014, when The Traitors star took leave after her daughter suffered serious burn injuries.
After 10 years fronting the show, Zoe announced she was quitting her role on BBC Two in May 2021.
Zoe’s journey in BBC Radio 2 started in 2006 when she fronted specialist documentaries. Over the years she sat in for names such as Dermot O’Leary, Ken Bruce and Chris Evans.
After several shake-ups, she returned to the station on a permanent basis when she took over Dermot’s Saturday afternoon slot between 3pm and 6pm.
In October 2018, Chris Evans moved to Virgin Radio and he personally announced that Zoe would take over his popular slot. She started presenting the breakfast show on 14 January 2019.
“And I feel really grateful that I got my goodbye in a way. And I think that was my goodbye.”
She also spoke about how her sobriety helped her with the grieving process.
She wrote on Instagram: “Special moment. 2 years no booze – through two of the toughest years of my life, I’m not sure I’d have survived intact had it had not been for my sobriety & #recovery.”
Speaking to the BBC, she said: “Billy was my partner, we’d been friends for years and we got together. He suffered with depression for a huge chunk of his life. And it’s so hard to sit and watch someone you love and care for struggle with mental health.
“Losing him was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to deal with in my life.”
In 2020, she added to Red magazine: “I believe I was in shock for two years afterwards. It’s like you can’t see beyond putting your feet on the floor and getting out of bed each day.
“Since losing Billy, I’ve met lots of people who’ve helped me have a better understanding of the complexities of mental health.
“But also, it’s key to remember there is help available for people living with mental health issues and there is hope.”
After Billy’s death, Zoe found love again in December 2017 when she began dating Michael Reed.
At the time, a source told The Sun: “She has had a tough time of it this year so deserves some happiness.”
But after five and a half years of dating, their relationship came to an end last year.
An insider said: “Zoe is gutted. This is a relief to many of her friends, who think she has done the right thing. They were arguing over really silly things and it all got a bit too much for her.
“They had a wonderful romance at first and Michael was a real gent. But in recent months they started spending a lot less time together, went away on separate holidays, and drifted apart.
“Now it seems the relationship has finally run its course. She asked him to move out and he has done so, although they have remained on good terms.
“Hopefully, Zoe will move on and find the happiness she deserves.”
Zoe has been frank about her struggles with the menopause. In a conversation with musician Billy Joel on her show last year, she disclosed that she had difficulties with her eyesight.
When Billy joked that he couldn’t see himself in the mirror, Zoe said: “It’s a great idea. Just take the mirrors down. My eyesight has gone with menopause, and I can’t see myself. It’s great.”
According to Vision Express, it is not uncommon for women going through the stage to experience problems with their eyes, including blurred vision, dry eyes, and even glaucoma.
Since admitting that she began the menopausal process at 46, she has spoken about other symptoms she has experienced.
In 2021, she opened up about how she felt some of the symptoms during an interview with Hollywood legends Al Pacino and Robert De Niro.
She said: “So the interview was going great, but suddenly I could feel it coming.
“This great heat. It’s kinda damp as well, and you go quite red. My glasses were steaming up and sliding down my nose in this great heat, in this tiny room.
“And I could see Al Pacino looking at me sort of willing me to get to the end of the question, which had no point to it by now, since I was on fire.”
In a chat with former EastEnders star Tamzin Outhwaite, Zoe spoke about the emotional aspects of the condition.
She said: “There’s ‘meno madness’, you get rage, you get sobbing, you get heat, you get terrible anxiety, you pile on the hormonal pounds – just stop me on the list here.”
On social media, she also opened up about how she has been experiencing water retention, which causes swollen legs, another symptom of menopause.
She wrote: “Been struggling this past year with my menopause weight gain and water retention and all sorts.
“Trying to jumpstart a healthier routine. Have been learning lots about supplements and teas and diet and ways to combat menopause madness – will keep sharing any good finds…”
AMAZON PRIME will bring back a much-loved subtle feature for their Champions League coverage this season.
Their first match is a blockbuster showdown between AC Milan and Liverpool, two teams who have lifted 13 European Cups between them.
Prime video are set to pull out all the stops to impress fans in their first-ever coverage of Europe’s elite top competition.
It has been confirmed that the popular substitute counter feature will be on display for the match at the San Siro.
The feature appears in the top left corner of the screen above the scoreline.
The tracker shows five little marks above each team – with the number of dashes reducing by one every time a substitution is made.
It makes it easy for fans to see how many more changes their manager has left in a game.
Teams are allowed to make five substitutions per game.
Amazon Prime have used this before when covering Premier League matches last season.
And it proved a hit with fans, who called for it to be adopted by other broadcasters.
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One fan wrote on X: “The new sub tracking system on Prime is very useful. It’s surprising that it hasn’t been introduced sooner.”
A second said: “So handy to see how many subs teams have left to use. It’s the little things
.”
While another fan wrote last term: “I like that sub counter Prime Video have… It’s something Sky have to think about implementing too.”
Amazon Prime gained the rights to show one Champions League match a week for the first-time ever this season.
The streaming platform have been given the top pick each Tuesday, with football broadcaster veterans TNT Sports showing the remaining ties.
And there will also be a free-to-air option for UK viewers for the first time in nearly a decade.
That is because the BBC will show a Match of the Day-style highlights programme on Wednesdays as part of a three-year deal with Uefa.
Meanwhile, it’s the fifth Champions League meeting between Liverpool and AC Milan.
Their most famous encounter being the 2005 final in Istanbul when the Reds came back from 3-0 down to win on penalties.
The two sides were also drawn in the same group during the 2021/22 Champions League, with the Merseyside team winning both encounters.
Arne Slot’s side go into their European opener on the back of their first defeat of the Prem campaign.
Callum Hudson-Odi’s strike handed Nottingham Forest a shock win at Anfield last Saturday.
