According to L’Equipe, Tottenham have now made a move for Balogun ‘in recent hours’ and the Premier League club have ‘laid the groundwork’ for a deal worth €60 million (£51.2m).
Folarin Balogun scored 19 goals for Monaco last season. (AFP via Getty)
The report adds that Newcastle United and clubs in Spain have also registered their interest in Balogun this summer.
Spurs’ move for a new striker comes after Dominic Solanke missed their 1-1 draw with Getafe last Saturday due to an ankle problem.
Solanke started just 12 games in all competitions last season after undergoing ankle surgery last September.
Roberto De Zerbi has also raised doubt over Richarlison’s future as the Brazilian has just a year left on his contract with Spurs.
‘He’s unbelievable in terms of attitude and behaviour. But, in the end, we have to respect what he wants to do,’ De Zerbi said last week.
‘I didn’t understand well because sometimes he says he wants to stay, sometimes he wants to leave. We have to speak anyway. There is not any problem. He’s a lovely guy.’
More than 150,000 are estimated to have disappeared and likely been killed under Assad’s regime (Picture: Reuters)
Former Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad has been sentenced to death for crimes against humanity and war crimes during his time in office.
In December 2024, Syria’s 14-year civil war came to an end and Bashar, along with his younger brother, Maher, fled to Russia, where they’ve remained to this day.
This week, a Syrian court sentenced Assad and his brother to death in abstentia at the Criminal Court of Damascus.
Judge Fakhareddine al-Aryan said: ‘Bashar Assad used state agencies to commit war crimes and crimes against humanity.’
Syria’s new government has repeatedly asked Russia to release the Assads to them so they can face prosecution.
Syrians gathered outside the courts to celebrate (Picture: Getty)
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Throughout the years of civil war in Syria, nerve agents, chlorine barrel bombs and mustard gas were used to torment civilians who disagreed with Assad’s Government.
More than 150,000 are estimated to have disappeared and likely been killed under Assad’s regime after civil war erupted in 2011.
Over half a million Syrians were killed when the government used chemical weapons against civilians and carpet-bombed many cities, including Aleppo and Damascus.
The scale of Assad’s organised killings is something not seen ‘since the Nazis’, according to former US war crimes ambassador Stephen Rapp.
The sentence was a long time coming for Syrians who lost countless friends and family members to Assad’s regime (Picture: Getty)
The Assad family ruled over Syria for over 50 years. Bashar’s father, Hafez al-Assad, was also iron-fisted in his rule.
In 1982, Hafez al-Assad ordered the army to ‘quell’ an uprising in the town of Hama from the Muslim Brotherhood against his government.
Reports say more than 1,000 civilians were killed – but the exact number, like in many instances during the Assad reign, is believed to be much higher than official reports dictate.
Readers discuss the overhwlem of UK prisons, the idea of using navy ships to stop small boat crossings and seagulls (Picture: Getty Images)
Do you agree with our readers? Have your say on these MetroTalk topics and more in the comments
Set free those serving 'totalitarian and vindictive IPP sentences', says reader
Rather than freeing cop killers and domestic violence abusers on early release (MetroTalk, passim), one way to reduce prison overcrowding is to set free all those still rotting in jail under the totalitarian and vindictive IPP sentences.
These open-ended ‘imprisonment for public protection’ terms were handed out between 2005 and 2012 for prisoners deemed dangerous. They have been labelled ‘inhumane’ by the UN.
One of more than 2,000 people still serving them is Shaun Lloyd, jailed for two years nine months in 2006 for a robbery he committed when he was 18 (Metro, Thu).
That, I reply to the anonymous and mealy-mouthed government spokesperson you quoted, is ‘what can be done’. They should be left to start over with clean slates. Mark Taha, London
Would it be a good idea to get prisoners to aid construction of new prisons?
Regarding Martin’s plan to get prisoners to aid in the construction of new prisons (MetroTalk, Fri). A large number of World War II bombs failed to explode due to sabotage by the prisoners-of-war who had to make them under forced labour.
If you want badly made prison walls and mortar that can crumble, sure, let them ‘help’. Nick, Edinburgh
‘Australia has successfully used its military to halt small-boat crossings’
Retired Royal Navy lieutenant commander Lester May (MetroTalk, Thu) might wish to scoff at Reform UK’s policy to use the Navy to stop small-boat crossings as ‘unworkable’, and to call upon Count Binface to advise Nigel Farage on the matter. Since 2013, however, Australia has successfully used its military as a way of entirely halting this form of migration. The country’s border security states it has ‘intercepted every boat attempting to enter illegally’.
No doubt this fact would wipe the smile off the face of Binface. Liam, Salford
‘Seagulls don’t deserve the attitude most people have of them’
Regarding the Hogwarts Express guard whose dropped tenner was returned as if by magic by a seagull a fortnight later (Metro, Thu).
Why not say thank you to nature by giving the bird some chips?
But, not being funny, seagulls don’t deserve the attitude most people have of them.
They’re intelligent creatures that can recognise individual people. They mate for life and are devoted parents who feed their grown-up chicks for up to two years.
People are often scared of things they don’t understand. Herring gulls don’t swoop down and grab your street food because they hate you – they do it because they’re starving! Kate, Wirral
Reader advocates for The Viking Coastal Trail in Kent
I was interested in your article about the best cycling, walking and running routes (Metro newspaper, Thu). In my opinion, though, you missed the best one – The Viking Coastal Trail in Kent.
It’s a cycle route of 32 miles that includes Reculver and its towers and Minster. It should really be called the Thanet Trail because it circles the ancient island of Thanet.
During Roman times, there was a sea passage called the Wantsum Channel that completely cut off Thanet from the mainland.
It’s a beautiful ride along the cliffs of north Kent. I cycled it a few weeks ago. Those interested can find out more on my blog flynharris.blogspot.com. Graham Harris, via email
Do you agree with our readers? Have your say on these MetroTalk topics and more in the comments
Youri Tielemans has arrived at Manchester United from Aston Villa this summer (Picture: Getty Images)
Harry Maguire has run the rule over Manchester United’s summer signings so far, tipping one in particular to be a ‘big player’ for the club this season.
There are likely to be more arrivals before the transfer window closes, but Manchester United go into their penultimate friendly of the season with just the three new first team signings.
Maguire has seen Santos and Tielemans in action in training and friendlies already and has liked what he has seen.
He reckons the 22-year-old Brazilian has already made progress since joining the club, while he thinks 29-year-old Tielemans is primed to make a big impact instantly at Old Trafford after his £35m move.
The centre-back played alongside the Belgian before leaving Leicester in 2019 and saw his quality up close even back then.
‘Andrey has been here since minute one of pre-season and he’s been amazing. You can really feel the progress he’s making already,’ Maguire told Manchester United club media.
Andrey Santos was signed from Chelsea for £48m (Picture: Getty Images)
‘Youri, I played with him at Leicester for a few months so I know the ability and talent that he has.
‘He’s at an age now where he’s going to come in, I’m sure he’s not going to need settling in, he’s going to come in and be a big player for this club. He’s a top player, I know that.’
The England international also had praise for the character of Darlow, who is unlikely to play much football for Manchester United, but has come in to support first choice goalkeeper Senne Lammens.
Tielemans was a shock arrival from Aston Villa this summer (Picture: Getty Images)
The Wales international is out injured, but Maguire feels his presence is a positive one for the squad.
‘Karl is out for a little bit at the moment, but I know Karl, I’ve played against him numerous times over the years,’ he said. ‘He’s a great lad to have around the place, around the dressing room.
‘He can bring great leadership and value to the team on the pitch but also off the pitch as well.’
Harry Maguire with captain Bruno Fernandes after the draw with PSG (Picture: Getty Images)
Manchester United’s pre-season preparations continue on Wednesday in Dublin against Leeds United, before a final friendly against AC Milan in Poland.
Their Premier League campaign begins on August 22 against one of Maguire’s former clubs, Hull City.
The defender has talked up an improvement on last season’s results, despite them being encouraging since Michael Carrick took charge in January.
‘There will be new ideas and different ways of playing. Last season, we played very well in certain matches, but we could have done better in others. We know that,’ he said.
‘The results and points were there, but we could have delivered better performances. We worked on it during the pre-season, and I think we’ll see better performances.’
With Cassie Plummer (Claire Sweeney) disappeared in mysterious circumstances, Ross Wilkes (Ian Burfield) is Coronation Street’s new King of Villains. But Fiz Dobbs (Jennie McAlpine) is about to knock him off his throne
Corrie fans said a tearful goodbye to Cassie last after she lost everything when her plan to get rid of Ross spectacularly backfired. Ross caught onto her plan to drug his smoothie to get him out of her life for good.
Tyrone wanted nothing more to do with Cassie. (Picture: ITV)
After choking out a tear-jerking farewell, Cassie was hoofing it out of town when Ross offered her a lift. With no option, Cassie got in his car.
That’s when things got dark.
The subject of their past came up – specifically, how Ross took advantage of a fifteen year old Cassie and paid her for sex, resulting in her falling pregnant with Tyrone. Growing angry, Ross put his foot on the pedal and sped off with a terrified Cassie in the passenger seat.
That was the last we saw of Cassie leaving viewers fearing that she’d been murdered.
Did Cassie kill Ross? (Picture: ITV)
And will he get away with it? (Picture: ITV)
Ross might have Tyrone and his family fooled, but Fiz is onto his little game. She confronted Ross with her suspicions last Tuesday in the Rovers’, putting her cards firmly on the table. Fiz knows he lied to Steve about not seeing Cassie before she left, and doesn’t know why he acted all surprised to hear that she’d gone. Although she hasn’t got enough evidence to put all the pieces together just left, Fiz left Ross rattled with a firm warning.
‘If you put one foot out of line, you’re going to be back in Warrington before you know what’s hit you.’
I literally cannot think of a more scary threat.
Will Fiz rumble Ross? (Picture: ITV)
It seems Fiz might have good reason to make good on her threat in this week’s trip to Coronation Street, where Ross starts to seem shadier than ever.
When Hope Stape (Isabella Flanagan) finds the photo that Fiz gave Cassie in his wallet, Ross is under pressure to make his excuses in front of Tyrone.
He claims that she threw it at him as he was getting out the car, declaring that she’d had a bellyful of the lot of them. While Tyrone grunts that the feeling is mutual, Ross has seemingly shut down his son’s suspicions.
By the look on Fiz’s face however, she smell a rat.
Dario Essugo captained Chelsea in Jakarta on Sunday (Picture: Getty Images)
Chelsea youngster Dario Essugo admits it was a surprise to be handed the captain’s armband in a pre-season friendly on Sunday, but hopes it can inspire other young players at the club.
The 21-year-old skippered a the Blues in their meeting with Malaysian side Johor Darul Ta’zim, which ended 3-3.
Liam Delap, Nicolas Jackson and Estevao made up the front three, with the likes of Jamie Gittens, Tosin Adarabioyo and Geovany Quenda all starting as well.
It was Essugo who got the nod as captain, having also worn the armband earlier in pre-season as well.
The midfielder suggested his maturity has earned him the honour, hoping to show to other young players at the club that age is just a number.
‘For me it was a surprise but of course it’s a pleasure,’ the Portuguese prospect said. ‘I didn’t expect to be captain at this age and at this big club so for me it’s just a pleasure and I enjoyed it a lot.
Essugo will be hoping for more first team opportunities this season (Picture: Getty Images)
‘For me it means everything because I didn’t expect it. It’s a message for me and for all the players that it’s not about the age, but maybe it’s about maturity. It’s learning and staying positive.’
On how he feels he is developing at Chelsea, he said: ‘[I’ve learned] a lot because here we have a lot of big players, so I try to learn from everyone. I think that’s it, learning from my teammates and enjoy.’
Essugo was signed from Sporting last year in a deal worth £18.5 million, but had little impact in his first season at Stamford Bridge.
Essugo has a lot of competition in Chelsea’s midfield (Picture: REUTERS)
The Portugal Under-21 international made just three Premier League appearances and five in total over the campaign.
He will be hoping that the faith Alonso has shown in him over pre-season is a sign of more action to come when the new season gets underway later this month.
Chelsea have one more summer friendly, against Real Sociedad on Saturday, before starting their Premier League campaign at Fulham on August 24.
Alonso spoke after the 3-0 win over AC Milan of using multiple systems and attempting to be as unpredictable as possible.
Xabi Alonso is already mixing things up at Chelsea (Picture: Getty Images)
The Spaniard has played a back three and back four over the summer so far.
‘We want to be versatile in our approach and system,’ he said. ‘I think we have the players to adapt to different ones because they understand how to support each other.
‘The principles are the same but the movements can change; we need to be unpredictable, we want to be flexible, and we want to have a threat. The system is just a picture; you need to move, rotate and create dynamics [in the team] and that is when the picture becomes a movie.
‘We are not just sticking to one idea and the more options that we have, the better team we will be.’
Michael Carrick’s side more than held their own against the back-to-back Champions League winners and were, ultimately, unfortunate not to come away with a morale-boosting win.
United looked to be up against it when Ibrahim Mbaye fired Luis Enrique’s side ahead in just the second minute, but Bryan Mbeumo’s equaliser was just reward for another encouraging display.
Indeed, the only blemish on an afternoon when United fans got their first glimpse of Youri Tielemans in a red shirt came just before the midway point in the first-half when Mount limped off.
The former Chelsea star looked to be in some discomfort and supporters could have been forgiven for thinking the 27-year-old, whose Old Trafford career has been blighted by injuries, had suffered another significant setback.
Mount, however, appeared to be walking freely, without the aid of a protective boot or knee support, as he boarded the team bus after the game and Carrick will hope he will be able to call on his services when United are next in action against Leeds United on Wednesday.
Speaking ahead of the trip to Dublin, Carrick said: ‘Looking forward to it. It’s been a bit of different chapters through pre-season but to get everybody together it will be great. Two more games [also vs AC Milan next weekend] this week and looking forward to seeing the group develop.
‘Today the boys coming off the bench showed their quality. Top, top players. It was nice to have them back and we get more back next week. We’re in a good place.
‘I feel it’s been a good pre-season so far. The games that we’ve had, we’ve kind of built them. We’ve taken steps throughout that.
‘Unfortunately we didn’t quite get the win today but there was a lot of positive action that [the fans] can say they enjoyed the game.’
‘I enjoyed it,’ he added ‘Good challenge. Slightly different with the way they play. We should’ve scored more goals.
Bryan Mbeumo scored in Man Utd’s 1-1 draw vs PSG (Picture: Getty)
‘Very different to what we’ve played against, the boys adapted really well, so there were a lot of positives from the game.
‘The things we were trying to get out of the game, a lot of it was there.
‘It’s good for the boys sometimes to have to problem solve and find their own way and I thought we did that.
‘That prepares them for the season as well. In that respect there were a lot of things that maybe people don’t always see that we were quite happy with. There were some good signs there.’
Former Strictly pros Ola Jordan and James Jordan have separated after over 20 years together (Picture: Shutterstock/Featureflash Photo Agency/Getty Images)
The pro dancers wed in 2003 and welcomed daughter Ella in February 2020 via IVF following a three-year fertility struggle.
Now, following an incredibly public long-time relationship, the pair have decided they can ‘no longer make it work’.
As claimed by a source, James, 48, and Ola, 43, are ‘devastated’ that things have ended.
The insider added to The Sun: ‘It’s been a huge shock to their friends and family because they always seemed like such a solid couple.
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‘But they know in the long run it is the right decision.
They welcomed daughter Ella in 2020 (Picture: Simon Ackerman/Getty Images)
‘They have been together for almost 30 years, and while they love and care for each other, things have changed.’
It’s believed that ‘things came to a head recently’ for Strictly’s longest-standing couple.
‘They’ve had some open and honest discussions about their future over the past few months and have now decided that the best option is for them to separate.’
Ola has reportedly removed her wedding ring, as well as her engagement ring from James’s proposal in 2001.
‘Their focus now is on Ella and keeping things settled for her.’
In an additional statement, James and Ola’s manager, Vickie White, confirmed: ‘It is with great sadness that I can confirm that James and Ola began a trial separation some time ago.
They are reportedly focused on ‘keeping things settled’ for her (Picture: Instagram/James Jordan)
‘Their shared priority remains co-parenting their daughter, Ella, and they are committed to putting her well-being first.
‘They would greatly appreciate your understanding as they navigate this difficult time.’
James and Ola had been living with their daughter in Maidstone. In 2023, they downsized from their £2.5million Kent mansion to a five-bed home nearby, which they were documenting the renovations for online.
They were due to celebrate their 23rd wedding anniversary this October and, just three years ago, revealed plans for a vow renewal in Las Vegas.
However, in recent months, they slowly started disappearing from each other’s Instagram feeds, which was a noticeable, stark contrast to their usual frequent posting of family outings and at-home workout videos.
This led to fans starting to speculate and leave comments asking if they had broken up, especially as they would attend events without one another.
It’s said that Ola has already taken off her rings (Picture: Instagram/James Jordan)
The now ex-couple started dating in 1999, having met in Blackpool when James, who started dancing aged 13, was competing.
Speaking previously about seeing James with his then-girlfriend, Polish-born Ola recalled: ‘He was tall and very good-looking, with slicked-back black hair and piercing blue eyes. His dancing was amazing.
‘His partner was Polish, and when I watched them dance together, I was filled with just one thought, “I want to have a partner like that one day.”
Ola received a phone call from James’s girlfriend and dance partner a few months later, explaining who she and James were and that they were both looking to progress with different partners.
She informed Ola that James wanted to visit Poland for a ‘trial’ with Ola, after which they struck up a professional partnership before things turned romantic two years later.
Married life wasn’t always sunshine and sequins, though, as James once described marriage as ‘like a job sometimes’ and something ‘you’ve got to work at’.
A source claimed they are ‘devastated’ to have split (Picture: PA)
‘I feel sometimes people are quick to give up on something and think the grass is always greener on the other side,’ he admitted, to which Ola echoed that it’s ‘not all beautiful’, despite what social media might portray.
‘No one’s got a perfect marriage. It’s a work in progress, and if two people want to be together, they’ll make it happen,’ she added in an interview on Lorraine.
James and Ola became household names in 2006 when they joined the BBC Strictly family.
In 2009, Ola lifted the Glitterball Trophy with Chris Hollins. Her other celebrity partners included Paul Daniels, Sid Owen, and Kenny Logan.
As for James, he danced with Vanessa Feltz, Denise Van Outen, Alex Jones, and Zöe Lucker across his stint. His best result came in 2010 when he and Pamela Stephenson came third.
James left Strictly in 2013, and Ola left in 2015.
In the years since, they’ve both appeared on TV numerous times – James was in Celebrity Big Brother and won Dancing On Ice, while Ola became a judge on the Polish version of Dancing with the Stars in 2018.
Molly Ringwald was honest about her time on this 00s TV show (Picture: Getty)
Hollywood legend Molly Ringwald has opened up about how her experience filming a certain TV series was completely ruined.
The 58-year-old actor has appeared in some iconic movies and franchises since her early start in the industry, including Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, The Kissing Booth trilogy and Riverdale.
Given how many high-profile projects she’s got under her belt, while appearing on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen earlier this week, she was asked to rank 10 of them – resulting in certain revelations.
After placing Pretty in Pink in the top position, with nothing but praise for the whole process, things took a decidedly downward turn when discussion turned to the late 00s show, The Secret Life of an American Teenager.
The series ran from 2008 to 2013, in which Shailene Woodley played a pregnant 15-year-old Amy Juergens and all the chaos that comes with it. Her mum, Anne, was played by Molly across five seasons.
Despite her featuring in 96 episodes across multiple years, the screen star firmly ranked the show lowest on the list, dubbing it the ‘worst’.
She has nothing but love for Shailene and the cast (Picture: ABC Family/Everett/Shutterstock)
Her confession was met with shocked gasps from the audience at her confident bashing.
When prompted to explain her stance, she said: ‘It was hard… I loved the cast, I loved Shailene, so many people that I worked with [but] there was one person that was really difficult.’
She continued: ‘I’m not gonna say who that one person is, but they brought it down to a one.’
Although the actress has a lot of love for her career, she has always been candid about the tougher times as well.
In 2024, she got candid about encountering ‘predators’ early on in her career. Explaining that she was a more reserved young person who didn’t go out clubbing or socialise much, that didn’t stop her being ‘taken advantage of’.
She attributed the whole awful experience to one anonymous person (Picture: Randy Holmes/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
‘‘You can’t be a young actress in Hollywood and not have predators around,’ she said on a podcast at the time, although, having starred in Harvey Weinstein movie Strike It Rich at one point, she added: ‘I wasn’t raped by Harvey Weinstein so I’m grateful for that.’
Reflecting that she was ‘definitely in questionable situations’, she concluded: ‘But I do have an incredible survival instinct and a pretty big superego and kind of managed to figure out a way to protect myself. But it can be harrowing.’
Her daughter, Mathilda, has also been trying to break into acting as a career and appeared in the Amazon Prime hit, The Idea of You.
As Molly shared at the time: ‘ I have a 20-year-old daughter now who is going into the same profession, even though I did everything I could to convince her to do something else. And it’s hard.’
In the stream, which was removed from TikTok after 15 minutes, Hilton allegedly appeared to be shown harming himself, prompting concerned viewers to alert emergency services.
But a new statement posted to Hilton’s website has confirmed that his three children were in his Florida home ‘minutes’ before his livestream.
Hilton welcomed his three children via surrogacy. His eldest son Mario was born in 2013, followed by two daughters, Maya and Mayte, in 2015 and 2017.
In the new statement, shared on Thursday, Hilton’s family expressed their gratitude for the ‘overwhelming outpouring of love, support, and prayers’ in what has been an ‘incredibly difficult time’.
Hilton was in his home with his children Mario, Maya and Mayte in the minutes before he went live on TikTok (Picture: Michael Tran/AFP/Getty)
‘Our highest priority right now is helping the children begin to heal from what they experienced’ (Picture: Denise Truscello/Getty Images for Future of Film Association OPTIX – A Film Series)
The statement continued: ‘The events of the past several days have been nearly unbearable for our family.
‘Just minutes before the public livestream incident, Perez’s children, niece, and sister were inside the home.
‘When it became clear that Perez was experiencing a severe mental health crisis and harming himself, they immediately fled to protect the children from witnessing any further trauma.’
The statement went on to say: ‘Our highest priority right now is helping the children begin to heal from what they experienced.’
Hilton’s family said that a crucial part of that will be his children returning to their Florida home to ‘rebuild a sense of security and normalcy’.
They went on to request members of the public and media to leave the area surrounding the home, asking: ‘Please allow his children the privacy and space they need during this unimaginably difficult time.’
Hilton’s family are asking content creators and the media to leave his Florida home (Picture: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
A crisis response unit and licensed mental health professionals were dispatched to Hilton’s home (Picture: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office told CNN they ‘received multiple calls regarding an individual who was livestreaming acts of self-harm on social media’.
The crisis response unit and licensed mental health professionals were dispatched to the scene and provided support for Hilton’s family.
They also added that Hilton was ‘safely recovered’ and hospitalised. The celebrity blogger’s family have said he is ‘able to communicate’ now.
PAPYRUS offers specialised suicide prevention support for young people. Their HOPELINE247 is open every day of the year, 24 hours a day. You can call 0800 068 4141, text 88247 or email: pat@papyrus-uk.org.
