The IOC says Russian athletes can be directly invited to next year's Paris Games despite the suspension of their country's Olympic committee

TL;DR: A lifetime subscription to a Matt's Flights Premium Plan is on sale for £69.62,

Players from the Afghanistan men’s team are boycotting their World Cup qualifying match against Qatar over their treatment by the football federation. A substantial number, 18 players, have reportedly refused to play in the match, due to take place in Qatar on 16 November. Three footballers who play overseas sent a letter last month to the Asian Football Confederation and Fifa detailing complaints and allegations of serious corruption by the Afghanistan Football Federation, the Guardian has reported. “The last straw came at the last camp when a big group of us decided that we’d had enough – 18 players got together and said: ‘If we’re going to move forward, we have to put a stop to this,’” Noor Husin, who plays in the National League for Southend United, told the Guardian. “We really want change. We want to help domestic players because the money they are getting from Fifa is not being used in the right way. “We have the worst flights possible and we have to stay in substandard hotels. “We’ve come together as a group because we want football in Afghanistan to move forward and we believe that it’s not going to move forward with the people that are in charge at the moment.” Faysal Shayesteh, who is a former captain and also signed the letter, said: “Every year our federation gets financial support from Fifa and from the AFC. “We want to show a positive Afghanistan to the world so we are asking Fifa to stop supporting our federation financially because the money is going into the pockets of a gang who is ruling football in the country.” The federation’s secretary Behram Siddiqui has denied the allegations. While players have argued that the AFF executive committee kept half of the bonus that should have gone to the squad for reaching the next stage of the World Cup qualifying among themselves, and that they have been holding on to money from plane tickets of players travelling to games. A Fifa spokesperson said: “Fifa was informed of these allegations very recently and is currently looking into the matter.” Read More Afghan players watch Morocco's team practice for Women's World Cup, hoping to get their chance Women's World Cup brings attention to abuse in soccer Russia consider leaving Uefa after invite to Asian competition

Pakistan head coach Grant Bradburn insists his team's top-order batting is not a worry but that confidence may not spare Fakhar Zaman, the only man to have scored an...

The Government has more work to do to address “structural problems” in the early years system to ensure families benefit from high-quality affordable childcare under its reforms, MPs have said. Plans to expand the number of subsidised childcare places for working parents in England “should not come at the expense of quality”, the Commons Education Select Committee has warned. From September, the Government will change minimum staff-to-child ratios from 1:4 to 1:5 for two-year-olds in England, but it will remain optional. The group of MPs said it is “deeply concerned” about the plans and it is calling on the Government to reverse the changes “if quality is degraded”. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced reforms in the Budget in March which will allow some families of children as young as nine months in England to claim 30 hours of free childcare a week. Simply extending the number of hours that the Government calls free will not work unless the funding rates accurately reflect the costs of providing high quality early education and childcare Committee chairman Robin Walker From April next year, working parents of two-year-olds will be able to access 15 hours of free childcare. This will be extended to working parents of all children older than nine months from September next year. From September 2025, working parents of children under five will be entitled to 30 hours of free childcare per week. The Education Select Committee said it was a “welcome investment” following concerns raised by parents and early years providers during its inquiry about “affordability and sustainability”. The report added: “However, this investment is much overdue and more will need to be done to address the structural problems in the ECEC (Early Childhood Education Care) system if the funding increases are to be implemented effectively. “In particular, close attention should be paid to effective funding distribution. Settings in disadvantaged areas already struggle more than those in more affluent areas, yet we know that it is children from disadvantaged families that can benefit the most from high-quality ECEC.” The Treasury “missed an opportunity” to reform tax-free childcare and increase the flexibility of the system under its plans to expand free childcare for working parents, the report said. Under the current system, working parents of three and four-year-olds in England are eligible for 30 hours of free childcare per week. The tax-free childcare scheme also allows eligible working families to claim 20% government support with their childcare costs, up to an annual limit of £2,000 per child. The Commons Education Select Committee report said the requirement for parents to reconfirm their eligibility every three months for the 30 hours entitlement and tax-free childcare scheme is “unduly onerous” and should be reduced to once per year. Committee chairman Robin Walker said: “The childcare market is facing significant challenges in affordability and availability, with unprecedented staff turnover and nurseries closing, despite massive demand from parents who want a career and to provide for their families but struggle to find affordable services. It is clear that ministers have more work to do to address this. “Simply extending the number of hours that the Government calls free will not work unless the funding rates accurately reflect the costs of providing high-quality early education and childcare. “We have heard that many settings rely on charging more for the children who attend them outside of the funded hours. It is therefore essential that ministers reduce burdens on the sector and provide adequate funding for all the stages of early education.” He added: “Staff are the lifeblood of this sector and the huge expansion of subsidised childcare will only be successful if we can stem the tide of people leaving the workforce. “There needs to be a revamp of career development, with improvements to pay, progression and conditions so that the profession is given the respect and status it deserves.” Not only have years of severe underfunding plagued the sector but the worst staffing crisis in decades has created a perfect storm which must be addressed if the sector has any chance of survival in the coming years Neil Leitch, Early Years Alliance The cross-party group of MPs is calling on the Department for Education (DfE) to “work closely” with childcare providers and local authorities across the country “to set the funding rate at a sufficient level.” It added that the DfE should stop describing the 30 hours offer as ‘free hours’ and instead refer to it as ‘funded’ or ‘subsidised’ hours to “improve parental trust” in the childcare subsidy system. Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Early Years Alliance (EYA), said: “Not only have years of severe underfunding plagued the sector but the worst staffing crisis in decades has created a perfect storm which must be addressed if the sector has any chance of survival in the coming years. “If that wasn’t bad enough, it’s likely that the upcoming sector expansion will be dangerously underfunded and will place unrealistic expectations on providers already on the brink.” He added: “For the committee’s findings to truly have a lasting impact, we hope against hope that it finally wakes the Government up to the reality of the situation facing families and providers and prompts urgent and effective action.” Last week, the Government said reforms expanding the amount of free childcare for parents will be “properly and fairly funded”. The DfE said its proposed new funding formula, which is now out for consultation, provides “additional funding for areas of deprivation”. The increased funding will see the expected average rate paid to local authorities for 2024/25 to be set at £8.17 for two-year-olds and £11.06 for under-twos, the DfE said. A Government spokesperson said: “We are rolling out the single biggest investment in childcare in England ever, set to save a working parent using 30 hours of childcare up to an average of £6,500 per year and give children the best quality early years education. “To make sure that we are supporting our fantastic early years workforce, we will be investing hundreds of millions of pounds each year to increase the amounts we pay childcare providers. We also are consulting on how we distribute funding to make sure it is fair.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Wall squat exercises can help lower blood pressure, study suggests Wall sits and planks the best exercises for lowering blood pressure, study suggests Everything you need to know about using a defibrillator

Las Vegas Aces player Riquna Williams has been accused of felony domestic violence involving a person authorities say is her spouse

A Delaware judge has ruled in favor of Oracle founder Larry Ellison in a shareholder lawsuit alleging that he coerced the company into paying a grossly inflated price to acquire software corporation NetSuite

Sorelle's presence on the show is once again met with questioning from fans, particularly following their 'flopped' performance during the finals

Majors himself presented evidence to the authorities, claiming that Jabbari attacked him on a street corner in Chinatown on that fateful night

Anne Hathaway arrived at the inaugural Albie Awards in an iconic look: A Versace gown that was first worn by Claudia Schiffer at this year’s Milan Fashion Week. On 28 September, the actor, 40, was one of many stars that attended the awards ceremony, which is hosted by Amal and George Clooney’s organisation, The Clooney Foundation For Justice, and is “a homage to those whose fearless devotion to human rights deserves admiration and support”. For the occasion, Hathaway wore the floor-length dress, which features a green and metallic checkerboard design print. The look also featured a green lace neckline and thin spaghetti straps. For accessories, she opted for a silver pendant necklace, bracelets, and earrings, paired with matching silver heels, while she chose to wear her hair in a half-up half-down style. Earlier this month, the dress by Donatella Versace first debuted at Milan Fashion Week, when Schiffer walked the runway in the outfit. Similar to the Princess Diaries star, the German supermodel wore the dress with a pair of silver heels. In an Instagram post shared by Vogue and Versace, the two brands celebrated the launch of the dress, as well as Schiffer’s appearance on the runway. “Today during #MilanFashionWeek, @donatella_versace debuted her spring 2024 collection to a star-studded audience. One of the most special guests? Legendary supermodel @claudiaschiffer, who closed the show wearing a dazzling green gown,” Vogue wrote in the caption of the post, which included a video of Schiffer during the event. This isn’t Schiffer’s first time working with Versace. Back in 2017, she walked the runway for the brand’s spring show at Milan Fashion Week with fellow modelling legends Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Carla Bruni, and Helena Christensen. For the occasion, the group of models all wore matching sheer, gold dresses. Meanwhile, Hathaway has continued to work with the luxury fashion brand, as she revealed in April that she is the face of Versace’s Icons collection campaign. Along with sharing snaps of herself for the brand on Instagram, she also explained how she first heard about the campaign idea from the fashion designer. “When the brilliant and talented @donatella_versace approached me for this campaign, she shared her vision of a timeless collection with the trademark @versace edge,” the actor wrote on Instagram in April. “She said she wanted to focus on pieces designed to be a cherished part of one’s wardrobe, enjoyed outside the trend cycle, worn again and again throughout your life.” As part of the campaign, Hathaway and Donatella Versace also hosted the Versace Icons Dinner in New York City earlier this week. According to an Instagram post shared by the luxury fashion house, the dinner was a celebration of icons who are “rising up from all corners of the globe and representing a broad spectrum of cultures, industries, identities and ethnicities”. “Icons are artists, entrepreneurs, actors, human rights advocates, musicians, creatives and ambassadors of social change,” the brand wrote. “Icons are storytellers, driven by passion, purpose and a desire to connect and share. Icons emerge from the most unexpected of circumstances. Their success lies in their ability to transform the everyday into the extraordinary, to use their voices and platforms confidently and for good.” The evening also consisted of a star-studded guest list, which included Ariana DeBose, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Cindy Crawford, Helena Christensen, and Rachel Brosnahan. Read More Anne Hathaway shares honest response to fans who say she looks ‘really good’ for her age Anne Hathaway says Gen Z has been her style inspiration Every film and TV series that’s allowed to continue production during SAG-AFTRA strikes Anne Hathaway shares honest response to fans who say she looks ‘good’ for her age Travis Kelce wears ‘1989’ inspired outfit after leaving NFL game with Taylor Swift This is how your make-up needs change as you age

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 15, 2023--

By Maya Gebeily and Khalil Ashawi BEIRUT (Reuters) -Syrians who fled President Bashar al-Assad's rule fear he may soon be