Julianna Pena has labelled Amanda Nunes a ‘coward’ for retiring at UFC 289. Nunes, 35, retained the bantamweight title with a points win over Irene Aldana on Saturday, before calling time on a career seen by many as the greatest in women’s mixed martial arts history. One of the few blemishes on the Brazilian’s career came in 2021, when Nunes – who also holds the UFC women’s featherweight title – was submitted by Pena with the bantamweight belt on the line. Nunes avenged the upset loss by dominating the American in 2022, and the pair were due for a trilogy bout at UFC 289 until Pena withdrew due to injury. Pena, 33, was in attendance in Vancouver to see Nunes retire, and the former champion said on The MMA Hour on Monday: “There was a part of me that really wanted to storm the cage. I had so many people like, ‘Yes, we’ll do it, we’ll throw you over the gate!’ Then my coach was like, ‘Don’t do it. Be classy and don’t do it.’ So, I let her have my moment, but it was really difficult for me, because there were so many times where my urge was to go, ‘Now is the time, go, go go.’ “But at the end of the day, she’s retired, she’s off in the sunset, she’s dead to me at this point, and we’ve just got to keep the division moving. Now we’re stepping into day one of the ‘Pena Power’ era. I’m the champ, I’ve always been the champ in my heart and in my head [...] It’s just a matter of time before the belt’s around my waist again. “I’ve been telling you from the beginning: She’s been wanting to retire, she was one foot out the door the entire time. “She even said it herself: She was going to retire after she tapped to me, but she didn’t, because she decided I’m too good looking and she doesn’t want me to have the belt. Seriously, she’s got a problem with me.” Pena has not fought since losing the bantamweight title to Nunes last July. The rivals were set to headline UFC 289 until a rib injury forced Pena out of the bout, leading Aldana to step in. “At the end of the day, Amanda didn’t want the fight,” Pena said. “The whole time, the UFC asked her to make the trilogy, she didn’t want to make it, and they made that clear to me. They said, ‘She doesn’t want to fight you.’ That’s why it took so long to book the trilogy, and when I fell out because of injury, she said it was ‘less heavy’ for her. “Hopefully she comes back. That would be best-case scenario, so we can squash this thing and finish this trilogy. It was literally going to be the greatest trilogy in women’s MMA. It’s never happened before, and she lost that opportunity to make it happen. I lost that opportunity because I got injured, she lost that opportunity because she wants to retire early. I say she took the coward’s way out, and that’s all there is to it.” Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More MMA great Amanda Nunes retires after win over Irene Aldana at UFC 289 Miami Heat mascot hospitalised after Conor McGregor punch Meet Charles Oliveira, the UFC’s miracle man

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The suspect in a hostage standoff at Caesars Palace has been identified as 35-year-old fugitive Matthew Mannix, according to Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. A probable cause affidavit obtained by The Independent revealed that Mr Mannix was experiencing “drug-induced” schizophrenia when he allegedly held a 26-year-old woman hostage inside a room on the 21st floor of the resort on Tuesday. Hotel security first informed authorities of a domestic dispute in room 2128 around 9.30 PDT. Mr Mannix was arrested nearly five hours later after allegedly claiming that he “had a magazine full of rounds” and “would pull the trigger” — no mention of firearms recovered from the scene was made in official records. He was charged with kidnapping in the first degree, coercion with force, destroying property, resisting arrest without a firearm and disregard for the safety of a person. Following Mr Mannix’s arrest, the hostage victim told law enforcement that she was afraid to leave the room because her alleged captor had a knife and she also thought he would throw her out of the window he broke in the room. According to the incident report, Mr Mannix and the victim previously knew each other and had been experiencing a “transient lifestyle” on the Las Vegas strip and binging on narcotics for several days. As crisis negotiators talked with Mr Mannix, he allegedly spoke over the woman and threatened to “cut her tongue out of her mouth” so she wouldn’t engage with law enforcement at the scene. After she was rescued, police noted that the victim had cuts and bruises on her legs, some of which could have been caused by a beating. Employees at Caesars Palace first tried to check on the guests after receiving several complaints of noise coming out of room 2128, which they believed to be a domestic dispute. When security approached the room, they reportedly found a man believed to be Mr Mannix barricaded inside and threatening to “shoot someone” if police tried to breach the room. The threats continued and at some point, a female also yelled that the man “had a knife.” Las Vegas Police, a SWAT team and medical responders arrived at the scene to handle the hostage situation. Mr Mannix reportedly refused to let the 26-year-old woman out of the room and continued to open and close the door while allegedly threatening to “pull the trigger.” The woman eventually attempted to reach the door, but Mr Mannix then allegedly dragged her to the bed “as he body slammed her ... and began to have intercourse with her.” Mr Mannix is also accused of throwing large objects out of the window of his hotel room, sending guests on the pool deck running for cover. Bystander video showed broken glass and debris littering various decks at the Caesars as guests ran for safety. An investigator noted that the pool deck was left littered with furniture and glass and the property damage inside the room was “some of the most severe I have seen in my 18 years as a detective.” The damage caused is estimated to be upwards of $50,000. Mr Mannix was finally taken into custody at 2.40pm PDT. He reportedly told investigators during questioning that the victim was her “girlfriend and he loved her” and that “he would pay for everything that he damaged.” “[Mr Mannix] was so high that he was paranoid and had a schizophrenic episode where he was yelling random comments and numbers and saying that he would pay for everything because he has a lot of money,” the affidavit read. Las Vegas police also said that Mr Mannix is wanted in Colorado and has four protection orders against him. He appeared in court on Wednesday and his bail was set at $750,000. Mr Mannix is being held at the Clark County Detention Center. Read More Suspect in Caesars Palace hostage standoff identified as wanted fugitive Matthew Mannix - live Caesars Palace hostage-taker named as fugitive Matthew Mannix

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Members of the US Senate have backed calls for safe haven for an Afghan pilot threatened with deportation to Rwanda, saying he and other veterans should not be left in “legal limbo”. The pilot, who served alongside coalition forces in Afghanistan, said he hoped he might be able to find a new life in the US, but slammed the UK government for failing to offer him refuge. The Afghan Air Force official, who arrived in Britain last year, says he feels abandoned by the UK Home Office who are refusing to process his asylum claim. American senators from across the political divide told The Independent that Afghan allies who supported coalition forces should be supported to new lives in the States. The Independent is campaigning for the pilot and other Afghan veterans to be given asylum in countries for whom they have bravely risked their lives. Dozens of military chiefs, politicians, diplomats and celebrities have backed the call. The Republican senator Thom Tillis, from North Carolina, said that the fact that people who helped US service members are stuck in third countries needed to be fixed. He said initially that many people worried that Afghans coming to the United States would not be properly vetted. “I think many of those things worked themselves out and we still owe them,” he said. “I believe we owe it to those who serve alongside our men and women and our Nato partners and allies, to get them where they want to be.” Senator Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat, told The Independent that Afghan veterans should not be left with uncertain immigration status. She said Afghans who “helped our military literally are holding letters from top military people saying that they saved their lives and they should not be in legal limbo”. The pilot, who flew combat missions in support of British and US forces, arrived in the UK via a boat last November and has been waiting to find out his fate ever since, with his young family in hiding in Afghanistan. The threat of deportation to Rwanda has still not been removed despite the UK’s Court of Appeal ruling that the government’s returns agreement is illegal. Without the notice being removed, his application for asylum in the UK cannot progress. He told The Independent: “I don’t know why they haven’t removed the notice. I am scared they are still trying to send people to Rwanda and of course I am worried about what they will do next. Lately, I am completely disappointed in the UK government.” The airman has been forced to turn to the US for help, with the White House pledging to “take care of the folks who helped us during the longest war in this country”. He is being considered for possible sanctuary in the US and has had his initial relocation interview. In order to access the so-called P1 scheme, he had to be personally referred by a US official. Speaking about his disappointment with UK, he said: “At the moment, I feel like it doesn’t matter who you are, or what you did with the allies, troops or partner countries. Right now I hear lots of Afghan diplomats, military generals, and others, they are saying that the government doesn’t care about us, who we are and what we did with them. I think the government is not seeing us as colleagues. “When they came to Afghanistan, they were saying we are your friends and we will help you. Now I think they have completely forgotten us.” The pilot spoke about his hope that the US would accept him: “I am happy that the US government is helping me, but on the other side I am not happy about the instability of not knowing where I should be or where I will be. I don’t know which country I will be in and my family needs comfort and a new life.” Dan Jarvis, a Labour MP and former soldier in Afghanistan, said: “This pilot risked his life on combat missions in support of coalition forces. That he faces the threat of deportation from the UK to Rwanda stands as a mark of shame on No 10 Downing Street, whose policy position is increasingly at odds with the much more decent approach taken by the White House.” He continued: “There is considerable angst amongst the Armed Forces community and beyond that the UK government seems unwilling or unable to honour the commitments made to these men. This isn’t just a point of principle, it’s a matter of honour and a failure to do the right thing in this case will further undermine our international reputation.” Kevan Jones MP, of the defence select committee, added: "We owe a huge debt of gratitude to these individuals and the government dragging its feet on supporting them is a national disgrace." Most Afghans who arrived in the United States were permitted on temporary humanitarian grounds. But a bipartisan group of senators is trying to change the law to adjust their status to permanent resident. The group wanted to add the Afghan Adjustment Act, to a series of must-pass bills during the final year of the 117th Congress. But senators failed to garner enough support to include their legislation in final versions of last year’s National Defense Authorisation Act (NDAA). Ms Klobuchar, the Minnesota senator, is one of the Afghan Adjustment Act’s Democratic sponsors. She told The Independent she hoped the bill would pass in the future and had strong support from senior Republicans on the Senate’s Armed Services, Judiciary and Veterans Affairs committees. “We’re building support and would hope to have a vote on the defense authorisation act,” she said. Another Democratic sponsor of the Adjustment Act, Delaware senator Chris Coons, told The Independent the legislation is about fulfilling America’s commitment to its veterans. "The core objective of this bill is to ensure that every Afghan currently here is vetted and has a pathway towards a legal status in the United States making it possible for additional Afghans who served alongside our troops and the troops of our treasured Nato allies like the United Kingdom, to have a safe path in a safe passage to our country while addressing legitimate security concerns of my colleagues is a valuable core purpose of this bill," he said. Sign The Independent’s petition calling for UK to support Afghan war heroes who served alongside Britain A UK government spokesperson said: “Whilst we don’t comment on individual cases, we remain committed to providing protection for vulnerable and at-risk people fleeing Afghanistan and so far have brought around 24,500 people impacted by the situation back to the UK. “We continue to work with like-minded partners and countries neighbouring Afghanistan on resettlement issues, and to support safe passage for eligible Afghans.” Read More Tobias Ellwood’s call to reopen talks with Taliban sparks backlash: ‘Were Afghan women spoken to?’ Afghan judge who put Taliban members behind bars ‘overjoyed’ to be given sanctuary in UK Biden turns up heat on UK over asylum for Afghan hero pilot

PITTSBURGH--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 14, 2023--

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Beyoncé has asked her fans to wear chrome outfits to the final month of her Renaissance World Tour to celebrate her birthday. The global star wrote the request on her Instagram stories and her website, telling concertgoers “my birthday wish is to celebrate with you wearing your most fabulous silver fashions to the shows 8.23 - 9.22!” “We’ll surround ourselves in a shimmering human disco ball each night. Everybody mirroring each other’s joy. Virgo season together in the house of Crome,” the message reads. The request has sent her fans into frenzy as they scramble to come up with outfits that fit the dress code. Subsequently, plenty of Etsy stores have seen their sales skyrocket as many try to find the perfect outfit in time. Speaking to TMZ, Etsy stores have shared that they’ve had several messages from attendees of the tour trying to find outfits that can be shipped quickly. Expensive items such as an $112 sequin dress are already low in stock. Seller Sequin Fans said they had seen a 200 per cent sales increase in silver apparel, and a 400 per cent bump in overall traffic Another seller, Radiancy Designs, saw more than four times its usual traffic after Beyoncé made her request. They shared that 80 per cent of the traffic came from buyers searching “Renaissance Tour” and other related keywords. Some fans who are attending a concert within a couple of days are stressing out in trying to find a silver outfit in time. One fan shared on TikTok their reaction to Beyoncé’s request after they had an all-gold outfit planned: @nickistyleshercurves Motha! I wore silver the first time around ??!! Round 2 Beyonce! ✨✨ Cc: @Kelsey ? #Renaissanceoutfit #renaissance #renaissancetour #concertlook #concertoutfit #capcut #beyonce #beyoncestatefarmstadium We’re looking forward to see if the Beyhive fulfil Beyoncé’s birthday request on such short notice. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.