Saudi Arabia appoints first envoy to Palestinians amid talks on Israel normalization
Saudi Arabia has appointed its first ambassador to the Palestinians, in a move that comes amid talks with the United States over a possible deal to normalize relations between the Gulf kingdom and Israel.
1970-01-01 08:00
Roundup: Mark Zuckerberg Tells Elon Musk To Get Serious; 'Barbie' Wins Box Office Again; Team USA Beats Spain
Latest on the Maui wildfires ... The Lahaina fire is now the deadliest in modern U.S. history ... Russian shelling kills seven in Ukraine ... CBS News chief reportedly stepping down ... China's worsening economy is hurting corporate America ... The clean energy future is arriving quickly ... Mike Pence continues to attack Donald Trump ... Mark Zuckerberg says Elon Musk isn't serious about fight ... "Barbie" won the box office again ... Jonathan Taylor expected to return to Colts this week ... MLB looks into social media posts involving Wander Franco ... James Harden intends to skip 76ers training camp ... Team USA beat Spain in FIBA World Cup exhibition ...
1970-01-01 08:00
Megan Thee Stallion tells her haters: 'None of that s*** you was doing or saying broke me
The rapper slammed her haters during her set at Outside Lands.
1970-01-01 08:00
Paraplegic man with polio whose mother tried to cure him by putting him in a hole as a child now flourishing in the UK
A paraplegic man with polio who spent hours of his childhood in a hole in the ground in Mumbai, as his mother believed blood flow to his legs may cure the disease, and was “carried everywhere” until the age of 14, has said “you should never give up” as he defied the odds to become a professional wheelchair sportsman and father a child in his 50s. Jignesh (Jig) Vaidya, 52, who was born in Mumbai, India, but now lives in Leicester, contracted polio aged two as he was not “vaccinated at the right time” because his family could not afford it. This resulted in him being paralysed from the waist down, and he was hospitalised for at least six months at the age of four, with his legs in plaster to keep them straight. After this, Jignesh’s doctor said “there’s nothing we can do”, and since his family could not afford a wheelchair or further treatment, and his access to education was limited due to his disability, he remained at home for several years, with his mother Nirmala, now 83, “doing everything for him” – washing, feeding, changing and carrying him. Defying his difficult beginnings, Jignesh has spent his life moving across the world, becoming a professional wheelchair basketball player and enjoying a successful career, currently working as a project assistant at Maximus UK and broadcast assistant at the BBC, all before the birth of his now 20-month-old son, Jesse. He has not forgotten where his life began, however, and told PA Real Life: “As an Indian remedy, (my mother) dug a hole outside our house in the sun and put my whole body in it for six hours every day, neck down, in 30-degree heat. “She put really heavy bangles on both my legs and asked me to sit on the wall for three, four hours a day, dangling them, as she thought, ‘Jignesh will walk one day’.” Jignesh said his mother believed in Indian medication and thought the blood flow may help to cure his polio – a serious infection caused by a virus – but Jignesh described it as “hell”. From that point on, he thought, “this is going to be my life, this is it for me, it’s not going to get any better”. “I thought, ‘I’m going to be a loser – I hate to say that word – I’m not going to have any friends, and I’m going to be asking people for help all my life’,” he added. At the age of 14, Jignesh was given a wheelchair after his community rallied to raise some funds and he was finally able to go to school. He said he had to “catch up to the people who were ahead of (him)”, but he loved having some independence and no longer having to be carried by his family or others. He experienced a major setback when he moved to Dubai at 16, as he gave up his wheelchair to support another young boy with polio in Mumbai, and this left him in a dark place, mentally, as he had no “freedom”. Since then, however, he has moved to Leicester, received an “amazing education”, competed as a professional wheelchair basketball player, skydived, and fathered a son called Jesse, despite doctors saying this would not be possible. Jignesh said: “You should never give up in this life, and don’t be afraid to open up and ask for help. “Do what you’re best at and, if you work at something every day, whatever your goal is in life, you will get there. “It may take some time, maybe even years – it took me until the age of 20 to learn how to write my name in English – but I didn’t give up and look at me now.” From the age of 14, when Jignesh received his first wheelchair in Mumbai, he said he started to “flourish” and enjoyed going to school. However, he was subjected to discriminatory comments by his teachers, with one saying: “He’s handicapped, he can’t go at the front, put him in the back.” Since Jignesh’s late father Laxmikant, 66, was working in Dubai at the time, he ended up moving out there for two years at the age of 16 – but because his family could not afford to send him to school and he no longer had his wheelchair, he said he spent two years “looking out the window, watching people go by”. He said “there was nothing for (him)”, apart from a taxi ride once a month, and this significantly impacted his mental health, as he felt this had reversed all the progress he had made. “There was one point in my life, in those two years, where I was going to dark places and crying all the time,” he said. “I thought, ‘If mum’s not here, I could jump out the window and nobody will know. I can end it’, because I thought, ‘This is it, I can’t go back to what I had, I’m stuck’.” After his father earned enough money from those two years in Dubai, he and his family moved to the UK in 1988, when he was 18, and this is when everything changed. He received a new wheelchair in March 1989, aged 19, and started full-time education in September 1990, aged 20, where he learned English, maths, and how to use computers – and given he had impressive upper body strength and speed, he started playing sports as well, including wheelchair hockey and basketball. “I was a coloured person, a new arrival, couldn’t speak the language, and yet I was treated like everyone else,” he said. “I just thought, ‘Wow, I’m a part of society, I’m not being treated like a dog, like I was in Mumbai’, and if an opportunity comes in, I will take it, as there’s no going back. “When I started playing sports, I knew there and then that this is it, this is my life, this is my path.” Jignesh has since gone on to compete as a professional wheelchair basketball player internationally in places such as France, play for teams including MK Aces Wheelchair Basketball Club and Leicester Cobras, coach at the Coventry Crusaders club, skydive, and father Jesse with his partner Julie, 40, a teacher – confounding doctors. He goes to his local Nuffield Health gym every day, completing workouts and classes which have been adapted for him, and this helps to slow the progression of his polio as muscle weakness can increase over time. He “cherishes” being able to work with the “amazing” staff, including his personal trainer Matthew Molloy, in an inclusive environment where he is part of a team, supported, and everyone can “flourish”. Looking back, Jignesh realises why his mother, who he now cares for, would say, “everything happens for a reason”, and he is extremely grateful for his family’s love and support. He is excited to watch Jesse grow up, and he wants to continue encouraging disabled people to stay active, fight for their rights, and “never give up”. “I never thought that when I was in that hole, or when I was in Dubai and had nothing, that I’d be where I am today,” he said. “Sometimes, when I’m driving, I think, ‘This could be a movie; I’m going to wake up and be back in Mumbai’, so every day now, I pray and say, ‘Thank you’.” To find out more about Nuffield Health, visit: nuffieldhealth.com Read More Trypophobia: ‘Mushrooms, Beanie Babies and Doja Cat - I lived in fear for 30 years’ Lucozade addict drinks eight bottles a day and says it’s harder to quit than class-A drugs Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live
1970-01-01 08:00
Brighton eye Lille star as Moises Caicedo replacement
Brighton have decided on Lille star Carlos Baleba as their Moises Caicedo replacement ahead of the Ecuadorian's £115m move to Chelsea.
1970-01-01 08:00
Aston Villa suffer another blow as extent of Tyrone Mings knee injury revealed
Aston Villa and England defender Tyrone Mings is facing a long spell on the sidelines as he is set to undergo an operation on a “significant knee injury”. Mings was carried off on a stretcher in some distress in the first half of Villa’s season-opening 5-1 defeat at Newcastle after a seemingly innocuous tangle of legs with striker Alexander Isak. Villa have not put a timescale on Mings’ recovery but expect a “lengthy rehabilitation”, with his setback coming days after the club lost Emiliano Buendia to a knee ligament injury for up to eight months. The club said in a statement on Monday: “Aston Villa can confirm that Tyrone Mings has sustained a significant knee injury. “The England international was stretchered off from the field after damaging his knee during the first half of Villa’s match at Newcastle United on Saturday. “The defender has undergone scans and will unfortunately require surgery ahead of a lengthy rehabilitation process.” Newcastle posted on Twitter in response to Villa’s update: “Wishing you a speedy recovery, @TyroneMings”. Newcastle boss Eddie Howe signed Mings for Bournemouth in 2015 only to lose the centre-back for 15 months when he suffered an anterior cruciate ligament on his Cherries debut. Howe said at the weekend: “I have to say he faced that period out with incredible courage and resilience, and what he’s done since that moment, to go on and play for his country and be outstanding in the Premier League, is testament to that resilience. “We certainly wish him well and I send him all my love.” Read More Eddie Howe reveals his admiration for Newcastle star Sandro Tonali Sandro Tonali inspires Newcastle to stunning Premier League start Women’s World Cup LIVE: Latest news as England prepare for Australia semi-final
1970-01-01 08:00
Bank of China starts nationwide move to reduce salary gap among employees, manager levels -sources
BEIJING Bank of China Ltd, China's fourth-largest lender by assets, has launched a countrywide exercise to reduce the
1970-01-01 08:00
Meloni Takes Ownership of Banks Levy That Showed Populist Bent
Giorgia Meloni assumed full responsibility for last week’s surprise decision to impose a 40% tax on Italian banks’
1970-01-01 08:00
BRICS Isn’t Competing With Any Bloc, South African Diplomat Says
The BRICS group of emerging-market nations will discuss deepening the use of local currencies in trade between member
1970-01-01 08:00
Eric Dier’s Tottenham future revealed after being left out of squad
Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou insists Eric Dier remains “part of this team” despite his absence from Sunday’s 2-2 draw at Brentford. Dier was one of several senior players left out of the Spurs squad along with Hugo Lloris, Djed Spence, Japhet Tanganga, Sergio Reguilon and Tanguy Ndombele. Postecoglou has been honest about the need for Tottenham to offload players during the final weeks of the transfer window, but he suggested nothing should be read into Dier’s absence. Reports on Sunday which linked Dier with a move to Saudi Arabia were later shut down and he trained at Hotspur Way earlier that day, but he may have to assess his playing options now he seems to be fifth choice at centre-back. “Eric is part of this team. We left a few out,” Postecoglou said. “We left some players on the bench that are very good players. We need a strong squad, it’s not about 11 players. “Eric is in the same boat as all the other boys. He’s working hard in training and available for selection. “My decisions then are what I think will give us the best chance of success for any given game and then we reassess the week after. Nothing really unusual there.” Dier was a regular under Postecoglou’s predecessor Antonio Conte and made 42 appearances last season. The summer arrival of Micky van de Ven from Wolfsburg has pushed Dier down the pecking order and despite featuring in pre-season, Ben Davies and Davinson Sanchez appear to have also moved ahead of him. Dier joined Spurs in 2014 but was snubbed for the captaincy roles with Son Heung-min named skipper and James Maddison and fellow centre-back Cristian Romero listed as vice-captains. Romero was part of a new-look defence at Brentford with debuts handed to goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, Van de Ven and left-back Destiny Udogie. Postecoglou added: “Obviously we had Micky, Destiny and Vic, three of our back five, making their debut for the clubs and anyone will tell you when it comes to the defensive side of the game, the more understanding you have, the better you are. “We obviously took a bit of a gamble throwing them all in but I thought all three handled themselves really well. It is not an easy place to come, you get put under pressure with balls coming into the box and I thought they all handled themselves really well. “Micky has only had three sessions with us so I could have waited to put him in there, but my feeling is he will be a very good footballer for us and the quicker we introduce him to Premier League football the better he will be.” Sunday marked the start of the post-Harry Kane era for Tottenham, but his departure to Bayern Munich on Saturday night did not alter the plans of Brentford too much. Bees boss Thomas Frank said: “No, that is the short answer. Of course he is a different type to Richarlison. He is the England No 9 compared to the Brazilian No 9. “That we know and the only tweak would have been that if Kane drops down deep, we would have needed to be aware of his fantastic passing skills and get closer to him. “Richarlison is more about the runs but our game plan is our game plan with the things we believe in.” Read More Ange Postecoglou praises Tottenham’s resilience following Harry Kane’s departure Two assists for James Maddison as Tottenham move on without Harry Kane with draw Watch moment Son Heung-min appointed Spurs captain after Harry Kane departure James Maddison promises to fill creative void of recent years at Tottenham Ange Postecoglou backs Richarlison as Tottenham deal with Harry Kane exit Harry Kane in Germany for Bayern Munich medical ahead of move from Tottenham
1970-01-01 08:00
New Covid vaccines are on the way as 'Eris' variant rises
By Michael Erman NEW YORK A new COVID vaccine is due out next month, but health experts and
1970-01-01 08:00
Everything you need to know about the four 2023 Women's World Cup semifinalists
And so there were four.
1970-01-01 08:00
