Six Nations. Champions Cup. Challenge Cup.

Bordeaux Begles’ demolition job over Leinster completed the European clean sweep for French men’s rugby teams.

Leinster, a side full to the brim of Irish internationals, did not have an answer as Bordeaux romped to a 41-19 victory in Bilbao to become only the sixth side to retain their European crown.

That came less than 24 hours after Montpellier put in a similar showing against Ulster in the Challenge Cup final as they won the competition for the third time.

Earlier in the year, after a dramatic conclusion to a thrilling tournament, France also retained their Six Nations title at the expense of Ireland.

For Bordeaux, according to their Irish attack coach Noel McNamara, their inspiration came from Rory McIlroy, who won the Masters for the second time in April as he backed up his historic wait for the Green Jacket.

The irony of a player from Northern Ireland being used as motivation will not be lost.

“We spoke about Rory McIlroy in the lead-up to the quarter-final against Toulouse,” McNamara told the BBC’s Rugby Union Weekly podcast.

“There’s a beautiful ad that said good players want one Green Jacket and really good players want two, and we’ve got fantastic players.

“That’s what makes the game of rugby wonderful. They made a decision that one isn’t enough. The challenge for us now is we’re a young club, we’re a new club and it’s continuing to set that standard.”

The Justice Department has confirmed that it removed news releases from its website that documented criminal cases related to January 6, 2021, when MAGA supporters fought police and stormed the U.S. Capitol, calling the material “partisan propaganda.”

The deleted pages included press releases that detailed charges, convictions and sentencing outcomes for defendants involved in the riot, when Trump supporters breached the Capitol in an effort to stop the certification of the 2020 election results after his loss to Joe Biden.

The changes drew attention after Washington Post reporter Meryl Kornfield posted before-and-after screenshots of the DOJ website on X on Friday, alleging the department was “quietly deleting info” as it prepares to distribute funds to people convicted in connection with the riot.

“Nothing ‘quiet’ about it,” the official DOJ Rapid Response account responded to Kornfield’s post. “We are proud to reverse the DOJ’s weaponization under the Biden administration. We will do everything in our power to make whole those who were persecuted for political purposes. This includes stripping DOJ’s website of partisan propaganda.”

Among the deleted materials were high-profile case summaries involving members of far-right groups such as the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, who were previously convicted on charges including seditious conspiracy, Politico reports. Some of those convictions have since been vacated or dropped following recent Justice Department actions and court rulings.

This is the latest step in the Trump administration’s effort to reshape the narrative around January 6.

On his first day back in office in January 2025, Trump issued sweeping clemency measures tied to the Capitol attack, pardoning, commuting sentences or directing the dismissal of cases involving more than 1,500 defendants. The actions covered a range of cases, including people convicted of serious assaults on police officers during the riot. Some of those convictions involved attackers who used improvised weapons such as flagpoles, a hockey stick and a crutch during the breach of the Capitol.

The Trump administration is also advancing a nearly $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund to compensate people it says were unfairly targeted by federal investigations, with eligibility potentially extending to some January 6 defendants, including those convicted of violence. The proposal has drawn bipartisan criticism over concerns that it could benefit people involved in the Capitol attack.

Hundreds of riot defendants are now seeking multi-million-dollar payouts, as critics describe the program as a “slush fund” that could reward Trump allies and those charged in the assault.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has not ruled out payments to individuals who attacked police officers, while two officers injured during the riot have already filed lawsuits challenging the fund.

Trump told reporters Wednesday that people he described as victims of “weaponization” under the Obama and Biden administrations — referring to allies investigated in connection with his 2016 and 2020 campaigns and January 6, were “destroyed,” saying they went to jail, had their families ruined, and some “committed suicide.”

“We’re reimbursing those people for their legal fees and for their costs, and for anybody involved,” he said. “It was the most violent thing I’ve ever seen in politics.”

A Jet2 flight heading from Tenerife to the UK was forced to make an emergency landing in Porto with staff ‘in tears’

Passengers aboard a Jet2 flight were left stunned after their aircraft was forced into an emergency diversion following fears the pilot had suffered a suspected heart attack.

Flight LS1266 had been en route from Tenerife to Birmingham when travellers began witnessing distressing scenes unfold. Cabin crew were spotted dashing through the aisle, visibly distressed, urgently appealing for anyone with medical expertise amongst the 220 people on board.

The aircraft also experienced a rapid descent as it diverted to an unplanned stop in Porto, with the first officer taking command of the controls.

“We were awoken by chaos,” one witness told The Sun, explaining both they and their partner had been asleep when the incident began.

“Lights began flashing and hostesses who were visibly upset, seeking a doctor.

“Our two-year-old began crying like many other children onboard because the aircraft was dropping so quickly for an emergency landing.”

Video footage captured the moment the plane touched down safely in Porto at 2.11am on Friday, with emergency crews swiftly boarding to provide assistance to the pilot.

“We were stranded in Portugal for over 13 hours without accommodation,” one passenger revealed. “They wouldn’t let us off the plane itself for over an hour. Then we were just left to wander around.

“There was nowhere to stay. They said accommodation was too expensive.”

The passenger stressed they had “full sympathy” for the pilot. A pilot was dispatched by Jet2 from Manchester to Porto to assist in getting them back home. Travellers were informed they could take advantage of a complimentary switch to a Jet2 service heading to any of 14 UK destinations within the following week.

Jet2 is understood to have stated: “Flight LS1266 from Tenerife to Birmingham diverted to Porto on Thursday (21st May), due to one of the pilots feeling unwell.

“At no point was safety compromised, and customers subsequently continued their journey. We would like to apologise to customers for this unforeseen delay.”

The Mirror contacted Jet2 for additional comment.

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The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) must be told if you plan to travel abroad for more than four weeks, or your PIP payments could be suspended

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There are numerous changes in circumstances that individuals claiming Personal Independence Payments (PIP) must inform the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) about.

If they don’t, they risk having their benefit entitlement withdrawn and regular payments suspended or terminated.

Updating your name, GP, healthcare provider, or address does not require notification to the DWP and will not affect your payments.

However, it remains sensible to ensure the information the DWP holds for you is current.

Nevertheless, departing the country or intending to leave for longer than four weeks – even for a holiday – could impact your entitlement.

Guidance on GOV.UK for those planning to be abroad for more than four weeks, states: “This change may affect the claimant’s entitlement to PIP.

“We will need to know the date the claimant is leaving the country, how long they are planning to be out of the country, which country they are going to and why they are going abroad.”

If you’re planning overseas travel this year, or are currently arranging a holiday exceeding four weeks, ensure you notify the DWP with the requested information at the earliest opportunity, reports the Daily Record.

George Russell beat Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli to pole position for the Canadian Grand Prix with the very last lap of the qualifying session.

Russell, who won the sprint race earlier on Saturday, was on the back foot after aborting his first lap.

But a final run on which he did two flying laps enabled him to pip Antonelli by 0.068 seconds and Russell whooped with delight on the radio after realising he had secured pole.

“It is the most exhilarating feeling in the world when it comes at the last minute out of nowhere,” he said over the radio.

Antonelli had looked set to beat his team-mate when he eclipsed the time set by McLaren’s Lando Norris on the Briton’s first run, with Russell’s first lap on his final run good enough only for third.

But Russell had planned for two laps and he did the business on his second one.

He said: “There are times when you expect to be on pole and every lap is the quickest, but the times when it comes together at the end are the sweetest.

“The car was out of sync, out of balance [for much of the session]. I knew I needed a big lap and on my preparation lap I saw Kimi on the TV screen going purple [fastest] and I was like, right, I need to bring something big here.”

Antonelli said: “It was very difficult to get the tyres in the right window. It was a pity to miss out by such a small amount but George did a great lap.”

Norris was also in the fight for pole, and set what before Russell’s final run was the fastest middle sector as he tried to grasp top spot back from Antonelli.

But the world champion fell 0.083secs short of the Italian’s mark, before Russell raised the bar again.

“It was such a challenging session but to do it on the very last lap was epic,” said Russell, explaining that the team had made some changes to the car for qualifying with a view to predicted wet weather on Sunday.

McLaren’s Oscar Piastri was fourth fastest, ahead of Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, separated from his team-mate Charles Leclerc by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar.

Hamilton faces an investigation on charges of impeding Alpine’s Pierre Gasly in the first part of qualifying.

Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad and Alpine’s Franco Colapinto completed the top 10.

Rachael Maskell backed the Greater Manchester mayor to replace Sir Keir Starmer as Labour leader after the party’s disastrous election results in England, Scotland and Wales.

It comes after the Labour MP said Sir Keir “cannot continue” as prime minister.

Rachael Maskell, MP for York Central, speaks during the pro-Palestinian rally in York on Saturday (May 23) (Image: Dylan Connell)

Speaking at a pro-Palestinian demonstration in St Helen’s Square on Saturday (My 23) where Ms Maskell called for unity, the York Central told The Press she believed Mr Burnham is a “politician who is unique in our age”.

“And I believe he really can bring this hope,” she said. “When I’ve been talking to people on the streets of York, they also want Andy to be in Number 10.

“So, I’ll be going over and supporting him and ensuring that we do everything we can to make that happen.”

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Ms Maskell said she would be pressing Mr Burnham to ensure he supports York if he returns to Parliament after the Makerfield by-election, which would pave the way for his leadership bid.

She said she would tell Mr Burnham that “as a city, often we’re [York] very overlooked – people see us having a lot of privilege, but there’s a lot of depravation too. I want to ensure that we can address the inequalities that we face.”

“We can really show what unity is like – as a human rights city, as a city which really does advocate for high standards of peace and unity, I think we can demonstrate the kind of society we all want to live in,” the MP added.

Mr Burnham launched his Makerfield campaign on Friday, saying “a vote for me in this by-election is a vote to change Labour”.

Former health secretary Wes Streeting also set out policies in his leadership bid including a wealth tax to bring back the New Labour-era Sure Start programme and planning reforms to fund council homes to prevent children growing up in temporary accommodation.

The prime minister, who has insisted he will not walk away from No 10 if Mr Burnham wins the June 18 by-election and triggers a leadership contest, has sought to highlight his own record.

“We now have the fastest-growing economy in the G7, net migration has fallen and NHS waiting lists are at their lowest level in three-and-a-half years,” Sir Keir said.

“Our plan is working. And as summer begins, we are going further to bring down the cost of living and make life easier for families, so they have more room to enjoy it.

“This government will keep pushing forward to deliver the change the country voted for.”

The Bolton Ukrainian Cultural Centre hosted an event in celebration, with many very fine examples of traditional Ukrainian costume on display.

The Bolton centre is a branch of the larger AUGB – the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain – dedicated to promoting and supporting the interests and welfare of the UK’s Ukrainian population.

(Image: HENRY LISOWSKI)

Yaroslaw Tymchyshyn of the Bolton Ukrainian Cultural Centre: “To Ukrainians all over the world, including the UK, this day is highly significant, because it’s about our heritage, culture, and nationality.

“These are the things that Putin is trying to destroy, so that is why it is so important for us.

“The day started around 20 years ago in Chernivtsi and has since expanded, not only in Ukraine but across the world.

“I’ve seen people celebrating Vyshyvanka day in Canada, Australia, America, New Zealand, and all over Europe.

(Image: HENRY LISOWSKI)

“I’ve seen members of foreign delegations wearing Vyshyvankas, I’ve seen people in embassies wearing them.

“It’s just so symbolic for us – Ukrainians in the past have died for wearing them. People used to get thrown in gulags for it.

“That’s why we hold it in such esteem.

“There is an old song in Ukraine about a young man who was thrown in prison. His mother sent him a Vyshyvanka to wear, in the colours red and black.

(Image: HENRY LISOWSKI)

“Red stands for love, black for grief – that just sums it up, really.”

‘Vyshyvanka’ is the casual name for a specific type of embroidered shirt worn in Ukraine and Belarus.

Popular with both sexes, the shirts feature patterns made using a very specific type of traditional Ukrainian embroidery techniques.

(Image: HENRY LISOWSKI)

The shirts feature maze-like patterns in rings around the arms and neck, with black, red, and white being the basic colours and yellow, blue, and green used as supplements.

The Vyshyvanka has also become a symbol of resistance in the years since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Vyshyvanka Day began in 2006, the creation of a student at Chernivtsi University in Western Ukraine.

(Image: HENRY LISOWSKI)

One day, she suggested to her friends that they all spend a day wearing Vyshyvanka shirts together, with several students and staff members taking part.

Soon, the day spread all over Ukraine, and then the world, attracting the attention of the global Ukrainian diaspora.

The fifth anniversary of Vyshyvanka Day in 2011 saw a new Guinness World Record set for the largest number of people wearing Vyshyvankas in one place.

(Image: HENRY LISOWSKI)

More than 4,000 people in Vyshyvankas gathered in Chernivtsi’s main square for the event.

That same year, a huge, four-by-ten metre Vyshyvanka shirt was gifted to the university for display in its central building.

Volodymyr Zelensky regularly sports a Vyshyvanka in public appearances, a green one with black detailing around the neckline.

It’s been 35 years exactly since NBC took a gamble with one of its riskiest episodes – one which almost drove Seinfeld’s Larry David to exit the show.

The hit 90s sitcom – co-created by the titular Jerry Seinfeld and Larry – followed the hijinks of a fictionalised version of the stand-up comic and his three best friends: George Costanza (Jason Alexander), ex-girlfriend Elaine Benes (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), and neighbour Cosmo Kramer (Michael Richards).

The comedy has remained one of the most influential in TV history, forging iconic quotes and – much like Buffy – pushing the boundaries of how we create and tell small screen stories.

Nowhere was this showcased more than in the renowned season two episode 11, The Chinese Restaurant, which came out on May 23, 1991 – just about.

At the time of its production, it was one of the most controversial scripts Jerry and Larry had ever presented to the studio, which did everything they could to shut it down.

Let us take you back. The episode follows our usual gaggle of friends (aside from Kramer) who are waiting for a table at a Chinese restaurant. The longer they are forced to sit around, the hungrier they get, and they have various little problems they are agonising over.

The whole time, the maître d’ was teasing them with the promise of a table any moment.

A simple but delicious premise, based on Larry and Jerry’s own experience of…. waiting in line at a restaurant.

Set entirely in the Chinese restaurant, it’s shot in real time with no cuts – the format is known as a ‘bottle episode’. But executives thought audiences would lose interest given the lack of a concise plot, planning to pull the plug on the whole episode.

Jerry revealed that NBC’s Warren Littlefield even thought pages were missing when he first read it.

‘The Chinese Restaurant was the point where the network said: “You know, we really don’t understand what you’re trying to do with this show, and we think it’s wrong.”‘ He recalled, according to Vulture.

Given its lack of any discernible storyline, they almost axed it, until the Curb Your Enthusiasm creator threatened to walk out if they didn’t release it.

As Jerry added about their U-turn: ‘[NBC said]: “We’re going to air it anyway.” I was thrilled that NBC took that attitude. We had done enough good things at that point that they were willing to trust us.’

The only alteration they made in the end was deciding to run it at the end of the season in case it turned audiences off the show for good.

But all that worry was for nothing because it has now gone down in the hall of fame when it comes to the show’s episodes, joining other classics such as: The Soup Nazi, The Parking Garage and The Puffy Shirt.

The Chinese Restaurant is not the only time Larry is known to have tried to quit the show. As he once told the Bill Simmons podcast: ‘It’s tough to take orders and notes from people.

‘I can’t have a boss. I’m always the happiest when I’m in charge of my own stuff.’

Seinfeld is available to stream on Netflix now.

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PHOENIX (AP) — The president of the governing body of Iranian soccer said Saturday the nation’s World Cup training base has been moved to Mexico from the United States after getting approval from FIFA.

Mehdi Taj, president of the Iran Football Federation, announced the decision Saturday in a statement issued by the federation’s media relations official. FIFA has not confirmed the move.

Iran had been scheduled to train in Tucson, Arizona, but a move has been a possibility because of uncertainty surrounding the war in the Middle East and security concerns. Officials at Tucson’s Kino Sports Complex had no comment.

The federation says the team will now be based in Tijuana, Mexico, just south of San Diego. This year’s World Cup runs from June 11 to July 19 and will be co-hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

“All team base camps for the countries participating in the World Cup must be approved FIFA,” Taj said in his statement. “Fortunately, following the requests we submitted and the meetings we held with FIFA and World Cup officials in Istanbul, as well as the webinar meeting we had yesterday in the Tehran with the respected FIFA secretary general, our request to change the team’s base from the United States to Mexico was approved.”

Iran plays Group G games in Inglewood, California, against New Zealand on June 15 and Belgium six days later, then faces Egypt on June 26 in Seattle. The federation said Tijuana’s relatively close proximity to Inglewood, a suburb of Los Angeles, will benefit the team and the new location “includes all training facilities, gym, private restaurant and everything else the team needs.”

Team Melli is appearing in its fourth straight World Cup and seventh overall. It has never advanced past the first round.

Iran’s federation said moving the base camp will resolve potential visa issues since the team will enter the U.S. through Mexico. The president said that the team “may even be able to travel to and from Mexico using Iran Air flights.”

Teams use base camps for training ahead of and after matches.

___

AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

A Jet2 flight from Tenerife was forced to make an emergency landing in Porto after the pilot suffered a suspected heart attack

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Passengers aboard a Jet2 flight were left alarmed when their aircraft was forced into an emergency landing following the pilot’s suspected heart attack.

Flight LS1266 was heading from Tenerife to Birmingham, when passengers began noticing some worrying signs. Flight attendants were spotted rushing down the aisle in tears, with 220 passengers onboard, while asking whether anyone had medical training.

The aircraft also experienced an abrupt descent as it diverted to an unplanned landing in Porto, with the plane’s first officer taking command of the controls.

“We were awoken by chaos,” one witness told The Sun, explaining that both they and their partner had been asleep when the incident unfolded.

“Lights began flashing and hostesses who were visibly upset, seeking a doctor.

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“Our two-year-old began crying like many other children onboard because the aircraft was dropping so quickly for an emergency landing.”

Video footage revealed how the aircraft, following a safe landing in Porto at 2.11am on Friday, was swiftly met by emergency personnel who treated the pilot.

“We were stranded in Portugal for over 13 hours without accommodation,” a passenger revealed. “They wouldn’t let us off the plane itself for over an hour. Then we were just left to wander around.

“There was nowhere to stay. They said accommodation was too expensive.”

The passenger noted they had “full sympathy” for the pilot. A pilot was transported by Jet2 from Manchester to Porto to assist in getting them home. Travellers were informed they could receive a complimentary change onto a Jet2 service heading to any of 14 UK destinations within the following week.

Jet2 reportedly said: “Flight LS1266 from Tenerife to Birmingham diverted to Porto on Thursday (21st May), due to one of the pilots feeling unwell.

“At no point was safety compromised, and customers subsequently continued their journey. We would like to apologise to customers for this unforeseen delay.”

The Mirror has approached Jet2 for further comment.

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