Politics
Badenoch: “The Conservative Party Is Coming Back”
“We’ve lost all the drama queens…” Subscribe to Guido’s YouTube channel by clicking here…
In his first official comment on one of the most controversial issues in the history of African football, Patrice Motsepe acknowledged a clear contradiction in the decisions of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) committees, following the stripping of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title from Senegal and its awarding to Morocco by a decision of the Appeals Committee.
The case, which sparked an unprecedented storm, dates back to the final, which Senegal won on the field (1-0) after extra time. However, the Appeals Committee reopened the case from a legal standpoint, arguing that what happened during the match—particularly the withdrawal and subsequent reversal of that decision—renders the victory illegitimate, thus administratively overturning the result to a 3-0 loss.
AFCON storm
Amidst an initial decision by the Disciplinary Committee upholding Senegal’s title, and a completely contradictory decision by the Appeals Committee, CAF president Motsepe issued statements asserting that “both decisions should be viewed as fair.” He emphasized that both committees comprise “among the most respected judges and lawyers on the continent,” in an attempt to contain a widening crisis of confidence within African football circles.
He continued:
If you look at the composition of those bodies, they reflect some of the most respected lawyers and judges on the continent. These are people who have integrity and have a track record. The independence is reflected by the decisions that were taken by the two bodies.
However, the most significant message in the CAF president’s statements was the implicit acknowledgment, rather than denial, of the magnitude of the crisis. He expressed his “frustration” with the spectacle of the tournament final, considering what transpired a threat to the efforts made over years to establish the principles of integrity and credibility in the administration of the game on the continent.
In parallel, Motsepe opened the door to legal escalation, affirming Senegal’s right to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), with CAF’s prior commitment to respecting the final ruling. This move effectively transfers the case from the corridors of the continental federation to the international sports judiciary.
The CAF president concluded his remarks with a message that goes beyond the decision itself, when he indicated that the “view of the public” in the 54 member countries represents the true standard of the federation’s credibility, in an acknowledgment that reflects a growing awareness that the crisis is no longer just a legal one, but has turned into a public test of the African public’s trust in its football institutions.
Featured image via the Canary
Politics
Champions League: Mohamed Salah’s Exceptional Achievement and Lamine Djamel’s Historic Record
Stars Mohamed Salah and Lamine Yamal achieved historic milestones in the Champions League during the second leg of the Round of 16. Salah led Liverpool to a stunning comeback, while Yamal continued to break records in a Barcelona shirt.
Liverpool secured a resounding 4-0 victory over Galatasaray, overturning their 1-0 first-leg deficit and advancing to the quarter finals with a 4-1 aggregate score.
Salah achieved an exceptional feat, becoming the first African player to reach 50 goals in the competition’s history. Despite a shaky first half in which he missed a penalty and a clear-cut chance, he roared back in the second half, scoring one goal and providing two assists, leading his team to a decisive victory.
Salah joined by Yamal
In another match, Barcelona secured a resounding 7-2 victory over Newcastle United, a match that saw Lamine Djamel etch his name in the competition’s history books.
The young Spanish star set a new record, becoming the youngest player to reach 10 Champions League goals at 18 years and 248 days old, surpassing the previous record held by Kylian Mbappé (18 years and 350 days).
Between Salah’s dazzling experience and Gamal’s rapid rise, the tournament continues to deliver exceptional nights where records are made and major details are decided.
Featured image via the Canary
A new film featuring an AI-generated likeness of Val Kilmer as its lead “actor” is already facing a wave of backlash.
The Batman star died in April 2025 at the age of 65, 10 years after first being diagnosed with throat cancer.
Prior to his death, Kilmer had been set to star in the drama As Deep As The Grave, directed by Coerte Voorhees, as a Native American spiritualist and Catholic priest, Father Fintan.
It’s now been confirmed that Voorhees will move forward with the project with an AI likeness of Kilmer used to portray Father Fintan, with the approval of the actor’s estate and his daughter, Mercedes.
The filmmaker told Variety: “His family kept saying how important they thought the movie was and that Val really wanted to be a part of this. He really thought it was important story that he wanted his name on.
“It was that support that gave me the confidence to say, okay let’s do this. Despite the fact some people might call it controversial, this is what Val wanted.”
As was anticipated by Voorhees, the announcement has been met with criticism by many, even if the decision has been approved by the late performer’s family…
Many online critics have already pointed out that the rise of generative artificial intelligence has become a contentious issue in the movie industry over the last few years, with the threats being posed by AI forming a major part of what led to the Hollywood strikes of 2023.
After the SAG-AFTRA strike, actors gained some legal protections against their likenesses being recreated with AI following their deaths, but the issue has continued to come up.
Back in 2024, the film Alien: Romulus featured a digital version of the late actor Ian Holm, which was met with some controversy, while plans to recreate the voice of French actor Alain Dorval in the dub of a recent Sylvester Stallone movie were dropped when his daughter panned them as “unacceptable”.
The Tories were left looking rather embarrassed today after a “best bits” compilation video of Kemi Badenoch played nothing at all.
Shadow local government secretary James Cleverly tried to launch the Conservatives’ local elections campaign by lauding the party leader’s “vim and vigour” – but a technical glitch turned it into a moment they’d rather forget.
Shortly before introducing Badenoch on stage, Cleverly told the waiting audience: “Just in case anyone has forgotten just how good she is, let’s remind ourselves with a quick look at her best bits.”
A few people in the audience excitedly declared that this clip was obviously “going to be long” as the screen briefly flashed up with the Conservatives’ slogans.
But it quickly went black. It then showed the Tory pledge to implement a “stronger economy and a stronger country” once more – before Cleverly started to give up.
“I’m going to give it… one more second…for the video,” he said, then adding: “Do you know what ladies and gentlemen? Forget the video.”
He then welcomed Badenoch onto the stage, who laughed at all the enthusiastic applause.
“That was a fabulous introduction, can we give it up to James Cleverly?” she said, pushing past the embarrassing encounter.
In the 16 months since she was elected to be Tory leader and leader of the opposition, Badenoch has been widely criticised for her performance.
Trying to carry the mantel after the Conservatives’ worst ever general election defeat, Badenoch struggled to hold her own in prime ministers’ questions and made a handful of very public – and painful – gaffes.
She’s also seen a series of ex-Tory MPs defect to Reform, including two of her own frontbenchers, Danny Kruger and Robert Jenrick.
The Confederation of African Football’s historic decision to award Morocco the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title has brought their head coach, Walid Regragui, back into the spotlight.
Does this open the door for his return after he resigned just weeks before the 2026 FIFA World Cup? Regragui’s name is once again making headlines. This follows the appeal over Morocco’s controversial match with Senegal.
In case you missed it, Senegal has been stripped of its AFCON title, which was handed to Morocco on 18 March.
The decision has shocked the sporting world and stunned international spectators. Senegal’s 1-0 victory over Morocco on 18 January was overturned by AFCON. Now, the match is officially recorded as a 3-0 win for Morocco.
Could Regragui make a comeback?
Before these events unfolded, Regragui’s resignation on 5 March seemed directly tied to his team’s loss to Senegal on Moroccan soil. With the 2026 World Cup around the corner, Mohamed Wahbi has taken over as head coach.
At the time, the defeat dampened the shine of his otherwise impressive tenure. Under his leadership, Morocco reached the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup and made it to the final of AFCON.
Now, many are asking whether Regragui’s departure was hasty.
Regragui, in the wake of AFCON’s appeal decision, has found himself elevated to national hero status in Morocco and the wider Arab world.
While Morocco’s title has been reinstated, will this be enough to bring Regragui back to his former role?
The court of public opinion
The Canary has observed growing calls on social media for Regragui’s return. Many point out that the former Atlas Lions coach has yet to secure his next coaching contract.
Despite Wahbi’s appointment as head coach, his strong relationship with Regragui leaves room for various possibilities. This includes a potential collaboration or a future reevaluation of the team’s leadership and priorities.
However, with just two months to go until the World Cup, both options seem unlikely and are largely fuelled by the excitement of Morocco’s delayed victory.
A critical juncture for the Atlas Lions
With the 2026 World Cup fast approaching, Morocco’s national team faces a critical juncture. On one hand, they need to build on the momentum of their reinstated AFCON title.
On the other, they must quickly establish stability in both leadership and football strategy.
Whether this will happen under Wahbi’s or Regragui’s leadership remains uncertain, as the fervour for the former coach’s reinstatement crescendos both online and offline.
Featured image via the Canary
Multivitamins might help to slow biological ageing, new research has found.
Published in Nature Medicine, the paper noted that these effects were stronger in people whose biological age (which relates to the health of their cells and tissues) was already older than their chronological age (how many years old they are).
On average, older people who took a multivitamin supplement daily had a biological age four months younger than those who didn’t.
What else did the study find?
The researchers looked at blood samples from just under 1,000 participants of the US’ COSMOS study – a randomised, double-blind trial.
Participants had an average age of 70. Some people took multivitamins, and others didn’t.
Blood samples were taken three times: at the start of the study, and 12 and 24 months after that.
The scientists calculated the biological age of the people in the research by looking for five biological ageing “clocks” in their blood.
These “clocks” had to do with the patterns on DNA, changes in which have been linked to a person’s ageing.
After comparing the blood samples, the researchers noted that people who took daily multivitamins showed signs of slower ageing in two of these “clocks”, which were associated with mortality risk.
Speaking to Nature, study author Howard Sesso said research like this is “not just identifying how to live longer, but also how to live better”.
He noted taking multivitamins “appeared to be on that type of trajectory over two years”.
Does that mean multivitamins will definitely keep me younger?
We don’t know for sure, yet.
The paper said that though “statistically significant but small effects of daily MVM [multivitamin] supplementation on slowing biological ageing are encouraging”, additional studies are needed to explore this further.
Still, speaking to Nature, geroscientist Steve Hovarth (who was not involved in the study), said: “This is a very interesting and rigorous study… The public appetite for knowing whether everyday supplements can genuinely slow ageing is enormous.
“This study provides some of the most credible evidence we have to date.”
The post Badenoch launches the Conservative Local Election campaign appeared first on Conservative Home.
Edward Davies is Research Director at the Centre for Social Justice.
Motherhood was much in the news this week.
It kicked off with a flurry of last-minute chocolate and daffodil purchasing by the nation’s offspring on Sunday morning. And hot on the heels of Mothering Sunday came Jessie’s Buckley’s Oscar acceptance speech in which she dedicated the honour “to the beautiful chaos of a mother’s heart”.
We at the CSJ also launched a report that found that 600,000 women would miss out on their ambitions of motherhood due to the falling birthrate and that three million women aged 16 to 45 today are projected not to have children if current trends persist.
But for all undoubted importance of motherhood and the human pathos of these three events, the last in particular signals something far greater and more concerning.
The UK’s fertility decline is often framed as a motherhood issue largely because that is how it is measured – births per woman. But it is far from that alone.
The ripples of our declining birthrate travel far and wide. It’s felt by fathers too of course – it takes two to tango after all. And it’s felt by siblings, uncles, and aunts. It impacts grandparents and communities too as the population gets older and older.
They are a few years further down this road than us in Japan but during the first half of 2024, 40,000 people died alone in their home. Of that number, nearly 4,000 people were discovered more than a month after they died, and 130 bodies went unmissed for a year before they were found.
We all depend on the relationships in our lives, right up to, and even beyond our deaths.
This has huge societal effects too, not least on public services. As Japan has discovered, it is not cheap or easy for the state to reproduce what families have traditionally done for millennia. Our social care sector is already groaning under the weight.
But a medic colleague working on doctors’ contracts used to joke to me that the most sensitive nerve in the body is the wallet nerve and it is maybe our economy where we will feel the pinch hardest.
The Office for Budget Responsibility has said that, on current trends, UK public debt could rise to around 270 per cent of GDP by the early 2070s as ageing pushes up spending on pensions, health and social care.
To maintain our current economy and standard of living with a declining population would require unprecedented and improbable productivity increases. When they fail to materialise, we will have to make significant cuts and perhaps the one hard aging-related lever governments have to play with is the pension age.
The CSJ’s analysis shows that on current population estimates children in school today could face working until their mid-70s before receiving a state pension.
If the government attempted to maintain today’s ratio of workers to pensioners, the state pension age would need to rise steadily over the coming years, hitting 70 in the next three decades, and 75 well before the end of the century – that means children aged 8 and under today would not retire until they are 75.
Figures like this understandably provoke a response, particularly among those approaching pension age themselves. But we literally cannot afford to bury our metaphorical heads in the sand over this. Other countries with similar problems are grasping the nettle. Denmark for example recently passed legislation which will raise the retirement age to 70 by the year 2040 – not that far away. By 2060 it will likely rise to 74. Italy and Estonia are set to follow at 71, while the Netherlands, Sweden, and Cyprus are projected to reach 70.
To date, received wisdom in the UK has been to replace the human shortfall with imported labour – high immigration. But not only is it a strategy with declining public support, but it does not really work. High levels of immigration have marginally and temporarily slowed the demographic shift but they do not solve the underlying problem, as age and fertility rates among migrants also tend to fall over time. In short, migrants get old and stop having babies too.
Political capital to have these conversations is in short supply and so huge credit to shadow equalities minister Rt Hon Claire Coutinho MP, who is one of the first senior parliamentarians to put her head above the parapet in this debate. Writing the foreword to the CSJ report she does not shy away from hard questions.
She describes our falling birthrate as “one of the most significant yet least discussed challenges our country faces today”.
“A healthy society depends on its ability not only to preserve what it has inherited, but to pass it on. The institutions, freedoms and traditions that make us who we are were built up over centuries, and their continuation cannot be taken for granted. If we rely on making up the population shortfall with ever higher immigration, then we may risk losing more than we bargained for.
“If we want to be proud of passing on something of importance to the next generation then we must never lose sight of the importance of family.”
Donald Trump’s second administration has massively tightened the longstanding US stranglehold on Cuba. His escalating campaign of terror has brought the island’s health system to its knees, putting thousands of lives at risk. But many people around the world are refusing to just stand by and watch.
In recent days, Trump has insisted that:
I do believe I’ll be… having the honour of taking Cuba… Taking Cuba, I mean, whether I free it, take it. I think I can do anything I want with it.
And he’s promised that:
we’ll be doing something with Cuba very soon
Numerous social movements, humanitarian groups, trade unionists, and public figures have stepped up to try and scupper Trump’s plans, though.
These groups and individuals have built a coalition to send humanitarian supplies to Cuba, including medicine, food, and solar equipment. In particular, this aid seeks to support medical workers and their patients, while ensuring children have access to vital nutrition.
The first of the venture from the ‘Nuestra América Convoy‘ has already arrived on the island. And more will arrive in the coming days:
BREAKING 🇨🇺 The first delegation of the Nuestra América Convoy arrives to Havana. pic.twitter.com/WEaln5H84S
— Progressive International (@ProgIntl) March 18, 2026
¡Qué viva Cuba! 🇨🇺
The first delegation of the Nuestra América Convoy has arrived in Havana from Europe, carrying more than four tonnes of critical medical aid. pic.twitter.com/nFhQ74B2X2
— Progressive International (@ProgIntl) March 18, 2026
🇨🇺✊🏽 ¡Ya está en Cuba el Convoy Europeo con ayuda solidaria proveniente de Italia!
Un puente de esperanza que une pueblos y fortalece la solidaridad.
📷 Jorge Alejandro
✍️Tomado de Naturaleza Secreta de Cuba
#NuestraAmericaConvoy pic.twitter.com/jE5AlDg08G— Mov. Mexicano de Solidaridad con Cuba 🇲🇽🇨🇺 (@_mmsc) March 18, 2026
Trump’s escalating stranglehold on Cuba
More than six decades of US “economic terrorism” have cost Cuba over $170bn. They haven’t just pushed people to leave their country. According to experts, such sanctions also have a similar effect to war, killing hundreds of thousands of people around the world every year, with many millions of deaths over recent decades.
Amid the ongoing failure of sanctions to topple Cuba’s government, the US started to change strategies under Barack Obama. But Trump’s first administration reversed that and doubled down on aggression.
Then, in 2025, Trump came into his second term seeking to ramp up this stranglehold with a new escalation of collective punishment. This has since sparked a crisis in Cuba’s health system, bringing it “to the brink of collapse”. And it has just forced a 29-hour nationwide energy blackout.
So far this year, Trump’s regime has gone after Cuba’s key lifelines:
Global criticism of US terror must turn into action
Nations around the world have overwhelmingly opposed US sanctions on Cuba for decades, regardless of whether their governments are left- or right-wing. Ordinary people in the US itself, meanwhile, strongly oppose using force against Cuba. They prefer diplomacy, and generally agree that sanctions are the wrong strategy.
Moving from criticism to action is not easy, and rarely happens. But the Nuestra América Convoy offers hope that people are increasingly willing to follow through:
As Donald Trump’s illegal siege plunges Cuba into darkness, the first convoy flight leaves from Milan.
On board: 220 suitcases packed with life-saving medicines. pic.twitter.com/rVNSmPEpWL
— Progressive International (@ProgIntl) March 17, 2026
We deeply appreciate @JeremyCorbyn and @ProgIntl for standing with the Cuban people. As the US escalates its cruel and inhumane blockade, global solidarity is our greatest weapon. We eagerly await the historic Nuestra América Convoy in Havana on March 21. Cuba is not alone! 🇨🇺 https://t.co/BGEARsYBSs
— Cuba in the UK (@EmbaCuba_UK) March 18, 2026
ANNOUNCEMENT 📢: NACLA is mobilizing to Cuba. 🇨🇺
This week, NACLISTAs will be taking part in the Nuestra América Convoy to Cuba, a humanitarian mission delivering critical supplies to a people under siege.
For decades, NACLA has covered the U.S. pressure campaign against… pic.twitter.com/gfrirkGFyN
— NACLA Report (@NACLA) March 17, 2026
We’re busy packing suitcases of medical aid to bring to Cuba tomorrow. 🇮🇪 🇨🇺
GRMA to all who’ve assisted us source it (special thanks to Dr David Hickey).
The USA is illegally and savagely strangling the island and crippling its people. pic.twitter.com/EzIgQOgqda
— KNEECAP (@KNEECAPCEOL) March 17, 2026
We head to Cuba later this week as part of an international solidarity group to bring critical medical aid for the Cuban people. 🇨🇺 🇮🇪
To everyone who has assisted us gathering it, GRMA, we will travel with over 200kg of critical medicines.
As the Taoiseach heads to… pic.twitter.com/F1MdrWAgPI
— KNEECAP (@KNEECAPCEOL) March 16, 2026
Opposing Trump’s terror campaign against Cuba isn’t about whether you completely support its government or not. As with US-Israeli war crimes in Gaza, Iran, or Lebanon, it’s completely possible to oppose colonial violation of international law while also being fully aware of legitimate criticisms regarding the governments facing attacks.
The simple fact is that the US is using terror to ensure dominance for itself in the Americas (as it has for many decades), just as it’s been helping Israel to ensure its dominance in the Middle East through genocidal terror.
Trump is proudly displaying a brash imperialism that US leaders have historically hidden behind careful propaganda. And the world is increasingly aware of the danger of allowing this to continue.
But words aren’t enough. The world must also follow the example of the Nuestra América Convoy and turn criticism into firm action – for the sake of humanity.
Featured image via the Canary
As it promised on Wednesday 18 March, Iran struck Saudi energy facilities in retaliation for Israel’s bombing of Iran’s South Pars gas field, which it shares with Qatar, also a US ally in the Arabian Gulf.
The Iranian television broadcast its warning across social media channels, telling the US, Israel, and their enablers that their facilities will be reduced to “ashes.”
Iran military spokesman: “You attacked our infrastructure and energy in the south. Your infrastructure, energy, and gas facilities will burn to ashes at the first opportunity. Your era of glory is over — withdraw from the region or choose death.” pic.twitter.com/8i5KGPlDdD
— COMBATE |🇵🇷 (@upholdreality) March 18, 2026
The latest strikes began as soon as night fell:
Public Relations of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps:
🔹 In the name of God, the Crusher of the Arrogant “Whoever transgresses against you, transgress against them in like manner as they transgressed against you”
🔹 Wave sixty-three of Operation True Promise 4 against… pic.twitter.com/wntAb6R0fU
— COMBATE |🇵🇷 (@upholdreality) March 18, 2026
Mobile footage published by social-media based news outlet, Kofiya News, shows a huge explosion at a refinery near Riyadh as an Iranian missile struck:
🚨🇮🇷🇸🇦 BREAKING: A massive explosion has occurred in Riyadh after multiple ballistic missiles launched from Iran struck the city. pic.twitter.com/9GrMkbWF19
— Nova Intel (@intel_nova) March 18, 2026
The aftermath of the strike was shared by Kofiya News:
💢 4 injured in Riyadh after “debris from an intercepted ballistic missile” fell near refinery, Saudi Arabia claims
Four foreign Asian residents were injured and “limited material damage” reported after Saudi Civil Defense said debris from an intercepted ballistic missile fell… https://t.co/q25Cvl5bkb pic.twitter.com/J5mur9D0w4
— Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) March 18, 2026
Qatari gas facilities were struck in the early hours of 19 March, local time:
Qatar LNG is on fire pic.twitter.com/uRKzzo3pGA
— COMBATE |🇵🇷 (@upholdreality) March 18, 2026
A mass retaliatory attack on Israel and its Haifa oil terminal has not yet been reported at the time of writing, although a repeat of last night’s mass—and largely censored—attack is surely imminent:
WATCH: Iranian Khorramshahr ballistic missiles with ~80 bomblets targeting Israel tonight. pic.twitter.com/HVVXkQ1FZf
— Clash Report (@clashreport) March 17, 2026
The situation continues to develop rapidly.
Featured image via the Canary
Luis Enrique laughs off Man United question with major contract hint dropped
Fresh S’pore grads earn S$4.5K median, rising to S$6.3K before 30
Gaffney, APEI SVP, sold $150k in stock
-
Crypto World5 days agoHYPE Token Enters Net Deflation as HyperCore Buybacks Outpace Staking Rewards
-
Tech4 days agoYour Legally Registered ‘Motorcycle’ Might Not Count Under Proposed US Law
-
Fashion6 days agoWeekend Open Thread: Addict Lip Glow
-
Tech2 days agoAre Split Spacebars the Next Big Gaming Keyboard Trend?
-
Sports5 days ago
Why Duke and Michigan Are Dead Even Entering Selection Sunday
-
Business4 days agoSearch for Savannah Guthrie’s Mother Enters Seventh Week with No Arrests
-
Business5 days agoUS Airports Launch Donation Drives for Unpaid TSA Workers as Partial Government Shutdown Enters Fifth Week
-
Crypto World5 days ago
Coinbase and Bybit in Investment Talks: Could Bybit Finally Enter the US Crypto Market?
-
Business3 days agoAustralian shares drop as Iran war enters third week
-
Business5 days agoCountry star Brantley Gilbert enters growing non-alcoholic beer market
-
Crypto World3 days agoCrypto Lender BlockFills Enters Chapter 11 with Up to $500M in Liabilities
-
Sports6 days agoCollege Basketball Best Bets: Conference Tournament Semifinal Picks
-
Politics1 day agoThe House | The new register to protect children from their abusers shows Parliament at its best
-
Business7 days agoTrump demands Powell cut rates as Iran conflict raises energy prices
-
Fashion3 days ago25 Celebrities with Curly Hair That Are Naturally Beautiful
-
News Videos20 hours agoRBA board divided on rate cut, unusually buoyant share market | Finance Report | ABC NEWS
-
Crypto World7 days agoSenate Votes to Include CBDC Ban in Bipartisan Housing Bill
-
NewsBeat7 days agoDeane Road crash near Bolton colleges and university
-
Crypto World20 hours agoCanada’s FINTRAC revokes registrations of 23 crypto MSBs in AML crackdown
-
News Videos7 days agoTom Lee: The 100x Opportunity EVEN Bigger Than Bitcoin (New Ethereum Prediction 2026)
You must be logged in to post a comment Login