The Army-Navy Game, which has been held on the second Saturday of December since 2009, has been at the center of recent discussions with regard to College Football Playoff expansion and scheduling due to its unique placement on the regular-season schedule. In a departure from recent tradition, Army coach Jeff Monken said he would like to see the historic rivalry game move up a week to pave the way for the CFP to start earlier.
The rivalry series, dubbed “America’s Game,” holds its contests the week after conference championship games to retain its own timeslot. The pageantry and tradition involved with one of college football’s most storied rivalries has long justified the separate window. But amid calls for the season to wrap up earlier than late-January, Monken said moving the Army-Navy Game back to Thanksgiving weekend is necessary.
“There’s not an appetite for the college football season to go all the way to the end of January,” Monken said to The Athletic. “There’s a real hope that we can get this thing into one semester, and have the championship game around Jan. 1, which I think would be awesome.”
Because the CFP avoids broadcast competition with the NFL and prioritizes giving teams a full week between games, the playoff schedule for the next two years comes with lengthy layoffs (nearly two weeks between rounds) and national championship games scheduled for Jan. 25 and Jan. 24. Playoff expansion from four teams to 12 only led to the season extending deeper into the winter.
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If the Army-Navy Game were to move back to Thanksgiving weekend, or even to conference championship week, the CFP could begin a week earlier and thus prevent such late winter championship games.
Any proposal to move the annual contest from its protected window would likely receive pushback. President Donald Trump last month said that he plans to sign an executive order which would prevent any football games from going head-to-head with the Army-Navy Game. That came after the now-defunct LA Bowl kicked off a half hour after the start of the 2025 installment.
“I think Army-Navy is a huge part of the history of college football, and what it is today, even,” Monken said. “Give us a four-hour block on Thanksgiving, or on Friday of Thanksgiving, or on Saturday of Thanksgiving, and give us a four-hour block, and just say nobody else plays during this four-hour block. That’s still protecting the game.”
The Army-Navy series began in 1890, and the football game has been contested every year since 1930. Navy holds a 64-55-7 all-time advantage and won the last two meetings, including a 17-16 thriller last season.
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CBS Sports has held the broadcast rights for the Army-Navy Game since 1996 and will continue to air the game on its networks through 2038. The 2026 meeting will take place on Dec. 12 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, as part of commemorating the 25th anniversary of 9/11.
While Peter Moody avoided forecasting a win for Ole Dancer over Tempted in the upcoming Surround Stakes on Saturday, one aspect particularly bolsters the celebrated trainer’s hopes for his filly.
The daughter of Ole Kirk pursues a follow-up Group 1 victory in the Randwick 1400m contest, after taking the 1600m Thousand Guineas last spring.
Tempted came unstuck as favourite in her lone run over 1200m, the previous year’s Golden Rose (1400m), and Moody believes a kind barrier will aid Ole Dancer following her resuming second over 1400m in the Desirable Stakes.
“The good thing about my girl is she’s going to be strong at the end of 1400, isn’t she?,” Moody said.
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“I just hope we draw a barrier, that’s the main thing.
“The other day we had to go back from seven, you don’t want to have to go back from 10 or 12 and give it (Tempted) a start. I’d rather be three in front of it on the turn than three behind it.”
Ole Dancer remains unexposed to Sydney’s track direction but impressed her trainer Peter Moody, alongside Katherine Coleman, in a clockwise workout at Pakenham on Saturday.
Zac Lloyd picks up the Surround Stakes ride, substituting for the out Luke Nolen.
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In the Desirable Stakes under Nolen, Ole Dancer surged late from last, missing by 2-1/2 lengths to Sass Appeal at 59.5kg—a result Moody sees as perfect preparation.
“Had she had a run under her belt we would have rolled forward and sat outside her (Sass Appeal) and we would have beat it like we did with Apocalyptic (in the Guineas),” Moody said.
“But because she hadn’t had the run, you’ve got to be mindful of where you’re going and she ran enormous.”
Ole Dancer lurks at $8 third in Surround Stakes all-in betting, with Tempted ($1.50) and Apocalyptic ($4.50) ahead.
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It was the sort of substitution that may assume a symbolic status. Off went Mohamed Salah, on came Rio Ngumoha. And if it wasn’t quite as simple as that, given that Cody Gakpo departed at the same time and Federico Chiesa was also brought on against Nottingham Forest, or that Salah is a right winger and Ngumoha tends to ply his trade on the left, the temptation is to portray them as the past and the future respectively.
Ngumoha’s sparkling cameo was arguably his most significant appearance in the Premier League since his sensational debut in the division against Newcastle in August. It might have yielded an assist, or a part in the winner, but first Hugo Ekitike’s header from his cross was saved by Stefan Ortega and then, when the ball rebounded in off Alexis Mac Allister’s elbow, the goal was disallowed; the Argentinian’s eventual winner came still later.
Yet Ngumoha’s impact, his willingness to run at defenders, his dynamism, prompted calls for Liverpool’s youngest ever scorer to become a starter. So far, each of his Premier League appearances have come from the bench, though a capacity to make something happen can also equip him for the role of a super-sub.
“I know I need to at least do something and try and impact the game,” said the 17-year-old. “Whether that is on the ball or off the ball. So whether it is like trying to put in a tackle or press to win the ball back, put balls into the box, have shots on target or just beat my man.”
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Rio Ngumoha impressed off the bench against Nottingham Forest (Getty)
Which he did to give himself room to cross for Ekitike. It was the sort of ball Liverpool have provided too rarely this season; once again, Ngumoha seems capable of offering something different.
He has been confined to cameos, though; five months on from his 100th-minute winner at Newcastle, he is yet to start a Premier League game. Some may think Arne Slot is holding him back. The Liverpool head coach feels he is pushing him forward.
“He has incredible potential. Otherwise at 17 years of age you don’t play as many minutes as he does in the Premier League, let alone at Liverpool,” the Dutchman said. “I don’t think there’s any other 17-year-old that has played so many minutes this season in the Premier League as he did. For him to show this already at 17 years says something about his talent.”
And, in Slot’s defence, when Ngumoha started against Barnsley in the FA Cup, he came off with cramp. Yet his total minutes in the Premier League is only 89; officially, anyway, because that excludes injury time, in which his finest moment lasted. But his outings have been brief; the earliest he has come on in the Premier League was the 70th minute.
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There can be a temptation to rush such prodigies into the team. Slot has taken the patient approach and Ngumoha has few complaints. “I think it has gone really well,” he said. “I am learning a lot every day and playing with and training with some of the best players in the world. I can’t ask for much more as a young kid. So I just think I need to carry on proving, working hard in training and showing what I can do to the manager.”
Ngumoha believes he is benefiting from Slot’s input. “The manager is very important to me and he gives me a lot,” he said. “After training, he always gives me the right things. We always have a meeting and he tells me how well I am doing and he just shows me certain clips of training. I just need to keep pushing and keep gaining the manager’s trust and hopefully that leads to more minutes.”
Liverpool manager Arne Slot has used his young star sparingly so far (PA)
Perhaps the brevity of some of Ngumoha’s appearances suggested Slot did not fully trust him; even with Liverpool shorter of wingers this season, with Luis Diaz sold, and with fewer forward options, with Alexander Isak invariably injured, the teenager and Federico Chiesa tend to be summoned late, charged with rescue acts. The Italian obliged early in the campaign, but they have had the feel of back-ups.
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In other respects, they are an odd couple. But if there are long-term reasons to give Ngumoha more exposure to first-team football, there are short-term ones, too. That spectacular start, with the winner he swept in at St James’ Park, four days before his 17th birthday, was an extraordinary introduction to the team. Thereafter, Ngumoha became a fringe figure: he played 12 minutes in November, none in December.
Of late, however, Ngumoha has figured more and suggested he could be a catalyst if granted a bigger role. He had a goal wrongly disallowed in the FA Cup win at Brighton. He was arguably Liverpool’s brightest attacker at Forest. “Every single time I am called on for the team, I just want to show everyone what I can do,” he said. And with the glimpses of that talent, the Liverpool public want to see more.
It should go without saying that this is a rematch about 10 years too late, one that makes even the first fight look timely. Because yes, Mayweather vs Pacquiao 1 was the most-lucrative fight in boxing history, but it was also years late itself.
Well, not for Mayweather, you could argue. When “Money” outpointed Pacquiao in 2015, the American and the Filipino broke the records for most pay-per-view sales (4.6m) and highest gate ($72.2m) – records that still stand today – showing there was still so much intrigue and hype for that showdown, yet there was a feeling among many that Mayweather had timed it to perfection to face an older, slower, broken-down Pacquiao.
Many had craved the bout for years but knew, deep down, there was a great chance that Mayweather would be able to stay out of danger against “Pac Man”, frustrating his fellow icon and a significant portion of the fans. This is not to dismiss Mayweather’s own fandom, but he himself would admit he weaponised and monetised ill will towards him, building a career on many viewers’ desperation for his downfall. “May-Pac” was the apex of this.
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It ended with Mayweather winning a comfortable decision at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, as Pacquiao – struggling with a shoulder injury, which would soon require surgery – failed to produce the finish that so many fans yearned for. There were accusations that he had deceived fans by not declaring the injury in advance; he and his team dismissed the idea that they had been dishonest. Pacquiao said he was denied a shoulder injection before the fight; Mayweather dismissed the idea that he needed one.
Floyd Mayweather (left) outpointed Manny Pacquiao in their first fight, in 2015 (AP)
There was enough controversy to create some interest in a rematch, but once the year mark had passed – once Mayweather had reached 38, and Pacquiao 37 – there was little dispute that a second showdown would not be worth it. There had been murmurs over the past two years, but largely of an exhibition rematch.
But what’s that coming down the Strip? It’s the Sphere, bowling towards you at speed, wrapped in Mayweather and Pacquiao’s giant, pixelated faces, kicked into motion by a crowd of Netflix executives.
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*Sighs, takes a breath.* So on 19 September, we will see Mayweather vs Pacquiao 2.
Las Vegas’s Sphere will host Mayweather vs Pacquiao 2 (Getty Images)
Thatnews was genuinely jaw-dropping, barely comprehensible. So when rumours swirled on Monday that another big piece of boxing news would ensue, minds were sent racing. And then came the Mayweather vs Pacquiao announcement.
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For all of the layers that make the Benn story (which is still developing) so enthralling, one such layer is this: it is consequential. The same cannot be said of Mayweather vs Pacquiao 2.
Never mind that it will be a professional fight, instead of an exhibition; if Pacquiao is able to beat his old nemesis, it will simply be (here come those words again) too late. “I want Floyd to live with the one loss on his professional record and always remember who gave it to him,” said Pacquiao on Monday, but there would still be those who would view Mayweather as technically undefeated, regardless of what happens at the Sphere.
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To many, Mayweather’s last real pro fight will always be his stoppage of UFC star Conor McGregor in 2017, even though that fight itself was so contrived. In fact, there are those who would even dismiss the McGregor fight, and point to Mayweather’s preceding bout against Andre Berto.
The American has competed numerous times since facing McGregor, but solely in exhibitions, while Pacquiao ended a four-year absence from the pro game last summer, drawing with then-champion Mario Barrios in a WBC welterweight title fight.
Pacquiao, 46 at the time, drew with then-champion Mario Barrios last summer (Getty Images)
The impressive nature of that performance, given the context, conjures faith that Pacquiao could win on 19 September. And for some fans, even now, that willbe enough to make them watch.
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Then there is the fact that the show will stream live on Netflix; when it is so easily accessible, when you’re not paying extra for the potential to be disappointed, you’re more likely to tune in. Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson showed that in 2024, and Paul vs Anthony Joshua proved it again in December.
The other X factor in all this is the Sphere. Even if you’re not easily sucked in by spectacle, the visuals that can be produced inside the domed Vegas venue are captivating, and they will be talked up in the build to May-Pac 2.
Will any of this be enough to convince you to watch? Believe us, we’re not trying to convince you. Mayweather vs Pacquiao 2 is a fight no one asked for, and despite any other musings, that is the long and short of it.
In doing so, Haney became a three-division world champion after previously outpointing the likes of Vasyl Lomachenko and Regis Prograis at 135 and 140lbs, respectively.
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Having maintained his unbeaten record, too, ‘The Dream’ is now considered one of the sport’s most elite operators, with his only bump in the road arriving against Ryan Garcia in April 2024.
Back then, Haney suffered a majority decision defeat after getting floored three times, only for the result to be overturned to a no-contest due to Garcia testing positive for banned substance ostarine.
Following Garcia’s year-long drugs ban, the pair then returned on the same card in May, with Haney producing a safety-first performance to outpoint Jose Ramirez.
As a result of ‘King Ry’ claiming the WBC title, many now believe that a unification match between him and Haney would garner terrific interest, especially when considering the drama attached to their first encounter.
Recognising this, Haney took to social media over the weekend with a mock-up poster for their potential rematch, while also reminding Garcia that performance-enhancing drugs are strictly forbidden.
While Haney seems eager to face his welterweight rival next, Garcia has expressed more of an interest in taking on WBO super-lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson, who he called out immediately after his victory over Barrios.
Jan 9, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer waves to the crowd after the game against the Chicago Bears at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports.
Things did not end well between the Minnesota Vikings and Mike Zimmer four years ago, when he was shown the door. The veteran coach has taken several shots at his old franchise. Last year, he was reportedly set to retire, but a comeback is in the works.
The Denver Broncos could be the next stop in his NFL career, where he would reunite with his old coworker Sean Payton. The two experienced skippers crossed paths on the Dallas Cowboys staff from 2003 to 2005. He also knows Broncos GM George Paton from his time in Minnesota.
Broncos insider Mike Klis reported Monday, “Per source, #Broncos visited last week with veteran coach Mike Zimmer about a senior coaching position. Nothing imminent but there is mutual interest. Zimmer has been a football coach since 1979 and started his NFL career in 1994.”
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Zimmer was the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator in 2024, but his unit left much to be desired. When the organization parted ways with head coach Mike McCarthy, Zimmer was not retained and decided to call it a career. Looks like that might have only lasted a year.
Oct 6, 2019; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants head coach Pat Shurmur (left) and Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer (right) meet before a game at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
His previous job in the NFL was with the Vikings, whom he head-coached from 2014 through 2021. When he arrived, he took over a franchise without an identity, and he quickly established a culture — and a defense — that regained national respect for his club.
At his peak, he led the Vikings to the NFC Championship game in 2017 behind an outstanding defense. In his eight seasons, the Vikings ranked 7th in points allowed. Excluding 2020 and 2021, his squad ranked 2nd, trailing only the Patriots.
In his final two seasons in Minnesota, the defense was the clear weakness. Perhaps he failed to make adjustments later in his career, but it’s only fair to note that he worked with subpar defensive personnel in both years and injuries further increased the struggles.
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But he didn’t just get fired for his defenses; the culture in the building had reached a point where the usually patient Vikings ownership group wanted to overhaul everything, letting go of both Zimmer and GM Rick Spielman.
Dec 25, 2020; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer talks to New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton before their game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports.
Zimmer gave a feisty interview in September 2024, telling the Star Tribune that he hadn’t watched a single Vikings game in the two seasons since his departure.
A couple of storylines about him not getting along with general manager Rick Spielman, going so far that they didn’t even talk in the later stretches of their Vikings’ employment, and the fact that Zimmer refused to address the locker room following his dismissal because his players got him fired. All of that might explain why the team didn’t reach the postseason in his final two years with the organization.
Still, during his time with the Vikings, he oversaw the team with the 10th-best record, 72-56-1, His playoff success was limited to a couple of wins, both over his potential new boss, Sean Payton and his Saints.
At the end of the day, Zimmer is still viewed as a brilliant defensive mind and that’s why the Broncos are interested. They have one of the league’s elite units and want to keep it that way.
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Dec 7, 2025; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Denver Broncos defensive end John Franklin-Myers (98) reacts after a sack against the Las Vegas Raiders during the first half at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Chad Jensen of SI.com commented, “The Broncos fielded one of the NFL’s best defenses in back-to-back seasons, leading the league in sacks over that span. Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph has done an excellent job, and he’ll be returning in 2026 after all the head-coaching vacancies dried up.”
Joseph was viewed as a hot head coaching candidate, but like Brian Flores, hasn’t gotten the desired interest.
“The Broncos lost their defensive-coordinator-in-waiting when Jim Leonhard was hired by the Buffalo Bills last month. Zimmer is getting up there in age, but if he’s hired as a senior assistant, it makes me wonder whether he’ll be the fail-safe in the event that Joseph finally gets a second bite at the head-coaching apple following the 2026 season.”
If the Broncos do add Zimmer in a senior advisory role, it would mark a notable return for one of the most influential defensive minds of the past decade. While his tenure in Minnesota ended on a complicated note, his reputation around the league as a defensive strategist remains intact, which helps explain why a contender with an already strong defense would explore adding his experience to the coaching staff.
Zimmer, 69, might not be done with the NFL after all.
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Janik Eckardt is a German sports nerd, who likes numbers and stats. He chose the Vikings to be his … More about Janik Eckardt
Marcus Rashford is in strong form for Barcelona but old habits have reared their head
Maria Ortega and Chris Burns Senior Sports Writer
13:28, 24 Feb 2026
Marcus Rashford once admitted to breaking the rules at Manchester United as his manager at Barcelona has introduced stricter measures to combat players who are late to training or on a matchday.
Currently on loan from United, Rashford has rediscovered his finest form. Yet punctuality issues that previously plagued him at Old Trafford have continued to dog him.
Earlier this season, Barcelona boss Hansi Flick dropped him from the squad as a consequence. Rashford arrived just two minutes late to a team meeting and was subsequently left out of the starting line-up for a match against Getafe.
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Flick had instructed his players to be present for a 9:30am meeting on matchday, followed by an ‘activation session’ at 11am. Despite being only two minutes late, the manager’s strict disciplinary code meant Rashford did not feature from the off.
The German head coach has since introduced even tighter regulations for players who indulge in tardiness – with offenders now facing a steep financial penalty. Barca forward Ferran Torres recently revealed: “Hansi Flick has just changed the rules on arriving late. If it’s match day and you’re late, you have to pay €40,000 (£34,900) fine”.
In 2024, Rashford faced severe disciplinary action after attending parties and skipping training in Manchester following consecutive midweek nights out in Belfast. The forward missed a Friday training session, citing illness as his reason for absence, and was ultimately slapped with a £650,000 fine.
Rewind to January 2023 and Rashford himself admitted that he was left out of United’s starting line-up against Wolves after oversleeping and arriving late to a team meeting. Former United boss Erik ten Hag then left the forward on the bench for the tie at Molineux.
Speaking to BT Sport, Rashford said: “I was a little bit late for a meeting – I overslept. It’s the team rules and it’s a mistake that can happen.
“I’m disappointed not to play, but I understand the decision and I’m happy that we managed to win the game anyway. I think we can draw a line under it and move on.”
Barcelona currently sit top of the La Liga standings, one point clear of rivals Real Madrid, following their 3-0 victory over Levante on Sunday. Flick now appears to be instilling first-class standards at the club as he chases his second consecutive league title with the Spanish giants.
He said: “The group is convinced of the work we are doing. It is not a simple situation, but communication is essential. We have been very clear and honest with each other. I ask them questions, it’s my way of managing the team.
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“We need leaders in the dressing room and for that, it is key to speak to them at the same level. After that, the decisions are mine. I want the players to take responsibility and they are doing that.”
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Bridgerton season 4 part 2 is going to carry on the recent chapter of Netflix’s Regency era drama, centering the story around Benedict Bridgerton and his love affair with Sophie Baek. Following the launch of part 1 that took viewers to a masquerade ball and introduced a Lady in Silver, the excitement level is getting higher for the season finale.
Bridgerton season 4 part 2 is the second half of an eight-episode season that covers the third book in Julia Quinn’s series, An Offer from a Gentleman. After the first part set up the emotional drama, the new episodes should bring to a close the main issue of fantasy versus reality that characterizes Benedict and Sophie’s love story.
Bridgerton season 4 part 2 premieres on February 26 at 12 a.m. PT on Netflix, concluding Benedict and Sophie’s romance arc with returning cast members including Luke Thompson, Yerin Ha, and key members of the Bridgerton family.
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What is the release date of Bridgerton season 4 part 2 and what to expect?
Bridgerton season 4 part 2 will be released on February 26, 12 a.m. PT on Netflix. The launch will wrap up Benedict’s storyline in the season and reveal the state of his relationship with Sophie following the disclosures of Part 1.
Season 4 focuses on Benedict, played by Luke Thompson, who at the outset is against getting married while his brothers have already set up their family life. His attitude changes after he runs into a woman wearing a mask at his mother Violet’s masquerade ball.
He only knows her as the Lady in Silver and henceforth, he looks for her in every corner of society, not knowing that she is Sophie, a maid working under Lady Araminta Gun.
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As Part 1 makes clear, Benedict and Sophie come to the world from totally different places. Showrunner Jess Brownell shed light on this theme, saying that Benedict is a man who fantasizes. Sophie is a woman who has to cope with a harsh reality. Brownell went on to say that the pair needs to find a middle ground, a place where the extremes meet, for love to blossom, in a chat with Netflix Tudum.
Luke Thompson, an actor in the series, mentioned that the plot of the show is inspired by the tradition of fairy tales, and that the series combines children’s ideas of magic and romance with the familiar world of Bridgerton.
Yerin Ha, the actress portraying Sophie, expressed that the character’s strength and the social challenges that she faces kept her interested. Ha also mentioned Quinn’s book, as Sophie is a mixture of temper and vulnerability, which is the way she tried to show her character on the screen.
In addition, Brownell quoted, in the Netflix press release, that Sophie should not be seen as a typical damsel in distress but rather as an intelligent and cunning character whose survival instincts at times hinder her from entering into love.
What is the returning cast for Bridgerton season 4 part 2?
Bridgerton season 4 (Image Via Netflix)
Thompson in the lead role of Benedict Bridgerton. Several well-known cast members also reprise their roles, such as Simone Ashley in the role of Kate Bridgerton, Jonathan Bailey as Anthony Bridgerton, Nicola Coughlan as Penelope Bridgerton, Claudia Jessie as Eloise Bridgerton, Ruth Gemmell as Violet Bridgerton, and Golda Rosheuvel as Queen Charlotte. Julie Andrews serves as the narrator and the voice of Lady Whistledown.
There are several new faces introduced this season, namely Katie Leung as Lady Araminta Gun, Michelle Mao as Rosamund Li, and Isabella Wei as Posy Li. Brownell depicted Araminta and her daughter Rosamund as very shrewd and strategic players in the marriage market, while Posy is described as more dreamy and less scheming. These statements have also been shared in Netflix’s official release.
Other characters coming back in Bridgerton season 4 part 2 are Emma Naomi as Alice Mondrich and Hugh Sachs as Brimsley, who both have been given bigger roles in the main cast.
The filming for the season was conducted at Shepperton Studios, which is located near London. There, a newly built backlot recreates the Georgian and Regency architecture, including Mayfair streetscapes.
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Production designer Alison Gartshore, in collaboration with Antony Cartlidge, supervising art director, and Adam David Grant, art director, was responsible for the set expansion project.
PSG and Morocco defender Achraf Hakimi has been ordered to stand trial in a rape case, lawyers confirmed to the Associated Press on Tuesday.
Hakimi’s lawyer Fanny Colin revealed she is planning to appeal the judge’s decision that followed recommendations from the Nanterre public prosecutor’s office, which last August called for the player to stand trial.
Colin added that a date for the trial has not been set at this stage.
Rachel-Flore Pardo, who represents the plaintiff, told the AP her client welcomed the order committing the case to trial “with relief”, before adding it “is fully consistent with the evidence in the file.”
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Hakimi has denied any wrongdoing (REUTERS)
Hakimi, one of the best defenders in the world, has denied any wrongdoing and posted on X that he “calmly awaits” a trial that “will allow the truth to emerge publicly.”
“Today, an accusation of rape is enough to justify a trial, even though I contest it and everything shows that it is false. This is as unjust for the innocent as it is for genuine victims,” he said on the eve of a crucial Champions League playoff.
Hakimi was given preliminary charges of rape in March 2023 after a 24-year-old woman accused him.
She said she was raped by Hakimi at his home in a Paris suburb. In the French legal system, preliminary charges mean judges have strong reason to suspect a crime was committed but are allowing time for further investigation before deciding whether to send a case to trial.
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“A trial has been ordered based on an accusation that rests solely on the word of a woman who obstructed all investigations, refused all medical examinations and DNA testing, refused access to her mobile phone, and refused to provide the name of a key witness,” Colin said.
Colin claimed that two successive psychological assessments of the plaintiff “revealed a lack of clarity regarding the facts she claims to denounce, as well as the absence of any post-traumatic symptoms.”
In her statement, Pardo said if the justice system has been exemplary in this case, “the broader handling of this affair serves as a reminder of one thing: There remain environments where the Me Too movement has yet to break the sound barrier, chief among them the world of men’s professional football.”
