Conservative and right-wing gains in Bavaria and Hesse will be felt across Germany.

A few major U.S. banks expect the Federal Reserve to deliver another 25-basis-point rate hike in July after

Tyson Fury has admitted that he ‘wasn’t happy’ about the announcement of his fight with Oleksandr Usyk, as he prepares for a bout with Francis Ngannou on Saturday. It was announced in September that Fury, who holds the WBC heavyweight title, will box Usyk, who is unified champion, in Saudi Arabia before the end of March. However, Fury is first set to fight former UFC champion Ngannou in Riyadh this weekend, in a controversial crossover contest – in which the WBC belt is not on the line. Fury is targeting a date of 23 December for his bout with Usyk, but his excitement around the fight has been diluted by some aggravation at the timing of its announcement, he suggested. “It wasn’t my choice,” the Briton, 35, said on The MMA Hour on Wednesday (25 October). “I would never in a million years do that, but the people who are putting these fights on, who are paying the money, they’re in control. They’re the promoters of the event. “So, the paymaster does what the paymaster wants, basically. But if it was up to me, I would have never, ever, ever done that, ever. Because I never count chickens before they hatch, ever [...] They should never announce fights before the first one happens, because that’s how people get knocked out. “But I’m not even looking at the next fight. I’m only concentrating on Francis. If it means breaking these two hands and getting a cut right through [my eyebrow] to win, I will do it. Don’t worry about that. Nothing else matters, only Saturday night. “I wasn’t happy at first, for them to announce it, but there was a lot going on in the background. For me, I don’t concentrate on any other fight other than Saturday night. What happens in the future stays in the future. “I’m living for today and this moment. My moment now is to fight Francis for the ‘baddest man on the planet’ title, and when I’ve won that, only after I’ve won that, I won’t even think about my next [fight] until I’ve had a week off and spent some time with my family. I’ve been in camp 12 weeks.” Fury is unbeaten across 34 fights in his professional career, while 37-year-old Ngannou is making his boxing debut. Usyk, 36, is also unbeaten, but to face the stiffer test that the Ukrainian provides on paper, Fury must avoid an upset against Ngannou. “You can’t listen to the betting odds, you can’t listen to what the pundits say, or what the boxing people or anybody [says], because they’re not in there on the night,” Fury said. “And if you start listening to people who are not boxing, then that’s the time you fail. I don’t take anybody lightly. I’ve seen so many times in the sport where people fight people they’re supposed to beat, and they’re always looking at the bigger picture. “I’ll use Anthony Joshua as an example. There was always talk of him fighting me or [Deontay] Wilder. He fights Andy Ruiz on two weeks’ notice, and he ends up getting knocked out. The odds going in were astronomical, everybody thought he was going to smoke the guy – all the boxing experts, all the pundits, all the media, everybody – and what happens? He gets knocked spark out. Then he goes home crying in defeat.” Joshua was in fact stopped on his feet, after suffering four knockdowns, in that 2019 defeat, which he avenged six months later. “I never, ever do that,” Fury added. “If I was fighting somebody in a local bar, and I knew I had to fight the guy in six weeks – a guy not even from a combat sport – I would train hard, because you never know what the guy is going to bring. Never mind someone from a bar, I’m fighting an absolute killer in Francis Ngannou. A 6f 4in, 270-280lbs [man] who has come from the streets. “This guy is hungry. This guy has got a point to prove. You think I’m not going to train for him, and come in at 400lbs? I don’t think so. I’ve trained as hard for him as I did for any other fighter I’ve ever fought. At this level, you don’t get no second chances. Better to prepare for the hardest fight ever and it not be, than to prepare for an easy fight and it’s a war.” Fury last fought in December, stopping Derek Chisora to seal a third win against his compatriot and retain the WBC belt. Meanwhile, Ngannou last fought in January 2022, retaining the UFC heavyweight title with a decision against Ciryl Gane. The Cameroonian then underwent knee surgery before relinquishing the UFC title this January, when he left the MMA promotion. He is due to return to mixed martial arts in 2024, having signed for the Professional Fighters League. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Tyson Fury ‘unhappy’ with Oleksandr Usyk fight announcement Tyson Fury makes bold prediction for boxing bout with UFC fighter Francis Ngannou Tyson Fury reveals December date for Oleksandr Usyk heavyweight title fight Deontay Wilder calls out Anthony Joshua with update over super-fight What Francis Ngannou must do to beat Tyson Fury: ‘Uncork those big shots’ Francis Ngannou drops hint over Tyson Fury rematch and Anthony Joshua fight

Brock Purdy threw for 220 yards and two touchdowns to Brandon Aiyuk and the San Francisco 49ers drilled the Pittsburgh Steelers 30-7

Jude Bellingham matches a scoring record of Cristiano Ronaldo's after netting his fourth goal for Real Madrid in the 1-0 win over Celta Vigo on Friday night.

Barcelona receive a key injury boost with two previously doubtful players named in the squad to face Athletic Club.

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Three incumbent prosecutors in northern Virginia who faced tough challenges after being elected four years ago on a progressive reform agenda have won their Democratic primaries

The planned vote could approve a new "voice" to parliament - the first constitutional change in 46 years.

By Iain Withers LONDON (Reuters) -British banks faced fresh criticism on Monday for the savings rates they offer to cash-strapped

World Rugby chief executive Alan Gilpin said on Monday there was no place for racism in the sport amid the furore over lock Bastien Chalureau's inclusion in...

As Republican-led states pass legislation to restrict or ban transgender youth from accessing gender-affirming healthcare, Republicans in Congress have held a series of hearings or steered discussion around implementing national bans while raising dubious claims and dismissing guidance from major medical groups. On 27 July, Democratic members of a Republican-led House committee condemned the latest “cynical and dangerous attack” on trans children and their families during one of the first congressional hearings against affirming care and health providers. The panel heard from a former college athlete who advocates against trans women and girls from participating in sports that match their gender, members of right-wing special interest groups that support legislation targeting LGBT+ people, and a person who formerly received affirming healthcare and now advocates against other receiving it. The committee also heard from a Texas mother whose 18-year-old son is transgender, as well as the trangender legal director of a prominent LGBT+ legal advocacy group. While Republican US Rep Matt Gaetz was railing against a law in Washington state that seeks to protect trans children estranged from their parents, a person watching the hearing from inside the chamber called the Florida congressman a “murderer”. “Oh please, get over yourself,” Mr Gaetz responded. Moments earlier, Republican US Rep Wesley Hunt used a poster of a food pyramid to compare children with gender dysphoria to children who want to eat ice cream for every meal. “What if we affirmed every thought our children had?” he said. Democratic US Rep Mary Gay Scanlon called the hearing a “cynical and dangerous attack on trans people and their families” motivated not by medical guidance but poll numbers, with Republican members “just repeating right-wing talking points to delegitimize” healthcare for trans youth, she said. “Today’s hearing is an all-time low for the Republican majority,” said Democratic US Rep Jerry Nadler. “In my three decades in Congress, I have taken part in plenty of hearings where I did not agree with the choice of topic, to say the least. I am absolutely disgusted at the Republican majority’s bullying, bigoted framing of an issue that would otherwise be worthy of serious discussion.” The New York congressman was furious, calling the hearing a “taxpayer-funded platform for congressional Republicans to bully transgender kids, who are already some of the most vulnerable members of our community”. “The last thing trans kids and their parents need in their lives is Republicans in Washington to jump on the anti-trans bandwagon just so they can fear monger for their five minutes of fame,” he added. The hearing – titled “Dangers and Due Process Violations of ‘Gender-Affirming Care’ for Children” – follows proposals from House lawmakers to strip support for affirming care for US military service members in a must-pass national defence bill, as well as a series of hearings and proposals that replicate the avalanche of legislation targeting trans people in nearly every state. By the end of May, state lawmakers had introduced more than 500 bills impacting LGBT+ people in 2023, including 220 bills specifically targeting trans and nonbinary Americans, according to an analysis from the Human Rights Campaign. Republican members of Congress have also introduced federal legislation that mirrors some of the proposals dominating state capitols. One measure would impose national restrictions on trans athletes, and another bill would impose a similar but more-expansive version of what critics have called state-level “Don’t Say Gay” bills used to restrict classroom discussion of LGBT+ people and events. Shannon Minter, legal director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights and the only trans person who addressed lawmakers, said in his opening statement that anti-trans legislation targets less than 1 per cent of the population as well as medication and supportive care regimens that have been widely available for decades. “They are not new. What is new is this recent massive overreach from state lawmakers,” he added. “These laws … they prevent doctors from doing their jobs, they prevent parents from getting medical care they need.” Stripping access to that care will have “devastating consequences for young people’s lives,” he said. “Decisions should be made by parents who love them, not by politicians who know nothing about a child’s life.” Miriam Reynolds, whose son Cameron is trans, shared the family’s journey to understanding what he was experiencing and working with health providers to “It was hard on me at first, but I was able to put my child’s needs before my feelings and find him the care he needed,” she said. “I could see that my child was happier and felt more and more comfortable the more he was affirmed.” There wasn’t any political “hysteria” surrounding his care when he came out several years ago, compared to the currently volatile environment surrounding his existence and the family’s support for him. “It’s absolutely heartbreaking,” she said. “To be looked at as a child abuser, or indoctrinator, or something like that, is extremely painful … It feels very hateful and divisive.” Mr Gaetz grilled Mr Minter about recently enacted Washington state law that allows shelters to first contact the state Department of Children, Youth and Families if trans children entering the facilities. “There’s no reason to treat these situations with transgender young people who may be in danger or at risk of abuse at home, any differently than we would treat any other child,” Mr Minter said. “I want authorities to treat these kids with the same care they treat all other children.” In his remarks, Mr Gaetz ironically defended the rights of “parents to parent” their children while dismissing families who have asked for the same right to support their trans children. “What’s terrible is when you have this incongruent desire of the government to restrain the abilities of parents to parent,” he said. Read More Ron DeSantis threatens legal action over Dylan Mulvaney’s Bud Light video How a Texas ban on gender-affirming care for trans youth could break healthcare for children across the state Trans youth and families condemn ‘heartbreaking’ Tennessee court ruling against gender-affirming care