Chelsea have agreed a fee to sign Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia ahead of Liverpool.

Australia's Qantas Airways' chairman has refused to step down even as investors continued to demand his resignation amid

Stephen Kenny is confident the foundation is in place for a brighter future for the Republic of Ireland despite seeing their disappointing Euro 2024 campaign fizzle out in the Netherlands. Ireland knew before kick-off at the Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam that they would not be going to next summer’s finals after their feint hopes of snatching a play-off spot had finally been extinguished. They had hoped to sign off with a famous win over Ronald Koeman’s men, but ultimately slipped to a 1-0 defeat which could and perhaps should have been significantly more substantial. However asked if he remains convinced there is a firm base in place after three and a half years at the helm which have seen a major overhaul of the squad, a defiant Kenny said: “Yes, without doubt there is. “What was the alternative? If you can tell me… Over the years, a lot of our players have moved down the divisions, so absolutely. These are the best players that Ireland have now. “They’ve gone up against a world-class team there, one of the best teams in Europe. It’s a tough game when you come to Holland, for sure, there’s no doubt about that. “The reason no Irish team in its history has beaten a team of Holland’s calibre away from home – and there’s been better teams than us, for sure, a lot of great teams – is because it’s really difficult, really, really difficult to beat a tier one nation like that away from home in a qualifier.” It was a brilliant finish and you would not expect him to score from that angle, but it was a phenomenal finish and we got punished Republic of Ireland manager Stephen Kenny The contest was settled by Wout Weghorst’s 12th-minute strike after he turned Nathan Collins on halfway before surging upfield to blast a shot past goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu. Kenny said: “Ryan Manning and Nathan collided and it opened up for Weghorst to go and score. It was a brilliant finish and you would not expect him to score from that angle, but it was a phenomenal finish and we got punished.” The Hoffenheim frontman’s contribution – he is on loan at the Bundesliga club from Burnley – should have been just a start, and the Dutch were grateful they were not made to pay for their profligacy as chances came and went without the scoreline changing. That said, Ireland produced little of note in reply barring substitute Adam Idah’s 59th-minute effort, which was ruled out for offside to the great relief of keeper Bart Verbruggen, who had allowed the Norwich striker’s shot to squirm between his legs. Kenny’s men finished fourth in Group B with all six of their points coming from victories over Gibraltar, who were trounced 14-0 by France, and most commentators do not expect him to survive a review later this month with his current contract due to expire after Tuesday’s friendly against New Zealand. Asked if he has been able to enjoy his time at the helm, he said: “It’s an absolute privilege to manage Ireland, I’ve always said that and I always would feel that. Yes, it’s been a roller-coaster of emotions, of course, but it’s all been an honour to manage Ireland.” Opposite number Ronald Koeman was measured after securing the win which ensured the Dutch will be at the finals in Germany. He said: “Of course we are happy to have the qualification for the Euros. We did our job. We won twice against Ireland, we won twice against Greece, we lost twice against France – that made the away game against Ireland more difficult. “There was more pressure even against Greece away, but we did the job that we had to do, that everybody was expecting, but you have to do it.” Read More England full-back Kieran Trippier not taking his place at Euro 2024 as a given Gareth Southgate admits he will ‘take far fewer gambles’ in his Euro 2024 squad Wout Weghorst fires Netherlands to Euro 2024 as Ireland end with whimper Saracens overcome injuries to England stars in thrashing of Harlequins Erling Haaland’s injury is not serious – Norway boss Stale Solbakken Rob Page admits Wales’ best chance of making Euro 2024 likely to be in play-offs

A breakdown of the purse for Tour de France 2023.

In a move that many hailed as a salve for the historic wounds between Europe and Africa, Germany last December returned 22 artefacts, looted during the colonial...

Ukrainian forces will soon have fire control capabilities over Crimea, president Volodymyr Zelensky said as he vowed to keep up military pressure over the Russia-controlled region. The president on Tuesday claimed that the recent Ukrainian attacks have denied the Russian fleet safe bases and prevented them from securing maritime corridors in the western part of the Black Sea. Kyiv ramped up strikes on Russian forces in the Black Sea and Crimea which was annexed by Moscow in 2014, as Ukrainian forces pressed on with a nearly five-month-old counteroffensive. "The Russian (Black Sea) fleet is no longer able to operate in the western part of the Black Sea and is gradually fleeing from Crimea," Mr Zelensky said in a video address to a security conference in Prague that was marred by technical glitches. "And this is a historic achievement," he added. Sounds of explosions were reportedly heard near Sevastopol just hours after the Ukrainian president declared his forces would soon have fire control capabilities over the peninsula. Mikhail Razvozhayev, the governor of Sevastopol, confirmed to Newsweek that at least one blast had occurred in the region, while several Crimea-based Telegram channels reported sounds of explosions. A “powerful explosion” in Sevastopol caused “windows to shake”, Crimea.Realities, a regional news outlet reported. Ukraine has struck a Russian air base on the peninsula, a Black Sea Fleet command post in Sevastopol, and the only bridge linking Crimea to Russia since Moscow's invasion in February 2022. The attacks have highlighted Kyiv's growing capabilities, which also include naval drones, as Moscow continued bombarding Ukraine from afar with long-range missiles and assault drones. "We have not yet gained full fire control over Crimea and surrounding waters, but we will," Mr Zelensky told a meeting of the Crimea Platform, a diplomatic initiative he launched in 2021. "This is a question of time." The Russian defence ministry on Tuesday said it had destroyed three unmanned Ukrainian boats in the Black Sea off the Crimean peninsula. “Anti-sabotage missiles and bombs hit the area where the unmanned boats were detected,” the ministry said on the Telegram messaging app The Ukrainian president, meanwhile, claimed that Russia is planning a new naval base in the Georgian region of Abkhazia to move ships "as far as possible from Ukrainian missiles and naval drones". Read More 'I wanted to scream': Growing conflict in Congo drives sexual assault against displaced women Putin heart attack rumours addressed by Moscow as Crimea hit - Ukraine war live Putin’s many ‘heart attacks’ and why the rumours may be in his favour

The White House said Friday there is still no clear "pathway" to getting jailed Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich home from...

A dramatic change is on the way as a robust cold front delivers the first hefty dose of fall weather by the weekend, sending temperatures tumbling by as much as 35 degrees.

'I am so proud of the trailblazing work Barker and I did together to expose the cruelty to animals in the entertainment industry,' Nancy Burnet said

Sarina Wiegman’s England travel to Leuven for their second Women’s Nations League match against Belgium in just five days. At Leicester’s King Power Stadium on Friday night, the Lionesses secured all three points following an early strike from Lauren Hemp. The held on to their slender lead for the rest of the game to run out 1-0 winners but it was far from a convincing peformance from the World Cup runners-up. A 2-1 loss back in September to the Netherlands means England are second in Group A1 and they will be determined to back up last week’s win with another victory tonight. The group winners will move into the Nations League semi-finals and the Lionesses must remain in touch with their Dutch counterparts if they hope to reach the knockout stages. A place in the Olympics is also at stake as the four group winners in League A meet in the semi-finals before the two finalists join France as the 2024 Olympic Games’ European representatives. Follow all the action from Belgium vs England below plus get the latest odds and tips right here:

Experts have warned that the air quality in the city will further deteriorate in the coming days.

Garth Brooks is looking forward to creating an inviting atmosphere at his new bar, and that apparently includes serving Bud Light.