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Max Verstappen got his bid for a record 10th straight Formula One win off to a promising start by topping the times in Friday's first practice...

Brighton landed a major coup on Friday when they signed Barcelona's young star Ansu Fati...

It is transfer deadline day in Europe but the USMNT gossip is that the players linked with moves could be set to stay at their clubs.

By Xie Yu HONG KONG (Reuters) -China is grappling with a slowdown that has rattled global markets, with the spotlight

Former Newport defender Fraser Franks faced a difficult “grieving process” when a heart problem cut short his football career at the age of 28. But four years on, as he prepares for surgery that will ultimately save his life, he is “grateful” the condition was picked up early – as many people are not even aware they are at risk. “I’ll be having a mechanical valve fitted and work done on my aorta,” Franks, now 32, told the PA news agency. His surgery is set for September 4. “It is a big operation and I’ll be in hospital for about 10 days. And the recovery after, I won’t be able to lift anything, even a bag of shopping, for two to three months. “With a four-year-old daughter, that’s going to be difficult for me and her,” added Franks, who shares daughter Nellie with his wife, former S Club 8 singer Stacey McClean. “It’s been a lot to get my head around. There will be certain things I can’t do afterwards and a lot of lifestyle adjustments, but I’m really happy and content with it. “I’m grateful that this has been found and that there’s a solution for me, where unfortunately a lot of people haven’t got that. “I’ve had conversations with cardiologists and surgeons (who’ve said) this is going to save my life, I probably wouldn’t live much longer with the heart I’ve currently got. So I’m really grateful for that and it’s only through playing for a professional football club that this was picked up.” Franks was born with a bicuspid valve – meaning his aortic valve – which helps control blood flow in the heart – had two cusps (flaps) instead of the usual three. The condition is believed to affect around one in every 100 people, but it often does not cause symptoms and only becomes serious if the valve begins to leak or develops severe narrowing (aortic stenosis), which is what has happened in Franks’ case. A routine medical at the age of 16 first picked up the defect. Franks, who signed with Chelsea at age eight, had always been fit and healthy, but when he signed with Brentford at 16, like all players joining pro clubs, he was given a heart scan. Further investigations revealed the bicuspid valve, but because it was not causing problems, he was given the green light to continue as normal. Franks carried on, trying not to give it too much thought – until at 28, he suddenly started feeling unwell after a game and was rushed to hospital the next day, worried he was having a heart attack. “I wasn’t having a heart attack or anything like that, but I contracted an infection. While I was in there though, I told them I’d had this heart issue when I was 16, so they scanned me and saw the condition had worsened,” he recalled. “I’d developed aortic stenosis and the valve was leaking a lot more. Then it was deemed unsafe for me to carry on playing football, so I had to stop playing there and then.” London-born Franks has teamed up with the British Heart Foundation for their September Spotlight campaign, which aims to shine a spotlight on hidden heart conditions. His story highlights how heart problems can potentially affect anyone – including those who are young and seemingly very fit and healthy. Even when symptoms are mild or barely noticeable, undetected issues could become serious and even life-threatening, which is why research and awareness is so vital. Plus, as Franks has experienced, there are complex layers and emotional challenges to living with a hidden heart condition too. Being forced to suddenly retire early when he’d previously felt fine – and still looked well on the outside – was tough. “Ever since age eight, I’d been known as ‘the footballer’. It had been my whole identity, so to retire at 28 out of the blue was difficult,” Franks explained. “I think I kidded myself in the first six months, where I was saying, ‘Yeah I’m fine, I’m enjoying retirement and all that good stuff’. But I was really struggling and drinking heavily. “I reached out and got some help and had to do a lot of therapy. It really is a grieving process and I had to figure out who I was and what I enjoyed away from being ‘the athlete’. I do a lot of work around addiction and alcohol now, because I really struggled with those things Fraser Franks “And I didn’t play at the top level, so I didn’t have savings in the bank – I had to pretty much get to work straight away and earn a living. My wife was heavily pregnant then too, so there was a lot of stress and overwhelm at that period.” Yoga and meditation also proved a huge help in coming to terms with everything and Franks has since found a new sense of purpose, channelling his experiences into helping others. He added: “I do a lot of work around addiction and alcohol now, because I really struggled with those things. “That’s become a big part of what I do now, helping people who want to transition away from sport and working with young athletes on addiction and mental health.” He took up yoga as a gentle form of exercise when doctors told him strenuous sport was too risky. “I just completely fell in love with it,” Franks added. “I’ve found a real passion for it. It’s actually a goal of mine now – it’s going to be something I’ll be thinking about when I’m in hospital – when I’m healed, I want to go to India or Bali and actually earn a qualification and get trained as a yoga teacher. “Instead of focusing on all the things I’m unable to do, that’s something I will be able to do. That brings me a lot of comfort.” :: This September, the BHF is shining a spotlight on hidden heart conditions and urging everyone to get involved by supporting the charity however they can, with stories, stuff, time or money. Visit spotlighton.bhf.org.uk Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Brighton to face European giants Ajax and Marseille in Europa League Liverpool turn down £150m offer for Mohamed Salah from Al-Ittihad Man City seal Matheus Nunes deal as Cole Palmer leaves and Man Utd sign keeper

The last fight between Liam Smith and Chris Eubank Jr finished in chaos and confusion back in January. It was perhaps the only way the fight and the week could finish; there was a capacity crowd of just under 20,000 in Manchester and a ring packed with screaming people. On Saturday they do it all again and this time, it is serious. Manchester is once again the venue. Eubank Jr was dropped twice in the fourth but was up on unsteady legs, insisting he could continue, when it was called off after 69 unforgettable seconds. Eubank Jr was actually steered back to his own corner by Smith’s trainer, Joe McNally. It was an act of compassion surrounded by a night of hate and violence. The fight was stopped at the right time. Eubank Jr has since sacked his trainer from the night, Roy Jones Jr, and hired Brian BoMac McIntyre, who works with Terence Crawford. BoMac runs a strict gym and that is, probably, what Eubank Jr after 13 years as a professional and 35 fights desperately needs. It is never too late to learn in the boxing business. Smith returned to the Rotunda gym, arguably one of the most successful amateur boxing clubs in the world, and continued to prepare under the guidance of McNally. Smith and his party insist there will be more of the same when the bell sounds, and Eubank and his new gang are confident that they can change the outcome; both have enough to lose and an awful lot to gain from the fight. Smith has nothing to prove, Eubank Jr is under intense pressure. This fight has nothing to do with any parts of their colourful fighting history; this is just about repeat or revenge. The last time, the build-up was ugly and personal and this time it is just strictly business. Smith knows he can knock out Eubank Jr and Eubank Jr knows he can be knocked out. It was, trust me, a revelation to both boxers the way their first fight ended. Eubank Jr has conveniently claimed that he is a different man under BoMac’s glare, a smarter and better prepared fighter. He will need to be because, in the first fight, Smith was in control and looked in control. Sure, there was nothing in the fight up until the point where Smith trapped Eubank Jr in a corner and let his hands go. Eubank Jr slumped to the canvas, regained his feet, was dropped again and then got up one more time and was ready, so he claimed, to continue. He was not, it had to be stopped and that is where Saturday’s fight starts. The bad blood remains, the bragging rights are clear and the motive for revenge could not be any higher. At a time of pandering and preening YouTube boxers, crossover fights that only make sense at the bank, this second instalment is genuinely an old-school fight. There is no belt for family pride and that is a pity because that is the backdrop to this fight. Smith and his fighting brothers, Eubank Jr and his fighting father, uncles and cousins. Smith is confident that he can do it all again and Eubank Jr with the influence of BoMac is equally convinced that the result will be different. They can each look you in the eye and they would pass any test of truth – this is personal and that makes the most memorable fights. Smith at his best can do it all again, but Eubank Jr is fighting for his very survival. This is boxing at the very extreme. Watch Smith vs Eubank Jr 2 on Sky Sports Box Office on Saturday 2 September, live from the AO Arena in Manchester Read More Chris Eubank Jr on Liam Smith, adrenalin, and how to be ‘box office’ Eubank vs Smith 2 live stream: How to watch fight online and on TV this weekend Liam Smith: ‘Chris Eubank Jr is a nightmare – not for me, for other people’ Chris Eubank Jr and Liam Smith in heated debate over decisive factor in rematch Eddie Nketiah wins England call-up – Thursday’s sporting social Chris Eubank Jr on Liam Smith, adrenalin, and how to be ‘box office’

Antarctica might be the only continent on Earth with no natural human habitation, but it’s emerged that an “Antarctica accent” is very much a thing. Despite having no locals, thousands of scientists have made up an ever-changing population in research stations over the years. The continent is so isolated and the level of interaction between researchers is so intense, that a common accent is beginning to emerge there despite people coming from different parts of the world. At its busiest points in the year during the summer, Antarctica is home to around 5,000 people. Only around 1,000 people live there during the winter months. The idea of accents changing due to human interaction on Antarctica is no different to the phenomenon seen throughout history at a glacial pace. However, given the very specific sample size, it’s an opportunity for scientists to study it at a much quicker rate and on a much smaller scale. Experts at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich published a study in 2019 which focused on the change in accents observed in 11 people who took part in the British Antarctic Survey. @human.1011 There’s an Antarctic Accent! #language #linguistics #english #antarctica Of the 11 who were studied, eight came from England, one from the US, one from Germany and one from Iceland. Their voices were recorded every six weeks, and the team found that over time they developed longer vowel sounds. There was a physical change too, with participants pronouncing the “ou” sound in the front of their mouths rather than the back of their throats. Speaking to IFL Science, Jonathan Harrington, study author and Professor of Phonetics and Speech Processing at the Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich said: "The Antarctic accent is not really perceptible as such – it would take much longer for it to become so – but it is acoustically measurable. "It's mostly an amalgamation of some aspects of the spoken accents of the winterers before they went to Antarctica, together with an innovation. It's far more embryonic [than conventional English accents] given that it had only a short time to develop and also, of course, because it's only distributed across a small group of speakers.” Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

(Reuters) -Robinhood said on Friday it had entered into a share repurchase agreement with the United States Marshal Service(USMS) for

Luis de la Fuente, the manager of the Spanish men's national team, has apologized for visibly applauding the speech of beleaguered soccer chief Luis Rubiales at an assembly last Friday.

By Karen Brettell NEW YORK The dollar fell against the euro and Japanese yen on Friday after the

PSG have agreed a fee to sign Eintracht Frankfurt striker Randal Kolo Muani. The Ligue 1 giants will stump up €90m (£77m) but the move is dependant on the German club finding a replacement.

OTTAWA Canada's economy unexpectedly contracted in the second quarter, declining at an annualized rate of 0.2%, while real