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England see off spirited France to clinch Six Nations

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England lift the 6 nations achieving the grand slam and beating out France

Tries: Bourdon Sansus (2), Grando, Bourdon Cons: Arbez (4)

Tries: Bern, Kildunne (2), Breach (2), Cokayne Cons: Harrison (5) Pens: Harrison

England combined nerve and accuracy to overcome France and a raucous record crowd to clinch their eighth successive Women's Six Nations title in Bordeaux.

The visitors seemed to have the contest under control when a Zoe Harrison penalty shortly after half-time put them 29-7 clear.

But France, who had scored the first try of the match, found a second wind that threatened to carry them all the way to victory.

Tries from Anais Grando and Pauline Bourdon Sansus cut the favourites' lead to eight points as the volume rose in Stade Atlantique.

However a well-worked try from Jess Breach, the sin-binning of France's replacement scrum-half Alexandra Chambon and a strong performance by England's replacements quelled the danger.

Amy Cokayne crowned victory with a 76th-minute try, throwing the ball into the stands in celebration, triggering a chorus of jeers.

The Red Roses' run in the tournament surpasses their own record of seven titles in a row between 2006 and 2012 and takes them to five straight Grand Slams and 38 successive Test victories.

France had to settle with a new home Women's Six Nations attendance record, with 35,062 fans beating a figure of 28,000 at this fixture in 2024.

Although it did not match the drama of the meeting between the two countries at the conclusion of the men's Six Nations two months ago – few matches do – it provided an enthralling, high-quality conclusion to a tournament that has attracted more people and attention than ever before.

'Grand Slam baby!' – reaction as England celebrate eighth successive Women's Six Nations title

'it came from desire from Meg Jones' as Kildunne put England ahead

France have grown formidably over the past six weeks and belief that they could end a17-match losing streak against England was evident in the volume of the anthem and the tears streaking down number eight's Lea Campon's face as it died away.

The fired-up hosts flooded into the England 22m in the opening two minutes, with forwards Axelle Berthoumieu and Madoussou Fall Raclot trampling over white shirts.

Cokayne's brave turnover, clamping down in the shadow of her own posts, repelled that attack. But the early storm was far from over.

After turning the screw at the scrum, England seemed have wrestled their way into the ascendancy, only for France to strip the ball from MacKenzie Carson deep in their own half and launch a spectacular coast-to-coast effort to strike first on the scoreboard.

Wing Lea Murie shrugged off Sadia Kabeya and Lucy Packer, fed inside to Campon, who in turn released scrum-half Bourdon Sansus, the only survivor from the France team that last beat England back in 2018, to gleefully splash over.

But an England side missing a clutch of frontline stars who won the Rugby World Cup in September, showed the depth of their squad and togetherness.

Prop Sarah Bern muscled her way over to level the scores on 20 minutes, before Meg Jones hacked on a loose ball and Ellie Kildunne gathered to stretch away on the half hour.

Five minutes later, Breach's neat stop-go spurt of speed took her into the corner and, with the clock in the red, Helena Rowland launched a long pass wide for Kildunne to walk in her second after good work by Maddie Feaunati and Abi Burton.

With Harrison maintaining her high standard off the tee, England's execution had earned them a slightly flattering 26-7 half-time lead.

England recognised it themselves. A minute into the second half, from close to the French posts, Harrison opt to kick a penalty to push the visitors' advantage out to beyond three scores.

'Straight of the training park' as Breach runs home a key try

France roared back into the contest with Grando scooting into the corner after England's defence had been sucked in tight and then Bourdon Sansus darting off the back a scrum and between Packer and Harrison to score.

Eight points adrift, but with momentum and more than 20 minutes on the clock, a France comeback loomed ominously.

But a well-worked wrap-around move off first-phase ball, levered open a corridor of space for Breach to streak away to score and suck the life out the stadium.

France, who have finished strongly throughout the tournament, rallied again, with huge hits levelling Kildunne and Claudia MacDonald Moloney. However the referee ruled that Chambon had strayed high in the latter collision, reducing France to 14 for the remainder of the match.

England, who had been politely welcomed to Bordeaux over the tannoy before kick-off, were offered less kind words from the stands as teenage replacement Demelza Short verbally shot back at a pair of French players and then Cokayne's pointed celebration drew more ire.

Rose Bernadou barged over late on to turn the home jeers to cheers, but, by then, England already had completed a triumph that has forced them deep into their well of talent and togetherness.

Bourdon Sansus' opening try was one of the scores of the tournament, sweeping from one end to the other

Captain Meg Jones (centre) stepped into the role at the start of this year with the pregnant Zoe Stratford sitting out the tournament

France: Barrat; Grando, Rousset, T Feleu, Murie; Arbez, Bourdon Sansus; Mwayembe, Lazarko, Khalfaoui, Soqueta, Fall Raclot, Berthoumieu, M Feleu (c), Champon

Replacements: Riffonneau, Brousseau, Bernadou, Zago, Correa, Escudero, Chambon, Queyroi

England: Kildunne; Breach, Jones (capt), Rowland, Moloney-MacDonald; Harrison, L Packer; Carson, Cokayne, Bern, Ives Campion, Burns, Burton, Kabeya, Feaunati.

Replacements: Powell, Crake, Muir, Short, M Packer, Robinson, Aitchison, Sing.

Assistant referees: Aimee Barrett-Theron (South Africa) and Amber Stamp-Dunstan (Wales)

Foul Play Review Officer (FPRO): Leo Colgan (Ireland)

Italy condemn Wales to another Six Nations Wooden Spoon

Ireland thrash Scotland in front of record crowd

📰 மூல செய்தி (Source): https://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-union/articles/c62x0np51y6o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

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UAE reports strike near Abu Dhabi nuclear power plant

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The United Arab Emirates said a drone strike had triggered a fire near its nuclear power station on Sunday, calling the incident a "dangerous escalation".

Officials are investigating the source of the strike. The country's defence ministry said three drones had entered the UAE from the "western border direction".

While two were intercepted, the third drone struck an electrical generator "outside the inner perimeter" of the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in Abu Dhabi, sparking a fire.

No injuries were reported and there was no impact on radiological safety levels, local authorities said.

The UAE's foreign ministry called the strike an "unacceptable act of aggression" and said it had the right to respond to any hostilities.

It added that "the targeting of peaceful nuclear energy facilities is a flagrant violation of international law, the UN charter, and the principles of humanitarian law".

The country's defence ministry meanwhile said it would "firmly confront any attempts to undermine the country's security".

Officials have not said from where the drone was launched. The UAE has previously accused Iran of being behind attacks on its energy and economic infrastructure since war broke out in the region in February.

The Abu Dhabi Media Office said the fire "broke out in an electric generator" and confirmed precautionary measures had been taken at the plant, which is operating as normal.

The UN's nuclear watchdog said it was monitoring the situation closely and that its director general Rafael Grossi expressed "grave concern" about the incident.

Grossi said "military activity that threatens nuclear safety is unacceptable", according to a statement shared by the International Atomic Energy Agency on X, and called for "maximum military restraint".

Tehran began launching strikes across the region in retaliation to the US and Israel's attacks against Iran on February 28.

It has since accused the UAE and other American allies in the Gulf of allowing the US to carry out attacks from their territory.

At the same time, the UAE has denied Iranian claims that it has actively carried out attacks of its own.

The US and Iran agreed a ceasefire in April, but sporadic exchanges of fire have continued.

President Donald Trump said the truce was on "massive life support" on Monday, after rejecting Iran's demands to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz – a crucial shipping lane which has been effectively closed since the war began.

📰 மூல செய்தி (Source): https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwy27pkj1l1o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

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How worrying is the Ebola outbreak in DR Congo?

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The outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo is concerning.

It has been spreading for weeks undetected in a part of the world where civil war makes getting on top of the virus difficult, and the species of Ebola involved is rare, so there are fewer tools to stop a virus that kills around a third of people infected.

This is a critical moment in an outbreak where there is uncertainty about how far it has spread, but there are already almost 250 suspected cases and 80 deaths.

Most Ebola outbreaks tend to be small, but specialists are haunted by the 2014-16 outbreak. Then, 28,600 people in West Africa were infected in the largest ever outbreak of the disease.

The declaration of a public health emergency of international concern by the World Health Organization (WHO) does not mean we are in the early stages of a Covid-style pandemic.

The risk Ebola poses to the whole world remains tiny. Even in the 2014-16 outbreak, there were only three cases in the UK and all were healthcare workers who had volunteered to help.

"But it does reflect that the situation is complex enough to require international coordination," says Dr Amanda Rojek, from the Pandemic Sciences Institute at the University of Oxford.

After all, there is still a significant threat to neighbouring countries like Uganda, South Sudan and Rwanda, considered high risk because of close trade and travel links.

Two people have already been confirmed to have the virus in Uganda, of whom one has died.

Ebola is a severe and deadly disease, although it is thankfully rare. Ebola viruses naturally infect animals – mainly fruit bats – but people can become infected if they come into close contact.

This outbreak is being caused by the Bundibugyo species of Ebola – it is one of three species known to cause outbreaks but is relatively unfamiliar.

Bundibugyo has caused only two outbreaks before – in 2007 and 2012 – where it killed around 30% of people infected.

Bundibugyo poses a series of challenges. There are no approved vaccines or drug treatments for Bundibugyo, although there are some experimental ones, unlike other species of Ebola virus.

And tests to determine whether somebody has the infection do not appear to work well. Initial results in the outbreak were negative for Ebola virus, and more sophisticated laboratory tools were required to confirm Bundibugyo was involved.

Dealing with Bundibugyo is "one of the most significant concerns" in this outbreak, says Prof Trudie Lang from the University of Oxford.

Symptoms are thought to appear between two and 21 days after somebody is infected.

Initially they are like developing the flu – fever, headache and tiredness. But as Ebola progresses, it leads to vomiting, diarrhoea, and the body's organs not working. Some patients develop internal and external bleeding.

With no approved drugs designed to target Bundibugyo virus, treatment relies on "optimised supportive care" including managing pain, other infections, fluids and nutrition. Early care improves the odds of surviving.

Ebola spreads through infected bodily fluids such as blood and vomit, although this does not normally occur until symptoms have appeared.

The first known case was a nurse who developed symptoms on April 24. It has since taken three weeks to confirm an outbreak is happening.

"Ongoing transmission has occurred for several weeks, and the outbreak has been detected very late, which is concerning," said Dr Anne Cori from Imperial College London.

It means health officials are behind where they would like to be in stopping the outbreak, which the WHO says points towards a "potentially much larger outbreak than what is currently being detected and reported".

The main method will be rapidly identifying who is infected, and to whom they may have passed the virus.

There will also be efforts to prevent Ebola spreading through hospitals and other treatment centres, which will be dealing with patients when they are most infectious. And to ensure anyone who dies and whose body remains infectious has a safe burial.

This will be a challenge due to the number already infected, and made worse as it is taking place in a conflict-torn part of DR Congo that has more than 250,000 people displaced from their homes.

"Many of the affected areas are mining towns with highly mobile and transient populations. This mobility increases risk as people move between communities and across borders," says Lang.

However, DR Congo does have extensive experience in dealing with Ebola outbreaks and the response is "significantly stronger today than it was a decade ago", says Dr Daniela Manno from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

Whether this outbreak can be quickly contained or spirals into a repeat of what happened just over a decade ago will be determined by the response now.

📰 மூல செய்தி (Source): https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9q311nj5r3o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

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Sinner speeds into history by completing 'Golden Masters'

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Jannik Sinner has won four Grand Slam titles and 10 ATP Masters events before he has reached 25 years old

Jannik Sinner is continuing to write his name into the record books at a pace rarely seen in the modern men’s game.

By winning the Italian Open in front of an adoring home crowd on Sunday, 24-year-old Sinner completed the full set of nine ATP Masters 1000 titles – known as the ‘career Golden Masters’.

Novak Djokovic, the inimitable 24-time Grand Slam champion, is the only other man to achieve the feat.

World number one Sinner has now won a record six Masters titles in a row after beating Norway’s Casper Ruud in the Rome final.

The controlled manner of Sinner's 6-4 6-4 victory – resiliently recovering from falling an early break down, showing his variety by unpicking Ruud with the drop-shot, then solidly rolling his way through the second set – underlined why he has a tight grip on the men's tour.

"I'm really, really happy – it's been an incredible last two and a half months," said Sinner, who has also won the Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo and Madrid Masters titles this season.

"There has been a lot of tension – especially here in the final. But it's a learning process. I can't know everything at 24 years old."

Listen: 5 Live special – The Making of Jannik Sinner

The speed with which Sinner has completed the Golden Masters is startling.

Sinner only won his first Masters title – the tier of tournaments ranked below the majors – as recently as the 2023 Canadian Open.

Securing the clean sweep at a considerably younger age than Djokovic further adds to the Italian's accomplishment.

Djokovic was 31 when he created history by winning the 2018 Cincinnati Open, before he repeated the feat – winning all nine events at least twice – aged 33 in 2020.

"With the level of competition, the physical and mental demands, changing surfaces, travelling the world, winning all these matches is incredible," Britain's former world number four Tim Henman said on Sky Sports.

"It emphasises how complete a player Sinner is."

After Rome, all roads now lead to Roland Garros – where Sinner can create even more history at the upcoming French Open.

Despite his relatively-tender years, the scale of four-time Grand Slam champion Sinner's achievements has already assured him a place as a future hall of famer.

Completing the Golden Masters so early in his career begs an obvious question: how much more can he go on to win?

Having already claimed the Australian Open (twice), Wimbledon and the US Open, Sinner could take another giant stride to tennis immortality in the next few weeks.

Continuing his momentum on the clay and winning the French Open, which starts next Sunday, would see him become only the 10th man to complete the career Grand Slam.

Who can stop Sinner? At this stage it is difficult to see anybody beating him.

With his generational rival Carlos Alcaraz injured, and most of the top 10 floundering, Sinner goes to Roland Garros as the heaviest favourite since the great Rafael Nadal.

Nothing can be taken for granted, of course.

Sinner's physical and mental freshness will be tested in the pressure-cooker atmosphere of a Grand Slam fortnight.

If Sinner does lift the Coupe des Mousquetaires on 7 June, it will leave him only an Olympics gold medal away from completing the full house of the sport's biggest individual prizes.

Following his Rome triumph, Sinner has now won 16 of the sport's 'big titles’ – which comprises of the four Grand Slams, nine Masters 1000s, the year-end Tour Finals and the Olympics.

The rate which Sinner is achieving greatness – before he turns 25 in August – is comparable to the legends who went before him.

At the same age of 24 years and nine months old, Djokovic had won 17 of these distinguished tournaments.

The Serb's embryonic body of work came in one of the strongest eras of the ATP Tour, however.

Gatecrashing the duopoly of Roger Federer and Nadal, as well as jostling with Andy Murray, Juan Martin del Potro and Stan Wawrinka in a talented generation, makes Djokovic's early haul even more impressive.

Federer had claimed 19 titles at the same age as Sinner. He had Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick and Lleyton Hewitt to contend with in his formative years, then Nadal – and later Djokovic – emerged.

Nadal was a teenage prodigy who dominated on clay from the moment he won Monte Carlo in 2005, adding the Rome and Roland Garros titles in the following weeks.

By Sinner's current age, Nadal had won 28 titles. However, the speed of the Spaniard's success slowed down in the second half of his career as Djokovic's level soared and injuries took hold.

There is an obvious caveat to Sinner’s numbers. It is clear he is playing in an era which lacks the same depth.

Currently, Sinner is only being fully tested by Alcaraz and, while the Spaniard recovers, the rest of the pack lacks the talent, belief or – in Djokovic's case – youth to beat him.

What Sinner might go on to achieve is impossible to predict.

A player's longevity can be damaged by injury and loss of form at any given moment, while Alcaraz's ability – and the emergence of more superstars – could also halt his progress.

But the numbers already racked up by Sinner show how he is undoubtedly tracking Djokovic, Nadal and Federer – who became known as the 'Big Three' as they rewrote the record books.

Sinner's tally of 14,700 points at the top of the world rankings is comfortably clear of Alcaraz's tally (11,960), with nearest challengers Alexander Zverev (5,705), Novak Djokovic (4,710) and Felix Auger-Aliassime (4,060) lagging well behind the pair.

Sinner has won 36 of his 38 matches this season – only Djokovic in the Australian Open semi-finals and Czech world number 16 Jakub Mensik in the Doha quarter-finals have beaten him.

Sinner has not lost at a Masters event since Shanghai in October 2025 – and that was an injury retirement against Tallon Griekspoor in the third round.

Sinner is the first player to start 29-0 at the first six Masters events of a calendar year since the format was introduced in 1990

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📰 மூல செய்தி (Source): https://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/articles/cn4p7njep5ko?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

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