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'It's not done' – Arsenal back up Rice's words with crucial win

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Superb Eze effort enough to give Arsenal win over Newcastle

Pictures of Declan Rice saying "it's not done" went viral in the aftermath of Arsenal's defeat by Manchester City last week – and the Gunners have proved him right by putting the pressure back on their rivals in the Premier League title race.

Eberechi Eze's excellent strike was enough to secure a crucial 1-0 win over Newcastle to move them three points clear of Manchester City in the opening exchanges of what, after the loss to Pep Guardiola's side last week, Mikel Arteta called "a new league".

And now it is advantage Arsenal after "game one".

"I'm really happy for the win," Arteta said. "We talked about game one and how important that was. We did the job.

"We had to do what was in our hands and we discussed that.

"Game one is in our hands, what we do and how we approach the game? Are we able to win it? We've done it, we wanted bigger margins, it's not been possible but we certainly have done the job."

City's win against Burnley in midweek saw Arsenal slip to second place for the first time since October, with the two teams level on points and goal difference but Guardiola's side going top by virtue of goals scored.

That put a huge amount of pressure on an Arsenal side who were coming into the game with Newcastle after back-to-back defeats for the first time this season. The relief of ending that run with victory was visible as players fell to the floor on hearing the final whistle.

And looking aheads to the four league games to go, Arteta said he was was ready to deal with the pressure of attemtping to end the club's 22-year wait for the title.

"I don't expect, after 22 years of not winning it, that it's going to be a path of roses and beautiful music around it," he said. "It's going to be like this and we are ready for it."

'Something clicked, something changed' after Man City defeat – Arteta

Arsenal would move six points clear of second-placed Manchester City if they beat Fulham in their home game next week, though City, who were in FA Cup semi-final action this weekend, would have two games in hand.

That is because Manchester City were playing in the FA Cup semi-final earlier on Saturday against Southampton and are not back in league action until Monday, 4 May when they play Everton.

Having that buffer of points built up by the time of City's next game at Everton on Monday 4 May would be a huge boost for Arteta's side given they went into this weekend off the top for the first time since October.

According to Opta, Arsenal have a 72.44% chance of lifting the Premier League trophy at the end of the season compared to the 27.56% chance of Manchester City.

"You can't question their fight. Arsenal have given absolutely everything on that pitch today," former Crystal Palace and Brighton striker Glenn Murray said on BBC Radio 5 Live.

"Another huge three points for Arsenal to keep them top of the league."

Arsenal are without a major trophy since the FA Cup triumph of 2020 which came in Arteta's first season in charge.

And captain Martin Odegaard said that the effort the players put in is because every member of the team is doing what they can to get over the line.

"It was tough, very intense, very physical," he told Sky Sports. "We did everything we could and we got the win, the most important thing was to bounce back with a win and get over the line with the three points."

But for Odegaard, who played the full 90 minutes, and the rest of the squad attention quickly switches to the Champions League semi-final against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday.

"This schedule is crazy," Odegaard added. "We just have to keep going. It is the end of the season, just leave everything out that we have inside, fight every single game and we just have to keep going.

"That's where we want to be but it is going to go all the way to the end. We are ready for it and we will fight every single day."

This was not a perfect Arsenal performance.

The Gunners had an xG of just 0.64 against Newcastle, their second-lowest in a Premier League game at Emirates Stadium this season. The lowest of 0.57 came in a 0-0 draw against Liverpool in January.

There were desperate scenes towards the end of the game as the Gunners did everything they could to defend their goal and they were almost punished late on when substitute Yoanne Wissa fired over from close range.

Kai Havertz went off in the first half with a "muscular" problem, while Eze also had to be withdrawn after the break with a similar problem but Arteta said he hoped the pair will be available for Wednesday.

The Gunners attack did not click once Viktor Gyokeres was brought on to replace Havertz – not that they were creating freely before the German's injury.

Instead, Arsenal needed a moment of magic from Eze to get them over the line.

Since the start of the 2022-23 season, Eze's 10 goals from outside the penalty area are more than any other player in the Premier League.

With at least six matches to go, the Gunners will have to juggle resources. As they tried to see out the match here, Arteta brought on Myles Lewis-Skelly in midfielder for Martin Zubimendi who had been suffering with illness.

Lewis-Skelly has mainly played for the first team at left back but came through the Gunners academy as a midfielder.

But with results the most important thing at this point of the campaign, Arteta is doing whatever he can to lead his side to silverware.

Latest Arsenal news, analysis and fan views

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📰 மூல செய்தி (Source): https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/c17v4j9pdz2o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

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What we know about the incident

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US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were evacuated from the White House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday night, after gunshots were reported on the premises.

The US Secret Service confirmed that no one was injured in the "shooting incident", and one person has been taken into custody. The suspect was later identified as Cole Tomas Allen, 31.

In an address from the White House, Trump said it was "always shocking when this happens, that never changes".

Immediately after the incident, the president wrote on Truth Social: "The shooter has been apprehended, and I have recommended that we "LET THE SHOW GO ON" but, will entirely be guided by Law Enforcement."

He followed up with a second post, where he said law enforcement had requested that he and the first lady leave the premises.

The White House Correspondents' Dinner is an American press tradition that dates back to 1921, and is historically attended by the sitting president.

This was the first time Trump had attended the event as a sitting president; he was last in attendance in 2011.

CCTV footage posted by Trump from the Washington Hilton hotel, where the annual White House Correspondents' Dinner was taking place, shows a person rushing past security officers, who then turn and chase him.

Police said that security officials and the suspect exchanged fire, without saying how many shots were fired. Citing police sources, CBS said at least five to eight shots were fired.

Inside the ballroom itself, where more than 2,000 people had gathered for the event, footage showed Trump and the first lady at their seats on a stage at the front of the room talking to other guests, when loud bangs were heard in the distance.

They appeared to notice commotion in the room and were then rushed from the stage by security, while some guests took cover.

Several Secret Service agents ran to the stage, holding weapons, as attendees were seen ducking under the circular tables.

Several BBC correspondents were in attendance at the dinner, and described scenes of widespread confusion following the sound of gunshots.

The room was briefly locked down, before an announcement that the event would be delayed and rescheduled. Attendees were ushered from the room, with many attempting to report on the unfolding events.

Trump later posted a close-up photo shows a shirtless man on the floor with his hands cuffed behind his back with Secret Service standing around him.

Speaking from the White House an hour or so after the incident, the president said that a "very sick man" had been taken into custody after he charged security at the Washington Hilton hotel with a "powerful" weapon".

Trump said one Secret Service agent was shot at very close range in the incident, but saved by his bullet-proof vest.

"I just spoke to the officer, and he's doing great," he said.

"He has very high spirits, and we told him we love him and respect him, and he's a very proud guy."

The president described a room that was "totally unified", with a "tremendous amount of love and coming together". He said he had wanted the event to resume but protocol prevented this.

The president also referred to two previous attempts on his life, including at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July 2024, and another time while Trump was golfing in Palm Beach, Florida, in September 2024.

He said it was "always shocking when this happens, that never changes", noting that the first lady was "rather traumatised" by the incident.

The president also thanked the media, who he says were "very responsible" in their coverage of the unfolding situation.

And he confirmed that he had directed that both the image of the detained suspect and the video of a man rushing past security officers to be circulated.

US media have quoted law enforcement sources as identifying the suspect as Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California.

He told law enforcement officials that he wanted to shoot Trump administration officials, two sources told CBS, the BBC's North American news partners.

At a press conference, Washington DC's interim police chief Jeffery Carroll said the alleged gunman was a hotel guest where the event was taking place.

Carroll said he was "armed with a shotgun, a handgun, and multiple knives".

Pictures later emerged showing FBI agents and police searching an area at a California address believed to be linked to the alleged gunman.

He worked for a tutoring firm in Torrance called C2 Education, two law enforcement sources confirmed to CBS. In December 2024, he received a "Teacher of the Month" award from the company, CBS reported.

It was unclear if he was still employed by the company. The Torrance Unified School District told CBS in a statement that Allen has never been an employee of their district.

The California Institute of Technology confirmed to CBS in an email that Allen graduated from Caltech in 2017, but provided no further details.

Jeanine Pirro, US attorney for Washington, said the suspect was facing two counts for using firearm during crime of violence and assault on federal officers using dangerous weapon.

She added that he would be formally charged on Monday in federal court.

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Dolphins pick British tight end Traore in NFL Draft

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GB's Traore selected by Miami Dolphins in NFL Draft

British tight end Seydou Traore was a late-round pick in the NFL Draft along with Uar Bernard, a Nigerian yet to play a game of American football.

Traore is the first graduate of the UK-based NFL Academy to be drafted, having been selected by the Miami Dolphins with the 180th overall pick.

The 23-year-old has French-Algerian and Ivorian heritage and was born and raised in London, where he played for the London Warriors as a teenager.

He was part of the NFL Academy's first intake in 2019 and spent five years in college football in the USA before showcasing his talent through the NFL's International Player Pathway (IPP) programme this year.

Former Warriors player Efe Obada was the first IPP product to play in the NFL and he went on stage in Pittsburgh to announce the Dolphins' pick.

"This isn't just another name on a card, this is living proof that the dream is possible," said British defensive end Obada, who has witnessed Traore's development having helped the academy from its inception.

Traore became the third IPP product to be selected in an NFL Draft, after Australia's Jordan Mailata in 2018 and Britain's Travis Clayton in 2024.

Clayton was also part of the NFL Academy's first intake in London but only spent a brief period with the programme, now based in Loughborough, before coming through the IPP.

Traore completed the programme before moving to the US to play high school football in Florida.

He played college football for five years, earning a scholarship with Arkansas State in 2021 before transferring to Mississippi State in 2023.

Now 6ft 4in and weighing 244lb (111kg), he caught a total of 131 passes for 1,482 yards and 10 touchdowns from 48 college games, scoring five of those TDs last season.

"He's kind of a raw, athletic ball of clay, if you will," said Miami's general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan. "He should only get better.

"He hasn't been playing football real long, so that was what was intriguing to us, especially at that value [fifth round].

"We felt he's a player who's ascending, whose best ball is in front of him, and who can be a problem for defences in time. We had our eyes on [him] for a while and he fell to us at the right value, so we took a shot."

'Is this real?' – UK teen takes next step on path to NFL dream

Obada, who was born in Nigeria, returned to the draft stage near the end of the seventh and final round to say: "Pittsburgh, you are now witnessing history being made."

He then announced that with the 251st overall pick, the Philadelphia Eagles had selected Bernard, making him the second player from this year's IPP class to be drafted.

The 21-year-old, who has been working as a personal trainer, has not yet played organised football but his potential was identified during NFL training camps in Africa.

He earned a spot on the IPP programme, where his athleticism astounded NFL scouts and thrust him into contention for a late-round pick.

"It's a dream come true for me because I've worked hard for this," Bernard said. "I've not played football, but I've gone through some drills that made me believe that I'm going to get better every day."

Bernard is 6ft 4in and weighs 306lb (139kg), and has been earmarked as a defensive tackle.

He is said to have just 6% body fat and in pre-draft tests he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.63 seconds and had a 39-inch vertical jump – exceptional figures for a defensive player of his size.

Mailata had a similar impact on NFL scouts in 2018. The former rugby league player had also never played football, but the Eagles felt they could mould him into an NFL player.

Mailata spent two seasons developing on their practice squad before making his first start in 2020. He then helped them win the Super Bowl in 2025 and is now one of the best offensive tackles in the league.

Eagles general manager Howie Roseman was willing to take on the challenge of doing the same with Bernard.

"We wanted to take the chance on the kid," he said. "We've had great success with that programme. We spent a lot of time with him, worked him out.

"For us, it was a passion project. He's got a lot of tools in his body. [We] understand it's going to take time. It was pretty cool. [It's] certainly unusual with that guy."

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Starmer insists 'majority' of Labour MPs back his leadership

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Prime Minister Sir Keir Stamer has insisted the "vast majority" of Labour MPs support him and want him to continue doing his job as prime minister.

He was speaking to the Sunday Times at the end of a week in which speculation has grown that the possibility of him facing a challenge to his leadership from within his own party was rising.

Sir Keir told the paper "in politics, you get this sort of thing all of the time, there is always talk".

Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp said the prime minister should resign over his decision to appoint Lord Mandelson as the UK's ambassador to the US, adding that if he didn't step down Labour MPs should "develop a backbone and get rid of him".

Speaking to the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, Philp said some ministers were "equivocating" over Sir Keir's future and a couple of MPs were publicly calling on him to go.

He said it was in "the national interest" for MPs to remove the prime minister.

In his interview with the Sunday Times, Sir Keir said "what you never hear from are all the people who are supportive, loyal and just want to get on with the job. And that is the vast majority of people in the Parliamentary Labour Party."

"They're pleased to be in power," said Sir Keir, speaking about what he said was most Labour MPs.

"They've waited a long time to be in power. And they just want to get on with their job. They don't make a lot of noise about it. They don't talk to journalists about it. It's really important that is reflected in these debates."

The prime minister has faced calls from across opposition parties to resign, and criticism from within his own party, after it emerged that UK security officials had flagged concerns about giving vetting clearance to Lord Mandelson.

Sir Keir told MPs this week that the security officials had recommended against vetting approval being granted but that had not been passed on to him.

Speaking to the Sunday Times he said he did not regret his decision last week to sack the most senior civil servant in the Foreign Office, Sir Olly Robbins, who had not informed him about the security vetting concerns.

"When there's a double red flag not to give clearance and [showing] high concern, then I'm sorry. I'm sorry. But I do not accept the argument that that is something which should not be told to the prime minister," Sir Keir said.

Sir Olly Robbins told MPs this week that he had not been told that there was a recommendation to deny Lord Mandelson security clearance, only that officials were "leaning against" it. Sir Olly decided to approve the vetting subject to mitigation being put in place.

Sir Keir dismissed the suggestion he should have done more to inquire about the outcome of Lord Mandelson's vetting process.

"When I'm told there's security clearance, should I go back and quiz officials and say, 'Are you telling me the truth?'"

"If I questioned every bit of information put in front of me I would never get anything done. The number of decisions that have to be made each day is huge."

The prime minister told the paper he wanted to focus on the wars in Ukraine and Iran rather than speculation about possible challenges to his leadership, as the implications for the UK of those conflicts was the most important issue facing the country.

"This is the urgent issue of our time," Sir Keir told the paper, "this is going to reshape our country."

"The conflict with Iran has not just been fought out in Iran. There are increasingly the use of proxies in this country. Of course there's lots of discussion in parliament about who's up, who's down and all the rest of it. But this is the serious work of being the prime minister."

Darren Jones, the chief secretary to the prime minister, told the BBC the government had "nothing to hide" over the appointment of Lord Mandelson and added it was "frustrating that so much time is being spent on this".

He said the upcoming elections in May were "going to be difficult" for Labour and that the "latest round of issues has made this slightly harder".

However, he said that, during his time campaigning, "not one person" had raised the subject of Lord Mandelson.

📰 மூல செய்தி (Source): https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c705228kpx9o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

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