Author: Andrew Rogers

Plans to stage a Serie A match between AC Milan and Como in Australia have been abandoned.The game was due to be played in Perth and would have marked the first European league fixture held abroad. Organisers cited financial risks and late demands from the Asian Football Confederation as key reasons for the cancellation.Serie A president Ezio Simonelli described the requests as unacceptable and impossible to meet. The Italian FA had approved the move because San Siro is unavailable during the Winter Olympics opening.Uefa had also reluctantly given clearance earlier this season. Serie A viewed the match as a chance…

Aston Villa strengthened their title challenge with a 2-1 win over Manchester United at Villa Park.Morgan Rogers scored twice, delivering another statement performance under Unai Emery. Villa dominated early exchanges, forcing chances through Ollie Watkins and John McGinn.Rogers opened the scoring with a precise curling strike before half-time.United responded immediately as Matheus Cunha equalised from close range. After the break, Villa regained control through sustained pressure.Rogers struck again, cutting inside and finishing calmly into the far corner.Emery celebrated wildly as Villa reasserted their authority. United pushed for another equaliser but lacked composure in key moments.Cunha missed a clear header as…

Kylian Mbappé equalled Cristiano Ronaldo’s Real Madrid calendar-year record with a late penalty against Sevilla.His goal sealed a 2-0 win and moved Real to within one point of leaders Barcelona.Jude Bellingham scored first, while Sevilla finished with ten men after Marcão’s dismissal. Juventus stayed in the Serie A hunt by beating Roma 2-1 in Turin.Roma missed a chance to close on Inter, while Juventus moved closer to the top four.In Germany, Bayer Leverkusen came from behind to beat RB Leipzig 3-1 away.Leverkusen climbed to third as Leipzig lost their first home match of the season.

In Greece’s Peloponnese mountains, large areas of Greek fir forest are turning brown and dying even where wildfires have not reached, alarming scientists who say a complex climate-driven crisis is unfolding. Researchers investigating a spring fire discovered vast stretches of dead and dying firs far beyond the burned areas. The cause, experts say, is not fire alone but a dangerous combination of prolonged drought, declining winter snowfall and insect outbreaks. Reduced snow cover has cut a key source of slow-release moisture, leaving trees weakened and vulnerable. These stressed firs are increasingly being attacked by bark beetles, which bore under the…

Around one in 10 people in the UK aged 70 and over may have brain changes linked to Alzheimer’s disease, according to a large population-based study published in Nature. The findings are not a diagnosis but suggest more than 1 million people could meet current NHS criteria for anti-amyloid treatments, far higher than previous estimates. Researchers analysed blood samples from nearly 11,500 people using a p-tau217 test, which can detect Alzheimer’s-related changes earlier than traditional methods. The prevalence rose sharply with age, from under 8% in people in their 50s and 60s to around two-thirds of those over 90. Experts…

A carnivorous pitcher plant has been found to drug its prey with a nerve toxin before digesting it, researchers have discovered. The plant, Nepenthes khasiana, produces a sweet nectar along the rim of its pitcher-shaped traps to attract insects, especially ants. But the sugary liquid contains a toxic compound called isoshinanolone, a nerve agent that disrupts the insects’ nervous systems, slowing movement, weakening muscles and triggering excessive grooming. As the toxin takes effect, affected insects lose coordination and often tumble into the pitcher, where they drown in digestive fluids. In some cases, the nerve agent alone is fatal. The nectar…

Two newly approved antibiotics could transform the treatment of gonorrhoea as cases of the sexually transmitted infection rise worldwide and resistance to existing drugs grows. The US Food and Drug Administration has approved zoliflodacin and gepotidacin, the first new gonorrhoea treatments in decades. Gonorrhoea affects more than 82 million people globally each year, with particularly high rates in Africa and the western Pacific region. In Europe and England, infections are at record levels. The World Health Organization has classified the disease as a priority pathogen because of rapidly increasing resistance to frontline antibiotics such as ceftriaxone and cefixime. Zoliflodacin, also…

A new review suggests psychedelic treatments may help relieve obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), while cannabis appears ineffective. The analysis, published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, was led by Dr Michael Van Ameringen of McMaster University and examined alternative therapies for OCD, a condition that does not fully respond to standard treatments in up to 60% of patients. After reviewing published studies, conference data and preliminary findings, researchers found stronger evidence supporting psychedelics, particularly psilocybin, than cannabinoids such as THC and CBD. Psilocybin appears to affect the brain’s default mode network, which is linked to rumination and intrusive thinking and…

Scientists have identified changes in polar bear DNA that could help the species adapt to rising temperatures, offering new insight into how wildlife responds to climate change. Researchers from the University of East Anglia found that polar bears living in south-east Greenland show distinct genetic activity compared with bears in colder northern regions. The study suggests that warming conditions are triggering increased activity in so-called “jumping genes” – mobile pieces of DNA that can alter how other genes function. Polar bears are under severe threat from climate breakdown, with scientists predicting that up to two-thirds of the global population could…

The EU’s planned ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2035 is set to be weakened, according to a senior MEP, in a move likely to provoke strong opposition from environmental groups. Manfred Weber, president of the European People’s party in the European parliament, said the European Commission is expected to soften the rule so it no longer amounts to a total ban on combustion engines. Instead of requiring all new cars to have zero CO₂ emissions from 2035, manufacturers would need to meet a 90% fleet-wide emissions reduction target, allowing some hybrid vehicles to remain…