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TAYLOR SWIFT'S CHANGE IN APPEARANCE TURNS HEADS AFTER TRAVIS KELCE WEDDING

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Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce spoke to reporters for the first time as a married man on Day 13 of training camp. Kelce tied the knot with Taylor Swift in front of over 1,000 guests at Madison Square Garden on July 3.

“It was a fun offseason, man,” Kelce said. “Wedding was the best night of my life, and I appreciate everybody who came out and celebrated and, you know, had fun with us. And yeah, that’s about all I really got from that night. It was a crazy night. It was it was full of a lot of celebration, but it’s football, baby.”

The 36-year-old veteran, entering his 14th season in the NFL, made it clear his focus was on football. “I still got a lot of love for this game,” he said. “You know, I still think I can go out and play at a high level, and I want to go out there and prove to myself that I could play at a better level than I did last year.

“I think that’s probably the biggest thing for me is making sure that I’m accountable for the guys in this room and every single play that I’m out there.”

Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce called his wedding to Taylor Swift ‘the best night of my life.’

Swift has kept an extremely low profile since marrying Kelce. One week after Kelce and Swift tied the knot, they jetted off to the opposite coast to attend New York Giants wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster and Laura Kruk’s wedding in Southern California. This outing marked the famous couple’s first public appearance as husband and wife, during which Swift proudly showed off her new wedding ring.

While Kelce continues working hard at practice, the 14-time Grammy winner made her first solo appearance since the wedding.

Fans Gushed Over Taylor Swift’s Appearing to Have a New Haircut in London

While Kelce caused a stir with the return of his training camp facial hair, it appears Swift also made an adjustment to her usual look. Photographed while exiting Annabel’s, a private club in London, fans gushed over her shorter hair.

One fan commented on X, “DID SHE CUT HER HAIR?!? IT LOOKS SO SHORT LIKE IM GETTING 1989 VIBES!” A Swiftie added, “The hair is short omg.” One X user posted, “her hair is so short omg.”

Another person wrote, “The dress???? The hair?? Oh Taylor you are stunning.”

The 36-year-old wore a lavender Delphine minidress and Aquazzura stilettos, per Page Six.

Taylor Swift Joined Travis Kelce at 1587 Prime on His Off Day

With the Chiefs having Sunday off from practice, Kelce and Swift enjoyed dinner at 1587 Prime on August 8, the restaurant the Chiefs star co-owns with quarterback Patrick Mahomes. A tip to DeuxMoi wrote that they were “under heavy guard.”

Photos shared on X show the pop star sitting at a booth at the steakhouse. The restaurant’s cocktail menu features a nod to the singer with a special drink called “The Alchemy,” the name of a Kelce-inspired song from her album, “The Tortured Poets Department.” The drink, made with vodka, Pierre Ferrand dry curaçao, aronia berry, cranberry, strawberry, lime, and oolong, arrives with a unique fire presentation.

The restaurant at the Loews Hotel in Kansas City.

- Emily Bicks

CRIME BOSS WHO LIVED LIFE OF LUXURY TREATED DRUG LORDS TO ANTHONY JOSHUA TICKETS

As the net closed in on him, Khalid Ege fled the country and spent six years on the run before being caught trying to cross a border with "false papers"

Khalid Ege from Cardiff was sentenced to 12 years in prison for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs(Image: Tarian)

The head of an organised crime group was arrested after six years on the run as he travelled through South American using false documents, a court has heard. Khalid Ege had fled Wales after the net began to close on his cocaine dealing empire.

His criminal business had seen him splashing out on VIP treatment at a posh London bar and tickets to see an Anthony Joshua boxing match at the O2 Area in order to impress his contacts in the underworld.

The 50-year-old was eventually arrested as he crossed the border between Colombia and Paraguay and was brought back to Wales to face justice. He has now been locked up for 12 years.

Kevin Jones, prosecuting, told Merthyr Crown Court that Edge was the last person to be sentenced as a result of a complex police investigation into the large-scale trafficking of Class A drugs into southern Wales. He said the supply network had seen multiple and distinct organised crime groups or OCGs based around the UK working together to form a "drug consortium" which was responsible for the large-scale, commercial supply of cocaine.

He was sentenced at Merthyr Crown Court(Image: WalesOnline/Rob Browne)

The prosecutor said Khalid was the head of the south Wales OCG and sourced multiple kilos of high-purity cocaine from his "upstream suppliers" in Liverpool and the Midlands for onward distribution throughout the valleys. He said as an indication of the scale of the operation, when Khalid's courier was intercepted by police as he was returning to Cardiff he was was found to be transporting five kilos of cocaine worth up to half-a-million pounds on the streets. He said that return journey was one of eight which the courier had made at the behest of his boss.

The court heard that members of the Liverpool OCG were linked to a drugs laboratory in the Birkenhead area and sourced equipment and cutting agents from suppliers in China. Those materials were used to process and adulterate illicit drugs before onward distribution around the UK, including to south Wales.

The court heard that the police operation into the drugs network - codename Operation Vermont - included extensive covert surveillance of suspects and tracking of vehicles. The operation revealed multiple face-to-face meetings between various leading members of the crime gangs as well as phone contact, financial links, and DNA and fingerprint evidence linking the conspirators with packages of drugs.

The prosecutor said covert officers were present in London when Khalid hosted an "extravagant" meeting with the heads of the Liverpool crime gang in October 2019 . He said the Cardiff dealer treated the Merseysiders' to hospitality in a VIP area at a Mayfair bar before the group attended the Anthony Joshua boxing match London's O2 Arena, tickets for which cost £1,400 each. The barrister said the purpose of the event was for Khalid to demonstrate that "he was able to swim in the same waters" as his powerful criminal contacts.

Merthyr Crown Court(Image: WalesOnline/Rob Browne)

The court heard that following the arrest of a number of his co-conspirators, Ege fled the UK in December 2019 in an attempt to evade justice. The defendant remained a fugitive until December 2025 when he was detained crossing the border from Colombia into Paraguay using a false passport and identity documents. Crucially, he was also found to be carrying his real - albeit expired - British passport which revealed his true identity.

The court heard Ege was sent back to Colombia and was then transferred to Spain in the custody of National Crime Agency from where he was extradited back to the UK.

Khalid Ege, of no fixed abide, had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs when he appeared in the dock for sentencing.

Jonathan Rees KC, for Ege, invited the court to find a distinction could be drawn between the "astronomical" amounts of drugs the Liverpool gang had been involved in, and the amounts being handled by his client who - he said - was a "local distributor". He said if the Liverpool gang members had been "Premier League", the defendant was "Championship at best, if not League One".

Judge Jeremy Jenkins told the defendant he had been involved sourcing cocaine on an "industrial scale" for onward distribution around south Wales, including to another organised crime group based in Merthyr.

The judge said as police began to arrest the co-conspirators the defendant had fled from the jurisdiction and said it wasn't until December last year that he was caught in South America using "false papers". He said "fortunately for the authorities", Ege had also been carrying his real British passport.

With a one-third discount for his guilty pleas, Ege was sentenced to 12 years in prison. He will serve half the sentence in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community.

Judge Jenkins praised the dedication shown by police in what had been a "monumental case".

Speaking after the sentencing detective inspector Andrew Gibbins of Tarian - the southern Wales serious and organised crime squad - said: "Operation Vermont has been one of the largest and most complex investigations into the supply of illicit drugs ever undertaken by Tarian.

"The investigation resulted in the arrest and conviction of a significant number of individuals operating across Wales, England and Scotland, and involved extensive collaboration with policing and law enforcement partners both within the UK and overseas. This included two extraditions from Spain and international enquiries spanning China and South America.

"Today's sentence marks the conclusion of a lengthy investigation and demonstrates our determination to pursue those involved in organised criminality, no matter how far they travel or how long they seek to evade justice.

"Tarian remains committed to identifying, disrupting and bringing to justice those responsible for causing harm to our communities. Whether you are directing an organised crime group, supplying drugs, producing them, transporting them, or carrying out any other role within a criminal network, we will pursue every available line of enquiry to hold you accountable for your actions.

"The significant sentences handed down throughout Operation Vermont reflect the scale of the criminality involved and our unwavering commitment to protecting communities across southern Wales."

A total of 32 co-conspirators have previously been sentenced as part of Operation Vermont, with their sentencings taking place between November 2022 and April 2023. In total they have received combined custodial sentences totalling more than 256 years.

- Ashley Pemberton and Jason Evans

ENGLAND FOOTBALLER IVAN TONEY CHARGED OVER ASSAULT AT SOHO NIGHTCLUB

Ivan Toney has been charged with assault. Rene Nijhuis/MB Media/Getty Images

The England footballer will appear in Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 24 September

England footballer Ivan Toney has been charged with assault following an incident at a Soho nightclub in December, police have confirmed.

Toney, 30, of Northampton, was charged last Thursday with assault causing actual bodily harm in relation to an alleged incident which reportedly took place on 6 December last year at a nightclub on Wardour Street in London.

He will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 24 September, Metropolitan Police have said.

A spokesperson for the footballer said: “Ivan acknowledges the charge and although he is naturally shocked, he looks forward to being given the opportunity to clear his name in court.”

The Sun newspaper reported on 8 December that Toney had been arrested after an alleged headbutt.

Toney, who used to play for Brentford, is currently a striker for the Saudi Pro League team Al-Ahli. The footballer returned from the United States last month where he was part of Thomas Tuchel’s 26-man Three Lions squad in the World Cup.

He replaced Harry Kane as striker in England's 6-4 win over France in the “bronze final” of the tournament. He was also brought on as a late substitute in the semi final match against Argentina.

The police force said in a statement: “A man has been charged with assault following a Met investigation.

“Ivan Toney, 30 (16.03.1996), of Northampton, was charged on Thursday, 31 July with assault causing actual bodily harm.

“He will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Thursday, 24 September.

“The charge relates to an assault, which reportedly took place on 6 December 2025 at a nightclub on Wardour Street, W1.”

- Bryony Gooch

RAHMAN AND MUHAMMAD ALI IN LONDON | 1966

Rahman and Muhammad Ali walking past Marble Arch, London, after their roadwork in Hyde Park in preparation for the Brian London fight scheduled for August 6th 1966.

MOSES ITAUMA AND FILIP HRGOVIC TO FIGHT FOR VACANT IBF TITLE, FRANK SANCHEZ PAID TO STEP ASIDE

Moses Itauma and Filip Hrgovic square up on June 22, 2026

Moses Itauma and Filip Hrgovic, set to collide on August 29 at London, England’s O2 Arena, will now be fighting for the vacant IBF heavyweight title.

No. 3-ranked Itauma, 14-0 (12 KOs), had been ordered by the sanctioning body to face leading IBF contender, Frank Sanchez, after the bout with Hrgovic had already been signed and announced. And with the Croatian rated fourth by the organization, it has been agreed that they can instead do battle for the belt on the condition that the winner meets Sanchez in their first defense.

“We paid [Sanchez] some money,” promoter Frank Warren told the BBC. “We said whoever wins the fight, you’re not losing out and you’ll get the opportunity to fight for the title against the winner.”

The 34-year-old Cuban, 26-1 (19 KOs), had achieved mandatory status with the IBF by knocking out Richard Torrez Jnr in two rounds in May.

Hrgovic, 20-1 (15 KOs), is riding a three-fight win streak – beating Joe Joyce, David Adeleye and Dave Allen – and is regarded as 21-year-old Itauma’s toughest test to date.

Presuming Itauma-Hrgovic isn’t a draw, it means that Warren’s Queensberry Promotions – who handle both Itauma and Hrgovic, as well as WBC boss Agit Kabayel and WBO beltholder Daniel Dubois – will promote three of the four heavyweight beltholders come the end of the month. The WBA titlist, Murat Gassiev, had previously been expected to face Itauma later in the year.

"A lot of people have high expectations of [Itauma] as I have, by the way," Warren said. "We signed him when he was 16. He was an amateur. We sponsored him, and he turned professional with us.

"And he's been amazing and sort of taken the world by storm.”

The influx of heavyweight beltholders can of course be explained by Oleksandr Usyk’s decision to relinquish his three titles in June. Though the 39-year-old is plotting one last fight – likely against Deontay Wilder – the Ukrainian’s days of fighting elite opposition are over, it seems.

Kabayel and Gassiev saw their statuses rise by virtue of Usyk’s decision to step down. Dubois defeated Fabio Wardley to claim his belt after Wardley was handed the championship when Usyk gave up the WBO title last year.

The winner of Itauma-Hrgovic will be the first to claim one of Usyk’s old belts in the ring.

- BoxingScene 

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SERENA WILLIAMS SET FOR COMPETITIVE RETURN TO LONDON'S QUEEN'S CLUB AT 44

The 23-time Grand Slam champion last played on the WTA Tour in September 2022, when she retired from professional tennis after a third-round loss at the US Open

Serena Williams of the United States gestures to the crowd after a match against Ajla Tomljanovic of Australia on day five of the 2022 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King Tennis Center.
Reuters

Tennis great Serena Williams will make her long-anticipated competitive comeback to tennis at the age of 44 on grass at Queen's Club in London this month as a wildcard entry into the doubles draw, the club said in a statement on Monday.

The 23-time Grand Slam champion last played on the WTA Tour in September 2022, when she retired from professional tennis after a third-round loss at the US Open.

"Queen's Club feels like the perfect place to begin this next chapter. Grass has given me some of the most meaningful moments of my career, and I'm excited to be back competing on one of the sport's most iconic stages," Williams was quoted as saying.

Williams had re-entered the sport's anti-doping pool last year, spurring rumours of her return. The rumours persisted after she playfully dodged questions about coming back in an interview on NBC.

Novak Djokovic said in March that Williams could target Wimbledon for her comeback, while her former coach Rick Macci said she was "going all out" in training to get ready for a return to the sport she dominated for two decades along with her sister Venus, a seven-time Grand Slam winner.

Venus, 15 months older than Serena, is still playing and competed at the Australian Open in January as a wildcard.

- Reuters 

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GHANA MIDFIELDER THOMAS PARTEY PLEADS NOT GUILTY TO NEW RAPE CHARGES

Ghana footballer Thomas Partey has pleaded not guilty to two new allegations of rapes.

Then-Atletico Madrid football player Thomas Partey
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Copyright © africanews
Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved

The 32-year-old midfielder appeared before the Southwark Crown Court in London (United Kingdom) on Monday (13 April).

He denied twice raping a woman in the English capital in December 2020.

In July 2025, Partey was already charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, relating to alleged incidents from 2021 and 2022, Sky Sports reported.

He also pleaded not guilty to those charges.

The new accusations were announced in February. On Monday, Judge Tony Baumgartner agreed for all the charges to be tried together, possibly delaying the trial until January 2027.

In total, the former Arsenal player faces seven allegations of rape and one of sexual assault from four different women. He denies all the accusations.

“Thomas Partey continues to deny all charges against him. He has cooperated with the police throughout,” his lawyer Jenny Wiltshire said on Monday.

Partey, who joined La Liga club Villareal last summer, remains out on bail throughout the legal proceedings.

The Ghana midfielder is expected to play in the upcoming FIFA World Cup starting in June, although a new muscle injury is raising concerns regarding his participation.

In the meantime, Partey’s case is due to be listed in court for a pre-trial hearing on 14 May, according to Sky Sports.

-Sarah Miansoni

STAUNCH ARSENAL SUPPORTER APHISA MASHI WATCHING ARSENAL BEAT CHELSEA AT THE EMIRATES | PICTURES | UEFA WOMEN’S CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

 

LONDON IS STILL RED

 

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BRITISH ATHLETICS CROSS CHALLENGE LONDON 2026 | PARLIAMENT HILL

EXCLUSIVE: COLLEGE FOOTBALL SET TO RIDE NFL'S COATTAILS TO LONDON IN 2026 WITH INAUGURAL UNION JACK CLLASSIC .

The NFL ignored the criticism and has instead spent the better part of the last 20 years importing regular-season games to London. Now the league sells out Tottenham and Wembley Stadiums several times per season, while last year's Super Bowl broadcasts on Sky Sports and ITV reached a reported 3.4 million unique viewers in the UK. There's even speculation the game itself could be played in London in the future. 

To marketing executives and former college football players Brian Dubiski and Thomas Hensey, who have worked with the NFL in London, the league's UK success story begged an obvious question. 

'Why is no one taking college football to London?' Dubiski, a former Texas Tech defensive back, told the Daily Mail. 'The data and analytics prove that there are roughly 20 million American football fans in the UK, which is a large number. We've got an American football base already aligned over there.'

Their firm took the initiative by negotiating with schools and the elite Big 12 conference to buy one game per season at an undisclosed cost and move it to 86,000-seat Wembley Stadium. Starting with Arizona State-Kansas on September 19, the Union Jack Classic is aimed at meeting the growing demand for gridiron football in the UK, while introducing schools, players and even the sport itself to new fans.

At the very least, it should be more accessible than the NFL's London offerings.

'You know, the NFL sells out every game so quickly and it's hard to even get a ticket to some of these games, right?' Dubiski said. 'And so for us, we just wanted to [find] a sweet spot to where you could still get the same type of amazing hospitality that you get at the NFL games, all the way down to a more affordable entry-level ticket.'

Prices range from £58.75 ($78.78) up to £444 ($594), with some hospitality packages approaching £1,000 ($1,338).

Like Dublin's Aer Lingus College Football Classic, an annual game aimed at promoting American tourism in Ireland, thousands of team fans are expected to cross the Atlantic for the Union Jack Classic.

But unlike its Irish counterpart, the London game hopes to also attract locals unfamiliar with the Arizona State Sun Devils, Kansas Jayhawks and the endearing charms of college football.

To remedy this unfamiliarity, Hensey, Dubinski and partner Rob Yowell are offering American-style tailgating near Wembley, replete with marching bands, cheerleaders and the kind of pre-game atmosphere that's unique to college football.

To remedy this unfamiliarity, Hensey, Dubinski and partner Rob Yowell are offering American-style tailgating near Wembley, replete with marching bands, cheerleaders and the kind of pre-game atmosphere that's unique to college football.

For the uninitiated, college football players and NFL stars are playing the same game. But while the modern NFL has more of a UEFA Champions League feel, college football has the tribalism and camaraderie you might expect at Selhurst Park or Bramall Lane.

That's because the college game has far more history, dating back to 1869 and spending about a century as the sport's pre-eminent platform. 

Ultimately the Super Bowl and the NFL's merger with the rival AFL would turn college football's tawdry younger sibling into America's highest-grossing and most popular league. But the foundation of the sport is rooted in prestigious institutions like Ivy League universities, military academies and Notre Dame, an Indiana Catholic school that still blends the teachings of Jesus Christ with those of legendary coach Knute Rockne.

(One oft-quoted Rockne line might be apocryphal, but still speaks to Notre Dame's ethos: 'Prayers work best when you have big players.')

Even the formation of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) sprang from wealthy elites' desire to protect America's future businessmen, politicians and military officers from football's inherent brutality.

The NCAA still oversees college football, and all collegiate sports for that matter, but things have changed dramatically on the gridiron. These days, the College Football Playoff (CFP) runs the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), which is more or less the upper rung of the amateur game.

And by the way, 'amateur' isn't really applicable these days. After years of draconian amateurism rules, many of which were flouted by schools, the NCAA now allows players to accept endorsement deals. What's more, colleges can now pay players directly thanks to a $2.8 billion settle in June, making the whole 'student athlete' thing a quaint relic of a passing era.

In 2025, college stars like Texas' Arch Manning and Miami's Carson Beck reportedly earned around $5 million (£3.7m), which is more than all but nine NFL rookie salaries over that same time. And whereas elite players once left school early for NFL riches, many are now petitioning the NCAA for added years of eligibility to capitalize on their superior earning potential at the college level.

In response, coaches, schools, donors and fans have called on the NCAA and legislators to add some structure to the wild-west economy that's arisen.

The relative silence from those bodies has been deafening, but that hasn't stopped the profits. For instance, the Texas Longhorns generated $330 million in 2024, while the national-champion Ohio State Buckeyes hauled in $255 million.

Most of the billions flowing through the sport go to schools in the top four conferences (SEC, ACC, Big Ten and Big 12) in the form of media rights deals, which have turned individual games into multi-million dollar affairs.

Just how much Dubiski and Hensey paid for next season's Arizona State-Kansas tilt remains a mystery due to confidentiality agreements. But costs are only a small portion of this undertaking. There are also endless logistical issues, many of which are more onerous than those faced by the NFL in London.

'You're bringing two teams over from universities here in the States,' Dubiski said. 'It's much different than even the NFL. Right now a travel team of just football players is 105 and then you bring the rest of just what they call the travel team, it's about 180 [individuals] and then that's just really the core football side of it before you start putting others on the top of that.

'It's actually a pretty daunting task.'

Some of that workload is helped by existing networks of service providers that already partner with the NFL, but Dubiski and Hensey aren't just concerned with practices and games. They need to ensure players have a rewarding experience in London or risk turning off potential future participants.

All of this is complicated by the requisite travel, which comes with the potential for jet lag ahead of the following week's games back in the US.

And therein lies the real concern for teams and coaches. As one high-ranking Arizona State football official told the Daily Mail, the experience will only be worth it if players have enough time to both see London and successfully prepare for the game with enough time.

If that delicate balance can be achieved, the source explained, this can become a unique recruiting tool to attract players to participating schools.

There are other measures of success, too, some of which Dubiski and Hensey have already achieved.

'It took us a full year to really navigate the stream on this, to get a conference involved, to get two teams committed to coming, to getting the right venue,' he said. 'So when we talk success, it was that last entire year's work before we announced to really put it all together. And that was a heavy lift, right?'

Then there are ticket sales, which he believes can be buoyed simply by playing at a prestigious venue like Wembley: 'We chose it for a reason.' 

Besides, this is an annual event, and most business ventures don't turn a profit in the first year. So even if they can't break even in 2026, Dubiski sees potential for the Union Jack Classic thanks to partnerships with Wembley and the Big 12, as well as the UK's growing fascination with American football. 

There's even the potential for a future game between the University of Cincinnati, Travis Kelce's alma mater, and Texas Tech, where Kelce's Chiefs teammate Patrick Mahomes went to school. 

'I'm all for putting a Cincy-Texas Tech game in that stadium, and maybe we could have Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes,' Dubiski said. 

And an appearance from Kelce's fiancée Taylor Swift wouldn't hurt either.  

- ALEX RASKIN