Former England captain Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson were involved in an incident in a London nightclub England men's players have been advised to avoid drinking alcohol on the day before and the day after matches, under new behaviour guidelines. A midnight curfew was introduced following an Ashes tour blighted by off-field problems, but ambiguities around the curfew were a factor in the nightclub controversy involving Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson . In the aftermath of that incident, England players were issued new guidance, as reported by the Telegraph , external . The updated policy confirms the midnight curfew is in place on every day of a series at home or on tour. It also recommends that no alcohol be consumed on the day immediately before, during or the day immediately after a match. If, for example, a Test runs the full five days, the recommendation extends to the following day. The head coach and director of cricket, in this instance Brendon McCullum and Rob Key respectively, have the discretion to relax the recommendations when they see fit. That way, the hierarchy can allow players the freedom to celebrate a win or keep with traditions such as an end-of-series drink with the opposition at the conclusion of an Ashes series. Players were allowed to drink immediately after the third Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge, to mark Stokes' international retirement. The recommendations apply only to players, rather than staff. If players do choose to drink in the period before, during or after matches, it should not be in public. They have also been strongly discouraged from drinking in private, in order to aid preparation, recovery and professionalism. It has not been confirmed if the guidelines apply only to the England senior men's teams, or all England teams - including the senior women and pathway programmes. Regarding the curfew, there are periods when players would naturally leave the England camp, either because there is a long gap between matches or they have been released to their counties. It is unclear if the curfew would still apply. 'Conversation needed over cricket drinking culture' Stokes and drinking give England another headache Booze, beach, beaten - how England lost the Ashes The curfew was first introduced to the England men's white-ball teams in January for their tour of Sri Lanka and the T20 World Cup that followed. It came after Harry Brook was punched by a nightclub bouncer in Wellington, with Jacob Bethell and Josh Tongue present, and following Ben Duckett being filmed, apparently drunk, on England's mid-Ashes holiday in Noosa. In the build-up to the summer, Key confirmed the curfew remained in place. However, after England won the first Test against New Zealand at Lord's, Stokes and Atkinson were at a London nightclub into the early hours of the following day. They were present when a member of England security staff was struck by a Saracens rugby player. Stokes and Atkinson were made unavailable for the second Test, pending an investigation into the incident. In the aftermath, Key said Atkinson was not aware that the curfew was in place. Key also suggested a total alcohol ban, which has not come to pass. Stokes and Atkinson were eventually cleared of violent conduct but were instead found to have breached "specific contractual obligations". As the pair were once again made available for the third Test, McCullum admitted to ambiguity over the terms of the curfew and said it would be clarified so players are left with no confusion over behavioural expectations. Now, in addition to the clarification over the terms of the curfew and the recommendations over when they should drink, players also must inform team management or security if they are out of the hotel after 22:00. Players also cannot appear under the influence of alcohol in public, or post on social media about alcohol-related activities. 'Sack him' - Stokes on potential retirement rule breach Stokes created moments and the moments are no more Get cricket news sent straight to your phone

Ann Widdecombe with her Strictly dance partner Anton Du Beke in 2010 Ann Widdecombe, a former Conservative minister who defected to Reform UK, has died aged 78. She was a household name even before she reinvented herself as a reality TV star, with a high profile spell on Strictly Come Dancing, known for her forthright views and no-nonsense attitude. A leading figure on the right of British politics for decades, and an enthusiastic early backer of Brexit, she signed up for Strictly in 2010, shortly after leaving Parliament, having represented the Kent constituency of Maidstone for more than 20 years. Not the most polished dancer - she described her own moves as "galumphing" - she made it to the semi-final before being knocked out. Her appearance kick started a showbiz career which also saw her take part in Celebrity Big Brother and star in panto as the Evil Queen in Snow White. Her long-term friend broadcaster Gyles Brandreth described her as a "curious mix of Danny DeVito and Margaret Rutherford". Widdecombe was born in Bath, Somerset, in 1947 and went on to study Latin at Birmingham University, then Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Oxford University, before being elected as a Runnymede District councillor. She was a member of the Conservative Christian Fellowship and held staunchly socially conservative views, opposing abortion, assisted dying and gay rights and supporting the reintroduction of the death penalty. First elected as an MP in 1987, she faced cruel comments about her appearance, with one newspaper calling her "Doris Karloff" - a reference to old Hollywood horror star , Boris Karloff. But she brushed off the barbs, saying: "I am toothy, dumpy, ugly, overweight, a spinster – what the hell." She was also not shy of criticising her Conservative colleagues, famously describing Michael Howard as having "something of the night about him". Despite being one of the few female MPs in Parliament in the 1980s, she had little time for feminists, describing them as "whingers". Reflecting on her political career in 2016, she said: "I never went round looking for problems so I never found them. The only problem I found as a woman MP were there were insufficient loos." A keen-animal lover, she was also one of the few Conservative MPs who opposed fox-hunting. Her devotion to animals led to her setting up a section of of her website, the Widdyweb, for the pet cats she has lived with, adopting goats and becoming the patron of a donkey sanctuary. Ann Widdecombe defected from the Conservatives to Reform UK in later life Three years after becoming an MP, she got a foot on the ministerial ladder as a junior social security minister and was then promoted to the employment brief. In 1995, she was promoted to prisons minister, where she got into a row after defending a policy of chaining pregnant prisoners to prevent them from escaping. Following the 1997 Labour landslide, she served under William Hague as shadow health secretary between 1998-1999 and shadow home secretary between 1999 - 2001. When she retired from politics in 2010, she was disappointed not to have been offered a place in the House of Lords by David Cameron. Widdecombe continued writing, publishing four fiction novels and an autobiography, and made many broadcast appearances, including as a guest host of news quiz Have I Got News for You. In 2013, she was awarded a papal honour, as Dame of the Order of St Gregory, for her services to politics and public life, particularly her opposition to abortion and assisted dying. She had converted to Catholicism in the 1990s, telling The Times: "To have a church which calls a sin a sin and has done with it is a blessed relief." She returned to politics as a prominent Brexit campaigner, winning a seat as a Brexit Party MEP for South West England in the 2019 European Parliament election, until the UK left the EU at the end of January 2020. Widdecombe re-joined the party, which had been renamed Reform UK, in 2023 as their immigration and justice spokesperson. She shared her home in London with her widowed mother, Rita, until her death in 2007. Speaking to the BBC's Woman's Hour in 2010, she said that being an MP could be lonely but that she was able to cope with it. "I like my own company very much indeed, just as well because I might be the only one who does," she joked. Former Tory minister Ann Widdecombe dies at 78 UK MEPs urge EU to 'learn lessons' of Brexit How well is David Cameron's book selling? Departing MEPs leave their mark on art project Sign up for our Politics Essential newsletter to read top political analysis, gain insight from across the UK and stay up to speed with the big moments. It'll be delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

Platforms like YouTube, Instagram and TikTok will need to take action to deal with scam adverts, under new proposals from Ofcom. The regulator has published draft measures it says big tech should take to protect people from falling victim to fraudulent ads online - along with a list of services which will face more responsibilities under the Online Safety Act (OSA). It says more than half of UK adults have come across potentially fraudulent ads online, with over a third seeing them often. If the draft measures pass into law, firms which fail to comply could be made to pay £18m or 10% of global turnover - whichever is greater. "For too long, victims have been exposed to scam ads online with tech giants simply not doing enough to combat the fraudsters using their platforms," said Ofcom online safety director Oliver Griffiths. "We expect firms to take robust action to stamp out scam ads and boot out the bad actors behind them to safeguard their users." Ofcom's proposed measures are targeting content which advertises products or services in a way that misleads or tricks viewers. It said this includes mandating tech firms ban those who post scams and prevent them from creating new accounts, as well as those who impersonate real businesses. "Platforms should not drag their heels – they can start making improvements for their users now," Griffiths said. "And sites and apps that fail to meet their legal duties, once in force, can expect to face serious consequences." Paid-for false advertising which convinces people to part with cash has become a familiar part of everyday life online. On Friday the UK's advertising watchdog warned claims in adverts for some portable air conditioning units , shown on Facebook and YouTube, were "too good to be true". Concerns were also raised in early June over a series of adverts on X containing fake AI-generated images of Reform leader Nigel Farage fighting Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey . While Ofcom has faced calls to take action on the issue, some of its powers to do so are bound up with rules for categorised services that have not yet been enforced. Platforms face additional transparency and accountability requirements if they fall under Category 1, 2A and 2B, under the OSA. Categorised services must have systems in place to prevent users from encountering fraudulent ads and swiftly remove reported content. They must also minimise how long the content is up on their services. Ofcom has now published its register of categorised services - including Category 1 platforms it feels should face the toughest additional requirements, including for dealing with fraudulent ads, due to their size and popularity. These are Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Quora, Reddit, Roblox, Snapchat, TikTok, WhatsApp, X and YouTube. It says it is also monitoring Apple's dedicated messaging service iMessage, Meta's Messenger and Threads, and Wikipedia as potential "emerging Category 1 services". What is the Online Safety Act? Ofcom is calling for views from industry and the public on its proposed measures in the form of a consultation, running until 2 October , external . Rocio Concha, head of policy and advocacy at Which? welcomed the publication as a "significant step" in holding tech firms accountable for profiting from fraud which harms users. But she said the regulator's timeline "leaves consumers unprotected until 2027 at the earliest". "This is very problematic at a time when breakneck advances in AI are making scams more sophisticated than ever," Concha said - adding Ofcom should implement its codes as soon as possible. Sign up for our Tech Decoded newsletter to follow the world's top tech stories and trends. Outside the UK? Sign up here .

Conor McGregor (left) beat Max Holloway by decision in 2013 Conor McGregor was welcomed back by fans as he ripped Max Holloway's glasses off in an intense face-off before the pair's rematch at UFC 329 in Las Vegas on Saturday. McGregor, 37, is set to return to the octagon for the first time since breaking his leg in defeat by Dustin Poirier in 2021. McGregor has been involved in a series of controversies since, including court cases and missed drugs tests, and critics have questioned whether he deserves the spotlight. McGregor was loudly cheered by fans inside the T-Mobile Arena, however, while American opponent Holloway, who lost to the Irishman in 2013, was booed. After a heated face-off where McGregor threw Holloway's glasses before the pair were separated by security, he hoisted two commemorative UFC titles draped in Irish colours into the air. The belts symbolised McGregor's record as the first simultaneous two-weight world champion in UFC history after his featherweight triumph in 2015 and his lightweight victory in 2016. "I'm excited to showcase what human grit, desire and dedication can do," said McGregor. "Despite the odds, we can overcome them, never be a victim of your circumstances, overcome them. I'm going to show the world you too can do the same." 'At the top for so long' - Holloway's UFC career in stats UFC 329: McGregor v Holloway 2 - all you need to know This video can not be played Up close and personal at a UFC face-off In November 2024, Nikita Hand, who accused McGregor of raping her, won her claim against him for damages for 'assault by rape' in a civil case. A jury found that McGregor assaulted Hand in a Dublin hotel in December 2018 and he was ordered to pay £206,000 plus damages. McGregor lost his civil jury appeal in July 2025 and Hand announced the following month her intention to sue him and two other people for damages, alleging they engaged in malicious abuse of court processes. Last year, McGregor also accepted an 18-month ban for violating the UFC's anti-doping policy after missing three drugs tests within a 12-month period in 2024. The ban, which was backdated to the third missed test in September 2024, concluded in March. Some commentators argue that support for McGregor within Ireland has dwindled, and although there were fans in Irish colours present, they were fewer in number and less vocal than at previous news conferences he has conducted. But UFC chiefs appear to believe McGregor will still draw eyes to the sport and make the promotion money without affecting the brand. When asked about the size of the fight between McGregor and Holloway, UFC president Dana White said it would draw, "the biggest gate in UFC history". McGregor is a former two-division champion McGregor rose to fame with his brash and witty personality captivating fans like no MMA fighter before him, and his charisma was on show as he sang Oasis' hit Wonderwall to fans. McGregor then jokingly asked Britain's Paddy Pimblett why he did not sing along with him. Pimblett is in the co-main event against France's Benoit Saint-Denis in his first fight since defeat by Justin Gaethje for the interim lightweight belt in January. Pimblett was cheered and serenaded by fans, but said he felt the second-most popular fighter on stage, behind McGregor. "I'm not getting the biggest pop, big Conor McGregor's here, but it's nice to be getting the second biggest pop behind him, you know who the boy is," said Pimblett. "We're all having a good time, everyone is laughing, the crowd is having a good time, this is what the sport is about." Pimblett is fighting for the first time since defeat by Justin Gaethje in January McGregor has won just one fight in 10 years, but repeatedly claimed he would "destroy" Holloway, who is also a former UFC featherweight champion. Holloway, 34, regarded as one of the best UFC fighters of all time , engaged occasionally with McGregor but spent the majority of the interactions smiling to himself and shaking his head in amusement. "He's got two belts, I can't wait to take those two pretty belts off his hands," said Holloway. "He's doing all the right things, he's found God, got his family right here, I can't wait guys." In 2021, McGregor was the highest paid athlete in the world, earning just under £128m over 12 months, but he says he is returning to action "for the love of the game". "Honey I'm home. I put a bed in the gym, I lived in the gym literally," said McGregor. "No travel, no traffic, with a lot of young, hungry lions around me angling to be in my position. "So it's been a tremendous experience, a tremendous camp, here we go. Glory to God." MMA schedule and results 2026 Watch every Born to Brawl episode Notifications, social media and more with BBC Sport