Saliba ruled out of France squad, Lacroix called up as replacement
Defender William Saliba has been ruled out of France's squad due to injury ahead of this month’s friendlies against Brazil and Colombia, with Maxence Lacroix called up to replace him, the country's football federation (FFF) said on Sunday, Reuters reported.
Arsenal's Saliba played the full 90 minutes in a 2-0 defeat by Manchester City in Sunday's League Cup final, before the FFF announced his injury.
"The Arsenal centre back is suffering from recurring pain in his left ankle, requiring treatment and a minimum rest period of 10 days," it said in a statement, according to Reuters.
Man City cut Arsenal down to size as O'Reilly double seals League Cup final
Manchester City reasserted themselves as trophy hunters supreme as they gave Arsenal a chastening reality check with a 2-0 victory in the League Cup final thanks to Nico O'Reilly's second-half double at Wembley on Sunday, Reuters reported.
Premier League leaders Arsenal arrived on the crest of a wave and as favourites to win their first silverware since 2020 but were found wanting as City recovered from a rocky start to deservedly win the competition for the ninth time.
Five of those have come since Pep Guardiola arrived in 2016 and the Spaniard is now the most successful manager in the competition's history, moving past Jose Mourinho, Alex Ferguson and Brian Clough who all won it four times, according to Reuters.
Arteta wants final flop to fuel Arsenal's fire
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said he wanted his side's chastening 2-0 League Cup final loss to Manchester City to fuel the fire in the belly of his players, who remain in the hunt for three major trophies this season, Reuters reported.
Premier League leaders Arsenal arrived as favourites on Sunday to win their first trophy since 2020, but were steamrolled by a dominant City, who won the competition for the ninth time.
The London side's lacklustre showing will inevitably raise concerns among the club's fans at a crucial stage of the season as they seek their first Premier League title since 2004 and challenge for both the Champions League and FA Cup, according to Reuters.
Inter held to 1-1 draw at Fiorentina as title race comes alive
Inter Milan were held to a 1-1 draw at Fiorentina on Sunday as the hosts' Cher Ndour scored a second-half equaliser to cancel out Francesco Pio Esposito’s ‌first-minute opener and dent the visitors' Serie A title charge, Reuters reported.
Following AC Milan’s 3-2 victory over Torino on Saturday, the result in Florence trimmed Inter’s lead at the summit to six points, leaving the leaders on 69 points with eight matches remaining and offering fresh hope to their city rivals.
"We knew the three points were crucial for us, and Fiorentina deserve credit, but we didn't play our best game, and it's not our best moment. But it's all in our hands," said Inter assistant coach Aleksandar Kolarov.
“They (Fiorentina) have been on good form recently, so I see a point here as relatively positive," he added, stepping in for suspended manager Cristian Chivu, according to Reuters.
Vinicius strikes twice as Real Madrid edge Atletico 3-2 in pulsating derby
Vinicius Jr scored twice as Real Madrid fought back to beat visitors Atletico Madrid 3-2 in a breathless Spanish capital derby on Sunday, keeping Alvaro Arbeloa's side within four points of LaLiga leaders Barcelona, Reuters reported.
Billed as a relatively low-key Madrid derby, with Atletico sitting a distant fourth in the table, the match instead delivered a five-goal spectacle between the rivals.
It had everything — stunning goals from both sides and a straight red card to Real captain Federico Valverde that reduced the hosts to 10 men in the dying minutes, according to Reuters.
World Meteorological Day being marked
The World Meteorological Day 2026 is being observed across the world today celebrating the 76th anniversary of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
The theme of this year is "Observing Today, Protecting Tomorrow".
The themes chosen for World Meteorological Day reflect topical weather, climate or water-related issues, according to the WMO.
It showcases the essential contribution of National Meteorological and Hydrological Services to the safety and wellbeing of society and is celebrated with activities around the world.
In Nepal, the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology is also organizing an interaction program on awareness raising on weather, the importance of weather forecast and the measures for the climate change risk reduction, according to the Department's Meteorologist Sujan Subedi.
"The immense and often invisible observing and prediction system coordinated by WMO is the backbone of our economies. It is the central nervous system for early warnings, which have saved many millions of lives," the WMO stated.
This World Meteorological Day therefore celebrates the work of the WMO community in observing our Earth to protect communities today and build resilience for tomorrow, it said.
Flora Expo concludes
The 27th Flora Expo organized by the Floriculture Association of Nepal concluded on Sunday by drawing more than 60,000 visitors and business worth Rs 12.2 million.
The four-day-long expo that began with the slogan 'Floriculture for Clean Environment, Employment and Economic Prosperity' was organized in Bhrikutimandap exhibition hall and received an impressive number of visitors, Association's Senior Vice Chairman Ram Bahadur Tamang said.
The Expo had 65 commercial, 11 official and two competitive stalls.
Floriculture is currently being carried out in about 270 hectares across 52 districts and that more than 53,500 people are employed directly or indirectly in the flower business in the country, it is said.
Likewise, this sector has a total investment of more than Rs 8.8 billion in Nepal.
Also, some agricultural policies have been modified and implemented, which has led to policy issues in imported flowers and flower-based products that need to be produced domestically.
Earlier, the Bagmati Province Minister for Agriculture and Livestock Development, Madhusudan Paudel, had inaugurated the event while expressing his readiness to support the prosperous floriculture business.
UK's Starmer calls emergency meeting on economy as Iran war risks mount
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is set to chair an emergency meeting on the economic fallout from the war in Iran on Monday, with finance minister Rachel Reeves and Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey in attendance, the government said, Reuters reported.
Investors are bracing for another stormy week in financial markets after Iran said it ‌would strike the energy and water systems of Gulf neighbours if U.S. President Donald Trump follows through with a threat to hit Iran's electricity grid.
Britain is watching with particular unease. The country's heavy dependence on imported natural gas, persistently high inflation and stretched public finances have pushed its government bonds into a far steeper decline than those of international peers, according to Reuters.
