Barcelona mark Camp Nou return with 4-0 rout of Athletic Bilbao

Ferran Torres struck twice as Barcelona marked their long-awaited return to their Camp Nou Stadium with an emphatic 4-0 win over Athletic Bilbao on Saturday, Reuters reported. 

Barca climbed to the top of the LaLiga standings on 31 points, level with Real Madrid, who face Elche on Sunday.

This was Barcelona's first match at Camp Nou in 909 days, as the partially renovated stadium welcomed fans back after two and a half years of redevelopment, according to Reuters.

Barnes strikes twice as Newcastle edge Man City 2-1

Newcastle United winger Harvey Barnes scored two goals in seven minutes as his side snatched a thrilling 2-1 home win over Manchester City on Saturday to stop the visitors closing the gap on Arsenal at the top of the Premier League, Reuters reported.

With City's Erling Haaland chasing his 100th Premier League goal, both sides missed a slew of chances in a scoreless first half, Barnes wasting one in the first minute after Newcastle won the ball high up the field.

City coach Pep Guardiola was enraged when Newcastle defender Fabian Schaer left his foot in as City forward Phil Foden fired wide, but no penalty was awarded, according to Reuters.

 

Napoli go top with 3-1 win over Atalanta

Defending champions Napoli moved provisionally top of the Serie A standings after a 3-1 home win over Atalanta on Saturday, with David Neres scoring a first-half double to send the hosts on their way to a largely comfortable victory, Reuters reported.

Antonio Conte's Napoli are on 25 points, one ahead of Inter Milan, AS Roma and Bologna. Inter face neighbours AC Milan on Sunday, with Roma at Cremonese, while Bologna won 3-0 at Udinese on Saturday. Atalanta remain 13th in the standings on 13 points, according to Reuters.

Lionel Messi in stride as Inter Miami faces FC Cincinnati in East semis

Lionel Messi and third-seeded Inter Miami look to continue their deepest MLS Cup playoff run in club history when they visit second-seeded FC Cincinnati in a winner-take-all Eastern Conference semifinal on Sunday, BBC reported.

Messi was brilliant during Miami's first-round three-game series victory over Nashville SC, scoring five goals and assisting on three more.

Inter Miami has dominated Nashville SC, posting a 7-1-3 record against them since Messi joined the team in the summer of 2023, according to BBC.

Mahaabhiyan withdraws all protest programs

The Mahaabhiyan for the Protection of Nation, Nationality, Religion, Culture and Citizens has withdrawn its programmes of protests and others scheduled to be held from today. 

The Mahaabhiyan has withdrawn its protest programs following talks and agreement signed at the Prime Minister's residence in Baluwatar.

The memorandum of understanding has been signed by the Prime Minister's Chief Advisor Ajaya Bhadra Khanal and Secretary Premdeep Limbu on behalf of the Mahaabhiyan. 

Discussions were held at length regarding the 27-point demands raised by the Mahaabhiyan during the talks and an agreement was reached through continuous discussions, negotiations and facilitation. 

The government has agreed to address the legitimate issues raised by the Mahaabhiyan, keeping in mind the current situation of law and order in the country, reads a statement.

Following the agreement, the Nepal Bandh and indefinite general strike programs announced by the Mahaabhiyan starting from today have also been withdrawn and only peaceful programs shall be held. 

An agreement has also been reached to hold the next round of talks with the Mahaabhiyan leadership as soon as possible.

 

Brazil’s ex-president Bolsonaro arrested over alleged plot to escape and avoid 27-year prison term

Brazil’s federal police on Saturday arrested former president Jair Bolsonaro over suspicion he was plotting to escape and avoid starting a 27-year prison sentence for leading a coup attempt. The decision laid bare some of the country’s divisions, with many uncorking Champagne outside the far-right leader’s prison to celebrate as his supporters prepared a religious act in his favor, Associated Press reported.

In a dramatic and unexpected twist in the final stage of a long and divisive criminal trial, federal agents entered Bolsonaro’s house early Saturday under the order of a Supreme Court Justice to take the former president to the headquarters of the country’s federal police in the capital, Brasilia.

Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who oversaw the case on Bolsonaro’s attempt to keep the presidency after his defeat to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in 2022, ordered the preemptive arrest after saying the far-right leader’s ankle monitor was violated at 12:08 a.m. on Saturday. His lawyers claimed in a statement that did not take place, according to Associated Press.

Three arrested in India after police crack $800,000 bank heist

Three people have been arrested in India after a daring 70m rupees ($800,000; £600,000) heist in which armed men posing as central bank officials robbed an ATM cash van, BBC reported.

On Saturday police in the southern city of Bengaluru said they had cracked the case and recovered 57.6m rupees of the money stolen three days earlier.

"Our investigation is on track to get the remaining amount," Bengaluru police commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh told reporters, according to BBC

UN climate talks fail to secure new fossil fuel promises

Following bitter rows, the UN climate summit COP30 in Belém, Brazil has ended with a deal that contains no direct reference to the fossil fuels that are heating up the planet, BBC reported.

It is a frustrating end for more than 80 countries including the UK and EU that wanted the meeting to commit the world to stop using using oil, coal and gas at a faster pace.

But oil-producing nations held the line that they should be allowed to use their fossil fuel resources to grow their economies, according to BBC.