World

It has been 57 years since Pickles the dog rescued England's World Cup dream by finding the stolen Jules Rimet Trophy. The unlikely hero's discovery came after the trophy had been stolen from a public exhibition just a few months before the 1966 World Cup was due to get underway in England. Pickles' heroics made him a superstar in the UK and he is not the last pooch to be made famous by football in the years since. Here, Daily Star Sport looks at the stories of Pickles and six other dogs who have rose to stardom in the world of football. READ MORE: Paul Merson warns Gareth Southgate he's facing problem after Kalvin Phillips example Pickles the dog Despite a middleman being arrested after the Jules Rimet Trophy was stolen in March 1966, the missing silverware was still yet to be located a week on from the theft. That was until Pickles stepped up as he sniffed around a neighbour's car, with his owner David Corbett recalling in 2016: "There was a package by the front … [Read more...] about Dogs made famous by football – from World Cup trophy hero to p***taking pooch

Lionel Messi struggled to hold back the tears as he and his Argentina team-mates received an incredible homecoming following their World Cup triumph. Messi and co. played on home turf for the first time since lifting the trophy on Thursday (March 23), hosting Panama in a friendly. There were special scenes before the match as the 83,000-strong crowd gave them a hero's welcome at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires. A firework display was held while the teams lined up on the pitch, with the home fans chanting loud enough to have raised the roof - if there was one. READ MORE: Player once dubbed Barcelona's 'next Messi' retires after Stoke City disaster Their serenading left the whole team on the verge of tears. Aston Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez was visibly emotional and Messi looked particularly choked up. Once the game got underway, the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner was once again the star of the show. He twice hit the woodwork with free-kicks. And it was a case … [Read more...] about Lionel Messi struggles to hold back tears at Argentina’s incredible World Cup homecoming

Roy Keane finally enters the action in Daily Star's World Cup of S***houses as the ex- Manchester United star looks to make it a double. Keane was our back-to-back winner in our World Cup of Pundits and is among the favourites in the new tournament - though faces some fierce competition from some true s***houses. You know the type - those that pull, pinch, time waste and use every trick in the book to wind up the opposition and win games. We absolutely love them. In fact, we love it so much, that we thought a true champion needs to be crowned and came up with our very own World Cup of S***houses. But who wins? You decide... READ MORE: Confused England fans are convinced Bear Grylls is former Premier League referee We have shortlisted 32 names and split them into four randomly-drawn groups. With Groups A and B now done and dusted, we move on to Group C with the top two progressing to the semi-finals. You get only one pick, so choose wisely! Roy Keane … [Read more...] about Daily Star’s World Cup of Football S***houses: Vote for your winner in Group D

Bogus lotteries, prize draws, get-rich-quick schemes and charity appeals are fleecing up to THREE MILLION Britons every year. Victims range from the old and vulnerable to wealthy benefactors, writes RACHAEL BLETCHLY. The scams cost the country up to £3.5 BILLION but less than five per cent of victims report their losses because they're too ashamed or embarrassed at being conned. The Office of Fair Trading recently launched a nationwide Scamnesty campaign to persuade the public to hand-in dodgy mailshots to trading standards officials. A spokesman said: "Often the first we hear of scam mailings is the horror stories of how people of all ages have received offers of money or prizes then sent cheques. The scams are evolving all the time and use heartless techniques that bring misery to many people." Here are Seven Big Cons that could be hitting your doormats or email account... Nursing School WHO Fraudsters pose as teenagers with names like Namukula Viola or Florence … [Read more...] about HOW TO AVOID THE SEVEN DEADLY SCAMS

Ordeal: Former child soldier Charles Akallo ( Image: Rowan Griffiths /Daily Mirror) At 12 years old, Charles Akallo should have been kicking a football – instead he was handed a gun. Abducted by the savage Lord’s Resistance Army in northern Uganda he had a simple choice: kill or be killed. Like more than 30,000 other children brainwashed by notorious militia leader Joseph Kony he was transformed into a bloodthirsty assassin eager to commit atrocities. Charles’ confessed crimes are truly grotesque. Once he tied eight people together, poured petrol over them and burned them alive. Another time the 27-year-old cut out his victim’s brain and ate it. As recently as January he wiped out six innocent civilians in a hail of bullets without any provocation. I meet Charles – now maimed by a bullet that shattered his left leg – on the day he is being returned to his remote home village for the first time in 15 years. We are travelling from a rehabilitation centre for child … [Read more...] about Tragedy of kidnapped child soldiers forced to kill or be killed by Joseph Kony’s savage Lord’s Resistance Army

As a babysitter to the many children of Africa’s most dangerous warlord, Grace Olara learned quickly to hold her tongue even in the face of appalling acts of atrocity. Grace was just 11 when she was forced to watch her parents being shot dead and was kidnapped from her village by the Lord’s Resistance Army. She had to care for LRA leader Joseph Kony’s children – born to some of his 60 captured wives – and would tremble in fear as she heard him order how he wanted victims tortured. She would then have to look on as her friends were horrifically beaten by Kony’s henchmen. Initially, Grace had no idea that Kony, wanted by the International Criminal Court for mass murder, abduction and mutilation, could be so evil. She says: “Kony would just appear from nowhere. "He always moves around. 'He is a softly-spoken man – it is almost as if he whispers, so I did not feel scared of him at first. “Afterwards I found out that this was how he usually gave his orders to kill, by … [Read more...] about I was babysitter for Joseph Kony’s children after I was kidnapped by savage Lord’s Resistance Army

As mercenary swordsman Bronn, Game of Thrones star Jerome Flynn is a master warrior, a hardfaced killer you don’t want to mess with. It is a part Flynn, with his steely glare and craggy looks, plays to perfection. But even his tough exterior crumbled when he came face-to-face with real killers – child soldiers coerced into slaying fellow youngsters and men in one of the world’s most drawn-out conflicts. Jerome, 53, winced as he heard harrowing tales of civil war in Myanmar, South-East Asia, where thousands of boys, as young as 11, were forcibly recruited. On his trip to the former British colony of Burma, Jerome met Hein, who fears he killed 100. The horrifying image of one of the street children ( Image: PAUL WU/WORLD VISION) Deeply affected, the star said: “To meet a young man who as a child was forced into killing so many people, some as young as himself, to sit there with him as he shared his story – it was totally heart-wrenching. "I can’t think of a … [Read more...] about Game of Thrones star Jerome Flynn reveals the horror of seeing child soldiers forced to kill

A British-funded charity previously supported by Meghan Markle has denied allegations its workers demanded sex in exchange for cash and food for in the wake of the devastating 2010 earthquake on Haiti. The Mail on Sunday reported allegations, claiming they came from a former employee, but in a statement today the evangelical Christian charity insisted none of their workers were involved. The charity said: "World Vision's extensive investigations into these issues revealed that those involved in sexual exploitation were not World Vision staff. "They were community volunteers and cash-for-work beneficiaries themselves." The charity, which includes Prince Harry's fiancé as a backer and received £17m from the Department of International Development (DfID) last year. Meghan Markle was a global ambassador for the charity from 2016 to 2017. The denial comes after Oxfam admitted that some of its aid workers in Haiti bought prostitutes while supposedly helping the country in 2010. … [Read more...] about Charity supported by Meghan Markle denies staff sexually abused earthquake survivors in Haiti

Vladimir Putin’s close ally Dmitry Medvedev has warned again of nuclear “apocalypse” if the West continues to provide arms to Ukraine . Medvedev, the former Russian president and prime minister, chillingly said that rubble would “emit radiation” for centuries to come as he predicted a catastrophic outcome. Currently deputy chairman of Russia's powerful security committee, Medvedev claimed that the West wanted to make Ukraine a “new anti-Russian Frankenstein”. Putin has repeatedly cast the conflict as necessary to combat alleged Western aims to weaken Russia and has told of an increasing threat of nuclear war. Last week he warned of a World War 3 “global conflict” as he issued a nuclear threat ahead of the one-year anniversary of the war in Ukraine . Putin threatened nuclear conflict in a speech last week ( Image: Getty Images) Now Medvedev told Russian news outlet Izvestia of a possible apocalypse if the West continues to supply weapons to Ukraine. He … [Read more...] about Vladimir Putin ally chillingly warns of ‘nuclear apocalypse’ with radioactive rubble

Triplets born at just 22 weeks and five days have been awarded two Guinness World Records. Rubi-Rose, Payton Jane and Porscha-Mae Hopkins were born on 14 February 2021 with a total weight of 1,284g (2lbs and 13oz). One of their world records is for the lightest total weight for triplets, while the other is for being the most premature triplets ever recorded. Rubi-Rose was born first at 10.21am at just 467g (1lb), while Payton Jane and Porscha-Mae were born nearly two hours later at 12.01pm and 12.02pm respectively by caesarean section. They weighed only 402g (0.89lbs) and 415g (0.91lbs). Their 32-year-old mother, Michaela White from Bristol, said the two years since their birth has been "stressful" for her and her partner Jason Hopkins, 36. "It was very, very stressful in the first year that [the triplets] were here," Ms White said in a video by Guinness World Records. Mr Hopkins said the journey has been "mental". "The whole journey between finding out that there … [Read more...] about Bristol triplets set Guinness World Records for most premature birth and lightest combined weight