Declan Rice’s free-kick double helps Arsenal to stunning win against Real Madrid

 

Declan Rice scored two sensational free-kicks to send Arsenal on their way to a remarkable 3-0 win over Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final clash.

Rice delivered his first stunning set-piece with 58 minutes gone before striking again 12 minutes later. Mikel Merino grabbed a third to send the Emirates into dreamland ahead of next week’s return fixture at the Bernabeu.

The 15-time European Cup winners, who ended the game with 10 men after Eduardo Camavinga was dismissed for a second yellow in stoppage time, had no answer for a rampant Arsenal as Mikel Arteta’s men pulled off a statement win which sees them put one foot in the semi-finals as they bid to win the Champions League for the first time.

Speaking prior to Tuesday’s match, Arteta said he was convinced his side could beat Real Madrid and write their own history, and so it proved on a truly one-sided night in north London that will possibly go down as the club’s finest on the European stage.

Bukayo Saka made his first start in 108 days following hamstring surgery and he was central to Arsenal’s success, winning both free-kicks that Rice so brilliantly converted.

Such is their pedigree in Europe, Real Madrid would have started the fixture as favourites, and Kylian Mbappe signalled the start of an electric opening period when he fired down the throat of goalkeeper David Raya with just 37 seconds gone.

Arsenal responded through Saka when his cross was thumped away by Antonio Rudiger only for the defender’s clearance to cannon off team-mate Eduardo Camavinga and drop just inches wide of Thibaut Courtois’ far post.

Thomas Partey then called Courtois into action after 13 minutes when his low drive – following fine work in the build-up by Gabriel Martinelli – was saved by the Belgian’s toe.

On the half-hour mark, a good chance arrived for Mbappe. Jude Bellingham’s finesse on the touchline and exquisite pass put Mbappe through but Raya was equal to his curled effort.

Saka fizzed two dangerous balls underneath the Real crossbar but failed to find a team-mate. Then, as half-time approached, Rice’s header from Jurrien Timber’s cross was clawed away by Courtois before the former Chelsea man was equal to Martinelli’s follow-up.

In all, Arsenal had four shots on target in the first half – their most without scoring in the opening 45 minutes of a Champions League knockout game on record – and somehow it was goalless at the interval.

But Arsenal would get their rewards in a second half that will live long in the memory of the 60,000 fans inside the Emirates.

Saka, who the visitors failed to live with all night, was fouled and up stepped Rice to deliver his finest moment in an Arsenal shirt so far.

Both Saka and Rice stood over the set-piece but it was the latter who took the lead and his inch-perfect strike sailed round the outside of the five-man Madrid wall and past a helpless Courtois.

A rampant Arsenal came so close to extending their advantage 10 minutes later.

Myles Lewis-Skelly played in Martinelli who saw his strike saved by Courtois, with makeshift forward Merino’s effort cleared off the line by David Alba before Courtois was up to punch Merino’s rebound over the crossbar.

Rice’s strike from the following corner was then cleared off the line by Bellingham, but Rice would have his second just moments later.

Saka was running rings around the visitors and when he was hauled down on the edge of the area, Rice fancied his chances.

Incredibly, he delivered with a free-kick that was possibly even better than the first. Courtois, at full stretch, could do nothing to prevent the ball from sailing into his top corner. It was perfection personified.

A disbelieving Martin Odegaard put his hands on his head as Rice stood on the advertising hoardings to lap up the adulation. Carlo Ancelotti’s side were dumbstruck and less than five minutes later, Arsenal extended their lead to three.

Lewis-Skelly, displaying maturity way beyond his tender teenage years, pulled the ball back for Merino and the Spaniard’s pinpoint finish sent the Emirates into delirium, and possibly Arsenal into the last four.

Paedophiles may be targeting parents on dating apps to access children

 

Paedophiles may be trying to gain access to children through their parents’ dating apps, researchers have warned.

A report co-led by the University of Edinburgh found men who have sexually offended against children use dating apps daily, leading to calls for stronger regulation of apps used by 381 million people according to Statista.

Research by the Childlight Global Child Safety Institute, hosted by the University of Edinburgh, found men who sexually abuse children are nearly four times more likely to use dating sites than non-offenders.

The unit found 66% of men who have sexually offended against children use dating platforms – and more than 22% use them daily.

The report, called Swipe Wrong, is part of a broader investigation into the multibillion-dollar industry of child sexual exploitation and abuse, which financially benefits perpetrators, organised crime and, according to researchers, mainstream companies.

It warned sexual exploitation and abuse of children has become a pandemic, impacting more than 300 million every year.

Research based on a survey of about 5,000 men in the UK, US and Australia showed single mothers are at particular risk, while 11.5% of men surveyed admitted having sexual feelings towards children and 11% confessed to sexual offences against minors.

It followed a separate survey by the Australian Institute of Criminology that found 12% of dating app users received requests to facilitate child sexual exploitation and abuse – most often related to their own children.

Most dating sites do not require new users to provide evidence of their identity, and the report shared new insights into perpetrator behaviour online.

It found offenders may appear trustworthy, as they are more likely to have a child in their house, work with children, and have a higher education level.

The report also found men who have committed sexual offences against children engage more frequently in certain online activities, like online shopping, dating and gaming, and are also more likely to own and use cryptocurrency and to buy sexual content online.

Report co-author Professor Michael Salter, director of the Childlight East Asia and Pacific Hub at the University of New South Wales, said: “Our findings provide clear evidence that dating apps lack adequate child protection measures, and loopholes are exploited by abusers to target single parents and their children.

“There’s no reason why the robust user identification methods we have in other industries, such as banking and gambling, should not also have to be adopted by dating app platforms.

“Similarly, there are a range of AI tools and systems that can flag problematic words and conversations that can and should be used.”

Professor Deborah Fry, Childlight’s global director of data and professor of international child protection research at the University of Edinburgh, said: “Child sexual exploitation and abuse is a global public health emergency that requires emergency measures – but it’s preventable.

“We must mobilise globally, focusing not just on reactive law enforcement but on prevention strategies tackling underlying determinants of abuse – including financial and technological ecosystems sustaining it.”

World Horse Welfare ‘deeply saddened’

 

Celebre d’Allen has died

Officials at World Horse Welfare hope lessons can be learned from the death of Celebre d’Allen in this year’s Grand National.

The 13-year-old, trained by Philip Hobbs and Johnson White and sent off as a 125-1 outsider, jumped the final fence but was then pulled up by jockey Micheal Nolan and collapsed on the racecourse.

He received treatment at Aintree and initially showed signs of making a recovery following a night in the track’s stables, but then deteriorated significantly and could not be saved.

Roly Owers, chief executive of WHW, said: “We are deeply saddened to hear about the death of Celebre d’Allen after last Saturday’s Grand National and our heart goes out to all those who cared for him.

“We know that the British Horseracing Authority is thoroughly investigating, which is absolutely the right approach. Every effort must be made to learn lessons from this very sad outcome.”

Addressing the horse’s veteran status, the BHA reported that there had been 24 Grand National runners aged 13 or over since 2000, with no fatalities up until 2024, while from 2014 to 2024 there were 30 runners aged 12 or above and no fatalities.

Acting BHA chief executive Brant Dunshea insisted that Celebre d’Allen, as with all entries, was provided with “a thorough check by vets at the racecourse” to ensure his “suitability to race in the National”.

He said: “The BHA and Aintree racecourse will analyse the race and this incident in detail, as is the case every year and with every fatal injury in any race. This will include the horse being sent for post-mortem.

“The process of reviewing every fatality allows us to build on our existing data and help us understand how all reasonable avoidable risk can be reduced in order to keep our horses and riders as safe as possible.

“This process previously led to the changes that were made to the Grand National in 2024, including the reduction in the number of runners. Prior to Saturday’s race there had been no fatal injuries in the previous nine races run over the Grand National course since the 2023 National.

“The steps we have taken to improve safety over the years reflects the great respect we have for our horses, and our commitment to their safety.”

Celebre d’Allen became the second horse to die after racing at the 2025 Grand National Festival, with the Willie Mullins-trained Willy De Houelle suffering a fatal fall in Thursday’s 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle.

The RSPCA posted on X: “We share in the shock and sadness at the death of Celebre d’Allen. Following the death of Willy De Houelle on the opening day, we have now seen two fatalities at this year’s Grand National festival.

“We await the British Horseracing Authority’s investigation into these deaths.”

The raceday stewards suspended Nolan for 10 days (April 19-26 and May 3 and 5) after an inquiry was held to consider whether he “had continued in the race when the horse appeared to have no more to give and was clearly losing ground after the second-last fence”.

Assisted dying bill delayed till May

 

The MP behind a proposed law to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales has delayed its next debate in the House of Commons by three weeks.

Labour’s Kim Leadbeater said the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill will now return on May 16 rather than April 25 for its report stage, which is expected to see MPs vote on further amendments.

The MP for Spen Valley said the delay would give colleagues more time to consider changes already made to the Bill at committee stage and she understood the impact assessment will not be published this week.

Concerns were also raised that some MPs would not be able to attend the April 25 sitting due to campaigning commitments ahead of local elections on May 1.

The Bill has undergone significant changes since it succeeded in an initial vote in the Commons in November.

The High Court safeguard has been dropped and replaced by expert panels, while the implementation period has been doubled to a maximum of four years for an assisted dying service to be in place should the Bill pass into law.

Eligibility remains with only terminally ill adults in England and Wales with fewer than six months to live.

The Bill proposes someone fitting this criteria should be legally allowed to end their lives, subject to approval by two doctors and an expert panel featuring a social worker, senior legal figure and psychiatrist.

Supporters argue the line-by-line scrutiny of the Bill at committee stage strengthened the proposed legislation and made it more workable, but opponents believe it was rushed and chaotic.

Ms Leadbeater said: “The next debate in the Commons for report stage will now take place on Friday May 16.

“I greatly appreciate the effort colleagues have made to keep the previously announced date free in their diaries, but I have listened carefully to members on all sides of the issue who have told me that they would welcome more time to consider the amendments to the Bill in committee, to see the new version of the Bill as a result of these important changes, and other related matters.

“I fully appreciate the dedication and seriousness with which colleagues are approaching this hugely important issue, and feel I have a duty to take these comments on board.

“I have always said it is more important to do this work properly than to do it quickly, which is why I ensured the committee had plenty of time to do its work and why I think it is now sensible to allow all MPs a few more weeks for their own consideration.

“I am absolutely confident that by doing so, it will not delay the Bill’s passage towards royal assent should both Houses give it their support.

“I believe the amendments in committee have significantly strengthened what was already the most robust assisted dying legislation in the world, but I appreciate that some of those changes are significant and colleagues will want time to study them.”

Ms Leadbeater said she had a “very productive” meeting with Welsh Government representatives on Monday, adding: “I think it is important to allow them more time to consider how the Bill as amended would apply in both England and Wales, should it become law.

“Furthermore, it is now my understanding that the impact assessment for the Bill will not be published this week and clearly members will want the opportunity to look at that ahead of report stage.”

If time allows on May 16, MPs could also vote on whether to approve the Bill at third reading – its final stage in the Commons – and decide if it is then sent to the House of Lords for further scrutiny.

Voting is according to conscience so MPs do not vote along party lines on this issue.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting earlier said he still plans to oppose the Bill but that Ms Leadbeater’s work on it so far has been “extremely helpful”.

The Government as a whole is neutral on the question but has sought to work with Ms Leadbeater and MPs supporting and opposing the Bill to make it workable, he said.

Asked if he would vote for it, Mr Streeting told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “No, I won’t be voting for it, but I do welcome the constructive approach that Kim Leadbeater has taken.”

Mr Streeting has previously suggested it could cost the NHS more if assisted dying is brought in.

He said it is “fine” that other colleagues in the Government and the Department of Health and Social Care “take a different view”.