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THE QUEEN thanked the king of tennis Novak Djokovic for putting her up at one of his properties in Montenegro, it has emerged.

Camilla, 77, attended Wimbledon on Wednesday and met the legendary Serb, 38, as part of a greeting ceremony at the All England Club.

Her Majesty then watched from the royal box as Djokovic – who has never lost when the Queen has been watching him play – completed a four-set win to book his place in Friday’s semi-final.

After the match, Djokovic insisted his chat with the Queen, a tennis fan, was “private” and unrelated to the sport.

But they appeared to discuss a trip to the Balkans, where it is claimed she stayed at one of Djokovic’s properties.

A clip of the pair talking on the players’ lawn shows Djokovic saying: “Oh yes, the property in Montenegro. Wonderful. I hope you enjoyed it.”

The Queen, who was accompanied by her sister Annabel Elliot, responded: “Lovely. It was quite a long time ago. Very nice.”

Camilla also said she had her “fingers crossed” for the seven-time Wimbledon winner’s clash with Flavio Cobolli, which Djokovic took in four sets despite a nasty fall.

Djokovic later said it was an “honour” to once again meet the Queen, who has watched him six times in 14 years in West London.

He told reporters: “We had a nice exchange.

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“I was actually surprised with her comment and a question that she asked.

“It was non-tennis related. She was very pleasant. Very, very pleasant.

“Of course, it’s a great honour and privilege for me to be able to shake hands with the Queen of England. I’ve had that honour, as well, in 2010 with the late Queen Elizabeth.

“It’s obviously a phenomenal occasion for Wimbledon to host the Royal Family.

“Wimbledon has been traditionally attracting the Royal Family. It’s beautiful to see there’s still an interest for our sport.”

Djokovic and Camilla are thought to be referencing the Queen’s trip to Serbia and Montenegro in 2016, where she spent time with representatives from the Novak Djokovic Foundation.

The then Duchess of Cornwall made a trip to the Zvecanska Centre in Belgrade, which Djokovic said was “of tremendous importance and significance”.

In a video message to Camilla, the tennis star said: “We all want this project to succeed because we know how much benefit it brings to our society.

“Your presence here today is of tremendous importance and significance, since it brings this issue to the fore and attracts much-valued public attention.”

Djokovic owns multiple properties in the Balkans and is the global representative of island resort Sveti Stefan, which he has lobbied the Montenegrin government to reopen.

It is unclear which villa or resort he may have had the Queen as a guest at.

Debbie Jevans, the All England Club chairwoman, also told Camilla that Djokovic had “especially wanted to come and meet you” during her surprise visit.

Sen. Francis Pangilinan said on Thursday that he would seek to defer the budgets of government agencies that fail to present concrete plans to fully implement the Sagip Saka Act. “I filed a resolution in the Senate. I want to hear from the agencies how they implement this law,” Pangilinan said in a statement. “If

Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson is serving notice to the public that he is back, digging into the budget for “pork.” Returning to the Senate after three years, Lacson was met with the shocking discovery that multi-billion pork allocations in the 2025 budget were given to a few lawmakers. One congressman, for instance, got P15 billion

Journalist turned corporate executive Dave Gomez has barely warmed his seat as the newly appointed Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Secretary, but his appointment is already being opposed by some sectors. Civil society and health advocacy organizations criticized on Thursday the decision of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to pick Gomez to head the PCO, and they

THE patience of the Saints was rewarded as their near seven-hour goal drought was ended when Aidan Keena shot down Hegelmann in the Conference League. 

Substitute Keena drilled home a penalty nine minutes from time to beat the Lithuanians and give St Patrick’s Athletic a slender advantage ahead of next week’s second leg. 

Ben McShane/Sportsfile

Ben McShane/Sportsfile

It was deserved too; Stephen Kenny’s men should have won with ease having dominated from the first minute to the last.

But until Keena nearly burst the net with his shot from 12 yards, there were few in the ground who truly believed a goal was coming as their troubles in front of goal continued. 

It is a mystery how the Saints were heading for their fourth blank in a row and were just 12 minutes shy of seven hours without a goal. 

At Inchicore, the numbers were even more shocking. 

Not since Mason Melia scored on May 23 had home fans seen a home goal as they patiently and impatiently watched 478 minutes in the meantime without one. 

And when it came, Melia was central to it. 

Having been kicked from pillar to post through the opening 81 minutes, he tried to dribble in the area and was felled by Klaudijus Upstas before Esmilis Kausinis tackled Barry Baggley.

Belgium referee Simon Bourdeaud’hui took his time before pointing to the spot. 

Then there was nothing going to stop Keena’s penalty that was hit with the venom that epitomised the frustration of the crowd at finishing that goal drought. 

And it was more than deserved for the Saints whose relief at getting the win will be tempered by the fact that it could and should have been by a greater margin. 

It was so one-sided that the busy fourth official who would sprint to follow play in the middle third-of the field did more running than the linesmen manning the Saints’ defensive halves.

But while the hosts gave their fans plenty to shout out, there was little to cheer. 

Early on, Melia glazed wide before the striker flashed another effort over on a speedy attack from Brandon Kavanagh on seven minutes. 

Kavanagh then had a free kick tipped over on 10 minutes before Jason McClelland saw his cross-shot come back off the bar on 17 minutes. 

Hegelmann seemed to be in panic mode and the sight of Upstas and Kader Njoya Abdel colliding as both went for the same ball on a counter attack summed them up. 

And when not running into each other, they were running into Pat’s men that had the home supporters incensed. 

Simon Power had an early shout for a penalty when seemingly tripped by Vilius Armalas early though he was unlikely to get on the end of Brandon Kavanagh’s pass. 

And later Armalas rather blatantly sent Melia tumbling in the area with a body check as the 17-year-old looked to close down Carlos Duke. 

In between those moments, the Lithuanian defender also got away with a handball when he clearly moved his elbow towards a deflected cross to control it. 

STAYING ALERT

Yet St Pat’s domination meant there was always a risk of a counter attack, as Jamie Lennon had to make a crucial block to deny Donastas Kazlauskas a clear shot on 30 minutes.

But that was the exception as the Saints continued to press forward with McClelland firing into the side netting and Melia going close before half time. 

It continued in the same vein after the break as Barry Baggley broke forward but shot straight at Vincentas Sarkauskas and Kavanagh also tested the goalkeeper. 

And the longer it went without a goal, the more frustration crept in on and off the pitch as Power blazed way wide and Melia put a gilt-edged opportunity over. 

But just as all hope seemed to be lost, Keena delivered from the spot.

SUN STAR MAN

Barry Baggley (St Patrick’s Athletic)

ST PATRICK’S ATHLETIC: Anang 7; McLaughlin 6, Redmond 7, Grivosti 7, McClelland 7; Baggley 8, Lennon 7 (Forrester 73, 6); Mulraney 6 (Leavy 83, 6), Kavanagh 7 (Keena 73, 6), Power 7 (Elbouzedi 73, 6); Melia 7.

HEGELMANN: Sarkauskas 7; Upstas 6, Armalas 6, Doris 6, Duke 6; Antanavicius 5 (Harouna 83, 6), Kojic 6, Shchedryi 5 (Kausinis 73, 6); Kazlauskas 5 (Popescu 65, 6), Njoya Abdel 5 (Yusef 83, 6), Leo Ribeiro 6 (Wesley 73, 6).

REFEREE: S Bourdeaud’hui (Belgium) 4

ILIA TOPURIA has revealed the UFC brass asked him to make a “promise” about his next fight in the aftermath of his coronation as the new king of the sport.

‘El Matador’ became the face of mixed martial arts premier promotion late last month with a stunning first-round knockout of fan favourite Charles Oliveira in the main event of UFC 317.

REUTERS

Ilia Topuria knocked out Charles Oliveira at UFC 317 to claim the vacant lightweight title[/caption]

SHUTTERSTOCK

The Georgian-born Spaniard became the tenth two-weight champion in UFC history[/caption]

SHUTTERSTOCK

Topuria has ambitions of becoming the first three-weight champion in UFC history[/caption]

His blistering beatdown of ‘Do Bronx’ saw him claim the vacant lightweight title and become the tenth two-division champion in UFC history.

The Georgian-born Spaniard has ambitions of becoming the UFC’s first THREE-WEIGHT champion, although the promotion aren’t keen on him making history just yet.

During an appearance on the About Last Fight Podcast, the 28-year-old admitted: “I thought about [moving up].

“But the last conversation I had with the UFC [and] they personally asked me the favour.

“Like, ‘Don’t tell us after the fight that you want to move to the welterweight division. Make us a promise.’

“I was like ‘promise.’ I was [crossing my fingers]. I promise.”

Topuria has plenty of work left at lightweight before he can contemplate moving up another division.

A grudge match with Brit Paddy Pimblett is in the offing after the pair’s near melee in the cage late last month.

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GETTY

Ilia Topuria is hoping a grudge match with Brit Paddy Pimblett will be his next fight[/caption]

UFC supremo Dana White may not be keen on booking the barnburner, but Topuria is hellbent on settling his five-year-long feud with ‘The Baddy’.

He said: “Yes, that’s the fight I want.

“With Charles, I had a bit of a difficult situation because I really like the guy.

“He’s a really great human being, you can’t hate him. But with Paddy, I’m really going to enjoy kicking his a**.”

He later added: “That’s the guy that I will really enjoy to punch him in the face.

“Really, really will enjoy that fight. I know I can do with him whatever I to do.

“Tell me, kid, what you want me to do with you. I’m going to do whatever I want to do. I don’t want to use my words.”

BACOLOD CITY—The proposal to remove the senior high school (SHS) program from the country’s education system is “untimely” and “dangerously shortsighted,” Catholic educators warned. This is the view of the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP) and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines-Episcopal Commission on Catholic Education (CBCP-Ecced) as they voiced their strong

MOHAMED SALAH’s dismissal from Chelsea and Jose Mourinho has been a dark shadow looming over the club for almost a decade now.

Ever since his departure from Stamford Bridge in 2016, Salah, 33, has fired Liverpool to two Premier League titles as well as Champions League glory – picking up numerous individual awards in the process.

Meanwhile, the Blues’ fans have watched the likes of Willian, Juan Cuadrado and Hakim Ziyech take up the Egypt international’s role at Stamford Bridge with mixed results.

Thankfully at least, Chelsea learnt from their mistakes and haven’t been truly bitten in the same manner for a while now.

However, that might be about to change by selling what seems to be the most obvious Salah replica the club have had in years.

Noni Madueke moving to Arsenal has split the Chelsea fanbase down the middle.

On one hand, £50million represents great value for a player with seven goals and three assists in the Premier League last season, with three goals coming in one standout performance against Wolves.

But on the other, it signals the sale of a player who perhaps epitomises BlueCo’s model better than any other.

Madueke, 23, is a talented youngster who is an England international, on an increasingly upward trajectory being sold for an amount that could quite easily double in the next 12 months.

Not to mention, his replacement is an 18-year-old Brazilian wonderkid who is a talented but still relatively unknown outside of South America in Estevao Willian.

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Unlike Salah, who was cited as not being “patient enough” by Mourinho, Madueke has been given significant chances in the first team and looked ready to explode as a touchline winger under Enzo Maresca next year.

His numbers last year may not be blowing anyone away, but it’s important to remember he had Nicolas Jackson on the end of many chances he was creating.

And Jackson has proven he can be wasteful at the best of times.

With Liam Delap and Joao Pedro already looking clinical in the Club World Cup, Chelsea’s frontline next season could have represented an opportunity for Madueke to explode into the player most fans know he can become.

As for Arsenal, it baffles the mind to see an online petition of #NoToMadueke trending this week with over 2,000 signatures at the time of writing.

The ex-PSV Eindhoven ace represents the kind of strength in depth the Gunners were crying out for when Bukayo Saka got injured last season.

The only saving grace for Chelsea might be that Madueke has chosen a destination that he still may not be given the chance to shine week-in-week-out with Saka ahead of him.

Had he gone to Newcastle or back to Tottenham, where he was once an academy player, fans at Stamford Bridge might feel a lot stronger about him really proving himself as an elite Premier League winger as Salah did before him.

HUNDREDS more dinghy migrants got to Britain yesterday — as Sir Keir Starmer said he was getting a grip on the crisis.

The PM agreed a deal with French pal Emm­anuel Macron to initially return just 50 a month.

AFP

Sir Keir insisted his ‘aggressive’ one-in, one-out deal with President Emmanuel Macron would mean migrants arriving here are detained and then sent back[/caption]

Dan Charity

The influx came as the PM promised Sun readers he “completely gets their frustration and their anger” over the Channel crisis — and vowed to drastically increase the numbers sent back to France.

Sir Keir insisted his “aggressive” one-in, one-out deal with President Emmanuel Macron — who blamed Brexit for the surge in illegal crossings — would mean migrants arriving here are detained and then sent back.

For every one returned, Britain will take an asylum seeker from France with a legitimate claim and an all-clear on security.

But officials are bracing for legal battles similar to those over the axed Tory scheme to sent migrants to Rwanda in Africa.

They admitted those selected for deportation under yesterday’s deal with France would be able to wage lengthy court appeals.

The initial pilot, hoped to be launched in the coming weeks, will see just 50 migrants sent back per week with the French exercising a veto over who they accept.

Under that arrangement it could take months to return all those who made the dangerous journey yesterday in flat seas.

The Sun sailed to the Channel with Nigel Farage and watched as the French navy escorted a boatload of 78 migrants into British waters before passing them over to Border Force.

They even demanded lifejackets be returned, ready for the next batch of illegals heading here.

In an exclusive interview with The Sun after his announcement of the French migrants deal, the PM suggested the ultimate goal was for every one to be returned.

Sir Keir insisted: “We’ve got the flex to ramp this up.”

But he warned the new deal would involve “financial arrangements” which could go beyond the £771million we have already handed to France since 2018.

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Revealed in the Plan:

• Migrants arriving via small boat will be detained and returned to France in short order
• A one-in, one-out system will operate with migrants sent back to France in exchange for asylum seekers
• The plan is merely a pilot scheme – which could be canned if it doesn’t work
• Only 50 a week will be sent packing – a fraction of the thousands crossing into the UK

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In a joint press conference with the French president, Sir Keir admitted: “Illegal migration is a global crisis and it’s a European crisis but it’s also very acutely a crisis for our two nations, a crisis of law, security, humanity and fairness.

“We face a sprawling multi-billion pound enterprise run by criminal gangs leading hundreds of people to their deaths in the Channel.

“So we’re determined together to end this vile trade.”

Illegal migration is a global crisis and it’s a European crisis but it’s also very acutely a crisis for our two nations, a crisis of law, security, humanity and fairness

Sir Keir Starmer, in a joint press conference with the French president

Sir Keir added: “This is our plan together; hard-headed, aggressive action on all fronts to break the gangs’ business model, secure our borders and show that attempting to reach the UK by small boat will only end in detention, failure and return.”

‘Truly very angry’

Despite the PM’s triumphalism on the “groundbreaking” deal, Mr Macron said it had been struck “in principle” but was subject to “legal verifications” and EU sign-off.

The French would also be able to choose whether to accept an individual, with the UK also given the same right over who comes here.

The Home Office refused to reveal how the 50 migrants per week would be selected, but said they would mainly be from countries deemed safe, with low rates of successful UK asylum claims.

The numbers are expected to be limited by how many cells are available in immigration detention centres, which currently have around 2,500 spaces. Another 1,000 are being added.

The selected migrants, all of them adults, will be handed notices informing them that they are due to be sent back to France.

It is not yet known how they will be returned but it could be by chartered flights or on coaches.

After being transferred to France, they will have access to the French asylum system or could be removed back to their country of origin.

Anyone who comes back across the Channel in a small boat will be removed again and not allowed to claim asylum.

Calais mayor Natacha Bouchart said she was “truly very angry” at the deal as she will “soon be dealing with the problem of returns”.

Speaking to The Sun Sir Keir appeared to acknowledge he had to deliver on the Channel crisis to stand a chance of winning re-election.

He said: “It’s really important we make progress on that, and I don’t shy away from that for a moment, because we must have control of our borders, but equally, we have to make sure that we deliver on living standards and a better health service.

“That is what I’m focused on every day. I know I have to deliver for the British people.”

This agreement is a humiliation for Brexit Britain

Nigel Farage

Reform UK chief Nigel Farage

insisted: “This agreement is a humiliation for Brexit Britain. We have acted today as an EU member and bowed down to an arrogant French president.”

Sir Keir accused his rival of milking the small boats issue and only wanting to “take pictures”.

The PM said: “You either point a camera at the problem because you want to exploit it as a problem, or you roll up your sleeves and do the serious work of actually dealing with the problem.”

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp also piled in, saying: “Labour’s limp returns deal will only remove one in every 17 illegal immigrants arriving.

“Allowing 94 per cent of illegal immigrants to stay will make no difference whatsoever and have no deterrent effect. This is the latest catastrophic example that when Labour negotiates, the UK loses.”

The 50-per-week trial agreement is equivalent to just 2,600 returns annually, compared with the 44,000 who have arrived since Labour took power a year ago.

And this year alone more than 20,600 migrants had crossed the Channel — a 56 per cent rise on the same period in 2024.

On the final day of his three-day state visit, Mr Macron put noses out of joint by blaming Brexit for the surge in boat crossings.

He said: “The British people were sold a lie about immigration.

“It’s in fact since Brexit [that] the UK has no migratory agreement with the EU. It creates an incentive to make the crossing, the precise opposite of what Brexit promised.”

UNDER-fire TV chef Gino D’Acampo is set to start a new life Down Under.

The 48-year-old is launching “multiple work projects” in Australia — five months after ITV cut ties with with the former This Morning favourite, following allegations of inappropriate behaviour while making shows.

ITV

Gino D’Acampo is relaunching his brand in Australia amid his UK woes[/caption]

GINO D'ACAMPO / INSTAGRAM

It was claimed the star was ‘inappropriate’ towards colleagues, which included sexist comments made towards Holly Willoughby in 2018[/caption]

Ray Collins

The Italian cook is launching projects including two new restaurants and a culinary tech platform, 11,000 miles from his Hertfordshire mansion — now on the market for £4.2million.

Last night, Gino’s representative said: “He loves Australia a lot — the people, culture, cleanliness and environment.”

While Gino will keep a base in the UK, he will be spending increasing amounts of time Down Under over the next two years as he also sets up a new cookware range for the international market.

A source added: “Gino has had a fantastic career over here — and still has an incredibly loyal fanbase.

“But it’s been made clear to him that TV opportunities over here are few and far between in the wake of recent allegations, and that’s frustrating.

“While Gino has always denied any wrongdoing, he’s a pragmatist and knows it’s time for new adventures.

“He’s been inundated with offers Down Under following a really successful tour there.

“He spent some time in Australia a few years ago, and loved it. He still has a large social media following and plans to capitalise on that in the next stage of his career.”

The source said the star will be launching two new restaurants in Australia and will split his time between there and the UK for the next two years.

His wife of 22 years, Jessica, and their three children will remain in Britain.

The source added: “But if all goes well, Australia is a full-time option.”

Gino is understood to be looking at properties in Melbourne, which he visited during his 2019 Aussie Escapes tour.

He won ITV’s I’m A Celebrity . . . Get Me Out Of Here in the Australian jungle in 2009.

The decision to sell-up comes after his restaurant empire racked up debts of £7.3million and went into administration before a buyer was found.

He’s been inundated with offers Down Under following a really successful tour there

A source

A source says he has bought a new house in the UK.

Last year, The Sun revealed Gino had been put on a language and behavioural course by concerned ITV bosses.

And earlier this year an ITV investigation found there were multiple claims of “unacceptable”, “distressing” and “horrendous” behaviour against him, dating back 12 years.

It was also claimed ITV ignored complaints over the star’s “inappropriate” treatment of colleagues, which included sexist comments made towards former This Morning presenter Holly Willoughby in 2018.

He was also edged out of Gordon, Gino and Fred: Road Trip after refusing to sign a morality clause.

Gino has firmly denied all the allegations against him.

Paul Edwards

tiktok@emblackburn_

The star’s cookware range prices were slashed following the misconduct allegations[/caption]

Brian Roberts

Gino won I’m A Celebrity in 2009[/caption]