Semua Kabar

Two shocking attacks within two hours of each other, in France and Austria, have left parents and governments reeling and at a loss how to protect school students from random, deadly violence.

At about 08:15 on Tuesday, a 14-year-old boy from an ordinary family in Nogent, eastern France, drew out a kitchen knife during a school bag check and fatally stabbed a school assistant.

Not long afterwards in south-east Austria, a 21-year-old who had dropped out of school three years earlier, walked into Dreierschützengasse high school in Graz at 09:43, and shot dead nine students and a teacher with a Glock 19 handgun and a sawn-off shotgun.

In both countries there is a demand for solutions and for a greater focus on young people who resort to such violence.

Austria has never seen a school attack on this scale, but the French stabbing took place during a government programme aimed at tackling the growth in knife crime.

The Graz shooter, named by Austrian media as Arthur A, has been described by police as a very introverted person, who had retreated to the virtual world.

His "great passion" was online first-person shooter games, and he had social contacts with other gamers over the internet, according to Michael Lohnegger, the criminal investigation chief in Styria, the state where it happened.

A former student at the Dreierschützengasse school, Arthur A had failed to complete his studies.

Arriving at the school, he put on a headset and shooting glasses, before going on a deadly seven-minute shooting spree. He then killed himself in a school bathroom.

He owned the two guns legally, had passed a psychological test to own a licence and had several sessions of weapons training earlier this year at a Graz shooting club.

This has sparked a big debate in Austria about whether its gun laws need to be tightened – and about the level of care available for troubled young people.

It has emerged that the shooter was rejected from the country's compulsory military service in July 2021.

Defence ministry spokesman Michael Bauer told the BBC that Arthur A was found to be "psychologically unfit" for service after he underwent tests. But he said Austria's legal system prevented the army from passing on the results of such tests.

There are now calls for that law to be changed.

Alex, the mother of a 17-year-old boy who survived the shooting, told the BBC that more should have been done to prevent people like Arthur A from dropping out of school in the first place.

"We know… that when people shoot each other like this, it's mostly when they feel alone and drop out and be outside. And we don't know how to get them back in, into society, into the groups, into their peer groups," she said.

"We, as grown-ups, have got the responsibility for that, and we have to take it now."

President Alexander Van der Bellen raised the possibility of tightening Austria's gun laws, on a visit to Graz after the attack: "If we come to the conclusion that Austria's gun laws need to be changed to ensure greater safety, then we will do so."

Austria has one of the most heavily armed civilian populations in Europe, with an estimated 30 firearms per 100 people.

Although there have been school shootings here before, they have been far smaller and involved far fewer casualties.

The mayor of Graz, Elke Kahr, believes no private person should be able to have weapons at all. "Weapons licences are issued too quickly," she told Austria's ORF TV. "Only the police should carry weapons, not private individuals."

Armed gendarmes were present at the entrance to the Françoise Dolto middle school in Nogent, 100km (62 miles) east of Paris, when a teenager pulled out a 20cm kitchen knife and repeatedly stabbed Mélanie G, who was 31 and had a four-year-old son.

The boy accused of carrying out the murder told police that he had been reprimanded on Friday by another school assistant for kissing his girlfriend.

As a result he had a grudge against school assistants in general, and apparently had made up his mind to kill one. Schools were closed on Monday for a bank holiday, and Tuesday was his first day back.

The state prosecutor's initial assessment was that the boy, called Quentin, came from a normal functioning family, and had no criminal or mental health record.

However, the child also appeared detached and emotionless. Adept at violent video games, he showed a "fascination with death" and an "absence of reference-points relating to the value of human life".

The Nogent attack does not fit the template of anti-social youth crime or gang violence seen in France until now.

Nor is there any suggestion of indoctrination over social media.

According to the prosecutor, the boy did little of that. He had been violent on two occasions against fellow pupils, and was suspended for a day each time.

There is no family breakdown or deprivation and school officials described him as "sociable, a pretty good student, well-integrated into the life of the establishment".

This year he had even been named the class "ambassador" on bullying.

For all the calls for greater security at schools, this crime took place literally under the noses of armed gendarmes. As Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau put it, some crimes will happen no matter how many police you deploy.

For more information on the boy's state of mind, we must wait for the full psychologist's report, and it may well be that there were signs missed, or there are family details we do not yet know about.

On the face of it, he is perhaps more a middle-class loner, and his apparent normality suggests a crime triggered by internalised mental processes, rather than by peer-driven association or emulation.

That is what strikes the chord in France. If an ordinary boy can turn out like this from watching too many violent videos, then who is next?

Significantly, the French government had only just approved showing the British Netflix series Adolescence as an aid in schools.

There are differences, of course.

The boy arrested for the killing of a teenage girl in the TV series yields to evil "toxic male" influences on social media – but there is the same question of teenagers being made vulnerable by isolation online.

Across the political spectrum, there are calls for action but little agreement on what should be the priority, nor hope that anything can make much difference.

Before the killing, President Emmanuel Macron had angered the right by saying they were too obsessed with crime, and not sufficiently interested in other issues like the environment.

The Nogent attack put him on the back foot, and he has repeated his pledge to ban social media to under 15-year-olds.

But there are two difficulties. One is the practicality of the measure, which in theory is being dealt with by the EU but is succumbing to endless procrastination.

The other is that, according to the prosecutor, the boy was not especially interested in social media. It was violent video games that were his thing.

Prime Minister François Bayrou has said that sales of knives to under-15s will be banned. But the boy took his from home.

Bayrou says airport-style metal-detectors should be tested at schools, but most heads are opposed.

The populist right wants tougher sentences for teenagers carrying knives, and the exclusion of disruptive pupils from regular classes.

But the boy in Nogent was not a problem child.

About the only measure everyone says is needed is more provision of school doctors, nurses and psychologists in order to detect early signs of pupils going off the rails.

That of course will require a lot of money, which is another thing France does not have a lot of.

Israel's "Operation Rising Lion", as it calls its attack on Iran, is unprecedented. It is vastly more extensive and ambitious than anything that has come before, including the two missile and drone exchanges it had with Iran last year. For Iran, this is the biggest assault on its territory since the Iran-Iraq War of 1980-1988.

Inthe darkest hours before dawnthe Israeli Air Force targeted not just sites linked to Iran's nuclear programme but also the country's air defences and ballistic missile bases, thereby reducing Iran's ability to retaliate.

On the ground and in the shadows, the network of operatives working for Mossad, Israel's overseas intelligence agency, reportedly helped to pinpoint the exact location of key figures in both the military command and nuclear scientists.

Those killed overnight include the head of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), the guardians of the Islamic Revolution that overthrew the Shah's regime in 1979, as well as the head of the mainstream armed forces and the head of the IRGC air force. Iran says at least six of its scientists have been killed.

Once again, Israel's spy agency is shown to have successfully penetrated the very heart of Iran's security establishment, proving that no one there is safe.

Iran's state TV reported that 78 people were killed and said that civilians, including children, were among the dead. (This is an unofficial figure and has not been independently verified.)

Mossad was reportedly able to launch drones from inside Iran as part of this attack. The primary targets of this whole operation have been the nuclear enrichment facility at Natanz and bases belonging to the IRGC. For Israeli military planners, this has been a long time coming.

Iran is reeling and this may be only the first wave. There will be many more potential targets on Israel's hitlist, although some may be beyond its reach, buried deep underground in reinforced bases beneath solid rock.

So what has led to this attack by Israel and why now?

Israel, and several Western countries, suspect that Iran has been secretly working towards what is called "breakout capability", meaning the point of no return in developing a viable nuclear weapon.

Iran denies this and has always insisted that its civil nuclear programme – which has received help from Russia – is for entirely peaceful purposes.

For more than a decade Israel has been trying, with varying degrees of success, to slow down and set back Iran's nuclear progress. Iranian scientists have been mysteriously assassinated by unknown assailants, the military head of the nuclear programme, Brig-Gen Fakhrizadeh was killed by a remote-controlled machine-gun on a lonely road near Tehran in 2020.

Before that, US and Israeli cyber sleuths were able to insert a devastating computer virus, codenamed Stuxnet, into Iran's centrifuges, which caused them to spin out of control.

This week the UN's nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), found Iran to be in breach of its non-proliferation obligations and threatened to refer it to the UN Security Council.

Many of the concerns over Iran's nuclear programme arise from its stockpiling of highly enriched uranium (HEU) that has been enriched up to 60 per cent, far beyond the level needed to generate civil nuclear power and a relatively short hop to the level needed to start building a bomb.

There was a deal to curb Iran's nuclear programme. It was concluded in 2015 during the Obama presidency, but Donald Trump called it "the worst deal in the world" and when he got into the White House he pulled the US out of it. The following year Iran stopped complying with it.

Nobody outside Iran wants the Islamic Republic to possess the nuclear bomb. Israel, a small country with much of its 9.5 million-strong population concentrated in urban areas, views a nuclear-armed Iran as an existential threat.

It points to the numerous statements by senior Iranian figures calling for the destruction of the State of Israel. Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the Gulf Arab states don't much care for Iran's revolutionary Islamic Republic regime but they have learned to live with it as a neighbour.

They will now be extremely nervous about the risks of this conflict spreading to their own shores.

For Israel, the timing was crucial. Iran has already been weakened by the effective defeat or elimination of its proxies and allies in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza. Its air defences were heavily compromised after last October's attacks by Israel.

There is a sympathetic president in the White House and lastly, Israel reportedly feared that some of Iran's key uranium enrichment equipment was about to be moved deep underground.

It is clear what Israel wants by this operation: it is aiming to, at the very least, set back Iran's nuclear programme by years. Preferably it would like to halt it altogether.

There will also be many in Israel's military, political and intelligence circles who will be hoping that this operation could even so weaken Iran's leadership that it collapses altogether, ushering in a more benign regime that no longer poses a threat in the region. That may be wishful thinking on their part.

President Trump said on Friday that Iran had "a second chance" to agree to a deal. A sixth round of US-Iran negotiations was due to take place in Muscat on Sunday but Israel does not set much store by these talks.

Just as Russia is accused of stringing along Trump over peace talks with Ukraine, Israel believes Iran is doing the same here.

Israel believes this is its best and possibly last chance to kill off Iran's suspected nuclear weapons programme.

"Israel's unprecedented strikes across Iran overnight were designed to kill President Trump's chances of striking a deal to contain the Iranian nuclear programme," says Ellie Geranmayeh, Senior Policy Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR).

"It is clear their [the attacks] timing and large-scale nature was intended to completely derail talks."

Washington has gone to some lengths to relay to Iran that it was not involved in this attack. But if Iran decides to retaliate against any of the many US bases in the region, either directly or via its proxies, then there is a risk the US could get dragged into yet another Middle East conflict.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has vowed "harsh punishment" for Israel but Iran is in a much weaker position today than it was two years ago and its options for retaliation are limited.

There is, however, an even bigger risk here. Israel's operation could still backfire, triggering a nuclear arms race.

Hardline hawks inside Iran's security establishment have long argued that the best deterrence against future attacks by Israel or the US would be for it to acquire the nuclear bomb. They will have taken note of the differing fates of leaders in Libya and North Korea.

Libya's Colonel Gaddafi gave up his Weapons of Mass Destruction programme in 2003; eight years later he was dead in a ditch, overthrown by the Arab Spring protests that were backed by Western air power.

By contrast, North Korea has defied all international sanctions to build up a formidable arsenal of nuclear warheads and intercontinental ballistic missiles, enough to make any potential attacker think twice.

Whatever the final damage amounts to from Israel's Operation Rising Lion, if Iran's regime survives – and it has defied the odds before – then there is a risk it will now accelerate its race towards building and even testing a nuclear bomb.

If that happens then it will almost inevitably trigger a nuclear arms race in the Middle East, with Saudi Arabia, Turkey and possibly Egypt all deciding they need one too.

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For now the fighting between Israel and Iran seems restricted to the two nations. At the United Nations and elsewhere there have been widespread calls for restraint.

But what if they fall on deaf ears? What if the fighting escalates and expands?

Here are just a few possible, worst-case scenarios.

For all the US denials, Iran clearly believes American forces endorsed and at least tacitly supported Israel's attacks.

Iran could strike US targets across the Middle East – such as special forces camps in Iraq, military bases in the Gulf, and diplomatic missions in the region. Iran's proxy forces – Hamas and Hezbollah – may be much diminished but its supportive militias in Iraq remain armed and intact.

The US feared such attacks were a possibility and withdrew some personnel. In its public messaging, the US has warned Iran firmly of the consequences of any attack on American targets.

What might happen if an American citizen were killed, say, in Tel Aviv or elsewhere?

Donald Trump might find himself forced to act. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long been accused of wanting to drag the US into helping him defeat Iran.

Military analysts say only the US has the bombers and bunker-busting bombs that can penetrate the deepest of Iranian nuclear facilities, especially that of Fordow.

Trump promised his MAGA constituency he would not start any so-called "forever wars" in the Middle East. But equally many Republicans support both Israel's government and its view that now is the time to seek regime change in Tehran.

But if America were to become an active combatant, that would represent a huge escalation with a long, potentially devastating consequential tail.

If Iran failed to damage Israel's well-protected military and other targets, then it could always aim its missiles at softer targets in the Gulf, especially countries that Iran believes aided and abetted its enemies over the years.

There are lots of energy and infrastructure targets in the region. Remember Iran was accused of striking Saudi Arabia's oil fields in 2019 and its Houthi proxies hit targets in the UAE in 2022.

Since then there has been a reconciliation of sorts between Iran and some countries in the region.

But these countries play host to US airbases. Some also – discreetly – helped defend Israel from Iranian missile attack last year.

If the Gulf were attacked, then it too might demand American warplanes come to its defence as well as Israel's.

What if the Israeli attack fails? What if Iran's nuclear facilities are too deep, too well protected? What if its 400kg of 60% enriched uranium – the nuclear fuel that is just a small step away from being fully weapons-grade, enough for ten bombs or so – is not destroyed?

It's thought it may be hidden deep in secret mines. Israel may have killed some nuclear scientists but no bombs can destroy Iran's knowhow and expertise.

What if Israel's attack convinces Iran's leadership that its only way of deterring further attacks is to race for nuclear capability as fast as it can?

What if those new military leaders round the table are more headstrong and less cautious than their dead predecessors?

At the very least, this could force Israel to further attacks, potentially binding the region into a continual round of strike and counter-strike. Israelis have a brutal phrase for this strategy; they call it "mowing the grass".

The price of oil is already soaring.

What if Iran tried to close the Strait of Hormuz, further restricting the movement of oil?

What if – on the other side of the Arabian Peninsula – the Houthis in Yemen redouble their efforts to attack shipping in the Red Sea? They are Iran's last remaining so-called proxy ally with a track record of unpredictability and high risk appetite.

Many countries around the world are already suffering a cost of living crisis. A rising price of oil would add to inflation on a global economic system already creaking under the weight of Trump's tariff war.

And let's not forget, the one man who benefits from rising oil prices is President Putin of Russia who would suddenly see billions more dollars flood into Kremlin coffers to pay for his war against Ukraine.

What if Israel succeeded in its long term aim of forcing the collapse of the Islamic revolutionary regime in Iran?

Netanyahu claims his primary aim is to destroy Iran's nuclear capability. But he made clear in his statement yesterday that his broader aim involves regime change.

He told "the proud people of Iran" that his attack was "clearing the path for you to achieve your freedom" from what he called their "evil and oppressive regime".

Bringing down Iran's government might appeal to some in the region, especially some Israelis. But what vacuum might it leave? What unforeseen consequences would there be? What would civil conflict in Iran look like?

Many can remember what happened to both Iraq and Libya when strong centralised government was removed.

So, much depends on how this war progresses in coming days.

How – and how hard – will Iran retaliate? And what restraint – if any – can the US exert on Israel?

On the answer to those two questions much will depend.

Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, Virginia Wade and David Beckham all feature in the King's Birthday Honours List

Darts players Luke Littler and Luke Humphries have become MBEs in the King's Birthday Honours, while Virginia Wade is made a CBE and knighthoods are confirmed for David Beckham and Billy Boston.

The awards forteenage world champion Littlerand world number one Humphries are further evidence of darts' booming popularity.

Former tennis player Wade, meanwhile, is the only British woman to have won titles at all four majors. She is honoured for her services to the sport and charity.

News of former England football captainBeckham becoming a 'Sir'emerged last week, while rugby league legendBoston was knighted on Monday.

MotorcyclistMichael Dunlop- the winner of a record 33 Isle of Man TT races, will become an MBE. TheNorthern Irish riderhas carried on racing after the death of his father, brother and uncle in road accidents.

Aston Villa strikerRachel Daly- capped 84 times by England – is another to become an MBE, along with golferTrish Johnson,BBC gymnastics commentatorChristine Still,Bury FC chairMarcel de Matasand former Great Britain basketball playerJulius Joseph.

BoxerNatasha Jonas,former Great Britain ice hockey captainSaffron Laneand wheelchair tennis playerAndy Lapthorneare also honoured along with former England cricketersSteven Davies,externalandDavid 'Syd' Lawrence.

Deta Hedman-the winner of more than 200 titles and the first black woman to play in the PDC World Darts Championship – is made an OBE, as is former England cricketerDevon Malcolm.

Retired Paralympic swimming champion and volleyball playerMonica Vaughanand two-time Olympic triathlon championAlistair Brownleeare also appointed OBEs.

So too is Oldham Athletic ownerFrank Rothwell,for charitable services to dementia research.

King Charles awards first rugby league knighthood

Beckham set to be awarded knighthood

How many footballers have been knighted?

Littler and Humphries are honoured in the week they compete together for England at the World Cup of Darts in Germany.

"This is an amazing and unexpected honour but one which I am very grateful for," said Littler.

"To receive a recognition like this is something I had never thought would be possible, and it is a proud moment.

"It's unbelievable what I've done for my sport; I'm happy, my family is happy and I can't wait to receive it."

In January, Littler – aged 17 – became theyoungest world darts championin history, beating three-time winner Michael van Gerwen 7-3 in the PDC final.

The teenager was named BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year in December and was also runner-up for the main award.

He is not the youngest sporting figure to feature on the honours list, however – Paralympic swimmer Ellie Simmonds was made an MBE aged 14 in 2009.

Littler's rise, which has also brought Grand Slam of Darts, World Series and UK Open titles, has helped fuela boom for darts,with record crowds, prize money and numbers of young people taking up the game.

Humphries, 30, the reigning World Matchplay, Premier League, Players Championship Finals and World Masters champion, said he "couldnt believe it" when notified of his award.

"Everyone's talking about darts now, and I think that we're two of the pioneering parts of that," he added.

"We've changed the face of darts over the last couple of years. It's starting to become a younger man's game. It's nice to be at the forefront of that."

His most recent big victory came in the Premier League last month, when he defeated 2024 champion Littler in the final.

The pair join fellow darts players Keith Deller, Trina Gulliver, Fallon Sherrock, John Lowe and the late Eric Bristow as MBEs.

Virgina Wade. along with Ann Jones, is one of only two British women to win the Wimbledon singles title in the Open era

Wade's royal connection endures after she famously won Wimbledon in 1977 – Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee year

Wade, now 79, remains the last British woman to secure the singles crown at SW19.

She won three Grand Slam singles titles in all, having also triumphed at the US Open and Australian Open. Wade also secured women's doubles titles in New York and Melbourne, along with the French Open.

She went on to become a successful commentator and pundit, and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1989.

This is the third time she has been included in a Birthday Honours list, having made the Queen's in both 1973 (MBE) and 1986 (OBE).

King Charles shared a joke wirh Beckham at the recent Chelsea Flower Show

Beckham, 50, was appointed an OBE in 2003 and receives further recognition for both his football career and charity work.

He played 115 times for his country as well as for Manchester United, Real Madrid, LA Galaxy, Paris St-Germain and AC Milan, retiring in 2013.

"Growing up in east London with parents and grandparents who were so patriotic and proud to be British, I never could have imagined I would receive such a truly humbling honour," said Beckham.

"It will take a little while for the news to sink in but I'm immensely proud and it's such an emotional moment for me to share with my family."

Beckham was reportedly first nominated for a knighthood in 2011.

In 2017 several British newspapers printed details of leaked emails in which Beckham allegedly criticised the honours system and the honours committee.

A spokesperson for Beckham said at the time the emails were "hacked", "doctored" and "private".

Beckham played a key role in helping London secure the 2012 Olympics, and has been an ambassador for children's charity Unicef since 2005.

He also became an ambassador for The King's Foundation in 2024 – supporting King Charles' education programme and efforts to ensure young people have a greater understanding of nature.

"I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to represent Britain around the world and work with incredible organisations that are supporting communities in need and inspiring the next generation," Beckham added.

"I'm so lucky to be able to do the work that I do and I'm grateful to be recognised for work that gives me so much fulfilment."

Boston received his honour from King Charles at Buckingham Palace, making him the sport's first knight in its 130-year history.

The 90-year-old was awarded his knighthood early – before the birthday honours list was officially announced – because of concerns over his health.

Cardiff-born, he was one of the greatest stars of rugby league and a trailblazer for black sports stars when he played for Wigan and Great Britain in the 1950s and 1960s.

Boston, who has been living with dementia, was accompanied at the Palace by his family and representatives of his former club.

Sir Billy Boston won three Challenge Cups and scored 24 tries in 31 appearances for Great Britain

David Beckham (former England footballer), for services to sport and charity

Billy Boston (former rugby league player), for services to rugby league football

Commanders of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)

Virginia Wade (former tennis player), for services to tennis and charity

Officers of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)

Alistair Brownlee (former triathlete), for services to triathlon and charity

Deta Hedman (darts player), for services to darts and charity

Devon Malcolm (former cricket player), for services to cricket and to diversity in cricket

Terence Pateman (Chair, Northern Amateur Football League), for services to grassroots sport and to community relations

Frank Rothwell (Oldham Athletic owner), for charitable services to dementia research

Stephen Sutherland (commercial manager, Charlton Athletic Football Club), for services to sport

Monica Vaughan (former Paralympic swimmer), for services to sport

Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)

Neil Booth (former lawn bowler), for services to lawn bowls

Anwen Butten (lawn bowler), for services to lawn bowls, to cancer care and to the community in Wales

Maureen Clark (former netball player), for services to netball in Surrey

Jill Coulter-Sloan (head coach at Craigavon golf and ski centre), for services to disability sport

Rachel Daly (footballer), for services to association football

Christopher Davies (runner), for services to running and to health and wellbeing

Steven Davies (former cricketer), for services to sport

Marcel de Matas (lately chair, Bury Football Club), for services to association football

Michael Dunlop (motorcycle road racer), for services to motor cycle racing

Bryan Henderson (director of cricket and NFL, Sky), for services to cricket

Frederick Hudson, for services to Arsenal Football Club community

Luke Humphries (darts player), for services to darts

Patricia Johnson (golfer), for services to women's golf

Natasha Jonas (boxer), for services to boxing and to the community in Liverpool

Julius Joseph (basketball player), for services to basketball

Lucy Katan (founder, British Grooms Association), for services to sport

Andrew Lapthorne (wheelchair tennis player), for services to tennis

Saffron Lane, nee Allen (ice hockey player), for services to sport

David Lawrence (former cricketer), for services to cricket

Luke Littler (darts player), for services to darts

Grace Muir (founder and chief executive officer, homing ex-racehorses organisation scheme), for services to charity, to animal welfare and to education

Christine Pascall (lately president, England Golf), for services to golf

Sanjay Patel (lately managing director, The Hundred), for services to cricket

Sheelagh Redpath (lately technical officials co-ordinator for netball, Commonwealth Games), for services to netball

Christine Still (commentator), for services to gymnastics

Joseph Adams, for services to Altrincham Football Club and to charitable fundraising

Kathryn Burgess (founder, Cheshire Girls Football League), for services to girls football in mid-Cheshire

Colin Dalgarno (President, Strathaven Rugby Club; Chair, Whiteshawgate 3G Sports Trust and volunteer), for services to the community in Strathaven

Valerie Hoyle (secretary, Rotherham United Women Football Club), for services to association football and to the community in Rotherham

Zarit Hussain, for services to cricket

John O'Connor (Director, Angling Cymru), for services to recreational angling in Wales

Adam Maca only turned 18 on May 21

Brighton fighter Adam Maca will make his professional debut on Saturday, just three weeks after turning 18.

By the age of 25, Maca plans to be an undisputed world champion cruising around in a carbon black Bugatti.

The teenager is clearly brimming with confidence and, while most teenagers his age might be getting ready for a big summer holiday after their final exams, Maca is preparing to fight under the lights of the most iconic venue in boxing, Madison Square Garden.

"It hasn't kicked in yet. Maybe when I'm making my way ringside it'll feel more real," Maca tells BBC Sport.

"I've had 80 fights as an amateur. A lot of kids my age are just touching 30, 40. I've boxed in every competition there is.

"Since I was a little boy I wanted to be a professional boxer. Your heart's not in it [at amateur level], I just always wanted to turn pro so when I turned 18 I knew I would."

Maca is signed with Eddie Hearn's Matchroom and will fight on the undercard of Richardson Hitchins' world title defence against George Kambosos Jr.

The Englishman, born to a Albanian father and a British-Yemeni mother, became hooked on the sport when his mum brought him to a boxing gym aged five.

"I was doing loads of sports at the time. But when I started sparring at about nine I just fell in love with it," he says.

"The first time I got punched I thought 'I have to get him back'. I used to get angry when I'd get hit. You have to learn to take one and land two in a minute."

Maca caught the eye of Matchroom because of his remarkable amateur record. He has seven titles in the junior ranks, including five national titles.

He also won a silver medal at the IBA World Junior Championships representing Albania in 2023.

While he was earmarked to be a potential Olympian, he has long had his sights on linking up with Hearn – even cornering him at an event with fellow future Matchroom fighter and heavyweight Leo Atang.

"We didn't get ringside [tickets] back then," Maca jokes. "We spoke to Eddie and said we wanted to sign with him one day. He said, 'come to me when you're a bit older, boys'. And now here we are."

Like Maca, Atang will make his professional bow as an 18-year-old. He fights on Jack Catterall's undercard in Manchester in July.

Maca was born in Brighton but also boxes under the Albania flag, where his father is from

Maca faces Rafael Castillo on Saturday. The New Yorker is exactly twice Maca's age but should be a soft introduction to the paid ranks, with a 2-6 record and only eight bouts under his belt since 2017.

Maca believes he is a "come forward fighter". He regularly travels a three-hour round trip from Chatham to Brighton to train under Dan Woledge, the coach who guided Moses Itauma at the start of his career.

Despite not yet stepping in the ring as a pro, Maca has already been tipped for stardom. By himself, his promoter, his team and his family.

"My mum and sisters gas me up all the time. It's confidence as well. When you're in with top kids and you're knocking them out, that's where it all comes from," Maca says.

It may be a lot of pressure for young shoulders, but after outlaying what he wants to achieve by the time he's 25, Maca is taking the expectations in his stride.

"There's nothing that scares me," he says.

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Lando Norris has only failed to finish on the podium in one race so far this season

Venue:Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, MontrealDates:13-15 JuneRace start:19:00 BST on Sunday

Coverage:Live commentary of third practice and qualifying on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2 with race on BBC Radio 5 Live; live text updates on BBC Sport website and app

Lando Norris said McLaren had their "worst Friday of the year so far" after finishing second fastest behind Mercedes' George Russell in practice at the Canadian Grand Prix.

Russell was 0.028 seconds faster than Norris, with the second Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli 0.288secs slower than his team-mate in third place.

Norris' team-mate Oscar Piastri, who leads the Briton by 10 points in the drivers' championship, was sixth.

Norris said: "A tricky day, probably one of the trickiest we have had this year. A little bit off the pace compared to the others and it maybe didn't look it at the end but difficult to put a lap together and be consistent.

"I did one good lap at the end of the session. We have some work to do."

He added: "We need to get the car in a better place. The track is difficult but it has definitely been our worst Friday of the year so far.

"Not in terms of pace but in terms of being able to to put it together and most tricky. We're not miles away, just need to make it a little bit easier to drive.

"We're still in a good position, it's close. Mercedes seem very, very quick, just as they were last year. They were quite easily the best last year."

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Norris was trying a new front suspension design that the team hope will improve the lack of feeling from the front axle that has affected his ability to trust the car on the absolute limit in qualifying this season.

The upgrade was available to both drivers but only Norris used it on Friday. Piastri has been more comfortable with the feel of the front of the car, partly explaining the turnaround in form between them since last year.

Norris said the car felt "pretty similar" in its new specification, adding: "Honestly, it's hard to say from one track, you have to go to many more. Especially here, it is unique with the bumps and kerbs and low grip we have. A bit too early to tell but all are aimed to move the car in the right direction and give me more feeling, which is a good thing."

Charles Leclerc walks back to the pits after crashing his Ferrari during first practice

Russell said: "It might be my first time top of the leaderboard all year. Very positive day.

"We had higher expectations coming to this weekend because cooler conditions, the track's quite smooth so the tyres naturally run quite cold and we know our weakness.

"When it's hot, we struggle and when it's cold, the tyres run cold, we're pretty competitive. The was definitely validation today.

"The lap was really strong today, probably optimised, nothing more in the tank, we had it all on the table full beans, power and everything."

Russell set his fastest time on the medium tyre, while Norris used the soft.

This reflects a potential repeat of the phenomenon experienced at last month's Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, when some teams felt the medium compound was a better qualifying tyre than the soft.

The tyre selection is the same as at Imola, with Pirelli's softest compound, the C6, as the soft. This is a fragile tyre that can be hard to make work over one lap.

Russell said: "A number of teams are thinking about the medium tyre. Come qualifying, do you go on the soft or the medium? That's one of the challenges when we have the C6 compound."

Williams' Alex Albon and Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso were fourth and fifth, ahead of Piastri, Williams' Carlos Sainz, Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull's Max Verstappen.

Belying his one-lap pace, the Dutchman, the closest challenger to the leading McLaren drivers in the championship, was the fastest on the race-simulation runs late in the session, although closely matched with Russell, Norris and Piastri.

Verstappen said: "Day was all right. I felt quite happy with the car. P2 was a bit more difficult. We lost something with the car, balance-wise and ride, which we need to investigate, but overall it was quite a positive day for us."

Hamilton's team-mate Charles Leclerc missed the second session after a crash midway through the first.

Leclerc's impact with the barriers after locking his brakes at Turn Three and misjudging whether he could make the corner damaged his car's chassis and it needed to be replaced before Saturday's running.

Aston Martin's Lance Stroll crashed early in the second session, hitting the barrier a glancing blow on the exit of Turn Six and breaking his left front suspension.

His car suffered understeer on the exit of the corner and the front washed out into the wall. Stroll had experienced the situation earlier in the lap but it was exacerbated in the incident by 'dirty air' from the traffic ahead.

A number of other drivers misjudged their braking points and skipped over the grass at one of the chicanes with no damage.

And Alpine's Franco Colapinto had his second spin of the day at Turn Two, after an earlier one in the first session. The Argentine ended the second session slowest of the drivers who set a time.

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Derek Warwick raced in F1 from 1981 to 1992

Former grand prix driver Derek Warwick has been suspended from his role as a steward at this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix.

Governing body the FIA said the decision had been made "following recent unauthorised media comments".

It said he would be replaced by Brazilian Enrique Bernoldi, who would be "officiating from the remote operations centre in Geneva for the remainder of the event".

The FIA added: "After discussion, Derek acknowledges that his comments were ill-advised in his role as an FIA steward and has apologised.

"Derek will resume his duties as a steward in the forthcoming Austrian Grand Prix."

Warwick won the Le Mans 24 Hours, is a former president of the British Racing Drivers' Club and is one of the most senior driver stewards in F1.

An ex-F1 driver is always one of the four stewards officiating at every grand prix.

Last week Warwick was quoted as saying that a penalty given to Red Bull's Max Verstappen at the Spanish Grand Prix after the Dutchman apparently deliberately collided with Mercedes' George Russell was "right".

On a gambling website, Warwick said: "Should he have done what he did, in Turn Five with George Russell? Absolutely not. Did he get a penalty for that? Yes.

"It seems to me that, although he dove in, he then did turn away from George, but momentum pushed him against George. It is absolutely wrong and the FIA was right to give him a penalty."

Warwick is the second driver steward to be punished by the FIA for commenting on races in the past six months.

In JanuaryJohnny Herbert was droppedby the FIA, which said his "duties as an FIA steward and that of a media pundit were incompatible".

The FIA's decision to suspend Warwick came a day after controversial statute changes were passed by the organisation's general assembly.

The changes are said by critics to "risk further contributing to theerosion of the FIA's reputationfor competent and transparent governance" under president Mohammed Ben Sulayem.

Ben Sulayem's time in office since 2021 has been marked by a series of controversies, the majority of which have been focused on the erosion of accountability and good governance and the introduction of measures that enhance his power and reduce oversight.

When there are questions about how stewards arrived at decisions during a grand prix, the FIA refuses to comment on the basis that stewards are "independent from the FIA".

Without the financial backing of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, this summer's Club World Cup could have looked very different

Saudi Arabia's money appears to be underpinning the revamped Club World Cup.

But why has the country helped to bankroll an event that has struggled to generate interest, drawing criticism for the impact it could have on players, domestic leagues, and the environment?

For those wanting to understand the forces at play over the next month of competition in the US, Miami's Hard Rock Stadium on Wednesday would be an ideal place to start.

That, after all, is where Real Madrid will kick off their Club World Cup campaign, with new signing Trent Alexander-Arnold set to make his debut.

The fact the Spanish giants were willing to pay Liverpool a reported £8m to secure the defender's early release so he could play in the tournament is testament to the staggering riches on offer.

With a prize pot of$1bn (£750m),top European teams are in line to earn up to £97m if they win, leading to concerns such money could distort domestic leagues and skew competitive balance.

Real's Saudi opponents – Al-Hilal – highlight another intriguing aspect of the tournament.

The Riyadh club are owned by the kingdom's Public Investment Fund (PIF).

But the vast sovereign wealth fund's involvement in this competition does not stop there.

In December, sports streaming platform DAZN agreed to pay Fifa – football's world governing body – $1bn for the tournament's global broadcast rights.

That was not the only surprise, because it also promised to make the live action available for free. This despite Fifa having previously struggled to find broadcast partners, and after DAZN had posted several billion dollars worth of losses over recent years.

Then, a few weeks later, a subsidiary of PIF announced it had acquired a minority stake in DAZN for what it has since confirmed was $1bn – explaining at the time it was "an exciting opportunity to build on DAZN's significant successes in recent years by bringing more sports to fans and audiences around the world".

Saudi ties with the Club World Cup strengthened further last week, when PIF became an official partner of an event Fifa president Gianni Infantino claims will "make football truly global".

In a statement at the time, PIF claimed the sponsorship deal showed it was "at the forefront of growing football", noting the sport "plays a crucial role in the ongoing transformation" of the country.

But is there more to it than that? After all, Fifa had initially struggled to attract sponsors, and ticket sales for some games have been sluggish, with the event perhaps hampered by a complicated qualification system that means recently crowned domestic champions including Liverpool and Barcelona are not present.

Expanding the event from seven teams to 32 has also sparked a legal complaint from both the international players' union and the body representing European leagues, who – despite Fifa denials -claim their concerns over a congested calendar and player workload have been ignored.

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Back in December, just a few days after Fifa announced its "landmark agreement" with DAZN, the governing body confirmed Saudi Arabia as thehost of the 2034 World Cup.

But it is not just the timeline that has inevitably led to speculation over a possible connection between Saudi's investment in the expanded Club World Cup and that hugely controversial decision.

Despite years of scrutiny over its human rights and environmental record, the Saudi bid for the World Cup was unopposed. Australia – the only other potential candidate – decided not to enter the running, hinting it was futile to do so after being given less than a month by Fifa to mount a challenge.

Fifa stood by a fast-tracked process critics argued lacked transparency, and which it was felt effectively paved the way for the Saudis thanks to a decision that only bids from Asia and Oceania would be considered – even though the World Cup had been staged in the Middle East – in Qatar – as recently as 2022.

The sense of inevitability surrounding Saudi's bid was only reinforced after Fifa's evaluation report awarded it a record high score.

Ratification was then confirmed by acclamation – in the form of applause – rather than a traditional vote, with only Norway's football federation abstaining, and criticising the bidding process.

Despite fears his tournament may be used to improve Saudi Arabia's image, Infantino has defended Saudi's hosting of football's 2034 showpiece,insisting it can be a catalyst for social improvements,and Fifa insists it was an open and transparent process.

Nicholas McGeehan, of football campaign group Fair Square, told BBC Sport the World Cup process effectively acted "to ensure that Saudi Arabia was selected as host".

"During this deeply flawed bidding process… Fifa sealed a commercially inexplicable broadcasting deal [for the Club World Cup] said to be worth $1bn with an entity that is now part-owned by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund.

"Fifa does not like the fact that many people look at these facts and conclude that there must be a linkage between them, but had it run a fair and transparent bidding process in the first place it wouldn't be under this scrutiny."

Such sentiments are echoed by Infantino's predecessor Sepp Blatter, who claims the Club World Cup will "over-charge the international calendar".

Replying to BBC Sport's questions via his lawyer, Blatter – who remains banned from football until 2028 for breaches of its ethics code – said: "It is obvious that without Saudi's investment, the Club World Cup could not be organised in the US… it's only through financial help of $1bn from Saudi Arabia that the [DAZN] coverage of this competition was possible.

"There is no more mystery… Saudi Arabia has taken control of international football."

In a statement, a Fifa spokesperson rejected the suggestion that investment into the Club World Cup was from one country, saying it now had nine tournament sponsors and that "commercial momentum is strong".

They insisted that Fifa has "a duty to develop the game globally and this new competition is in the best interests of football", with all profits redistributed to the clubs through prize money and a $250m 'solidarity' programme.

It added that the Club World Cup "is not responsible for calendar congestion", noting that it takes place once every four years with a maximum of seven matches for the two finalists.

"We believe that this new Club World Cup will mark a turning point for club football worldwide…[it] is an event that football needed."

Speaking to BBC Sport from Miami before the Club World Cup's opening match, DAZN's emerging markets chief executive Pete Oliver defended the investment in what he calls "a fantastic competition", insisting it made commercial sense.

"We've been looking for a big property to take DAZN to the next step," he said. "This is an opportunity to establish ourselves as a global platform for football."

Oliver said it was a "very logical deal" for DAZN, insisting the tournament would "take off" and was generating huge interest in regions such as South America.

"We think this will be the most streamed sports event ever. It will help us build a huge customer database," he added, pointing out DAZN had recouped some of its outlay by regionally sub-licensing rights to some matches.

Asked about PIF's subsequent investment in the company, Oliver said: "People always speculate but I can tell you we're not being used as a pawn or anything like that.

"There was a lot that happened, but these things are not necessarily connected in any way. The investment we had from PIF was around a general investment, but also specifically to establish a partnership for the Middle East and North Africa region.

"We're an independent company… we're making our own decisions."

PIF declined to comment, but sports business expert Callum McCarthy says their investment in DAZN "is expected to result in a Saudi-based sports broadcaster that will rival Qatar's beIN Sports across the Middle East.

"Saudi Arabia has wanted to own a sports broadcaster for well over a decade and has never really known how to pull it off," he says. "Fifa needed a global broadcaster for this tournament that could fund this thing, and DAZN now has a direct relationship with Fifa. All three parties have got what they wanted out of the equation."

Speaking on condition of anonymity, one senior FA source told BBC Sport that Saudi's support for the Club World Cup was "a marriage of convenience".

The country – they believe – was always likely to stage the 2034 World Cup regardless of the backing of the Club World Cup, thanks to its unprecedented investment in sport, along with the money Fifa believed it could make by returning to the Middle East after Qatar 2022.

They felt Saudi's financial backing of the Club World Cup should be viewed as a "bailout" for Fifa, rather than an agreed plan. Fifa, the source said, would have initially been hoping to attract more interest from broadcasters and sponsors, but may have sought help from the Saudis.

"Sport in the kingdom is still largely known for boxing and horse racing," they said.

"With Al-Hilal involved in the Club World Cup, this helps establish the country as a footballing nation ahead of the World Cup in 2034, in a way that Qatar failed to do for 2022.

"Involvement in the Club World Cup may help tempt some players to join the Saudi Pro League. They'll be hoping it brings football to a wider public in their own country, and helps to tackle low attendances at some games."

It is notable that Saudi club Al-Ahli has already booked a place in the 2029 Club World Cup.

Sources close to the Saudi government told BBC Sport the country's investment is purely based on an opportunity for growth in a new market it can also benefit from, as it develops its own plansto use football to boost the economy, boost tourism and help modernise.

It says it fully concurs with Infantino's recent claim that if the US and Saudi Arabia could develop their football industries, and there was less reliance on European football, the sport's annual GDP could double to more than half a trillion dollars in economic impact.

Perhaps this helps explain why Fifa is reportedly already considering a 48-team Club World Cup in 2029 – in line with the expanded men's and women's World Cups.

"I think that concept could work, as long as the quality of the teams is high," says DAZN's Oliver.

That is not how player unions will see such a prospect, as they insist their members are already at breaking point.

Environmental campaign groups are also vehemently opposed to a competition that has gone from seven matches in a single city to 63 matches across 11 cities.

If nothing else, this Club World Cup could reveal just how much more expansion the game is capable of, and willing to accept.