Steven Gerrard suffered his first defeat in 13 games as Rangers manager as Celtic dominated the first Old Firm game of the season.

Rangers defended manfully but were undone just after the hour when Olivier Ntcham finished a stunning counter-attack for Brendan Rodgers’ side.

Celtic struck the woodwork four times as Rodgers extended his unbeaten Old Firm run to 12 games.

The result means Rangers have not won a league derby since March 2012.

And it leaves the Ibrox side seventh in the Scottish Premiership with just one win in four games, while Celtic move up to second – three points behind leaders Hearts.

Colossus McGregor keeps Rangers in it

This was a bombardment of the Rangers goal, a siege to rival any of the sieges Celtic laid down in this fixture last season when their dominance had its reward in buckets of goals.

Celtic eventually got their breakthrough after an hour but, Lord, how they threatened before that gorgeous counter-attack was finished off by Ntcham.

The visitors were fortunate early on when Allan McGregor, an utter colossus in the Rangers goal, escaped punishment when he flicked his boot into Kristoffer Ajer after the two fell to the turf in the six-yard box. That could have been a penalty. It could even have been a red card. It was neither.

Celtic drove on regardless. James Forrest had a long-range shot deflected on to McGregor’s crossbar. Within seconds, Mikael Lustig headed on to the bar. In the follow-up, Connor Goldson made a critical tackle on Callum McGregor.

It was relentless from Celtic. Kieran Tierney, terrific all day, swung in a cross for Odsonne Edouard, who should have scored. Instead, McGregor denied him.

That was a recurring theme. Early in the second half, the Rangers goalkeeper made a wondrous save from Ntcham, tipping his drive on to the crossbar. For a third time the woodwork was kind to Rangers.

The goal finally came when Tom Rogic, Edouard and Forrest counter-attacked and combined to cut open an incredibly dogged Rangers defence. Forrest’s cool pass across goal was turned in by Ntcham. Clinical.

Rangers called for a foul when Rogic robbed Ryan Jack of the ball. It was debatable, but their howls were lost in the bedlam that engulfed Celtic Park.

Lustig almost made it two with a glancing header soon after, but Rangers finally came out to play after that.

Craig Gordon saved from Alfredo Morelos, Kyle Lafferty headed past a post and James Tavernier shot wide. That Tavernier chance was a big opportunity to land an almighty sucker-punch, but he could not get his effort on target.

Celtic raise game & Rangers show strides – analysis

We turned up at Celtic Park wondering if our questions were gong to be answered. Could Celtic raise their game to meet the challenge of their much-changed city rivals? Unquestionably, they did. This was 1-0 going on a whole lot more. These have been difficult weeks for Celtic, but the thunder returned against Rangers.

Save for 10 minutes late in the game, Rangers were out-done. Celtic were excellent. They threw back their shoulders and delivered a performance of real substance.

There was another question, of course. Could Rangers get their act together after the humiliations in this stadium last season? Again, they did, but only in a defensive sense. They have a magnificent goalkeeper in McGregor, two redoubtable centre-backs, and lots of honesty and a pile of luck.

The final scoreline flattered them, no doubt about it. They need to find a lot more in attack if they are to kick on as title challengers. There is no questioning their togetherness and their spirit – huge strides have been made – but their wit going forward is still a work in progress.

They now have five points from a possible 12 in the league. One win from four. Gerrard has already done a lot, but has much yet to do.

Rodrigo Duterte has embarked on a visit to Israel, the first such trip by a Philippine president, as part of a regional tour that will also include a stop in Jordan.

The 73-year-old said on Sunday he would seek to re-affirm and renew relations with the two countries, where an estimated 76,000 Filipinos live and work.

“I leave today for landmark visits that underscore our vision for our country – a responsible member of the world community – a Philippines that is friend to all and an enemy to no one,” Duterte said before departing for Tel Aviv. 

While in Israel, Duterte will meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Reuven Rivlin, with defence, labour and tourism deals high the agenda.

Duterte is keen to improve security cooperation with Israel, which has sold the Philippines three radar systems and 100 armoured vehicles, and which Manila is now eyeing for an aircraft deal.

According to Israeli government data, exports to the Philippines were worth $143m in 2017.

“[The visit] is for President Duterte to look for an alternative market fo r… weapons for our armed forces as well as for the police,” Henelito Sevilla, an international relations expert at the University of the Philippines, told AFP news agency.

Duterte will also visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem and the Open Doors Monument, a memorial to Filipinos who saved Jews from Nazi persecution.

Known for his controversial turns of phrase, Duterte has compared the killings committed during his controversial anti-drugs war to the murder of Jews by German Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.

“Hitler massacred three million Jews. Now there are three million drug addicts [in the Philippines]. I’d be happy to slaughter them,” he said in 2017. Most mainstream historians say six million Jews died in the Holocaust.

Duterte, who took office in 2016, later apologised for his remarks, which he said were aimed at critics who had likened him to the Nazi leader.

Jerusalem vote

Late last year, the Philippines abstained from a vote at the United Nations General Assembly rebuking the US for moving its embassy to from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a controversial decision that sparked widespread international condemnation and large-scale protests.

Palestinian leaders see East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.

Duterte on Sunday expressed support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“We shall be guided by our constitution and laws as well as our international commitments in support of efforts and initiatives including the two-state solution,” he told reporters.

Israel’s foreign ministry said in a statement that it “assign(s) great importance to this visit, which symbolises the strong, warm ties between our peoples as well as the enormous potential for developing and strengthening the relations”.

Duterte will be in Israel until Wednesday, before going to Jordan until September 8. In Amman, he is expected to meet King Abdullah II. 

SOURCE: Al Jazeera and news agencies

I’m volunteering to handle Nick Saban’s apologies to reporters this season, so let’s get straight to the first one he owes.

 

Dear Maria Taylor,

Please accept Coach Saban’s apology for his rude behavior when you were simply doing your job as ESPN’s sideline reporter Saturday after Alabama’s 51-14 victory over Louisville.

We’d like to point out that Coach Saban has bullied a multitude of reporters, so please don’t be offended because you deserve far more respect than Coach Saban showed you.

We hope to see you again later in the season, but can’t guarantee you Coach Saban will be more civil.

Sincerely,

Coach Saban’s Official Apologizer

It was sadly predictable.

More: Winners and losers of college football’s Week 1 headlined by Maryland

After months of speculation about Alabama’s quarterback competition, Tua Tagovailoa got the start in the Crimson Tide’s season opener. He threw for 227 yards and two touchdowns on 12-of-16 passing and rushed for 26 yards and a touchdown on five carries.

Jalen Hurts, the starter last season, also played and threw for 70 yards on 5-of-9 passes and rushed for nine yards on three carries.

So after the game, during an on-field interview, ESPN’s Taylor asked the obvious question politely enough.

“What answers did you have after watching both of your quarterbacks play tonight?’’ she asked.

Saban started calmly enough.

“Well, I still like both guys. I think both guys are good players,” he replied, before his tone shifted. “I think both guys can help our team, all right? So why do you continually try to get me to say something that doesn’t respect one of them? I’m not going to. So quit asking.”

Taylor reacted Sunday morning on Twitter.

Saban’s behavior was downright bullying, and he threatened to do more at his postgame press conference.

“If I sound a little bit pissed, you’re right. I am,’’ Saban said, according to published reports. “So be careful.”

Actually, it’s Saban who better be careful. Never mind those six championships he’s won and talk of his being the greatest college football coach of all time. He’s also vying for All-Time Rudest Coach with reporters.

Fortunately for him, he’s got a volunteer this season to handle apologies on his behalf.

 

Premiership live: Newcastle Falcons 3-0 Saracens – BBC Sport

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A series of loud explosions from an airbase outside the Syrian capital, Damascus, was caused by an electrical fault, state media said, denying reports Israeli raids were behind the blasts.

The explosions, which occurred early on Sunday at the al-Mezzeh airbase on Damascus’ western outskirts, were heard across the city and were initially thought to be the result of an Israeli attack.

However, the Syrian state news agency SANA cited an unnamed military source who said there was no “Israeli aggression”.

“The explosions heard in Damascus were due to the explosion of an ammunition depot near the airport, which was caused by a short-circuit,” SANA reported.

The claim was repeated by an unnamed Iranian military official based in Syria, who was cited by Iran‘s state news agency IRNA as saying that the blast was caused by “an electrical short-circuit in an ammunition depot”.

According to SANA, there were no casualties at the scene. 

There was no immediate comment from Israeli authorities. 

AFP news agency’s correspondents in Damascus heard multiple blasts overnight, one of which lit up the sky in a deep red hue, but reported calm on Sunday morning.

The airbase houses Syrian Air Force intelligence and, in early 2017, the Syrian government accused its neighbour Israel of bombing the base.

Israel has previously acknowledged having carried out air raids in Syria, aimed at degrading the capacity of Iran and its allies, including Lebanon’s Shia Hezbollah group, which are backing President Bashar al-Assad in the country’s seven-year war.

In May, it said it attacked nearly all of Iran’s military infrastructure in Syria after Iranian forces fired rockets at Israeli-held territory for the first time in the most extensive military exchange ever between the two adversaries.

SOURCE: Al Jazeera and news agencies

Premier League live: Cardiff City v Arsenal, Watford v Tottenham Hotspur & Burnley v Manchester United – Live – BBC Sport

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Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has called on Iran’s armed forces to boost their defence capacities but ruled out chances of war breaking out.

On Saturday, Iran announced plans to increase its missile capacity and acquire modern fighter jets and submarines as part of efforts to expand its military.

The announcement came in the wake of a decision by the United States to withdraw from a multinational nuclear deal with Iran and reimpose sanctions against it.

“Ayatollah Khamenei emphasised that based on political calculations there is no likelihood of a military war but added that the armed forces must be vigilant … and raise their personnel and equipment capacities,” Khamenei’s official website quoted him as telling commanders of Iran’s air defence forces on Sunday.

Saturday’s news of the military development plans came a day after Tehran rejected a French call for negotiations on future nuclear plans, its ballistic missile arsenal and its role in ongoing regional conflicts. 

Earlier this week, Iranian lawyers asked the International Court of Justice to order the US to lift the sanctions, saying the measures – which are damaging Iran’s already weak economy – violate terms of a little-known 1955 friendship treaty between the two countries.

On Wednesday, in a meeting with President Hassan Rouhani and his cabinet, Khamenei warned that Iran might abandon its nuclear deal with world powers, casting doubt on the ability of European states to save the accord following the US withdrawal.

He said Iran “should give up hope on [Europe] over economic issues or the nuclear deal”, according to his website.

“The nuclear deal is a means, not the goal, and if we come to this conclusion that it does not serve our national interests, we can abandon it,” he was quoted as saying.

Iran would never negotiate with “indecent and confrontational” US officials on a new agreement, Khamenei added.

In August, Iran unveiled a new domestic fighter jet, reportedly the first to be “100-percent indigenously made”.

At the time, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the country’s military strength was designed to deter enemies and create “lasting peace”, adding it was also what deterred Washington from attacking it.

SOURCE: Al Jazeera and news agencies

Associated Press

Published 7:21 a.m. ET Sept. 2, 2018 | Updated 7:21 a.m. ET Sept. 2, 2018

Italian Grand Prix: Lewis Hamilton aims to beat Sebastian Vettel & Kimi Raikkonen – Live – BBC Sport

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At least six people were killed in a  bombing of a local government office building in Somalia‘s capital, Mogadishu, officials say.

The suicide attack on Sunday destroyed the building, causing a nearby school to collapse. Plumes of smoke were seen rising from the scene.

Three of the people killed in the blast were security forces who stopped the bomber from speeding through a checkpoint, Salah Hassan Omar, spokesperson for the Mogadishu administration, told reporters at the scene.

The attacker then detonated the explosive-laden vehicle near the gate of Hawlwadag district headquarters, Omar added.

The three others killed in the explosion were civilians, Omar added.

Fourteen people, including six children, were critically wounded, said the city’s ambulance service. Among the wounded was deputy district commissioner Ibrahim Hassan Matan.

Most of the wounded were young students from the nearby secondary school, according to officials. 

“I saw bodies strewn on the ground after the explosion before the ambulances and the paramedics reached the scene and the whole scene was very ugly,” witness Halima Mohamed told the Associated Press news agency. 

The blast also blew off the roof of a mosque and damaged homes nearby.

The armed group al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the attack, which shattered a period of calm in the seaside capital.

The al-Qaeda-linked group is fighting to overthrow the UN-backed government in Mogadishu.

SOURCE: Al Jazeera and news agencies