Bebe Rexha sent Drake a shot. And he didn't respond.
Grammy-nominated singer revealed in a new episode of Angie Martinez's IRL podcast how she tried to hook up with the rapper in the wake of his popular 20v1 speed-dating live stream last month, but remained unanswered.
"I'm your dream girl, I'm Albanian, I got a fat a**, I got my own thing going on, and I don't even think he saw it or he saw it and just ignored it," Rexha said.
In this episode, released on September 10th, she shared details of her path from NYC songwriter to recording artist in Los Angeles, and her collaboration with country icon Dolly Parton on their duet "Seasons."
The singer thinks Drake might have been spoiled too much by his ex-girlfriends to be interested in someone else. As is known, the rapper had a romance with Rihanna, whose famous hits included such duets with Drake as "What's My Name?" and "Work."

#rexha #singer #bebe

Matchroom Boxing's CEO has highlighted a problem in the ongoing talks between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury, with their super-fight at risk of collapsing.
This year, British heavyweights Joshua and Fury signed to fight each other at long last, five years after they previously signed a deal that fell through. Once again, however, a problem has arisen.
Joshua's contract is for a clash in the UK, while Fury's contract is flexible on location. Fury and certain key figures are pushing for a 20 November showdown in New York City, while "AJ" is digging in his heels in hopes of boxing at Wembley Stadium.
Anthony Joshua (left) with Kristian Prenga after beating the Albanian (Getty)
And Matchroom's Frank Smith has pointed to an issue with the "narrative" around the negotiations, while speaking to Playbook Boxing – powered by Betway.

#fury #boxing #contract #matchroom

The Italian edition of Vogue might not hold the prestige that it once did under the late great Franca Sozzani, but that doesn't stop Francesca Ragazzi from dropping covers starring a bevy of buzz-worthy talent. After all, names like Vittoria Ceretti, Madonna, Bella Hadid, and Sabrina Carpenter have graced the cover of the Italian fashion bible of late. Next up on the cover of Vogue Italia is Dua Lipa, who graces the September 2026 issue of the magazine. The British-Albanian singer-songwriter makes her Italian Vogue debut via the lens of the photographer Carlijn Jacobs. Shot on location in New York, the Grammy Award-winning star is styled by Imruh Asha, dripping in diamonds and rubies from Bulgari.
IMAGE | VOGUE.IT
"WOW! Love," expressed newton91 immediately upon checking out the cover.
"I am not a fan of closed eye covers but there is something about this one. I like it," MModa confessed.
"Dolce & Gabbana Sicilian widow vibes!" described BalkaniStaCouture. "I like it!"

#like #cover

Derby are keen on a loan move for West Brom and Republic of Ireland winger Mikey Johnston, 27, and Ipswich and Albania attacking midfielder Anis Mehmeti, 25. (Alan Nixon, via subscription)
Want more transfer news from the EFL? Take a look at Monday's gossip column here.
[BBC]

#derby #brom #ipswich #albania

So often, sport moves cyclically. Barely two weeks ago, Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury showed in no uncertain terms, through waned performances in faraway lands, that they are at the end. And with that, fans have found themselves firmly at the end of their tethers when it comes to a once-alluring, long-elusive, and now painfully late heavyweight clash. Then this week brings the news that their compatriot, the unbeaten 21-year-old Moses Itauma, will box on home soil in Britain for the chance to become the youngest heavyweight champion since Mike Tyson. It is just the beginning.
In some ways, Itauma's fight with Filip Hrgovic feels like an antithesis to Joshua vs Fury, but either way, it is certainly an antidote.
Moses Itauma, 21, is unbeaten and is about to fight for a world ***** le (Getty)
Joshua and Fury will enter their fight at 36 and 37 years old respectively. Both are former two-time world champions, each well past his peak. Joshua showed this in needing to climb off the canvas twice in the first round against the unknown Kristian Prenga, before stopping the Albanian in round two in Saudi Arabia.
It must be said, however, that Joshua's ability to haul his hulking frame from some desperate nowhere demands admiration, and it felt a physical mirror of his emergence from an emotional oblivion in the last eight months, following the deaths of his teammates in a car crash that "AJ" himself survived.

#tyson #moses #showed

Nedim Bajrami is expected to leave Rangers in the coming days, with a return to Italian football emerging as the most likely destination for the 27-year-old Albania winger. (Inside Ibrox)
Leicester City and Swansea City are leading the race to sign John Souttar, with the 29-year-old Scotland centre-half certain to end his four years with Rangers. (Rangers Review)
Rangers and Cardiff City face serious competition for Tromso midfielder Jens Hjerto-Dahl, with Hull City now very interested in the 20-year-old. (Rune Robertsen on X)
Trabzonspor are to make a transfer bid of a one-season loan with an £8.6m purchase option for Besiktas winger Vaclav Cerny, the 28-year-old who spent a year on loan with Rangers. (MyNet)
League One club Luton Town have held talks with Rangers over a move for 23-year-old winger Ross McCausland. (Rangers Review)

#year #italian

Lazio consider AC Milan centre-forward Santiago Gimenez as a priority target, even though signing the Mexican remains a tall order.
The 25-year-old has been on the Aquile's shortlist since his time at Feyenoord. The striker ended up joining Milan on a €30 million deal in January 2025, but has been enduring difficult times at San Siro. Following the arrival of Goncalo Ramos from Paris Saint-Germain, Gimenez may have become surplus to requirements at Ruben Amorim's court. But can Lazio seize the opportunity?
In recent weeks, reports in Italy and England have linked the Biancocelesti with Armando Broja. The 24-year-old is an Albanian striker who rose through the ranks at Chelsea, but is now coming off a disappointing campaign at Burnley. He only scored a single goal in 24 Premier League appearances.
According to Sky Sport Italia journalist Gianluca Di Marzio, Broja might be on Lazio's watchlist, but Angelo Fabiani and company aren't keen to sign the Albanian international. Instead, they prefer to wait for more enticing opportunities to arise in the coming weeks, especially Gimenez, a profile well-admired by Gennaro Gattuso.
Italian journalist Alfredo Pedulla also confirms Lazio's interest in the Mexican international, but notes that the operation remains difficult, as the capital side would have to overcome several hurdles.

#broja

Anthony Joshua returns to the ring this weekend, as he boxes Kristian Prenga in a warm-up bout for his super-fight with Tyson Fury.
Joshua will face the Albanian, who is a relative unknown, in the Briton’s first fight since surviving a fatal car crash in December, which claimed the lives of two of his teammates.
That accident in Nigeria occurred 10 days after Joshua stopped YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in Miami, a fight that “AJ” knows was not a comprehensive gateway to his all-British showdown with Fury.
So, 36-year-old Joshua (29-4, 26 KOs) will first face Prenga (20-1, 20 KOs), one night after Fury’s warm-up against Mariusz Wach. Joshua vs Fury is then due in late 2026, with a November date rumoured for Wembley Stadium – provided the fight takes place in the early hours of the morning, apparently.
Before then, on the Joshua vs Prenga undercard, British stars Hamzah Sheeraz and Josh Kelly will put their world **** les on the line. Here’s all you need to know:

#british #kristian

AS Roma star Marash ******* bulla is a man in-demand in Spain with a view to the 2026/27 campaign. This comes amid the understanding that all of Levante, Rayo Vallecano and Elche are keen on the defender's signature.
Kumbulla for his part spent each of the last two seasons plying his trade in La Liga, first with Espanyol, and then RCD Mallorca.
And despite the latter stint having proven a largely disappointing one, the Albanian's reputation appears to remain very much intact in Spain's top-flight.
As per a report from transfer market insider Matteo Moretto, amid respective searches for reinforcements at the back this summer:
'Rayo Vallecano, Levante, and Elche have inquired about Marash ******* bulla.'

#kumbulla #rayo #roma #liga

(This July 11 story has been repeated with no changes to the text.)
By Fatos Bytyci and Edward McAllister
TIRANA, July 11 (Reuters) - A Miami-based businessman wanted in Albania for allegedly laundering drug money is suspected of faking the deeds to land where Jared Kushner wants to build a multi-billion-dollar resort, the country's organised crime-fighting agency said in case files reviewed by Reuters.
The businessman, Artur Shehu, denies all accusations against him, said his lawyer, Kujtim Cakrani, who confirmed that Albanian prosecutors had issued a warrant seeking ‌Shehu's arrest for laundering money for drug gangs.
The case files accuse Shehu and ******* ociates of trafficking South American cocaine into European ports, and laundering the funds by using them to establish a real estate empire, including with falsified land-ownership documents.

Two world-title fights have been added to the undercard of Anthony Joshua’s next bout, as the British heavyweight faces Kristian Prenga on 25 July.
Joshua will take on Prenga in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in a warm-up fight for his long-awaited clash with Tyson Fury, which will take place at an as-yet-unknown date – potentially at Wembley Stadium in London.
Joshua, 36, will fight Albanian Prenga one night after Fury’s own warm-up bout, a contest with Mariusz Wach in Thailand.
And Joshua vs Prenga has solid support in the form of two world-title fights at the Jeddah Superdome, as Hamzah Sheeraz and Josh Kelly star on the undercard.
Sheeraz, 27, will defend the WBO super-middleweight ***** le against Simon Zachenhuber, having won the vacant belt in his most-recent outing – a second-round stoppage of Alem Begic in May, on the undercard of Oleksandr Usyk’s victory over Rico Verhoeven at the pyramids of Giza in Egypt.

By Fatos Bytyci and Edward McAllister
TIRANA, July 11 (Reuters) - A Miami-based businessman wanted in Albania for allegedly laundering drug money is suspected of faking the deeds to land where Jared Kushner wants to build a multi-billion-dollar resort, the country's organised crime-fighting agency said in case files reviewed by Reuters.
The businessman, Artur Shehu, denies all accusations against him, said his lawyer, Kujtim Cakrani, who confirmed that Albanian prosecutors had issued a warrant seeking Shehu's arrest for laundering money for drug gangs.
The case files accuse ‌Shehu and ******* ociates of trafficking South American cocaine into European ports, and laundering the funds by using them to establish a real estate empire, including with falsified land-ownership documents.
"Nothing that has been alleged regarding Mr. Artur Shehu's character is true. He is neither a ‌drug trafficker nor a forger of property documents," Cakrani said.

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — A massive demonstration was held for the 35th night in a row in Albania's capital on Saturday, with protesters calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama, the temporary replacement of his government, constitutional reform and an end to corruption.
Media images showed tens of thousands of people marching along Tirana's main boulevard toward Skanderbeg Square. There has been no independent verification of the number of protesters.
The nightly demonstrations began over a luxury coastal resort development project in a protected natural area linked to U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, but have since evolved into broader anti-government and anti-corruption protests. The protesters were chanting "New Albania" and "Edi Rama, resign."
The march was heavy on symbolism. A tall bust of Rama was erected and later toppled with the help of a rope, a gesture reminiscent of the February 1991 toppling of the statue of longtime communist dictator Enver Hoxha, an event commemorated on Feb. 20 each year. Since Saturday's protest coincided with Rama's 62nd birthday, some protesters carried "birthday cakes" made of cement, an allusion to the building projects. There was also an ironic "happy birthday" song for Rama.
Some protesters carried pink flamingo balloons, a reference to the birds supposedly threatened by the resort construction project. The demonstrations have long been dubbed "the pink flamingo revolution."

Tyson Fury has announced details of his final tune-up fight before facing Anthony Joshua , revealing a clash against veteran Polish heavyweight Mariusz Wach in Pattaya , Thailand .
The bout, to be shown on Netflix , will take place on Friday July 24, which is just 24 hours before Joshua takes on unknown Albanian Kristian Prenga in his own warm-up fight in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Should everything go to plan in those two contests, boxing fans will finally get the long-awaited showdown between the two best British heavyweight boxers of their generation when Fury and AJ face off in a blockbuster event in the latter stages of 2026 , having agreed terms earlier this year.
Wach does have more of a track record then Prenga and fought for a world heavyweight ******* le against Wladimir Klitschko – impressing as he took the Ukrainian great the distance before losing a unanimous decision for the first defeat of his career.
However, that fight was way back in 2012 and the 6ft 7in Pole is now 46 years old, having dropped from a 27-0 record before facing Klitschko to now being 39-13.

Jet Bank has started operating as a digital-only bank in Albania and has released its mobile application.
The lender is licensed and supervised by the Bank of Albania.
It received its banking licence in March 2026 as a newly established institution rather than through an acquisition and began operations a few months later.
The bank technology platform was built entirely on Backbase's AI-native Banking OS.
The bank was developed without legacy code, with a team of 70 professionals completing the work in six months.

While Kansas City Current prepares to fight for the Challenge Cup on Friday, they announced today the signing of goalkeeper Kaylin Williams-Mosier to a short-term contract.
The goalkeeper was seen at the beginning of February training with the club's first team and has been playing for the Kansas City Current II, the Current's second team, which serves for player development.
Back in 2022, Williams-Mosier played for the Albanian club KFF Vllaznia and she had the chance to participate in the UEFA Women's Champions League after the club became the first one in the country to qualify for such competition.
The Current hasn't revealed the length of her contract yet.

Wales will have to beat Albania and then either Romania or Norway in successive two-legged play-off ties if they are to reach the 2027 Women's World Cup.
Rhian Wilkinson's side were in the same group as Albania in their qualifying campaign - winning 4-0 in Wrexham and 1-0 away from home.
Wales, who topped League B Group 1 ahead of the Czech Republic, will be away in the first leg of round one before hosting the Albanians - who finished third in the group - in the second leg.
Should they win that tie on aggregate, Wales will then play the winners of the match between Romania and Norway, who are managed by former Wales boss Gemma Grainger.
Wilkinson's side will be away from home in the second leg should they make it through to round two.

The world of celebrity real estate is a heady place, one that is filled with glittering megamansions, luxury developments, and buzz-worthy listings. But there is also a much darker side to this gleaming industry, one plagued by scandal, backlash, and a very hefty dose of uproar.
In recent years, there has been no shortage of headlines about these dramas, the most recent of which centers around first daughter Ivanka Trump's plans to build a $1.4 billion resort on an island in Albania, a project that has sparked furious protests among locals.
Together with her husband, Jared Kushner, Ivanka is aiming to transform Sazan, a former Soviet weapon's base, into a 10,000-room hotel, complete with every high-end amenity the richest and most privileged travelers could ever imagine.
But the plans have been met with outrage from the people of Albania, who have turned out in the thousands to protest the development in recent days.
However, the couple are far from the only high-profile figures to have found themselves at the center of a real estate scandal, instead joining the likes of pop star Katy Perry, rapper Kanye West, and developer Mohamed Hadid, all of whom have courted controversy with their own property moves in recent years.

RRJOLL, Albania, June 13 (Reuters) - Some 200 protesters on Saturday tore down metal and razor wire fences surrounding a ‌luxury development site on Albania's Adriatic coast, in another ‌sign of growing anger against construction in environmentally sensitive areas.
Albanians have been protesting for weeks against a planned luxury resort backed by a company linked to Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump, near Vlora, which is famed for its flamingos and a turtle nesting ‌site.
On Saturday, villagers from ⁠Rrjoll, located in an area of sandy beaches and pine forests in northwestern Albania, protested against another ⁠project not linked to Kushner, saying it was being built on their confiscated land.
They waved Albanian national flags and shouted "Revolution" as they tore down the fences. Some scuffles with police broke out but the police ‌did not stop them from removing the fencing.
"The protests will not stop until the residents of the village of Rrjoll are compensated. We are 200 families whose land has been seized," said Zeke Nikolle Shullani, 56, one of the landowners who have been ‌protesting for several months.

England boss Thomas Tuchel believes fit again star Jude Bellingham heads into the World Cup in his “sweet spot”.
The relationship between the Real Madrid midfielder and his national team manager has been under the spotlight since the German coach admitted last June that his mother found some of his on-field antics “repulsive”.
Tuchel apologised for that remark before overlooking him for October’s camp and facing questions about recalled Bellingham’s reaction to being substituted in November’s final World Cup qualifier in Albania.
An injury ruled the 22-year-old out of the March friendlies, yet he spent that time with England doing rehabilitation on a frustrating hamstring issue that may end up boosting their quest for World Cup glory.
Tuchel handed Bellingham the captain’s armband for the second half of Saturday’s scrappy 1-0 warm-up friendly against New Zealand in Tampa and said: “You can see Jude has for sure the decisiveness and bite.