i'm gavin ramjaun. the battle of the noisy neighbours as england and wales are drawn together for next summer's european championship england's women are brilliant with the ball in bloemfontein as they take control in their one off test against south africa. and show me the money. for the first time in history, the us ryder cup team will be paid to compete. hello there, and welcome along to the programme. less than 200 days to go until the women's european championship begins. and on monday — the 16 teams competing could begin to see their path to the final as the group stages were drawn. it was the final group that provided the biggest talking point as defending champions england were not only drawn against one of the other favourites, france but also the 2017 champions the netherlands and their neighbours wales who are debuting at the tournament

for the very first time. we have a very interesting, exciting group. it is a bit the same as the nation �*s group, very tough, very exciting. for us, july five will start. just a word on _ us, july five will start. just a word on wheels - us, july five will start. just a word on wheels as - us, july five will start. just a word on wheels as well. a word on wheels as well playing _ a word on wheels as well playing in their first major tournament, going to be an awful— tournament, going to be an awful lot _ tournament, going to be an awful lot of emotion between england and wales. i suppose that they have nothing to lose, how do — that they have nothing to lose, how do you approach that game? a bit_ how do you approach that game? a bit too— how do you approach that game? a bit too early how we approach that game. of course we always approach the game as the same but first of all, congratulations to them, qualifying for the first time in history which is amazing and great and. the lively, and a nice way when we go out on the

pitch and i am looking forward to that game as well. people will write us off in that _ game as well. people will write us off in that group. _ game as well. people will write us off in that group. which - game as well. people will write us off in that group. which is i us off in that group. which is fine — us off in that group. which is fine i— us off in that group. which is fine i wish_ us off in that group. which is fine. i wish them the best with that _ fine. i wish them the best with that i— fine. i wish them the best with that. i know who we are. i know the people _ that. i know who we are. i know the people we are and players we are — the people we are and players we are in_ the people we are and players we are in a group we are and what— we are in a group we are and what we_ we are in a group we are and what we stand for and i know going — what we stand for and i know going into this tournament and we are — going into this tournament and we are going to go into that group _ we are going to go into that group. am i going to show everybody kind of what team we are. well, group a has a very nordic feel to it with norway, iceland and finland drawn together — alongside the hosts switzerland who are hoping they'll be able to get out of the group stages at the third time of asking. their head coach can't wait to get started. it is an incredible feeling. when i was coaching sweden in 2013 it was one of my best years. you not only coach two

times 45 minutes, everybody is into this. you have the big crowds and you spread the word and it is unique. i am the lucky one who had the chance to do it twice. i will enjoy every single time. it is going to be a great championships, it is my initial reaction _ championships, it is my initial reaction. for us personally to be planes _ reaction. for us personally to be planes with land in the opening game is very special. i khow— opening game is very special. i know these championships will be special building on the back of 2022~ — be special building on the back of 2022. looking forward to it. the women's game is taking steps — the women's game is taking steps both on and off the pitch and as— steps both on and off the pitch and as a — steps both on and off the pitch and as a coach i am hugely passionate about that. i want the game to keep taking steps and that— the game to keep taking steps and that is what this will do, the prize _ and that is what this will do, the prize money has doubled, i don't _ the prize money has doubled, i don't use — the prize money has doubled, i don't use the comparison to the men's _ don't use the comparison to the men's game. we are a very separate — men's game. we are a very separate game and i want the test— separate game and i want the best of— separate game and i want the best of the game, if we keep taking — best of the game, if we keep taking steps forward and i am happy. — there's a very southern european feel to group b, with spain, portugal and italy

all drawn together, alongside belgium. world champions spain are highly tipped to be the team to beat in switzerland so are they ready to cope with the pressure? translation: i think they are stron: translation: i think they are strong rivals. _ translation: i think they are strong rivals. each _ translation: i think they are strong rivals. each team - translation: i think they are strong rivals. each team has i strong rivals. each team has its own strategy and everybody is preparing to beat spain and now more and more we are going to analyse what they are doing and still have games against them that will give us more information and be well prepared for the euros. i think the team knows its own capacity and has the confidence but we know it's a game and it is football possibly compete to win but now what we have to do is work hard to take care of all the details that will leave us best prepared for the opening game and it means preparing well in advance for the nations leg. i would not talk about pressure but rather it is the top level tournament and we are prepared to win.

group c is another competitive one with the finalists from two years ago, germany, drawn against former winners sweden. there's another tournament newcomer, in poland — who'll face neighbours there too in germany with denmark completing the group. translation: it is a challenging - translation: it is a challenging group. i l translation: it is a - challenging group. i think of all attempt to qualify for this year that have a chance and quality to make it to the knockout stages. therefore we have to be very focused on the task from the first game onwards because i think the individual quality of the other three teams are also very high. well, off the pitch, it was a big day for spanish football as well as rafael louzan was elected as new president of the spain football federation. louzan was a member of the executive committee since december 2019 but was banned by the pontevedra provincial council from holding public office for seven years. louzan was allowed to run after appealing to spain's supreme court and will now serve a term of four years. translation: today we had a treat translation: today we had a

great victory — translation: today we had a great victory and _ translation: today we had a great victory and i _ translation: today we had a great victory and i hope - translation: today we had a great victory and i hope this i great victory and i hope this is not a victory for myself but great victory for spanish football. that needs us to start working together, all of us starting now for the sake of our football. us starting now for the sake of ourfootball. we us starting now for the sake of our football. we are an example for the world and therefore we deserve representatives up to the task. i intend to be the head of the team up this task. austria striker guido burgstaller has had his skull fractured, after being attacked in the centre of the country's capital. according to his club side rapid vienna. they added he's now expected to be out of action for several months after suffering the serious head injury at the weekend. he was attacked by an "unknown man" and was examined at the scene, before being taken to hospital, where he will remain for the next few days. staying in austria and red bull salzburg have sacked their head coach pepijn lijnders. the club sit fifth in the league — 10 points behind leaders sturm graz and are struggling to progress in the champions league. the job was lijnders' first since he left his assistant manager role at liverpool —

working alongsidejurgen klopp. in italy's serie a, it was a humiliating night for lazio as they were thumped 6—0 by inter milan — who are nowjust three points behind leaders atalanta but they do have a game in hand. it was a much closer match in the english premier league as bournemouth drew 1—1 with west ham. the away side thought they won it with a late penalty from lucas paqueta, but a stoppage time stunner from enes unal made sure the points were shared. we have to take the point especially when they just scored the second golf is a probably with the second half performance we were closer to wind them them but we could not do it in the end. england women's cricketers are looking to build a big lead, in their one off test against south africa. the hosts resumed on 17 without loss on day two in bloemfontein but england performed well with the ball, bowling south africa out for 281. england taking the final five wickets for just 22 runs. that gave them a lead of 114 which was extended to 145 by the close of play as england closed on 31—1 at stumps.

there'll be a moment of history at next year's ryder cup as members of the us team will be paid to play for the first time in the 98—year history of the competition. the 12 players will each receive $500,000 with 300,000 of that donated to a charity or charities chosen by each member of the team. the pga of america, which organises the event, approved the package despite saying "no players asked to be compensated". and we've only had two days of the world darts championship but there's already been a big shock in the opening round. four time semi finalist, and 16th seed james wade is out. he was beaten 3—0 byjermaine wattimena of the netherlands — a player ranked 20 places below wade. he could play the two time world champion peter wright next — he plays his first round match on tuesday. and finally — elite sport funding body uk sport, says it'll invest a record 330 million in britain's 0lympic and paralympic sports for the 2028 games in los angeles. more than 50 sports will benefit including

the five new sports. baseball/softball, flag football, lacrosse, para—climbing and squash. however athletics and canoeing are two of the sports that has seen their funding cut following their performance at the paris games this summer. it is not a reward, not a punishment. we look at what is the athlete cohort the next cycle and what is it a support needs and what is the potential of the athletes they have got? the decision we made against other sport is we looked at their potential and uk athletics will receive in excess of £30 million for the olympic and paralympic programmes and we believe it will put them in a great place to support athletes in the lead up to support athletes in the lead up to la. a reminder of our top story before we go. the draw for next summer's european championship has been made where defending champions england will face france, the netherlands

and debutants wales. world champions spain will be able to win back to back major titles — they face portugal, belguim and italy. elsewhere germany face poland, denmark and sweden while the hosts switzerland have been drawn alongside norway, iceland and finland. there's plenty more on all those stories on the bbc sport website — that's www.bbc.co.uk/sport but from me and the rest of the team at the bbc sport centre, hello there. it's been a mild start to the week. temperatures at swanage in dorset on monday reached 13 celsius.

it'll be mild on tuesday as well, but again, there'll be a lot of cloud around. we're on the warmer side of thejet stream, and that's why we've got these higher temperatures, there's the position of the jet stream, it's to the north of the uk, so we're on the warmer side of that. but along a weather front, we've seen a lot of rain in the northern highlands, that's moving away, but this area of low pressure will bring some wetter weather back in to the north and west of the uk. so on tuesday, it looks like scotland and northern ireland will be cloudy, and there'll be some rain from time to time. england and wales looking mostly dry, again, there'll be a lot of cloud around, limited sunshine. and we're more likely to see a little rain into these western areas of england and wales, especially later on in the day as the wind picks up. a southerly wind will be freshening through the day, but at least it is drawing in milderair. those temperatures will be 11—12 celsius. temperatures won't drop very much on tuesday night, because it'll be windy, this area of low pressure passing to the north of scotland

will bring with it some rain as well. most of that rain should have cleared by wednesday morning, and we'll see some sunshine following in scotland and northern ireland, and a few showers. now, it could brighten up across the midlands and some eastern parts of england, but then the cloud increases and we see some heavier rain coming into wales and the southwest on wednesday afternoon. still mild for england and wales, temperatures 12—13 celsius, chillier, though, with that sunshine in scotland and northern ireland, 8—9 celsius here. for england and wales, though, on wednesday night, there'll be a spell of heavier rain, that should tend to move away. with that rain having cleared away by thursday morning and the position of the jet stream changing, we'll then be in colder air on thursday. we'll have a northwesterly wind blowing in a mixture of sunshine, but also some showers, most of those in the north and west, and they could even be a bit wintry over the hills especially in northern scotland. but at least there'll be more sunshine around on thursday,

even if it'll feel chillier in that breeze, temperatures will be 6—9 celsius. and thursday night could be the coldest night of the week ahead. there's a risk of frost, a touch of frost in that colder air before the atlantic air returns later on in the week, and that brings the chance of some more cloud and some more rain from the west.

live from singapore, this is bbc news. syria's former president bashar al—assad says he never intended to flee to russia in what's thought to be his first statement since losing power. we have a special report from syria's streets with members of the rebel group now in charge. an alleged chinese spy with links to britain's prince andrew is officially named as china rejects the spying accusations as baseless.

and south korea's constitutional court gives president yoon one week to answer questions, as his impeachment trial approaches. welcome to newsday. we start with the latest on syria. bashar al assad, who was forced out of power a week ago, has issued what appears to be his first statement since he left the country. in what is believed to be a telegram post from moscow, the statement explains how he left after rebels took over, and that he never intended to seek refuge in russia. it's not certain that the post was written by him. here's our russia editor steve rosenberg.

where is bashar al—assad ?