It is believed the city did not meet the criteria set by the Commonwealth Games Federation and an announcement is expected later on Monday.

Durban was awarded the Games in 2015 as the only city to make a confirmed bid and it was to have been the first African host of the event.

Liverpool has expressed an interest in staging the 2022 edition.

The Games first took place in 1930 and are held every four years, featuring athletes from more than 50 countries, mostly former British colonies.

Last month, the South African sports minister Fikile Mbalula indicated the city may not be able to host the event because of financial constraints.

“We gave it our best shot but we can’t go beyond. If the country says we don’t have this money, we can’t,” he said.

A spokesperson for Liverpool city council said: “We had heard rumours that Durban might be unable to deliver the Commonwealth Games in 2022 and have already indicated to the government that we are very willing to host them instead.”

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Source: BBC

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Police stopped a vehicle between Durban and Pietermaritzburg at about midnight on Saturday and found Siwaphiwe Mbambo inside. Three people were detained.

Two suspects had allegedly car-jacked the mother’s vehicle outside a shopping centre, driving off with the baby.

The abduction sparked a huge media campaign and a search by 100 officers.

Police had recovered the mother’s abandoned Toyota Yaris in Montclair, southern Durban, at about 15:00 local time (13:00 GMT) on Friday.

But a spokesman for South African Marshall Security, Kyle van Reenen, said that the infant’s baby seat had been removed from the car.

KwaZulu-Natal police spokesman Lt-Col Thulani Zwane confirmed that the baby had been found at about midnight on Saturday.

Police were reportedly working on a lead when they stopped a vehicle at Mariannhill Toll Plaza.

Local media carried an image of the baby after her recovery.

Unconfirmed reports say the baby’s mother is one of those people detained.

The abduction shocked South Africa, with residents taking to Twitter to urge anyone with information to come forward.

The hashtag #HelpFindDurbanBaby was trending throughout Friday afternoon.

Car hijackings are common in South Africa, with many people installing tracking devices in their vehicles.

Last year, incidents in the country increased by 14.3% on the previous year, meaning that on average 40 cars were hijacked per day, according to the latest statistics.

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Source: BBC

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