England’s problems increase as Phil Foden heads home due to family matter

26 June 2024 at 10:50

Foden has started all three of England’s Euro 2024 games
Unclear if 24-year-old will be back for Sunday’s last-16 tie

England’s problems have increased after Phil Foden flew home from the team’s base at Euro 2024 to attend to a “pressing family matter”.

Foden has started England’s three matches in Germany and it is unclear if the 24-year-old Manchester City player will be back with the squad by the time Gareth Southgate’s side play their last-16 tie in Gelsenkirchen on Sunday. England are hopeful he will be.

More details to follow …

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Constance Marten and Mark Gordon found guilty of two charges

The Guardian

Mabel Banfield-Nwachi and Caroline Davies

26 June 2024 at 10:20

Pair will face retrial over baby’s death after jury in previous trial was discharged at Old Bailey last week

Constance Marten and her partner, Mark Gordon, have been found guilty of concealing the birth of a child and perverting the course of justice after the body of their baby daughter was found following a high-profile search, it can now be reported.

Marten, 37, and Gordon, 50, had also faced charges of manslaughter by gross negligence and causing or allowing the death of a child, all of which they denied.

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Labour wants to create opportunities for all. Can its education pledges narrow the divide?

The Guardian

Sally Weale Education correspondent

26 June 2024 at 09:30

Lack of funds is a big issue in state schools, with experts wanting Labour to be bolder with its spending plans

UK election live – latest updates

Labour appears poised to win a historic election victory on 4 July. In the series Life under Labour, we look at Keir Starmer’s five key political missions, and ask what is at stake and whether he can implement the change the country is crying out for.

“It’s tough. It’s very, very tough,” says Glyn Potts, the headteacher at Newman Roman Catholic college in Oldham as he reflected on the challenges facing education in England.

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‘Culture embarrasses them’: how 14 years of Tory fiascos strangled arts in the UK

The Guardian

John Kampfner

26 June 2024 at 07:46

They came to power promising ‘a golden age for the arts’. Now, 12 disastrous culture secretaries later, they leave it in tatters. What a stunning missed opportunity to capitalise on an asset that was the envy of the world

The fishing industry contributes barely £1bn to the British economy. That is 0.03% of GDP. Put it another way: it is roughly equivalent in size to visual effects, a sub-category of a category of the creative industries.

Conservative ministers made repeated visits to the nation’s ports to extol the virtues of an almost moribund trade. By contrast, a sector that has been the fastest growing for two decades, that contributes more than £120bn, that in other countries would be seen as an essential component of the good society, was largely seen as an afterthought.

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England still stale against Slovenia but Austria look awesome – Football Daily

The Guardian

Presented by Max Rushden with Barry Glendenning， Philippe Auclair， Mark Langdon and Jacob Steinberg. Produced by Joel Grove and our executive producer is Danielle Stephens.

25 June 2024 at 18:35

Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Philippe Auclair, Mark Langdon and Jacob Steinberg as England labour their way to the top of Group C

Follow Football Weekly wherever you get your podcasts and join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and email.

On the podcast today: England are not creative enough, not positive enough … Gareth Southgate’s side again look poor as they draw 0-0 with Slovenia and somehow contrive to finish top of Group C. Is it one too many tournaments for the manager? Or is there still hope for the knockout stages?

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Islington Labour member arrested over alleged honeytrap plot, party confirms

The Guardian

Vikram Dodd and Eleni Courea

26 June 2024 at 06:58

Labour says man administratively suspended after Met inquiry into sexting scam targeting men in political circles

A Labour member in Islington has been arrested in connection with the Westminster honeytrap plot, the party has said.

The Metropolitan police confirmed they had detained a man, believed to be in his 20s, on Wednesday morning at an address in Islington, north London. He is being held on suspicion of harassment and offences under the Online Safety Act.

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Big Boat Stuck

MetaFilter

Fiasco da Gama

25 June 2024 at 22:22

A cargo ship travelling through Cambridgeshire has become stuck in a river.

Gareth Southgate claims England fans are creating ‘unusual environment’

The Guardian

Jacob Steinberg at Cologne Stadium

25 June 2024 at 19:00

Plastic beer cups thrown at manager after Slovenia draw
Southgate: ‘I understand the narrative towards me’

Gareth Southgate talked about being in “an unusual environment” after having plastic beer cups thrown at him by England fans and hearing his team booed off after their 0-0 draw with Slovenia on Tuesday night.

Although a point was enough for England to go through to last 16 as winners of Group C, the reaction in the stands at the Cologne Stadium was hardly complimentary after another ineffective attacking display against opponents ranked 57th in the world.

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Harry Kane paradox leaves England talisman grasping to find his former self | Jonathan Liew

The Guardian

Jonathan Liew at Cologne Stadium

25 June 2024 at 18:55

The captain is too good a passer to be left up front, too good a poacher to be a No 10 and not fit enough to do both

Around 48 minutes into this musty, vaguely icky game – a game that felt like it was a few weeks past its sell-by date, a game that came coated in a thin, unidentifiable layer of mildew – Bukayo Saka got the ball in England’s right channel and played a simple short pass into Harry Kane.

For all his current travails, the vagaries of form and fitness, Kane is nothing if not a fearsome striker of a football. When he really connects, as he did here, the ball simply explodes off his boot: all gunpowder and venom and pure, coiled power. Two problems. First, Kane was facing away from goal. Second, he wasn’t actually attempting a shot but, in fact, trying to bring the ball under control.

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England disappoint again but still top group after stalemate with Slovenia

The Guardian

David Hytner at Cologne Stadium

25 June 2024 at 17:13

It had been universally accepted that England needed a performance to reinvigorate their fans here in Germany after the toil of their opening Euro 2024 ties against Serbia and Denmark. One of the principal takeaways from a claustrophobic and emotional night was that the fans were certainly connected.

Moved to boo at the interval after a display that lacked bite, they raised the intensity in the second period, belting out their songs for almost the duration of it. There was something faintly heroic about their efforts. They got louder and louder because they believed that a goal was coming. And if they did not believe, they sang anyway, losing themselves in the moment, the occasion. Call it blind faith.

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‘Everyone adores him’: fans watch England’s Jude Bellingham in his home town

The Guardian

Jessica Murray Midlands correspondent

25 June 2024 at 16:15

Locals at the Green Duck in Stourbridge are fiercely proud of England’s star player

“They adore him. Everyone around here adores him. What he’s done, it’s absolutely ridiculous,” says 26-year-old football fan Kyle Jackson.

It’s nearly an hour before the kick-off in England’s final group game against Slovenia on Tuesday evening and the benches of the Green Duck Brewery in Stourbridge are already packed – and Jude Bellingham is the player everyone is waiting to watch.

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England v Slovenia: Euro 2024 – live

The Guardian

Rob Smyth

25 June 2024 at 15:52

Group C match in Cologne kicks off at 8pm (BST)
Denmark v Serbia – live with John Brewin

Conor presses really well and his forward running is an important asset. We think he can stretch them defensively and also win second balls in midfield.

We’ve spoken to the players about trying to win the ball higher, and then use it with more composure. We’ve been very honest about our assessment of our performances; we know there’s more to come. But we can talk all we like, we have to go and do it.

#ConnorGallagher is already trending. Come on England fans: if you’re gonna slag him off, at least show your support by spelling his name correctly.

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Labour silence could lead to re-election of disgraced Keith Vaz, mayor says

The Guardian

Rajeev Syal

25 June 2024 at 14:37

Peter Soulsby says party should be reminding Leicester East voters about sex and drug allegations against former MP

Keith Vaz could be re-elected as an MP because Labour is failing to highlight that he was disgraced in office amid drug and sex allegations, the Labour mayor of Leicester has said.

Peter Soulsby said he was “disappointed and frustrated” by his party’s complacency, which could allow the former Europe minister to win back his former seat of Leicester East.

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Taylor Swift donation enables Cardiff food bank to buy lorry full of supplies

The Guardian

Amelia Hill

25 June 2024 at 13:25

Charity says it has ‘breathing space’ after donation, as Liverpool food bank network also receives ‘incredible gift’

Taylor Swift has a convoy of at least 50 trucks for her Eras tour, and now her donations to food banks in every UK city in which she performs have enabled one charity to use a lorry of its own.

Thanks to a discreet donation by Swift – the largest donation by an individual that Cardiff Foodbank has ever received – the charity says it has the “breathing space” to try something different.

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From a plea deal to a 2am prison call: how Julian Assange finally gained freedom

The Guardian

Daniel Boffey in London and Daniel Hurst in Canberra

25 June 2024 at 12:40

A lawyer’s offer, a judgment that foretold years of legal wrangling, and diplomatic pressure all played a part in the release of the WikiLeaks founder

It was, as his friends described it, the “last kick of the British establishment”. At 2am on Monday, Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks, was woken in his small cell in the high-security Belmarsh prison, south-east London, and ordered to dress before being put in handcuffs.

It was the beginning of the end of Assange’s incarceration in Britain but it was going to be on his jailers’ terms.

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Stonehenge likely to be put on world heritage danger list over tunnel plan

The Guardian

Steven Morris

25 June 2024 at 12:16

Unesco officials recommend adding Wiltshire stone circle amid fears road scheme would compromise its integrity

Stonehenge is likely to be put on a list of world heritage sites that are in danger because of the plan to build a tunnel under the precious landscape.

Unesco officials have recommended adding the Wiltshire stone circle and the area around it to the list because of concerns that the tunnel would “compromise the integrity” of one of the Earth’s great prehistoric sites.

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Barclays and HSBC to cut fixed-rate mortgage deals

The Guardian

Rupert Jones

25 June 2024 at 09:12

Other lenders likely to follow suit as analysts say cuts of up to 0.31 percentage points could fuel ‘summer of savings’

Business live – latest updates

HSBC and Barclays are cutting rates on their fixed mortgage deals in what some brokers claim could be the start of a “summer of savings” for homebuyers and those looking to remortgage.

Barclays has reduced rates by more than 0.25 percentage points in some cases from Tuesday, and its cuts led to a quick response from HSBC, which said it would be cutting rates across its home loans range with effect from Wednesday.

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‘I hope he loses’: Jeremy Hunt facing uphill battle in Godalming as voters long for change

The Guardian

Rupert Neate

24 June 2024 at 08:37

Many describe Hunt as a good local MP but some are looking to tactical voting to punish the Conservatives

The beautiful Surrey Hills are well known for two things: a high concentration of some of the UK’s richest residents, who commute from the “stockbroker belt” to well-paying jobs in London, and some of the country’s most popular cycling routes.

The two combined on a recent chilly Saturday morning in a 100km bike ride that passed through the picturesque lanes of the newly created Godalming and Ash constituency. Most of the 10 riders from Velo Club Godalming Haslemere were happy to chat politics as they pedalled up (and down) 1,168 metres of the county’s steepest hills on customised carbon-fibre racing bikes, some of which cost more than a family car.

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Will sewage in the Thames hurt the Tories? The view from Henley and Thame – video

The Guardian

Maeve Shearlaw， Christopher Cherry and Jem Talbot

11 June 2024 at 09:58

In the run-up to July's general election, the Guardian video team is touring the UK looking at the issues that matter to voters. After swimmers and rowers fell sick from sewage discharges into the River Thames we went to the seat of Henley and Thame to see how environmental concerns rank for voters in a seat that has been Conservative for more than 100 years

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Craig Wright Is Not Bitcoin Creator Satoshi Nakamoto, Court Rules

NYT: Technology

David Yaffe-Bellany

21 May 2024 at 16:39

For years, Craig Steven Wright, an Australian cryptocurrency enthusiast, claimed to be Satoshi Nakamoto, the mysterious creator of Bitcoin. Then the courts got involved.

Craig Steven Wright, center, arriving at High Court in London, where he was sued over his claim that he invented Bitcoin under the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto.

The Northern Lights Forecast in the U.K.

NYT: Science

Isabella Kwai

18 May 2024 at 11:49

Sightings of the aurora borealis are unlikely in the U.K. this weekend, but the northern lights could return on Monday, forecasters said.

The northern lights near High Pike, England, early on Saturday.

Hilary Cass Says U.S. Doctors Are ‘Out of Date’ on Youth Gender Medicine

NYT: Science

Azeen Ghorayshi

13 May 2024 at 11:10

Dr. Hilary Cass published a landmark report that led to restrictions on youth gender care in Britain. U.S. health groups said it did not change their support of the care.

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