“‘We will retain Amorim even if we do not win the Big Vase’ (more alarming when they play Spurs) is not a statement that boosts someone’s confidence, does it?” says Krishnamoorthy V. “What must one old Scot be thinking these days? Should he come back for an encore?”
He’s probably thinking: ‘You think this lot are bad, you should have seen my team in 1989-90.’ I can’t get away from the fact that, had modern values prevailed in the late 1980s, Alex Ferguson would have won precisely no trophies at Manchester United, and he’d probably still be plain old Alex Ferguson. We’ve all gone mad. I went mad in 2006 so I can’t really criticise anyone.
Jim on what the Spurs line-up tells us about next week’s final:
The front line for Spurs today is interesting. I think Tel may be playing as the striker with Son as a number 10. With Kulusevski out it’s not clear who will fill in for Madison on Wednesday, and any of Tel, Son, or Odobert could be auditioning for that role this evening.
Rashford will not be playing any part in Villa’s last two games this season, just like last season at VeryOld Trafford, but he remains a constant source of fascination for fans and neutrals, an enigma wrapped in clouds of doubt and uncertainty. If only he could deliver on the pitch as he has on the social level, let’s not forget, he shamed a government and became an overnight people-person. We all think of him as a 22-year-old with chin fuzz and great attitude, he’s nearly 28 and should be in the prime of his life, but here he is, struggling for identity, form and a club. We all want him to be brilliant/the new Harry Kane for England, but time may run out on the lad before he gets to realise his potential. Whatever, 3-0 Villa, despite their protests about the game brought forward …
UTV. Hear that Yara? Listen carefully …. Squeaky bum time. In a season of massive games for us this is yet another. Enjoy the match.
Rightwing lawmakers say president’s bill – centered on tax cuts and funding deportations – doesn’t make enough cuts
Rightwing lawmakers derailed Donald Trump’s signature legislation in the House of Representatives on Friday, preventing its passage through a key committee and throwing into question whether Republicans can coalesce around the massive bill.
The party has spent weeks negotiating a measure dubbed the “one big, beautiful bill” that would extend tax cuts enacted during Trump’s first term, fund mass deportations of undocumented immigrants, and temporarily make good on his campaign promise to end the taxation of tips and overtime. To offset its costs, Republicans have proposed cuts to the federal safety net, including Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
Fifa president accompanied US president in Middle East
Human Rights Watch wants ‘meaningful accountability’
Gianni Infantino should account for his trip alongside Donald Trump to the Gulf this week and “detail precisely what it achieved for football and human rights”, according to a leading critic of Fifa’s governance.
Human Rights Watch says that Infantino’s trip, in which he accompanied the US president to Qatar and Saudi Arabia and missed a series of key meeting at Fifa’s annual congress, was indicative of the lack of “meaningful accountability” at the top of football’s global authority.
Europe and Kyiv are showing increasing deftness and coordination, but Mr Trump is an unfriendly audience
The first direct talks between Russia and Ukraine for three years should have been a momentous occasion. Since 2022, Russian war crimes have only deepened the chasm between them. Yet Donald Trump, who demanded this meeting, underlined that it was largely a charade when he told reporters: “Nothing’s going to happen until Putin and I get together.” It made plain that Russia felt no pressure to cooperate.
While difficult negotiations often begin on easier terrain, the agreement of a mass prisoner swap looked like a discrete achievement. The real significance of the Istanbul talks lay less in their substance than the messages sent by their existence and attendance list.
Commercial law firm was founded in Liverpool in 1810
‘One of the largest stadium naming rights deals in Europe’
Everton’s new home at Bramley-Moore dock will be known as Hill Dickinson Stadium, the club has announced, after a naming rights deal with the commercial law firm.
Everton have been seeking a naming rights partner for their £800m stadium for some time and had hoped to attract a blue-chip company to their impressive development on the banks of the Mersey. They have signed a long-term deal with Hill Dickinson, which was founded in Liverpool in 1810 and has expanded into Europe and Asia in recent years.
Tove Jansson’s magical stories provide a message of tolerance, inclusivity and hope amid today’s refugee crisis
All Moomin fans will recognise the turreted blue house that is home to the family of gentle, upright‑hippo‑like creatures. The stove-shaped tower is a symbol of comfort and welcome throughout the nine Moomin novels by the celebrated Nordic writer and artist Tove Jansson. Now the house is the inspiration for a series of art installations in UK cities, in collaboration with Refugee Week, to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the creation of the Moomins.
Taking the motto “The door is always open”, building will begin next week on a 12ft blue house outside London’s Southbank Centre, just a stone’s throw from Westminster. All of the installations, by artists from countries including Afghanistan, Syria and Romania, deal with displacement: in Bradford, the Palestinian artist Basel Zaraa has created a refugee tent in which to imagine life after occupation and war; in Gateshead, natural materials are being foraged to build To Own Both Nothing and the Whole World (a quote from Jansson’s philosophical character Snufkin); and a Moomin raft will launch from Gloucester Docks.
Latest twist in a contest between iPhone maker and Epic Games over payments for hit game on Apple devices
Epic Games says Fortnite is now unavailable on iPhones and iPads globally because Apple blocked a bid to release the popular video game in the App Store in the US and Europe.
“Apple has blocked our Fortnite submission so we cannot release to the US App Store or to the Epic Games Store for iOS in the European Union,” the X account for Fortnite posted early Friday – claiming that Apple’s move would now prevent the game’s iOS availability around the world.
Team principal Fred Vasseur talks of ‘extra pressure’ for Hamilton’s first grand prix in Italy for the Scuderia
On the short walk from the railway station in Imola to the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, the tree-lined streets, scattering dappled spring sunshine, throng with the faithful. They come adorned in the rosso corsa of the Scuderia, heading towards their first home race of the season and the long-awaited chance to see the seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton take to the track for the team they feel are their own.
The anticipation, building for more than a year, is palpable and the passion that comes with it all too striking – as Hamilton is more than aware.
Lawyers hired by Venezuela have been unable to confirm ‘proof of life’ for 252 migrants imprisoned in El Salvador
Lawyers for 252 Venezuelans deported by the Trump administration and imprisoned in El Salvador for two months have alleged that the migrants are victims of physical and emotional “torture”.
This week began with four European leaders, standing defiantly in Kyiv alongside Volodymyr Zelenskyy, issuing an ultimatum to Vladimir Putin: sign a ceasefire now, or together with Donald Trump we will force you to do so, with sanctions and other tough measures.
Over the subsequent days, there followed a series of offers, counter-offers, ultimatums and deflections, in a dizzying week of high-stakes diplomacy that often seemed to resemble a geopolitical poker game.
Hogg, a Florida activist, presses on importance of strong fighters in face of Trump for ‘isolated’ Democratic base
David Hogg believes the Democratic party not only needs better messengers – it needs stronger fighters.
“The base of the party, they just want us to do anything,” the 25-year-old Florida activist and Democratic National Committee (DNC) vice-chair said in an interview last week. “They feel alone, they feel isolated, they feel unheard, and they feel like they’re not being fought for.”
Objections raised to Rantzen’s accusation of ‘undeclared religious beliefs’ in five-hour Commons debate
MPs opposed to assisted dying have criticised “distasteful” claims from the prominent campaigner Esther Rantzen, who argued many are fighting against the changes to the law because of secret religious views.
Rantzen made the remarks in a letter urging MPs to back the “strong, safe, carefully considered bill” to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales.
Apart from agreeing to swap 1,000 prisoners each, Moscow sticks to maximalist demands in Istanbul
Russia and Ukraine have agreed to a large-scale prisoner exchange but failed to reach a breakthrough during their first direct peace talks since 2022, held in Istanbul without either Vladimir Putin or Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Sitting down under pressure from the US president, Donald Trump, Ukraine had pushed for a 30-day ceasefire before the talks. Moscow rejected this, appearing to stick to its maximalist demands, including sweeping restrictions on Ukrainian sovereignty.
Rebekah Shaman, of Protect Brockwell Park, took action against Lambeth council over number of large-scale events
A campaigner who argued that music festivals held in a south London park unfairly cut off large sections of the space and made it a “mud bath” has won a court case that could result in events being banned there this summer.
The Protect Brockwell Park (PBP) group, which includes the actor Mark Rylance, complained about walls being erected in the park, and noise and environmental damage, leading to a tense debate about the use of public space, nimbyism and the importance of summer cultural events.
The UK-EU summit on Monday is a “step towards” a deeper and ongoing partnership with Europe, the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, has said, saying any deal struck next week will not be a “one off.”
In an interview with the Guardian, Reeves suggested the government was looking for closer ties with Europe beyond what was on the table this coming Monday, adding: “There will be future areas in which we can do more.”
No 3 seed masters windy conditions to win 6-3, 7-6
Alcaraz will face Jannik Sinner or Tommy Paul in final
Carlos Alcaraz will attempt to complete his set of clay-court Masters 1000 titles on Sunday after reaching the Italian Open final for the first time in his career with a demonstration of his improving discipline and consistency in windy conditions to defeat the home favourite and eighth seed Lorenzo Musetti 6-3, 7-6 (4).
Alcaraz is the fourth active player to reach the finals of all clay-court Masters 1000 tournaments, after Novak Djokovic, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Stan Wawrinka. Alcaraz, the reigning Roland Garros and Monte Carlo champion alongside his two previous Madrid Open titles, will contest his 25th career ATP final in Rome. He will either renew his rivalry with Jannik Sinner, the No 1, or face the 11th seed Tommy Paul in the final.
Trump’s justice department is considering a non-prosecution agreement, through which Boeing would not need to plead guilty
Boeing is set to avoid prosecution in a fraud case sparked by two fatal crashes of its bestselling 737 Max jet that killed 346 people, according to sources familiar with the matter.
The US Department of Justice is considering a non-prosecution agreement, relatives of the victims were told on Friday, through which the US aerospace giant would not be required to plead guilty.
As education secretary unveils £49m for school-based support and calls for ‘grit’, charity says many children have significant treatment needs
Ministers’ efforts to promote “grit” among children are no substitute for better funded mental health support in England’s schools, according to school leaders and experts.
Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, and Wes Streeting, the health secretary, claimed in an article for the Daily Telegraph that more mental health support teams (MHSTs) for schools would “not only halt the spiral towards crisis but cultivate much-needed grit among the next generation – essential for academic success and life beyond school, with all its ups and downs”.
Forward surprised and saddened by boos for teammate
‘He didn’t deserve that because he gave it all to the fans’
Mohamed Salah has criticised the “harsh” reception Trent Alexander-Arnold received at Anfield last Sunday and called for Liverpool fans to give the departing defender the sendoff 20 years of service deserves.
Salah admitted he was surprised and saddened by the boos Alexander-Arnold received from a large section of the Liverpool crowd before, during and after his substitute appearance against Arsenal. It was the 26-year-old’s first outing since announcing he would be leaving his boyhood club when his contract expires at the end of the season, with a free transfer to Real Madrid lined up.
Spanish rider wins stage seven after first summit finish
Roglic has pink jersey after late charge to take fourth spot
Primoz Roglic pulled on the pink jersey after stage seven of the Giro d’Italia but Juan Ayuso underlined his credentials as his main challenger by snatching victory in Tagliacozzo, in central Italy.
Ayuso (UAE-Team Emirates) had the power to break clear from a select group of favourites in the final few hundred metres of the 12km climb to the finish. His Mexican teammate Isaac Del Toro came second.
In this week’s newsletter: In retiring his messianic action hero schtick, a return to challenging, messy roles could lead to a late-era flowering of his career
Is Tom Cruise finally free? That’s what I asked myself, watching Hollywood’s last movie star cling to the undercarriage of a biplane like a sloth in the climactic scene of Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning. Even by the standards of the long-running action franchise, this stunt – which sees Cruise’s character Ethan Hunt shimmy into the cockpit of one moving plane before wing-walking on to another, mid-flight – seems particularly masochistic: the crew were worried that he had passed out during its filming. What’s more, Cruise doesn’t even look particularly cool performing it: at one point the wind resistance plasters his hair into a Dumb and Dumber bowl-cut, jowls flapping about like a basset hound. You would have never caught Paul Newman committing such clownery. Surely Tom Cruise doesn’t have to do this sort of thing any more?
Cruise, who turns 63 in July, has been making Mission: Impossible films since Bill Clinton’s first presidential term. But The Final Reckoning, which arrives in UK cinemas on Wednesday, does seem to signal the end of something. Director Christopher McQuarrie has been at pains to frame it as the closing of an 18-hour, eight-movie chapter, a point bludgeoned home by the film itself via a plot that inelegantly tries to retrofit storylines from past instalments into some grand, planet-enveloping culmination. And while McQuarrie has been talking up the future of the franchise as a whole, and Cruise has been making optimistic noises about being AI ported, Harrison Ford-style, into future instalments, you have to assume that it won’t continue in its current form. It’s surely too big an operation, too taxing on its star, for business to continue as usual. Which is great news for anyone who would like to see Tom Cruise do something other than motorcycle off a cliff again and again; to see him, you know, act.
International criminal court confirms move after latest news reports about details of alleged sexual misconduct
The chief prosecutor of the international criminal court, Karim Khan, will take a leave of absence until an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct reaches a conclusion, the court has confirmed.
Staff in the ICC’s prosecution division were told on Friday that Khan would temporarily step aside until an external investigation examining the allegations against him was completed and court authorities could consider its findings.
Donald Trump accused the former FBI director James Comey on Friday of calling for his assassination in a coded social media post written in seashells.
Comey’s Instagram post – a photograph of seashells on a beach arranged to spell the numbers 8647, which he captioned “Cool shell formation on my beach walk” – was used by rightwing supporters of Trump to claim that it was a call to assassinate the US president. The Secret Service said it has launched an investigation.
The president’s Middle East tour made one thing clear – he will betray his one-time ally in a heartbeat. He is already doing it
It’s come to something when the Palestinians’ best hope for relief rests on a man who dreams of emptying Gaza of its people and turning the place into a beach resort. And yet the clearest, and perhaps only, way out of the current agony lies with Donald Trump – and his growing impatience with an ever-more isolated Israel.
If this were any of Trump’s predecessors, you would be hailing the past week as confirmation of a radical, even epochal shift in US foreign policy. But because it’s Trump, you can’t be sure it’s not a passing whim that will be undone in another equally drastic shift a matter of weeks, or even hours, from now.
Change of culture came under fire amid mid-season slump but blend of youth and experience proved unstoppable
Way after midnight and visiting hours had long since finished but they had only just got started and they weren’t going to leave the patient with appendicitis lying there alone, not at a time like this. So Pedri González, Dani Olmo, Iñigo Martínez and Eric García rented four city bikes and cycled up Avinguda Diagonal in the dark. They had been out to Cornella and come back with the league, double done. They had gone to the training ground at Sant Joan Despí, belting through Bad Moon Rising from the balcony with the fans below. Now they were heading to the hospital to share the moment with Ferran Torres, recently out of emergency surgery and watching from the ward as he became a champion like them.
At the end of the game that finally won the title, a campaign concluded with victories over Real Madrid first and Espanyol four days later, just about as good as it gets, the first thing Hansi Flick was asked was what he was most proud of. “Pfff,” the coach replied. “I don’t think we have time for this …” There was so much, which is why there was a long pause before he finally said: “The most important thing is you feel like a family. The atmosphere in the dressing room is so great; I’ve never seen this before. They really take care of each other.” And which was why when he was asked whose league this was – Lamine Yamal’s? His – he replied: “Barcelona’s. This is not about one guy.”
It’s been a while since we felt something. The Premier League has barely been about the Premier League of late, all the focus on who qualifies for Bigger Cup, Liverpool’s title secured in the Jurassic Period, relegation sorted when those three teams were promoted from the Championship a year ago. The Women’s Super League was also lacking in jeopardy when it wrapped up last week, the key question being whether Chelsea would remain invincible. This weekend of FA Cup finals arrives in a time of desperate need: give us some of that so-called magic, please.
The annual congress is the single most important body to ensure good governance of international football [and] 210 member associations have traveled from all over the world to participate at this congress here in Paraguay, expecting professional leadership and dialogue at the highest level. I understand the frustration and disappointment from European Fifa members, and we feel sorry for the excellent hosts in Paraguay. We now expect Fifa to explain this situation to its members and ensure that the voices of the member associations are heard and respected going forward” – Norway Football Federation president Lise Klaveness explains why she was among eight European members of the Fifa Council to walk out of congress in protest at the late arrival of Gianni Infantino, who had been schmoozing with Donald Trump in the Middle East amid accusations from Uefa that he was pursuing “private political interests” ahead of responsibilities to football. Well aren’t we just shocked.
With regards to Ajax’s massive implosion and PSV’s hot streak at the end of the Dutch season (yesterday’s Football Daily), I am reminded of the phrase: ‘It’s better to be lucky than good.’ Nothing epitomises that more than the PSV captain, Mr De Jong. No, not Frenkie, Nigel or Siem but Luuk!” – Michael Glogower (and no other mean readers).
With reference to your comment that Edgeley Park is currently the closest league ground to the River Mersey (yesterday’s News, Bits and Bobs, full email edition), I’ve always preferred the answer when you limit the question to Premier League grounds – the answer being Old Trafford. Obviously, also about to become an ex-fact once Everton move into their new gaff” – Andrew Payton.
While I realise this week marks the last men’s game at Goodison Park so we are newsworthy, I was surprised to see Everton FC mentioned in almost every section of yesterday’s missive! Davy Klaassen’s former employer in the main headline text, Quote of the Day from Colin Harvey, letters, on the edge (breakout section), on Bramley-Moore dock becoming the closest ground to the Mersey, and FA Cup final quiz with Joe Royle as last English manager to win. I respect the commemorative nature of the Toffees’ inclusions – but then in Memory Lane you showed an aerial view of Lens FC’s ground and not Goodison. An opportunity missed! Has anyone outside the top six featured in every section of Football Daily? I am sure The Knowledge knows!” – C Hawtrey.
Exclusive: court documents reveal Harry claimed front page story and other articles had ‘hugely negative impact on his mental health and that of his wife and children’
Prince Harry accused the Sun newspaper of being motivated by revenge when publishing a front page story reporting that he had been named in a lawsuit accusing Sean “Diddy” Combs of sex trafficking, according to claims in a newly disclosed court document.
The story was said by the Duke of Sussex to be among “a large number of false and highly derogatory articles” published by Rupert Murdoch’s News Group Newspapers (NGN) “in retaliation” for his claims of phone hacking and unlawful information gathering.
US president claims ‘a child would know’ what that slogan means as US Secret Service investigates now-deleted photo of seashells posted on Instagram
Also on Iran, AFP reports that Trump said earlier that Tehran should make a quick decision on an American proposal for a nuclear deal or “something bad will happen”.
Speaking in Abu Dhabi as he finished his Gulf tour, Trump said his administration had handed Iran a proposal for a agreement, adding that “they know they have to move quickly or something bad is going to happen”.
Exclusive: delegates met officials weeks before UK set out higher-than-expected cap on foreign state ownership of newspapers
A delegation from the United Arab Emirates met Downing Street officials weeks before ministers announced a law change that allows the state to take a 15% stake in the Telegraph titles, the Guardian understands.
Ministers disclosed the cap this week as part of a long-awaited clarification on the rules around state ownership of British newspapers. It is higher than the 5-10% ceiling envisaged by the previous Conservative government.
The mushroom paste was contained in a vial about 2cm wide and 5cm high, with the exhibit name EX X1 Z13.
The paste was taken from inside a beef wellington, which in turn was taken from inside a paper bag found in a wheelie bin outside Erin Patterson’s home.
Duncan Campbell, the celebrated Guardian crime reporter, writer and broadcaster whose work highlighted police corruption, the shortcomings in the justice system and miscarriages of justice, has died at the age of 80.
Campbell was one of the most respected crime correspondents of his generation, fearlessly pursuing police corruption and reporting on some of the most high-profile criminal cases of recent decades, including the Rosemary West trial and the Hatton Garden heist.
Cannes film festival Hafsia Herzi manages sexuality with confidence in her first Palme d’Or competition film, featuring an affecting lead performance from newcomer Nadia Melliti
Actor turned director Hafsia Herzi presents her first feature in the Cannes competition: a coming-of-age story of queer Muslim identity, with all the painful, irreconcilable imperatives that this implies, complicating the existing insoluble agonies of just getting to be an adult. It is adapted from La Petite Dernière, or The Last One, the autofictional novel by Franco-Algerian author Fatima Daas about growing up as the kid sister, the youngest of three girls, in an Algerian family in a Paris suburb with her mum, dad and siblings.
Non-professional newcomer Nadia Melliti plays Fatima, a smart kid battling with asthma who likes books, likes football, likes freestyling, likes running – and likes girls. (This last interest is secret.) As Fatima prepares to leave school and start her first year at university (while living at home, of course) she cultivates a protective deadpan manner and wears a cap: the secular-western camouflage equivalent of a head covering. She has to negotiate her way out of what appears to be an unofficial engagement with a Muslim boy into which she has drifted. His feelings, and perhaps his sense of entitlement, will be hurt. So be it.
From wordless books to dynamic bestsellers and those that will give your kids a giggling fit, these are some of our readers favourites stories to share
New research has shown a decline in the number of parents reading aloud to young children, with only 41% of 0 to four-year-olds now being read to regularly, down from 64% in 2012. The survey, conducted by publisher HarperCollins and book data company Nielsen, also found that less than half of parents find reading to kids fun.
With this in mind, we asked parents to share recommendations of books they enjoy reading aloud. Add your own suggestions to the list in the comments below.
Hadi Matar was convicted of attempted murder for 2022 attack that left writer blind in his right eye
The man found guilty of attempted murder of Salman Rushdie has been sentenced to 25 years in prison.
On Friday, the Chautauqua county court issued the sentence to Hadi Matar, 27, of New Jersey, nearly three months after he was first convicted of attempted murder in the second degree.
Festival’s rules designed to protect ‘decency’ and seating arrangements stir controversy among those who read them
Not for the first time, organisers of the Cannes film festival, the ritziest and most photographed in the industry’s calendar, have decreed that various outfits will not be allowed on the red carpet this year.
An official statement released earlier this week stated that for “decency reasons” there will be “no naked dressing” – and no oversized outfits either – “in particular those with a large train that hinder the proper flow of traffic of guests and complicate seating in the theatre”.
Ice used warrant application as ‘pretext’ to try to arrest two students in order to deport them
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) effectively misled a judge in order to gain access to the homes of students it sought to arrest for their pro-Palestinian activism, attorneys say.
A recently unsealed search warrant application shows that Ice told a judge it needed a warrant because the agency was investigating Columbia University for “harboring aliens”. In reality, attorneys say, Ice used the warrant application as a “pretext” to try to arrest two students, including one green card holder, in order to deport them.
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