29 h. ago Vive les Socios: struggling French clubs open doors to shareholder fans in tough times

Supporters are putting money into their teams in a typically collective response to financial crisisThere seems to be a not-for-profit association for everything in France, from amateur mycology to choral music and international disaster relief. There were one and a half million Associations Loi 1901 at the last count, which equates to one for every 48 inhabitants, with 60,000 to 70,000 new groups created each year. They constitute an essential part of the fabric of French society, a natural response to every kind of need felt by local communities – except when it comes to organised football.This is odd, considering professionalism was introduced by the French FA as late as 1932 after a decade of hand-wringing and it would have been natural for practitioners of the game to take the matter in their own hands. Yet in France, club ownership at all but the lowest level has always been the preserve of private individuals, local authorities and, a very French trait, businesses that have s...

Politics

5 d. ago Ayrshire drug deaths fall by almost a quarter, new figures show

Drugs-related deaths in Ayrshire are at their lowest level since 2017 after a fall of nearly a quarter last year.

Events

6 d. ago Drug deaths Scotland: Deaths fall to lowest level in eight years, as opiate and cocaine rates revealed

The latest drug death figures for Scotland have been released.

Events

6 d. ago Scotland’s drug deaths at lowest level since 2017 but still worst in Europe

Drug deaths in Scotland decreased by 13% in 2024 to 1,017.

Events

6 d. ago Scotland remains drug deaths capital of Europe but number of fatalities drops to lowest level since 2017

Scots living in the poorest parts of the country are 12 times more likely to be killed by drugs compared to those living in the richest areas.

Events

7 d. ago Small boat crossings to UK in August fall to lowest level since 2019

Home secretary to hail decline as evidence that Labour’s plan to ‘smash the gangs’ is having effect

Politics

1 week ago US economy grows 3.3% in second quarter, government says, in second estimate of April

The U.S. economy rebounded this spring from a first-quarter downturn caused by fallout from President Donald Trump’s trade wars

Politics

1 week ago Britain's 'baby deserts' REVEALED as birth rates slump to lowest level ever

Alarming Office for National Statistics ( ONS ) data shows the fertility rate-the average number of children a woman has-in England and Wales slumped to 1.41 in 2024.

Politics

1 week ago August consumer confidence dips in US with jobs, tariffs and high prices driving most unease

Americans’ view of the U.S. economy declined modestly in August as anxiety over a weakening job market grew for the eighth straight month

Economics

2 w. ago GCSE resits for English and Maths could be scrapped as pass rate falls to lowest level in a decade

The current model requires students who fail these two core subjects at GCSE level to resit them repeatedly until they achieve a least a grade 4 in both subjects, up to the age of 18.

Politics

2 w. ago Consumer confidence reaches highest point of year despite ‘clouds on horizon’

GfK’s Consumer Confidence Index increased by two points to minus 17 in August, likely because of the latest cut to interest rates.

Politics

3 w. ago Putin won in Anchorage. Now Zelenskyy and Europe are in an even more perilous position | Rajan Menon

Trump’s summit failed to achieve a ceasefire, but the Russian president will be very happy with how events are unfoldingDonald Trump portrays himself as a hard-nosed dealmaker. Yet in the run-up to Friday’s summit with Vladimir Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, his claim that the Russian leader held him in high regard and was therefore serious about ending the war in Ukraine sounded naive. Putin doesn’t let sentimentality shape his political and military decisions. Nor has he disavowed his longstanding claim to four Ukrainian provinces: Donetsk and Luhansk, which together comprise Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, and Zaporizhzhia and Kherson in the south. Despite Russia’s overwhelming numerical advantage in troops and weaponry, Putin occupies only one province, Luhansk, almost entirely. Yet he persists.In the days before his meeting with Putin, Trump said the Russian economy “stinks” and that falling oil prices would cause Russia’s war to run aground. The war has certainly placed severe s...

Politics

3 w. ago The ugly truth: have Trump’s tariffs finally put an end to Crocs’ 19

The Guardian’s Crocs correspondent traces the highs and lows of the rubbery perforated clogs that divide opinionI’ve been the Guardian’s Crocs correspondent for 19 years now, and get wheeled out for highs and lows. This is a definite low for the rubbery perforated clogs: the share price is down nearly 30% – its lowest level for three years – and revenues are expected to drop by between 9% and 11% in the current quarter.To blame? Donald Trump mostly, and his tariffs. It’s not the first time Crocs have suffered at the hands – or feet – of a Republican US president, as it happens. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Imagine review – profound conversations meet trippy visuals in one

Taika Waititi, Yael Stone and Ian Thorpe are among the big names lending voices to this ‘chaotically strange’ animation drawing on Indigenous perspectivesGet our weekend culture and lifestyle emailI’ve never seen a film quite like this chaotically strange animation from writer-directors Tyson Yunkaporta and Jack Manning Bancroft, who fill it with slap-happy pleasures and plotlines that bounce around like pinballs.Attempting to explain the narrative is a fool’s errand, like trying to tickle yourself. I can say with confidence – assuming I didn’t unknowingly consume magic mushrooms beforehand and hallucinate the entire thing – that the story follows a teenager, Kim (voice of Yolande Brown), who gets pulled into a surreal alternate universe that they explore with their new pal Jeff (Yunkaporta), a bright-green alien dog. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago US credit spreads hit lowest level this century after sharp rally

Investors warn credit markets are ‘weirdly confident’ despite threats to global economy

Events

3 w. ago ‘Alarming’ drop in UK consumer confidence over last year – Which?

On average between this May and July, 56% of people thought the economy would get worse and just 16% thought it would get better, Which? found.

Events

3 w. ago Consumer confidence in UK economy falls to lowest level in two years

Which? says the sharp drop in confidence in the economy has been ‘alarming’

Politics

3 w. ago British Gas owner buys £1.5bn gas terminal in big bet on fossil fuel reliance

Deal for Europe’s biggest facility for LNG imports comes as overall UK gas demand fell sharply last yearThe owner of British Gas has placed a £1.5bn bet on the UK’s future reliance on fossil fuel imports after striking a deal to buy Europe’s biggest gas import terminal.Centrica plans to partner with a US private equity firm to acquire the Isle of Grain terminal in Kent, which can import 15m tonnes of liquefied natural gas a year, even after Britain’s gas demand fell last year to its lowest level since the early 1990s. Continue reading...

Economics

3 w. ago Fresh blow to Starmer as Labour's approval rating slumps to its lowest EVER level

Labour's net approval rating under Keir Starmer slipped to -55, according to YouGov polling. It comes amid concerns about the number of small boats arrivals, the economy and justice.

Politics

4 w. ago Jobs market cools further over economic concerns and rising costs

Figures showed growth in starting salaries also slowed to its lowest level for more than four years as firms tightened their recruitment budgets.

Economics