2 w. ago WSL considers borrowing tens of millions to accelerate growth plans

WSL board examining ways of raising fundsLoans would be used to boost payments and prize moneyThe Women’s Super League is exploring borrowing tens of millions of pounds in an attempt to accelerate the growth of the competition. The WSL board has commissioned the investment bank Goldman Sachs and the accountancy firm Deloitte to examine ways of raising funding anda debt deal is the preferred option at this stage.The borrowing would be used to increase central payments and prize money awarded to clubs, with the aim of stimulating further growth in sponsorship, broadcast deals and club-led investment, as a result of creating a better product. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago It’s taken only 24 hours, but Trump’s fairytale of peace in the Middle East seems doomed

As the ceasefire teeters after only a day, the region looks set to remain trapped in a dystopian, ever-violent Groundhog Day, writes chief international correspondent Bel Trew

Politics

3 w. ago Venezuela closes embassy in Oslo after opposition leader awarded Nobel peace prize

María Corina Machado has made downfall of Maduro regime in Venezuela her missionIn Venezuela’s ‘darkest hours’, will peace prize boost opposition or backfire?Norway’s foreign ministry has said that Venezuela has closed its embassy in Oslo without giving a reason, days after opposition leader María Corina Machado was awarded the Nobel peace prize.“We have been informed by the embassy of Venezuela that it is shutting its doors and no reason has been given,” the foreign ministry spokesperson, Cecilie Roang, told AFP. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Trump sets off for Israel after brokering historic Gaza peace deal: Hostages to be freed by Hamas within hours

President Donald Trump has set off for Tel Aviv to take a victory lap for securing peace between Israel and Hamas , two years since the terrorist attacks of October 7, 2023.

Politics

3 w. ago In Venezuela’s ‘darkest hours’, will peace prize boost opposition or backfire?

María Corina Machado’s Nobel award puts focus on country but analysts doubt it will produce democratic changeIn March 2019 as a nationwide blackout plunged Venezuela into darkness, hundreds of citizens huddled on a basketball court in the city of Maracaibo to hear their leader promise to guide them out of the gloom.“We are, quite literally, living through our darkest hour. But these are also the brightest of times,” María Corina Machado told supporters as they used mobile phones to illuminate the night. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Nobel peace prize officials investigate surge in bets for winner

Bets for Maria Corina Machado spiked on Polymarket gambling site hours before she was awarded prizeNorwegian officials who oversee the Nobel peace prize are investigating suspicious online betting for this year’s winner that suggests a rare leak from the secretive committee that hands out the prize.Online bets for the Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado spiked on the Polymarket gambling site shortly after midnight on Thursday, Norwegian time, according to the information on its website. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Trump holds Cabinet meeting hours after Gaza peace deal as tension rises over National Guard deployment: Live updates

Protesters lined the streets in Chicago as National Guard troops arrived this week

Politics

3 w. ago Norway braces for Trump’s reaction if he does not win Nobel peace prize

US president may impose tariffs, demand higher Nato contributions or even declare Norway an enemy, analyst saysWith hours to go until the announcement of this year’s Nobel peace prize, Norwegian politicians were steeling themselves for potential repercussions to US-Norway relations if it is not awarded to Donald Trump.The Norwegian Nobel Committee pointedly said on Thursday that it had reached a decision about who will be named 2025 peace prize laureate on Monday, several days before Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire under the US president’s Gaza plan. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Trump to hold Cabinet meeting hours after Gaza peace deal as tension rises over National Guard deployment: Live updates

Protesters lined the streets in Chicago as National Guard troops arrived this week

Politics

3 w. ago Has Trump just won the Nobel Peace Prize at the last minute? Historic Gaza deal agreed hours before judges announce who wins the award Donald has been coveting since his election

With just hours to go before judges announce the winner of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, experts are wondering whether the US president will win the prestigious award.

Politics

3 w. ago Trump tells families of Israeli hostages 'they're all coming home Monday' in heartwarming video as he celebrates 'peace in the Middle East'

Donald Trump spoke to the families of Israeli hostages on Wednesday night just hours after he announced a peace deal between Israel and Hamas to end the war in Gaza.

Politics