45 m. ago ‘I cut off his head six times’: the sculptors behind football statues

Sculptors discuss their craft and the pressure of preserving a player’s likeness and legacy for generation of fansBy Nutmeg magazineAt its heart, football is about community. A feeling of shared identity and purpose. A place where supporters gather to watch their team. The games, goals and moments that live on in the club’s collective memory through a shared act of will. The people responsible for these defining moments – shrewd managers, inspiring captains, prolific goalscorers – are increasingly immortalised in statues.A sculptor is enlisted to preserve their likeness in a single definitive pose. The subjects take on a size and form, literally larger than life, befitting the impact they had on the club and community that chooses to honour them. According to the Sporting Statues Project, which is run by Chris Stride and Ffion Thomas, there are more than 100 football statues in the UK. The vast majority have been made since the turn of the millennium and there are even more in progr...

Politics

48 m. ago PIP cuts chaos as Government makes last minute DWP changes – how it impacts you

The chaotic scenes were extraordinary for a Government with a working majority of 165 – and just under a year since Sir Starmer won a landslide general election victory

Politics

50 m. ago DWP announces 'separate' PIP system for new claims after key change

The DWP has announced that any changes to PIP eligibility will only affect new claims

Politics

60 m. ago Jude Bellingham heartbreakingly denied reunion with brother Jobe at Club World Cup

Both Jude and Jobe Bellingham are playing at the Club World Cup for Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund respectively but the two will not meet despite the club’s playing each other in the next round

Society

64 m. ago What would I do if I won the lottery? I’d blast the world’s worst people into space | Arwa Mahdawi

It shouldn’t be hard to lure them into my spaceship. I’d just have to tell them it was hosting a multimillion-dollar wedding partyThoughts and prayers to the thousands of Norwegians who have just had one of the best weekends of their lives, followed by one hell of a comedown. Thanks to a currency conversion snafu by the state lottery operator, numerous people were incorrectly informed on Friday that they had won life-changing amounts of money in the Eurojackpot. On Monday, a text message was sent to players informing them of the mix-up.It seems Norwegians are a prudent bunch; I haven’t found any examples of people spending Jeff Bezos-levels of money as soon as they were told they had won big. Me? I would have gone into evil billionaire mode immediately. Continue reading...

Politics

64 m. ago Gabby Logan admits 'it hasn't really hit me' as she opens up on major family change

Gabby Logan has reflected on a major family change after welcoming her husband and former rugby star Kenny Logan onto a recent episode of her Mid Point podcast

Events

81 m. ago Luuk de Jong to Rangers transfer earns direct response from PSV boss

The 34-year-old striker is a free agent and has been linked with the Light Blues

Politics

1 hour ago Bridgerton star says ‘almost every woman I’ve met feels on edge in London’ as she reveals phone theft torment

Genevieve Chenneour reveals awful impact the crime had on her - and her fears serial thief could seek revenge

Politics

1 hour ago Ryanair was forced to cancel more than 800 flights last month

The impact on air travel was underscored last week when flights were temporarily halted at Dubai airport

Politics

2 h. ago Scientists blame climate change for UK heatwave: Met Office is 'virtually certain' 35°C temperatures were caused by global warming

The Met Office says it is 'virtually certain' that this week's 35°C temperatures were caused by global warming.

Society

2 h. ago Edinburgh fringe 2025: the best theatre and comedy we’ve already reviewed

The festival has plenty of returning heroes, from Nina Conti to Nick Mohammed. Here are 10 shows our critics praisedIn cult clown duo Xhloe and Natasha’s two-hander, we are swiftly in the US of LBJ, Beatlemania and Tom Sawyer-style outdoor adventuring. The pair portray muddy-kneed boy scouts who, against a backdrop of chirping insects and with the sole prop of a tyre, recount their hijinks with an emotional impact that sneaks up on you. Read the review. Chris WiegandtheSpace @ Niddry St, 2-23 August Continue reading...

Culture

2 h. ago British and Irish Lions vs Queensland Reds live: Latest score and updates as tourists forced into late change

The Lions grace one of the venues for the three Australia Tests as they take on a strong Super Rugby Pacific side

Politics

2 h. ago What benefits have changed after Keir Starmer's Parliament humiliation? Everything you need to know as Labour rebels force PM into farcical U

What happened in the largest revolt so far of Sir Keir Starmer's premiership; what does it mean for the personal independence payment (Pip) and Universal Credit; and what comes next?

Politics

2 h. ago From still to stellar: Dynamic Earth launches immersive whisky experience

Brand new after-hours show ‘Whisky Under the Stars’ launches this August as part of the official Fringe programme

Politics

2 h. ago New DWP changes to PIP will only be brought in after review of assessments next year

Reforms to PIP have been put on hold until a full review of the assessment process has been completed.

Politics

2 h. ago National Grid aware of fault behind Heathrow shutdown fire for seven years

National Grid blamed for failing to act on known transformer problem, while Heathrow accepted risk as a ‘high-impact, low-probability event’

Events

2 h. ago Welfare bill climbdown will have ‘a cost’ at budget, says senior minister

Pat McFadden says U-turn will change calculations, as IFS says tax rises in autumn look increasingly likelyUK politics live – latest updatesThere will be “a cost” to the government’s climbdown on welfare changes at the budget, one of Keir Starmer’s senior ministers has said, as a leading fiscal thinktank said new tax rises appeared increasingly likely.Pat McFadden, the chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, defended Starmer and the work and pensions secretary, Liz Kendall, after the second reading of the government’s main welfare bill passed its first Commons test only after a central element was removed. Continue reading...

Economics

2 h. ago Annan Athletic bosses furious as club's Galabank ground repeatedly broken into

Officials say a number of items have been damaged after break-ins at both the main pitch and the nearby MUGA.

Economics

2 h. ago Newcastle forced to remove controversial scene from kit launch video and issue apology

Newcastle have had to apologise after they released a kit video that included reference to a Japanese flag used in World War Two as they were forced to change it

Culture

2 h. ago Inside Jack Draper's remarkable body transformation: British tennis star admits he was a teen 'maniac' who 'broke down easily' before one change to his diet helped propel him to Wimbledon contender

Jack Draper is Britain's great hope in the men's singles at Wimbledon and has undergone a huge physical transformation to become one of the world's best tennis players. 

Events