3 d. ago Jos Buttler: ‘A big burden has been lifted – I wasn’t the same leader after the 2023 World Cup’

The England white-ball veteran on his post-captaincy career, his Ashes struggles and the recent death of his fatherAnother summer is over and, for Jos Buttler, life and cricket feel more precious than ever. The fleeting nature of both has been accentuated by the loss of Buttler’s father, John, after his unexpected death in August. The 35-year-old will soon talk movingly about grief and acceptance but, first, he reflects on his venerable place in white-ball cricket after England’s international summer ended in a low-key series in Ireland.Buttler opened the batting and Jacob Bethell and Rehan Ahmed, who followed him at three and four in the opening match, are both 21. But he had proved his sustained brilliance a few weeks earlier when, against South Africa, he hit 83 off 30 balls in a blistering knock that helped England to become the first team to pass 300 in a T20 international. Continue reading...

Politics

8 d. ago Work starts on £800 million redevelopment of former ITV Studio on South Bank

Minister hails Japanese investment as “a huge vote of confidence in the UK”

Economics

9 d. ago The Guardian view on Trump’s support for Ukraine: a welcome but not reliable vote of confidence | Editorial

Having exhausted a failed policy of appeasement, the US president may at last be ready to put pressure on Moscow The judgment of a man who fails to distinguish between aggressor and victim when describing the Russia-Ukraine war is not worthy of respect. Unfortunately, when that man is the US president, his opinion cannot be ignored.Earlier this year, Donald Trump asserted that Vladimir Putin had “all the cards” and urged Volodymyr Zelenskyy to make peace in terms that resembled surrender. This week, Mr Trump declared that Kyiv might achieve total victory, liberating all territory currently under Russian occupation.Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago England lay down gauntlet after naming five 90mph seamers in Ashes squad

Wood, Archer, Atkinson, Carse and Tongue lead attackWill Jacks gets nod over Rehan Ahmed as reserve spinnerAlready the quickest scoring team in Test cricket, England will hit Australia with their fastest bowling attack for a generation – perhaps all time – after announcing their 16-man squad for this winter’s Ashes assault.A late curveball from Rob Key’s panel is the inclusion of Surrey’s Will Jacks, offering an attacking option with the bat and serving as the reserve spinner to Shoaib Bashir. Otherwise, the squad is largely as expected, including confirmation that Harry Brook has replaced Ollie Pope as vice-captain. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Potts in contention for England’s Ashes squad as Woakes faces race to be fit

Chris Woakes a risk after dislocating shoulderRehan Ahmed also in frame as second spinner Matthew Potts could be handed a spot in England’s main Ashes squad when Rob Key and the selectors finalise their plans for Australia. While the head coach, Brendon McCullum, has said to expect few surprises after a settled period for the Test side, Jamie Overton’s withdrawal from first-class cricket – plus uncertainty over the fitness of Chris Woakes – does mean there are final decisions to be made this week as regards the seamers.The core of this group picks itself, with Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Brydon Carse and Josh Tongue all considered bankers – none are expected to play the final round of the County Championship – and optimism that Mark Wood is on track for a return after undergoing knee surgery in March. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Rehan Ahmed gets vote of confidence from Marcus Trescothick as Ashes squad looms

A selection panel led by managing director Rob Key and head coach Brendon McCullum will finalise their touring party this week.

Politics

1 week ago West Ham fans stage protest against owners as supporters’ groups organise march after vote of no confidence

Protests at the London Stadium took place ahead of the Crystal Palace game

Politics

2 w. ago West Ham: Graham Potter issues response after fans' vote of no confidence in club board

Hammers take on Crystal Palace in a crunch clash this weekend

Politics

2 w. ago Chaos at Welsh university as staff claim not to know who is teaching what

UCU members have passed a vote of no confidence in the vice chancellor and chief financial officer with 200 jobs gone and more to go amid £15m cuts

Events

2 w. ago Pretty cool – Jacob Bethell embraces spotlight as youngest England men captain

The 21-year-old is set to take charge of three T20s in Ireland.

Politics

2 w. ago Google announces £5bn AI investment in UK before Trump visit

Rachel Reeves says move is a ‘vote of confidence’ in British economy as she prepares to open firm’s first UK datacentreBusiness live – latest updatesGoogle has said it will invest £5bn in the UK in the next two years to help meet growing demand for artificial intelligence services, in a boost for the government.The announcement, which comes as Google opens its new datacentre in Waltham Cross in Hertfordshire, is expected to contribute to the creation of thousands of jobs, the US tech company said. Continue reading...

Economics

2 w. ago Brendon McCullum confirms huge Ashes squad decision and reveals Harry Brook dilemma

The first Test of the 2025-26 Ashes in Perth is just over two months away, and England will jet off to Australia with the aim of winning their first series Down Under in 15 years

Politics

2 w. ago Downing Street was aware of Mandelson emails to Epstein before to Prime Minister's public 'vote of confidence'

Government officials were aware of emails between Lord Mandelson and Jeffrey Epstein when the Prime Minister defended the peer during Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday afternoon, it has been revealed.

Politics

3 w. ago Macron has defied the will of the people. He leaves the French public no choice but to Block Everything | Rokhaya Diallo

The president they call Jupiter has repeatedly shown utter disregard for the public voice at the ballot box. No wonder we are taking to the streetsThe protests that rocked France this week did not come out of the blue. For more than a year now, our country has been in a state of unprecedented political turmoil. You can date this crisis to June 2024, when Emmanuel Macron unexpectedly called a snap election that produced gridlock in the national assembly, rendering all subsequent governments unable to govern. This week’s events have added another historic chapter to the tumult.For the first time in the history of the Fifth Republic, a government collapsed after a vote of confidence initiated by a prime minister. François Bayrou, in office for just nine months, chose to place his ministerial fate in the hands of an openly hostile hung parliament. The outcome was a foregone conclusion: even the right, though partly represented within his government, broke ranks – a third of the conserva...

Politics

3 w. ago Macron appoints new Prime Minister just 24 hours after François Bayrou lost confidence vote: Defence minister, 39, becomes country's fourth PM in a year

French President Macron late Tuesday appointed Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu as France's new prime minister, the country's fourth in about a year.

Politics

3 w. ago Macron appoints new Prime Minister just 24 hours after François Bayrou lost confidence vote: Defence minister, 39, country's fourth PM in a year

French President Macron late Tuesday appointed Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu as France's new prime minister, the country's fourth in about a year.

Politics

3 w. ago France braces for ‘block everything’ protests after PM Bayrou resigns

Blockades, disruption and strikes planned for Wednesday with about 80,000 police and gendarmes to be deployedThe French prime minister, François Bayrou, has resigned after losing a confidence vote as authorities prepare for a day of disruption and protests ranging from road and school blockades to transport strikes.About 80,000 police and gendarmes will be deployed across France on Wednesday to monitor a day of anti-government demonstrations organised under the slogan “block everything”. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago France to get third PM in a year as Bayrou resigns after confidence vote

Prime minister hands in resignation after thousands of protesters gather to celebrate ousting and plan day of actionThe French prime minister, François Bayrou, has handed in his resignation after losing a confidence vote that has plunged France into government collapse and political crisis.Emmanuel Macron has said he will appoint a new prime minister in the coming days, who would then have to form a new government. This will be the third French prime minister in a year, whose first task will be the major challenge of agreeing a budget among a divided parliament. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago France to get third PM in a year as Bayrou to resign after confidence vote

Prime minister to hand in resignation after thousands of protesters gather to celebrate ousting and plan day of actionBayrou to resign – latest updatesThe French prime minister, François Bayrou, will hand in his resignation on Tuesday after losing a confidence vote that has plunged France into government collapse and political crisis.Emmanuel Macron has said he will appoint a new prime minister in the coming days, who would then have to form a new government. This will be the third French prime minister in a year, whose first task will be the major challenge of agreeing a budget among a divided parliament. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Anglo American agrees mining mega merger; Londoners face commuting struggles as tube strike enters second day – business live

Deal will create $53bn mining giant but raises fears of job cuts as headquarters moves to VancouverIn the markets, the FTSE 100 index has edged 0.2% higher while Germany’s Dax gained 0.15% and Italy’s FTSE MiB rose by 0.5%.France’s CAC climbed by 0.7%, despite political turmoil in the country. French president Emmanuel Macron is seeking his fifth prime minister in less than two years, after centre-right PM François Bayrou was ousted in a confidence vote on Monday, as expected. This toppled his minority government.A quiet Monday masks a big week ahead for US markets, with the Nasdaq hitting an all-time high as tech and retail led a modest rebound. The S&P 500 added 0.5%, while the Russell 2000 lagged after its recent run. Treasury yields continued their descent, with the 10-year near 4%, its lowest in five months, and the 2-year hovering around 3.5%, levels last seen in 2022.Markets are fully priced for a 25bps cut [from the Fed] this month, and expect more to come. With PPI, CPI...

Events