2 h. ago England’s Kildunne and Botterman fit to face France in World Cup semi

Full-back Kildunne returns after concussionEngland make four changes to starting XVEllie Kildunne returns to the England starting XV in one of four changes for their Rugby World Cup semi-final against France on Saturday.Kildunne missed the Red Roses’ quarter-final win against Scotland as she went through concussion protocols with Helena Rowland stepping in at full-back. Continue reading...

Politics

6 h. ago Will interest rates go down today? The key factors for the Bank of England and 2025 predictions

Experts anticipate no change with the rate currently at 4%

Politics

20 h. ago Salt drives England past Ireland in first T20 as Bethell’s big day goes to plan

First T20: England, 197-6, beat Ireland, 196-3, by four wktsSalt has rollicking opening stand with Buttler and hits 89Jacob Bethell’s big day began awkwardly and ended with England dominant. After Ireland put up 196, some serious work was required as the 21-year-old became his country’s youngest men’s captain.Enter Phil Salt, ready to make headlines once again. The opener followed his 141 not out against South Africa last Friday with 89 off 46 balls as England secured victory in the first of three Twenty20 internationals with 14 balls to spare. Continue reading...

Politics

20 h. ago Ireland v England: first men’s T20 cricket international – as it happened

The remarkable Phil Salt fell just short of another century as England chased 197 to beat Ireland by four wickets1st over: Ireland 7-0 (Stirling 5, Adair 1) Luke Wood takes a couple of deliveries to get going. His first ball is a wide; his first legal delivery is larruped to the cover boundary by Stirling.The rest of the over is better. An inswinging yorker is well defended by Stirling, who then inside edges past the stumps. Continue reading...

Politics

25 h. ago It’s ‘game on’ for launch, says rugby’s breakaway R360 league – but how ready is it really? | Matt Hughes

Co-founder Mike Tindall insists R360 will launch next year but, with financial projections changing, questions remainR360’s decision to withdraw its application for sanctioning by World Rugby this month, as revealed by the Guardian, was the first significant setback for the planned breakaway league, which had appeared to be developing unstoppable momentum.More than 160 players have signed pre-contract agreements with the proposed new competition, which is offering annual salaries of up to £740,000 for a 16-match season, with 75% of the potential recruits having played international rugby within the past two years, and at least 10 of them for England. Continue reading...

Sport

26 h. ago Will interest rates go down tomorrow? The key factors for the Bank of England and 2025 predictions

Experts anticipate no change with the rate currently at 4%

Politics

27 h. ago The Federal Reserve wrestles with how many interest rate cuts to make and how fast

With the Federal Reserve widely expected to reduce its key interest rate by a quarter-point to about 4.1%, economists and Wall Street investors will be looking Wednesday for signs of how deeply the Fed might cut rates in the next few months

Politics

60 h. ago Court stops Trump’s attempt to fire Fed Board Governor Lisa Cook

Ruling allows Federal Reserve official to participate in key rate-setting meeting this week

Events

65 h. ago Berthoumieu banned for biting Wafer in blow to France before England clash

France flanker handed 12-match suspensionManaé Feleu also banned owing to a high tackleThe France flanker Axelle Berthou­mieu has been banned for biting the ­Ireland back-row Aoife Wafer in their ­Women’s Rugby World Cup ­quarter‑final and the flanker will miss the semi‑final against England on Saturday.Manaé Feleu, the France captain, will also miss the England clash as she has been banned for a high tackle in the Ireland game. Both players are appealing against the sanctions. Continue reading...

Events

65 h. ago New England's shrimp industry is struggling, with fishermen catching few in 2025

There's an effort underway to bring New England shrimp back to seafood customers but fisherman are finding few and the fishing industry may face an even longer shutdown

Politics

3 d. ago Brendon McCullum mulls appointing Harry Brook as England vice

Coach confirms Ollie Pope will be reserve wicketkeeperRain washes out last game in South Africa T20 seriesHarry Brook could replace Ollie Pope as England vice-captain for the Ashes after Brendon McCullum, the head coach, revealed it was up for discussion in an otherwise “easy” squad to select.Speaking after an afternoon of solid rain in Nottingham caused a washout of the third Twenty20 between England and South Africa – the international home summer ending with a 1-1 series draw – McCullum floated the possibility of Brook as Ben Stokes’s deputy given his role as the limited-over captain. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Headteachers in England doubling up as caretakers as funding ‘hits rock bottom’

Exclusive: Research finds more than 1,000 schools have suffered cumulative real-terms cuts in excess of £1m eachSchool leaders in England are having to double up as caretakers and lollipop men and women as funding “hits rock bottom”, teaching unions have said.Others are having to call on relatives to help fix crumbling buildings and do other odd jobs after years of “inadequate” funding for schools, they said. Continue reading...

Events

3 d. ago Three in four English hospitals failing to hit two cancer targets in league tables

Exclusive: Cancer experts declare ‘national emergency’ as hospitals miss targets on diagnosis and starting treatmentThree in four NHS hospital trusts are failing cancer patients, according to the first league tables of their kind, prompting experts to declare a “national emergency”.Labour published the first league tables to rank hospitals in England from best to worst since the early 2000s this week. The overall rankings score trusts based on a range of measures including finances and patient safety, as well as how they are bringing down waiting times for operations and in A&E, and improving ambulance response times. Continue reading...

Events

3 d. ago England v South Africa: third men’s T20 international abandoned by rain – as it didn’t happen

IT20 series between England and South Africa tied 1-1 after rain washes out decider in NottinghamEngland Head Coach Brendon McCullum has been in the Sky Pod chatting to Ian Ward and Nasser Hussain.“We balanced things a little bit better,” he says of England’s tempo with the bat in the Test series v India. “We grew up quite a lot through that series... We saw the emergence of the fast-bowling cartel we’ve been trying to build over the last couple of years. I left the series thinking we’d become a better team, despite the 2-2 result.” Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago England v South Africa: third men’s T20 international delayed by rain – live

Updates from the last match of the series at Trent BridgeSign up for The Spin newsletter | And you can mail James Weather Watch: We’ll start losing overs from 3.30pm. We are yet to hear about a cut-off time for a five-over slogathon. That’s probably the best we can hope for at the moment.Weather Watch: It is still raining. I’m going to make a brew and have a shout at the clouds. Back soon. Continue reading...

Society

3 d. ago England v South Africa: third men’s T20 cricket international – live

Updates from the last match of the series at Trent BridgeSign up for The Spin newsletter | And you can mail James Bad news! The covers are now being dragged back on as the rain starts up again, this time a bit heavier. It’s going to be one of those afternoons I fear.Good news! The covers are coming off at Trent Bridge though Stuart Broad is the local lad and he is worried about the rain radar. We can do a five overs a side game if it comes to it and Shaun Pollock jokes that South Africa won’t want to bowl twenty overs at England while they are in this blistering form. Continue reading...

Society

5 d. ago England’s coaching duo looking to orchestrate history on home soil to raise up women in rugby

Sarah Hunter and Lou Meadows pinpoint when it all clicked for Red Roses ahead of their World Cup quarter-final Earning the right to win each game may be the Red Roses’ mantra at this Rugby World Cup but making history on home soil is the goal Sarah Hunter and Lou Meadows are working to orchestrate. England’s assistant coaches describe themselves as complementary, bringing diverse experience that creates a “good blend” alongside the forwards coach, Louis Deacon, and the head coach, John Mitchell, with the Red Roses unbeaten under the New Zealander’s tenure.In a hotel meeting room on the outskirts of Bristol as England enter the business end of the tournament, Hunter and Meadows explain how the coaching setup offers “different lenses” for tactics and planning. The duo have brought a sharp, strategic edge to the hosts’ defence and attack and for 40 minutes they range over a series of topics, including picking in which game this England side have come closest to perfection. Continue rea...

Sport

5 d. ago Records tumble as Phil Salt’s stunning ton leads England to T20 rout of South Africa

2nd T20: England, 304-2, bt South Africa, 158, by 146 runsHosts hit their highest T20 total to go level in the seriesEngland made history, and for the first time more than 300 runs, on an extraordinary night in Manchester as they buried South Africa under a mountain of runs and shredded ­statistics. The highest total in the team’s T20 history was turbocharged by a brilliant opening stand of 126 between Phil Salt and Jos Buttler and by the nation’s highest individual score, Salt knocking himself off the top of that chart with an unbeaten 141. So within a week and against the same opponents they have set national records for winning margins in both one-day internationals and now T20s, the difference here an almost comic 146 runs.From the very start, with boundaries struck off each of the first three balls of the day, Salt tore into South Africa’s bowling much as he would in time tear up the record books. The result was the third highest team total in the history of international T20s,...

Politics

5 d. ago Records tumble as England set South Africa target of 305: second men’s T20 international – live

Updates from the second T20i at Old TraffordFirst T20 report | Mail Rob 5th over: England 88-0 (Salt 32, Buttler 54) Rabada returns to the attack and is monstered down the ground for six by Buttler. Three successive fours take Buttler to a quite exhilarating 50 from 18 balls. He waves his bat to the ground, then snaps his head back to salute his late father.The second of those three fours tempted mid-on, who dived in an attempt to take a low catch but was beaten by the dip on the ball. Continue reading...

Society

5 d. ago England v South Africa: second men’s T20 international – live

Updates from the second T20i at Old TraffordFirst T20 report | Mail Rob One change apiece. Jofra Archer comes in for Jamie Overton in the England XI; South Africa bring in the left-arm spinner Bjorn Fortuin from Corbin Bosch. Keshan Maharaj has a groin strain.England Salt, Buttler (wk), Brook (c), Bethell, Banton, Curran, Jacks, Dawson, Archer, Rashid, Wood. Continue reading...

Society