Author: The Guardian

One of the myriad challenges for England coaches is that there are millions of people who believe they can do better. These ambitious coaches claim that by putting them in charge, the Three Lions’ attacking talent will be unleashed to devastating effect. The plan usually amounts to: “Run at them.”As we’ve seen in recent weeks, big international events are actually a bit more complicated. Those who now question Gareth Southgate’s ability might consider the pre-match narrative, which effectively amounted to: “Who will England play in the final?” In that sense, he has clearly come into his own. Successful victim. But…

European politicians, already drowning in multiple crises of their own, were left shell-shocked and aghast at Joe Biden’s meandering performance in Thursday’s presidential debate, aware that a second Trump term had drawn that much nearer – with all that this implies for the rise of populism in the continent, the future of Nato, and for Ukraine and the Middle East.The voices of despair came from across the mainstream political spectrum, interspersed with the odd call for Europe to prepare even more intensively for a Trump second coming.“American democracy killed before our eyes by gerontocracy,” Guy Verhofstadt, a member of the…

A year ago, when another Wimbledon fortnight finally began, some tennis fans caught a brief glimpse of Emma Raducanu at the All England Club. She was there early in the game to fulfill some brief sponsorship obligations, where she shook hands and interacted with fans.Other than that, she has no ties to the 2023 event. In the aftermath, her injuries meant she could barely complete her daily tasks, let alone play tennis, without her mother’s help. Missing Wimbledon is painful enough, but actually being so close to the game feels even worse.”I was so horrible. Like, this was so horrible!…

I couldn’t agree more with your article on bringing wildlife into your garden (Build a hedgehog highway! 33 ways to welcome more wildlife into your garden, 26 June). If all of us who own a garden or other outdoor space could do one or two things to encourage wildlife, it would have a huge impact. There is a difference between gardening for wildlife and rewilding, and that is scale. I don’t have a large garden, so planting needs to earn its place. The trees I planted have blossom and fruit; I have three ponds, birdhouses and bee hotels; and I…

Pakistan and New Zealand have never made it past the first round. Australia were eliminated in the Super Eights. If India beat South Africa on Saturday – “hoisting the flag of Bharat” in Barbados, as their overlord Jay Shah has promised – England can claim, by comparison, a superb team , the unstoppable team resulted in a pretty solid semifinal.Jos Buttler considers reaching so far in the T20 World Cup “an achievement” but the struggles along the way and the chasm exposed by 68 games in Providence have undermined that argument. While England were ruthless against their Combined opponents, their…

The far-right National Rally (RN) has strengthened in final polls, including one suggesting it could be on course for a historic parliamentary majority, as candidates fought for votes on the last day of campaigning before the first-round ballot in France’s most momentous election for decades.Two days before Sunday’s ballot, two polls on Friday showed Marine Le Pen’s anti-immigration, France-first party pulling steadily further ahead in a race it has led since President Emmanuel Macron called the shock ballot almost three weeks ago after the defeat of his centrists in the European parliamentary election.Official campaigning for the first round vote ends…

Kevin Sinfield has been granted compassionate leave for England’s tour of New Zealand and will fly home next weekend to attend the funeral of his friend Rob Burrow.Sinfield will miss the first Test against the All Blacks but is scheduled to return in time for the second Test in Auckland next weekend.The inspirational Bro, who died on June 2 aged 41, battled motor neurone disease for almost five years. His close friend Sinfield has helped raise millions of pounds for charity in support of his former team-mate and will return to the UK next Friday to attend Burrow’s private funeral…

US voters woke up to post-debate reviews of the first Biden-Trump debate with headlines that echoed Democrats’ anxiety that the incumbent president is too cognitively weak and physically frail to sustain another five months of political campaigning or another term in office.Those anxieties, multiple outlets reported, were being reflected in pressure from Democratic donors and former Democratic officials who are now openly talking about replacing Biden with an alternative presidential candidate at the party’s convention in Chicago in August.“A Fumbling Performance, and a Panicking Party “, said the New York Times on its front page. Columnist Nicholas Kristof, a centrist…

Florence, the capital of Tuscany, is no stranger to tourists, but they are usually more interested in frescoes and Michelangelo than yellow jerseys and Tadej Pogačar.However, 800,000 cycling enthusiasts are expected to descend on the city on Saturday for the race great departure This is the first time in the Tour de France’s 121-year history that Italy has hosted the start of the world’s most famous cycling race.For local authorities in Tuscany and Emilia Romagna, it’s a fitting way to showcase a part of Italy that has produced some of the country’s most legendary cyclists, from maverick climber Marco Marco…

I’m happily married with adult children, and grandchildren. One of my children bought me a DNA testing kit and when I received the results I was taken aback to discover that the man I thought was my father was not actually my biological parent.My parents were married for some years before I arrived and I have no siblings. My mother was a loving, kind person and growing up I was surrounded by a loving maternal extended family. My father was a “difficult” character, emotionally abusive and distant. He never told me he loved me and I know he made my…