FRIDAY THE 13

Liverpool have agreed a deal in principle worth £12m plus add-ons to sell midfielder Jordan Henderson to Saudi Arabian club Al-Ettifaq. Henderson travelled to Germany with Liverpool for their training camp but was not involved in their first pre-season game against Karlsruher. Former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard was recently appointed as manager of Al-Ettifaq. Henderson, 33, has two years remaining on his contract at Anfield. The agreement for Henderson follows Liverpool receiving a £40m offer from Al-Ittihad for fellow midfielder Fabinho last Friday. Unlike Henderson, the 29-year-old Brazil international did not travel to Germany while his future is resolved. The England midfielder joined the Reds from Sunderland in a deal worth £20m in June 2011. Henderson made 43 appearances for Liverpool last season as they endured a disappointing campaign by finishing fifth in the Premier League and missing out on a place in the Champions League. Overall, he has played 491 times for the Reds, scoring 33 goals and registering 58 assists. ADVERTISEMENT Henderson was captain when Liverpool lifted the Champions League in 2019 before going on to win the Uefa Super Cup and Fifa Club World Cup later that year. He was also the Reds skipper when the club won the 2019-20 Premier League title to end a 30-year wait for the English top-flight title. Henderson's other honours at Liverpool include winning the FA Cup in 2022 and League Cup in 2012 and 2022. link:https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/66251589

Former President Donald Trump’s mounting legal jeopardy is raising a stark political question: can anything break the sustained electoral stalemate that has left the country divided almost exactly in half between the Republican and Democratic coalitions? Trump is facing a swarm of criminal accusations unprecedented for an active presidential candidate, much less a former president. But during this ordeal, his lead in the 2024 GOP presidential primary has solidified. And while polls have highlighted some clear warning signs for him as a general election nominee, mostly they point to another closely fought contest, with President Joe Biden usually holding a small overall lead and a tiny handful of precariously balanced swing states likely to decide the outcome. A New York Times/Siena College poll released on Tuesday, however, found Trump and Biden tied in a hypothetical matchup at 43 percent. Several big dynamics are converging, including a slowdown in inflation and acceleration of Trump’s legal troubles, that could provide Democrats a tailwind next year, particularly in the presidential race. But all of these forces face the immovable object of the entrenched demographic and geographic divisions that have produced one of the longest periods in American history in which neither party has been able to establish a durable or decisive advantage over the other. The parties now represent coalitions with such divergent visions of America’s future, particularly whether it welcomes or resists racial and cultural change, that it’s unclear what could allow one side to break out from the close competition between them. And that includes the prospect of Republicans choosing a presidential nominee who could be shuttling between the campaign trail and the courtroom. “The two political parties are farther apart on average than they have been in our lifetime,” said Lynn Vavreck, a UCLA political scientist and co-author of books on the 2016 and 2020 elections. “That makes it harder for people to think about crossing over to the other side.” Democrats have won the po[CENSORED]r vote in seven of the past eight presidential elections – something no party has done since the formation of the modern party system in 1828. That suggests the Democratic coalition, on a national basis, is somewhat larger than the GOP’s. But the Democrats’ difficulty competing outside of large metropolitan areas, as well as the small state bias in the Senate and the Electoral College, has allowed the GOP to remain highly competitive in this era. In almost every critical dimension, the political system is now defined by stasis and stand-off. In this century, for instance, majorities for either side in the House and Senate have consistently been much smaller than they were in the late 20th century. Each party has now established a virtually impregnable sphere of influence across a large number of states in which they dominate elections up and down the ballot-from the presidential contest through Congress and state races. Forty of the 50 states, or 80% of them, have voted the same way in each of the past four presidential elections; that’s a higher percentage of states than voted the same way even in the four consecutive elections won by Franklin Roosevelt from 1932 through 1944. The latest measure of this deadlock came last week in a joint survey by Tony Fabrizio and John Anzalone, the lead pollsters in 2020 respectively for Trump and Biden. In a study for AARP, the giant advocacy group for older Americans, the two surveyed attitudes in the 40 congressional districts considered the most competitive by the non-partisan Cook Political Report. The results pointed to an electoral competition in which the concrete has settled very firmly. The poll found voters divided exactly in half over whether they intended to vote for Democrats or Republicans in the next Congressional election. And it found Biden leading Trump by four percentage points across these 40 districts: that was exactly Biden’s advantage over Trump in these seats in 2020. The Anzalone/Fabrizio poll for AARP is just one poll, of course, but it’s consistent with the broad current of recent public opinion surveys. While surveys now usually show Biden leading Trump, the president’s margin rarely exceeds his four-point margin of victory from 2020. The latest national NBC poll, conducted by another bipartisan team of prominent Republican and Democratic pollsters, also found Biden leading Trump by the exact same four percentage point margin he amassed in 2020. Bill McInturff, the lead GOP pollster on the survey, points out that in the poll Trump led 93%-1% among those who voted for him in 2020, while Biden led 93%-3% among his 2020 supporters. “The two partisan coalitions are locked down and difficult to move,” McInturff said. Unexpected changes in the electorate’s composition – for instance whether youth turnout is higher or lower than anticipated – would be more likely to change the outcome. https://edition.cnn.com/2023/08/01/politics/trump-indictments-deadlock-democrats-republicans-fault-lines/index.html

(VILPA) if incorporated into the daily lives of non-exercisers unable to indulge in vigorous physical activity (VPA). Previous guidelines did not acknowledge that physical activity bouts lasting less than 10 minutes provided health benefits. They often propagated that leisure activities, such as gymming, running, and sports, provide health benefits. However, VPA has remained cumbersome, especially for middle-aged adults ≥ 40 years, owing to time constraints and the commitment it needs. Also, it requires access to facilities and specific preparation. On the contrary, VILPA, which refers to sporadic bouts of one to two minutes of VPA (e.g., fast walking, stair climbing), could be incorporated into everyday life. It likely elicits the same effects in physically inactive adults who do not exercise as VPA in exercisers. Thus, the new emphasis is on all physical activities regardless of bout duration. Regardless of the domain, physical activity reduces the risk of all-cause mortality, plus mortality due to cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and specific cancers. Thus, there is an urgent need for studies examining the associations of VILPA with all-cause mortality, including CVDs and cancers in non-exercisers. Wearable devices (e.g., accelerometers) could capture ‘micro-patterns’ of VILPA, which could help better understand its effect on non-exercisers health. In the present study, researchers recruited 25,241 non-exercisers from the United Kingdom (UK) biobank with accelerometry data to examine the correlation between VILPA and all-cause, CVD, and cancer-mortalities. An analysis of 2,407 participants from the core sample set of 25,241 confirmed that the non-exercisers were stable over time. These individuals did not indulge in leisure-time exercise(s) or more than one recreational walk per week 5.5 years before or 1.5 years before the accelerometry baseline. The study analysis covered two bouts of all VILPA, with 92.3% and 97.7% of bout lengths being up to one and two minutes, respectively. The daily average and maximum VILPA daily timespan were four and 16 minutes per day for both these bout lengths. The researchers estimated the relationship of all-cause mortality with VILPA using a multivariable-adjusted analyses model. They presented the hazard ratio (HR) associated with the lowest dose inducing 50% of the total effect(s) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Additionally, they reported the average and maximum VILPA timespan and frequency for both bout lengths for each day. The study cohort comprised 25241 individuals, of whom 14,178 were women, and the remaining 11,063 were men; all had an average age of 61.8 years. The average follow-up duration of the study was 6.9 years. The researchers noted that engaging in more VILPA for about four to five minutes per day led to more mortality risk reductions across all three outcomes assessed in the study in a non-linear fashion. Previous proof-of-concept trials have shown, and this study also demonstrated that small doses of exercise-based intermittent VPA equating roughly to engaging in average VILPA of 4.4 minutes daily substantially improved cardiorespiratory fitness and reduced CVD mortality risk by 32 to 34%. Moreover, higher cardiorespiratory fitness of 3.5 ml of oxygen uptake per kilogram per minute could lead to a 7% reduction in cancer mortality risk. Fewer than two VILPA bouts of one to two minutes reduced cancer and all-cause mortality by 24% to 26%. A recent US study reported similar results and showed that less than 31 minutes of VPA per week reduced CVD mortality risk by 36% to 45%. Despite comparable effect size, it was a questionnaire-based study that could capture sequential times in which individuals performed vigorous physical activity with interruptions and rest rather than the actual time of VPA that accelerometers used in this study could quantify. https://www.news-medical.net/news/20221213/Vigorous-intermittent-lifestyle-physical-activity-associated-with-reduction-of-all-cause-mortality-cancer-and-cardiovascular-mortality.aspx

Transport minister Richard Holden has said he can not put a timeframe on when asylum seekers will be housed on the Bibby Stockholm barge in Dorset. The Home Office had been planning to send the first 50 migrants to the barge moored at Portland Port on Tuesday. But final safety checks are still being carried out, with fire service approval pending. Asked on Sky News when the barge would be available, Mr Holden said: "I can't put a timeframe on it." He added: "The checks are going to take as long as they're going to take. It's important we get these things right." Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said that "all accommodation has to go through a series of checks and inspections" when asked about the delay. He also defended the policy arguing that it was "not fair" for taxpayers to pay "six million quid a day to house illegal migrants in hotels". The barge could become operational on Wednesday, with a Home Office assessment expected later. The government wants to use barges to house male migrants in an attempt to reduce the bill for hotel rooms. Senior ministers hope to confirm the use of further barges in the coming months. They have struggled to find ports prepared to host them so far, with a site next to London City airport and another on the River Mersey in Wirral among those being rejected. The government believes a successful scheme in Dorset will help encourage other areas to sign up. But any safety issues would make increasing the use of barges less likely. The initial plan is for 50 men to live on Bibby Stockholm. But that could increase to more than 500 in the coming months. The Home Office decided men living on the barge could share rooms, which significantly increased the capacity. But there has been opposition to the plan - with local councillors and residents staging protests and Conservative MP for South Dorset Richard Drax calling on the government to remove the barge. link: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-66371897

Scotland must wait until next month at the earliest to secure the point they need to seal a Euro 2024 place after Norway beat Georgia 2-1 in Oslo. Steve Clarke's side won their first five qualifiers, but Spain and Norway could both still breach their tally of 15 points, with the top two qualifying. The 12 October meeting with the Spanish in Seville is the Scots' next game. They would qualify with a win or a draw but could do so even in defeat should Norway drop points in Cyprus. However, if Scotland lose and Norway win, the Scots could secure qualification by beating Georgia away on 16 November. In this scenario, a draw in Georgia would not quite be enough with the campaign ending at home to Norway on 19 November. LIVE: All the reaction as England beat Scotland Bellingham helps classy England quell in-form Scots The Norwegians did not do that on Tuesday, Erling Haaland heading in the opener midway through the first half, before Martin Odegaard doubling the advantage eight minutes later. Budu Zivzivadze set up a nervy conclusion when he struck in stoppage time, but the hosts held on to keep their slim hopes alive. In the other game in the group on Tuesday, Spain thrashed Cyprus 6-0 in Granada to move within six points of Scotland with a game in hand. In this Group A campaign so far, Scotland have built on six straight group victories to close their failed World Cup bid with a string of impressive results, including a 2-0 victory over Spain at Hampden. Cyprus have been beaten home and away, Georgia were undone at a rain-soaked Hampden, while Norway were stunned 2-1 in Oslo. After the trip to Spain, Clarke's squad visit Georgia and host Norway before the draw for the finals in Germany on Saturday 2 December. Qualification for Germany would mark consecutive European Championship appearances after the Scots played in the finals in 2021 - their first major men's tournament in 23 years. link: https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/66758153

The UK’s largest zoo has embarked on its annual stock-take - aiming to count each of the 9,500-plus animals it looks after. From hippos and rhinos to rare fish and insects, every creature in the care of Whipsnade Zoo in Bedfordshire has to be accounted for - and in the coming days keepers will tot up totals of invertebrates, birds, fish, mammals, reptiles and amphibians. The operations director for animals, Matthew Webb, said the annual stock-take was a key time of year for the zoo. “We’ve got over 9,500 animals on site and we have to keep a real strict eye on how many we’ve got," he said. "We have to make sure all that information is being inputted. We count them regularly, but we do an annual stock take every year." But the count presents challenges for keepers - for example, at the aquarium, where there are thousands of fish, staff take a still picture so they do not double count any animal. And it is not just Whipsnade participating - zoos around the world are taking part. Bosses say it is important to get the counts right as some species at Whipsnade are extinct in the wild, and each annual audit creates data that is shared globally. This data is then used to help manage the worldwide conservation breeding programmes for endangered animals. Among the new arrivals at Whipsnade in the past year are Titch, a two-month old chameleon, and Nandi, an endangered southern white rhino. The kaleidoscopic colour-changer was so small when he was born that staff were initially unsure whether he was male or female. At the other end of the scale - and rather easier for the keepers to spot - was Nandi, who arrived at the zoo in the summer. The rhino calf, whose name means "sweet one" in Zulu, was born to parents Tuli and Sizzle in August after a 16-month pregnancy. https://www.itv.com/news/anglia/2022-01-06/one-two-three-roar-uks-biggest-zoo-begins-its-annual-animal-count

I’ve always been an anxious person, but have never been formally diagnosed with anxiety or prescribed medication to alleviate the symptoms. Last year I started living on my own for the first time, which, while freeing in many ways, has exacerbated my struggles. Being responsible for maintenance and repairs stresses me out, often to the point of tears. I feel ashamed of my inability to deal with what are ostensibly very simple, mundane problems. Even the prospect of hanging up pictures or painting a wall is daunting. I don’t have children, I don’t have any caring responsibilities, I’m physically healthy, and my job is both satisfying and low-stress – so why does life feel so difficult on a daily basis? Now that I’m approaching 30, I’m tired of dealing with my mental health on my own, but feel there are no obvious paths to recovery. My best friends have regular therapy sessions. However, they earn a lot more than I do. Even a trainee counsellor at reduced rates or a service like BetterHelp are beyond what I can afford. Whenever I visit my parents or hang out with my friends, I feel miles better. But as soon as I come back to my empty home, I start to spiral again. They’re aware I’ve been having a hard time, and always insist that I tell them whenever I feel sad or anxious. But, paradoxically, the worse I feel, the harder it is for me to reach out to them. I worry that if I contact them every time I feel down, it will wear them out, perhaps even scare them. It’s not fair to make them my unpaid therapists. I know from my GP that there’s a two-year waiting list for NHS counselling services for those in acute mental distress, let alone “high-functioning” people like me. What should I do? It’s great that you feel better after seeing your family and friends: you have found something that does work and, to a certain extent, that is what family and friends are for. I wonder where you learned that you might “wear people out”? We are social animals and we need that connection. I contacted UKCP registered psychoanalytic psychotherapist Prof Brett Kahr and asked him what causes anxiety. He explained that anxiety is the ultimate manifestation of being human, that we all experience it and it reflects how safe or unsafe we feel in the world. He further explained that “feeling some level of anxiety is often a sign of mental sturdiness, as an anxious person might be more attuned to the realities of life rather than being in a state of denial. It can be the people who are least in touch with their anxiety – those who profess not to feel anxious – who often project their own suffering on to everyone else.” link: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/aug/04/living-alone-is-making-my-anxiety-spiral-but-im-too-ashamed-to-reach-out-to-friends-and-family

A Russian naval ship has been damaged in a Ukrainian naval drone attack in the Black Sea, Ukrainian sources say. The assault reportedly occurred near the Russian port of Novorossiysk, which is a major hub for Russian exports. Russia's defence ministry said it had repelled a Ukrainian attack on its naval base there which involved two sea drones, but did not admit any damage. But Ukrainian security service sources say the Olenegorsky Gornyak was hit and suffered a serious breach. They told the BBC a sea drone was carrying 450kg (992lb) of dynamite when it hit the ship. Russia made no mention of any damage in its report of the incident. Sea drones are small, unmanned vessels which operate on or below the water's surface. A video sent to the BBC by a source with Ukraine's security service appears to show the drone approaching a ship thought to be the Olenegorsky Gornyak. The footage shows a vessel travelling right up to the side of a ship before the feed cuts out, apparently on impact. Another unverified video is thought to show the ship listing to one side. The Olenegorsky Gornyak is a landing ship, designed to launch amphibious forces close to shore for beach landings but also to dock and quickly unload cargo at ports. Any damage to it may interfere with Russia's efforts to resupply forces fighting in occupied southern Ukraine, although the Russian fleet is unlikely to be significantly impacted. The Novorossiysk port temporarily suspended any movement of ships following the assault, according to the Caspian Pipeline Consortium, which loads oil on to tankers at the port. Research by BBC Verify suggests Ukraine has carried out at least 11 attacks with sea drones - targeting military ships and Russia's naval base in Sevastopol, as well as Novorossiysk harbour in a previous attack. This is based on announcements by Russian and Ukrainian authorities, and local media reports. Ukrainian defence sources have told CNN that sea drones had also been used in an attack on the Kerch Bridge in Crimea in July. How drone ships are changing the Ukraine conflict Ukraine's invisible battle to jam Russian weapons Friday's attack comes just a few days after Ukraine revealed the external appearance and some details of what they have described as their "new" weapon - unmanned naval drones. In fact, Ukraine has been using these drones to attack Russian ships since last year. The vessels represent a new stage in the evolution of naval warfare, where small, unmanned boats can inflict damage on large ships with powerful weaponry. This is not the first time Ukraine has tried to hit the Novorossiysk port, and the reasons are obvious. Around 1.8m barrels of oil are exported from there every day - around 2% of the global supply. It is also an important naval base for Moscow. Clashes in the sea have increased in recent weeks, after Russia abandoned a UN deal that enabled grain to be safely exported between Russia and Ukraine across the water. Ukrainian ports have been pummelled by Russian drones and Kyiv seems to have been keen to respond. It is also more willing to admit to strikes involving sea drones than the attacks seen further inside Russia. Friday's incident shows "it is possible to effectively carry out some operations which will decrease Russia's maritime influence, military influence on the Black Sea," President Zelensky's adviser Mykhaylo Podolyak told the BBC. President Zelensky has warned of the war "coming to Russia", despite suggesting a peace summit could happen "as early as the autumn". Neither side appears overly keen to set the conditions for that. Earlier this week, Russia attacked big Black Sea ports of Odesa and Chornomorsk, where authorities said 60,000 tonnes of grain were destroyed, as well as ports on the River Danube. Separately on Friday, Russia also said it had downed 10 Ukrainian aerial drones over Crimea. link: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-66402046

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The government has lost its legal challenge to prevent the Covid inquiry from seeing Boris Johnson's WhatsApps, diaries and notebooks in full. The Cabinet Office had argued it should not have to hand over irrelevant material, but inquiry chair Baroness Hallett said it should be up to her to decide what is relevant. The government has accepted the ruling. It would work towards handing over the material requested by next week, Downing Street said. "All elements of this will be discussed in more detail with the inquiry", No 10 added, describing the judgement as the "sensible" and the "appropriate way forward". The Covid inquiry said it was "pleased" with the High Court verdict and added that inquiry chair Baroness Hallett expected to received the material by 16:00 BST on Monday 10 July. The decision by the court is likely to strengthen the authority of the inquiry and its ability to demand evidence. In its ruling, the court said inquiries should be allowed to "fish" for documents. It said such exercises could potentially lead to the inquiry getting "some irrelevant material". Covid inquiry: The UK pandemic in numbers What is the UK Covid inquiry and how long will it take? Lord Justice Dingemans and Mr Justice Garnham said Baroness Hallett would return documents she found "obviously irrelevant". The judges also suggested the Cabinet Office could make its case directly to the inquiry about which documents should be considered irrelevant. The court's ruling does not mean that the public will get to see the documents in full as the inquiry could apply its own redactions. It may also decide against making them public at all. Responding to the court's verdict, Deborah Doyle, a spokesperson for Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK group, said: "This judicial review was a desperate waste of time and money. "A successful inquiry could save thousands of lives in the event of another pandemic, and it's a disgrace that the Cabinet Office is trying to obstruct it." Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner accused Rishi Sunak of "wasting time and taxpayers' money on doomed legal battles". Earlier this year the Covid Inquiry - set up by the government to examine decision-making during the pandemic - requested to see WhatsApp messages on Mr Johnson's devices from a group chat set up to discuss the pandemic response. It also asked to see messages from other politicians including current Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. The request triggered a row between the inquiry and the government, but also Mr Johnson. The former prime minister said he was "more than happy" for the inquiry to see his unredacted messages and threatened to send what material he had directly to the inquiry, by-passing the Cabinet Office. At a hearing of the case last month, government lawyer Sir James Eadie KC said the Cabinet Office had challenged the inquiry's request with "considerable reluctance". He argued that the government had a "real concern" about people's privacy and notes that some of the material included messages of a personal nature. In a confidential submission to the court, the Cabinet Office also flagged "messages about border incursions by one foreign state into the territory of another foreign state", as well as "the trial of foreign nationals in the courts of another foreign state". Representing the inquiry, Hugo Keith KC said letting the Cabinet Office decide which measures were relevant amounted to the government "marking its own homework". He also said it would "emasculate this and future inquiries". https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-66123656

analyzed the moose's brain and detected a variant of rabies usually found in Arctic foxes, suggesting it contracted the virus from a fox. Scientists have confirmed the first ever case of rabies in an Alaska moose after a diseased animal stumbled into a small community and charged at residents while "drooling profusely." The moose was euthanized shortly after it wandered into Teller, western Alaska, on June 2. "The moose was unbalanced, stumbling, drooling profusely, and had bare patches of skin," Doug Vincent-Lang, the commissioner of Alaska's Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G), wrote in a statement. The animal was also "acting aggressively towards people." Sponsored Links Impress Everyone By Learning The Hottest Languages Out There Babbel A necropsy later detected rabies virus in the moose's brain. Scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed the finding on June 6. Rabies is a virus that spreads through saliva and can occur in all warm-blooded mammals. Rabid animals often become aggressive and salivate excessively, or foam at the mouth. They may appear to be shaking or having seizures and display bite marks. Animals infected with the virus also behave abnormally, sometimes chewing on rocks and other non-food items. ADF&G said the virus detected in the moose was the same variant of rabies circulating in Arctic foxes (Vulpes lagopus) and red foxes (V. vulpes) this past winter, "suggesting that the moose contracted the virus from a fox," the statement said. Related: Zoo anteater exposed people to rabies in first-of-its-kind case Rabies is enzootic in Arctic and red fox po[CENSORED]tions along the northern and western coasts of Alaska, meaning the disease is always present — but at very low levels. Every now and again, a flare-up of infections leads to outbreaks in foxes that can spill over to dogs, wolves, caribou and polar bears. However, this is the first rabid moose ever documented in Alaska. Previous cases of this disease in moose have been recorded in South Dakota, Minnesota, Canada and Russia, but rabies diagnosis in these animals is rare because they are solitary, according to the statement. Moose (Alces alces) are the largest members of the deer family. The Alaska-Yukon subspecies (A. alces gigas), of which there are between 175,000 and 200,000 individuals in Alaska, is the bulkiest of these antlered creatures and can weigh up to 1,600 pounds (730 kilograms). Scientists don't think this individual case is indicative of an outbreak or that it will lead to one in Alaska. "Due to the largely solitary nature of moose, it is very unlikely that any rabies outbreak will occur in the moose po[CENSORED]tion," the statement said. However, until now, only moose displaying signs of disease were screened for rabies in Alaska. Buthis unprecedented case recorded has prompted new plans to increase surveillance and testing in wild mammals found dead or killed in regions where fox rabies occurs, according to the statement. link: https://www.livescience.com/animals/land-mammals/rabid-moose-found-stumbling-drooling-profusely-is-1st-case-ever-recorded-in-alaska

he bigger Britain’s problems get, the more Labour seems to shrink. As almost every economic, social and public sector indicator flashes red, Labour politicians explain that regretfully they will only be able to do a limited amount in government about the worst set of interlocking crises in our modern history. The more disenchantment with politics grows, the more narrowly Labour defines the kind of politicians and party members it wants. It excludes or marginalises Corbynistas, leftwingers in general, respected local government radicals such as Jamie Driscoll, and even the mild centre-left organiser Neal Lawson. The few clearly left-leaning figures who remain – for now – in the shadow cabinet, such as Ed Miliband, are briefed against by anonymous Labour sources in the Tory press. Meanwhile, Keir Starmer has increasingly regular chats with Rupert Murdoch. There is a logic to all this purging and repositioning, lowering of expectations and policy trimming. It is the logic that has underpinned successful election campaigns by both main parties since 1997. From New Labour’s pledge cards, with their concrete but modest promises, to the Tory strategist Lynton Crosby’s advice to David Cameron to “get the barnacles off the boat” before his 2015 victory, electioneering in Britain has often been about discipline, repetition and minimising dissent and unnecessary commitments. It may not be inspiring or innovative, but it works, the advocates of this method argue. Look at Labour’s lead in the polls. Yet poll leads and election victories take a party only so far. Once in office, especially at a time of national crisis – as Starmer is likely to be – the gap between wary campaign politics and the more risk-taking and imaginative mode that crises often require can create great tensions in a government. Sometimes premierships are destroyed by them. If Labour wins power, will Starmer’s supposedly safe strategy become a huge risk? Despite the Tories’ claim to be the nation’s natural custodians, Labour usually takes office when Britain is in a mess. Unfortunately, such situations are the only time when many voters are prepared to give the party a try. One example of a cautious Labour government being overwhelmed in such a scenario is still infamous in the history of the party, even though it occurred almost a century ago. In 1929, Labour won power with unemployment rising and industrial relations tense, just as they are now. Within months, the Wall Street Crash and Great Depression made economic and social conditions much worse. Yet the chancellor, Philip Snowden, like today’s shadow chancellor, Rachel Reeves, believed that Labour governments needed to prove their credibility by strictly controlling how much money they borrowed. He resisted calls to increase public spending, then supported cuts. The government disintegrated into pro- and anti-austerity factions. An early general election followed, in 1931, and Labour lost spectacularly, shrinking to 52 MPs. The Conservatives got 470. Given the deep problems of the current Tory party, it’s hard to see it making such a dramatic recovery. But a Starmer government struggling with all the problems left by its Tory predecessors, as well as with inevitable fresh crises, while being blamed for everything by the rightwing press, and also attacked by some of the leftwing Britons he has alienated, is only too easy to envisage. Yet a Starmer premiership doesn’t have to play out that way. Governments can rule cautiously, even in a period of crisis, if they are trusted. For the first two years of Tony Blair’s administration, Labour kept to the Conservatives’ existing spending plans, despite the rundown state of public services, and voters did not desert Labour in a disillusioned fury – probably because they believed, correctly, that better funding from the government would eventually be forthcoming. A prime minister can also persuade enough of the electorate to be patient if they have a clear project. Margaret Thatcher’s long, divisive premiership was partly sustained by the belief of a decisive minority of voters in her vision of a more competitive society. Occasionally, Starmer tries to give a Labour government a similar grand purpose. In January, he promised “a fairer, greener, more dynamic country with an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top”, and “a politics which trusts communities with the power to control their destiny”. So used are we to seeing him as Mr Cautious, these expansive moments do not get the consideration they deserve. He lacks Thatcher’s and Blair’s communication skills, which enabled them to embed their main message even in everyday announcements. He also lacks their consistent quality: the sense that they had an ideology, whether you liked it or not. In three years as leader, he has already shifted from the continuity Corbynism of his initial pledges to the jittery patriotic centrism of his pandemic period to the more confident critic of Conservative Britain that is his current incarnation. In office, he could easily change again. Optimists on the British left – there are still some – hope that he will be more radical in government than opposition, because circumstances give him no option. If public services are in even deeper crisis than now, after possibly another 18 months of Tory rule, then he will need new sources of revenue. With Labour’s ambition for Britain to have “the highest sustained growth in the G7” unlikely to be achieved quickly, if ever, and more borrowing ruled out, then this revenue will need to come from higher taxes. And with most taxpayers struggling financially, raiding the bloated stashes of the economic winners of recent decades is going to be very tempting – whatever reassuring things Starmer and Reeves say to the rich now. Such a sequence of events could be wishful thinking. But it’s too early to say for sure how Starmer might govern. Next week, Labour’s national policy forum meets to help decide what goes into its manifesto. Further policy announcements are likely at this autumn’s party conference, and during the election run-up, which could include another Labour conference in 2024, if Rishi Sunak delays the election as long as possible. If Starmer treats this whole period as an exercise in risk avoidance, and does the same in Downing Street, then he may join the list of failed British premiers. Helpfully, he has supplied future historians with a phrase of his own for governments that lack boldness: “sticking-plaster politics”. Let’s hope he has some stronger remedies hidden somewhere in his medicine cabinet. Andy Beckett is a Guardian columnist You've read 11 articles in the last year Article count on …as you’re joining us today from Egypt, we have a small favour to ask. The Guardian has spent the past 13 years tirelessly investigating the shortcomings of the British Conservative government - austerity, Brexit, partygate, cronyism, the Liz Truss debacle and the individual failings of ministers who behave as if the rules don’t apply to them. Our work has resulted in resignations, apologies and policy corrections. And with an election just round the corner, we won’t stop now. It’s crucial that we can all make informed decisions about who is best to lead the UK. Will you invest in the Guardian this year? Unlike many others, the Guardian has no shareholders and no billionaire owner. Just the determination and passion to deliver high-impact global reporting, always free from commercial or political influence. Reporting like this is vital for democracy, for fairness and to demand better from the powerful. And we provide all this for free, for everyone to read. We do this because we believe in information equality. Greater numbers of people can keep track of the events shaping our world, understand their impact on people and communities, and become inspired to take meaningful action. Millions can benefit from open access to quality, truthful news, regardless of their ability to pay for it. Whether you give a little or a lot, your funding will power our reporting for the years to come. If you can, please support us on a monthly basis from just $2. It takes less than a minute to set up, and you can rest assured that you’re making a big impact every single month in support of open, independent journalism. Thank you. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/jul/14/labour-power-keir-starmer-politics-crises

A basement in Montreal's Mile End neighbourhood boomed with upbeat Ukrainian music Friday afternoon as a group of children jubilantly performed a dance routine before an audience of parents who brought them to safety from the war in their home country. The 30 children, between the ages of five and 12, were the first cohort to attend camp Dyvo, a free, new summer program that aims to help Ukrainian refugee children and their families settle in Montreal. The Friday performance marked the end of the first two-week camp session. A new batch of 30 children will start next week. Dyvo, or "wonder" in English, is an initiative of the Quebec branch of the Ukrainian National Federation. Branch president Taras Kulish said the goal of the program is to foster a sense of community among new arrivals and help them integrate in their new environment, using day trips to familiarize participant families with the city. The camp is based out of the federation's community centre. So far, the camp has proved to be a critical social touchpoint for refugees who fled the war in Ukraine launched by Russia, Kulish said. "You can only imagine leaving your family, all your cherished belongings behind," he said in a recent interview. "You arrive in this country where you know nobody, you have no family, no friends. So the building of community through getting to know people of your own culture — you would imagine would be very important." The program serves to promote Ukrainian culture while anchoring new immigrants in Montreal, Kulish explained, adding that it creates work for refugees by employing them as camp leaders. It also emphasizes the use of the Ukrainian language among campers, many of whom are attending school in French. The result is what Kulish described as a "nurturing" setting that instils appreciation for the Ukrainian language and culture. For Maryna Kucher, the camp has been a way to ensure her 11-year-old son feels a sense of connection with her home country. She and her two sons arrived in Canada in April 2022, shortly after the war began. Kucher's husband stayed behind to fight. "I'm so happy about this program because our children, they need to keep their language, their traditions, especially when they're younger," she said before the performance began Friday. "It's very important to speak, to sing, to draw, to be together and to help each other." Camp co-ordinator Olena Khomyakova said the camp has been able to leverage the talents of the refugee community to provide activities for the children. Local Ukrainian artists have given demonstrations in painting and stop-motion movie-making. The walls of the community centre's basement theatre are adorned with children's drawings and posters, all of them carrying messages in Ukrainian. Anastasiia Soliak, whose nine-year-old son attended the camp, said the experience helped facilitate his integration in Quebec. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/ukrainian-children-montreal-summer-camp-1.6928635

Households should be given cash if they live in the path of new large electricity pylons, a government-commissioned report says. The recommendation is among several to speed up the building of new infrastructure in Great Britain to better connect with new renewable energy. Key is a fast-track planning system to help halve the 12 to 14 years it currently takes to build new lines. The government has welcomed the report. ADVERTISEMENT Energy Security Secretary Grant Shapps will now consider the recommendations and is expected to present a plan later this year. However, the construction of new lines could open fresh rifts with Conservative MPs campaigning against planned pylons in their area. Environment Secretary Therese Coffey and former Home Secretary Dame Priti Patel are among high-profile MPs opposing plans for new lines affecting their constituencies. Ministers to speed up delivery of new power lines The looming battle over pylons for green energy What does net zero mean? The government ordered the review in July last year as part of plans to improve the transmission of renewable energy, including from wind farms and new nuclear stations, to homes and businesses. The report, by energy industry veteran Nick Winser, said the push to decarbonise was being held back by the slow pace of new pylon projects. It has recommended a streamlined planning process as part of plans to reduce the time it takes to around seven years, and closer alignment between planning rules in Scotland and the separate system for England and Wales. It said people living near transmission pylons, the larger lines that connect electricity from where it is generated to regional substations, should get lump sum payments from operators. The report does not recommend specific levels of compensation or qualification criteria. It says a further consultation may be needed to work out a formula, which would need to be approved by the energy watchdog Ofgem. 'Pay off communities' It also supported community payments for areas where new "visible infrastructure", including substations, is built, to pay for local programmes such as energy efficiency schemes or electric vehicle charging points. The cost of compensation would be lower than building cables underground, it added, which it said was between five and 10 times more than overhead lines. Offshore cables were even more expensive, it noted. But Rosie Pearson, founder of the Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk Pylons Action Group, said the idea of community payments was "very worrying". "It sounds like they might be intending to essentially pay off communities with nominal sums instead of actually getting the right projects," she told the BBC link: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-66397256

Gavi and Balde have made the list of Golden Boy award nominees. The two Barça players were among 10 to be nominated today in Milan. Let's not forget that the midfielder won last year's edition of this award presented by the Italian newspaper, Tuttosport. FC Barcelona move forward with work at Spotify Camp Nou - FC Barcelona In the first few weeks of June the dismantling of the interior of the stadium has continued, starting with the pitch with demolition work also starting Raphinha picks his best moments from the LaLiga season - FC Barcelona The Brazilian winger tells us about his favourite goal, the best save, the most brilliant game, and the best moment from both a personal and team perspective Deco closes player agency to start work as Barcelona's sporting director - SPORT Deco announced Tuesday on Instagram that his agency is closing down. Therefore, there is no incompatibility for the former player to begin his work as FC Barcelona's sporting director. Neymar insisting on Barça return but deal remains difficult - SPORT Although Xavi Hernandez already explained in an interview with 'Jijantes' that the return of Neymar was not in his plans, the Brazilian has not given up and insists on a return to Barça, the club where he played between 2013 and 2017 and that he changed for Paris Saint Germain after the French club paid his 222 million euro release clause. Barça send Gavi support after midfielder's speech ruined by Spain fans - SPORT The celebration of the UEFA Nations League won by the Spanish national team was marred by booing and insults aimed at Gavi and Barcelona. A section of the crowd at the WiZink Center in Madrid on Monday staged an unfortunate episode against the player, a key player in Spain's victory in the tournament. The role Xavi has for Sergi Darder as Barça sound out Espanyol midfielder - SPORT Due to their economic situation, FC Barcelona's sporting management are keeping a close eye on a large number of players who will be released on 30 June and on those who, due to their contractual conditions, could easily leave their clubs. Sergi Darder is one of them because he can leave Espanil on loan if a first division club matches his contract before 10 July. Zubimendi signing not generating consensus across the board at Barça - SPORT The planning game is clearly being played in midfield and the arrival of Deco as the new sporting director could change some of the approaches desired by the coach, Xavi Hernández, who has been supported unwaveringly by Deco's predecessor, Jordi Cruyff. Barça Atletic winger Fabio Blanco joins Villarreal B in €700k transfer - SPORT Barcelona are not only making moves in the first team, on Tuesday the reserve team have completed the transfer of Fabio Blanco to Villareal, a left winger who joined the club in January 2022 but has not enjoyed the confidence of Rafa Márquez this season. https://www.barcablaugranes.com/2023/6/21/23767720/fc-barcelona-news-21-june-2023-gavi-and-balde-nominated-for-golden-boy-neymar-wants-barca-return

Paleontologists have unearthed a never-before-seen species of primitive duck-billed dinosaur in Chile — the likes of which has never been found in the Southern Hemisphere. The discovery of the car-size herbivore, which has been brought to life in a stunning new video, changes what we know about the history of its flat-nosed family. The newfound species, named Gonkoken nanoi, belongs to the family Hadrosauridae — a group of plant-eating dinosaurs commonly referred to as duck-billed dinosaurs because of the flattened bones in their snout. The name Gonkoken means "similar to a wild duck or swan" in the Aónikenk (Southern Tehuelches) language used by the Indigenous people who inhabited the area where the fossils were found until the end of the 19th century. G. nanoi likely measured between 11.5 and 13 feet (3.5 to 4 meters) long and weighed 1,300 to 2,200 pounds (600 and 1,000 kilograms), researchers wrote in a translated statement. G. nanoi had hundreds of teeth "with which they could grind, crush, and cut virtually any plant material, including wood," the scientists added. Researchers uncovered the remains of G. nanoi in a large "bone bed" in the Valle del Río de Las Chinas sector of Chilean Patagonia. The preserved pile of around 50 fossils included the bones of at least three individuals that were a mix of adults and juveniles. The bones, which include teeth, vertebrae, skull bones, jaw fragments, limb bones and ribs, date back to around 72 million years ago, during the late Cretaceous period (145 million to 66 million years ago). The discovery of so many adult and juvenile fossils in one place suggests that G. nanoi was highly social and likely lived in sizable groups, the researchers wrote in the statement. In a new study published June 16 in the journal Science Advances, researchers used the bones to recreate the species' skeleton. In a video press conference in Spanish, researchers shared a short clip created by animator PaleoGDY that shows what G. nanoi may have looked like. https://www.livescience.com/animals/dinosaurs/never-before-seen-missing-link-dinosaur-walks-drinks-and-socializes-in-stunning-new-animation

Oh, I don’t have a microwave,” that person who doesn’t have a microwave will tell you, judgment dusting their words like icing sugar atop a microwave mug cake. Inevitably, this will be followed by a light humblebrag like: “Call me old-fashioned, but I’ve just never seen the need.” They bake their cakes in the oven, reheat their leftovers on the hob, and they never have ready meals, which is all they really believe a microwave is good for. No matter that last week’s cooking trends report from Waitrose (no less) has revealed that microwave sales are up 13% at John Lewis compared to last year, and that it is this year’s most po[CENSORED]r kitchen gadget among those surveyed; for that person, not owning a microwave is as fundamental to their personal brand as drinking natural wine and riding a fixie. As hot takes on household appliances go, this one intrigues me most. After all, no one gets het up over kettles. I don’t own a toaster for the same reason one might not own a microwave – my kitchen’s too small – but I don’t make a point of it, I just burn my bread under the grill. Sure, spiralisers and juicers were a bit divisive back in their day, but those furores were like the fads themselves, lighthearted and fleeting – as, I bet, will be the current must-have gadget, the air fryer. Nearly six decades since microwaves appeared on the market, however, conversations about them still assume a moral dimension – particularly among foodies who find beeps, buttons and a setting called “chaos defrost” anathema to what “good” food should be. On the one hand, I can see how they got there, as for many years microwaves did mean “bad” cooking. Po[CENSORED]rised in the late 1970s, the gadget spawned a slew of microwave cookbooks, which advocated zapping everything from french toast to roast beef. My dad microwaved scrambled eggs throughout his single parenting years, and though my brother and I liked them at the time, I can still recall their … solid texture. Then came the 80s, and its brightly packaged, highly processed ready meals, and the microwave was tarnished by association when those foods started – rightly – falling from grace. But to associate microwaves only with ready meals reveals a mindset that is stuck in the past – and real foodies know that using them makes eating healthier and more convenient, not lazier. Take lasagne, for example. Call me fussy, but I refuse to condone the belief that melted-then-solidified mozzarella and bechamel sauce is “better” fridge-cold. A microwave is the best (because quickest, tastiest and most energy-efficient) way to reheat it so it’s oozing and bubbling again. Reheating food – particularly curries, stews and pies – brings out flavours that have had time to develop overnight, an effect the Waitrose cooking report informs me is known as “kokumi” or “rich taste”. Reheating cooked pasta lowers its GI, transforming it into a slower-releasing carbohydrate. And a microwave’s ability to cook greens while preserving the nutrients they contain makes it a gadget for life, not just for leftovers. As with every story, this one’s more complicated than it seems, not least by time and trends in food and society. When it comes to ultra-processed food, it is clear the microwave is not the organ grinder but the monkey – and the issues go far beyond “microwave meals”. As for my dad’s eggs – well, while they’re no threat to Delia Smith’s, they do point to the microwave’s power to help people muddle through when they’re struggling. I think of a microwave and I think of my late grandpa, who at 100 years old was still able to live alone thanks to that and Wiltshire Farm Foods ready meals delivery service. I think of my grandma, who batch cooked for my mum so she could maintain her career and still feed us kids well in the evenings. I think of everyone tight on money and time, trying to minimise waste and maximise energy efficiency. On a lighter note, I think of myself and my preference for leftover hot food to be hot when I eat it the next day. So I’m delighted with Waitrose’s report, which as well as giving me a new word, is helping to rehabilitate my much-loved, much-maligned gadget. I’m Clare, I drink just wine, ride a bike with five gears – and I’m that person who has a microwave. link: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/jul/11/food-microwaves-britain-cookery-gadget-cakes-eggs