The Times - 06.08.2026.pdf

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THE

TIMES

2026年8月6日 星期四 / thetimes.com / 第 75104 号

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内页 TIMES2

Zut alors! 我们的孩子变成了法国人

挑衅的议会誓言无视关于单性别空间的新规定

Geraldine Scott 政治助理编辑 Bill Curtis

左翼议会发起了一场协调一致的行动，以对抗关于单性别空间的规定，其中一些议会拒绝要求员工基于生物性别来运行服务。

工党、绿党和自由民主党当局表示，他们将抵制执行平等与人权委员会 (EHRC) 的准则，该准则于昨日生效，与此同时，女性正推动采取法律行动，以强制公共机构遵守法律。

伦敦六个区——兰贝斯、哈克尼、哈林盖、刘易舍姆、南华克和沃尔瑟姆森林——的领导人承诺保持其服务的“包容性”，并警告称这些规定“将感觉像是对”跨性别和非二元性别居民的“攻击”。

在一封联合信函中，他们表示：“跨性别女性是女性，跨性别男性是男性，非二元性别身份在根本上是有效的”。他们将该准则描述为“对跨性别者权利有害”，并表示：“我们不会让我们的员工处于监管公共空间进入权的这种不可能的境地。”据了解，哈克尼因涉嫌未能提供仅限女性的服务，已被送达正式的法律挑战，这似乎是该准则生效以来针对公共机构的首次行动。

兰贝斯议员此前曾支持一项动议，要求该区拒绝执行该准则。伊斯灵顿表示，该准则“自相矛盾、开发不足，并有创造一种对跨性别者怀疑氛围的风险”。

布里斯托市议会表示，服务可以根据人们的性别认同来准入，这意味着跨性别女性可以被允许进入女性服务。然而，它表示任何以这种方式运行的服务不得被描述为仅限女性，而应该被 续见第 2 页

LEE DAVENS / WITDE

基辅的导弹防御请求

在俄罗斯对基辅进行导弹袭击后，一座仓库起火。在一次针对首都的大规模弹道导弹袭击导致至少 17 人死亡后，泽连斯基总统敦促盟友发送更多 the Patriot (爱国者导弹) 拦截弹 第 28 页

诱拐团伙施虐者将获提前获释

Oliver Wright 政策编辑 Daisy Eastlake, Ollie Cole

尽管安迪·伯纳姆承诺将诱拐犯罪排除在释放计划之外，但在英格兰北部性虐待女孩的亚裔团伙成员仍可能提前出狱。

《泰晤士报》已确认多起在布拉德福德被判定袭击儿童的男性案例。但由于许多犯罪行为发生在2003年反诱拐法律出台之前，他们被指控的是猥亵袭击罪，而这并不在首相宣布的提前释放豁免范围之内。

昨晚，保守党党魁凯米·巴德诺克致信伯纳姆，指出这一漏洞，并将其描述为“对受害者的又一次背叛”。

她写道：“周二你告诉全国，那些被判定诱拐犯罪的人将被排除在外。而你的政府现在却以书面形式确认，其中一些人无论如何都将被提前释放。”

在仅服刑一半就可能符合释放条件的人员中，包括五名男子，他们去年10月因虐待一名布拉德福德女孩（受害时年仅13岁）被判处总计35年监禁。Mohammed Imran Akram, Safraz Ahmed Latif, Wajid Hussain, Mohammed Naheem 和 Nadeem Ali 每人都被判处六到八年监禁。其中一些人现在可能在2028年底前获释。审判后，受害者表示这些男人夺走了“我的基本权利并偷走了我的未来”。

受害者专员告诉《泰晤士报》，在新的提前释放计划公布后，虐待受害者们陷入了“数周的压力和不确定性”之中。

司法部发言人表示：“我们已经明确表示，我们希望采取进一步措施，阻止更多罪犯在刑期内过早出狱，但如果不这样做，就有可能面临监狱达到容量上限并崩溃的风险。”

呼吁停止提前释放，第6页

陷入剽窃风波的教授辞职离开剑桥

大学在《泰晤士报》揭露新的不实指控后启动调查，随即做出该决定

Emma Yeomans

一名被指控剽窃和不诚实的剑桥大学明星教授昨晚辞职，并表示他不再希望生活在“持续的聚光灯下”。

作为该校历史上最年轻的黑人教授，杰森·阿尔代在大学对他启动调查后辞职。

一周多以来，剑桥大学一直面临压力，要求对其启动调查。阿尔代被指控剽窃其博士论文，并对其体育成就和筹款成果做出了惊人的主张。昨晚，大学表示将调查其学术资格和名誉任命，以及与其期刊出版物相关的研究不端行为。

在《泰晤士报》向大学提交新证据，暗示其研究的大部分内容系伪造且包含“不可能”的证据后，该公告发布。剑桥大学表示，目前有“数起正在处理的投诉”，涉及对其学术研究的调查。他还被指控夸大其体育和筹款成就，包括声称他在三天内跑了300英里，为慈善机构筹集了超过£5，并为WaterAid安装了水泵。

在由此前发起请愿书为其辩护的 Good Law Project 公布的辞职信中，阿尔代表示他不再希望生活在“持续的聚光灯下”，并为了个人健康而辞职。

41岁的阿尔代承诺将以“更强大、更睿智以及一直定义我的同样决心”回归** 续见第4页

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2

2026年8月6日 星期四 / 《泰晤士报》

新闻

国会议员告知希利：“不可持续”的学生贷款必须得到解决

Mary Downer

超过 120 名国会议员和贵族院议员已致信财政大臣，敦促其改革学生贷款制度，以帮助数百万陷入困境的毕业生。

这封信由活动团体 Rethink Repayment 协调，由工党、保守党、自由民主党和绿党成员签署。他们表示，在目前的制度下，毕业生必须偿还超过特定阈值收入的 9%，这是一个“不可持续且不公平的财务负担”。

教育大臣 Lucy Powell 上周表示，该问题处于其“收件箱的最顶端”，此前她在 2 月份曾表示，她认为贷款收取的利率是“惊人的”。

由于《星期日泰晤士报》发起的“结束毕业生被宰” (End the Graduate Rip-Off) 活动触发了议会调查，政府一直面临改革学生贷款的压力。

这封公开信由各主要政党的议员赞助，包括影子教育大臣 Laura Trott。他们要求财政大臣和教育大臣与他们会面。

Rethink Repayment 的创始人 Oliver Gardner 表示：“学生贷款危机不再是一个党派问题。当来自不同政治光谱的 121 位议员在这样一个问题上达成一致时，这表明了该问题究竟有多重要。”

签署者包括前教育大臣 Sir Gavin Williamson 和 Kit Malthouse，以及英国大学协会 (Universities UK) 前首席执行官 Undercliffe 的 Warwick 男爵夫人。

工党 Ilford South 议员、该信函的赞助人 Jas Athwal 表示：“学生贷款被宣传为对年轻人未来的投资，但对于数百万毕业生来说，它们已变成一种对抱负的征税。”

保守党 Exmouth & Exeter East 议员 David Reed 表示：“在许多毕业生已经面临高生活成本、困难的就业市场和沉重税收负担的时候，在实际操作中，在他们的收入上再增加 9% 的费用，这简直是错误的。”

英格兰学生的平均学生债务为 £53,000。根据毕业生就读大学的时间，贷款具有不同的利率和还款阈值，这些阈值旨在随收入增加而提高，以确保还款额在可承受范围内。

受到最严厉审查的 Plan 2 贷款，其利率设定为零售价格指数 (RPI) 通胀率加上最高 3 个百分点，具体取决于毕业生的收入水平。这些贷款是由在 2012 年至 2023 年之间开始就读大学的学生办理的。

在去年的预算案中，时任财政大臣的 Rachel Reeves 宣布，£29,385 的还款阈值将冻结三年——这是 Plan 2 毕业生面临的第三次冻结。4 月，政府将 Plan 2 贷款的利率上限设定为 6%。

关于学生贷款的议会调查呼吁撤销 Reeves 的阈值冻结，以履行办理贷款时的条款。调查还发现，由教育部和学生贷款公司 (Student Loans Company) 分发的贷款宣传材料，如果是由受监管的私营公司提供，将构成误导销售。

自由民主党 Twickenham 议员 Munira Wilson 表示：“在学生贷款这个话题上，没有哪个政党表现得光彩照人，而对制度零敲碎打的修改正使年轻人成为其他形式公共支出的‘现金奶牛’。现在是时候在议会范围内共同努力，建立一个能让人们继续生活的学生资助体系了。”

唐宁街10号否认计划进行爱泼斯坦调查

Peter Chappell

尽管一名部长表示政府正在“研究”此事，但安迪·伯纳姆并未在积极考虑针对恋童癖金融家杰弗里·爱泼斯坦在英国活动的公开调查。

受害者事务部长亚历克斯·戴维斯-琼斯表示，首相已同意会见爱泼斯坦的受害者，她认为基尔·斯塔默爵士此前并未认真对待这些人。

她在周二向BBC《Newsnight》节目表示：“我们正在研究这件事 [一项调查]，我们正在评估可行性。同样，哈罗德百货的幸存者也是如此。”

然而，《泰晤士报》得到的通知是，伯纳姆并未考虑进行公开调查。

司法部表示：“我们的心始终与杰弗里·爱泼斯坦的受害者在一起，他们经历了毁灭性的创伤。正如 [部长] 所言，我们正在评估可行性，并将研究所有支持受害者和幸存者的选项。首相致力于会见受害者，但目前并未在积极考虑公开调查。”

戴维斯-琼斯于5月从斯塔默政府辞职，指责他在决定任命曼德尔森勋爵为驻华盛顿大使时，未能倾听爱泼斯坦幸存者的声音。

在被问及在伯纳姆领导下重返该岗位前收到了哪些保证时，她表示，他“向我保证，在他成为首相后将与他们会面，并将与我们共同努力，为所有受害者寻求整个系统的体制性变革”。

司法部长杰克·理查兹此前也暗示调查具有可能性。他在昨天接受LBC采访时表示，戴维斯-琼斯已“与首相进行了沟通，他们肯定正在考虑并研究所有可行选项”。

地方议会无视单性别规定

被标记为“单性别”或“跨性别包容”。

在最高法院去年裁定《平等法》中受保护的性别特征是指生物学性别后，平等与人权委员会 (EHRC) 的实践准则进行了更新。

平等与人权委员会主席玛丽-安·斯蒂芬森 (Mary-Ann Stephenson) 告诉《泰晤士报》广播电台，那些公开反对该准则的地方议会“可能在某种程度上是在作秀”。她说：“一旦他们与法律部门沟通，就会意识到他们有义务遵守法律。”

曾参与该准则起草的律师及前平等与人权委员会委员阿克纳·赖因多夫 (Akna Reindorf) 补充道：“这要么是在作秀，要么是不知情。法律就是法律，指南不是法律；它只是告诉你如何合规。”

包括纳迪亚·惠特米 (Nadia Whitteme) 在内的工党议员支持由 Good Law Project 发起的司法审查，后者称该准则相当于“全面禁止提供包容跨性别的性别化服务”。

前平等与人权委员会主席法尔克纳女男爵 (Baroness Falkner) 本周警告称，由于“资金匮乏”，法律将“继续得不到平等监管机构的执行”，导致女性不得不自行提起诉讼。

但贝瑟尼·哈钦森 (Bethany Hutchison) 是一名护士，她曾针对达灵顿纪念医院 (Darlington Memorial Hospital) 一名跨性别同事使用单性别更衣室的事件发起诉讼并获胜，她表示，让女性独自应对法律斗争是不正确的。

她表示，必须有“国家层面的领导、明确的方向和有效的执行，而不是让普通女性通过一个个昂贵的案件来维护法律”。

Sex Matters 首席执行官玛雅·福斯特特 (Maya Forstater) 补充道：“为了让女性权利得到简单的维护，竟然需要付出如此高昂的法律行动费用和个人代价，这简直是耻辱。”

该准则适用于所有提供服务、行使公共职能或运行协会的组织——从地方议会和 NHS 信托基金到大学、慈善机构和企业。

NHS England 昨天拒绝就更新允许跨性别患者选择就诊病房的政策制定时间表。英国国家学生会 (National Union of Students) 已出台指南，帮助学生“抵制”该准则。

激进的跨性别活动网络 Bash Back 告诉支持者不要遵守该指南。该团体表示：“我们必须让他们害怕我们。”

政府表示，“致力于维护单性别空间，同时保护跨性别者的权利。目前已有明确的法律保护跨性别者免受歧视和骚扰，我们将继续维护这些法律。”

数千个家庭失去免费托儿服务

Aaliyah Ahmed

由于父母年收入超过 £100,000 而失去政府资助护理的儿童人数自 2018 年以来增长了四倍多。

如果父母每周工作至少 16 小时且赚取至少最低工资，那么 9 个月至 4 岁儿童的父母每周可获得最多 30 小时的政府资助托儿服务。然而，一旦父母中有一方的年收入超过 £100,000，他们将失去所有免费托儿服务。

在上一纳税年度，有 50,500 至 99,000 名儿童受到 £100,000 收入门槛的影响，而 2018-19 年这一数字在 10,900 至 22,500 名儿童之间。

£100,000 的门槛自 2017 年引入以来一直没有变化。

通过信息自由请求获得这些数据的财富管理公司 Quilter 的伊恩·富彻 (Ian Futcher) 表示：“虽然 £100,000 仍然是高收入，但其价值已不如设定该门槛时那么高。越来越多的家庭发现自己被那些在不同经济环境下设计的规则所限制。”

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THE TIMES / Thursday August 6 2026

1

新闻

最禽之谋？网球俱乐部宰杀鹅群引发愤怒

大卫·布朗 (David Brown) 报道：圣乔治山俱乐部的会员们喜爱这些鸟类，但首席执行官表示必须将它们射杀。

英国最顶尖的私人网球俱乐部之一的会员们现在愤怒不已，因为一群鹅在秘密行动中被宰杀，理由是它们经常在球场上制造混乱。

圣乔治山草地网球俱乐部 (St George's Hill Lawn Tennis Club) 位于一个深受名人与亿万富翁欢迎的封闭式社区内，因此被誉为英国的“比弗利山庄”。

但由于俱乐部雇佣枪手射杀定居于此的加拿大鹅，原本文雅的氛围变得焦虑不安。

邻居们在7月16日凌晨5:25听到了枪声。他们随后发现有八只鸟被杀，其中包括鹅雏。这次宰杀引发了关于控制加拿大鹅的更广泛议题，这类鸟类的数量在全英国范围内激增。成年鸟每天产生约2磅 (0.9 kg) 的粪便。

圣乔治山俱乐部成了这场对抗“外国入侵者”之战中一个出人意料的前线。这座占地16英亩的俱乐部目前拥有3,700名会员，由特克的亚历山大王子在妻子的陪伴下于1913年开业。

目前的年费为£2,664，新会员还需支付£2,000的入会费。

这家位于萨里郡韦布里奇 (Weybridge, Surrey) 的俱乐部拥有34个网球场，其中13个为草地场，并定期举办国际赛事。艾玛·拉杜卡努 (Emma Raducanu) 在赢得2021年美网公开赛的一年前，曾在英国职业系列赛和经典赛中夺冠。

圣乔治山俱乐部此前曾在其社交媒体上展示定居于此的加拿大鹅，以突出其美丽的场地和野生动物。

去年4月，俱乐部在Instagram和Facebook上发布了两只成年鹅和两只幼鹅蹒跚而行的照片，配文为：

“我们的湖畔露台上有鹅宝宝了！”

关于宰杀的传闻在俱乐部中流传——

这些鹅在年费£2,600的俱乐部里是社交媒体明星，艾玛·拉杜卡努在赢得美网公开赛前曾在此打球。

随后，当地居民协会的会员收到了一封电子邮件，正式确认了此事。

在一次社交媒体帖子中，一只幸存的成年鹅和一只鹅雏被描述为“在同一天被发现处于焦虑状态，在当地区域游荡”。

帖子继续写道：“网球俱乐部声称它们是害虫，并在俱乐部的湖边将它们杀害，而那里曾是它们的家，给俱乐部男女老少带来了很多欢乐。在当地野生动物组织本可以接纳它们的情况下，这种行为极其野蛮。”

俱乐部会员在讨论这一争议时要求匿名。

“会员们一直很喜欢这些鹅，”一位资深会员表示，“有时确实有点烦人，因为它们会溜进球场并留下粪便。”

“但这并不意味着它们必须被射杀。这是一个私人社区，居民们担心在没有任何警告的情况下将枪支带入。”

另一名球员表示：“俱乐部管理层下令这样做，是因为他们觉得这些鸟让球场变得脏乱。他们没有与会员商量。俱乐部环境优美，而这些鸟是风景的一部分。”

一些会员声称，他们最初被告知这些鸟只是被迁移到了两英里外的克莱蒙特景观花园 (Claremont Landscape Garden) 的湖边。

另一名会员说：“加拿大鹅深受喜爱。它们按自己的节奏在俱乐部周围走动，有时会阻碍交通，但没人介意。”

“起初我们被告知它们被安置到了新家，随后又被告知它们‘飞走了’。会员和当地居民都愤怒了。”

此次射杀是由一名承包商执行的，该承包商持有英国自然环境署 (Natural England) 的许可证，允许宰杀包括加拿大鹅在内的某些鸟类，以维护公共健康或安全。萨里郡警方在宰杀前已收到通知。

该俱乐部的首席执行官迈尔斯·希尔（Miles Hill）在的一份声明中表示：“我们充分理解，部分会员和庄园居民对所发生的事情感到不安。这并非俱乐部希望做出的决定，也不是轻率做出的决定。在此之前，我们曾尝试通过加强清洁和非致命手段，花费数月时间管理日益增长的加拿大雁种群。”

希尔表示，俱乐部认为限制提前告知此次扑杀行动是恰当的，以便能够安全且有效地执行。

据信，加拿大雁是在1664年查理二世国王收到一名俄罗斯大使赠送的这些鸟类后被引入英国的。它们被安置在伦敦市中心的圣詹姆斯公园。

英国鸟类学信托基金会表示，自1984年以来，英国境内此类鸟类的数量增加了一倍多。目前英国的种群数量约为160,000只。

过敏科学家创造出可以带回家的基因编辑犬

Rhys Blakely 科学编辑

马特·沃克（Matt Walker）热爱狗。麻烦在于，在狗身边会让他打喷嚏。

抚摸狗会让他的眼睛发痒，并导致皮肤出现严重的皮疹。多年来，过敏症让他无法拥有一只自己的狗，直到拥有遗传学博士学位的沃克开始尝试创造一个可以共同生活的犬类伴侣。

结果就是贝利（Bailey），一只经过DNA编辑的比格犬。简单来说，沃克及其同事关闭了一个产生名为“Can f1”蛋白质的基因。这种蛋白质存在于毛发、皮肤细胞和唾液中，通常是导致对狗产生过敏反应的原因。

据沃克称，实验取得了成功。在发表于《Crispr期刊》（The Crispr Journal）的一篇论文中，他及其同事表示，他们已经证明“对狗进行精确的基因改造可以降低致敏性”。用更通俗的英语来说，这意味着贝利不会让他打喷嚏。“这种感觉像是宽慰、敬畏和感激的结合，因为实验成功了，”沃克说，“能拥有一只狗的感觉简直太棒了。”

沃克的公司 Kindred Companion Sciences 使用了广泛应用的基因编辑技术 Crispr 创造了贝利及其双胞胎阿尔菲（Alfie）。科学家们从比格犬的皮肤细胞开始。他们编辑其中的DNA以禁用产生 Can f1 的基因，然后将修改后的遗传物质转移到卵子中。这些卵子被植入一只代孕比格犬体内，该犬在2024年9月产下了两只雌性幼犬。

测试发现，幼犬的唾液、毛发和皮屑中没有检测到 Can f1。相比之下，在普通比格犬、贵宾犬和黄金贵宾犬（一种经常被宣传为“低致敏”的杂交犬）的样本中都存在这种蛋白质。

在一次皮肤点刺试验中，沃克对来自普通狗的样本产生了反应，但对来自贝利和阿尔菲的样本没有反应。

贝利和阿尔菲都已经两岁了，到目前为止没有出现健康问题。

然而，该测试仅限于一个人，而且除了 Can f1 之外，其他蛋白质也可能导致狗类过敏。

贝利和阿尔菲到目前为止发育正常，科学家没有发现明显的非预期基因变化。不过，需要对这些动物的健康进行更长时间的监测，以确保该过程是安全的。

贝利与沃克一起住在纽约，而阿尔菲与另一位 Kindred Companion 的科学家住在佛罗里达州。

基因编辑宠物可能还需要几年时间才能上市销售。还需要进行更大规模的试验，以确定该方法是否适用于更广泛的过敏患者。

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4

新闻

明星教授的研究充斥着根本无法自圆其说的主张

前剑桥大学教授的学术论文中充斥着矛盾之处，Emma Yeomans 撰文报道

《泰晤士报》对其作品的分析发现，杰森·阿尔代（Jason Arday）教授的学术研究包含“不可能”的证据，且充斥着矛盾之处。

一项针对这位前剑桥大学学者（该机构历史上最年轻的黑人教授）五年研究的审计表明，其中大部分内容可能是伪造的。

这些发现包括虚假的资金声明；似乎摘自另一位研究人员自身分析的参与者引言；以及“不可能”的样本，例如其参与者的性别细分，总计达到了 110%。

在被指控剽窃其博士论文及部分已发表学术研究后，阿尔代面临着日益严苛的审查。

他否认剽窃，并得到了他完成博士学位的利物浦约翰摩尔大学调查人员的澄清。

六位学者表示，《泰晤士报》挖掘出的新发现可能表明其研究存在伪造。另有两人分别公开指控其在研究中存在伪造行为。

阿尔代此前否认伪造过任何研究。他上周告诉《泰晤士报》：“更有可能是我犯了错，是一个笔误。而不是我伪造了。”

熟悉的引言

在阿尔代的一篇论文中，一名拉丁美洲学者被引用说：“我对英语的理解每天都在提高。有时我很难清晰、准确地向大学提供的医疗保健专业人员表达我想说的话。” 三年前，他将这段话归于一名亚洲女性本科生。这是其论文中众多问题之一。

在他 2021 年论文中标题为“资金”的部分，阿尔代写道：“本研究得到了 Mind 的支持。” 但 Mind 表示，它“没有记录任何由我们资助或委托的与此相关的研究”。

《泰晤士报》还了解到，尽管阿尔代与人类参与者合作讨论种族和心理健康等敏感话题，但他并未为其发表的研究申请伦理批准。

在 2020 年 7 月关于该论文发表前的一次网络研讨会上，阿尔代提到了一位自杀的参与者，并读出了该参与者详细描述学术界中“这些种族化文化的暴力”的引言。尽管发表的论文使用了几乎相同的引言，但将其归于一名男性、混血——

杰森·阿尔代称一篇论文得到了 Mind 的支持，但该慈善机构表示没有资助该研究的记录

——血统的学者；其中并未提及此人自杀的情况。

阿尔代告诉《泰晤士报》，进行“选择性”处理是正常的，不可能使用每一个细节。他说：“我没有理由伪造或夸大黑人在学术界的苦难。”

这篇 2021 年的论文是阿尔代关于大学心理健康与种族的第二项研究，此前他在 2018 年发表过一篇论文，后被强制撤回并修正后重新发表。

新的分析在他 2018 年的论文中发现了更多似乎剽窃自著名流行病学家安朱姆·梅蒙（Anjum Memon）及其团队研究的引言，而阿尔代现在声称这些引言来自他自己的参与者。虽然其中一部分已被识别，但《泰晤士报》已看到证据，证明有更多的引言在文本或结构上可追溯到梅蒙的作品。

专家表示，将另一位学者的研究冒充为自己的访谈结果，就相当于伪造

其数据。纽约哥伦比亚大学的统计学和政治学教授安德鲁·盖尔曼（Andrew Gelman）表示：“我想不出任何其他的解释。”

“不可能”的参与者

Arday的研究依赖于对黑人和少数族裔学生以及大学工作人员的样本访谈，讨论他们关于种族和心理健康的经历。在其中一篇名为《试图打破枷锁：在学术界重新构想包容性教学法并使课程去殖民化》的论文中，他称自己访谈了17名参与者的样本。但其种族、性别和职业的明细汇总起来却是18人。

进一步的异常情况随之出现：他引用了四位不同的学者，但称自己仅访谈了三位；引用了五位混血参与者，但仅访谈了四位；并且在一项仅访谈了17或18人的研究中，将一段话归于21号参与者。类似的问题出现在五项研究中。诺丁汉大学社会学教授罗伯特·丁格沃尔（Robert Dingwall）教授表示，模糊参与者人数可能有“正当的隐私原因”。他补充道：“然而，这一决定应当始终予以声明并证明其合理性。在这里……这似乎并不相关。”

要求调查的呼声

剑桥大学此前表示，任何调查必须“由开展研究的机构”执行，且已将信息传递给相关机构。昨晚，该校表示在获得关于Arday教授学术资格和荣誉职位的新信息后，已启动调查。“为了确保程序的公正，在调查结束前我们不会进一步发表评论。另外，目前仍有若干关于学术不端行为的持续投诉，这些投诉正在被处理在

“无休止的指责对我以及我所爱的人造成了沉重打击”

旅程”，并请求他的支持者给他“重新开始的空间”。他表示：“这并不是我工作的终结。这仅仅是这一章节的结束。”

Arday 没有对任何关于剽窃或不当行为的指控做出回应，也没有就据称他提出的其他任何主张做出说明。他表示：“这一决定不应被解读为对学术研究或最初将我带到剑桥的价值观失去信心。也不应被误认为是对围绕我的那些叙事的认可。这仅仅是一个已经达到了任何一个人在合理预期内所能忍受的极限的人所做出的决定……无休止的指责、猜测和公众评论对我以及我所爱的人造成了深远的打击。”

昨天还披露，Arday 曾虚假声称出版了一本书，而该书实际上已被出版商放弃。

发布在剑桥大学网站上的一份声明称：“在获得关于 Arday 教授学术资格和荣誉职位的新信息后，剑桥大学已启动调查。另外，目前仍有若干关于学术不端行为的持续投诉，这些投诉正根据我们的研究不端行为政策进行处理。”

Arday 担任研究员的剑桥大学耶稣学院也启动了调查。此事是剑桥大学的一次自毁之举，罗杰·莫西 (Roger Mosey)，第 22 页

辞职给大学留下了疑问，社论，第 25 页

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《泰晤士报》 / 2026年8月6日 星期四 51

5

新闻

四人在科文特花园被刺伤

Jessica Sharkey 犯罪记者 Seren Hughes, Hamish McCorriston Louis Sykes

昨天下午，伦敦市中心的科文特花园发生一起刺伤四人的事件，一名女性已被逮捕。

下午12点30分左右，在沙夫茨伯里剧院附近的恩德尔街，四名年龄分别为34、39、42和52岁的男子在事件中受伤。大都会警察局表示，其中两名男子的伤势被认为不危及生命且不会改变生活，另外两名受害者已出院。

一名大都会警察局发言人表示：“虽然调查尚处于早期阶段，但这被认为是一起与心理健康相关的事件。警员在现场缴获了一把剪刀。”

一名47岁的女性因涉嫌持有攻击性武器和袭击被捕，并被拘留。一名证人告诉《泰晤士报》，涉嫌袭击的行为发生在剧院外，随后该女性沿恩德尔街走去。

恩德尔街一家炸鱼薯条店的共同所有者、48岁的Arjan Gjorga表示，涉嫌袭击的人是一名无家可归的女性，他在该地区见过她“一百次”。他表示，该女性涉嫌“开始随机刺伤人们”，并补充道：“几分钟后我们看到这位女士被逮捕。警察立即做出了反应。”

理发店2 Chairs Grooming Room的一名员工表示，其中一名涉嫌受害者跑进店里报警。该员工称“（受害者）身上有很多血”，但伤势并不严重。

在Pop Boutique工作的Sarah Calcraft帮助了两名男子，并给了其中一人一件来自她店里的T恤。“他们两人都很冷静且放松。两人的伤势都很轻微，但尽管如此，这些伤口仍然令人惊恐，”她说。“其中一人背部在流血，另一人有一个很小的伤口。科文特花园周围有很多游客。你真的不会预料到这种事情会发生，所以这是一件相当令人震惊的小事。”

在科文特花园一家咨询公司工作的42岁男子Matt Bishop声称，该女性与三名警员发生了“对峙”。

他补充道：“她喊的内容相当语无伦次。警员在询问她喊的是什么语言。”

另一名不愿透露姓名的工作人员声称，警察包围了该女性，她似乎拿着一把“大型园艺剪刀”。

事件发生后的片段视频显示，两名警员将电击枪指向一名女性。他们被看到将她制服在地面上，她在被约束时似乎在使用她的电子烟。

从高霍本（High Holborn）到恩德尔街的圣蒙戈（St Mungo's）无家可归者中心之间设立了大规模的警察封锁线，警员在人们进入建筑前与他们交谈。

在当地开展工作的无家可归者慈善机构圣蒙戈表示：“我们对所有受到这次令人不安事件影响的人表示关切。我们正与应急服务部门密切合作，以确保我们支持的所有人员以及我们的同事都安全且情况明确。”

负责该地区警务的大都会警察局总警司Jason Stewart表示：“在收到多起报告后，警员在事件发生几分钟内就做出了反应。”

“虽然调查仍处于早期阶段，但我们希望向社区保证，我们目前认为这是一起孤立的、与心理健康相关的事件。”

伦敦救护车服务中心表示：

昨天四名男子在科文特花园被刺伤后，携带电击枪的警察与一名女性对峙。一名人员因涉嫌随机袭击他人，被以涉嫌袭击和持有攻击性武器为由逮捕。

“我们今天12点29分接到报告，称WC2H恩德尔街发生一起刺伤事件。

“我们派遣了一组救护车人员、一名乘坐快速响应车的护理师以及一名事故响应官员。我们还派遣了伦敦空中救护车。我们在现场对四名患者进行了治疗，并优先通过陆路将他们全部送往一家重大创伤中心。”

父亲被指控谋杀9岁女孩

Marc Horne

一名九岁女孩在工业园区被发现受重伤后死亡，其父亲已出庭接受谋杀指控。

来自西约克郡的 Minnie Merriman 于周一午夜后在安格斯郡阿布罗索（Arbroath）的 Elliot 工业园区被发现，她的家人当时在该地露营。她被送往邓迪的 Ninewells 医院，随后在该院死亡。

来自韦克菲尔德的 35 岁男子 Christopher Rice 昨日在福法（Forfar）治安法院出庭，被指控谋杀该女孩。他未进行抗辩，被还押候审。他将在接下来的八天内再次出庭。

Minnie 的家人通过苏格兰警方发布的一份声明对其表达了悼念。“我们对失去我们挚爱的、绝对令人惊叹、美丽且勇敢的 Minnie Moo 感到心碎。在这个极其困难的时刻，我们请求尊重我们的隐私，”他们表示。

该家庭正由专业警员提供支持。西约克郡警方正协助苏格兰警方进行调查。苏格兰警方重大调查组的侦查督察 Mike Ness 表示：“我们的心与所有受此事件影响的人在一起，尤其是 Minnie 的家人。在调查继续期间，该地区将维持警力部署。”

阿布罗索居民 Karen Youngson 表示，她周日晚上 10 点左右去工业园区的健身房接朋友，当时看到一个小型帐篷和一些露营椅。她告诉 BBC：“我第一次去那里时心想，天哪，为什么那里有个帐篷？”她说道，“那里有两个露营椅，这就是我看到的全部，但我注意到那里的垃圾数量之多，简直令人难以置信。”

她说，当她接完朋友回来时，帐篷里一片漆黑且寂静。

Gary Glitter 因历史虐待指控出庭

Jessica Sharkey, Hamish McCorriston

Gary Glitter 已出庭接受指控，涉及追溯至 1978 年的历史性性犯罪。

这位原名 Paul Gadd 的前歌手被指控与一名 13 岁以下女孩发生非法性行为，以及三项对 14 岁以下女孩的猥亵袭击罪。

涉嫌的犯罪行为涉及一名儿童，据称发生在 1978 年至 1981 年期间，地点在被告位于伦敦的房产中。他被指控给该女孩巧克力并邀请她到家中，随后在屋内“实施了多项严重的性犯罪”。

控方代表 Jonathan Polnay KC 昨日告诉西敏斯特治安法院，这种情况持续了大约两年时间。

82 岁的 Glitter 通过视频链路在西敏斯特治安法院出庭，他戴着帽子，穿着一件蓝色衬衫，并确认了他的个人信息。

在听证会上，被告抱怨听力有问题。在被要求确认姓名后，Glitter 说：“法官阁下，请原谅，我耳聋得非常严重，除非我读唇语，否则我听不见。我的名字是 Paul Gadd。”

在去年 1 月向伦敦警察厅举报相关指控后，调查随即启动。警方在六个月后对 Glitter 进行了审问。法官 Paul Goldspring 将 Glitter 还押候审，他将于下个月在中央刑事法院（Old Bailey）再次出庭。

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6

新闻 政治

警务处长加入呼吁，力阻提前释放

Daisy Eastlake, Ollie Cole

泰晤士河谷警察局正在权衡是否加入法律行动，以阻止杀害警察安德鲁·哈珀（Andrew Harper）的两名男子的释放，并表示对该决定的反对意见是“压倒性的”。

警务处长杰森·霍格（Jason Hogg）表示，他正与代表基层警员的警察联邦（Police Federation）讨论在法院挑战提前释放决定的问题。

他将提前释放哈珀杀手这一决定描述为“荒谬”，并补充说，将该决定提交司法审查“绝对是我会考虑的事情”。

在泰晤士河谷服役的哈珀于2019年被三名逃离全地形车盗窃现场的青少年在伯克希尔的一条乡村公路上被汽车拖行而死。车上的两名乘客杰西·科尔（Jessie Cole）和阿尔伯特·鲍尔斯（Albert Bowers）在2020年因过失杀人被判处13年监禁，在服刑一半后可申请提前释放。

在哈珀的遗孀利西（Lissie）发起运动后，议会通过了“哈珀法案”（Harper's Law），该法案规定对杀害应急服务工作人员的人员处以强制性终身监禁。它还将袭击警察或其他应急工作人员的最高刑期从12个月增加到两年。

然而，2022年引入的新规则并不追溯适用于哈珀杀手的判决，因此无法阻止他们被提前释放。

霍格告诉BBC：“法律没有追溯力，我们都明白这一点，但他们被提前释放这一事实简直显得荒谬。”

安迪·伯纳姆在就任首相时，宣布对前工党政府的提前释放计划进行快速审查。周二，他宣布将缩减该计划，并将任何被判定犯有“强奸、严重的儿童性犯罪及其他诱导犯罪”的人员排除在外。

左侧的穆罕默德·伊姆兰·阿克拉姆（Mohammed Imran Akram）和穆罕默德·纳希姆（Mohammed Naheem）因性犯罪于10月入狱，可能被提前释放

然而，随着有消息透露，在2003年之前实施犯罪的历史性儿童虐待者将不涵盖在豁免范围内，这一公告开始出现漏洞。受影响的人员包括维基·克劳福德（Vicki Crawford），她在20世纪80年代14岁时曾是性犯罪的受害者。她的袭击者在2024年被判处七年监禁。

然而，由于犯罪发生的时间，他被判定犯有猥亵罪（当时的罪名），而非与儿童发生性行为罪，后者是在略高于二十年前才成为法律的。

同样的原则也适用于一些作为针对亚洲诱导团伙长期历史调查的一部分而被定罪的人员。

虽然其中大多数人被判定犯有强奸罪（涵盖在豁免范围内），但其他人被判定犯有猥亵罪，该罪名涵盖除插入性行为以外的所有行为，且未被列入名单。

保守党领袖凯米·巴德诺克已致信伯纳姆，指出这一漏洞并呼吁重新考虑。

“我并不是反对提前释放，”她告诉BBC。“我反对的是让这类危险的强奸犯、恋童癖、杀手提前释放，包括杀害警察安德鲁·哈珀的凶手。”

司法大臣杰克·理查兹（Jake Richards）在昨天面对广播公司时表示，杀手们从10月起仍将适用提前释放计划。“在不同的犯罪群体中挑选个别案例是不正确的，”他说。“那样是不对的，也是不合法的。我理解警员们强烈的情绪。[但]如果我们没有可用的监狱名额，那么警察每天在街头所做的良好工作——寻找犯罪者并将其关押——将变得不可能。”

受害者专员克莱尔·瓦克斯曼（Claire Waxman）表示，由于提前释放计划，受害者们不得不“承受数周的压力和不确定性”，她呼吁伯纳姆（Burnham）政府提供“更高的透明度和及时的沟通”。

关于变更情况与受害者的沟通预计将通过受害者联络员进行，但这一过程可能需要一段时间，导致受害者不清楚针对他们所犯的罪行是否包含在新的提前释放计划中。

司法部于周二晚上将其网站上载了一份该释放计划所涵盖的罪行清单，但瓦克斯曼担心该清单过于复杂，受害者可能难以查阅。

她告诉《泰晤士报》：“就我们目前所知，人们现在只能从媒体那里获得信息。最重要的是，现在的首要任务必须是向受害者提供明确的解释（无论他们是否在排除范围之内），以及及时的沟通和充足的安全规划时间。”

她呼吁成立一个由部长领导的国家工作组，以监督改革的实施，改善各机构之间的协调，并就实施方式提供更高的透明度，因为人们担心监狱和缓刑服务正面临“巨大的压力”。

缓刑首席监察官马丁·琼斯（Martin Jones）警告称，电子脚镣系统未能向当局发出潜在违反条件的警报。此外，缓刑监督员还存在 1,500 人的缺口，代表缓刑工作人员的工会正在就采取工业行动对成员进行投票。

海格将不入住海军部官邸

安迪·伯纳姆的事实上的副首相路易丝·海格已拒绝了入住特惠官邸的邀请（奥布里·阿莱格雷蒂报道）。作为第一国务大臣及内阁办公厅最高级别部长，海格拒绝了获得额外由纳税人资助的住宿机会。其盟友表示，她

我深知让不悔改的杀手逍遥法外的惨痛代价

阿琳·福斯特评论

在贵族院进入夏季休会期间，我们有机会就政府的提前释放计划询问关于如何处理如警察安德鲁·哈珀的杀手等囚犯的问题。我们许多人留在议事厅内，以表达我们对这一行动将要实施的担忧。

在我看来，作为一名曾遭到IRA企图谋杀的警察之女，以及一名现已退休警察的妻子，我敦促政府吸取当年新共和党在最后时刻强行加入《贝尔法斯特协议》的提前释放计划的教训。

政府现在表示，虽然它不会释放被判犯强奸或严重性犯罪的人（这理应如此），但它将继续释放杀害哈珀警官的罪犯。

可以理解，他的遗孀称决定继续释放其凶手的行为是“对正义的侮辱”，我完全同意。首相给出的推进该计划的理由是，他已经“将可能做到的极限推到了最高”，但如果不再豁免更多囚犯，监狱系统将会崩溃。

我觉得这一切简直荒唐。我们允许一些最暴力的杀手在服刑期满一半后出狱，以便为那些可能远没有那么暴力的囚犯腾出空间。答案显然应该是尽快创造更多监狱空间——在新冠疫情袭击时，我们能够建立南丁格尔医院——而从长远来看，我们需要评估为什么我们的罪犯和囚犯数量超过了系统的承受能力。

解决监狱空间不足的方法不是让暴力罪犯逍遥法外。我之所以提到北爱尔兰的囚犯释放计划，是因为该计划对受害者及其家属产生了毁灭性影响，他们至今仍将IRA谋杀犯的提前释放视为一种背叛。这还对司法系统的信任产生了长期影响。我要求政府不仅要从数量上考虑监狱空间，还要考虑释放警察杀手会对更广泛的司法系统以及未来的警察招募产生什么影响。

托尼·布莱尔在《贝尔法斯特协议》时期的首相，用与现任首相相似的话语称，提前释放囚犯是“糟糕但必要的”。对于一项至今仍在北爱尔兰和整个英国引发问题的政策来说，这样的辩词太苍白了——因为许多来自英国的年轻士兵被IRA恐怖分子谋杀，而这些恐怖分子随后被释放。与此同时，政府仍在追究在北爱尔兰服役的退伍军人的责任。

安德鲁·哈珀的遗孀心如死灰。就像许多IRA恐怖分子一样，他的杀手没有表现出任何悔意，然而他们将从监狱中自由走出来，而她和他的其余家人则在面对他被杀后留下的巨大空洞生活。

警察每天外出，保护社会其他成员免受像杀害安德鲁·哈珀那种歹徒的侵害。政府准备允许这些杀手获释，这简直令人震惊。关于受害者将获得更好支持的承诺，以及关于罪犯将面临更严格监管的保证，听起来将毫无意义，尤其是对于我们这些见过这一切的人来说。阿加德鲁姆西的福斯特女男爵是前北爱尔兰第一部长及民主联盟党党魁

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7

新闻

希望将离开威斯敏斯特的时间用于支持“10号北”，以便更靠近她的谢菲尔德希利选区。外交大臣埃德·米利班德已获得肯特郡塞文欧克斯附近占3,000英亩的帕拉迪奥式庄园切宁顿的独占使用权。这座建筑是部长们最渴望入住的。财政大臣约翰·希利预计也将继承多尼伍德，一个

位于白金汉郡的度假寓所，接替瑞秋·里夫斯。伯纳姆计划偶尔使用契克斯，但自从他成为首相以来就再未去过这座伊丽莎白时代的庄园。

作为他的实际副手及新首相办公室的协调员，海格获得了政府住所的提供，但其拒绝了。一名工党高级人士表示：“路易丝在远离威斯敏斯特的任何业余时间都将用于确保 No 10 North 取得成功。”

作为副首相，安杰拉·雷纳曾使用一座一级保护建筑海军部大楼内的一套三居室公寓。据了解，她在回归担任住房大臣后，并未要求使用官方政府住所。

海军部大楼的新住户将是国防大臣韦斯·斯特里廷，因为他位于东伦敦伊尔福德的住所超出了紧急响应时间。

巴德诺克拒绝与“觉醒”的改革党组建联盟

帕特里克·马奎尔 (Patrick Maguire) 首席政治评论员

保守党党魁凯米·巴德诺克表示，她绝不会与改革党组建联盟，因为她无法信任罗伯特·詹里克 (Robert Jenrick) 和苏埃拉·布拉弗曼 (Suella Braverman)，并谴责奈杰尔·法拉奇 (Nigel Farage) 是一个“觉醒”政党的领导人。

巴德诺克表示，下次大选后出现悬峙议会是一个“可能的”情景，但她坚决排除了与改革党达成任何协议的可能性，并指责右翼的挑战者们具有“受害者心态”。

这位反对党领袖在 Political Currency 播客节目中表示，尽管有反复要求达成选举协议的呼吁，但她对“统一右翼”毫无兴趣，并补充道：“我不是在试图统一右翼，我是在试图统一国家。”在与前工党内阁大臣埃德·鲍尔斯 (Ed Balls) 交谈时，巴德诺克强调她不愿与改革党及其领导人合作。“我想让人们知道，我不会与奈杰尔·法拉奇达成任何交易……在选举前，我甚至看不出我们在选举后能达成什么样的交易。”

然而，她拒绝透露在“实际上没有人赢得”选举的这种“具有挑战性”情景下的应对策略。

她指责主张两党达成协议的人是在追求个人晋升，她说：“即使是选后的交易也是勾结。所以我对所有这些都说不，原因在于那些谈论交易的人通常不在考虑公众——他们只在考虑自己如何获得职位。”

巴德诺克接着说，她的前内阁同事罗伯特·詹里克和苏埃拉·布拉弗曼出现在改革党的领导团队中，使得任何合作的建议都成了“根本不可能的事”。她同意鲍尔斯的看法，认为她“一点也无法信任他们”，巴德诺克表示这两名叛节者“一直试图摧毁和削弱保守党，先是从内部开始，然后是通过离开。”

当被要求指出保守党与改革党之间最大的区别时，巴德诺克说：“改革党是一个觉醒政党。很多人不明白，你知道，‘觉醒’这个词被用来表达很多含义。”她说这个词不一定是一个“左翼的东西”，并指责改革党在“妖魔化”大部分人群。

“当我谈论觉醒时，我谈论的是那些[认为]一切都是委屈的人。那是受害者叙事。人们在这样对待我们。压迫者叙事……在左翼，你知道，白人是压迫者，或者男人是压迫者。”她说法拉奇将“建制派”塑造为“压迫者”，并表示：“这全部是抱怨和牢骚，而不是真正的解决方案。这关乎权力动态以及如何获得权力，而不是真正的解决方案以及如何修复问题。”

“这里存在一种巨大的受害者心态。我不是受害者，我也永远不会扮演受害者，即使我可能拥有这样做的理由。”

她补充道：“我不会去做的是妖魔化某些群体，无论是亿万富翁、移民、富人，还是国民医疗服务体系 (NHS) 的工作人员或公共部门——我们不会那样做。我们不会让群体之间相互对立，而改革党就是这么做的。”

改革党高级消息人士嘲讽了保守党党魁的说法，告诉《泰晤士报》：“对于一个会对任何敢于发表哪怕一点点批评她的编辑大发雷霆的女人来说，这话真是太讽刺了。凯米是一个玻璃心的职业失败者——她成为历史上最不成功的保守党反对党领袖是有原因的。”

巴德诺克还试图消除对其反对净零排放的批评，她告诉鲍尔斯：“我认为很多人认为我不关心环境。这不是我对净零排放的批评。而是这些计划没有起作用，而且我们在上面花费了大量资金。……企业正在关闭，而我们却让气候变化变得更糟。”

“我们需要在自然方面做得更多：生物多样性、栖息地。我们在防洪设施方面做了什么？我们具体在资助什么，以确保我们的环境尽可能保持理智？”

当被问及是否认为安迪·伯纳姆担任首相后的初步举措是“明智的”时，巴德诺克表示：“谁，安迪？不，我不这么认为。”

不过，这位保守党领袖对基尔·斯塔默爵士表达了由衷的敬意——她暗示公众对前任首相的“厌恶”程度已变得“过分”，并将去年对他前家庭住所的纵火袭击描述为“绝对恐怖”。

曾骚扰国会议员的前新纳粹分子放弃保守党竞选

Geraldine Scott

一名曾对一名犹太裔国会议员进行反犹太主义虐待活动的前新纳粹分子，已辞去保守党议会候选人职务。

Joshua Bonehill-Paine 曾被选中在五月竞选萨默塞特郡议会的克鲁克恩南区（Crewkerne South ward），但他在昨天下午表示，在竞选公职之前，他需要做更多工作来“帮助摧毁反犹太主义并重建信任”。

33 岁的 Bonehill-Paine 在 2016 年因被判定对 Luciana Berger 实施种族加重骚扰而入狱。Berger 当时是工党利物浦韦弗特里（Liverpool Wavertree）的国会议员，现任上议员。他发表了一系列关于 Berger 的博客文章，将其描述为“邪恶的敛财者”，且“根深蒂固地仇视男性”。在另一篇帖子中，他声称犹太裔工党议员的数量是一个“问题”。

Berger 昨天表示，Bonehill-Paine 在审判期间“一直在抽烟”，法官认定他“表现出完全的蔑视……而且就在庭审期间，他认为在中央刑事法院（Old Bailey）面向看台上支持他的追随者行纳粹礼是合适的。”

他此前曾因制作一张包含奥斯威辛集中营图像的广告而入狱，该广告承诺在北伦敦戈尔德者斯格林（Golders Green）的一次集会上将有“绝对的快感（an absolute gas）”。

保守党党魁 凯米·巴德诺克 曾为他辩护，并表示允许他寻求地方职位的机会与给他一个作为潜在国会议员的“全国性平台”之间存在区别。

她表示：“他是在竞选萨默塞特郡的议员。这是一个关注停车问题、处理垃圾桶的地方性平台。这就是议员所做的事。这不是一个全国性平台。对于成为一名保守党国会议员所需的条件，我有更高的门槛。这个男人并不是在竞选国会议员。两者有巨大区别。”

在宣布退出时，Bonehill-Paine 表示：“过去的 24 小时表明，很多人不明白对于我在年轻时所做的事情，我感到多么糟糕。我知道我之前的行为继续给犹太社区带来痛苦。我原以为参与当地议会并为我的社区努力工作，是展示我改变了多少的一种好方法。”

他已接受一项邀请，成为保守党文化与整合委员会的顾问，“专门关注年轻人如何被激进化”。巴德诺克表示，她对 Bonehill-Paine 退出感到“遗憾”，但“很高兴他将与我和政党一起致力于解决激进化问题”。她说道：“我认为这个男人是一个已经被改造的人。”

他的罪行不能被轻描淡写。 Janice Turner，第 22 页

Joshua Bonehill-Paine 表示，在 2016 年入狱后他已被改造

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8

新闻 政治

DJ 波兰斯基终于将气候危机加入了他的播放列表

政治速写

上周，《泰晤士报》在布里斯托的一次绿党狂欢派对上见到了扎克·波兰斯基（Zack Polanski）。在从 DJ 台发表的一段简短演说中，这位党魁向人群极力宣传了各种主题，从租金管制到推倒奴隶贸易商爱德华·科尔斯顿（Edward Colston）的雕像，再到加沙的种族灭绝以及柏林骄傲节的恐怖袭击。当时，法国和西班牙正处于火海之中，但由于有太多其他话题需要讨论，这位英国气候保护运动的事实领导人实在无法将其挤进议程。

我尊敬的同事露西·班纳曼（Lucy Bannerman）还写到，她遇到了一位戴着草帽的 77 岁老人，出于对地球的担忧，他最近加入了绿党，并表示对自己发现这个话题不知为何没有被提及而感到“失望”。

因此，我们只能希望他和他那顶草帽昨天都能顺利抵达威斯敏斯特，因为波兰斯基在那里做了一件极不寻常的事情。不，不是缴纳他的市政税，而是发表了一场关于气候变化的演讲。可以认为，波兰斯基这场关于气候危机的重大演讲本可以稍微早一点，而不是在今年第一次打破纪录的热浪之后整整 11 周才发表。

不过，波兰斯基确实选了个好日子。几周前，伦敦政治经济学院不得不取消一场名为“极端高温”的小组活动，原因正是它所描述的“极端高温”。这次则没有这种可能。根据 AccuWeather 的数据，会场周围的条件是“25，体感 22”。最近从船屋搬到哈克尼某种合租房里的波兰斯基可能会有共鸣，尽管他的数字更像是“43，表现得像 19”。

他带来了一份要求清单。“每个社区都需要一个免费且可进入的‘凉爽空间’，”他说。他没有明确解释什么是免费且可进入的凉爽空间，所以我们必须做好心理准备，他指的可能是更多的绿党狂欢派对。

他的下一个要求？“我们需要为家庭提供财务支持，以便他们能够对其房屋进行非典型改造。”这是一个六年前、在经历了五任首相之前，一位名叫里希·苏纳克（Rishi Sunak）的聪明年轻财政大臣提出的想法。它被称为绿色房屋补助金，很有可能在有史以来最可悲且最毫无意义的政府计划中占据强有力的竞争位置。如果波兰斯基是认真地想要正确执行这一点，那么祝他好运。这至关重要，但非常、非常昂贵。

“我们需要一个强大的野火预防服务，”他说。“一个在需要时包含灭火直升机的消防服务，而不是需要一个慈善机构去承包一家私人公司来灭火。”这是在提到上周萨福克郡的情况，当时国民信托基金会出资租赁了一架直升机，加入到试图控制邓威奇希斯（Dunwich Heath）海岸警卫队小屋周围野火的部队中。

那么这一切将如何实现？嗯，这部分很简单。“我们将对那些助长这些地狱之火的化石燃料公司征税，”他说。说起来很容易。但在现实中，这相当困难，因为在英国几乎没有人的养老金没有以某种方式与化石燃料公司的利润挂钩。而且，至少在目前，在西方世界，没有什么比燃料价格上涨能更快地推翻政府了。

他还提出了另一个大想法。“我们需要将水资源重新收归公有，”他说。他对这个国家令人愤怒的私有化水供应的诊断完全正确。本应投入基础设施建设的资金反而被支付给了股东。数十亿资金消失，系统几乎崩溃。但你无法拿回那数十亿资金，所以你唯一能做的就是要求已经通过支付高昂账单而买单的公众再次出钱。

“让我直接对首相说，”他说，“如果我们想要为我们的子孙后代确保一个宜居的未来，就不能再进行新的石油和天然气钻探。关于这一点，科学结论是非常明确的。”

关于这一点，科学结论并非非常明确。真正明确的是，地球上各地的人类都需要大幅减少碳排放。我们如何最好地管理这一转型，在很大程度上仍是一个争议话题。

在最后的提问环节中，波兰斯基否认了自成为绿党党魁以来在环境问题上发言不多，而这并不是一个处于他那样地位的人应该做出的一种否认。尽管如此，这仍是一次受欢迎的介入。人们关心环境，并且期望绿党最为关心。如果他们不关心，那么当他们的支持者发现自己正在遵循人生最明智的教训之一时，他们没有权利感到惊讶。如果你戴着草帽在一场狂欢派对中徘徊，却完全不知道发生了什么，那么回家或许是个好主意。

外交大臣与他的美国同行马可·卢比奥之间的会谈被描述为热情且富有成效。

米利班德被告知应增加国防开支

乔治·格里尔斯 华盛顿

埃德·米利班德在以外交大臣身份首次访问华盛顿期间，在与马可·鲁比奥的会谈中被告知，英国必须增加国防开支。

美国国务卿鲁比奥表示，欧洲需要“在自身安全中发挥更大作用”。

此前，安迪·伯纳姆拒绝承诺到 2030, 将国防开支提高至GDP的 3 per cent，而是建议英国可能会实现一个更长期的目标，即到 2035 将核心国防开支提高至 3.5 per cent。

在今年辞去国防大臣职务时，财政大臣约翰·希利表示，他“确信”英国应在 2030. 达到 3 per cent。德国已在国防开支上超过英国，成为欧洲最大的国防支出国。

由于米利班德反对在北海钻探，特朗普政府中的部分人士对他持怀疑态度。《泰晤士报》本周披露，包括能源大臣克里斯·赖特在内的总统盟友使用“埃德·米尔瓦特 (Ed Milwatt)”这一绰号来讽刺这位外交大臣对绿色能源项目的拥护。

米利班德长期以来一直是特朗普总统的批评者，称其为“种族主义者”和“厌女者”，并称他与俄罗斯有着“奇异”的关系且具有“威权倾向”。

在会谈前面对这些言论时，米利班德无视了记者的提问，并表示：“我们期待这次会面。”

会后，鲁比奥表示，他们讨论了“欧洲在自身安全中发挥更大作用的必要性”以及“对维持霍尔木兹海峡开放通行的共同承诺”。

《泰晤士报》获悉，鲁比奥还认为应对高水平移民和“左翼恐怖主义”对欧洲安全至关重要。

双方还讨论了乌克兰问题。鲁比奥此前对一个关于会议是否会提及战争的问题付之一笑。“我们要讨论乌克兰吗？当然会提到。还有星际事务以及各种其他事情，”他说。

米利班德的盟友称与鲁比奥的会面“温暖且富有成效”。

在基尔·斯塔默爵士的内阁中，米利班德是最激烈的反对者之一，主张英国应阻止美国使用英国空军基地轰炸伊朗。

战争初期的这一决定导致特朗普转而攻击斯塔默，他将后者描述为“不是温斯顿·丘吉尔”。

自伯纳姆就任首相以来，特朗普一直对他赞赏有加，两人在首次通话中讨论了北海钻探。

特朗普此前曾称其“极其自由派”且只是个“小镇市长”，现在他表示，伯纳姆开发北海能源储备的意愿令他感到鼓舞。

“我认为你们的新首相实际上将会放开。我跟他谈过了。他在这个话题上的观点听起来非常棒，”特朗普本周表示。

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THE TIMES / 6 2026 81

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新闻

冬季之书即将到来……但进度极其缓慢，《权力的游戏》作者透露

Herbie Russell

《权力的游戏》的创作者表示，在粉丝们期待他那享誉全球的书系中迟迟未出的第六部作品时，他在过去一年中一直在“与悲伤和抑郁作斗争”。

77岁的乔治·RR·马丁在的一篇博客文章中透露，他“进度落后得越来越多”，且今年的情况“至少可以说压力很大”。

他奇幻小说的粉丝们已经等待了15年，希望马丁能出版《凛冬之风》。这将是《冰与火之歌》系列的倒数第二本书，许多人担心他永远无法完成它。

HBO作为这部曾59次获得艾美奖的剧集的创作者，被迫在原著叙事之前先行推进。

马丁向制片人大卫·本尼奥夫（David Benioff）和DB·魏斯（DB Weiss）解释了情节，使他们能够在2019年5月完结《权力的游戏》电视剧集。在8月3日发布的一篇博客文章中（这是他近六个月来的首篇博文），这位美国作家写道：“我知道已经有一段时间了。我上一篇博文是在2月19日发布的。之后的帖子是由我的强大部下发布的。”

“我很幸运能有一组优秀的助手……尽管有他们的帮助，我的进度还是落后得越来越多。”

“今年……至少可以说压力很大。发生了太多事情，让人难以承受。有些是伟大的、令人兴奋的事情。梦想成真。但也有噩梦。我失去了朋友。与悲伤和抑郁作斗争。最糟糕的可能还在后面。”

“我去年九月年满77岁，我告诉你，变老并不好玩。但也有过美妙的时光。我想这就是生活。当然，我知道这一点。如果你读过我的故事，你就会知道。”

马丁的估计身价为1.2亿美元，该系列的第五部作品《舞龙者》于2011年出版。

今年1月，他表示自己已经完成了最新小说中的1,100页，这一数字与他在2023年的一次采访中给出的数字相同。

这位作家承认，他被《血与火》系列等其他项目分了心，他在告诉《好莱坞报道》（The Hollywood Reporter）时说：“我认为如果我能把这些其他事情处理掉，我很快就能完成《凛冬之风》。”

“我已经很清楚《凛冬之风》是优先事项，但是……我不知道。有时我没那个心情。”

年底前有望公布新任邦德

据一名制片人透露，詹姆斯·邦德的粉丝们可以期待在年底前听到关于新任 007 的宣布——这可能会让他们感到心潮澎湃（stirred），即便不是感到震撼（shaken）。

艾米·帕斯卡（Amy Pascal）正为亚马逊 MGM 影业（Amazon MGM Studios）准备该间谍系列电影的下一次迭代，她表示，丹尼尔·克雷格（Daniel Craig）的继任者将是一个“令人心潮澎湃且令人兴奋”的人：

“我想说，[在]年底前[宣布]是一个不错的赌注，”她告诉美国娱乐网站 Deadline。“我们非常、非常谨慎。在影业与芭芭拉·布罗科利（Barbara Broccoli）合作期间，我的意思是，丹尼尔·克雷格是一个很难被超越的人物。而且

这必须是一些真正不同的、令人心潮澎湃且令人兴奋且与众不同的东西。”

制片人预计将把第七任邦德的角色交给一名更年轻的演员。因《盐浴》（Saltburn）而闻名的 29 岁演员雅各布·埃洛迪（Jacob Elordi），以及出演 Apple TV《空中大师》（Masters of the Air）的 36 岁演员卡勒姆·特纳（Callum Turner），据称都在考虑范围之内。

43 岁的艾丹·特纳（Aidan Turner）也被传为竞争者。这位爱尔兰

演员以在《波尔达克》（Poldark）、《霍比特人》（The Hobbit）和《对手》（Rivals）中的角色而闻名。

克雷格在 2006 年的《皇家赌场》（Casino Royale）上映时 38 岁，到 2021 年的《无暇赴死》（No Time to Die）结束其任期时为 53 岁。

下一部邦德电影预计将于 2027 年开始制作，计划于 2028 年上映。

雅各布·埃洛迪和卡勒姆·特纳在候选名单中

该片将由《沙丘》（Dune）的丹尼斯·维伦纽瓦（Denis Villeneuve）执导，并由《浴血黑帮》（Peaky Blinders）的创作者史蒂文·奈特（Steven Knight）编剧。

奈特今年表示，对于这个系列，他有一种“非常独特的方式”想要引导。

“我不能真正谈论我对邦德做了什么，但我享受其中的每一秒，”他在三月份告诉 BBC。“这些书太棒了——作为文学作品被严重低估了。伊恩·弗莱明（Ian Fleming）创造的世界中有些东西是触手可及的真实，但不知为何又像梦境一样。”

亚马逊 MGM 电影部门负责人考特尼·瓦伦蒂（Courtenay Valenti）此前表示，关于下一任邦德的决定正被极其谨慎地对待。

“我可以告诉你的是：当你

将历史上最受喜爱的系列之一与世界级的电影制作团队相结合……你正在为一件真正配得上邦德遗产的作品搭建舞台，”她说。

一名已经排除在竞争之外的演员是伊德里斯·艾尔巴（Idris Elba）。

这位 53 岁的演员表示，关于他寻求扮演这位超级间谍的报道完全离题，因为他认为部分观众不会接受一名黑人演员担任此角色。

“从现实角度来看，一些市场就是不接受这一点，”他在六月份告诉 GQ。

“邦德在全世界都很有名。而[观众]不会[全部]接受一名黑人男性，一名非洲男性扮演邦德。这不是他们的文化所喜欢的。就这么简单。”

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10

新闻

首相将接见患脑癌游泳运动员并回应请求

安迪·伯纳姆已同意接见一名患有无法手术脑癌的苏格兰游泳运动员，此前该运动员向首相发出感人恳求，要求在研究领域投入更多资金和资源（彼得·查普尔撰文）。

25岁的阿奇·古德伯恩曾进入英联邦运动会50米蛙泳决赛，他恳请伯纳姆“给我们一个为生命而战的机会”，并结束脑癌患者及其家人“难以忍受”的痛苦。在周二的《BBC早餐》节目中，古德伯恩表示：“安迪·伯纳姆，如果您相信并希望为我们国家以及年轻一代的未来带来改变和影响，请倾听我们的心声。请设立一个国家脑癌负责人，给我们一个为生命而战的机会，因为患者们在外面经历的事情令人难以置信且如此不公正。‘全球范围内——在美国、澳大利亚、中国——都有可能改变生活的临床试验。但在英国我们看不到这些，这是不公平且不公正的。‘请投资并带来改变。我正跪求——不仅是为了我自己的生命——还为了我最好的朋友以及全国范围内受影响的人和家庭。这种情况必须改变。已经持续太久了，而这种痛苦令人难以忍受。’”他补充说，去年成为法律的《罕见癌症法案》仅设立了两个新职位，即一名临床负责人和一名研究负责人，他们每年将花36天时间应对14种不同类型的癌症。“我不明白一年36天如何能为14种不同类型的癌症带来改变，更不用说最致命的癌症类型了，”他说。在TikTok上发布的采访评论中，

伯纳姆表示：“阿奇，谢谢你。我知道这一定非常艰难。在你自己经历这一切的同时，你为他人所做的一切展现了我们最美好的一面。我非常想见见你，并直接听取你的想法，我已经要求我的团队与你联系。”古德伯恩在两年前被诊断出患有无法手术的脑肿瘤，并一直主张应更加关注此疾病。在格拉斯哥参加英联邦运动会并遗憾未能获得奖牌后，他表示：“我的梦想之一是，我们能看到一个脑癌不再是40岁以下患者最大杀手的未来。”本周，他补充道：“我在泳池中所做的一切，仅是因为医疗进步以及整个社区所开展的活动才成为可能。这真的是一个回馈社会并确保这种势头持续下去的机会。”

Quintagram® 第2639号

利用下方每个字母仅一次，解答全部五个简短线索

1 手掌 (4)

2 地中海水果 (5)

3 粗鲁的，庸俗的 (5)

4 例如欧防风或豌豆 (9)

5 必要的，至关重要的 (9)

A / B / C / D / E

E / G / I L / M / N / O / P R / S / T / U / V

答案见T2 MindGames 第14页 隐喻线索见T2 MindGames 第15页

如何延缓痴呆症

研究表明，避免吸烟、糖尿病和高血压可以延缓痴呆症。一项发表在《神经病学》杂志上的美国研究对12,409名中年人进行了平均26年的追踪。那些不具备这三种风险因素的人，平均比同时具备三种风险因素的人在不患痴呆症的情况下多生活了近13年。

北海发现尸体

在东约克郡海域一名少年失踪后，警方发现了一具尸体。这名13岁的少年周二晚上在霍恩西的南海滨附近游泳，随后警方收到关于其安全状况的担忧报告。该尸体于昨日凌晨4.30被发现，尚未正式确认身份。

153名肥胖治疗注射药使用者死亡病例被上报至监管机构

Poppy Koronka 健康记者

《泰晤士报》的分析发现，英国的减肥药物患者已提交了约 150,000 份关于不良副作用的报告，且有 150 例以上的死亡病例与这些药物相关。

药品和医疗产品监管局 (MHRA) 公布的数据显示，针对所有通过国民医疗服务体系 (NHS) 提供的 GLP-1 减肥药物，已有数千份报告。这些药物包括 liraglutide（亦称 Saxenda）、semaglutide（以 Wegovy 形式提供）以及 tirzepatide（亦称 Mounjaro）。

这些数据是通过 MHRA 的“黄卡”计划 (Yellow Card scheme) 收集的，该计划允许患者和医疗专业人员报告他们怀疑是由某种药物引起的副作用。

数据显示，关于 tirzepatide 的不良反应报告超过 100,000 份，其中约 10,000 份被归类为“严重”。MHRA 已将 98 例死亡病例与该药物潜在相关联。Mounjaro 的制造商礼来公司 (Eli Lilly) 昨天表示，该药物今年的全球销量翻了一番。

据估计，英国约有 160 万 人在使用减肥药物。

对于 liraglutide，有约 3,000 份不良反应报告，其中 734 份被定义为“严重”。在这些报告中，有 18 例导致了“致命结果”。对于 Wegovy，报告了 44,000 份不良反应，其中 4,800 份被归类为严重。在这些报告中，有 37 例导致死亡。

“黄卡”计划允许每位患者提交多份报告，这意味着该数字并不反映投诉副作用的个人总数。致命结果可能是由潜在或未诊断的疾病引起的，与治疗无关。该计划允许患者亲属或医疗专业人员报告他们认为或担心药物可能起到促成作用的情况。

报告在发布时附有警告，即副作用可能是由另一种未诊断的状况引起的。例如，胃肠道不适可能是由于减肥药物引起的，或者在某些情况下可能是由细菌或病毒，或另一种潜在疾病引起的。

《泰晤士报》周二报道称，诺福克郡的一名验尸官正在调查一名 73 岁女性的死亡是否与减肥注射药有关。Caroline Savage 在增加 Mounjaro 的剂量后于 2024 年去世。

本周，德文郡和普利茅斯的一名验尸官就 Paula Owen, 66, 的死亡启动了调查，称一种 GLP-1 受体激动剂减肥药物促成了她于 7 月 23 日的死亡。

今年 1 月，MHRA 更新了其产品信息，以加强关于严重胰腺炎的指导，包括对坏死性和致命性胰腺炎的警告。

“黄卡”计划中关于严重和急性胰腺炎报告的增加促成了这一公告。

此前，美国已针对两家注射药制造商诺和诺德 (Novo Nordisk) 和礼来公司 (Eli Lilly) 提起了一系列诉讼。

诺和诺德的一位发言人表示：“我们深切关注患者安全。与所有药物一样，用于慢性病的治疗可能会产生副作用，且这些副作用因人而异。这就是为什么药物应由医疗专业人员开具，并在其监督下使用，以便为每个个体考虑潜在的益处和风险。”

礼来公司的一位发言人表示：“我们严肃对待有关患者安全的报告，并积极监测、评估和报告我们所有药物的安全信息。”

胰腺炎是否是一种风险？见 Times2 第 7 页

“心理健康急诊室”将提供无需全科医生转诊的支持

Poppy Koronka

数十家“心理健康急诊室”将与高街上的新专业中心一同开设，以帮助人们更早地在离家更近的地方获得支持。

安迪·伯纳姆表示，这些中心将成为那些等待数月寻求帮助的人们的“生命线”，并防止患者在普通急诊部门面临漫长的等待。

政府的公告包括100家新的社区心理健康中心和59家专门的急诊部门，官员们称之为“一代人以来心理健康服务规模最大的重新设计”。

患者将能够以直接就诊的方式前往这些中心，无需全科医生（GP）的转诊。

与此同时，专业急诊部门将提供一个“平静的、具有治疗效果的环境，让人们能够被快速评估”。

慈善机构对这些针对“匮乏”服务的改革表示欢迎，但补充说，中心必须配备充足的人员，并与现有服务良好协作。

卫生和社会护理部表示，这些将从今年秋季开始开设的急诊室，将使心理健康急诊部门的总数达到82家。

首相表示：“不应让任何人独自在心理健康问题中挣扎。但每天都有数千人在等待数月寻求帮助，然后发现唯一向他们敞开的大门是繁忙的急诊室。这些新中心将成为许多人的生命线。它们将使NHS服务离家更近，使人们在问题恶化之前更容易获得支持，并确保处于危机中的人们在正确的地方获得正确的护理。”

关于心理健康急诊网络计划的消息最早由《泰晤士报》于去年5月报道。该计划得到了£3.43 亿的资金支持，此次公告是政府心理健康战略的一部分，该战略预计将于今年晚些时候公布。

卫生大臣伊薇特·库珀表示：“太多的人只有在达到危机点时才能获得心理健康支持，而在此之前，他们为了获得所需的帮助已经挣扎了太久。”

“这些新的社区心理健康中心将帮助人们更早地在离家更近的地方获得支持，使人们在问题升级之前更容易获得正确的护理。而当有人确实需要紧急帮助时，新的心理健康急诊部门将能够确保他们能在合适的环境下被专业团队快速接诊。”

慈善机构Sane的首席执行官马乔里·华莱士表示：“这次令人欢迎的心理健康支持扩展，如果人员配备充足，可能会成为许多受困扰的人及其家庭的救星，并为应对这种可能导致衰弱并缩短寿命的疾病建立一个更及时、更人性化的响应框架。”

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11

新闻

拳击手：我发现雅典受害者时已死亡

乔治·奥德林 雅典

一名被指控谋杀英国慈善工作者的阿富汗拳击手声称，他发现受害者时已经死亡，并是一名年长的陌生人建议他将尸体装在行李箱中丢弃。

26岁的谢里夫·艾哈迈德扎伊（Sharif Ahmadzai）昨日在雅典的一家法院出庭，他被指控杀害了38岁的伊丽莎白-简·罗斯（Elisabeth-Jane Ross），并从其银行账户中窃取了数千欧元。

据希腊新闻媒体 Proto-thema 报道，他在周六向希腊警方提交的一份声明中声称，他用这笔钱支付给了一名在受害者公寓外遇到的名为尼科斯（Nikos）的男子，以丢弃尸体。

据报道，他声称在7月15日晚上发现罗斯在浴室中濒死，随后次日返回时发现她已死亡。他说他随后丢弃了尸体。

据希腊媒体报道，艾哈迈德扎伊在声明中说：“当我打开灯走向浴室时，我注意到丽莎躺在浴室地板上，嘴里吐出像水一样的东西。”艾哈迈德扎伊于2016年乘坐小船前往希腊。

“我跟她说了两三次，但她没有回应。我僵住了。我的腿麻了。我从未对任何人做过坏事。我当时只是陷入了恐慌。”

艾哈迈德扎伊的家人被塔利班杀害，他随后声称自己离开了该房产（该房产由一家非政府组织所有，由他与身为美国公民的妻子共同经营），并在公交车站询问一名年长男子，如果发现尸体该怎么办。

他在声明中说：“他告诉我，我应该做的是将其从房子里移走，否则我会陷入麻烦。”

“所以第二天傍晚，在恐慌之中，且担心自己会被牵连（因为我还有一个年幼的孩子），我听了他的[那个老人]话，回到了家中。丽莎就在那里。我希望她还活着，希望我不会再次发现她处于同样的情况。”

“于是我决定按照那个老人告诉我的去做。我拿了一个在房子里发现的黑色行李箱，把丽莎放了进去。我拎起行李箱，把它放进我之前停在房子外的红色标致汽车后备箱里。”

“这辆车属于我的妻子。于是我开着标致车出发，到达我家附近并将其停好。”

“我走出车外，将行李箱从后备箱取出，走向 Panellinios [体育俱乐部] 对面的一栋废弃建筑。在那里我找到了我告诉过你们的那个给我建议的老人。他告诉我把行李箱留给他，他会处理。”

“当然，他要求我支付报酬。我向他解释说，那一刻我没有任何钱，但我会想办法找钱给他。”

艾哈迈德扎伊声称他拿走了罗斯的银行卡和手机，并用手机给她的朋友和家人发短信，向他们保证她平安无事。他说在丢弃尸体的次日，他带着来自佐治亚州的妻子阿拉娜·霍尔（Alaina Hall）和他们的儿子去了山区的阿拉霍瓦（Arachova）度假胜地。

他的声明继续写道：“我不知道我当时在想什么。我当时思维不清。我把从丽莎卡里取出的所有钱都给了那个老人，因为他威胁我说要把一切告诉警察。”

“据我所知，这个老人的名字叫尼科斯，他经常出没在我丢弃行李箱的地方。[随后]我把丽莎的手机和银行卡扔进了垃圾桶。”

据 Proto-thema 报道，检方声称艾哈迈德扎伊谋杀了罗斯，而那个老人并不存在。

案卷显示，霍尔在7月16日凌晨醒来发现丈夫离开家后产生了怀疑，随后通过 Final My Friends 应用程序追踪到他位于罗斯住所的位置。

艾哈迈德扎伊还给了她 €2,550（£2,200）和一部新的 iPhone 17 Pro，她告诉警方，她认为这部手机是用从罗斯银行账户窃取的资金购买的。霍尔提供了

她亲自将这些证据提交给了警方。Ahmadzai在莫里亚移民营地结识了他的妻子，当时她正在那里担任志愿者，此前她于2016年经巴基斯坦、伊朗和土耳其前往希腊。他在2017年皈依基督教。这对夫妇于2023年4月结婚，并在雅典建立了一个名为“Love Every Nation”的传教机构，旨在帮助难民。

他们的儿子于4月出生。Ahmadzai在Facebook上宣布这个孩子的出生是“直接来自上帝之手的祝福”。

Ahmadzai是一名竞技拳击手，他在3月赢得了一项希腊超轻量级拳击冠军，并开设拳击课程为该非政府组织筹集资金。

据了解，这对夫妇是通过工作结识受害者的，而受害者当时住在与该非政府组织相关的一套公寓里，据称这对夫妇拥有该公寓的进入权限。

Ahmadzai在出席埃维尔皮东法院时穿着一件Under Armour卫衣、深色短裤和运动鞋。这名被戴上手铐的阿富汗人由两名武装警察护送至法庭，但听证会已推迟至今天上午。

Ahmadzai的律师Christos Erdas表示，他无法确认也无法否认该声明是否代表其当事人的立场。他表示，他已在昨天的听证会上请求并获准推迟，以便准备Ahmadzai的辩护。

处于虐待指控保释期间的政治家赢得选举

首席新闻记者 David Brown / Haroon Janjua 伊斯兰堡

一名曼彻斯特的餐厅经营者在据报道因涉及儿童虐待和贩卖调查而在英国处于警方保释期间时，被选入巴基斯坦的一个执政议会。鲁克萨尔·艾哈迈德（Rukhsar Ahmed）上周被选入覆盖自由克什米尔地区的立法议会，代表总理谢巴兹·谢里夫（Shehbaz Sharif）的政党。

据《卫报》报道，63岁的艾哈迈德于2024年7月在曼彻斯特机场被捕，这是一项针对追溯至20世纪90年代的照顾下儿童遭受性虐待指控调查的一部分。

大曼彻斯特警方对该市Rusholme地区儿童虐待的调查已导致22人被捕。警方在1月表示，该调查于2020年启动，

是在一名幸存者披露虐待情况后发起的，警员们正在构建“强有力的案卷，旨在为数十年前遭受的恐怖虐待寻求公正”。

已联系艾哈迈德寻求评论。他尚未被指控任何罪行，且根据《卫报》报道，尽管警方表示担忧，但一名英国法官允许他在保释期间前往巴基斯坦。

据称，该政治家原定于上个月在曼彻斯特的一个警察局报到以履行保释义务，但因“身体状况太差无法飞行”。大约在同一时间，社交媒体上的帖子显示他正在为选举进行竞选。艾哈迈德在2006年至2021年期间曾担任克什米尔议会多个政府的部长。

他是一家名为Gujjar Palace的餐厅的所有者，该餐厅位于曼彻斯特的“咖喱里程”（curry mile）附近，他在5月份被拍到出现在一家相邻餐厅门外。朋友告诉《卫报》，他在曼彻斯特的巴基斯坦社区中“极具影响力”。在竞选期间，艾哈迈德强调了他作为部长的经验，并通过强调他与庞大的英籍克什米尔侨民的联系来吸引选民。

这一指控出现之际，英国和巴基斯坦正就试图驱逐沙比尔·艾哈迈德（Shabir Ahmed）而陷入争端，后者是一个总部位于罗奇代尔（Rochdale）、由多名巴基斯坦裔男子组成的儿童虐待团伙的首领。他于上个月出狱。

亚马逊因担心石棉问题召回儿童游戏沙

消费者事务记者 Andrew Ellison

在官员发现一批儿童游戏沙可能含有石棉后，亚马逊被迫将其召回。

产品安全与标准办公室昨天发布了针对Craftplay Sand Art Bottles的召回通知，警告称该沙子“可能被少量石棉污染”。该监管机构表示，这款由Anthony Peters Mfg Co Ltd在中国制造的产品不符合《2011年玩具（安全）条例》，因为石棉是被禁止的，且即使在低水平的接触下也构成风险。

家长被告知立即停止使用并遵循处置建议。

Which?的消费者权益政策负责人Sue Davies表示：“针对像亚马逊这样的平台，监管实在太少了。在在线市场被强制整改之前，包括儿童和婴儿在内的生命将处于风险之中。”

政府正在考虑全面修订产品安全规则，重点关注在线市场。

亚马逊表示，在收到通知后立即停止销售该沙子。该零售商补充道：“安全是我们的首要任务，我们非常严肃地对待这个问题。我们持续监控我们的商店，并采取行动以维持安全的选品。”

制造商未回应评论请求。

《泰晤士报》

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12

新闻

AI 机器人

在官方测试期间 进行 疯狂黑客攻击

Mark Sellman 科技记者

AI 安全研究所（AI Security Institute）警告称，先进的人工智能代理在政府测试期间失控，并展开了一场前所未有的疯狂黑客攻击。

由 Anthropic 和 OpenAI 开发的代理尝试了 19 种不同的攻击手段。其中，Anthropic 的 Mythos 创建了虚假的在线身份，试图诱骗一名开发人员批准某个软件项目的恶意代码。

这些事件由该研究所（一个政府机构）披露，是近期导致国际担忧的失控代理的最新案例。

今年 7 月，一个 OpenAI 代理对 Hugging Face（一个开发人员发布和共享代码的平台）发起的自主攻击引发了近期的关注，随后 Anthropic（Claude 模型的开发商）也披露了类似情况。

GCHQ 的一名高级官员呼吁为这些代理建立更强大的保障措施。

特朗普政府正在起草一项自愿准则，要求美国公司在模型发布前提交进行测试。

该研究所是由前首相里希·苏纳克设立的一个研究机构，旨在评估 AI 技术的潜力与危险。它与 GCHQ 和国家网络安全中心（National Cyber Security Centre）密切合作。

该研究所周二表示，在 28, 7 月，在对 Anthropic 的 Mythos 5 和 OpenAI 的 GPT-5.6-Sol 进行网络测试期间，它检测到系统中有“异常数据传输”流出。

其调查发现，Mythos 在真实互联网上采取了“自主的、未经授权的行动，针对真实的人员和组织” 17 次，而 GPT-5.6-Sol 尝试黑客攻击 2 次。

该研究所表示：“在最严重的案例中，一个代理尝试将恶意代码插入到一个开源项目中。”

“为了让代码获得批准，该代理采用了社交工程手段，创建虚假的在线身份，并利用这些身份向项目的维护者施压以要求其批准代码。一名人类维护者发现了并拒绝批准该恶意代码。”

该研究所认定该代理为 Mythos，并表示大多数黑客攻击“主要源自”Anthropic 的模型。它表示，黑客攻击并未造成“现实世界的损害”，但补充道：“这是我们第一次看到关于自主性和欺骗性的风险如此清晰地在现实世界中显现，且无需特定提示。”

萨里大学网络安全教授 Alan Woodward 表示：“为什么 AISI 要让代理连接到互联网？该代理是否知道自己不再处于测试环境中？如果是后者，AISI 为什么要这样做？我们是否发现，必须在不知情的真实‘小白鼠’身上进行这些测试？”

前 AI 行业高管 Ed Newton-Res 表示，该研究所“将其定格为一次负责任的披露，但我们应该清楚地认识到发生了什么：一个政府机构应对一系列针对真实人员和组织的潜在有害活动负责。”

“AISI 选择给予该模型互联网访问权限并移除护栏，而且它在三天内都没有注意到发生了什么。”

国家网络安全中心首席技术官 Ollie Whitehouse 表示：“这些技术在开发和使用之初就必须具备强有力的保障措施、实时监管以及针对意外情况的明确应对计划。”

“在事件发生后仅依赖检测将是不够的。”

太阳表面的“漩涡”清晰可见

迄今为止最清晰的太阳照片揭示了其表面如何不断沸腾，产生巨大的超热等离子体“漩涡”（Rhys Blakely 撰文）。

科学家认为，新观察到的活动有助于解决一个谜团：为什么太阳的大气层（即日冕）温度超过 100 万 摄氏度，而其表面相对较冷，约为 5,500℃。

这些旋转结构，

这些在夏威夷伊诺耶望远镜拍摄的太阳表面漩涡图像（见下文），为危险太阳风暴是如何产生的提供了线索

其直径从 15 英里到 105 英里不等，也被认为有助于产生太阳风暴——这种强大的辐射激增可能会干扰地球上的卫星和电网。

这些图像是由位于夏威夷的全球最大太阳望远镜——伊诺耶望远镜捕捉的。这项研究在理解太阳方面“是一个重大进步”，美国国家太阳天文台的 David Boboltz 表示，他是这项发表在《自然》杂志上的研究的共同作者。

在太阳表面强磁场区域的边缘观察到了数十个漩涡。这种现象被称为开尔文-亥姆霍兹不稳定性（Kelvin-Helmholtz instability），发生在两层流体或气体以不同速度相互经过时。边界沿线的微小扰动会生长成卷曲的涡流。这种效应此前从未在太阳表面被直接观察到。

计算机模拟产生了非常相似的模式，证明这些结构是开尔文-亥姆霍兹不稳定性的真实案例。

新观察到的涡旋可能充当小型发动机，在太阳的等离子体中不断编织磁场。

研究人员表示，这可能会创造出导致耀斑和太阳风暴的能量储备。

他们还表示，漩涡可能会将磁能向上推，在日冕中将其转化为热量，使其比表面热得多。

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13

新闻

“百万富翁街”上的阳台之战

Jonathan Ames 法律编辑

多塞特郡“百万富翁街”的一名居民正努力争取保留一个俯瞰某名室内设计师住宅的阳台，尽管该扩建部分已被判定为非法。

退休会计师尼尔·肯尼迪（Neil Kennedy）面临着可能必须拆除其位于桑德班克斯（Sandbanks）价值 £400 万住宅至少一部分的局面，此前另一名邻居因规划审批存在缺陷而成功起诉了议会。

饼干制造商 Ryvita 的总经理加斯·韦斯顿（Garth Weston）声称，肯尼迪的建筑商未能遵守批准的规划方案。他认为，未经授权的变更中包括一个阳台的扩建，这意味着该结构俯瞰了塞莉亚·索耶（Celia Sawyer）所拥有的房产花园。

索耶是一位室内设计师，曾出演第四频道的《Four Rooms》，其客户名单从好莱坞延伸至海湾地区。她声称更大的阳台侵犯了她的隐私，尤其是她经常穿着比基尼晒太阳。

肯尼迪的房屋侧面增加了窗户，其中一扇据称可以直接看到韦斯顿的卧室。建筑商还在肯尼迪的平屋顶上安装了一个被描述为噪音巨大的空调机组。

尼尔·肯尼迪正在就其位于多塞特郡专属半岛上的住宅法院裁决进行抗争，见下图

桑德班克斯以作为全国最昂贵的住宅区之一而闻名。

伯恩茅斯、克赖斯特彻奇和普尔议会的官员最初告诉肯尼迪，他必须申请追溯性规划许可以修改该房产，该房产包括一个室内游泳池和健身房。该申请在 2024, 年初获得批准，促使韦斯顿和索耶指责议会行为非法。随后，韦斯顿起诉了地方当局，声称议会规划官员未能实地考察，因此不了解这些变更对邻近房产的影响。

肯尼迪位于桑德班克斯住宅的顶层阳台（中心）俯瞰着电视室内设计师塞莉亚·索耶的花园（左），后者指责他侵犯其隐私

两年前，高等法院法官 Andrew Keyser KC 在一项裁决中支持了韦斯顿的主张，判定该规划许可无效。法官表示：“该官员没有实地考察房产，”并补充道：“可以说，这导致无法正确理解相关开发项目及其对邻近房产的影响。”在撤销议会最初决定时，Keyser 法官表示，规划官员的报告表现出对“事实情况的重大误解”。他命令议会支付韦斯顿近 £15,000. 的法律费用。

现在，两年多以后，肯尼迪提交了一份新的规划申请，试图获准保留他的三层住宅。尽管房屋已经存在，但该申请是关于创建“一座替代住宅”。肯尼迪的规划顾问马丁·汉汉（Martin Hanham）在申请中表示，在获得替代住宅的初步规划许可后，“他将所有建筑工程交给了当地的一家建筑公司，该公司又委任了另一家建筑师事务所处理建筑法规申请”。他表示，肯尼迪“意识到在施工阶段进行了非常细微的更改，但他并不清楚是否需要任何形式的规划许可”。

汉汉指出，“鉴于所有对批准方案所做的更改现已由贵议会进行了现场检查，并确认所有更改均未引发任何规划问题。我相信在不久的将来会获得批准”。

居民们依然愤怒。社区团体桑德班克斯邻里论坛（Sandbanks Neighbourhood Forum）反对最新的申请，声称该设计不符合关于俯瞰、对邻居影响以及噪音的政策。

所有直接参与此次修订申请的各方均拒绝发表评论。

工党希望之星以谎言成就职业生涯

Marieta Marinova

一名曾任工党议会候选人的男子因使用顶尖大学的伪造学位证书获取十几个NHS（英国国家医疗服务体系）高级职位，被判处四年监禁。

在长达八年的欺诈活动中，Amran Hussain虚假声称拥有包括牛津大学、哈佛大学和伦敦大学在内的机构学位。尽管他在1,902个工作日中有1,332天请病假，但他通过获取的NHS职位赚取了超过£168,000。

40岁的Hussain曾是汉普郡东北部的工党候选人，在2014年7月至2022年9月期间，他使用伪造的推荐信申请了超过2,071个NHS职位。

NHS反欺诈局（NHSCFA）的一项调查显示，Hussain在就职后不久就会请病假，并一直缺勤直到合同结束或被解雇。他声称自己患有多种疾病，包括焦虑症、抑郁症、新冠后综合征、偏头痛和眩晕。

他的职位之一是在多塞特大学医院NHS基金会信托基金（University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust），在他担任门诊路径重新设计主管的116天雇佣期内，他仅出勤了一次。那是他最高级别的职位之一，职级为Band 8D——这是NHS中第二高的薪资等级。

其中九个职位属于Band 8，其他职位还包括NHS England的国家交付官员和高级参与经理。

他的欺诈行为在德文伙伴关系NHS信托基金（Devon Partnership NHS Trust）为其提供年薪£90,000的首席运营官副职并进行背景调查时被揭发。调查发现，他从未在考文垂和华威郡伙伴关系信托基金（Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership Trust）工作过，而他此前声称在该机构担任转型与改进总监。

NHSCFA运营负责人Ben Harrison表示：“此类行为破坏了人们对NHS招聘流程的信任，并将公共资金从一线服务中转移走。”

Hussain于2022年11月在肯特郡韦斯特汉姆附近被捕。当时他与伴侣住在由贵族阿斯特家族拥有的庄园内的一栋两居室小屋中，并一直住在那里直到今年2月。

在梅德斯通刑事法院的量刑听证会上，Hussain声称自己是一名战争退伍军人，曾在英国陆军服役两次，但后来披露他仅担任过预备役人员。

2015年，他被拍到与时任工党领袖的埃德·米利班德（Ed Miliband）一同进行竞选活动。

海龟的奥德赛之旅以跨大西洋飞行结束

Bill Curtis

在海龟Rhossi在墨西哥湾游泳迷路并最终被冲上威尔士海滩两年多后，他终于通过直升机、卡车和跨大西洋航班在回家的路上了。

这只极度濒危的坎普龟在2023年12月被一只名叫Meg的狗在安格尔西岛的Traeth Llydan海滩上发现，当时它因寒冷而陷入休克，濒临死亡。Rhossi体长仅25厘米，体重不足一公斤，被紧急送往安格尔西海洋动物园，由专业团队将其护理至康复。

他现在正准备下周返回德克萨斯州海岸帕德雷岛的温暖海域。他将乘坐直升机从安格尔西飞往距离希思罗机场五英里的一个地点。在短途驱车前往机场后，Rhossi将与安格尔西海洋动物园的所有者Frankie Hobro一同乘坐英国航空的货运航班前往休斯顿。

著名的海龟兽医Joe Flanagan博士已结束退休，负责监督Rhossi释放前健康检查的最后阶段。

海龟Rhossi即将回家

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新闻

“伪造院长签名”的教授败诉于劳动法庭

乔纳森·艾姆斯 (Jonathan Ames) 法律编辑

一名大学教授因在一次“欺诈性”的晋升尝试中伪造高级同事的签名而被解雇，劳动法庭对此作出了裁决。

华威大学的教授凯蒂·安格利斯 (Katy Angliss) 被指控在伪造其上司的签名后，欺诈性地修改了一封来自上司的信函，使其看起来像是支持她申请更高职位的证明。

当伪造的文件被揭露时，这位在罗素大学集团成员院校专门从事项目管理的特许工程师辩称，她犯了一个“诚实的错误”。

大学管理层以严重违纪为由解雇了 55 岁的安格利斯，随后她以性别和年龄歧视为由起诉不公正解雇。但劳动法庭驳回了她的主张。

此前，伯明翰的法庭获悉，安格利斯拥有罗宾·克拉克 (Robin Clark) 的签名副本，克拉克是另一位教授，也是该大学的院长之一。克拉克的签名出现在两年前他提供的一封不支持她的信函中，信中称安格利斯未能达到晋升标准。

法庭获悉，安格利斯重新提交了申请，并欺诈性地修改了克拉克的信函以支持她，且在信中加入了伪造的签名。

安格利斯于 2013 年作为教学研究员加入该大学的学术团队，到被解雇时，她已晋升为助理教授。

证据显示，在 2020-21 学年，安格利斯首次向华威制造集团（该大学的应用科学、技术和工程研究中心）提交了晋升助理教授的申请。

时任系主任的克拉克提供了那份不支持的声明。在他写完那封信后不久，安格利斯的职称在名义上变更为助理教授，但职责没有实质性变化。

2023 年，安格利斯提交了第二次申请，并附上了修改后的信函和伪造的签名。该伪造行为被克拉克的助手发现，并上报给大学的人力资源团队，后者随即启动了纪律调查。

尽管安格利斯声称自己只是犯了一个“诚实的错误”，但她仍于 2024 年被解雇。

她否认自己知道系里不支持她的申请，并在被指控撒谎时拒绝发表评论。

法庭在裁决中表示，由于其证据存在模糊之处，安格利斯“不能被视为一个可靠的证人”。法官雅克·阿尔盖斯 (Jacques Alguys) 将安格利斯描述为一名“资历相对较高的学者”，她“被认定犯有严重违纪行为，并通过发表欺诈性声明以及在未经允许的情况下使用克拉克教授的签名，破坏了她与（华威大学）之间的信任和信心”。

法庭裁定，大学解雇安格利斯的决定“在任何方面都与（她的）年龄或性别考量无关，未受其影响，亦未被其污染”。

一点一点地 使用一种特殊的树脂来稳定多塞特博物馆和美术馆（位于多切斯特）的罗马马赛克地板，这是艰苦翻修工作的一部分。

伊朗战争后反犹太主义犯罪“上升五分之一”

Peter Chappell

一份报告认为，在美国和以色列与伊朗开战以及伦敦两名犹太男子遭到双重刺杀后，英国的反犹太主义情绪激增。

来自社区安全信托基金会 (CST) 的数据显示，1月至6月期间，全国记录的反犹太主义事件共 1,926 起，比去年上半年的 1,598 起增加了近五分之一。这是该信托基金会记录的任何一年前六个月中第二高的总数，仅次于 2024 年上半年的 2,019 起事件。

警务与犯罪大臣莎拉·琼斯 (Sarah Jones) 表示，这些数字令人“震惊”，并表明“人们仅仅因为自己的身份而生活在恐惧之中”。

今年前几个月，伦敦的犹太场所发生了一系列纵火袭击，包括四辆犹太社区救护车，以及在戈尔德斯格林 (Golders Green) 发生的一起被视为恐怖主义的双重刺杀事件。

4月29日的刺杀事件导致两名男子受伤，随后出现了该六个月期间单日反犹太主义事件的最高峰。在刺杀发生后的三天内，CST 共记录了 71 起事件。该信托基金会表示，其中一些事件“庆祝这种暴力，并呼吁对犹太人造成进一步伤害，或利用[这些事件]来推广反犹太主义阴谋论和反犹太辱骂”。

伊斯兰右翼同伴运动 (Islamic Movement of Companions of the Right) 是一个涉嫌与亲伊朗网络有联系的恐怖组织，该组织已承认对包括纵火袭击犹太救护车在内的多起袭击负责。

7月，政府根据恐怖主义立法，将伊斯兰右翼同伴运动以及伊朗伊斯兰革命卫队列为恐怖组织。

CST 首席执行官马克·加德纳 (Mark Gardner) 表示，这些事件“应该让每一个关心英国及其所面临威胁的人感到担忧，无论这些威胁是来自伊朗的国家指令，还是由伊斯兰主义者、极右翼、极左翼或其他意识形态极端分子在内部驱动”。

影子内政大臣克里斯·菲利普 (Chris Philp) 表示，反犹太主义是一场“国家紧急状态”。

克里斯·卡巴渎职案被撤销

大卫·伍德 犯罪编辑

英国最高级别警官表示，决定撤销对一名被判定无罪的狙击手的渎职指控，是重启警察问责制度的“里程碑时刻”。该狙击手此前被指控谋杀克里斯·卡巴。

这标志着一个近四年的章节落下帷幕。该事件始于2022年9月，在伦敦南部斯特雷瑟姆，24岁的卡巴无视要求停止驾驶其奥迪Q8，随后马丁·布莱克开了一枪。卡巴在医院死亡。

在2024年10月的审判后，布莱克被一致判定谋杀该帮派成员的罪名不成立。

警察行为独立办公室 (IOPC) 发起了纪律处分行动，并表示在审判期间被标识为NXI21的布莱克“仍需就此做出交代”。

在政府接受关于警察使用武力的建议后，IOPC暂停了程序；提起渎职程序的标准被提高到了刑事法律所使用的标准。

Kaba，一名帮派成员，在无视警察要求停止其奥迪Q8后被枪击

昨天，在收到卡巴家人的陈述后，IOPC表示“不存在异常情况”，并正式撤销了渎职通知。

伦敦警察厅局长马克·罗利爵士表示，这一“决定终于为NXI21、他的家人以及更广泛的枪械指挥部近四年的不确定性画上了句号。这必须成为重启一个失衡的警察问责制度的里程碑时刻。

“对使用武力进行及时的问责至关重要，但在经历多次问责程序时，你的生活被搁置四年或更长时间，这是对待男女警员的一种可耻方式。”

IOPC的阿曼达·罗表示：“我们敏锐地意识到此案中所有相关人员所受程序影响，并一直寻求避免任何不必要的延迟，然而，在立法变更生效前暂停推进纪律处分程序是正确的。”

验尸官将决定是否对卡巴的死亡进行死因研讯。

伦敦警察厅在跟踪案件中将受害者详情发送给被告

伦敦警察厅在将一名女性跟踪受害者的地址和电话号码发送给被告后，遭到了数据监管机构的谴责。

信息专员办公室 (ICO) 在两起案件（包括威斯敏斯特“美人计”案）出现失误后，命令伦敦警方紧急加强其数据保护政策和培训。

该机构表示，伦敦警察厅的政策“薄弱”且存在“严重缺陷”。一名涉事警员在违反数据规则之前，已有四年多时间未完成数据保护培训。

在其中一起案件中，一名女性在一名伦敦警察厅警员将她的详情发送给一起跟踪保护令案件的被告后，不得不搬家并更换电话号码。警方还错误地将三名证人的姓名和联系方式发送给了被告。

被告随后通过受害者的新号码与其联系，并称他从警方那里收到了包含其新联系方式的文件。

在另一起涉及前保守党议员威廉·拉格涉嫌被“美人计”陷害的事件中，伦敦警察厅向所有受影响人员发送电子邮件，告知他们嫌疑人保释日期的变更。

然而，在操作过程中，他们没有使用密送（blind-copy）或隐藏所有被联系者的姓名——因此所有收件人都能看到彼此的姓名和电子邮件地址。ICO的一份声明称，这些问题显示出伦敦警察厅政策中存在“更广泛的弱点”。

警方采取了行动，包括通知受影响人员并向员工发出提醒。然而，ICO认为需要采取更多行动，并发布了谴责书和执行通知。

目前已联系伦敦警察厅寻求评论。

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15

新闻

天生肌肉发达？感谢你的尼安德特人祖先

Kaya Burgess 科学记者

那些天生拥有更大、更强壮肌肉的人，或许可以感谢尼安德特人，因为他们传承了一种关键的遗传特质，帮助这些人增加了肌肉量。

无论你在健身房多么努力地锻炼，总会有一些人看起来更强壮、肌肉更多，尽管他们似乎付出的努力更少。

科学家们现在发现，肌肉量与数万年前来自我们物种之外的一种遗传变体之间存在联系，携带该变体的人平均多出 271 克的肌肉。研究发现，同一种变体还使携带者身材更高，髋部更宽，且下颌形状不同。

遗憾的是，拥有这种变体的人不能逃避健身房，瑞典卡罗林斯卡学院（Karolinska Institute）该研究的作者 Miriam Berreiter 表示。

她说：“即使是尼安德特人的生长激素受体也无法替代训练。”

人们有时认为，尼安德特人之所以灭绝，是因为他们比我们新兴的Homo sapiens（智人）祖先更不聪明、更原始，而智人通过在资源竞争中胜过他们，导致他们灭绝。

然而，证据表明，双方在认知能力上并没有巨大的差异。

相反，人们认为性行为在很大程度上是原因所在。有令人信服的证据表明，现代人类与尼安德特人曾发生过杂交。随着时间的推移，尼安德特人的 DNA 被吸收进人类的血统中，直到不再有真正的、纯粹的尼安德特人存在。

因此，说尼安德特人在大约 40,000 年前最后一名成员消失时就灭绝了，在严格意义上是不正确的。他们的部分 DNA 幸存了下来，对于撒哈拉以南非洲以外的人来说，约占现代人类 DNA 的 2%。

来自英国 Wellcome Sanger 研究所以及德国、瑞典、丹麦、日本和澳大利亚的研究人员发现了进一步的证据，证明“尼安德特人解剖结构的某些方面在今天的人类身上得以延续”。

一种持续存在的尼安德特人变体存在于生长激素受体（GHR）的特定版本中。这是一种存在于细胞表面的蛋白质，可与体内的生长激素结合，帮助调节身体的发育。

研究显示，约 0.5% 的欧洲人、2% 的南北美洲人、15% 的东亚人和 20% 的南亚人拥有从尼安德特人那里继承的受体版本。

在尼安德特人衍生的版本中，与智人相关的受体相比，组成蛋白质的氨基酸发生了两次变化。

发表在《Current Biology》杂志上的这项研究指出：“一些现代人类继承了编码尼安德特人 GHR 的基因。”

“这些个体往往拥有更多的肌肉量。”

在分析了五个生物样本库中 112 万 人的数据，以及布拉德福德 6,602 名新生儿（其中包括大量具有南亚血统的人员）的数据后，研究人员发现，拥有尼安德特人受体的人平均身高高出 3mm，并且携带

一项研究将肌肉量与尼安德特人 DNA 联系起来

在 270 到 285g 之间额外的重量，几乎完全由精瘦肌肉组成，尤其是在手臂、腿部和躯干。

他们的髋围平均大 2.7mm，牙根较短，且下颌形状不同，其“下颌支”（位于下颌后部的垂直部分）较短。他们还承担着更高的深覆颌（龅牙）风险。这些变化在儿童中并未被注意到。

六周暑假？我们为您准备好了

从实用建议到最佳度假地，我们将所有育儿相关内容汇集在一个目的地，以便您在暑假期间能够顺利应对，并创造更美好的回忆。

TMS

diary@thetimes.co.uk / @timesdiary

运动鞋与时间领主

随着安迪·伯纳姆去晒太阳，国家的舵盘由第一国务大臣露易丝·海格掌控，而小报们在她上班时就守在那里等着她。根据白厅较为随意的夏季着装规范，海格穿着一套配运动鞋的夏季西装，这对小报来说简直是最好的素材，它们在照片上配了这样一条标题：“穿着这样就能治理国家？”出乎意料的是，她的前任达伦·琼斯（见下文）对该报道发表了评论，并附上了一张他今年冬季假期期间的照片，照片中他穿着一件棕色长外套、牛仔裤和一件条纹毛衣。他说：“当我穿着像是在试镜成为下一个《神秘博士》时上班，没有人写报道。”海格无疑会将此视为一个恰当的类比。就像塔迪斯一样，政府的问题比从外面看起来要大得多。

这个名字听起来很耳熟 前国会议员兼部长格雷格·汉兹宣布他将不再寻求党内的候选人重新选拔，一大波保守党成员向他致敬。他的接任者需要成为切尔西选区的热切捍卫者，因为汉兹曾利用其职权同时捍卫 2 路巴士和葡萄干面包。然而，新候选人可能会更擅长敲门拜访。汉兹曾在一次拉票活动中表现出反应迟钝。他说：“直到我第六次从拉票卡上划掉名字并加上‘搬走了——新居民 Friedland’之后，我才意识到 Friedland 是当地一家门铃公司的名字。”

喜剧演员阿尔·默里和历史学家詹姆斯·霍兰应当获得祝贺。他们于 2019 年推出并引发历史类播客热潮的二战播客《我们有办法让你开口》（We Have Ways of Making You Talk）刚刚突破 1,000 集，并进入第八年——这意味着它的持续时间已经超过了战争本身。你可能会认为这是一个收尾的信号，但他们正找各种理由继续下去。默里说：“目前的学术观点认为战争始于 1931 年。”对这对组合的伴侣来说，令人庆幸的是，他们至少排除了制作前传的可能性。

新会员之酒 几十年来，作家罗杰·刘易斯一直猛烈抨击皇家文学学会，称他们是自以为是的庸才，并表示很高兴自己没有参与他们低端地舞步。因此，自然地，他很高兴接受当选为该学会会员，尽管当他在学会的簿册上签名并把墨水溅满整页时，他的写作技巧受到了质疑。他发现自己的就职仪式并非在理石大厅而是在一家霍尔本的酒吧里举行，这让他有些不快，但其中的联系很明显。正如罗伯特·路易斯·史蒂文森所说：“酒是装在瓶子里的诗。”

今天标志着首位女性完成英吉利海峡游泳的百年纪念。在 6 1926, 8 月，格特鲁德·埃德勒于早上 7. 08 从格里-内岬出发，14 小时 14 分钟后，她在肯特郡的金斯当登陆，游泳距离相当于 35 英里。那时候的情况非常不同。当她穿过海峡抵达后，迎接她的第一个人是一名要求她出示护照的官员。

杰克·布莱克本

活动

让孩子对自然产生兴趣并远离屏幕的 8 种方法

英国 16 个最适合家庭的周末度假地

假期

坦诚育儿

What I've learnt as a 'boy mom' (that I didn't expect) （作为一名“男孩母亲”我学到了什么（以及我未曾预料到的））

访问育儿中心获取专家建议和个人故事 thetimes.com / parenting

《泰晤士报》 《星期日泰晤士报》

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16

新闻

城堡之王 位于距离约翰-奥-格罗茨（John o' Groats）几英里外的梅城堡（Castle of Mey）的围墙花园，似乎让国王在暑假期间忙碌了起来。他通常在8月的第一周待在这处房产中，该房产是由他的祖母伊丽莎白王太后在1952,年购买的，随后他会向南前往巴尔莫勒尔（Balmoral）

铁路公司封锁数字票，打击“快速扫描”欺诈

劳伦斯·斯利特 (Laurence Sleator) 交通记者

英国最大的铁路运营商已封锁部分旅客购买数字票，以减少逃票行为。

运营 Thameslink、Southern、Great Northern 和 Gatwick Express 服务的 Greater Thameslink Railway (GTR) 正针对一种被称为“快速扫描”的欺诈行为。

这种情况是指乘客在没有车票的情况下上车，但如果发现检票员，或者目的地车站的闸机关闭需要扫描通过时，他们会迅速购买一张数字票。

通常，购买的车票仅涵盖行程的最后一段，或从火车经过的最后一站开始计算，从而节省全额票价。这种手段也被称为“短程购票”或“短票欺诈”。

GTR 表示，该公司上周启动了一项为期三个月的票务试点，其中

在主要枢纽周边的车站将不再销售可在手机上扫描的数字票。当客户购买数字票时，他们将不会收到用于扫描通过闸机的二维码，而是被要求从车站的票务办公室或自动售票机领取车票。

该公司不愿透露哪些车站会受到影响，担心欺诈者会调整策略，简单地从线路更远端的车站购买车票。

这一变化可能会影响那些合法购买数字票的守法通勤者，迫使许多人在高峰时段排队领取车票。

GTR 每年处理数百万名往返伦敦最繁忙通勤路线的乘客，该公司表示，此次举措是在布莱顿车站 (Brighton Station) 进行一次“封锁”之后启动的。在这次封锁中，检票员关闭了所有出口并手动检查车票，

结果导致 78 人受到处罚。其中，近一半的违规行为与“快速扫描”有关。

该公司的数据还显示，在被“封锁”的车站，在检票闸机开启前 60 秒内购买车票的人数出现了“不成比例的增加”。

《国家铁路旅行条件》规定，每位乘客在登车前必须持有有效车票，但检票员在某些情况下可能会宽容处理。如果客户被判定为欺诈旅行，他们将被开具 £100 的罚款通知单，外加其实际行程的费用。

GTR 收入保护主管斯蒂芬·麦考洛 (Stephen MacCallaugh) 表示：“每个人在我们的铁路系统上旅行都支付正确的票价才是公平的。作为英国最大的公有制火车运营商，减少逃票和减轻纳税人对铁路的补贴对我们的成功至关重要。” 这一举措是在

South Western Railways (SWR) 采取类似打击行动之后做出的。SWR 在 6 月份封锁了沃克斯豪尔 (Vauxhall) 和滑铁卢 (Waterloo) 之间的数字票购买，因为其数据显示高达 95 per cent 的条形码车票被用于欺诈。

一些客户在被发现经常进行“短程购票”后，被迫偿还数万英镑。其中包括一名每周五天从南汉普郡前往滑铁卢并利用该骗局的人，该人与运营商达成了 £49,000. 的赔偿协议。

SWR 表示，自打击行动启动以来，该公司已经意识到欺诈者正在改变策略，其中一个地点的条形码车票数量与去年同期相比增加了 89 per cent。

逃票每年给该行业造成高达 £4 亿 的损失。政府已发布一系列旨在解决此问题的公告，包括引入肩高闸机。

70亿英镑 铁路线因工会争端升级而进一步延迟

一条在建成两年后仍未运行客运服务的铁路线将面临进一步延迟。

这条连接牛津和米尔顿凯恩斯的 36 英里长东西铁路（East West Rail）是一个 70 亿英镑 billion 项目的一部分，于 2024 年完工，随后移交给奇尔滕铁路公司（Chiltern Railways）。自那时起，该公司便与铁路、海事和运输工会（RMT）陷入争端，争议焦点在于列车应由司机还是乘务员负责开关车门。目前，该线路仅运行空车

用于培训司机以及货运服务。

今年6月，交通大臣里士满山之亨迪勋爵（Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill）表示，服务已计划于12月运行，但昨天工会拒绝了奇尔滕铁路公司一项“令人厌恶”的提案，即在车上配备客户服务检查员。

RMT总书记埃迪·登普西（Eddie Dempsey）在给成员的信中写道：“该提案不过是一次令人厌恶的企图，旨在削弱乘务员在安全关键环节中的作用，并进一步强推以‘司机独立操作’为形式的、不安全且具有争议的操作方式。”

奇尔滕铁路公司已发布检查员的招聘广告，其职责包括客户关怀、收入保护、车内广播和故障报告。车门将由司机操作，这意味着部分服务可能在没有第二名工作人员在车上的情况下运行。

登普西表示，车上必须有第二个人员才能执行职责并应对危险且瞬息万变的局面。他表示，RMT将“利用所有可用的政治和工业力量来捍卫安全”。

东西铁路行动小组（East West Rail Action Group）联合创始人戴安娜·布莱迈尔斯（Diana Blamires）将该服务描述为“绝对的混乱”以及“可耻的金钱浪费”。

奇尔滕铁路公司表示，“在准备列车和操作安排方面仍有工作需要完成”。

机场暂停欧盟新检查以避免排队

Cathy Adams 新闻特写编辑，旅游版

欧洲在繁忙时段一直暂停其严格的新边境检查，以避免机场和港口出现长时间等待。

7月初，代表机场的 ACI Europe 警告称，在欧盟新入境-出境系统 (EES) 的条件下，度假者在提供面部扫描和指纹记录时面临长达五小时的排队。

在英国，赫恩湾和三明治的国会议员罗杰·盖尔爵士 (Sir Roger Gale) 曾表示，英国人在多佛港（欧洲检查在该地英国领土上进行）长达 12 小时的排队中可能会死亡。

行业人士表示，长时间等待的情况并未发生，部分原因是欧盟成员国利用了少量允许的灵活性，在排队过长时，在“特殊情况”下暂时暂停 EES 检查。各国必须将暂停原因通知欧盟边境机构。

据欧盟边境安全机构 Frontex 称，这项应急措施将于下月初结束，且不会续期。行业团体正游说延长该措施。

上周，英国航空首席执行官肖恩·多伊尔 (Sean Doyle) 表示，该航空公司将“密切监测” 的影响。他补充说，自 4 月全面推行以来，尚未出现航班延误或错过航班的情况。

多佛港曾预测 7 月底最繁忙的两个周末排队时间将长达四个半小时，但据报告，其最长等待时间为 55 分钟，平均等待时间为 20 分钟或更短。在设有欧洲边境的福克斯通 LeShuttle，欧盟边境管制排队情况被描述为“流畅”。由于自助服务终端存在由法国软件问题引起的技术故障，港口目前正以手动方式进行 检查。

罗马菲乌米奇诺机场上月曾表示，边境处理时间翻了一番，并将此归咎于 系统的“设计缺陷”，但随后称情况在“ 全面推行后逐渐改善”。该机场表示，本月将在需要时继续关闭检查。

据英国旅游协会 Abta 称，希腊、法国、葡萄牙和西班牙在需要时会关闭检查。该行业团体暗示，机场在边境配置了更充足的人手，并在“某些情况下改善了抵达人员的分流”，从而避免了长队。

代表英国独立旅行社的 Advantage Travel Partnership 首席执行官朱莉娅·洛·布埃-赛义德 (Julia Lo Bue-Said) 表示， 的推行“比预期更顺利”，尽管欧洲各地仍有零星的麻烦热点，如里斯本、特内里费和米兰。她补充道：“总的来说，机场运行高效，通过边境管制的等待时间比我们中许多人担心的要好。欧盟似乎很清楚人们强烈认为所有机场在夏季主假期前都需要配备充足资源，并据此采取了行动。”

行业团体 Airlines UK 首席执行官蒂姆·奥尔德斯莱德 (Tim Alderslade) 表示，这种灵活性应“在整个夏季持续，并延长至 9 月之后，以确保乘客不会遇到延误”。

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17

新闻

维多利亚时代的房产通过窥视镜出售

Kaya Burgess

“房产色情”类电视节目和网站因能以精美细节展示美丽住宅而成为一种狂热，但历史学家发现，维多利亚时代的房地产经纪人早就在此之前，通过使用彩绘窥视镜来吸引买家。

这种方式被描述为“世界上第一个 Rightmove 版本”，比提供视频导览和广角全景图的房产网站诞生早了 160 多年。在摄影术尚处于起步阶段的 19 世纪 30 年代，一家高端房地产经纪公司找到了让客户沉浸式观看其最奢华住宅的方法。

埃克塞特大学的研究人员发现，一家名为 Brooks and Green 的 19 世纪房地产经纪公司（位于伦敦 Old Bond Street）使用了一种名为“全景窥视镜”（cosmorama）的形式。

在这些窥视镜风格的装置中，巨大的画作被隐藏在墙后，必须通过凸透镜观看。结合 specially 设计的照明，这赋予了图像一种使其栩栩如生的深度，意味着观看者感觉自己仿佛沉浸在场景之中。

当这些装置被用于描绘世界遥远地区的风景和城市时，尤其受欢迎，让人们得以窥见异域且美丽的土地。它们经常出现在百货公司中，并在巡回展览中走遍全国。

这项发表在《早期大众视觉文化》（Early Popular Visual Culture）杂志上的研究，是由里斯本的 Lusofona 大学领导的一项名为“Curiositas Peeping Before Virtual Reality”（虚拟现实之前的窥视好奇心）的欧洲研究的一部分，该研究记录了沉浸式、虚拟现实风格媒体的历史。

“全景窥视镜为大众提供了图片画廊，契合了一个旅行日益增多的时代，并提供了国际旅游景点以及整个大英帝国各地的景象，”埃克塞特大学维多利亚时代视觉媒体专家约翰·普伦基特（John Plunkett）教授表示。

“然而，我们通过这项最新的研究项目发现，它的用途超出了简单的娱乐。全景窥视镜的吸引力在于它们销售一种虚拟旅行的体验。这被那些寻求出售豪华房产和乡村庄园的房地产经纪人所利用。”

研究人员发现了全球 650 多个全景窥视镜的证据，并写道：“19 世纪 30 年代末伦敦报纸上的广告显示，位于 Old Bond Street、靠近摄政街（Regent Street）全景窥视镜室的拍卖师兼测量师 Brooks and Hedger（后改为 and Green）为其销售的部分房产和庄园提供全景窥视视图。”

在《泰晤士报》的档案中，有许多此类广告的例子。其中一个由 and Green 于 1842 年 6 月 15 日发布的广告，提供出售一座“位置极佳 的名为 Ray 的乡村住宅”，并邀请感兴趣的人前往其画廊，在那里“可以看到该庄园的全景窥视视图和平面图”。

and Green 的广告补充道，文字描述“在辅助想象力方面，远不能达到这些图像呈现的程度”。

这将是一个劳动密集型的过程，艺术家需要花费大量时间在房产现场以制作图像。

“在当代生活中，房地产的潜在买家通常能获得全套照片、平面图，且通常有在线视频导览，”普伦基特说。

“19 世纪的买家没有这些优势。我们可以看到 and Green 如何在数字技术完全实现这一潜力 150 多年前，就开创了虚拟导览。”

伯克作为“放克女王”的统治缺乏了一点灵魂

克莱夫·戴维斯剧院

《我是每个女人》(I'm Every Woman)

160分钟

温布利公园 Troubadour 剧院

戏剧

★★★☆☆

下一个接受音乐剧改编的会是谁？迈克尔·杰克逊的幽灵已经征服了西区，而弗兰克·辛纳屈则加入到了传记剧的竞争中，在奥德威奇剧院上演的一场点唱机音乐剧中，该剧尽职地筛选了他职业生涯的第一阶段，且经常随机地插入歌曲。现在，在《我是每个女人》中，《X Factor》冠军亚历山德拉·伯克饰演“放克女王”查卡·汗，这位充满灵魂的表演者，其排行榜热门歌曲的数量并不能完全体现她的才华。

事实证明，这是一个奇特的夜晚。在挤过温布利公园 Troubadour 剧院外的拥挤人群后——这是一个功能性场馆，带有一点宜家风格——我们随后不得不忍受大约 30 分钟的延迟，直到汗及其随行人员进入池座席位，演出才正式开始。导演里基·普鲁斯监督的这部作品在细节上点缀了引人注目的时代特征（比如那些时髦的七十年代爆炸头），但却被尼亚·T·希尔编写的剧本削弱了，剧情在一个个生硬的场景之间漂移。在大部分时间里，汗在自己的生活中似乎像个旁观者，甘于被从史蒂夫·汪达、普林斯到迈尔斯·戴维斯等名人的仿像所掩盖。

情节以令人困惑的速度飞逝。前一分钟汗还只是个有抱负的歌手，下一分钟她就在和艾妮·米切尔一起混（索菲·厄尔演绎了一个出色的《Big Yellow Taxi》版本）。在最开始，我们看到出生于芝加哥的年轻伊薇特·玛丽·史蒂文斯试图应对她父亲的海洛因成瘾。很快，她被一个以非洲为中心的文化中心吸引，在那里她获得了自己的新名字，随后与黑豹党的成员哈桑·汗（杰拉尼·门罗 饰）结婚。

事实证明他令人失望，享乐主义的丈夫 No 2, 理查德（迈尔斯·安东尼·戴利 饰）亦然。生活变得糟糕；争吵演变为暴力。如果说汗的生活中除了对音乐的热情之外还有什么不变的东西，那就是她对药物的依赖。当她遇到爵士乐传奇迈尔斯时——泰迪·威尔斯被要求将他演绎成一个近乎狂躁、精明且讲究的花花公子——他很快就向她开放了自己的私人药房。

尽管如此，音乐还是提振了精神。伯克的唱功处于掌控状态，而汗在放克乐队 Rufus 时期的歌曲依然闪耀。萨拉·珀克斯的舞美设计明亮且具有启发性。遗憾的是，在大部分时间里，查卡似乎成了自己派对上的客人。

演出至 Sept 27, imeverywomanthemusical.com

猪圈里的威士忌藏品价值 £750,000

Herbie Russell

一名退休农民在将一批威士忌藏在猪圈之后，现正以 £750,000 的价格出售这批英国规模最大的威士忌收藏之一。

81 岁的比尔·加拉特 (Bill Garratt) 在过去四十年中积累了 5,000 多瓶威士忌，其中一些可追溯至 19 世纪，此外还有数千件与苏格兰威士忌相关的纪念品。

这位养老金领取者的收藏规模如此之大，以至于在妻子对他当时用 1,000 瓶酒弄乱房子的行为感到“厌烦”后，他被迫将一个 100 英尺长的猪圈改造成仓库。

这批库存包括 1,800 瓶单一麦芽威士忌、1,800 瓶迷你瓶和约 500 瓶调配威士忌，其中部分单瓶价值超过 £6,000。

这位来自贝德福德郡拉文斯登 (Ravensden) 的祖父表示，他在 1982 年收到一位朋友赠送的一瓶 Jolly Runner 后，“偶然进入”了这个爱好。

他说：“我见过更昂贵的收藏，但没见过规模更大的收藏。这可能是最多样化的收藏之一。”

最昂贵的一瓶是价值 £6,000 的 Macallan Magnifico，他认为现在其价值可能更高。其他亮点包括 1937 年和 1938 年生产的 26 液盎司装 Macallan 瓶，每瓶最高可拍出 £6,000。最古老的一瓶是由 R Thorne and Sons Limited 在 1894. 年生产的 Choice Old Scotch Whisky。此外还有一瓶价值约 £5,000 的 Hanyu The Joker 单一麦芽威士忌、一瓶估值高达 £6,000 的 Macallan 钻石禧年特别版，以及一瓶由 Gordon and MacPhail 生产的泪滴形 Mortlach 70。

每周享用三次威士忌的加拉特表示：“我喜欢 Macallan，尤其是 18 年及以上的酒瓶，但对于那些想要尝试威士忌的人来说，The Lakes Distillery 威士忌和诺福克 (Norfolk) 的 The English Distillery 是两个不错的选择。Highland Park 也提供一些很棒的选择。我去过很多次苏格兰。有一次我飞到苏格兰，带回了 34 瓶。”

他估计，这批杂项收藏还包含约 1,800 件纪念品，包括尊尼获加 (Johnnie Walker) 人偶、烟灰缸、照片、绘画、盒子和玻璃杯。

负责此次销售的马克·利特勒 (Mark Littler) 表示：“大多数威士忌收藏是围绕单一麦芽构建的。比尔的收藏则不同：它讲述了苏格兰威士忌本身的故事。他收集的是其完整的历史，而不仅仅是最时尚的品牌。”

迪士尼达成协议，允许角色在 TikTok 上活跃

Amelia Stout

在华特迪士尼与该在线平台达成一项“首创”协议后，达斯·维达 (Darth Vader)、蜘蛛侠 (Spider-Man) 和巴斯光年 (Buzz Lightyear) 将成为 TikTok 明星。

一组选定的创作者将被授予访问角色库、场景以及来自《星球大战》(Star Wars)、《玩具总动员》(Toy Story) 和漫威宇宙 (Marvel Universe) 等系列作品的其他素材的权限。该计划将在未来几个月在美国推出，随后扩展到其他国家。内容将出现在 TikTok 以及 Disney+ Verts 上（这是一个内置在 Disney+ 流媒体平台中的纵向视频馈送）。

该协议的财务细节尚未披露，这标志着迪士尼在拥抱粉丝创作内容以推广新片之际，改变了其对知识产权的严密保护。社交媒体专家马特·纳瓦拉 (Matt Navarra) 告诉 BBC：“迪士尼拥有世界上规模最大的几个系列作品，但注意力的所有权正在向创作者转移。好莱坞过去是对粉丝进行营销。现在它需要给粉丝提供原材料，让他们参与营销，这是一个相当深刻的转变。”

纳瓦拉补充说，TikTok 的算法使其有能力影响哪个角色或系列作品“突然再次变得非常有价值”。

《玩具总动员》来救迪士尼，商业版，第 37 页

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TIMES Events

Ben Macintyre 讲述冷战中最不平凡的间谍之不为人知的故事

不要错过多本畅销书作者兼《泰晤士报》专栏作家 Ben Macintyre 关于其最新著作《Redwood》的精彩演讲。这个非凡且不为人知的故事揭示了一个人是如何阻止美国和苏联之间爆发核对峙，并挫败了克里姆林宫一个旨在推翻伊朗初创伊斯兰政权的秘密阴谋。随着伊朗再次陷入冲突，Macintyre 的最新杰作是一部极具现实意义且必读的作品。

10月29日，星期四 / 晚上 7.30pm

St Mary's Church, Bryanston Square, London, W1H 1PQ

请在 thetimes.com / events 预订门票

21

为什么年轻女性在使用行走杖？ Kathleen Stock

中国资金依然令大学痴迷

尽管有警告称北京是一个“真实且日益增加的网络风险”，但英国科学界与中国的热恋仍在继续

@CITYSAMUEL

你可以预见到这一切是如何发生的。前一分钟你还在经营一个小规模的副业，以吸引支付学费的“工程与管理”专业学生；下一分钟，你的名册上就出现了为中国国防公司从事研究的科学家。

伦敦玛丽女王大学与北京邮电大学（BUPT）之间的合作伙伴关系现已进入第23年，而后者是一家与中国军队关系密切的机构。双方在中国运营一个联合校园，提供联合学位并促进研究合作。但在培养了近 10,000 名学生并发表了 500 篇研究论文之后——课题涵盖从 6G 到卫星系统和无人机网络——你可能会认为有人会问：“这是一个好主意吗？”

玛丽女王大学似乎并未深思此事。也许是因为它在意识形态上如此致力于与任何人开展科学研究，以至于细节并不重要——或者是因为赚了太多的钱而不在意。一名发言人表示，学校为这段合作伙伴关系感到“自豪”，并且该关系“完全符合英国政府的立法，并受严格的程序、政策和法规约束”。这种态度并不罕见。

根据慈善机构“英中透明度”（UKCT）的研究，北京将 19 所英国大学列为中国八所以与军方和国防机构关系深厚而闻名的大学的外国“合作伙伴”。甚至俄罗斯也远不及此：它仅有十个此类合作伙伴关系。

这再次告诉我们，英国仍然是中国旨在推进其国防利益的学术合作最青睐的外国目的地。然而，当其他自由国家在打击这些联系时，英国正变得更加特立独行。

我们的盟友已严重限制与包括北京邮电大学在内的八所中国大学的合作伙伴关系许可和资金，这些大学拥有北京的一级安全许可，这意味着它们可以从事绝密国防项目。美国在 2020 年将所有八所大学列入实体清单，要求获得明确许可。加拿大限制对涉及这些大学及其他与军方有关的中国机构的任何项目提供资金。日本限制与其中至少三所大学的合作。台湾已禁止与其中七所大学进行联合研究和交流，而欧盟已经

敌对国家行为体正将大学视为目标以窃取个人数据

将同样的七家机构排除在Horizon资助计划的部分内容之外。

但在英国，政府害怕如此直截了当地指名道姓。我们被告知安全部门已加强审查，但并没有一份高风险实体清单。在缺乏强有力且明确的政府政策的情况下，监管数百项个人合作并私下教育学术人员的任务落在了特工身上。

我们的领导人仍处于默认的“开放”模式，对此类掠夺性力量利用这种自由的方式视而不见。在中国，存在着军民融合的明确政策。但我们的部门如此不愿列出危险外国参与者的清单，以至于他们实际上是在邀请对方进来利用英国的科学技术。

因此，我们在玩一场杂乱无章的“打地鼠”游戏，只有最胆大妄为的“鼹鼠”会被发现，而且大多数在被击中后依然幸存。多年来，1及其他人报道了英国与中国实验室之间令人瞠目结舌的合作：一名弹道专家在英国任教，同时隶属于一家中国国防实验室；英国教授在中国的核武器开发研究所接受资助并任职；以及英国研究人员与军事相关大学的中国同行共同撰写关于无人机群、电池、超级计算、卫星、面部识别和5G的论文。

从2012到2017, 实验室由中国国防企业资助的实验室在帝国理工学院、曼彻斯特大学、伯明翰大学、斯特拉斯克莱德大学、埃克塞特大学、伦敦大学学院（UCL）和诺丁汉大学设立。这些实验室最终被关闭，但在2022年，《泰晤士报》的一项调查发现，我们的大学接受了£2.4 亿的中国资助，其中四分之一来自美国制裁的来源。

最终，安全部门开始发声。2019, 政府通信总部（GCHQ）和军情五处（MI5）警告称，“敌对国家行为体正将英国大学视为目标，以窃取个人数据、研究数据和知识产权”。两年后，据透露有200名英国学术人员因涉嫌违反出口管制而接受调查（结果尚不明确）。同年，军情六处（MI6）负责人警告英国境内存在“大规模（中国）间谍活动”。一年后，军情五处负责人表示，中国特工已接触过20,000多名英国目标。

议会委员会注意到了这一点。政府（全程为保守党）三次声称正在扩大审查：2020, 2022年再次，以及2024. 那一年，英国和美国将一次涉及选举委员会在内的“多产的全球黑客行动”归咎于一个中国政府关联组织，政府通信总部负责人称中国是一个“真实且日益增长的网络风险”。去年，国家网络安全中心将一次针对“关键领域”的全球黑客攻击活动归咎于三家中国公司。

在经历了这一切，加上新冠疫情、实验室泄漏掩盖事件、供应链禁运之后，人们可能会认为英国科学界与中国的热恋期已经达到顶峰。然而，在报道该话题八年后，即使是我在阅读UKCT报告时也感到惊讶，报告显示英国与中国大学在网络研究（网络安全、计算机科学、电子学等）方面的合作伙伴关系实际上在加速。目前有34个专注于网络的合作伙伴关系，其中10个是在2024, 建立的，包括四个与美国制裁大学的合作。相比之下，整个欧盟共有46个。北京邮电大学（BUPT）作为玛丽女王大学的合作伙伴，是中国网络研究的主要参与者，也是中国“防火长城”首席架构师方滨兴的所在地。该大学现在将其近一半的

难道我们不能指望学生们的良知被唤醒吗？

前往英国留学的学生。另一项合作是在受美国制裁的北京理工大学与雷丁大学之间，该合作要求其信息学硕士的学生必须完成“中国特色社会主义理论与实践”以及“马克思主义与社会科学研究方法”的模块课程。雷丁大学的一位发言人表示：“我们对于在中国开展的双学位项目的恰当性没有任何顾虑。”

有人顾虑吗？政府？情报机构？为什么这种情况仍在继续？难道我们不能指望学生们的良知被唤醒吗？毕竟，仅仅是听到与西方国防公司握手的传闻，他们就会尖叫、哭泣并在抗议中露营。

但这个中国金钱机器仍在运转，几乎没有听到一声哀鸣，因为我们的大学在达成交易，以推进一个监禁并给请愿者喂药、囚禁异见人士并“再教育”一百万维吾尔人的政权的利益。这是病态还是疯狂？是无知还是愤世嫉俗？或者这全部只是一个具有“背信特征”的科学案例？

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Arday事件是剑桥大学的自食其果

对多样性的强硬追求使这所大学看起来像是在破坏卓越

Roger Mosey

在这个炎热干燥的夏天，剑桥大学处于分裂之中。杰森·阿代（Jason Arday）事件——一名年轻的黑人教授被指控剽窃并捏造其生活中的部分经历——向外界揭示了一条内部人士已察觉数年的断裂线。一方是社会正义的倡导者，他们鼓励大学在挑战学术界及更广泛社会中潜藏的偏见方面发挥引领作用；而另一方通常是较为沉默的学者，他们被近期事件激怒，担心这导致了标准的妥协，并允许身份政治主导政策。

作为一名在2013年抵达剑桥的人，很明显当时就存在问题。与现代英国相比，学生群体中白人比例过高，而大学的高层领导层则更缺乏代表性。当被邀请时，我毫不犹豫地加入了大学的平等、多样性和包容性委员会。得益于各学院和中央行政部门的共同努力，剑桥取得了巨大的进步。最新的录取统计数据显示，75%的新本科生来自少数族裔。我的学院在十年内将少数族裔代表人数增加到三倍，同时在学术排名中上升。那种认为多样性意味着降低标准的陈词滥调是错误的。

但在高级职级上情况更为艰难。一所具有主导性白人历史的大学无法在瞬间产生自己的黑人教授，因此剑桥在全英国乃至全球范围内寻找招募对象是合理的。而争议点在于选中了阿代。对于一名剑桥教授来说，他的学术履历是不寻常的：一个教育研究与体育的本科学位，以及随后在利物浦约翰摩尔大学获得的一个博士学位（他承认该学位指导不足）。

显然，使他成为一个极具吸引力的候选人的是他的生活故事：他说自闭症使他在11岁之前无法说话，且直到18岁才学会阅读。但当这个故事的其他部分似乎开始瓦解时——他的慈善筹款记录、他声称与其他大学的关系、关于童年参加电视节目的不准确记忆——整个录用理由都被质疑了。

阿代否认针对他的主要指控，他的支持者大多依然支持他，但我交谈过的许多剑桥学者对此毫无同情心。一些人希望根据大学的“研究诚信声明”进行调查，以审查围绕阿代工作的相关问题。他们还对他专业领域（教育社会学，特别强调种族劣势）所使用的方法感到不安。

一位观察者认为，基于少数受访者小组的研究会导致学者“采访那些会同意他们观点的人”，而意识形态的支撑（尤其是极具争议的批判种族理论）会使其难以接受质疑。一名黑人学者评论说，全球有数百名来自不同背景的顶尖学者可以在物理学或历史学等领域被剑桥招募而不会引起争议，但现在看来，大学似乎在纵容“社会正义式的裙带关系”。

在我与一些立场强硬的多样性活动人士打交道时，所经历的事情与此有相似之处。学生群体已经发生了变化：近年来，被录取就读医学专业的非白人英国学生比例为66%；经济学专业为58%。我相信他们一定会让剑桥感到自豪。但在一次委员会会议上我主张，这应该促使人们关注现在是谁在录取中被遗漏了——而这似乎是年轻的白人工人阶级，尤其是男孩。“那是法拉奇的措辞，”一名白人女性责备道。但毫无疑问，最让奈杰尔·法拉奇得逞的方式，就是让人们觉得

剑桥根本不在乎远离大城市的英格兰贫困地区。

任何对EDI（平等、多样性与包容性）正统观念的挑战都会遭到类似的反应。我与一名博士生交谈，他告诉我，他感到有压力必须在论文中提及批判性种族理论，尽管这与他的论文无关，而且在他看来，这也不是一个有帮助的框架。大学多样性网络分享的一项研究表明，无意识偏见培训可能会产生反效果，但领导人物们否决了改变的想法，因为这将是“对EDI的退缩”。在许多组织放弃Stonewall的会员资格后，是剑桥——在员工游说团体的压力下，且尽管大多数学院院长反对——逆势而行重新加入了。

Arday事件有可能给大学带来更严重的撕裂。但如果说其中有什么教训，那就是：平等、多样性与包容性是一所领先的全球大学所追求的目标，大多数理性的人都会认同。而当这些目标被固化为僵化的政策和令人质疑的任命程序时，它们就会变得具有争议，并面临破坏而非支持卓越的风险。

最重要的是，应该就接下来的步骤展开公开且激烈的辩论。令我震惊的是，如此多剑桥的人在这些话题上持有合理的观点，却觉得不能公开表达。现在必须允许他们发声。

罗杰·莫西（Roger Mosey）曾任剑桥大学塞尔温学院院长，2013-25年

哈克尼绿党应该访问海法，而不是远距离评判 Yona Yahav

哈克尼议会的绿党领导层希望在近六十年后结束其与海法的友好城市协议。该声明伴随着对以色列国家的严重指控，并将海法描绘成一座不再反映哈克尼试图维护之价值观的城市。

在事实如此轻易地被口号取代，复杂性被简化为短句的时代，停下来思考现实至关重要。海法是中东地区共存的卓越典范。一个多世纪以来，犹太人、穆斯林、基督徒、德鲁兹人和巴哈伊人在这里共同生活，这并非一个抽象的理想，而是一种生活方式。

他们在相同的学校和大学学习。他们在我们的医院里相互照顾，肩并肩工作，共同创业，在相同的咖啡馆和餐厅会面，并在地方政府和社区生活中合作。

正如在每个民主社会中一样，我们也经历着争论和意见分歧。但我们认为，解决这些问题的方法不是切断联系或孤立整个社区，而是通过对话、熟悉和共同努力。正因为我们的地区如此复杂，我们意识到共存是通过每天做出的微小决定而建立的：尊重、倾听、合作，并看到站在你面前的那个人。

我们的居民中约有 20 per cent 是阿拉伯人，包括基督徒和穆斯林，他们在地方政府的每一个层级中都有代表。海法的犹太学生学习阿拉伯语口语，因为我相信语言是人与人之间最重要的桥梁之一。我们通过将公共场所和街道以阿拉伯文化人物命名来向他们致敬。

海法并非与该地区痛苦的现实隔绝。在 October 7, 2021, 以色列遭受了其历史上最具破坏性的恐怖袭击之一，也是最严重的屠杀。以色列社会的每一个阶层的家庭都付出了惨痛的代价。这就是为什么我们必须将政治分歧与对整个社会的去合法化区分开来。

我对英国公众，特别是哈克尼居民的传递的信息很简单：不要通过头条新闻、口号或政治决议来评判海法。请来访问我们，走访我们的社区。与所有共享这座城市并将其视为家园的不同信仰人士交谈。

因此，我邀请哈克尼市长 Zoë Garbett 前来亲眼看看。世界不需要更多切断联系的城市，而需要更多每天选择将人们聚集在一起的城市。这就是海法。

Yona Yahav 是海法市长

Janice Turner Notebook

荒原烈焰，海滩之狂

夜间风向改变，我被凌晨3点的烟雾惊醒。由于四英里外邓威奇荒原（Dunwich Heath）的野火，奥尔德伯勒（Aldeburgh）北方的地平线整日呈现出淤青般的色调。但现在，燃烧的气味扑面而来，我的本能大脑让我无法再次入睡。

我热爱夏天。比起阴雨连绵的七月，我更愿意忍受热浪。但第二天早晨的感觉诡异且不祥。就在斯塔威尔（Starewell）的白色圆顶之外，动物在逃离，飞鸟被焚毁，成熟的树木在那个俯瞰大海、一座中世纪城市曾在此淹没的神秘灌木丛中化为灰烬。消防员工作了一整夜，但火势依然在蔓延。

早晨我沿着海滩跑向索普尼斯（Thorpenees）时，通常呈深绿色的植被卵石滩已变得干枯苍白。我想，只要有一个随手扔的烟蒂，砰的一声，就完了！

随后我看到两名露营者在的一堆漂流木和枯根旁收拾帐篷。附近有一堆温热的灰烬。“那是你们的吗？”“是的。”“你们知道海岸线上有巨大的野火吗？”对方露出了呆滞的表情。“不，我们来自苏格兰。”他们很年轻，可能整天都盯着手机，如果我能闻到邓威奇在燃烧，他们肯定也能。

我该报警吗，哪怕只是为了吓唬他们？他们正在收拾车子。这些自私的白痴马上就会离开，去其他地方纵火。

青春之错

1974年《罪犯康复法》的核心原则是，罪犯不应被永远惩罚。凯米·巴德诺克指出，约书亚·博恩希尔-佩恩（Joshua Bonehill-Paine）在对议员卢西亚娜·伯格（Luciana Berger）进行卑劣的反犹太主义和厌女骚扰导致入狱时，年仅二十出头，这一观点是正确的。

年轻人具有改变的可塑性。作家埃德·胡赛因（Ed Husain）曾是海法纯洁运动（Haifa ut-Tahira）的青少年支持者，后来成为了伊斯兰极端主义的著名批评者。博恩希尔-佩恩表示，他已经完成了去极端化，从纳粹同情者转变为持有介于托雷斯（Torres）与改革党（Reform）之间观点的立场。

但被允许写作、发言或拥有一份工作，与竞选公职之间存在巨大的跨越。某些职业被要求遵守更高的标准。律师们指出，像路易丝·海格利斯（Louise Haiglis）那样在年轻时被判定不诚实，将使他们永远无法执业。而且，即便博恩希尔-佩恩只想成为一名处理“停车和垃圾清理”的当地议员（如巴德诺克所言），他那些恶劣的罪行也不能被轻描淡写地抹去。

他才34岁。在退出竞选后，他现在可以再花几年时间证明自己是一个改过自新的人。

自吹自擂的权利

我从小被教育不要自吹自擂，并且对他人炫耀的行为相当反感。（写作算炫耀吗？我希望不是。）杰森·阿尔代（Jason Arday）的自传中充满了对他人的引用，这些人断言他是一个拥有卓越才华和“善良内心”的非凡之人，未来将成就非凡的事业。

但更平庸的是，我听到政客们对自己说一些本应由他人评价的话。当基尔·斯塔默爵士（Sir Keir Starmer）辞去首相职务时，他说：“我以优雅的态度辞职”。优雅，就像舞蹈一样，是一种由我们来评判的表演。而当娜塔莉·弗利特（Natalie Fleet）辞去保障部长职务时，她说这是“我做过最勇敢的事”。毫无疑问，这可能是最艰难的事，但勇敢是他人赋予的品质，而不是一枚你可以给自己佩戴的勋章。

统一战线

我只看了两集《喀布尔》（Kabul，BBC iPlayer），这是一部关于2021年北约军队撤离阿富汗的剧集，但到目前为止它非常扣人心弦。在外国大使馆外，处于危险之中的当地人——女性检察官、反塔利班力量和翻译——在争取获准离开。有些人选择留下，而你会感觉到，那位理想主义的女医生及其小女孩病人最终结局不会太好。

这是一部法国 / 德国 / 意大利的合拍片，但奇怪的是，所有欧洲角色都说英语，甚至在他们彼此之间交流时也是如此。（阿富汗人说普什图语。）而且所有国籍的人在试图胜过傲慢的美国人这一点上是一致的。

@VICTORIAPECKHAM

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从我们的打印画廊 timescartoons.com 购买《泰晤士报》漫画的印刷版或签名本，或致电 0800 912 7136

为什么年轻女性在使用助行杖？

不成比例数量的Z世代女性受到模糊综合征的影响，并且可能是社会传染的受害者

Kathleen Stock

在19世纪的巴黎，拄着手杖行走是花花公子式漫游者（flâneur）的象征，他们带着讽刺地挑起的眉毛，优雅地在城市中闲逛。在21世纪的英国，手杖成了那些看起来脆弱的女孩们不带讽刺意味的专属。有时你会看到她们成群结队，每人都倚着一根助行杖，小心翼翼地挪动。在骄傲游行中，可以看到一些面容惊人地年轻的使用者，而且大学校园里的数量也在增加。向旁观者传递的信息是关于在痛苦中度过的生活，尽管具体是什么样的痛苦仍然不清楚。

TikTok上有数百个关于这个主题的视频：如何让你的手杖与服装搭配，如何拄着手杖跳舞，以及助行设备如何依然能看起来很性感。而且这种趋势不仅仅限于助行设备。

本周，一段视频在网上疯传，视频中一名坐在轮椅上的年轻女性在火车站，拍摄工作人员在电梯故障后费力地尝试将她的轮椅搬上楼梯。在视频快结束时，出人意料地，她从轮椅上站起来，自己走上楼梯，说她“那天有点精力”，所以可以做到。在另一段视频中，她拍摄自己穿上滚轴溜冰鞋，然后从轮椅上推开，像拉撒路一样快乐地滑走。

即使是严重的致残性身体状况也会有好日子和坏日子。在某些坏日子里，一个人可能需要额外的帮助。但当不成比例数量的年轻女性坚持认为这种情况适用时，我们需要查明发生了什么。为什么Z世代女性，显然与之前的每一代人都不同，拥有如此奇怪且不稳定的身体，以至于间歇性地

许多症状源于焦虑，而焦虑是青少年的定义性情绪

需要支持？

当你深入挖掘她们的解释时，几个听起来像医学术语的词汇往往会反复出现：体位性心动过速、关节超伸、纤维肌痛、慢性疲劳。这些综合征的共同点是一组非特异性症状，其中某些形式是我们所有人都熟悉的：头晕、心跳加速、精疲力竭、脑雾、肌肉疼痛。

当然，其中许多也是焦虑的症状，而焦虑是青少年时期的定义性情绪。这么说并不意味着相关综合征不存在，而只是说明你是否真的患有某种综合征可能并不明确。

那么，是否有人在模仿网络影响力人物，过度分析正常的体验，并让自己陷入一种残障状态？如果属实，这绝非年轻女性首次陷入社会传染的掌控之中——事实上，她们在这方面极其擅长。

心理学家丽莎·费尔德曼·巴雷特（Lisa Feldman Barrett）在她 2017 年的著作《情绪是如何产生的》（How Emotions Are Made）中认为，情绪是一种预测形式，大脑试图根据从过去学习到的剧本来解读身体感受。她以自己一个生动的例子开头。当她还是个初次约会的年轻女性时，她的胃开始翻腾，无法集中注意力。不久之后她呕吐了，并意识到她之前认为的是萌生的情欲，实际上是胃肠感冒。

作者当时的经历适用于我们所有人。我们的内在感觉并没有附带标签，而是需要心理诠释，这就是为什么不同文化的情绪范围有所不同。人类逐渐从周围的社会中学习其感受的含义。

那种老派的、压抑的英国式剧本（仍深受许多中年男性喜爱）是这样说的：“只要忽略那种疼痛的抽搐或奇怪的感觉，它就会消失。”有些人对此如此熟练，以至于他们真的注意不到受伤或疾病的迹象。

如今，医学界鼓励我们认真对待自己的身体体验，以免某些疾病无法被及时发现。但在某些亚文化中，年轻人被告知，不愉快的感觉应该比任何其他事情都更值得关注。

我们有责任挑战神经质和恐惧，这是对年轻人的负责

这些感觉可能令人恐惧；但它们也让你变得与众不同、特别，让你免于生活的压力，并能令人愉悦地受到陌生人的关注。如果一个人随后花大量时间坐着或躺着，她自然会变得体能下降，以至于下次她站起来或行走一段距离时，感觉会更糟糕；而这种混乱的自我诠释循环将继续下去。

指出这种可能性往往会引起受影响者或照顾她们的人的愤怒。认为某些类型的残障是社会构建的（尤其是在女性中），看起来与以下格言相抵触：患有慢性病的年轻女性往往不被医生相信，而这是一件非常糟糕的事情。

然而，在讨论庞大人口群体的趋势时，这两者都可以是正确的——事实上，它们甚至可能相关联。而且在社会构建的情况下，我们讨论的仍然是疾病而非蓄意伪装。只不过疾病的来源在一定程度上是患者潜意识中学到的一种故事。而这是一个非常好的消息。因为与生物学上固定的障碍不同，故事可以被改为更好的方向，并为相关患者创造更快乐的结局。

说出这一点并非残酷，事实上，不说才是残酷的。对于那些潜在健康的年轻人，我们有责任挑战她们倾向于神经质和恐惧的倾向；在可能的情况下，引导她们进入世界，成为能够正常运作的成年人。为了她们自己，我们需要帮助她们丢掉这些支撑物，并且——从字面意义上地——独立行走。

凯瑟琳·斯托克（Kathleen Stock）是 UnHerd 的特约编辑

雨果·里夫金德（Hugo Rifkind）休假中

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24

致编辑的信

致编辑的信请发送至 letters@thetimes.co.uk 或邮寄至 1 London Bridge Street, London SE1 9GF

护理院危机

先生，我是一家经营 15 个护理设施的慈善机构的受托人。我们有兴趣购买其他护理院，并就接管由地方当局关闭的护理院进行了讨论。然而，如果不承受巨额亏损，我们根本无法运营它们。问题在于，相关员工的成本远高于我们自己的员工成本，尤其是那些极其昂贵的抗通胀养老金。该慈善机构接收私人资助的居民和公共资助的居民。与许多其他护理院一样，我们在公共资助居民身上亏损，并利用私人资助居民的费用对其进行补贴。

不难得出结论，地方当局清理他们的护理院是因为外包护理成本要便宜得多。此外，如果护理出现问题，他们还可以避免负面宣传。

伊恩·赫普沃斯 (Ian Hepworth) 西约克郡，伊尔克利

海军的无人船

先生，毫无疑问，无人机和无人驾驶车辆在未来的任何武装冲突中都将至关重要，皇家海军也需要它们（见 8 月 5 日《英国制造：乌克兰无人船》）。但我仍不确定，在未达到“热战”程度的情况下，它们是否能够执行以下任务：救援遇难海员；在需要援助的船只上灭火；在商船中搜寻毒品 / 违禁品 / 奴隶贸易受害者；协助救灾；检查渔网尺寸；在其他国家水域获得无限制通行；建立存在感，以及由皇家海军战舰在数世纪以来执行的无数其他任务。

威格伍德历史

先生，谴责亚瑟·布莱恩 (Arthur Bryan) 在威格伍德 (Wedgwood) 衰落中所扮演的角色是不合理的（见 8 月 5 日读者来信）。此外，A.N. 威尔逊 (AN Wilson) 断言（见 8 月 5 日评论）布莱恩应对威格伍德决定上市负责，这是不正确的：那是威格伍德家族坚持将其持股变现的结果。布莱恩是一位营销远见者，推动了威格伍德在全球范围内取得成功。他并未通过剥离资产来榨取收购对象，而是为每一个收购对象提供了重大投资以支持其发展。在低价进口商品的冲击到来之前，他的战略非常成功。

克里斯托弗·约翰逊 (Christopher Johnson) 1975 至 2002 年威格伍德制造总监；什鲁夫塞里

更正与澄清

IPSO 监管 我们致力于遵守独立新闻标准组织 (IPSO) 的规则和条例，以及 IPSO 强制执行的编辑实践准则。更正或澄清请求请发送至 feedback@thetimes.co.uk

英国对财富创造缺乏支持

先生，詹姆斯·卡纳加苏里亚姆（James Kanagasooriam，8月5日评论）认为英国的问题不仅仅是不平等，而是财富创造，这一观点是正确的。我们似乎越来越反感那些成功人士，而未能给予足够的关注于那些能让更多人首先获得成功的前提条件。

讽刺的是，那些最愿意为高收入者离开而鼓掌的人，往往正是那些要求更好的公共服务的人。然而，这些服务在很大程度上依赖于相对少数的纳税人。

如果英国对企业家、投资者和高技能专业人士的吸引力逐渐下降，那么能雇佣人员的企业将会减少，提高生产力的创新将会减少，而为国民医疗服务体系（NHS）、教育和社会护理提供资金的税基也将缩小。

在财富是通过榨取价值而非创造价值而积累的情况下，公众的沮丧是可以理解的。建立了一家成功的工程公司、软件公司或制造企业的业主，不仅让自己富裕，还让员工、供应商、养老基金

以及财政部受益。一个不再崇尚生产性成功的人类社会，最终产生的成功将会减少。

蒂姆·威廉姆斯 (Tim Williams) 亚伯丁

先生，贵报的社论正确地指出，工党面临着将利润本身视为反派的风险（《工党的禁忌词》，8月5日）。但为什么要选择超市和加油站？这些是简单的案例。它们是竞争激烈的市场，利润率低，且竞争对手让每个人都保持诚实。我花了30年时间运行铁路和伦敦交通的票价及票务系统，涵盖公共和私营部门。更困难的案例才是真正解释公众为何不信任利润的原因——即竞争薄弱或缺失，或者没有日常竞争对手让客户可以转向的领域，如公用事业、铁路以及公共部门的承包边缘地带。在那里，问题不在于公共还是私营，而在于赚得的利润与榨取的利润。来自真正的效率、投资或风险，且在达到合同标准的同时获得的利润，无论谁赚到都值得庆祝。而在资产被损耗或标准未达标时支付的利润则完全是另一回事。无论是

自由市场还是反市场的言论，都不应被允许将两者混为一谈。

奥威尔《动物庄园》中的口号始于“四条腿好，两条腿坏”，最后变成了停止检查两者的理由。英国在“公共好，私营坏”这一点上也做了同样的事，工党应该放弃它。

安东尼·莱恩 (Antony Lain) 伦敦交通局 TranSys / Oyster 合资企业前首席执行官；国家铁路票务与系统前首席执行官；伦敦 NW5

先生，财富税将在公共部门和私营部门员工的养老金之间引入额外的不公平。许多私营部门员工在个人储蓄账户（ISAs）和自我投资养老计划中储蓄，退休后在老年时期依靠这些投资组合的收入生活。这些投资组合在英国税务海关总署（HMRC）看来就像是“财富”，是容易征税的目标。而一名公共部门员工，其与通胀挂钩的养老金如果作为年金购买将耗资数十万英镑，但却没有这种可见的此类“财富”，因此不会受到财富税的影响。

理查德·特威德 (Richard Tweed) FCA 克罗伊登

关于休达的消息

先生，继威廉·海格关于休达大规模跨境事件影响的专栏之后，真正的解决方案在于从源头解决移民的潜在原因（《休达是西方不能忽视的警告》，8月4日）。大多数移民与大多数人一样，更愿意在故乡生活，但气候变化引发的干旱、高人口增长以及冲突的共同作用，让他们对能够如此生活感到绝望。因此，最好的解决方案是在其原籍国或邻近国家解决这些问题，通过创造并维持就业机会以及投资当地基础设施来实现。

同情心和自利之心指向同一个方向，但没有任何一个国家能凭一己之力改变局面。因此，西方需要采取集体行动，紧急且明确地认识到，应对非法移民的最佳防御并非在多佛的辞令或拍照留念，而是伸出援手，让人们更容易留在故乡。

汤姆·凯利 (Tom Kelly) 首相官方发言人 2001-07；北爱尔兰，科莱恩

自闭症定义

先生，作为一名专门为被诊断为自闭症的学生（其中大多数需要终身护理）设立的寄宿 / 日间特教学校的退休校长，我完全同意乌塔·弗里思教授 (Professor Dame Uta Frith) 的评论（《自闭症的诊断范围如此之广，以至于面临失效的风险》，8月4日）。这种“概括性”诊断的诸多后果之一，就是宝贵的资源正从那些需要终身护理的儿童和成年人身上被转移走。自闭症的定义必须被划分为更清晰的组别。这将使目前被定义为处于自闭症谱系中的所有人受益。

布赖恩·布雷福德 (Brian Brayford) 格拉摩根谷，佩纳斯

教育辩论

先生，我同意戴夫·哈利韦尔 (Dave Halliwell) 的观点（信件，8月4日），即在迈克尔·戈夫与露西·鲍威尔关于改善教育的辩论中，缺失的一块拼图是父母的教养。然而，最后一块缺失的拼图无疑是旷课。为了避免陷入犯罪生活或依赖救济金，年轻人需要更多而非更少的教育。计算能力和读写能力应当被正面解决。对于不就学行为必须实施严厉处罚，并为失败的孩子提供量身定制的计划，如有必要，可从4岁起开始。这个国家为每个孩子提供免费的一流教育。应当鼓励他们利用这一点。

朱莉娅·杰弗里斯 (Julia Jeffries) 东萨塞克斯，哈特菲尔德

米德尔斯堡男子

先生，罗德·利德尔 (Rod Liddle) 这个独一无二的人在你们的讣告、弗雷泽·尼尔森 (Fraser Nelson) 的赞赏以及你们引用的其他与他共事者的评价中得到了很好的刻画（8月4日；信件，8月5日）。但他写作中很容易被遗忘的一个元素，是他对米德尔斯堡、索尔瑟恩、雷德卡以及该地区的整体观察。作为一名通过婚姻而对米德尔斯堡非常熟悉的人，我长期以来一直将其视为英国最被忽视的城镇之一。罗德帮助纠正了这一点。他的努力将被人们怀念。

罗杰·威廉姆斯教授爵士 (Professor Sir Roger Williams) 雷丁，卡弗舍姆

通过萤火虫之眼

摘自《泰晤士报》1926年8月6日

英国协会的各个分会昨日已进入各自的任务状态，繁忙的一日议程包括六位分会主席的致辞。

威尔士亲王视察了若干分会。他及时访问了地理分会，听取了奥姆斯比-戈尔先生发表的主席致辞，并在林业分会停留了半小时。

在人类学分会中，最有趣的话题之一是由戴·加隆德小姐在直布罗陀的一处遗址发现的尼安德特型头骨，该遗址最初由布勒伊神父于1917年发现。在化学分会中，由A·查斯顿·查普曼先生和H·普伦德莱斯博士准备的一篇论文中，包含了一项对古埃及化妆品的检查报告。文中指出，霍华德·卡特博士在卢克索的图坦卡蒙墓中发现的一个密封的方解石化妆品罐，为检查一种尚未完全分解的古代脂肪物质提供了独特的机会。

由于对影响船载冷藏室运输水果质量的条件缺乏了解而导致的损耗，以及目前为解决相关问题所做的尝试，构成了埃泽尔·格里菲斯博士和埃德加·A·格里菲斯先生向工程分会提交的一项共同贡献。

H·埃尔特林厄姆博士在动物学分会展示了一张独特的照片，这张照片是使用萤火虫的眼睛而非普通相机镜头拍摄的。屏幕上的投影证明这是一个相当清晰且易于辨认的肖像。

“我们即将迎来的日全食”是H·H·特纳教授在数学与物理分会成员面前宣读的论文标题。他表示，西班牙在1900年和1905年曾出现日全食，英格兰在1715年和1724年曾出现日全食，但在随后的200年里我们没有再次获得这种眷顾，而且（在明年之后）至少在接下来的200年里也不会再次获得。但在1927年6月29日，一条日全食带将从南港跨越英格兰到达西哈特尔普尔；那些驻守在该线路上的人将在太阳升起后不久看到日全食。

THE TIMES.COM / ARCHIVE

正在消亡的对话艺术

先生，詹姆斯·马里奥特关于对话艺术消亡的文章（《在沉默中，你可以听到社会在崩塌》，8月4日；信件，8月5日）其准确程度令人恐惧。他没有具体提到的一点是，我们缺乏闲聊在多大程度上影响了不同代际之间的关系。对话依然存在，但它正日益被局限在我们的社交圈边界之内。像我这样的年轻人与长辈之间的对话在减少——反之亦然。其结果是围绕每个代际的负面刻板印象在加剧，这反过来又使得这些代际之间更难进行交谈。这是一个悲哀的现实，我希望许多像马里奥特一样的人能与之抗争，一次Uber行程接一次地抗争。

埃斯美·戈登-克雷格（24岁） 斯塔福德郡，蒂索尔

先生，我能否引导詹姆斯·马里奥特去乘坐连接麦克尔斯菲尔德和巴克斯顿的58路公交车，尤其是在周六？在那里，随意的对话艺术依然充满活力。司机会对交通状况、周六早晨的骑行者以及沿途著名的花园进行实时解说。在登山途中，所有乘客都会讨论他们当天的计划（购物、“单身派对”酒吧巡游、歌剧院的日场演出、午餐）。在回家路上，我们都会交流心得、购物清单以及许多咖啡馆和真爱尔酒吧的优点。这里没有沉默！

苏·琼斯 麦克尔斯菲尔德

手动挡转换

先生，海伦·贝尔（8月 5 日来信）认为，一小时的转换课程不足以让持有自动挡驾照的驾驶员安全地驾驶手动挡汽车。AA（英国汽车协会）对此表示赞同。这一小时的课程将是 preceded by 最多十节课之后的评估。这种模式在德国行之有效。目前，新车销量中 83% 为自动挡，而向电动和混合动力汽车的转变将进一步提高这一比例。鉴于预约路考的等待时间长达五个月，我们认为 AA 驾驶学校的这项提议将帮助那些偶尔因工作需要驾驶手动挡汽车的人。

埃德蒙·金 (Edmund King) AA 主席

帽子戏法

先生，像盖尔斯·科伦（8月 4 日《笔记本》专栏）一样，我的丈夫也喜欢草帽，但他用 crocoonsia（一种常见的花园多年生植物）自己制作。他在叶片绿色且柔软时将其采摘，然后编织并将其制成一顶宽檐帽。随后叶片干燥褪色。当他戴上它时，看起来很像梵高的《戴草帽的自画像》。

简·斯米利 (Jane Smillie) 卡迪夫，拉迪尔

威尔士版《星球大战》

先生，如果计划用威尔士语重新发行《星球大战：新希望》（“愿原力与 Cymru 同在”，8月 5 日），那么下一集是否应该改名为《帝国反击，Buch！》？ 迈克尔·哈默森 (Michael Hammerson) 伦敦 N6

致《泰晤士报》的信件必须为独家投稿，且可能会被编辑。请提供详细地址和白天的联系电话。

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社论

每日通用登记册

鲍里斯·约翰逊将在华盛顿举行的青年美国基金会国家保守派学生会议上发表演讲。

自然笔记

总的来说，鸟类已经陷入沉默。由于它们正在经历换羽，可能会失去如此多的羽毛以至于几乎无法飞行，因此保持低调对它们至关重要。但这并不意味着没有什么可听的。盛夏的酷暑是欣赏蝗虫的绝佳机会。英国最常见的三个物种通过听觉相对容易辨认。常在公园和花园中发现的田蝗发出的是单次断续的唧唧声。草地蝗虫则像一个在敲沙锤的初学者：你能听到短促且快速的搅动声。普通绿蝗的鸣叫声则像自行车后轮发出的悦耳滴答声：这些鸣叫通常会不间断地持续 30 秒，且往往时间更长。 乔纳森·图洛克 (JONATHAN TULLOCH)

今日生日

克里斯·博宁顿爵士 (Sir Chris Bonington)，如图所示，登山家，首位登上艾格峰北壁的英国人 (1962)，92岁；乔纳森·贝克爵士 (Sir Jonathan Baker)，上诉法院法官，71岁；布伦特伍德的（盖伊）布莱克勋爵 (Lord (Guy) Black)，媒体高管，电讯媒体集团副主席，62岁；比利·波士顿爵士 (Sir Billy Boston)，橄榄球运动员，1960年橄榄球联赛世界杯冠军队成员，92岁；伊恩·切希尔爵士 (Sir Ian Cheshire)，Ofcom、Landsec及Spire Healthcare Group主席，67岁；玛丽·戴维斯 (Mary Davis)，特奥会首席执行官，72岁；迈克尔·迪利 (Michael Deeley)，电影制片人，《银翼杀手》(1982)，94岁；比尔·埃莫特 (Bill Emmott)，《经济学人》总编辑 (1993-2006)，《威慑、外交与台湾冲突风险》(2024) 作者，70岁；罗莫拉·加赖 (Romola Garai)，演员，《成为伊丽莎白》(2022)，46岁；乔·格兰菲尔德 (Joe Glanfield)，水手，两届奥运会银牌得主，47岁；多丁顿的（安德鲁）格林勋爵 (Lord (Andrew) Green of Doddington)，MigrationWatch UK (智库) 联合创始人 (2001) 兼主席，85岁；洁丽·哈利维尔-赫纳 (Geri Halliwell-Herner)，歌手，辣妹组合，《Wannabe》(1996)，54岁；詹姆斯·霍夫爵士教授 (Prof Sir James Hough)，物理学家，引力波物理学领域领导者，81岁；康纳·麦克弗森 (Conor McPherson)，剧作家，《令状》(1997) 及导演，55岁；库利达斯·马德亚迪 (Kulidas Madhayeddi)，嘉能可主席，71岁；理查德·普林斯 (Richard Prince)，画家及摄影师，77岁；保罗·罗斯比 (Paul Roseby)，国家青年剧院首席执行官兼艺术总监，以及广播员，60岁；克里斯·舍伍德 (Chris Sherwood)，国家防止虐待儿童协会、RSPCA (2018-25) 首席执行官，46岁；M·奈特·希亚马兰 (M Night Siyamalan)，电影导演，《Trop》(2024)，56岁；玛丽·安·西格哈特 (Mary Ann Sieghart)，作家及广播员，65岁；罗宾·范佩西 (Robin van Persie)，足球运动员，荷兰队 (2005-17)，曼联 (2012-15)，43岁；罗杰·韦瑟比 (Roger Weatherby)，韦瑟比银行集团主席，赛马会高级管家 (2014-19)，64岁；杨紫琼 (Michelle Yeoh)，演员，《瞬息全宇宙》(2023，奥斯卡最佳女主角)，64岁。

历史上的今天

1926年，美国奥运金牌得主格特鲁德·“特鲁迪”·埃德勒 (Gertrude 'Trudy' Ederle) 成为首位横渡英吉利海峡的女性。她在恶劣条件下用14小时31分钟完成了挑战，并打破了男子纪录。在抵达多佛附近后，一名移民官员要求查看她的护照。

最后一言

“大海是我们能接近另一个世界的最近之处，”安妮·史蒂文森 (Anne Stevenson)，诗人及作家，《卡诺斯蒂外的北海》(1977)

借贷盛宴

灵活调整财政规则以投资基础设施或许有其合理之处。但任何新的借贷依然是借贷，且英国的债务规模依然处于危险的高位。

在里希·苏纳克担任财政大臣以及随后的首相期间，据称英国债务规模之大令他夜不能寐。他担心——且这种担心是正确的——巨额的利息支出正在抑制增长，限制其他领域的支出，并且即便利率发生最轻微的变化，也存在失控的风险。疫情之后，借款增加了约 £4000 亿，债务规模在数十年来首次接近 GDP 的 100%。事后看来，尤其是在讨论疫情限制期间支撑大片经济领域是否正确的问题上，后见之明总是很美。但毫无争议的是，这使得英国经济处于易受影响的状态。

在本财政年度，债务利息支出预计将达到 £1128 亿——在苏纳克先生打破年均债务支付记录之后，这是记录在案的第二高值。偿还这笔债务的成本极其巨大，相当于 HS2 的预算（即便考虑到其巨大的成本超支）。或者，根据纳税人联盟（TaxPayers' Alliance）的说法，这相当于将英格兰和威尔士的所有坑洼路面填补近六次。目前的债务规模之大，以至于政府每支出 12 英镑中就有 £1 用于支付利息。然而，债务已开始快速下降，在 10 月 28 日的下一次预算案中，这一趋势必须得以延续。

约翰·希利并没有承认债务的巨大成本，而是在考虑扩大借贷。正如本报昨日报道，财政大臣正在研究如何通过将基础设施支出重新分类为可抵消借款的“资产”，从而在 2031 年前每年额外筹集 £90 亿。同样的方法也可应用于公司的股权。这个想法在瑞秋·里夫斯担任财政大臣期间是可以理解的，当时她考虑通过国家财富基金和英国商业银行等国家机构来引导资金。但她任职时间不够长，未能将其付诸实践。

希利先生谈到了在财政约束内通过灵活性来增加借款的必要性。首相的非正式经济顾问加菲的奥尼尔勋爵支持该计划。在 £1130 亿的债务背景下，额外的 £90 亿并非巨款。如果这笔钱被用于帮助修复英国的配套基础设施——例如建设水库、改善电网和扩大道路容量——可能会证明是有益的。但政府应通过持有初创公司股权来“挑选赢家”的观念则不那么明智。无论是德罗里安汽车公司还是英国钢铁公司，经验表明，这种国家干预可能起不到什么好作用。

然而，在希利先生的想法背后有一个简单的事实：无论如何包装，更多的借贷依然是更多的借贷。而更多的借贷将意味着更昂贵的利息支出。对于另一个引入“战争债券”以资助更高国防开支的新想法，也可以这么说。通过抵消新“资产”的计策，可能让伯纳姆政府声称其并未违反财政规则。但真正的考验将在于债券市场是否接受，这些市场正在密切关注政府的行动——尤其是财政大臣是否保留了足够的财政空间以应对任何动荡。

经济智库决议基金会（Resolution Foundation）表示，该计划的关键问题在于额外支出带来的回报最终能否提高生产力。这确实是一项考验。但更重要的一项考验是，希利先生是否准备削减日常支出。财政大臣已致信各部长，警告他们白厅即将迎来一波紧缩之风。政府必须向全国解释，国家承担的任务过多。无论是国民医疗服务体系（NHS）、福利金还是国家养老金，支出都过高。英国若要避免财政灾难，如果想要债务规模缩小，就必须克制。借款的增加不能无限期地持续下去。

可疑的唐

杰森·阿尔代（Jason Arday）的辞职给剑桥大学留下了需要解答的问题

杰森·阿尔代职业生涯的崩塌迅速演变成令人惊愕的规模。作为模糊的“多样性、公平和包容”议程的典型代表，阿尔代先生在2023年被任命为剑桥大学一个享有盛誉的社会学讲席教授——成为该机构历史上最年轻的黑人教授。

让他的迅速崛起更具鼓舞意义的是阿尔代先生并不光彩的背景故事：他声称直到18岁时仍不识字，是通过早期担任体育教师这一迂回路线进入精英学术界的。

然而，最近几周，关于阿尔代先生学术地位的严重指控浮出水面，包括指控其博士论文及随后的发表作品存在大量抄袭，并参与了其他形式的学术润色。昨天，他终于做了正确的事，宣布辞职。

更广泛的审查并未对阿尔代先生产生有利影响。他那即将出版回忆录的传奇人生故事引起了人们的质疑：阿尔代先生声称曾为慈善事业筹集了£550 万——其中一次是通过在三天内跑完300英里实现的，

这一壮举将使他成为世界上最有天赋的长距离运动员之一。慈善组织WaterAid（阿尔代先生声称曾在西非为其工作）表示，没有派遣他或任何志愿者出国的记录。虽然这与专业失职没有直接关系，但阿尔代先生简历中积累的这些看似幻想的细节构成了一种令人担忧的模式。

最严重的问题涉及阿尔代先生的学术诚信。格拉斯哥大学和俄亥俄州立大学这两所阿尔代先生声称担任客座教授的机构现在表示，他们没有他的记录。

其教职网页上的硕士学位相关描述也被删除了。对其发表作品的检查显示，有数十处证据处理方式看似不一致或粗制滥造。

迟迟才启动调查的剑桥大学必须彻查阿尔代先生最初是如何被任命为如此高级职位的。这包括他那令人震惊的暗示，即针对他的指控是某种“阴险且不懈的策略”的证据，旨在“以学术诚信为掩护”清除黑人学者。在对不断增加的证据进行公正评估后，这种阴谋论主张经不起推敲。然而，剑桥大学却纵容了这种说法。

该大学在处理这次危机时并不熟练。一名明星学者反复从事此类行为的指控对其声誉造成了巨大损害。剑桥大学在最初并没有严肃对待这些指控，而是反射性地无条件站在阿尔代先生一边，并支持他关于自己成为记者“抹黑行动”受害者的毫无根据的说法。

现实情况截然不同。据透露，《高等教育时报》（Times Higher Education）的一名记者在履行其调查阿尔代先生简历异常的专业职责时，因涉嫌骚扰他而遭到了为期四个月的警方调查。这种行为显然是对警方时间的滥用。

剑桥大学有许多需要解释的地方。通过提拔一个如此明显不适合担任教授的人，它给其他少数群体带来的损害将难以修复。

伯纳姆的假期

首相的暑假是否揭示了他们的政治立场和个性？

唐宁街庄重地宣布，在新任首相休假期间，政府将正常运转。当然会正常运转。这种形式上的保证不仅证明了如今的一种假设，即所有决定必须由首相亲自做出，而一旦他走出No 10 — 或者在这种情况下，走出“北方的唐宁街” — 瘫痪就会随之而来。这同时也是在试图平息那些出于琐碎政治动机、急于将安迪·伯纳姆在就职仅两周就休假的行为描绘成懒政之人的指责。

每个人都需要休息。但首相去哪里以及何时去放松，已成为一个充满象征意义的问题。一些人出于爱国心，不愿离开国家。哈罗德·威尔逊为了增强其“平民”形象，在他心爱的“快乐群岛”海滩上穿着短裤和凉鞋。大卫·卡梅伦经常青睐康沃尔。特德·希思驾驶着“晨云号”在英国广阔的海域航行。而鲍里斯·约翰逊在苏格兰租了一处隐秘住所——不可避免地被狗仔队揭露——随后决定太阳海岸更有趣。

然而，其他人则生活奢靡：托尼·布莱尔在撒丁岛或巴巴多斯，由西尔维奥·贝-

卢斯基和克利夫·理查德爵士买单。里希·苏纳克则留在加利福尼亚的家中。特蕾莎·梅则较为低调，满足于在阿尔卑斯山的牧场徒步。但有两位首相厌恶假期。戈登·布朗为人阴郁且尽职，曾被说服前往南沃尔德，在那里他被发现在萨福克郡的海滩上穿着一件正式外套。他更倾向于留在No 10. 而玛格丽特·撒切尔将假期视为玩忽职守，曾预订了在科西嘉岛为期10天的假期，但在四天后就回家了，称她和丹尼斯已经“逛完”了那个岛。不可避免地，分析人士将剖析伯纳姆先生目前尚不为人知的目的地，以寻找关于英国未来的线索。

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26

世界

民粹左翼再次获胜后民主党出现分歧

乔治·格里尔斯 华盛顿

一名主张对亿万富翁征收财富税并停止美国对以色列军事援助的进步派人士赢得了密歇根州参议院初选，这对民主党建制派来说是一个沉重打击。

41岁的阿卜杜勒·埃尔-赛义德（Abdul el-Sayed）在民主党进步派与温和派之间的一场激烈斗争中击败了对手海莉·史蒂文斯（Haley Stevens），旨在证明他们在关键摇摆州具有当选能力。

在获得民主党提名后，赛义德的目标是成为美国首位穆斯林参议员，不过他首先必须在一次中期选举中击败共和党候选人迈克·罗杰斯（Mike Rogers），这场选举可能会决定民主党能否夺回参议院。

他的险胜——获得48.5%的选票，而史蒂文斯获得47.5%——将令民主党建制派感到担忧，并鼓励那些认为像亚历山德里娅·奥卡西奥-科尔特斯（Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez）这样的左翼候选人应在2028年竞选总统的进步派人士。

然而，他的胜利比民调预测的要接近得多，这在一定程度上削弱了自去年佐兰·曼达里斯（Zohran Mandaris）当选纽约市市长以来席卷美国的进步浪潮之势。

在获胜演说中，赛义德表示他在一场“至关重要、痛苦且充满分歧”的竞选中“挑战了体制”，并称其对手由“企业和特殊利益集团”资助。同时，他向他的导师、佛蒙特州左翼参议员伯尼·桑德斯（Bernie Sanders）致敬，将其描述为“元老”（OG）。

“我们证明了我们人数之众的力量大于他们的金钱力量，”他说道，这呼应了工党在2017年败选竞选中杰里米·科尔宾（Jeremy Corbyn）的口号。

他暗示共和党试图通过使用他的全名“阿卜杜勒拉赫曼·穆罕默德·埃尔-赛义德”（Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed）来开展一场种族主义竞选，就像特朗普总统提到“巴拉克·侯赛因·奥巴马”（Barack Hussein Obama）那样。“如果你不能叫出阿卜杜勒拉赫曼这个名字，那就把这个该死的名字从你的嘴里拿走，”他说。

密歇根大学和密歇根州立大学的学生支持赛义德的竞选，而底特律的温和派黑人选民则大量支持担任四个任期的国会议员史蒂文斯。

涵盖底特律的韦恩县（Wayne County）的延迟计票，使得进步派试图将此次竞选描绘成一场压倒性胜利的尝试变得复杂。作为美国汽车工业中心，底特律拥有多数黑人人口，但在迪尔伯恩（Dearborn）郊区拥有一个规模显著的阿拉伯裔美国人社区。

在竞选期间，这两个社区之间存在紧张关系。一名上周接受《泰晤士报》采访的非裔美国选民表示，赛义德的“文化不尊重女性”。

共和党人似乎对赛义德的胜利感到高兴，因为这给了特朗普总统进一步在11月选举前将民主党描绘成极端分子的筹码。

在昨天对结果做出反应时，特朗普称赛义德为“共产主义者”，并警告11月将出现“操纵的选举”。他在Truth Social上发帖称：“激进左翼社会主义者有真实机会，不要忽视所有那些将在最后一刻‘出人意料’出现的虚假邮寄选票。”他称底特律是“美国最腐败的投票区之一”且“纯粹是第三世界”。

赛义德是一位埃及工程师之子——

密歇根州参议院选举结果

民主党初选

Abdul el-Sayed

760,950 票 (48.5%)

Haley Stevens

726,057 (47.5%)

Mallory McMorrow

61,250 (4%)

800, 995 票已统计

来源：美联社

neer who emigrated to Detroit in the 1970s, received a medical degree from the University of Michigan before winning a Rhodes Scholarship to Oriel College Oxford, where he earned a blue captaining the lacrosse team.

他在纽约的哥伦比亚大学讲授流行病学，随后返回密歇根州，并在 30 岁时被任命为底特律公共卫生部门负责人。

他能说阿拉伯语，擅长制作在社交媒体上广泛传播的视频；去年，他与具有影响力的亲巴勒斯坦播客主持人 Hasan Piker 一起进行了举重训练。

作为 2024, 投票给特朗普总统的摇摆州，密歇根州在选举上的重要性高于纽约州——去年 Mandari 当选纽约市长引发了一系列社会主义者的胜利。

在那次胜利之后，与美国民主社会党（DSA）相关的左翼人士（Sayed 在政治立场上与该团体一致，但并非其成员）在从布鲁克林到丹佛的、由受过大学教育的自由派主导的民主党安全选区中赢得了初选。

Abdul el- 旨在成为美国首位穆斯林参议员

然而，进步派尚未在摇摆州证明自己的实力，如果 能在 11 月的密歇根州选举中获胜，将证明左翼人士能够争取到特朗普的选民。

基于此原因，2028 年最有可能的两位进步派候选人——Ocasio-Cortez 和加州国会议员 Ro Khanna——均支持 ，并前往密歇根州与他共同竞选。

一名 DSA 候选人 Donavan McKinney 周二也在底特律赢得了众议院初选，在密歇根州第 13 選區击败了其温和派对手 Shri Thanedar。

温和派认为 险胜并不意味着向左转，并指出在包括北卡罗来纳州、俄亥俄州、阿拉斯加州、德克萨斯州和爱荷华州在内的许多其他重要中期参议院竞选中，民主党候选人仍是中间派。

在 赢得密歇根州选举的同一晚，密苏里州第一国会选区的初选结果不利于该党的左翼，前“黑人的生命重要” (Black Lives Matter) 活动人士 Cori Bush 未能从亲以色列的温和派 Wesley Bell 手中夺回席位。

“ 将试图证明他的胜利是全国其他地区的风向标，”曾在比尔·克林顿麾下担任民主党工作人员、现就职于温和派智库 Third Way 的 Matt Bennett 说道。“我认为这是一种极大的过度解读。”

尽管如此，Stevens 获得了来自亲以色列游说团体 Aipac 的超过 $30 资金，且其竞选支出是 的九倍，但仍未能击败他，这表明任何主张继续向以色列提供美国军事援助的民主党候选人在 2028 年都将难以获得党内提名。“Aipac 在这次竞选中投入资金，只是因为他们想让我们关注那边发生的事情，” 在投票日前告诉《泰晤士报》。

左翼活动人士决心切断民主党与以色列的联系，今年底特律一家犹太会堂遭受的恐怖袭击企图，对于 在这个拥有大量阿拉伯侨民的州中所产生的势头几乎没有影响。

许多民调专家仍然认为，11 月中期选举中最重要的因素将是特朗普的受欢迎程度。根据 Silver Bulletin 的支持率平均值，这位总统的受欢迎程度持续下降——本周触及第二任期的低点 20.6。

由于中期选举往往有利于非白宫执政党，民主党可能仍然对成功充满信心，尽管温和派认为，相比 Stevens， 对密歇根州摇摆选民的吸引力会更低。

“他们杀害了我的家人，复仇是我们唯一的选择”

随着与巴基斯坦的冲突升级，阿富汗人计算着代价，安东尼·洛伊德在曼德凯尔报道

晚上11点之后，第一枚巴基斯坦炸弹击中了房屋的屋顶，屋内有35名男女老少正在熟睡。爆炸将建筑炸毁，除三人外，其余全部受伤或死亡。受害者中包括三岁女孩纳杰玛，她的手臂被撕裂；以及12岁男孩卢克曼，他在床上被炸死。

村民们冲向碎片试图救出幸存者。随后，第二枚炸弹落下。爆炸产生的热量将一些人点燃；另一些人则被撕成碎片。随着伤者的哭喊声响起，火焰照亮了一片瓦砾与尸体的景象。

巴基斯坦对阿富汗帕克蒂亚省曼德凯尔发起的“双击”空袭造成17人死亡，100多人受伤。一个多月后，许多人仍留在医院，承受着改变生活的伤痛。

6月28日的这次袭击并非孤立事件，而是阿富汗塔利班政府与其前盟友巴基斯坦之间暴力升级模式的一部分。在上周发布的一份报告中，联合国阿富汗援助团表示，在过去九个月两国之间的战斗中，已有499名阿富汗平民死亡，1216人受伤。大多数人死于空袭。

巴基斯坦通常声称，阿富汗方面的伤亡人员是来自巴基斯坦塔利班运动（TTP）的武装分子，这是一个被禁止的巴基斯坦塔利班组织，经常在阿富汗边境地区寻求庇护。该组织成立于2007, 致力于推翻巴基斯坦政府，其在阿富汗的存在是当前冲突的主要原因。

在巴基斯坦，上个月有数十名士兵在TTP的袭击中丧生；四天前，一名TTP自杀式袭击者在袭击斯瓦特的一家警察局时杀死了17人。

然而，接受《泰晤士报》采访的6月28日曼德凯尔空袭幸存者称，TTP在村里并没有存在。相反，这次袭击似乎又是另一次针对与冲突无关的平民的惩罚性或误击攻击。

“巴基斯坦人炸毁了我的家和家人，杀死了我的兄弟，”16, 岁的阿尔塔乌拉·马利亚尔说道，他站在弟弟卢克曼熟睡时被杀的卧室残骸中。“巴基斯坦人是我们的大敌，”阿尔塔乌拉补充道，眼中闪过一丝愤怒。“我们永远不能信任他们。除了复仇，我们别无选择。”

曼德凯尔是兴都库什山脉东南部山麓一个拥有1000多人的普什图村庄。一些长辈曾在1979-89年的占领期间与苏联军队作战，但在2001-21, 年美国领导的占领期间，该地区大部分时间很平静，避开了空袭或炸弹。

这一切在6月28, 发生了改变，当时村里正在庆祝居民之一哈吉·哈桑从麦加朝圣归来。按照传统，数十名当地人开车离开村庄，陪同他从朝圣地回家。

在一个曾见证过婚礼派对和公民仪式因无人机将其误认为武装集会而被美国轰炸的国家，在巴基斯坦无人机的眼中，这次庆祝活动可能足以成为攻击曼德凯尔的目标。

一些幸存者认为，庆祝车队被误认为是TTP的随行队伍。大多数人则认为，他们仅仅是巴基斯坦报复的方便目标。

空袭击中了一栋由三兄弟——拉查·汗、比斯米拉·汗和卡里·阿卜杜拉——及其子女和家人居住的房屋。“这不是误会，”28, 岁的法图拉·达尔维什说道，他是一名医生，也是拉查·汗的儿子，当时他与妻子在底层熟睡

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失踪已久的古代雕像重回聚光灯下 Page 29

数千人回去了，但孩子们没有 Page 30

ANTHONY LOVE FOR THE TIMES, ALANP. AFFI / GETTY IMAGES

16岁的Attaullah Malyar站在卧室的残骸中，他的兄弟在一次针对房屋的袭击中被杀，见左上图。下方为受害者葬礼上的哀悼者。

当第一枚炸弹击中时，他与妻子以及两个婴儿女儿当时正睡在底层。“我们家里也没有任何TTP成员。巴基斯坦人袭击我们是为了方便，因为他们无法对抗我们政府的军队。”

爆炸导致Darwis腿部和肋骨骨折，手臂及手部腱受损。他的妻子和女儿仍因重伤在医院治疗。

尽管巴基斯坦有时会监禁塔利班指挥官，或将其行踪提供给美国军队，但巴基斯坦曾是塔利班在地区内最大的支持者。

然而，自五年前塔利班重新掌权以来，这对昔日好友已反目成仇。塔利班重新主张其独立性，并拒绝巴基斯坦干涉其内部事务。塔利班与印度之间日益密切的关系进一步激怒了巴基斯坦人。自去年以来，印度和阿富汗的部长们定期会晤，两国在过去一个财政年度的贸易额超过了15 亿加元 billion。

TTP成为了这段关系的最后一根稻草。巴基斯坦长期以来一直指责塔利班在阿富汗境内为TTP提供庇护，后者以此为基地向邻国发动恐怖袭击。

去年10月，当巴基斯坦对据称是阿富汗境内TTP目标的地点发动空袭时，紧张局势急剧升级。塔利班随即反击。在两天的冲突中，双方数十名战斗员在边境沿线交火中丧生，其中包括至少23名巴基斯坦士兵。

此后暴力行为升级，尤其是今年3月，巴基斯坦对喀布尔的一家药物康复中心发动空袭，导致269名平民（其中大多数为患者）死亡。伊斯兰堡还强行将其邻国境内寻求庇护的100多万阿富汗难民遣返回国。

这场冲突带来的后果沉重打击了阿富汗。如今，由于与巴基斯坦的边境关闭，且美国与伊朗的冲突干扰了贸易，其经济陷入混乱。在4500 万人口中，有超过1700 万人面临严重饥饿，另有数百万人面临严重营养不良的风险。

国际危机组织（International Crisis Group）分析师Ibraheen Bahiss表示：“这些袭击阻碍了阿富汗政府成为中亚地区贸易枢纽的努力。它将战争重新带回了这个国家。巴基斯坦的战机轰炸了喀布尔和坎大哈的市中心。在心理上，阿富汗人不再确定（塔利班的）执政能力。”

上个月，在东北部省份巴达赫尚，一场针对塔利班的叛乱规模扩大，阿富汗自由阵线的反塔利班战士与政府军展开对抗。一些人认为，巴基斯坦在背后操纵，煽动内乱以削弱塔利班。

然而，即便暴力重新回到生活中，一些阿富汗人认为，与和平时期的艰辛相比，战争的破坏是较轻的恶果。

40岁的Gul Afiar是6月28日冲进废墟营救幸存者的曼德凯尔（Mandekhail）村民之一。他在第二枚炸弹爆炸中受重伤，在医院度过了19天后才回家。他说：“我们不希望战争回归……我们想要和平，但在永久的饥饿面前，这种和平又能做些什么？”

SpaceX火箭碎片坠毁于月球

Jacqui Goddard 迈阿密

一个由月球着陆任务遗留的 SpaceX 火箭段以 5,400 英里 / 小时的时速坠毁在月球上。

此次碰撞发生于昨日英国夏季时间（BST）上午 7.35，产生的爆炸威力大致相当于 15,000 根炸药，科学家认为碎片羽流的高度可能高达 62 英里。

预计在未来几天内将获得来自美国国家航空航天局（Nasa）和一颗韩国卫星的图像，这可能会提供大量宝贵的科学数据。

德克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校的航空航天工程研究员 William Jo 表示：“由于碰撞的时间、地点和速度是提前获知的，这次事件提供了一个罕见的机会来研究撞击物理学、月壤特性、行星保护以及未来月球表面运行的安全性。”

此次撞击发生在月球的爱因斯坦陨石坑附近，该陨石坑可能是数十亿年前由自然撞击形成。其位置靠近月球可见的西边缘。

自 1959 年苏联无人航天器 Luna 2 故意撞击月球表面以来，已有 60 多件人造太空垃圾坠落在月球上。那正值苏联与美国太空竞赛的早期阶段，旨在展示苏联的技术能力，并收集科学数据。

在 1970 年至 1972 年间，在 Nasa 的阿波罗月球探测 era 期间，将人类送往月球的火箭上面级被故意撞击月球表面以制造月震，从而校准船员留在那里用于科学研究的地震仪。

这次非计划性撞击涉及一个 SpaceX Falcon 9 火箭的弃用部分，该火箭于 2025 年 1 月从佛罗里达州卡纳维拉尔角发射，搭载了 Firefly Aerospace 的 Blue Ghost 月球着陆器。

该着陆器于 2025 年 3 月在月球着陆。那个帮助其离开地球的 13.7 米（45 英尺）火箭级本应脱离并最终在地球大气层中烧毁。由于未知原因，它留在太空中，并在随后的几个月里被逐渐拖向月球。

业余天文学家网站 Project Pluto 的 Bill Gray 表示：“如果这个物体像大多数上面级那样击中地球，它将在重新进入大气层时于高层大气中烧毁，仅仅在那儿增加一些细微的尘埃。但由于这个物体击中了月球，将会产生一次突然的撞击，一道闪光，然后一些月球岩石将以高速从陨石坑中被炸出，且没有空气阻力来减速。”

Gray 表示，地球上的人能够看到撞击闪光的几率“很小，但并非不可能”。

他补充道：“如果在未来几年内我们在月球上有人员，我们可能会开始更加担心这类事情。但在 8 月 5 日这不会成为问题……它不会对任何人构成危险，尽管它凸显了在处理遗留太空硬件方面存在某种程度的疏忽。”

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28

世界

致力于让普京的战争变得时尚的迷人博主

多年来，克里姆林宫宣传的面孔一直是那些咄咄逼人的国家电视台主持人，他们威胁要将西方国家变成放射性废墟，并将普京总统描绘成俄罗斯的救星（Marc Bennetts 撰文）。

莫斯科独立民调机构列瓦达中心（Levada Centre）的调查显示，主要通过国家电视台获取信息的俄罗斯人是对乌克兰战争最热情的支持者。然而，随着战争进入第五年并陷入僵局，克里姆林宫渴望与社交媒体用户建立联系，因为这些用户的观点并不总是与党派路线一致。

这就是拥有数十万在线粉丝的影响力博主玛丽亚·查迪娜（Maria Chadina）发挥作用的地方。查迪娜今年 25 岁，曾是一名生活方式博主，现与一名俄罗斯士兵结婚。流亡在外的反对派网站《新报欧洲版》（Novaya Gazeta Europe）指责她试图让克里姆林宫残酷的战争看起来“迷人且时尚”。

该网站写道：“一名妆容完美、声音甜美且打扮精致的年轻女性……查迪娜在发布关于爱情和家庭生活的帖子之余，穿插声称俄罗斯不存在政治压迫，乌克兰没有国家主权，且不会出现新一轮动员。她的博客展示了‘Z-爱国主义’如何可以是时尚的、国际化的，以及

玛丽亚·查迪娜拥有数十万在线粉丝，并发布她与士兵丈夫的视频

‘欧洲化的’。”

查迪娜出生于 2000 年（普京上台之年），出生地是距离莫斯科 60 英里的奥布宁斯克（Obninsk），她直到去年才开始发布关于政治和战争的内容。

她在 Instagram 上已经获得了近 400,000 名粉丝。尽管这家美国社交媒体网站在俄罗斯被禁用，但可以通过 VPN 软件访问。

在她最受欢迎的帖子中，包括她与丈夫弗拉基米尔（Vladimir）在后者获准回家休假时团聚的视频。她拒绝与“自由派”媒体接触，并表示她为被称作克里姆林宫代理人而感到自豪。

“我真诚地相信俄罗斯人民肩负着一项特定的、神圣的任务。这项任务的一部分就是与这些怪物作斗争，”她在一次采访中说道，此处指乌克兰及其西方盟友。她建议俄罗斯人不要质疑克里姆林宫。“领导层最清楚，”她补充道。

今年 5 月，她在莫斯科的一次颁奖典礼上获得了一项奖项，该典礼由克里姆林宫支持的互联网发展研究所（Institute of Internet Development）赞助，她因去年政治博客增长最快而获奖。她将该奖项献给了她的丈夫。“胜利将属于我们，”她说。查迪娜的成名得到了 Base Media 的帮助，这是一家总部位于莫斯科的公关公司，其客户包括其他亲克里姆林宫人物。

一个帮助克里姆林宫影响社交媒体的组织 Dialog 的消息人士告诉《新报欧洲版》：“她的频道和视频击中了要害：一个甜美、漂亮的年轻妻子，丈夫在‘特别军事行动’中战斗，且她是一名爱国者。”

撰写该网站关于查迪娜个人资料的记者尤利娅·阿赫梅多娃（Yulia Akhmedova）写道：“这是最危险的宣传形式：人们如此沉溺于美丽的意象，以至于他们无法分析玛丽亚在说什么。”

Base Media 的注册所有者是萨吉斯·米尔扎哈尼安（Sargis Mirzakhanian）的母亲，后者是一名政治战略家。2023 年，总部位于美国的有组织犯罪与腐败报道项目（Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project）指控他参与试图在欧洲政治家中推广亲莫斯科观点的活动。他未对这些指控发表评论。

查迪娜的在线粉丝中包括士兵的女性亲属，其中也包括那些在战斗中阵亡士兵的亲属。

然而，并非所有社交媒体用户都是她的粉丝。“这个年轻女人很危险……她用慵懒的语气，给那些面临动员风险的人灌输了一种虚假的安全感。”

一名俄罗斯社交媒体用户写道。查迪娜在她的 Telegram 频道上表示：“他们害怕我！”

泽连斯基恳请提供导弹防御系统

乌克兰

Catherine Philp 基辅

在乌克兰库存耗尽后，泽连斯基总统恳请盟友发送美国制造的 Patriot (爱国者导弹) 拦截弹。此前，基辅在一次造成至少 17 人死亡的大规模弹道导弹袭击中处于毫无防御的状态。

这场对基辅的夜间袭击是俄罗斯在为期数周的行动中最激烈的一次，其目的是通过发射弹道导弹齐射来耗尽乌克兰的防空能力。

由于 Patriot 系统的拦截弹耗尽，而该系统是唯一能够击落高速弹道导弹的防空系统，乌克兰昨晚未能击落向首都发射的 28 枚俄罗斯导弹中的任何一枚。

“弹道拦截弹本可以挽救今天那些遇难者的生命，”泽连斯基在确认袭击的一篇社交媒体帖子中表示。

“合作伙伴意识到交付延迟或未能提供反弹道措施会导致如此可怕的伤亡，这一点至关重要。”

泽连斯基补充说，与去年相比，今年的防空导弹供应量下降了三倍，而俄罗斯则加强了对弹道导弹的使用。由于伊朗战争，全球 拦截弹的短缺情况进一步加剧，美国及其海湾盟友依赖这些系统来击退伊朗的导弹和无人机。据美国媒体报道，在整个战争期间，乌克兰共接收了 600 枚 导弹，而仅在那场冲突的前几天，用于击退伊朗袭击的导弹就达到了 800 枚。

周六，在一次造成基辅 9 人死亡的袭击后，泽连斯基透露这些库存现已耗尽。“仅拦截了一枚弹道导弹，单纯是因为 系统没有拦截弹，”他写道。

乌克兰是约 20 个等待 拦截弹的国家之一，这些拦截弹的制造可能需要两年多时间，每枚成本约为 $4 百万。

在上个月于安卡拉举行的北约峰会上，特朗普总统表示华盛顿将授予乌克兰在国内生产拦截弹的许可，但上周又撤回了这一承诺，称：“你把那种技术交给那些人，他们有一天可能会反过来对付你。”

许多欧洲北约成员国的军械库中拥有 导弹，在获得美国许可后，他们可以将这些导弹移交给乌克兰。自从特朗普削减对乌克兰的援助以来，欧洲盟友在将设备移交给基辅之前，先购买了包括 在内的美国硬件。

但全球范围内极低的库存让各国在移交自己的拦截弹时感到紧张，担心无法获得替代品。

的年产量约为 620 枚导弹，扩大规模的努力将需要长达四年时间。

这使得乌克兰平民不得不面对后果。上周，在俄罗斯使用北韩弹道导弹袭击乌克兰南部一个村庄的行动中，同一个家庭的 10 名成员被杀。在北约峰会上，泽连斯基将莫斯科的弹道导弹库描述为俄罗斯最后的优势，并补充道：“除了防空，我们有能力独立完成其他所有事情，但在防空方面，我们需要合作伙伴的决心。”

上周在华盛顿参加亲乌克兰参议员林赛·格雷厄姆的葬礼期间，泽连斯基请求特朗普争取埃隆·马斯克的许可，允许乌克兰在俄罗斯境内使用其 Starlink 互联网服务以打击其导弹发射架。

虽然马斯克勉强允许乌克兰将该系统用于无人机行动，但他拒绝允许将其用于俄罗斯深处的进攻行动。将战斗延伸至俄罗斯的发射场可能有助于解决乌克兰对 供应的依赖。

乌克兰正与欧洲政府合作开发自己的本土反弹道防御系统。

Freyja 导弹防御项目上个月由 10 个欧洲政府和 12 家国防公司在巴黎启动。但预计该项目直到明年才能投入使用。

对基辅的夜间袭击持续了两个多小时，袭击了交通和商业场所，包括乌克兰私人快递服务公司 Nova Poshta 的仓库。

上个月，基辅开始了一场针对俄罗斯电商 Wildberries 的无人机行动，该公司曾向军方提供包括无人机组件在内的军民两用物品。在今年美国对伊朗发动战争后，乌克兰向海湾地区派遣了军事顾问团队，以分享其在对抗伊朗攻击型无人机方面的专业知识。

泽连斯基当时表示，他希望各国政府能通过分享乌克兰即将耗尽的更先进的导弹，来回报乌克兰的援助。

昨日俄罗斯导弹袭击现场的消防员，这场弹道导弹袭击持续了两个多小时，造成至少 17 人死亡

---

29

世界

波利克莱托斯法则（Canon of Polykleitos）的青铜重建作品正在庞贝的 Palestra Grande 展出。其头部是根据在赫库兰尼姆一座别墅中发现的青铜胸像复制的，见下方

古代失传雕像重回聚光灯下

意大利 詹姆斯·伊曼 米兰

在公元前五世纪，一位希腊雕塑家创造了一个如此完美平衡的人体愿景，以至于它定义了随后两千年的西方雕塑进程。

这座雕像被称为《法则》（Canon），得名于其创作者波利克莱托斯（Polykleitos）总结人体形态背后数学原理的论文。雕像描绘了一名肌肉发达的年轻人，肩上挎着一支标枪。这座雕像通常被称为《持矛者》（Doryphoros），在古代启发了无数的大理石复制品，帮助建立了一种后来被米开朗基罗和拉斐尔所接纳的美学理想。

然而，原作在几个世纪前就消失了。

现在，在经过 2,000 多年之后，庞贝的考古学家认为他们已经更接近于将其重建。通过参考现存最精良的罗马复制品，他们制作了一个新的青铜重建作品，他们表示，这挑战了现代人关于古代世界如何理解美的假设。

“庞贝的研究远不止于挖掘和讲述古代生活的故事，”庞贝考古公园主任加布里埃尔·祖克特里格尔（Gabriel Zuchtriegel）说道。“如果我们想继续研究希腊艺术，关注庞贝、赫库兰尼姆（Herculaneum）和斯塔比亚（Stabiae）可能是一个好主意。”

在公园展出的这座新青铜像在很大程度上是以 1793 年在庞贝发现的《法则》大理石复制品为原型的——这是约 50 件已知复制品中最完整的一个版本。头部则基于在附近另一个考古遗址赫库兰尼姆的一座别墅中发现的青铜胸像，选择它是因为它被认为是原材质中的“极佳复制品”。

由那不勒斯一家铸造厂生产的这两件作品的 19 世纪铸件，提供了额外的参考。

工匠们采用了与波利克莱托斯相同的技术，雕刻了一个完整的蜡像，将其覆盖在粘土中并在炉中加热，使蜡融化。随后将熔融的青铜倒入空模具中，最后打破外壳，揭晓新创建的雕像。

通过使用多色法（polychromy）——一种古老的多种颜色装饰技术，雕塑的头发被涂成深色，眼睛则使用棕色颜料，这可能是为了反映原作可能使用的方式。肤色则让人想起庞贝壁画中所描绘的面孔。

“这个形象代表了一个可能来自希腊、意大利、叙利亚或摩洛哥的年轻人，”祖克特里格尔在提到罗马帝国的扩张时说道。“当我们看着白色大理石雕像时，我们失去了色彩，并面临失去这种地中海式美感与和谐愿景的风险。”

庞贝的研究还旨在解决雕像身份的谜团。一个多世纪以来，学者们通常将《持矛者》和《法则》视为波利克莱托斯同一作品的两个名称。然而，祖克特里格尔认为古代证据指向两座不同的雕像。他指出，大普林尼（Pliny the Elder）分别提到了《持矛者》（将其描述为一个男孩）和《法则》，暗示它们是不同的作品。

在这种重新解读下，著名的庞贝雕像及其相关的罗马复制品——包括明尼阿波利斯艺术学院的样本——应被认定为《法则》，而非《持矛者》。祖克特里格尔则提出，真正的《持矛者》可能是一种不同的波利克莱托斯风格雕像，被称为《韦斯特马科特青年》（Westmacott Ephobe），由约 50 件罗马复制品代表，其中包括大英博物馆中最著名的样本。

庞贝的新青铜像目前在帕莱斯特拉·格兰德（Palestra Grande）展出，这是一个被柱廊环绕的古代体育馆。该人物携带的是一支由木材、皮革和金属制成的标枪，而非传统上与《持矛者》相关的长矛，这反映了团队关于《法则》持有何种武器的结论。

“这些是理解古代艺术史的惊人宝藏，”祖克特里格尔说道。

禁令被撤销，罗马街头摊位回归

James Imam

在意大利最高行政法院推翻了将摊位从包括罗马斗兽场、西班牙广场和特莱维喷泉在内的地标建筑中移除的努力后，罗马的传统纪念品摊贩在争取重返市中心历史区域的斗争中取得了罕见的胜利。

2014年，市议会为了遏制旅游廉价劣质商品的泛滥，命令销售地图、小饰品以及圣人小雕像等宗教物品的街头摊贩，将其有顶棚的摊位从联合国教科文组织保护的历史中心黄金地段搬走。约60名摊贩被要求搬迁。这一决定引发了抗议，以及市议会与125名摊贩之间旷日持久的法律斗争，这些摊贩自五世纪起就在这座永恒之城经营。

本周，国务委员会裁定该禁令无效，因为市议会未能与卖家进行充分协商。该判决允许摊贩立即回到他们原有的摊位。

摊贩发言人安杰洛·帕冯切洛（Angelo Pavoncello）表示：“正义虽然迟到，但终于来了。”他补充说，首批摊位已经回到了罗马斗兽场。

罗马当局在解决旅游商店与传统企业之间日益严重的失衡问题上取得了更大成效。今年5月，在国务委员会的另一项裁决后，由于实体纪念品店和小便利店的数量增加到约3,000家，市议会延长了为期三年的禁令，禁止在历史中心开设此类店铺。与此同时，据企业联合会（Confederate business association）称，由于Airbnb的租赁推高了租金，意大利首都每年约有2,000家企业关闭。该团体已呼吁给予税收减免并简化行政程序。

上个月，意大利马尔凯大区通过了一项所谓的“反Airbnb”法案，为销售当地传统食品的商店提供财政激励。

一名纪念品摊主在罗马斗兽场外等待游客

彩票中奖者引发骚动后，垃圾收集员挺身而出

James Imam

当一名来自意大利南部普利亚大区的当地人意识到自己不小心扔掉了一张价值 €100 万 的彩票时，他们陷入了难以置信和极度痛苦之中。

现在，一家废物处理公司的负责人领导了一次成功的行动，从六吨重的垃圾山中找回了这张彩票，并将其归还给了比通托镇的所有者，从而成为了国家英雄。“看到那些在垃圾中翻找的人在找到彩票时的喜悦，真是太美妙了，因为他们就像是自己中奖了一样，”废物处理公司负责人 Roberto Toscano 说道。

他补充道：“中奖者在电话中对我哭泣，并给所有工人一个虚拟的拥抱。”

这位意大利最新的百万富翁在一家商店购买了彩票，在读到该票“不可支付”后将其丢弃。

这条信息是专门针对最高奖金金额的，这类奖金由彩票公司直接支付而非零售商，但这位保持匿名的持票人认为这意味着彩票没有价值，在离开商店时将其扔进了垃圾桶。

当家人指出其号码已被抽中时，他们才意识到自己的错误。中奖者匆忙赶回商店，但此时垃圾已经被收集走了。

Toscano 在周日上午接到了相关情况的通知。“我的第一反应是不敢相信，随后是对能否找到那张纸片持怀疑态度，”他说道。

经理命令他的员工开始搜寻。“我们是一家由公众控制的公司，”他说，“必须履行这种责任感。”

幸运的是，垃圾尚未被运往填埋场。Toscano 表示，工作人员确定了可能包含该彩票的垃圾压缩机，并将其置于“我们严格的个人监管”之下。搜寻工作于周二上午进行，车辆缓慢前行，使垃圾纵向铺开而非堆积。

参与人员穿着没有口袋的工作服，并在摄像机的记录下工作。此次行动的费用将由中奖者承担，预计费用将达到数万欧元。

为了庆祝这次发现，团队一起去喝了咖啡，Toscano 买了人生中第一张彩票。“你不会相信的，我们赢了 €50，我把它留给了工人，”他说道。

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10

世界

CARLOS A. BARCUTTA 2026 / 07

晚餐之约 莱昂诺尔公主、索菲亚王后和索菲亚公主在帕尔马的马里文特宫接待了来自政治、商业、文化、体育和慈善机构的 600 多位宾客

里昂、普罗旺斯罗讷河与卡马格 游轮之旅 全程配备专家级游轮总监和游轮主持人 11 天起价 每人 £3,149 往返航班或欧洲之星及接送服务 五星级邮轮十晚住宿 可选带窗或法式阳台的宽敞客舱 美味的全包餐饮，外加主厨晚餐 免费饮料套餐 选定 10 月和 11 月的河游轮 每人可节省 £450 世界级的葡萄酒和传奇美食，最壮丽的河流风景，覆盖着葡萄园的翠绿景观，以及拥有迷人鹅卵石小巷的蜂蜜色中世纪城镇——探索法国南部最诱人的地区之一。 出发日期：2026 年 8 月至 10 月及 2027 年 4 月至 10 月 11 天起价 每人 £3,149 往返航班或欧洲之星及接送服务 五星级邮轮十晚住宿 可选带窗或法式阳台的宽敞客舱 美味的全包餐饮，外加主厨晚餐 免费饮料套餐* 包含体验 八次导览游，包括克吕尼修道院、博讷、里昂、阿维尼翁、乌泽斯、阿尔勒、奥朗日和圣玛丽-德-拉梅尔 三次访问，包括卡马格及庞德高鸟类公园和阿尔代什峡谷 在马孔和 Chateauneuf-du-Pape 进行两次品酒，以及访问 Les Baux-de-Provence 的橄榄油农场

数千人返回，但孩子们没有

西班牙正面临一场护理危机，未成年人在肮脏的环境中等待，大卫·沙罗克（David Sharrock）在休达发回报道

在休达的海滩上，孩子们依然留在那里，就像上周淹没这个西班牙微小领土的巨大移民潮所留下的残骸和漂浮物一样。

在估计非法进入休达的72,000人中，近70,000人已经返回摩洛哥，无论是自愿返回，还是根据马德里与拉巴特之间达成的紧急措施返回。

但仍有1,100多名无人陪伴的摩洛哥未成年人滞留在此，使原本仅能容纳其十分之一人数的移民中心不堪重负。这场起初的边境安全危机，现已演变成一场儿童保护紧急事件。

15岁的拉扬（Rayan）靠在母亲身上，站在距离摩洛哥边境几百米的一条人行道上，他的前臂缠着一块污损的绷带。在穿越期间，他的家人在防波堤周围仓促攀爬，被嶙峋的岩石割伤。

“自从我们来到这里，什么也没收到，”拉扬的母亲萨米拉（Samira）说，“没有食物，没有帮助。”她说一名摩洛哥警察催促这些家庭向边境前进。

“他告诉我们要快点。他说我们能回到摩洛哥的唯一方式就是死掉。”

在城市里的数百名儿童中，大多数没有父母陪伴，有些人一直潜伏在当地的穆斯林墓地里。另一些人则在塔拉哈尔（Tarajal）工业区的空仓库之间徘徊，睡在一个临时接待中心外的瓦砾、床垫和垃圾之中。

虽然西班牙士兵和国民卫队官员通过将成年人遣返回摩洛哥，稳步地清理了城市，但孩子们的命运则取决于制度程序。

与成年人不同，在没有进行个体评估以确定其身份、追踪亲属并判定遣返是否符合其最大利益之前，他们不能被合法驱逐——这一过程可能需要数月时间。

西班牙内政部长费尔南多·格兰德-马塔斯卡（Fernando Grande-Martaska）本周坚称，“在西班牙，儿童和成人的基本权利得到尊重。这是毋庸置疑的。”然而，在休达行走时，这些保证——

一名未成年人在休达由西班牙军队护送，而其他人则被强制在海滩上淋浴冲洗

——受到了考验。法达尔（Fadal）是一名在休达的摩洛哥青年，他携带两部手机，他说这是为了让孩子们能给家人打电话。他指向那些病到无法移动的少女，并表示其他人已经消失在贫民区，当地居民担心他们遭到了性剥削。

15岁的肯扎（Kenza）拨开深色头发，露出头皮上一个正在愈合的伤口，她说这是在抵达后不久被扔的一块石头造成的。她说她流血地到达医院，但从未得到治疗。在附近，12岁的里达（Rida）在塔拉哈尔蹒跚而行，膝盖上缠着厚厚的绷带，他说在排队领取食物被袭击之前，他在几乎没有食物的情况下生存了数日。

在上周的大多为年轻男性的人群中，当他们跨越边境时，出现了欢呼声和“viva España”（西班牙万岁）的呐喊。但在短短几个小时内，就有75人在尝试这次旅程中死亡，这是欧盟外部边境最致命的移民事件之一。

一座挂着“新希望”招牌的仓库已成为避难所，作为主要移民接待设施的溢出点。体育馆和市政大楼也被征用。另有数百名儿童在户外睡觉，许多人被社交媒体上流传的谣言所说服，认为到达休达就能保证前往西班牙本土。

这些谣言是由去年出台的一项法律煽动的，该法律要求无人陪伴的未成年人在正式登记后，必须在15天内从不堪重负的边境地区转移。现在许多露宿街头的孩子甚至还没有被系统记录。对他们来说，法律时钟尚未开始计时。

这使得塞乌塔资深的保守派人民党 (PP) 主席胡安·赫苏斯·维瓦斯 (Juan Jesús Vivas) 恳求援助。“这是一个绝对不可持续的局面，”他表示，并补充说，在这个常住人口为 84,000 人的城市中，存在“极高的秩序和公共安全风险”。“我们正在大声呼救。”

作为回应，马德里已批准 €2500 万 的紧急资金，并希望将这些儿童重新分配到西班牙各地。

但除了在整个欧盟引起警觉外，这场危机也成为了西班牙政治的战场。反对党人民党发现自己陷入了分歧。虽然其在塞乌塔的政府正在要求团结，但人民党在几个地区政府的运作仅靠民粹主义右翼 Vox 党的帮助，而这些政府抵制接受年轻移民的想法。

人民党秘书长米格尔·特利亚多 (Miguel Tellado) 表示，社会党政府的优先级应该是确保移民“通过他们进入时的同一路线离开”。

但一天后，人民党高级官员阿尔玛·埃斯库拉 (Alma Ezcurra) 缓和了立场，表示该党将“始终遵守法律”，同时坚持认为每个表象上的未成年人都必须首先经过适当的身份确认。Vox 党的态度则更为绝对。该党表示，公共资金中“一欧元”都不应该被用于照顾这些移民儿童。

阻力还来自资金党 (funds)，这个加泰罗尼亚独立主义政党的选票对首相佩德罗·桑切斯 (Pedro Sánchez) 的少数派政府至关重要。

发言人米里亚姆·诺格拉斯 (Miriam Nogueras) 表示，加泰罗尼亚应被排除在任何重新分配计划之外，因为它已经接收了不成比例的移民儿童。社会党副首相卡洛斯·库埃尔波 (Carlos Cuerpo) 在电视上坚持认为，各政党和地区政府“必须遵守法律”。

台湾在模拟中国攻击测试中限制互联网

台湾 该国的国防部队已启动年度最大规模的军事演习，与此同时，特朗普总统正考虑向该岛提供一项大规模武器方案，以蔑视北京方面的要求。“汉光”演习今年的重点不仅在于防御来自中国大陆的实体攻击，还包括应对北京的“灰色地带”封锁和网络战战术。异常的是，此次演习包括部分关闭台湾的互联网。演习还采用了美国作为其非正式联盟的一部分所交付的最新型艾布拉姆斯坦克。

机场跑道附近发现携带爆炸物的无人机

德国 在莱比锡机场跑道附近一夜之间发现了一架载有爆炸物的无人机后，一项反恐调查已经启动，这导致欧洲最大的货运枢纽之一的部分区域被关闭。在机场工作人员于限制货运区发现该无人机后，航班被暂停，飞机被分流。在混乱期间，一架被分流的DHL货机在空中撞上了一个未知物体，调查人员也在对此事件进行调查。当局表示，乘客或工作人员没有受到危险，大多数运营已于昨日早晨恢复。

白宫直升机停机坪未获特朗普认可

美国 特朗普总统已下令重新开展他在白宫建造的直升机停机坪的工程，据报道，他对停机坪与倾斜的南草坪的对齐情况感到沮丧。承包商已经铲除了停机坪上一个100英尺的花岗岩总统印章，因为他们正竞相赶在特朗普设定的下个月习主席国事访问的截止日期前完工。特朗普要求停机坪必须与地平线持平。《华盛顿邮报》报道称，制造“海军陆战队一号”直升机的洛克希德·马丁子公司西科斯基飞机公司表示，将支付至少$5 million的建设费用。

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31

商业

世界市场（当日变动）

大宗商品

货币

Hassabis在谷歌调整AI架构之际卸任DeepMind负责人

Chris Dorrell

作为Alphabet人工智能部门重大重组的一部分，德米斯·哈萨比斯爵士（Sir Demis Hassabis）已卸任谷歌DeepMind的首席执行官。

哈萨比斯于2010年创立了该公司，并于2014, 以£4 亿的价格将其出售给谷歌。他将出任谷歌DeepMind的主席以及谷歌母公司Alphabet的首席科学家。此前担任DeepMind首席技术官的Koray Kavakcuoglu将接任该部门的首席执行官。

将留在英国的哈萨比斯表示：“我决定现在是我移交谷歌DeepMind日常运营职责的合适时机，这样我才有时间和空间专注于大局，并尽我所能地帮助影响未来的发展。”

他补充道：“作为一家企业，我们处于极其强有力的地位。我们是唯一拥有全栈能力的公司，并且在从基础设施到云端，再到前沿模型和AI优先应用的所有层级上都处于世界领先水平。”

哈萨比斯出生于伦敦，是全球最具影响力的AI研究人员之一。他因开发能够预测蛋白质形状的AI程序AlphaFold而获得2024年诺贝尔奖。他将继续担任Isomorphic Labs的首席执行官，这是一家由Alphabet支持的AI驱动药物研发公司。

Alphabet还确认，公司首席科学家杰夫·迪恩（Jeff Dean）将与几位谷歌AI同事一起离职，创办自己的公司Discovery Loop。迪恩在公司工作了近27年。

Discovery Loop将是一家公共利益公司，专注于自动化机器学习和工程，以加速科学发现。谷歌确认将投资该公司。

Alphabet在纽约的股价收盘下跌$15.22,，跌幅4.1 per cent，收于$360.13。在此之前，Alphabet的AI部门已出现多起高调离职事件，该公司正试图跟上OpenAI和Anthropic的步伐。

在过去的几个月里，公司两名领先的研究人员Noam Shazeer和John Jumper相继离职，分别加入了OpenAI和Anthropic。据报道，公司内部的研究人员对2023年更偏向科学研究的DeepMind与谷歌Brain的合并感到沮丧。

银行税“危及投资”

花旗集团首席执行官警告“资金会用脚投票”

Graham Ruddick 副商业编辑

花旗集团（Citigroup）首席执行官简·弗雷泽女爵士（Dame Jane Fraser）表示，她对英国的银行税感到“担忧”。

在访问伦敦期间，弗雷泽警告称，英国对银行征收的税率高于纽约、都柏林、法兰克福和巴黎，这可能会危及投资。她说：“资金会用脚投票。”

59岁的弗雷泽是苏格兰人——作为美国第三大银行花旗（Citi）的掌门人，她是华尔街最有权势的女性。

弗雷泽还表示，美国对英国的看法是，英国“比以前有所衰落”，但人们“渴望并希望英国能够成功”。

她补充道：“这是一个重要的国家——拥有巨大的才干、伟大的基础设施，以及强大的能力和可靠性的历史。我认为大多数商业界对英国的意图是，我们希望英国成功。”

“我们希望看到一些阻碍国家发展的因素被政府清除，让这个国家发挥其潜力。这是商业界的压倒性情绪。”

花旗在英国雇佣了14,000人，并正在金丝雀码头开设新办公室。弗雷泽于2021年3月接任花旗首席执行官；此后，该银行的股价几乎翻了一番。

弗雷泽关于银行税的言论是在摩根大通（JP Morgan）负责人杰米·戴蒙（Jamie Dimon）发出类似警告之后发表的。

当被问及是否担心在安迪·伯纳姆（Andy Burnham）政府领导下英国将出台新的银行税时，弗雷泽表示：“我担心的是，伦敦是一个如此重要的中心，一个全球性的金融中心。世界需要伦敦运作良好，并继续繁荣和创新。”

“没有太好的替代方案。我们需要比纽约更强有力的替代方案，因为你需要多样化。但资金会用脚投票。”

弗雷泽表示，伦敦的银行税率已经约为48%，而纽约为27%，都柏林约为28至29%。

“这让决定变得更艰难，”弗雷泽补充道。“它已经是世界上最昂贵的中心之一。你的客户在选择在哪里入账时有很多选择。我们也必须选择在哪里入账。如果税收进一步提高，那么决定不在伦敦入账就会变得更容易。”

弗雷泽表示，花旗可以投资的替代地点包括法国、德国、香港、新加坡和日本。

她补充道：“英国很重要。它有才干，有基础设施，有相当合理的监管能力等等。但这种差异——我讨厌用苏格兰人的方式来说这件事——它很快就会被抵消。我对此相当担忧。”

“我并不是坐在那里想：‘好吧，这是一场灾难。’但我们在意英国。这里是花旗一个非常重要的中心。我不希望看到伦敦衰落。”

我对新任首相的建议，第32-33页

并非一切都顺风顺水，《海洋之歌》（Moana）表现不佳，但《玩具总动员5》（Toy Story 5）和主题公园的入园人数帮助提升了迪士尼的营收 第37页

嘉能可探讨在悉尼上市

Emma Powell

全球最大的矿业公司之一准备在悉尼启动二次上市，这引发了人们对伦敦作为全球资源公司之家的地位的新质疑。

嘉能可（Glencore）是伦敦市场最大的上市公司之一，此次行动是在该集团面临将主上市地转移以提升估值的压力之后采取的。

这家价值 646 亿英镑 十亿的集团表示，二次上市将“加强我们在最重要的运营管辖区之一的形象，扩大我们的股东基础，提高交易流动性并增强企业财务灵活性”。

嘉能可首席执行官 Gary Nagle 表示，澳大利亚拥有“全球最大且增长最快的长期投资资本池之一”，并提供了“接触到在全球资源领域拥有深厚专业知识的高度成熟的投资者群体的机会”。

嘉能可此前曾面临来自澳大利亚对冲基金 Tribeca Investment Partners 的压力，要求其从伦敦搬迁以提升估值。

Tribeca Global Natural Resources 的投资组合经理 Ben Cleary 表示，伦敦股票市场“对于矿业公司来说是一个笑话交易所，流动性低且倍数低，而（此次二次上市）很可能是主上市的开局之举”。

他补充道：“根据我们的数据，嘉能可将成为该交易所第六大公司，规模超过澳新银行（ANZ Bank），因此对当地投资者将非常具有相关性。”

该集团的目标是在 10 月进入澳大利亚证券交易所。它开采包括能源煤和炼钢煤、铜和钴在内的商品，并拥有全球最大的商品贸易业务之一。

澳大利亚二次上市计划与半年报一同公布，报告显示调整后收益增长 86%，达到 \101 亿加元 十亿，为历史上的第二高水平。其营销部门推动了这一业绩，该部门在中东战争爆发以来利用能源市场的波动获利。

贸易部门的收益增加了一倍多，达到 \33 亿加元 十亿，这使得该业务有望“轻松超过”其 \23 亿加元 十亿至 \15 亿加元 十亿的长期年度利润指导范围上限。

嘉能可股价昨日上涨 22\$p，或 4.1%，收于 57.3\$p。

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12

商业

关于安迪·伯纳姆

这位花旗银行首席执行官尚未会见新任首相，但希望在秋季能够会面。在谈到政府时，弗雷泽表示：“我很欣慰地看到，他们实际上正专注于他们需要做的事情，即他们将如何治理这个国家。如果他们抽时间来见我，我反而会有点担心。”

弗雷泽分享了她在2021年成为花旗银行首席执行官时收到的一条给新任首相的建议：“要有大耳朵和厚脸皮。”

她补充道：“厚脸皮是一种韧性——坚持计划并专注于长期目标。而大耳朵就是倾听。”

“不要让倾听妨碍果断决策，以免被所有不同的观点搞糊涂——但要倾听，然后弄清楚什么才最符合英国的利益。”

“我们需要增长，我们需要竞争力。我们在这里最强大的竞争能力是我们的资本市场。不要削弱它。”

弗雷泽表示，英国“无法负担所有事情”，必须做出艰难的决定。

“我在70年代末工党实行105%税率的时期长大。那对国家来说是一场灾难。你无法增长，也无法建立企业。所以我认为需要一种平衡。但同时也得做出一些艰难的选择。我们无法负担这里所有我们想要支付的项目。对此保持现实，并制定一套市场能够接受的稳健财政政策将非常重要。”

关于市场

弗雷泽表示，随着原油价格和科技相关股价的剧烈波动，金融市场目前处于“相当不稳定的时期”。

她解释说，目前存在巨大的资本支出，其中一部分来自那些不具备谷歌、微软或苹果那样现金流的公司。

这位花旗银行首席执行官说：“自然地，我认为随着时间的推移，这会让人们感到紧张。这涉及巨额资金。”

关于特朗普总统

美国总统曾在社交媒体上赞扬弗雷泽和花旗银行。6月，他在Trump Social上写道：“祝贺Jane F及其所有优秀员工。他们工作非常努力！花旗银行大反弹！”

那篇帖子引发了人们对特朗普总统为何单独赞扬花旗银行的疑问。当被问及此事时，弗雷泽说：“我不知道。”

“我们都有苏格兰母亲。我想这有所帮助，”她打趣道。“我想我只见过他几次。不多。我不会说我和他有私人

关系。”这位59岁的人拒绝就她对特朗普政治主张的看法发表评论，例如他对多样性目标的打击。

“我履行我的职责。在所有不同事务上，我将个人观点保留在心中。当你担任这些角色时，你就得做好你的工作。无论我同意、反对还是怎么想，都完全无关紧要。我需要遵守我所在国家的法律、规则和条例，并遵循我客户的利益。我的工作不是评论政治。”

关于她在美国的崛起

在被问及是否一直以银行界顶峰为目标时，弗雷泽说：“我从未想象过那样。我的意思是，我在莫尼菲斯（苏格兰的一个城镇）长大，不，直到这件事发生前几年，我从未想象过。”

弗雷泽在剑桥大学学习经济学，并在哈佛大学获得工商管理硕士（MBA）学位。她在咨询公司麦肯锡工作了十年，并于2004.年加入花旗银行。她在该美国银行晋升了17年，最终在2021年成为首席执行官。

“家在美国，但我绝对拥有苏格兰身份，”弗雷泽解释道。“我感到非常难过，因为我的儿子们认同自己是英国人，因为他们在伦敦长大。男孩们在参加美国的婚礼时都会穿苏格兰裙。你知道，女性很喜欢他们。他们不傻。他们比

消息源否认阿斯利康参与合并谈判

詹姆斯·赫利 商业助理编辑

关于阿斯利康与一家美国竞争对手进行合并谈判的报道导致这家富时 100 指数成份股公司的市值蒸发近 180 亿英镑 billion，而目前这些报道受到了质疑，有说法称“从未有过达成交易的可能性”。

据称与百时美施贵宝（Bristol Myers Squibb）进行的旨在创建全球最大制药集团之一的讨论，导致这家英国巨头在周一损失了 9 per cent 的市值。

但路透社报道称，两家公司之间“没有关于潜在合并的讨论”。

路透社引用一名高级消息人士的话称：“阿斯利康与 BMS 之间没有交易。从未有过达成交易的可能性，两家公司之间也没有任何讨论。”

阿斯利康和百时美施贵宝均拒绝置评。

在路透社报道后，阿斯利康的股价上涨了 3 per cent，但仍比最初报道前的水平下跌了 5 per cent。

《金融时报》率先报道了此次谈判的消息，此次合并本将创建一个合并价值近 4000 亿加元 billion 的制药集团。

据称，作为伦敦市场第二大公司的阿斯利康在近几个月与这家总部位于新泽西州的竞争对手进行了讨论。

这一说法令分析师感到困惑，彭博智能（Bloomberg Intelligence）的高级制药分析师约翰·墨菲（John Murphy）表示，这在“战略意义上非常有限”，而杰富瑞（Jefferies）则表示对此感到“困惑”。

反对意见包括两家公司药物组合的重叠（尤其是癌症治疗领域）、竞争障碍以及对研发的潜在影响。

美银（Bank of America）的分析师曾警告称，考虑到经常被提及的研发中断，很少有巨头制药合并被“视为成功”。

《金融时报》的报道称，谈判“可能在不久的将来达成协议，但也可能被推迟或破裂”。

此前有猜测认为，在今年早些时候升级其纽约上市地位后，合并将是一个信号，表明这家英国制药商正进一步向美国市场倾斜。

自特朗普总统开始其第二个任期以来，该公司已在美国制造业投资了数百亿加元。其目标是到 2030 年，在年度营收目标 800 亿加元 billion 中，有一半来自美国市场。

癌症治疗约占阿斯利康 2025 年销售额的 250 亿加元 billion，接近总额的一半，其次是价值约 120 亿加元 billion 的心血管、肾脏和代谢治疗。

该公司正面临癌症药物 Tagrisso、Calquence 和 Imfinzi 在 2030 年代初失去独占权的局面。百时美施贵宝也正走向其自身的专利悬崖，涉及血液稀释剂 Eliquis 和癌症药物 Opdivo。两家公司的癌症免疫疗法处于直接竞争状态。

金融行为监管局（Financial Conduct Authority）拒绝就其是否在调查报道后的交易模式以寻找市场操纵迹象发表评论。

养老金交易推动 L&G 增长

Helen Cahill

这家英国领先的人寿保险公司在首席执行官安东尼奥·西蒙斯（António Simões）领导下经过两年的重组，目前正寻求实现增长，其半年报结果已超出伦敦金融城的预测。

Legal & General 报告称，上半年的核心营业利润增长 7%，达到 £9.18 亿，超过了分析师的预期。

L&G 表示，其机构退休部门截至 7 月底已签署或确保了价值 57 亿英镑 billion 的养老金风险转移交易。L&G 已成为养老金风险转移领域的主导者，通过从企业赞助商手中收购定额给付养老金计划。

其最大部门——机构部门的核心营业利润增长 5%，达到 £6.46 亿；资产管理部门的核心营业利润增长 10%，达到 £2.22 亿。

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13

商业

JEAN LAMYANO / GETTY IMAGES

简·弗雷泽女爵士说： “我并不冷酷， 但我确实非常强硬”

“美国人是这样做的，所以你要发挥自己的竞争优势。”

自弗雷泽于 2021. 年 3 月接管以来，花旗集团（Citi）的股价几乎翻了一番。她被认为振兴了这家银行，尽管在削减职位和出售资产的过程中，她的方式有时被描述为毫不妥协。“我并不冷酷，但我确实非常强硬，”弗雷泽说道。

“‘冷酷’听起来像是我在扮演一个真正的混蛋，我认为当个混蛋是很愚蠢的。你可以强硬，但这并不意味着你不能以一种能帮助他人的方式来执行。”

“你必须直接告诉人们发生了什么，因为他们通常已经知道了。所以直截了当地说，直接告诉人们，然后告诉他们你将如何从那里开始帮助他们。”

“冷酷与强硬之间有很大的区别。”

关于应对性别歧视

“用幽默感，”弗雷泽说。“对这类事情感到被冒犯是没有意义的。我的意思是，我很幸运。我曾在一些伟大的公司工作。通常在公司内部，有良好的政策。这一直不是一个问题，我也许是比较幸运的。”

“在某些领域你会更多地看到这种情况。但如果有人表现出性别歧视，我发现用微笑和礼貌的宽容来对待，比感到被冒犯要有效得多。”

L&G 销售年金的零售业务核心营业利润增长 5%，达到 £2.48 亿。整体税前利润增加至 £6.99 亿，比 £4.76 亿 增长了 47%。

这家富时100指数公司将中期股息提高了 2%，至每股 6.24，并表示截至 7 月底已回购价值 £4.5 亿 的股票，此前该公司在今年早些时候宣布了 12 亿英镑 billion 的回购计划。

西蒙斯表示，该集团将超过其战略目标，因为它在“成为一个更简单、更专注的 L&G 方面取得了良好进展”。

Peel Hunt 的分析师表示，该集团的资产管理业务已“显著改善”，但利润率压力继续影响退休部门。

● 英国最大的互助人寿和养老金提供商在 2026. 年前六个月受益于“积极的市场波动”，其管理资产价值达到了历史新高。Royal London 报告称，尽管中东战争导致“波动性增加”，但其管理资产仍增长 6.7%，达到 2125 亿英镑 billion。

中国税务打击重创银行

Helen Cahill 财经通讯员

在北京发起一项针对数十年前数以十亿英镑计未缴税款的全球搜寻后，与中国有业务往来的英国银行和金融服务公司的股价昨日大幅下跌。

在香港开展大量业务并在中国大陆拥有广泛运营的英国银行汇丰银行（HSBC）股价下跌超过 5%。另一家在中国开展相当多业务的英国领先银行渣打银行（Standard Chartered）股价下跌超过 2%。近年来将其运营重点转移至远东的保险集团保诚（Prudential）在某一阶段一度下跌 8%。

据《金融时报》报道，中国方面加强了对海外资本收益和投资的审查，在某些情况下追溯至 2000 年。中国各银行被要求审查富裕国民的海外投资，以查看其收入是否已向该国税务机关申报。这些措施似乎旨在填补北京日益加深的财政漏洞。

这些行动是一系列税务改革的一部分，重点关注通过购买房地产、股票、加密货币和其他资产所获的收益。

与此同时，总部位于北京的出版商财讯（Caxun）报道称，部分税务局已对离岸保险单的收益征收 20% 的个人所得税。报道称，当局的目标是分红派息以及保费所产生的利息。花旗集团（Citigroup）的分析师表示，离岸工具更多集中在超高净值人士中，因此对金融服务提供商收益的影响“很可能是有限的”。

此前有 6 月份的报道称，由于当局试图限制资本外流，贷款机构已停止为基于中国的客户开设香港银行账户。今年，中国当局收紧了个人投资账户的要求，以防止“非法的跨境证券、期货和基金管理活动”。其目的显然是为了堵住长期被富人用来将资产转移至海外的漏洞。

被当局视为可疑的银行账户通常会被冻结，直到所有相关税款全额缴纳为止。

巴克莱银行因冻结MFS资金被起诉

James Hurley

一家处于涉嫌13 亿英镑 billion欺诈案中心的倒闭抵押贷款机构的接管人正起诉巴克莱银行，试图让该银行释放运行破产程序所需的资金。

控制Market Financial Solutions Limited的破产从业人员正要求该银行提供访问该集团中心实体的账户权限。

法院记录显示，来自AlixPartners的接管人于July 31, 提起诉讼。巴克莱银行是几家在MFS（于2月倒闭）中面临风险的伦敦城和华尔街机构之一。

这些资金在MFS倒闭前被该贷款机构冻结，但接管人认为，在他们为债权人寻求偿还的过程中，这些资金应被分配以资助接管工作。目前尚不清楚追讨的金额是多少——但据了解，在MFS倒闭时，相关账户中拥有超过£1.5 亿的资金。

巴克莱银行表示将对该指控进行辩护，但拒绝发表评论。《金融时报》报道称，该银行已沟通表示，其有权使用这些资金来抵消与此次倒闭相关的其他损失。接管人则认为，这些资金应可用于所有债权人的利益。

该银行在11月冻结其账户时加速了MFS的倒闭。

破产从业人员在另一起法院文件中指称，该银行的行为表明其“担心，或强烈怀疑这些账户受到洗钱或其他犯罪活动的污染”。

有几家不同的破产事务所参与了MFS的工作，该集团拥有超过200家公司。在4月一起涉及该集团分支机构的类似索赔后，巴克莱银行向Grant Thornton释放了高达£2100 万的资金。

Flutter对美国的押注尚未获得回报

商业评论 Alistair Osborne

这证明了即使是博彩公司也无法为每一种结果定价。彼得·杰克逊（Peter Jackson）怎么能预料到，将Flutter Entertainment的主上市地转移到纽约会对公司以及他本人产生如此剧烈的影响（见第39页报告）。

为了让集团获得重新估值，他在2024年5月毅然投身于美国“更深厚的资本市场”。而且在某些方面，他取得了巨大的成功：这家拥有Paddy Power、Betfair和FanDuel品牌的公司经历了如此彻底的重新估值，以至于其股价在一年内下跌了70%。

不仅如此，杰克逊在美国的个人旅程现在也戛然而止，且并非完全出于其自身意愿。在连续第四次发布季度利润预警后，在掌权近九年之后，他离职了，并将权力移交给Flutter（非美国）国际部门负责人丹·泰勒（Dan Taylor）。

对于一个多年来几乎没有犯过错的人来说，这是一个残酷的逆转。2018, 杰克逊接管了Paddy Power Betfair，这家公司的主角是那家以大胆不羁的广告而闻名的爱尔兰博彩公司。其中一个广告是：两位老妇人穿过繁忙的马路，配上赔率和字幕“让我们让事情变得更有趣”。

杰克逊接手了一个当时估值为£72的集团，并将其转化为英国并购史上长期看来最成功的双重胜利之一。他以总计$4.35的价格，分两步完成了对FanDuel轻度博彩企业的收购，其客户在幻想体育联赛中赢取奖品；杰克逊敏锐地察觉到，一旦美国市场去监管化，这将是转向硬博彩的理想载体。

结果如何？FanDuel如今在体育博彩和在线赌场投注方面均位居美国第一。回溯到一年前，杰克逊还掌管着一家在美上市、股价为$307且市值达$54的公司。但现在不再如此。在最新的利润预警导致股价下跌13%至$92, 后，其市值已降至160 亿加元。

出了什么问题？杰克逊会承认“我们去年的执行力不够好”：因此FanDuel老板艾米·豪（Amy Howe）在5月突然离职。但最大的打击是什么？来自Polymarket和Kalshi等预测市场的竞争，这些市场对几乎所有事情提供二元的是 / 否投注：霍尔木兹海峡重新开放的日期、美联储的下一次决定、克里斯蒂亚诺·罗纳尔多的婚礼嘉宾名单。

聪明的是，尽管接受了大量体育投注，但他们成功说服了美国监管机构，称自己是金融交易产品。结果如何？他们绕过了某些仍然禁止体育博彩州的规定，使他们能够在加利福尼亚州和德克萨斯州等地畅行无阻。更糟糕的是，尽管面临法律挑战，你不能指望法律很快会改变。小唐纳德·特朗普（Donald Trump Jr）是Kalshi和Polymarket的顾问，并在两家公司中均持有股份。

诚然，Flutter现在拥有自己的预测市场业务。杰克逊表示，这并没有“蚕食”其体育博彩业务，尽管该集团损失了$296，但上季度美国月均玩家人数增长了

8 per cent。但Flutter仍不得不投入更多资金以维持其市场领导地位——这也是最新的全年ebitda指引下调$210的原因——而市场对此不愿冒险。

杰克逊坚持认为，“考虑到美国是全球最大的市场，我仍然相信将上市地转移到美国的决定对公司来说是正确的”。谁知道那些不再在英国交易的股票如果留在国内表现是否会更好。即便如此，Flutter仍然提供了一个警示故事：美国梦并非稳操胜券的赌注。

成交还是不成交

是否有人通过幻想中的并购大赚了一笔？目前还很难说。但阿斯特拉Zeneca与美国布里斯托-迈尔斯squibb之间那场轰动一时的“4000亿加元合并”确实是个怪事。在《金融时报》于周日晚上报道该消息，并附带警告称任何交易“可能会延迟或破裂”之后，周一的市场反应是使阿斯特拉的股价下跌了9%，即180亿英镑——尽管两家公司均未发表评论。随后分析师的报告也接踵而至，大部分都在质疑任何交易的逻辑。

现在呢？路透社跳出来报道，引用一名高级消息人士的话称：“阿斯特拉Zeneca与BMS之间没有达成任何协议。从未有过要达成的协议，两家公司之间也没有任何讨论。”注意：这并不意味着从未有过任何讨论，只是目前没有正在进行的讨论。这个说法得到了双方同样的“不予评论”，但阿斯特拉的股价上涨了2.5%至£120.36，尽管本周仍下跌了5%。

诚然，公司不想对市场传闻发表评论，因为它们担心会开创一个先例，导致它们被迫对每一项猜测进行更新。然而，规则依然存在。如果《金融时报》的报道a) 是真实的；b) 关于仍在进行的谈判；或c) 与针对一家英国上市公司的收购相关，英国接管小组本可以强制要求发表声明。但目前并没有声明。美国监管机构的规则较宽松，但可以在价格出现异常飙升时暂停交易。

而且，到目前为止，什么都没有发生。尽管如此，在英国还有金融行为监管局的市场滥用规则。鉴于买卖阿斯特拉股票的价值，监管机构需要检查是否没有任何交易像这个（非）新闻一样奇怪。

银行家的信用

一名银行家呼吁降低银行税。真是新鲜。然而，安迪·伯纳姆不应忽视花旗集团首席执行官简·弗雷泽女爵士的警告，即英国对银行征收的48%税率相对于都柏林、法兰克福和巴黎已经过高，更不用说纽约的27%了。

英国已经见识到了愚蠢的78%税率如何阻碍了北海投资。我们不能在最大的产业上重蹈覆辙。

alistair.osborne@thetimes.co.uk

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14

商业

电动汽车销量创纪录，推动市场创七年新高

Martin Strydom, Charlotte Bend

在高油价、制造商折扣和政府激励措施的推动下，电动汽车销量的激增使得7月份的英国新车市场成为七年来最强劲的市场。

汽车制造商和贸易商协会 (SMMT) 的数据显示，纯电动汽车销量同比增长 44.5%，达到创纪录的 43,106 辆，占据市场 27.5% 的份额，高于一年前的 21.3%。

需求分布在私人买家、企业车队和商业运营商中，助力新车注册总量增长 11.7% 至 156,571 辆。随着市场继续从疫情中恢复，这是市场连续第八个月增长，也是 2019 年以来表现最好的7月总量。

插电式混合动力汽车增长 33.6%，在本月占据 14.9% 的市场份额。混合动力电动汽车（结合了燃料发动机、电动机和电池的自充电汽车）销量增长 11.6% 至 20,711 辆，占据市场 13.2% 的份额。

相比之下，汽油和柴油车的注册量分别下降了 5.2% 和 17.7%，至 62,799 辆和 6,596 辆。

中国汽车制造商的进入也提升了需求，它们正开始侵蚀传统制造商的市场份额。本月最畅销的车型中，Jaecoo 7 和 MG 195 分别位列第四和第五。销量前三名分别是福特 Puma、日产 Qashqai 和起亚 Sportage。

尽管销量有所增长，但行业领导者警告称，自然消费需求仍落后于政府的严格目标。

纯电动汽车 (BEVs) 增长了 44.5%，而 2025 年 7 月的表现则不尽如人意，当时部分买家在确认车型完全符合电动汽车补贴资格之前推迟了更换，以争取 27.5% 的份额。

SMMT 上调了全年展望，预测零排放货车的增长将超过更广泛的市场，且在 2026 年预计 218 万 辆的新车市场中，纯电动汽车将占据 27.4% 的份额。然而，这仍远低于政府 33% 的零排放车辆强制目标。

纯电动汽车的市场份额预计在 2027 年将上升至 32.1%，而该年度的零排放强制目标为 38%。

目前的缺口正通过激进的价格削减、补贴融资以及寻求避免昂贵监管罚款的汽车制造商提供的财政支持来弥补。根据该强制指令，汽车制造商将面临一项财务处罚：

Ullo John，买新车了？

2026年7月畅销车型

Ford Puma / 3,531

Nissan Qashqai / 3,224 Kia Sportage / 3,205 Jaecoo 7 / 2,709 MG 195 / 2,703 Ford Kuga / 2,533 Jaecoo 6 / 2,431 Volkswagen Golf / 2,413 MINI Cooper / 2,350 Vauxhall Corsa / 2,326

2010年至2026年7月新车注册量

JSE MORRIS SETTY IMAGES

每辆未达目标的汽车将被罚款 £15,000，每辆面包车将被罚款 £9,000。

SMMT警告称，由于向电动汽车过渡仍存在障碍，必须对该指令进行紧急改革。这些障碍包括较高的前期购买成本、充电基础设施不足，以及车队运营商和商业运输公司在尝试升级电动汽车的同时维持业务运营所面临的压力日益增加。

SMMT首席执行官Mike Hawes警告说，这种市场扭曲威胁到该行业的长期生存能力。“7月份电动汽车的创纪录表现是一项伟大的成就，但如果制造商继续在折扣中损失数十亿资金，这种局面将无法持续。

“如果潜在需求无法跟上，仅仅通过强迫供应是无法实现可持续转型的。我们需要对法规进行改革——否则英国将面临削弱其竞争力以及依赖该行业的就业机会和生计的风险。”

Hawes还指出，虽然纯电动面包车的采用率创下纪录且“令人鼓舞”，但企业只有在条件成熟时才会进行切换。

安迪·伯纳姆的政府正在考虑是否执行基尔·斯塔默爵士关于降低电动汽车销售目标的计划。

汇丰银行（HSBC）的分析显示，7月份英国电动汽车的平均折扣降至近15个月以来的低点 11%，为去年4月以来的最低水平。折扣的减少可能会被那些敦促伯纳姆不要执行斯塔默计划的人所利用。

Uber将投资超过100 亿加元 billion用于自动驾驶汽车

Uber Technologies预测本季度的调整后收益将低于华尔街的预期，并警告称外汇因素将削减预订额增长，同时重申将大力投资于机器人出租车（robotaxis）和收购计划。

在宣布上个月与Delivery Hero达成一项148 亿加元 billion的交易后，这家全球网约车和配送企业的资本配置已成为投资者的关注焦点，该公司计划利用现有流动资金和债务为该交易提供资金。

该公司昨日概述了在未来几年内在自动驾驶车辆上花费超过100 亿加元 billion的计划，但未提供具体的时间表。

根据伦敦证券交易所集团汇总的数据，Uber预测第三季度的总预订额将在582.5 亿加元 billion至602.5 亿加元 billion之间，大致符合592.1 亿加元 billion的预期。

该公司表示，在过去四个季度推动增长之后，预计外汇汇率将使报告的第三季度总预订额增长率比去年下降约一个百分点。

Uber第二季度的总预订额为580.2 亿加元 billion，超过了分析师570.6 亿加元 billion的预期，而调整后的核心收益也超过了预期。

Uber首席执行官达拉·科斯罗沙希（Dara Khosrowshahi，右图）表示，该业务在季度期间受益于各地区和各项服务的广泛需求，包括与国际足联世界杯相关的旅行。据该公司称，在赛事期间，有超过800 万名游客在主办城市使用了Uber。

营收增长12 per cent至141.9 亿加元 billion，略低于142.4 亿加元 billion的预期，原因是英国的一项会计变更降低了报告的销售增长，但未影响底层经济状况。

第二季度的运营支出增长了约10 per cent，营销、研究和行政运营方面的支出均有所增加。

Uber表示，过去一年新增的首单用户数量超过了此前五年中任何一个可比时期，助力总预订额增长24 per cent。纽约时间下午中期，该股下跌$4.86，或6.8 per cent，至$6.12。

调查显示英国服务业在7月恢复增长

Mehreen Khan 经济编辑

随着新政府就任，英国占据主导地位的服务业上月恢复增长，产出水平录得自4月以来的最高值。

一项备受关注的服务业活动调查显示，该行业占英国经济的四分之三以上，其指数在7月从 48.8 升至 52.1，高于城市预测的 51.8。任何高于 50 的数值均表明产出扩张，而7月的采购经理指数是三个月以来的首次增长。

此次反弹是由消费者支出增长、对技术服务的需求以及在成本于4月见顶后企业面临的投入成本涨幅缩小所驱动。新订单衡量指标升至五个月高点，部分公司表示他们正在增加投资。欧元区相应的活动指标从 49.4 升至 51.7 —— 创该地区五个月新高。

英国服务业公司表示，在美伊战争之后，来自海外客户的新业务连续第五个月下降。根据执行该调查的标普全球市场情报（S&P Global Market Intelligence）称，公司警告称“与中东冲突相关的地缘政治不确定性处于高位，仍然……是增长的阻力”。公司表示他们上月在削减员工人数，但就业人数流失的速度是自去年10月以来最慢的。

该调查于7月 9 至7月 29, 期间进行，这一时期以油价波动和政府更迭为标志。WPI Strategy 的英国首席经济学家 Martin Beck 表示，Burnham “可能继承了一个开始获得微弱助力（tailwind）的经济体”。

“高利率、能源成本和政治不确定性带来的拖累可能开始缓解，为经济的一些潜在优势重新出现创造了空间。私营部门的资产负债表依然相对健康，随着信心的提高，家庭有空间减少储蓄、增加支出并逐渐承担更多信贷。”

Pantheon Macroeconomics 的英国首席经济学家 Rob Wood 表示，7月的 PMI 数据表明英国经济在第三季度增长了 0.2%。他补充说，价格压力减弱和招聘意愿降低的迹象表明，英格兰银行提高利率的可能性“正在降低”。

标普（S&P）经济指数总监 Tim Moore 表示：“对未来一年更强增长的预测，部分反映了对缓解中东紧张局势的希望以及近期通胀压力减轻的迹象。最新的整体投入价格涨幅为五个月来最慢，远低于4月见到的峰值。”

Beck 表示，休闲和酒店等行业受到纪录高温和世界杯的“暂时提振”。“尽管如此，调查中包含了一些关于通货膨胀的真正令人鼓舞的消息。服务业投入成本通胀依然高于常态，但已缓解至2月以来的最低率，而企业提高自身价格的速度为五个月来最慢。”

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35

评论 商业

Louisa Clarence-Smith

为什么微软老板在研读1873年金融危机

Satya Nadella 一直在思考1873年的全球金融恐慌。上周，当被问及数据中心和人工智能芯片供应过剩的风险时，这位微软首席执行官表示，“现在应该读的书”是《1873：罗斯柴尔德家族、第一次大萧条与现代世界的形成》（1873: The Rothschilds, the First Great Depression, and the Making of the Modern World）。在软件巨头预测其对AI基础设施的投资将推动2026年的资本支出达到1750 亿加元 billion后，他在一次业绩电话会议上告诉分析师：“我们所有人都在读这本书。”

这本书由历史学家兼经济学家 Liaquat Ahamed 撰写，探讨了维多利亚时代的工业革命，当时罗斯柴尔德银行王朝创建了国际债券市场，而铁路的引入改变了国际贸易。这些创新相结合，起初是一场理性的建设投资盛宴，但最终导致了投机性投资狂潮。

19世纪70年代初，西欧各经济体的产出正处于繁荣期，欧洲和北美的铁路网络每年增加约12,000英里轨道。根据 Ahamed 的说法，从南北战争后到1873, 美国铁路建设投资约30 亿加元 billion，其中约10 亿加元 billion来自欧洲，20 亿加元 billion来自美国的个人投资者，当时数百万人购买小面额债券以资助铁路建设项目。

这场革命性的铁路扩张被拿来与AI基础设施投资盛宴进行对比。去年，美国最大的科技公司在基础设施上花费了4500 亿加元 billion。预计今年的总支出将上升至9000 亿加元 billion，2027. 将达到10 亿加元.4 trillion。他们今年已借款超过4000 亿加元 billion用于建设。

回到19世纪70年代初，资产泡沫在不同国家出现

Anselm von Rothschild 在1873年的维也纳引发了市场抛售

在维也纳，房价翻倍又翻倍，而股市在三年内上涨了300%。全球铁路公司利润和股息的增长支撑了高股价。

镀金时代先是逐渐结束，随后突然崩溃。麻烦的第一个迹象出现在1873年初的奥地利，当时一群高级铁路官员因欺诈被捕。随后在4月，有消息传出由 Anselm von Rothschild 经营的 Creditanstalt 银行已撤回其在证券交易所的存款，并清算了大量股票头寸。这引发了一场抛售：在后来被称为“黑色星期五”的一天里，维也纳股市的银行股单日下跌45%，房地产市场崩溃，失业率飙升。许多在繁荣时期发财的新富阶层破产了。

在 Jay Cooke & Co. 崩溃后，恐慌在美蔓延，该公司是北太平洋铁路的资助者，也是美国南北战争期间联邦战争债券的主要销售商。9月，Cooke 被迫宣布资金耗尽，这导致人们怀疑是否还能为铁路筹集到任何资金。纽约证券交易所关闭，投资者恐慌，到年底时，三分之一的铁路债券出现违约。

一年之内，德国、中欧大部分地区和美国陷入了持续到该十年近末的衰退。贷款枯竭，全球价格下跌了30%。

Nadella 对建设产能过剩担忧的回应是，首先，微软在大量投资AI基础设施时，是基于对客户需求（如地理分布和产品组合）的审慎思考而进行建设的。

然后，他表示，公司必须“建设一条高效的铁路”。微软的AI分发模式包括 Azure，其云部门销售计算能力、数据存储和AI服务。该公司，

该公司此前依赖 OpenAI 的核心 AI 模型来驱动其 Copilot 助手等产品，而现在正在设计自己的模型以及自己的芯片——并由此获得了高达 40% 的效率提升。

美国科技巨头正竞相实现“超级智能”，这是一个机器性能可能超越人类的理论里程碑。实现这一目标可能会使 AI 基础设施投资变得值得，但一些投资者担心，这种支出无法产生超大规模云服务商所预期的来自企业和消费者的需求规模。

纳德拉承认周期中会出现“起伏”。然而，他表示，对于微软的投资能够以客户愿意支付的价格满足需求，并交付公司想要的利润率，他感到“非常乐观”。

一名 AI 建设领域的领军人物在研究历史，这令人感到宽慰。尽管如此，纳德拉的言论在一定程度上表明，投资者对 AI 建设的紧张情绪已经在增长。

看空投资者正指出麻烦的迹象。上周，在总部位于加利福尼亚州的对冲基金 Situational Awareness 面临主经纪商的追加保证金通知后，Citadel 的肯·格里芬介入，成为了该公司被低估的 AI 股票的救援买家。对冲基金的崩盘可能是更大金融危机的前兆，正如 2008 年之前的情况那样。

导致 1873 年事件的经过提醒我们，在应对多种崩盘中常见的人性因素时面临着挑战：集体心理病态、赌徒心态以及恐惧的传染。它们同时也提醒人们，预测泡沫何时破裂是多么困难。

艾哈迈德指出，“人们在 1873 年宣称有太多的资金在追逐铁路债券。”他在一个播客中说道：“整个局面崩溃又花了两年的时间……我认为我们注定要一次又一次地重新经历这类事件和这类戏剧……如果它在未来几年再次发生，那么下一代人之前就不会再发生了。但每隔 25 到 30 年，我们注定要重新经历这场戏剧。”

Louisa Clarence-Smith 是《泰晤士报》美国商业编辑

Ryan Bourne

应用商店的价格管制可能让用户付出沉重代价

当上一届政府创建数字市场部门（Digital Markets Unit, DMU）时，人们可以预见到两种可能的未来。它可能成为一个灵活的监督机构，避免沉重的布鲁塞尔式监管，使英国处于技术创新的前沿。或者，它可能将大型科技平台视为公用事业，用规则将其窒息，并根据官员们的竞争蓝图重新设计热门市场。

早期的迹象并不乐观。设在竞争与市场管理局（CMA）内部的DMU，已针对苹果和谷歌的应用商店提出了复杂的新价格监管方案。这虽然不完全是应用领域的Ofwat（英国水务监管局），但其与公用事业费率监管的相似之处让该行业措手不及。

应用商店的批评者长期以来一直抱怨，开发者被限制告知客户订阅其服务的其他方式。例如，Spotify必须就应用内订阅向苹果支付佣金，但不能在应用中提供链接引导客户前往其自有网站进行购买。监管机构认为，这种限制削弱了竞争，且让用户无法意识到有更便宜的替代方案。

平台方的回应是，应用商店的功能不仅仅是处理支付。它们筛选恶意软件，提供开发者工具，处理退款，打击欺诈，并在一个值得信赖的市场中为企业提供客户。佣金是为了资助该生态系统，而非纯粹的租金。因此，科技巨头们质疑，它们是否必须允许开发者在由它们白手起家构建的平台上投放广告。难道特易购（Tesco）必须允许亨氏（Heinz）利用其门店来宣传哪里买番茄酱更便宜吗？

根据DMU的计划，应用开发者将获得一项新权利，可以将用户引导至具有其他支付选项的外部网站。为了确保苹果和谷歌能就其提供的真实服务获得补偿，科技巨头仍可对通过这些链接完成的购买征收费用。然而，这项费用将受到CMA的监管。

人们担心，如果没有一定的价格管制，苹果和谷歌可能会收取过高费用，导致没人使用引导功能。然而，如果费用上限设得太低，苹果和谷歌投资于其生态系统完整性的动力显然会降低。

为了管理这种紧张关系，CMA提出了具有侵入性的价格监管。苹果和谷歌必须解析应用审核、恶意软件检查、软件工具、欺诈预防、客户支持和安全方面的成本，然后确定哪些成本与完成的购买“实质性且直接”相关。

随后，CMA官员将决定可以回收多少共同投资，多少利润是合理的，多少价值源于平台信任，多少反映了市场权力，以及应用开发者集体贡献了多少。

这听起来像是一场技术官僚的噩梦。对于像通过管道传输的水这种有形之物，价格操纵已经足够危险。而在一个建立在无形资产、软件和信任之上的行业中，由于每个应用从平台中获取的价值各不相同，这种情况要困难得多。

律师、会计师和经济学家将大获裨益。而消费者是否受益则不那么明确。诚然，他们可能会获得一些更便宜的订阅选项，前提是开发者没有将大部分差价据为己有。然而，低额费用也可能导致苹果和谷歌减少对消费者所信赖的支付基础设施的投资。

消费者高度重视这些功能。最近一项由Public First进行的民意调查（尽管是由科技行业贸易团体委托）发现，与购买应用或在线订阅的低价相比，更多受访者优先考虑安全支付（45%）和欺诈保护（39%）。CMA自己在2025年的调查发现，用户提到便捷性、选择权、安全性和隐私的频率远高于可负担性。

因此，这是一个经过多年建立以培养消费者信任的成功领域，而现在却面临着基于竞争与市场管理局（CMA）对竞争之先入之见的监管重新设计威胁。英国并不缺乏真正糟糕的客户体验。对此进行监管似乎是一个奇怪的优先级。

Ryan Bourne 是卡托研究所（Cato Institute）的经济学家，也是《价格战争》（The War on Prices）一书的编辑

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16

商业

Coca-Cola HBC 拥有在欧洲和非洲两大洲 28 个国家装瓶和销售可口可乐产品的权利

Coca-Cola HBC 在强劲的上半年后上调销售预测

Jessica Newman

可口可乐全球最大的装瓶商之一在世界杯推动运动能量饮料销售激增后，上调了其利润预期。

Coca-Cola HBC 拥有在欧洲和非洲 28 个国家装瓶和销售可口可乐产品的独家权利，该公司表示，该美国品牌对该赛事的赞助提升了上半年的营收和利润。

这家 FTSE 100 公司公布的有机营收增长 9.6 per cent，达到 €62 亿加元，销量增长 7.5 per cent。

包括 Powerade 和 Monster Energy 在内的能量饮料销量跳升 26.1 , 而气泡饮料销量增长 6.4 。

营业利润增长 15.9 ，达到 €7.469 亿。

Coca-Cola HBC 首席执行官 Zoran Bogdanovic 表示，像世界杯这样提供特别版可口可乐和 Powerade 包装的合作伙伴关系，往往在赛事结束后仍具有持久影响。

他补充说，公司看到消费者情绪具有韧性，即便某些市场显示出敏感迹象，且大多数其他消费品公司标志着消费者趋势走软。

源于伊朗战争的通货膨胀、大宗商品和能源成本上升，也促使企业对波动进行套期保值。

Coca-Cola HBC 对关键大宗商品进行了 85 hedged，这些商品包括糖、铝、铝溢价、柴油、玉米和塑料。

该公司目前预计今年的有机营业利润增长在 8 和 10 之间，而之前的指导范围为 7 到 10 。它预测年度有机营收增长将在其 6 到 7 的指导范围上限附近。

总部位于瑞士的 Coca-Cola HBC 是由 Hellenic Bottling Company 和在伦敦上市的 Coca-Cola Beverages 在 2000 年合并而成的。

根据 FactSet 的数据，该公司的最大股东是可口可乐公司，持股 21.5 ，以及希腊-塞浦路斯裔的 Leventis 家族，持股 23.4 。

当 Coca-Cola HBC 在 2013, 将其主要股票上市地从雅典迁至伦敦时，股价起步价为 £1750. 基于昨天的公告，股价收盘上涨 189p，或 4 , 达到 £5015.

英国饮酒者助力喜力利润增长

Jessica Newman

Lecture Industries 记者

西班牙拉格啤酒 Cruzcampo 和爱尔兰世涛啤酒 Murphy's 在英国的强劲销售，助力喜力（Heineken）在今年上半年的利润表现超出预期。

这家全球第二大酿酒商表示，截至 6 月底的六个月中，Cruzcampo 在英国的销量增长了 30% 以上，这得益于“塞维利亚橙”（Sevilla Orange）口味的推出，该公司称该口味正吸引着新客户。与此同时，作为健力士（Guinness）较低成本替代品的 Murphy's 已变得受欢迎，得益于酒吧和酒馆销量的增加，以及在超市和零售酒铺推出罐装产品，其销量翻了一番。

总体而言，该期间的总合并销量增长了 0.9%，好于金融城（the City）预测的轻微下降。在亚太地区的推动下，有机收入增长 2.4% 至 €175 亿，高于分析师的预估。喜力的有机营业利润也超过了金融城的预期，增长 6.7% 至 €22 亿。

该公司将这一业绩归功于低酒精和无酒精品牌的强势表现，这些品牌在上半年的每个地区均有所增长。公司还提到，增加了对其顶级全球品牌的投资，其中包括 Amstel、Birra Moretti 和 Desperados。

喜力重申了其全年指引，即实现 2 到 6 之间的营业利润增长。考虑到持续的地缘政治不确定性，以及 Rafa Oliveira 将于 10 月就任首席执行官的事实，Jefferies 的分析师对缺乏指引上调并不感到惊讶。

喜力表示，公司一直在推进效率计划，削减了约 1,000 个全职工作岗位，这大约占两年重组计划目标总削减人数的一半。

于 5 月底卸任的首席执行官 Doll van den Brink 在 2 月份宣布了裁员计划，当时公司正试图应对整个行业啤酒需求疲软的问题。

喜力的财务主管 Harold van den Broek 表示，裁员是“企业范围内的”，是酿酒厂、供应链、总部和各个市场的举措共同产生的结果，其中欧洲是一个“重要组成部分”。

他说：“毫无疑问，我们越深入这个过程，就越努力尝试挖掘更多机会。”

裁员举措已助力喜力有望在 €4 亿 到 €5 亿 的目标范围“高端”实现成本节约。

巴克莱银行（Barclays）分析师 Laurence Whyatt 表示，尽管在美洲关键市场表现疲软且失去了市场份额，但喜力迅速的成本削减增强了对其业绩的信心。

市场将信心寄托在 Oliveira 身上，不仅是希望他监督公司剩余的重组工作，还希望他能恢复销量。

虽然各大酿酒商在应对成本上升和需求下降的同时一直难以增加啤酒销量，但喜力波动不定的表现以及在效率方面落后于其更大的竞争对手 Anheuser-Busch InBev，令部分投资者感到沮丧。

Oliveira 在 7 月被宣布为 van den Brink 的继任者。此前，他是荷兰咖啡和茶叶制造商 JDE Peet's 的负责人。分析师对这一任命表示欢迎，他们认为 Oliveira 在消费品领域的深厚背景以及早前在资本市场的经验，使其在寻求为部分不满的投资者提供回报时具有优势。

喜力的股价自年初以来上涨 14%，昨日收盘上涨 2% 至 €79.40。

遇见作家：与威廉·博伊德共度的一晚

准备好进入一个阴影笼罩的世界，在那里每一步都可能是致命的。请加入我们，与备受赞誉的作家威廉·博伊德 (William Boyd) 共度一个夜晚，他将与《泰晤士报》及《星期日泰晤士报》的文学编辑罗比·米伦 (Robbie Millen) 讨论他的最新著作《寒冷日落》(Cold Sunset)。作为《非洲的一个好人》(A Good Man in Africa) 和《任何人类的心》(Any Human Heart) 等现代经典作品的作者，博伊德还将回顾他作为小说家卓越的 50 年职业生涯。

9月9日，星期三 / 7.30pm

圣玛丽教堂，布赖恩斯顿广场，伦敦，W1H 1PQ

TIMES 活动

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17

商业

Next公司继续大放异彩

Isabella Fish 零售编辑

英国晴朗的天气和加大营销力度，助力Next公司在最新一个季度的销售额超出预期，并再次上调了全年利润预测。

这家富时100指数（FTSE 100）服装及家居用品连锁店的股价收盘上涨850便士，即5.7 per cent，至£156.60。此前该公司公布，在截至8月1日的三个月里，全价销售额增长了9.2 per cent，是其此前预估的4 cent的两倍多。

该零售商表示，业绩的提升得益于英国的温暖天气、中东和北欧在第一季度疲软后需求的反弹，以及公司增加在盈利营销活动上投入的能力。

Next的虚拟百货商店Label的需求尤为强劲，该商店销售一系列品牌并为其中许多品牌组织物流。该部门的销售额增长了13.2 。

基于强劲的业绩，Next表示，目前预计全年利润将达到12.4 亿英镑 billion，比去年增长7.3 ，比之前的预测高出£2500 万。关于此次上调，Next表示，其中£1500 万来自该季度增加的销售额，另有£1000 万反映了集团股权投资表现强于预期。

上调后的指引意味着Next预计全年全价销售额将达到60 亿英镑 billion，增长6.3 。集团总销售额预计将达到750 亿英镑 billion。国际业务是该期间的主要增长驱动力，海外在线销售在第二季度激增36.9 ，上半年整体增长23.9 。英国市场的销售额在季度内实现了2.8 cent的温和增长，而实体零售店的收入几乎没有变化，仅微跌0.3 。

Next警告称，由于去年欧洲配送网络重组后，同比基数较高，下半年的海外增长将有所放缓。尽管如此，该公司仍保持积极展望，预计该期间国际销售额将增长14 。

GlobalData的Louise Delgise-Frave表示：“在英国在线渠道中，Label的表现显著超出预期，全价销售额增长13.2 ，凸显了[第三方]品牌选择是Next的优势之一。然而，Next自有品牌的在线销售额在该季度下降了1.2 ，这应该提醒该零售商密切关注其自身的价值主张。”

Shore Capital的David Hughes指出：“虽然近期部分增长可能归因于天气炎热和积压需求等一次性因素，但营销回报的增强表明国际市场仍有持续机会……在我们看来，这次指引再次偏向保守，为未来的进一步超越留下了空间。”

尽管竞争对手面临更广泛的挑战，但Next在英国商业街一直表现稳定。在本财年，它已三次上调利润预测，巩固了Aspley Guise的Wolfson勋爵作为一名一贯承诺较低但交付较高之老板的声誉。

Wolfson是该公司以及富时100指数中任职时间最长的首席执行官，自2001, 8月起担任此职。人们普遍认可他很好地适应了诸如转向在线购物等重大变化，而其他知名零售商则已从商业街消失。

Wolfson在上周末迎来了担任Next首席执行官25周年的纪念日——其任职时间比富时100指数首席执行官的平均任期长了18年10个月。

Next表示，其收益指引假设今年将完成£5.24 亿的股票回购，比之前的指引高出£1400 万。

John Lewis 负责人发出警告

John Lewis 合作伙伴关系（ Partnership）的负责人警告称，由于该连锁店正处于“极其艰难”的贸易环境之中，销售额下降将挤压利润。

这家员工所有制集团（同时拥有 Waitrose）的主席杰森·塔里（Jason Tarry）告诉员工， 正处于一个零售环境中，在那里它“将面临销售额下降和成本上升……我们必须针对一个在六个月前甚至两年前都未曾预料到的近期未来做出调整”，他在接受该家居杂志采访时如此说道，金融时报（FT）已看到该采访内容。

“团队目前正高度关注这意味着我们在调整未来计划方面需要做些什么。”

塔里告诉员工，在销售额受到挤压的同时，集团正寻求提高利润。

“当销售情况不佳时，情况会变得困难，但我们正保持冷静，专注于提高利润率和严格的库存控制，而不是仅仅试图追求顶线销售额。” 经营着 34 家百货商店，目前在塔里和执行董事彼得·鲁伊斯（Peter Ruis）的领导下进行转型。该集团正押注于美容、香水和酒店等快速增长的类别，以振兴其产品供应。此前该公司经历了艰难的几年，面临着来自折扣店和在线零售商的激烈竞争，百货商店的客流量承压。其成本削减计划（包括关闭门店和削减奖金）在员工和客户中都不受欢迎。

当被问及转型何时完成时，塔里回答道：“我对任何询问何时结束的人的坦诚建议是，它永远不会结束。”

今年，该集团在四年来首次向其 66,000 名员工支付了 2% 的奖金。这与 20 世纪 80 年代员工获得的 24% 相去甚远。

该集团在截至 1 月的年度报告中显示，税前及特殊项目前利润为 £1.34 亿，高于一年前的 £1.26 亿。但在计入包括旧技术减值在内的一次性费用后，其法定税前亏损转为 £2100 万，而前一年为 £9700 万 的利润。

销售额增长 5%，达到 134 亿英镑 billion。大部分增长来自 Waitrose，其销售额增长 7%，达到 85 亿英镑 billion。百货商店部门报告的销售额增长 3%，达到 49 亿英镑 billion。

《玩具总动员》拯救迪士尼

Louisa Clarence-Smith 美国商业编辑

迪士尼表示，《玩具总动员 5》的票房成功帮助推动了季度营收的增长，该片还吸引了主题公园游客并提升了周边商品销售额。

由汤姆·汉克斯和蒂姆·艾伦主演的《玩具总动员 5》全球票房已突破 10 亿加元 billion，助力迪士尼 6 月季度的营收增长至 252 亿加元 billion，同比增长 7 per cent。营业收入增长 21 per cent 至 56 亿加元 ，超过了 52 亿加元 的预期。

Josh D'Amaro（于 3 月接替 Bob Iger 担任首席执行官）表示，《玩具总动员》的周边商品帮助公司实现了 5 年来消费者产品营收同比增长最强劲的一个季度，同时增加了主题公园和游轮的游客量。

蒂姆·艾伦在《玩具总动员 5》中为巴斯光年配音。

五部《玩具总动员》系列电影累计全球票房超过 40 亿加元 ，在 Disney+ 上的播放时长超过 20 亿小时。

D'Amaro 表示，虽然其他电影如《星球大战：曼达洛人和格罗古》 “未达到我们的票房预期”，但它仍然推动了《星球大战》系列更高的零售额，并吸引了游客前往主题公园。

D'Amaro 称，真人版《莫阿娜》表现同样不佳，但与最新的《星球大战》剧集一样，对该片的投资贡献了周边商品销售并引导人们前往主题公园。

迪士尼的公园与体验部门报告营收近 100 亿加元 ，比一年前增长 10 ，这得益于其全球公园入园人数增加 4 ，国内公园入园人数增加 3 。

在康卡斯特 (Comcast) 警告称，由于燃料价格上涨和消费者信心疲软，其位于佛罗里达州奥兰多的环球影城公园游客趋势疲软之后，这一结果令投资者感到意外。

迪士尼的娱乐集团报告该季度营收为 113 亿加元 ，比一年前增长 6 。该部门的营业收入增长 64 ，至近 10 亿加元.70 亿加元。

4imprint 上半年表现“稳健”后股价上涨

Jessica Newman

一家在伦敦上市的促销商品销售商在今年上半年表现“稳健”后，上调了年度利润和销售预测。

在 4imprint 集团表示预计截至 12 月底的年度营收将“略高于”去年的 10 亿加元.350 亿加元 后，该公司股价昨日收盘上涨 500p，即 11.4 ，至 £48.90。

这家 FTSE 250 公司表示，预计调整后税前利润将达到 1.3亿美元 左右，超过了城市分析师的预测。尽管在截至 6 月 27, 的六个月中，税前利润下降 19 至 $59.600 万，公司将其归因于关税相关供应商成本导致毛利润率降低。营收小幅上升至 $666.400 万，略高于去年同期的 $659.400 万，因为公司成功引入了新客户。

该期间订单总量超过 100 万单，比一年前的同期六个月下降 1 ，但由于“经过深思熟虑的价格调整”，每单平均价值提高了 3 。

Peel Hunt 的股票研究分析师 Jessica Pok 表示：“我们看到了贸易条件改善和成本管理有效的双重利好。随着大量资金的积累，仍有增加股东回报的潜力。”

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18

商业

曼彻斯特的崛起如何成为伯纳姆的蓝图

詹姆斯·赫利写道，位于索尔福德的 MediaCity 曾是一片废地，现在已成为 250 家企业的创意枢纽

安迪·伯纳姆迅速晋升至唐宁街 10 号，意味着曼彻斯特再次成为了宇宙中心。或者至少感觉上是这样。这就像在 1800 年代，当时这座城市在全球棉花工业中如此至关重要，以至于赢得了“棉都”（Cottonopolis）的绰号。那时，位于市中心西南部的曼彻斯特码头将是一个极其繁忙的地方，船只装载着香料、糖，当然还有原棉。

这种情况一直持续到 20 世纪 70 年代，随着体型更大的现代船只无法再在曼彻斯特运河中航行，码头迅速衰落。当最后一家码头于 1982 年关闭时，该地块被废弃了。

然而，今天回到那里，热闹的气氛又回来了。这次不再是来自码头工人，而是来自驻扎在 MediaCity 的广播员、播客主和网红。MediaCity 于 15 年前在原码头兼废地之上落成，现在是创意人士的枢纽，由富时100指数成分股房东 Land Securities 所有。去年，MediaCity 创作了超过 50,000 小时的内容，包括《今日赛事》（Match of the Day）、《倒数》（Countdown）、《好声音》（The Voice）和《花街》（Coronation Street）等节目。

BBC 是在 2011 年率先搬到那里的，BBC 体育、 早餐节目和 CBeebies 都是这次大规模北迁的一部分。时任 北部首席运营官的爱丽丝·韦伯被委任监督此次搬迁。这并不容易。

“这是——而且现在依然是——该规模组织中最大的一次搬迁，”她说。此时我们正站在 MediaCity 演播室的顶部，眺望着运河方向的曼联主场老特拉福德球场。

“我们要求 1,500 人带着他们的生活和家庭搬迁。约 50% 的人随职搬迁，这是一个惊人的数字。去寻找任何在这个距离和规模下，有如此多人数搬迁的案例看看。”

去年 9 月，Landsec 要求她从租客变为房东，出任 MediaCity 的首席执行官。她的背景意味着很少有人比她更了解且熟悉该区域。

韦伯引导我们从屋顶走下楼梯，进入她所谓的该地块的“引擎”——一个由演播室、剪辑室和制作控制室组成的迷宫。

在其中一个演播室里， 拍摄了大量世界杯节目，尽管现在大部分布景已被清理。有人认为加比·洛根、韦恩·鲁尼等人应该效仿 ITV，将基地设在离美国赛场更近的地方。韦伯并不认同。

“我认为 做出了一个非常明智且相当开明的决定，”她说。“仅仅派遣 250 或 300 人前往美国的成本，对于执照费缴纳者的资金来说，那是正确的决定吗？”

如果技术失效，这看起来就不会像是一个如此

MediaCity 于 15 年前开业，且

明智的举措，但韦伯坚持认为这种情况绝不会发生。她带我穿过另一道门，进入一个摆满了排排服务器的房间。如果你曾访问过数据中心，感觉就是这样：空调环境，伴随着风扇和发电机的巨大轰鸣声。

对于世界杯比赛，有 100 个左右的“馈送信号”——摄像头和麦克风——从北美传回，进入 MediaCity 2,000 万米的光纤电缆中。

“你是否更愿意在室外

Beazley在被苏黎世收购前利润下降53%

Emma Powell

这家即将被苏黎世（Zurich）收购的伦敦劳合社保险公司警告称，由于其利润减半，目前处于“风险环境加剧”且费率“走软”的状态。

Beazley报告称，由于市场波动加剧导致投资回报受损，今年上半年的税前利润下降了53%，至218万加元。

这家富时100指数成分股集团表示，其政治暴力和海战险业务受到了地缘政治动荡的影响，而山火、洪水和极端风暴则导致其财产业务的“风险环境”增加，且赔付规模上升。

作为关键绩效指标的综合经营比率从一年前的84.9%上升至亏损盈利的93.3%。净承保保费下降6%，至24亿加元。

Beazley的首席执行官Adrian Cox表示，与近年来较为温和的经历相比，该集团“看到大额损失环境再次回归”。

在董事会拒绝了此前五次出价（董事会认为这些出价低估了该保险公司）后，该公司在3月同意了苏黎世开出的80亿英镑提高后的报价。该交易预计将在年底前完成。

Beazley成立于1986年，最初仅有几个办公位，现已成长为全球最大的专业保险公司之一，业务涵盖从网络安全、卫星到艺术品和私人游艇的所有领域。

苏黎世是瑞士最大的保险公司，经营财产险和人寿险，在全球雇佣55,000人，其中4,500人在英国，市值达9,170亿瑞士法郎，约为Beazley价值的十倍。

昨日该股收盘下跌1便士，即0.1%，报12.90英镑。

六国赛：威尔士 vs 英格兰 2027

2027年3月5日

前往千禧体育场（Principality Stadium）观看威尔士对阵英格兰的比赛。这是一场吉尼斯男子六国赛赛事，历史、宿敌之争与决定赛季走向的压力在此交汇。

此专属套餐包括官方比赛门票以及两场由传奇评论员Stuart Barnes、《泰晤士报》的Charlie Morgan和一位名人嘉宾主持的活动，为您提供超越开球瞬间的体验。入住市中心优质的四星级酒店，您将紧邻体育场、餐厅和赛后讨论区。哨响前的洞察，哨响后的氛围——所有细节从始至终由我们处理。

由Stuart Barnes主持

自从挂靴结束其十号位（fly-half）生涯以来，Stuart成为了《泰晤士报》的专栏作家和比赛分析师，也是英国最犀利的橄榄球评论员之一。

价格包含

• 在卡迪夫湾Future Inn酒店入住两晚四星级住宿含早餐
• 赛前与传奇评论员Stuart Barnes、《泰晤士报》资深橄榄球记者Charlie Morgan及一位名人嘉宾的问答环节
• 周五参加队长训练赛（Captain's Run）
• 官方A类门票（下层看台，达阵线区域）
• 主持欢迎饮品
• 巡回赛周边商品

可选升级：

• 银级款待升级，含饮品与午餐

请致电 0808 291 4831 或访问 thetimes.com / th-sixnations2027

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WWW.WAYUNMAGNETTIP.PR / ES

吸引了广播公司、播客主和影响力人物来到这片曾经的荒地

“是在迈阿密有闪电击中的广播车，还是你更愿意在这里？”韦伯（Webb），53 岁，问道。

我们继续行走，偶遇一名穿着西装、彬彬有礼的美国男子。韦伯说他是为了新一季的 Wordle 而来。一部美国游戏节目在索尔福德（Salford）拍摄？显然，外国剧组在这里拍摄相当普遍。MediaCity 既能为他们提供物理空间，也能帮助他们寻找工作人员。

“美国的价位要贵得多，有时是两到三倍，”韦伯解释道。“此外，我们这里拥有所有设施——后期制作 / 设备、酒店以及深厚的人才储备。英国的创意产业非常出色。”

MediaCity 是 250 多家企业的所在地，涵盖了从 BBC 和 ITV 到初创公司和个体经营者。其中约四分之三与电影和电视相关。

这里有所有常见的制作公司和道具制作商，但我们还经过了一位销售防眩光眼镜的人的办公室，这样即使在所有舞台灯光下，我们仍然能看到“艺人”的眼睛。

许多企业与创意产业毫无关系，但只想在 MediaCity 之中。例如，在新的 CBeebies 拍摄现场旁边，一家保险公司刚刚搬入；当我们漫步穿过时，共享办公空间里到处是使用笔记本电脑和进行视频通话的人。

韦伯说 MediaCity 不仅仅是一个工作场所；她更倾向于将其称为一个“社区”。这里有餐厅、咖啡馆、酒吧和 1,000 多套公寓。在主楼前，一群承包商正在收拾世界杯球迷区，此前有数千人在那里观看足球赛。

“二十年前这里是泥泞的荒地，”她说。“现在我们成了这个惊人的综合用途场地——能够负责这一切是我的荣幸。”

该场地总面积约为 38 英亩，但其中只有一半已建成。韦伯希望扩大规模。“我们才刚刚真正开始，”她说。“我们有很大的空间可以继续增长。”任何新开发项目都将是“类似方向”，继续专注于创意和数字化，“因为它们是我们经济中增长最快的两个部门”。

从零开始，MediaCity 已将自己打造成为一个真正的创意中心。韦伯一直在接听一些同行的电话，他们有兴趣将组织的部分部门迁入，并尝试建立自己的“技术城”或“金融城”。“我们在建立 MediaCity 时没有蓝图，但可以说现在有了。”

当然，并非每个行业都有像 BBC 这样的组织率先迈出第一步。韦伯说，在让 MediaCity 知名度提高方面，这“非常有帮助”，但她认为由于其地理位置，即使没有 BBC，它仍然会取得成功。

“在BBC搬迁之前，大曼彻斯特地区已经拥有强大的创意产业部门，”她说。“此外，这里有一种稳定性，而且这种稳定性已经持续多年，可以追溯到安迪·[伯纳姆]之前。我们知道企业在稳定中繁荣。这就是为什么Landsea在过去18个月中在西北地区投资了12 亿英镑 billion。”

“这里有一个非常明确的增长战略，而且[大曼彻斯特]联合当局由前投资银行家组成，他们懂得如何开展业务。”

对于想要从零开始建立自己中心的城市或行业，她最好的建议是什么？相信。

“总有无数个理由让你不去做某事。如果BBC听信所有关于为什么它永远无法在这里雇佣任何人，或者为什么没有人会为了《BBC早餐》节目而搬到这里的所有理由……人们很难想象他们尚未认知的事物。”

住房市场低迷导致 Ibstock 陷入亏损

Guy Taylor

英国最大的砖块制造商因承受“低迷”的住房和建筑市场成本而转为亏损，并大幅削减股息。

Ibstock 报告称，截至 6 月 30, 日的六个月内，税前亏损为 £2700 万，而去年同期为 £800 万 的利润。这是因为价格上涨未能抵消需求放缓以及伊朗战争带来的成本压力。结果还反映了在一些停产的“软泥”设施（一种生产手工风格粘土砖的工艺）上计提的 £2500 万 非现金减值损失。

这家在伦敦上市的公司昨天警告称，私人住宅建设以及维修、维护和改良市场的活动预计在“短期内将继续充满挑战”。

昨日股价收盘下跌 4%p，即 4.7 per cent，至 93%p，使其在过去一年的跌幅进一步扩大至三分之一以上。自疫情开始以来，该股已下跌约 65 per cent，使公司的市值约为 £3.8 亿。

Ibstock 提供包括砖块、屋顶瓦片、地板和护柱在内的各类粘土和混凝土产品。由于对冲基金押注英国住房和建筑市场将下跌，该公司目前是伦敦第二大被做空的股票。

金融行为监管局（Financial Conduct Authority）的最新数据显示，该股的累计净空头头寸总计 17.91 per cent，仅次于陷入困境的住宅建筑商 Visiry。

该公司的粘土砖业务涵盖英国境内 15 个制造基地，由 15 个活跃的采石场供应。在混凝土业务（包括墙体、围栏、过梁以及铁路和基础设施产品）方面，该公司在 11 个制造基地运营。

鉴于对英国住房市场的潜在影响，中东冲突背景下重新出现的成本压力以及利率长期走高的前景，进一步使市场情绪蒙上阴影。对于全年而言，扣除前的收益预计将处于分析师共识区间 £5900 万 至 £6800 万 的较低端。

Ibstock 表示，公司仍然“关注伊朗战争和英国首相更替可能对消费者信心及更广泛的建筑行业产生的潜在短期影响”。

公司表示：“在波动持续期间，我们将继续专注于管理产能、库存水平和成本，并将根据市场情况调整计划。”

在调整后基础上，扣除前的收益下降超过四分之一，至 £2600 万，利润率也随之缩减。半年内营收下降 15.1 per

股价

cent 至 £1.64 亿，而中期股息被削减了三分之二，至 0.5p。

首席执行官 Joe Hudson 将上半年描述为在“具有挑战性”的市场背景下表现“稳健”，并补充说公司将继续“使产能、库存水平和成本适应市场条件”。

Peel Hunt 的分析师表示，结果“符合预期”，尽管他们指出营收和税前收益已“大幅”下降。

他们表示：“该集团继续利用战略杠杆来提高业绩，但低迷的市场销量继续抵消这些收益。当销量恢复时，Ibstock 的经营杠杆应能推动盈利能力的快速提升。”

私募股权公司觊觎伦敦上市的Bodycote

罗伯特·米勒 (Robert Miller)

Bodycote昨日表示，已收到私募股权公司CVC Advisers和Veritas Capital分别提出的收购方案，对这家热处理服务供应商的估值约为15.6 亿英镑 billion。

这家在伦敦上市的公司表示，如果谈判能达成一项正式报价，该公司将倾向于推荐其中任何一项方案。该股收盘上涨17p，涨幅为23.1 per cent，报92.3p，使该企业的估值达到16 亿英镑 billion。

Bodycote表示，CVC的方案对该公司的估值最高为每股93%p，略高于Veritas每股94%p的报价。

两项方案均包括现金对价以及2026年的中期股息。

Bodycote表示，已与顾问“仔细考虑”了这些方案。在这两种情况下，该公司均得出结论，认为每项方案的价值都使其董事会“将倾向于一致推荐”给股东，只要CVC或Veritas表达出提交正式报价的意向。

该公司补充称，Bodycote已允许CVC和Veritas进行确认性尽职调查。

CVC拒绝置评，而Veritas未立即回应置评请求。

今年6月，美国资产管理公司阿波罗全球管理公司 (Apollo Global Management) 放弃了以每股88%p（即15.2 亿英镑 billion）收购Bodycote的报价。在该美国公司退出后，该公司表示其董事会“对Bodycote的潜力及其创建一个具有吸引力增长前景的高绩效、韧性企业的战略充满信心”。该公司补充称，其业务在“2026年的交易之初取得了积极进展”。

Bodycote报告称，今年前四个月的核心营收增长了9 per cent，而去年同期则下降了5 per cent。

Flutter 首席执行官在面临美国业务困境中卸任

Jessica Newman

休闲产业记者

在担任这家全球最大博彩公司首席执行官九年后，彼得·杰克逊 (Peter Jackson) 将于下月底卸任 Flutter Entertainment 的首席执行官。

杰克逊曾主导 进军美国市场，他将被丹·泰勒 (Dan Taylor) 接替，后者目前担任该公司的国际部门首席执行官。

泰勒于 5 月就任 总裁这一扩权后的职位，在市场领先品牌 FanDuel 的负责人艾米·豪 (Amy Howe) 离职后，负责监督该集团表现不佳的美国业务。

他在 工作了十多年，在 2018 年至 2020 年期间负责其在英国的主要品牌 Faddy Power Betfair，随后成为所有非美国业务的负责人，期间监督了在意大利和巴西的多次重大收购。

董事长约翰·布赖恩特 (John Bryant) 表示，泰勒在“交付成果、建立高效团队以及领导复杂的国际业务方面拥有卓越的记录”。

在杰克逊的领导下， 于 2024 年将其主上市地从伦敦转移到纽约，试图利用新兴的美国博彩市场。

然而，泰勒将承担起扭转其 FanDuel 体育博彩业务局面的任务，该业务在去年之前一直快速增长；同时，他还需要应对来自 Polymarket 和 Kalah 等主导预测市场参与者的威胁，这些平台实际上允许人们对从地缘政治到大宗商品和文化——以及体育——的所有内容进行投注。

的股价在过去 12 个月中下跌了近 70%，在昨日下午的交易中，由于警告增加的投资将损害短期利润，股价进一步下跌 12% 至 $92.75。

在领导层变动的同时，这家 Betfair 的所有者表示，对 FanDuel 的“前瞻性”支出以及在客户获取和留存方面的其他投资，将导致“短期盈利能力下降”。

因此，该公司目前预测全年核心利润将下降 7% 至 26.5 亿加元 billion，低于其 5 月份标出的 28.7 亿加元 billion 以及分析师预期的 27.9 亿加元 。计划中的投资预计将使利润减少 2.7亿美元。该公司还估计年收入将减少 3.95亿美元 至 1790 亿加元 。

在给股东的一封信中，杰克逊表示：“我们的势头和当前的市场动态意味着，现在是将重点从利润率增长转向优先考虑月均玩家增长和客户价值的正确时机。”

尽管月度玩家人数下降 11%， 第二季度的收入仍达到 43 亿加元 ，高于去年的 42 亿加元 。

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《泰晤士报》单位信托信息服务

Soft / Buy / + / - / Y / N %

| ALLIAR2 GLOBAL INVESTORS | | | | | | Inv Serv 020 7800 1400 Hujikwu 0800 317 573 | | | | | Strategy Bond Fund / 128.75 / -6.47 / 0.86 UK Equity A t / 399.21 / -2.51 / 3.91 UK Growth A / 8034.9 / -122.36 / 2.23

ARTEMIS FUND MGRS

裁员使S4资本缩小亏损

Emma Powell

媒体与电信编辑

马丁·索雷尔爵士的广告公司缩小了亏损并减缓了收入下滑，这对于这家陷入困境的集团来说是一次罕见的提振。

S4资本报告称，今年前六个月的净收入在同比基础上下降了4.7%，而去年同期报告的跌幅为10%，今年仅为去年的一半。

由于公司进一步削减员工人数，税前亏损从一年前的£2510 万减少至£100,000。员工人数减少了略高于720,人，占其总员工人数的11%。

该公司的股价较2021年的峰值已下跌95%，此次上涨125p，即32.4%，收于52p。

净收入预计将出现“中个位数”的下降，而之前的指引是比去年“略有下降”，这意味着同比利润率提高了约140个基点；之前的指引仅为略高于100个基点。

全年息税前及其他项目调整后收益预计将达到£8500 万，与分析师的共识一致。上半年报告的调整后收益为£38 , 是前一年数字的两倍多。

净债务预计也将低于之前的预期，从£60 to £90 , 降至£50 to £80 , 或为调整后收益的0.7倍。该集团继续推进其每股1.35p的首次中期股息。

索雷尔表示，他预计客户在短期内将保持谨慎，这反映了“由于中东持续冲突而导致宏观经济不确定性增加……这种充满挑战的环境导致决策更加审慎。”

由于技术客户优先考虑数十亿加元的投资以扩大其AI能力，该公司受到了技术客户支出下降的打击，这些客户贡献了该公司一半以上的收入。不稳定的宏观经济状况也导致主要品牌削减广告支出。

由于广告商信心不足，以及对人工智能影响的质疑（人工智能威胁要以更低成本和更快速地完成某些任务），整个行业都受到了冲击。

S4资本的业绩公布时间在WPP中期业绩公布的前一天，后者预计将显示第二季度潜在收入下降6%。

S4资本由索雷尔在2018年离开WPP后创立，WPP是他于1985,年创建的富时100指数广告集团，他当时在不当行为指控中离开。索雷尔否认有任何不当行为，并被允许作为“良好离职者”离开。

他创立S4的雄心是打造一个能够挑战包括WPP在内的领先现有企业的数字广告挑战者。

然而，该公司一直受到一系列利润预警的困扰，这导致其市值从2021年超过50 亿英镑 billion的峰值缩减至约£325。

S4雇佣了近6,200名员工，或称“僧侣”（monks）。在最近接受《财富》杂志采访时，索雷尔表示，管理一家拥有大量Z世代员工的企业确实“非常困难”。

他告诉该刊物：“我认为这与通过新冠疫情以及分布式办公而形成的不同态度有关。管理这样的员工比管理200,000名定期进入办公室的员工要困难得多。”

克罗伊登公司将耐克鞋业务外移

一家以开发耐克长距离“超级跑鞋”所用技术而闻名的克罗伊登工厂的所有者，因将重心转向越南和波兰，导致 100 多个工作岗位面临风险（盖·泰勒报道）。

Zotefoams 是耐克打破纪录的跑鞋所用轻质泡沫的关键供应商。埃利乌德·基普乔格在 2019 年成为首位跑进两小时马拉松的人时就穿着该跑鞋。

该公司成立于 1921, 年，最初是一家橡胶制造商，现专注于航空、汽车、建筑、绝缘和运动鞋等一系列行业的高性能泡沫。该公司在全球约雇佣 680 人，并将耐克视为其最大的客户。

马拉松跑者鲁斯·切普格奇使用新款耐克长距离“超级跑鞋”

Zotefoams 昨天宣布了对其历史悠久的克罗伊登基地的重组方案，预计每年可节省约 £4 成本。

Zotefoams 在一份声明中表示，这一决定反映了其在 2026 和 2027, 年期间将“大批量”鞋类生产转移至越南的努力，以及“提高波兰制造能力的利用率”和对自动化的投资。

这些方案仍需经过磋商，关于个人岗位的决定将在讨论结束后才会做出。

“随着越南业务的上线，我们必须确保我们的英国业务在规模和形态上符合未来的要求。”

集团首席执行官罗南·考克斯表示：“今天的方案反映了我们在使制造布局与客户的长期需求及我们的未来增长战略保持一致方面所采取的下一步行动。”

在宣布该消息后，Zotefoams 的股价下跌了 0.7%，该公告是与强劲的半年报一同发布的。该期间营收增长近四分之一，达到 £95.2，推动调整后税前利润增长 34%，至 £15.3。

Zotefoams 维持全年营收 £190.8 和税前利润 £26.3 的指引。

仅限导览团

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2026 年 8 月至 2027 年 12 月

通过这次由 Intrepid Travel 组织的单组小团，在野蛮丛林、纯净海滩和巍峨火山的土地上开启一场冒险。准备让自己沉浸在这个迷人国家充满活力的文化和令人惊叹的生物多样性之中。您将从圣何塞的郁郁葱葱的森林前往壮丽的海岸线，发现一个充满独特野生动物的世界。旅程的一个亮点是与当地家庭同住，您将分享传统餐点并学习烹饪正宗菜肴——一次对当地生活方式真正个性化的洞察。

请立即联系我们，为此套餐添加机票。

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适用条款与条件。 显示价格为每人价格，基于 2026 年 9 月和 10 月的多次出发日期，由两名成人共享，且不包括机票及需在当地支付的强制性当地税费 / recart 费用（金额因目的地而异）。您的报价中将不包含这些费用。价格截至 August 1, 2026 为准，且视情况可能发生变化且取决于供应情况。 £100 的 + 优惠适用于在 December 31, 2026 之前通过提供您的专属 + 代码且最低消费为 £2,000 的每笔 Holidays 预订。请访问 thetimes.com / timesplus 查看完整条款与条件。Intrepid 最高 £95gp 的节省适用于 2026 年 8 月、9 月和 10 月选定出发日期的新预订，且受容量控制。本假期由 Holidays 作为 Intrepid Travel 的代理销售，并受 ABTA P6770 保护。如需完整预订条件，请访问 thetimes.com / holidays / terms-and-conditions。

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43

市场商业

Robert Stephens Tempus 买入、卖出或持有：今日最佳股票建议

低点买入，你可能会大获利

利洁时 (RECKITT BENCKISER)

市值 / 上半年营收 35 亿英镑 billion / 营收 64亿英镑

许多人可能认为，利洁时自年初以来 15 per cent 的股价下跌势头将会持续。毕竟，这家富时 100 消费品公司在地缘政治和经济风险高企的背景下，短期运营前景不明朗，这可能会压低其产品的需求。然而，凭借相对具有吸引力的市场估值、稳健的基本面以及乐观的中长期利润增长前景，其表现可能会证明那些悲观的投资者是错误的。

尽管利洁时是在 1999 年通过利洁时-柯尔曼 (Reckitt & Colman) 与 Benckiser 合并而成立的，但其历史可以追溯到 1840, 年，当时有 25 名员工在赫尔 (Hull) 的一家工厂生产淀粉。如今，分布在 80 个国家的 36,000 名员工生产着如滴露 (Dettol)、佳维斯康 (Gaviscon) 和 Finish 等知名品牌。

新兴市场是其最重要的地理板块，占核心营收的 44 per cent。欧洲和北美是其另外两个关键市场，分别贡献了核心营收的 33 和 23 。

它们在本财年上半年的表现非常不一。虽然新兴市场的同店 (LFL) 销售额增长了 8.5 ，但最近公布的中期业绩显示，北美的增长相对乏力，仅为 0.8 ，而

来自赫尔

建议 买入 原因 市场估值未能充分考虑到公司的长期增长潜力

欧洲 minus 3 的同店 (LFL) 销售增长则令人非常失望。

短期内，如果发达市场继续拖累公司的整体财务表现，将不足为奇。毕竟，美国和欧洲的通货膨胀率仍持续高于央行目标。

随着欧洲近期收紧的货币政策，以及未来几个月美国可能加息，粘性通胀可能会挤压实际工资增长。这可能会

导致短期内需求减少，因为消费者可能会转向更便宜的替代品，甚至减少消费。

不过，这可能只是一个暂时的问题。根据央行预测，美国和欧元区的通货膨胀率预计将在未来 30 个月内降至 2 。这应该会减轻可支配收入的压力，同时为更宽松的货币政策提供空间，在时间滞后效应过去后，这将成为通胀后工资增长和公司财务表现的催化剂。

在 £5 亿 回购计划的推动下，该公司明年的每股收益 (EPS) 预计将增长 8 。这略高于富时 100 典型的中个位数 EPS 增长率，并且表明，在基于今年 15.8, 的预测前瞻市盈率交易的情况下，在英国大盘指数市盈率 (P / E) 为 18 的时刻，它具有良好的性价比。

除了上调评级的潜力以及新的预期 EPS 增长外，利洁时的总回报还将受益于 4 的股息率，这比富时 100 高出 110 个基点。而且，通过剥离资产持续重组，以专注于范围更窄、增长更快且利润率更高的核心品牌，同时在重大效率提升行动中进一步降低固定成本占营收的比例，其长期总回报前景有望改善。

与此同时，稳健的财务状况意味着该公司能够克服短期威胁。半年报显示，营业利润足以覆盖净财务成本七次以上。该公司强大的竞争地位主要集中在品牌忠诚度上，这意味着它在应对持续高于目标的通货膨胀方面也处于特别有利的位置。相对于行业同行，它拥有显著的定价权，如果例如中东战争导致能源价格高于预期且投入成本上升，这将有助于支撑利润率。

结合全球贸易战的威胁，这在短期内可能会导致股价进一步波动。但由于股价在近期下跌后已具有良好的性价比，加上稳健的财务状况和诱人的收益前景，利洁时（Reckitt）的风险 / 回报比依然非常有利。

简讯

Tritax拟筹资至多3.5 亿英镑

Tritax Big Box Reit是一家专门开发物流和数据中心的房地产投资信托基金，目前正寻求通过向城市基金经理配售普通股以及一项有条件零售发行，筹集至多£1.5 亿。

股票的最终发行价将在簿记建档过程结束时确定，零售投资者可以通过RetailBook的合作伙伴网络参与，最低认购额为£250.

此次筹资的净收益将用于资助数据中心开发，并增强未来物流收购的财务灵活性。该公司表示，这将包括在2030-31年间可交付的大伦敦地区两个额外数据中心方案的资本支出需求。

Tritax Big Box首席执行官Colin Godfrey表示：“这些新方案有潜力增加£5000 万至£6000 万的增量租金，成本收益率处于具有吸引力的9 to 11 per cent，且合计资本利润可达£300 to £4 亿，反映出成本开发利润超过50 per cent。”

Tritax Big Box昨日公布了半年报，截至6月30日的六个月内，净租金收入增长16.2 per cent至£1.733 亿，而去年同期为£1.492 亿。股价收盘下跌5p，即0.1 per cent，报171.5p。

礼来公司乐观预测

礼来公司（Eli Lilly）昨日上调了全年营收预测，寄希望于其重磅GLP-1减肥药和糖尿病药物的持续需求。尽管面临定价压力以及来自诺和诺德（Novo Nordisk）的竞争（后者今年在美国推出了减肥药Wegovy的口服版本），但强劲的业绩可能会让投资者放心。礼来公司去年市值突破了$1 trillion，分析师预计仅在美国市场，到2030年其营收就将超过1000 亿加元 billion。其糖尿病治疗药物Mounjaer和肥胖症药物Zepbound在最近一个季度的营收中合计占比64.7 per cent。

激进投资者增持Unite股份

一名将多家伦敦上市公司列为目标的激进投资者已在英国最大的学生住房供应商中建立了超过5 per cent的权益。由Boaz Weinstein管理的美国对冲基金Saba Capital通过金融衍生品建立了在Unite的权益。监管文件显示，截至July 31,，该公司通过股票持有Unite Group 0.084 per cent的投票权，通过金融工具持有5.04 per cent，使其在Unite Group的总权益接近2640 万个投票权。Unite拒绝置评。已联系Saba寻求置评。

《纽约时报》数字化放缓

《纽约时报》在第二季度的数字订阅用户增长速度有所放缓，尽管期间新闻周期繁忙，包括美国与以色列对抗伊朗的战争以及国际足联世界杯。该报在三个月期间增加了约 280,000 名纯数字订阅用户，低于 Visible Alpha 预估的 295,300 名，以及上一季度增加的 30,000 名。其目前的总订阅用户数为 1335 万。该公司表示，预计第三季度纯数字订阅收入的增长将放缓至 12 和 15 per cent 之间，其中值低于 14.2 per cent 的预估值。

富时250指数因AI衰退担忧创历史新高

市场报告

富时250指数创下历史新高，突破24,000点，成为英国资产广泛上涨的一部分（Mehreen Khan撰文）。

该中盘指数比富时100指数更能反映英国经济，昨日上涨173.33点，即0.7%，达到24,612.63点。今年以来，该指数已上涨超过11%，增加了2,000点以上。上月创下历史新高的基准富时100指数今年上涨了近10%。

分析师表示，由于市场担忧美国AI公司的估值及其大规模投资，英国股票成为了受益者，资金正流向欧洲那些风险敞口较小的股票市场。全球股市在周中交易时段上涨，扭转了近期科技相关公司的跌势。

TrinityBridge投资专家负责人Tony Whincup表示，投资者正涌向“更具防御性的板块……包括消费必需品和金融业。这种市场领导地位的扩大有助于推动英国富时100指数创下新的历史新高”。

今年富时250指数表现最好的股票包括差价合约投注集团CMC Markets、剑桥计算机公司Rasp-

华尔街报告

强劲的企业利润和对未来进一步增长的预期一直在稳步推高股价，但由于美国与伊朗战争方向的不确定性继续笼罩市场，各大指数在交易时段表现不一，但仍创下纪录。标准普尔500指数下跌12.97点，即0.2%，至7,723.55点；纳斯达克指数下跌221.55点，即0.8%，至26,363.44点。然而，道琼斯工业平均指数上涨263.24点，即0.5%，至54,349.12点，创下新高，这也是其在2026年的第24次创纪录收盘。

当日最大波动股

Company / Owner

Next / 5.7% Endurance Mining / 5.7% Fresnillo / 4.5% Glencore / 4.1% Coca-Cola HBC AG / 3.9% Vodafone / -2.1% ConnaTec / -2.4% Autotrader / -2.8% HSBC / -4.7% Prudential / -6.4%

汇丰银行和渣打银行昨日均因对中国的风险敞口而受损

berry Pi以及负责建筑地基准备的工程集团Keller Group。

前两者的股价上涨超过120%，Keller上涨了90%。该指数的总价值超过£3130亿，代表了英国上市公司的37%的价值。

在富时100指数方面，由于有报道称中国当局正采取措施追缴数十年来价值数十亿英镑的欠税，对中国有风险敞口的银行和金融服务股经历了一次艰难的一天。

在华风险敞口巨大的保诚保险公司股价在日内一度下跌8%，最终收盘下跌70便士，即6.4%，报£10.25。大部分利润来自香港的汇丰银行下跌74便士，即4.7%，报£15.51。另一家在中国拥有重大业务的英国主要银行渣打银行收盘下跌36便士，即1.6%，报£22.12。

富时100指数的领涨股是Next，该公司再次发布强劲业绩并上调了年度利润预测。其股价上涨850便士，即5.7%，报£156.60。

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44

商业

系纽扣变得困难

“四十多年来，我一直从事体力劳动，”菲尔解释道。“我是一名木匠，所以总是忙于锯木头、敲钉子或打磨东西。但去年退休后，我的手指开始变得僵硬。起初，这种情况只在早晨出现。但随着时间的推移，情况变得越来越糟糕。短短几个月内，情况恶化到连简单的日常任务都让人感到沮丧，而从事任何木工活都成了不可能的事。

有些早晨，我的手指感觉像被锁住了一样。真正让我震惊的一刻是有一天晚上，我回到家，竟然无法转动自家前门的钥匙。我站在那里想……我这是怎么了？”

医生说这是衰老的一部分

最终，菲尔决定去看全科医生（GP）。“医生检查了我的手，说这很可能是关节的磨损，”菲尔说。“他解释说，这是许多人在年老时都会经历的事情，而且这都是衰老的一部分。但我想要知道的是，我该如何让我的手重新好起来？他只是告诉我，如果疼痛就吃止痛药。但我并不喜欢每天依赖药丸的想法，”菲尔承认道。

“我的手僵硬到甚至无法转动前门的钥匙……直到我发现了这款凝胶”

在从事数十年的体力劳动后，退休木匠菲尔·卡特（Phil Carter）开始饱受手指僵硬的困扰

如果您遭受手部、膝盖、臀部或背部疼痛的困扰，请阅读菲尔的故事。

凝胶形式的氨基葡萄糖很有道理

转机出乎意料地出现了。“我偶遇了一位老朋友，他强烈推荐他用于治疗膝盖僵硬的 Glucosamine Gold Gel。在他把订购电话告诉我之后，我立刻订了两管。

“我听说过氨基葡萄糖，我知道很多人服用片剂形式的氨基葡萄糖来支持关节。几天后包裹寄到时，我渴望测试它的效果，于是立即开始使用。庆幸的是，管身非常容易挤压。

我开始感觉到变化

每天洗澡后，我会在早晨将它按摩进手指和指关节中，下午和睡前再次使用。我并不期待奇迹，但两周后，我开始感觉到变化；我的手感觉松了一些，僵硬感似乎没有那么严重了。”在鼓舞之下，他继续每天使用该凝胶。

然后令人惊讶的事情发生了

“大约一个月后，变化变得非常明显，”菲尔说。“我可以再次系衬衫纽扣，无需费力就能打开罐子。而真正让我感觉飘飘欲仙的时刻，是能够重新回到我的工作室。”

在近一年来的第一次，菲尔拿起工具，重新开始制作一个他之前放弃的木制毯箱。

“那种感觉太棒了。我终于感觉找回了自我。”

它带来了真正的改变

如今，菲尔回到了他的工作室。“我真的以为自己再也不能做木工了。但这款简单的氨基葡萄糖凝胶为我带来了真正的改变。不敢想象如果没听说过它，我现在会是什么样子。”

Glucosamine Gold Gel 可直接从 Snowden Healthcare 购买。这款易于涂抹的凝胶旨在按摩进入感觉僵硬或不适的区域，如手部、膝盖、臀部、肩膀和背部。为了让读者亲自尝试，该公司提供一项限时入门促销：买两管送一管，或买三管送两管。如需订购，请拨打免费电话 0800 161 5670 并提供代码：GG13。

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47

“上帝粒子”背后的 理论物理学家 弗朗索瓦·英格尔特 (François Englert)

讣告

彼得·吉尔 (Peter Gill)

剧场导演、国家剧院工作室创始人及剧作家，他将工人阶级卡迪夫的生命力呈现在舞台之上

1965年2月，彼得·吉尔在皇家法院剧院观看其首部剧作《潜眠之穴》（The Sleepers' Den）的首演时过于紧张。该剧以一个阴郁且乏味的家庭为背景，被一名评论家称为“一部具有非凡活力与紧张感的陷阱喜剧”。演出结束后，剧院艺术总监乔治·德温 (George Devine) 在服装部门发现了躲在在那里的他。

其实他无需担心。在适当的鼓励下，他继续为皇家法院剧院创作，包括《花园之外》（Over Gardens Out，1969年）——讲述两名青少年之间同性情爱友谊的故事，以及《微小的改变》（Small Change，1976年）——愤怒地回顾他成长过程中那个紧密相连的战后卡迪夫社区的毁灭。事实上，他的多部剧作都围绕着威尔士首府中贫困的工人阶级社区展开。“那是我的耳朵能听到的语言，”他解释道。

吉尔是一个精力充沛、健谈且极具主见的人物，他同时经营着导演的职业生涯，尤其是执导了三部此前被忽视的劳伦斯 (Lawrence) DIY作品的首演：《矿工的周五之夜》（A Collier's Friday Night）、《儿媳》（The Daughter-in-Law）和《霍尔罗伊德夫人的丧夫》（The Widowing of Mrs Holroyd）。他回忆说，当时并没有意识到这是一次重大的考古式重新发现。“我只是发现了这部戏（《矿工的周五之夜》），德温说：‘在周五晚上演它’，于是我就演了，”他告诉《泰晤士报》，并在另一处补充道，“由于缺乏遮阳伞和中产阶级的忧郁感”，导致这些20世纪初的杰作被忽视。

凭借白发、蓝眼睛和强悍且聪慧的风貌，吉尔在戏剧界是一个不容小觑的人物，尽管他从未获得与彼得·霍尔 (Peter Hall)、特雷弗·嫩 (Trevor Nunn) 或理查德·艾尔 (Richard Eyre) 相同的公众知名度。他曾担任皇家法院剧院的助理导演，是哈默史密斯河畔工作室 (Riverside Studios) 的创始人导演，并建立了国家剧院的工作室。除了翻译和改编作品外，他留下了20多部剧作的遗产。

他也是一个矛盾的综合体：在气势宏大的同时又自谦；为人社交广泛，但大部分社交生活是通过电话完成的；极少能被说服去参加派对，但一旦去，则被仰慕者簇拥。他那百科全书般的知识以激发新想法而闻名。“他的脑子里有一个图书馆，而且他喜欢分享，”演员安德鲁·伍德尔 (Andrew Woodall) 在吉尔于2007年在旧维克剧院 (Old Vic) 执导帕特里克·汉密尔顿 (Patrick Hamilton) 1938年的惊悚剧《古维克之光》（Gurlight）时说道。演员肯尼斯·克拉纳姆 (Kenneth Cranham) 补充道：“我从未问过他任何一个他无法回答的问题。”

彼得·吉尔1939年出生在卡迪夫，是码头工人乔治·吉尔 (George Gill) 与玛格丽特 (Margaret, 婚前姓布朗) 四个孩子中最小的一个。他的兄弟伯纳德 (Bernard) 和保罗 (Paul) 继承了父亲的体力劳动，姐姐玛丽 (Mary) 经营一家养老院。小时候，他与母亲一起听广播剧，而父亲则带他去音乐厅。14岁时，他和最好的朋友在皇家芭蕾舞团来到卡迪夫时发现了舞蹈。“我们看到了[马戈]·芳汀 ([Margot] Fonteyn) 和[迈克尔]·索姆斯 ([Michael] Somes) 舞演阿什顿的《交响变奏曲》，我们看到了薇奥莱塔·埃尔文 (Violetta Elvin) 在毕加索设计的布景中舞演《三角帽》，”他告诉《金融时报》。

在就读语法学校伊尔蒂德学校 (Illtyd's) 的第8年，吉尔协助为一次《风在柳林》的课堂演出绘制布景。

1978年，吉尔在河畔工作室执导《樱桃园》时的照片；1984年，吉尔（左起第四位）与彼得·霍尔及国家剧院的其他名流合影；下方为佐伊·塔珀 (Zoe Tapper) 和约瑟夫·费尼斯 (Joseph Fiennes) 在由吉尔于2005年执导的约翰·奥斯本剧作《乔治·迪伦的墓志铭》中的剧照

“那种效果令人陶醉，”他说。校工允许他在学校礼堂观看业余戏剧社的演出，条件是他要负责摆放椅子。到16岁时，他的演技已经足够出色，得以与安东尼·霍普金斯 (Anthony Hopkins) 一起进入戏剧学校。

一年后，他离开了卡迪夫。他的父亲开车送他去车站。他的母亲认为——事实证明这种想法是错误的——戏剧会为他的天主教成长背景拉下帷幕。他

“我进入戏剧界的时候，它的目的是为了严肃”

加入了霍普金斯，担任弗兰克·邓洛普巡演剧目的助理舞台监督，在约翰·奥斯本那部被视为“异性恋地狱”的《愤怒的凝视》中担任提示员。到2001年，他的观点已足够温和，在国家剧院执导了鲁弗斯·塞维尔主演的奥斯本剧作《路德》，讲述的是新教改革的发起者。

就像哈利·格兰维尔-巴克一样——吉尔在2006年于国家剧院执导了其1905年的剧作《沃伊西遗产》——吉尔也找到了进入表演领域的途径。他与迈克尔·凯恩曾是《长短高》的替补演员，这是威利斯·霍尔1959年关于英国驻马来亚军队的剧作，首演于皇家法院剧院。他最终为那家剧院承担了任何且所有的事情，包括在极短时间内担任新闻官，而他显然完全不适合这个角色。“没有人完全记得彼得·吉尔是如何进入我们的生活的。他突然就出现了，像个被掉包的孩子……他像个魅魔一样粘在约翰·德克斯特和我身上，”导演威廉·加斯基尔在自传中回忆道。

在接下来的几年里，吉尔在舞台和荧幕上穿梭于一些次要角色之间。在电视上，他在《学位问题》（1960年代）中饰演一名赢得牛津奖学金的威尔士矿工之女的男友，在《海下之城》（1962）中饰演一名皇家海军无线电员，并客串出演了侦探剧《无处藏身》（1964）。在大银幕上，他在由亚历克·吉尼斯和德克·博加德主演的18世纪兵变故事《挑战号》（1962）中饰演达布莱中尉，并在《祖鲁》（1964）中饰演612号威廉姆斯二等兵，那是赛·恩菲尔德对1879年罗克漂移战役的史诗级重现，由凯恩、杰克·霍金斯和斯坦利·贝克出演。

回到舞台后，他参加了艺术剧院复排的罗纳德·邓肯剧作《通往坟墓之路》，配乐由本杰明·布里顿创作，他写道，这部剧是“当时泛滥的那种无法言喻的废话”。这种直接下结论的方式再次出现，当他将与皇家莎士比亚剧团的一段短暂接触描述为“部分是愤恨，部分是拍马屁”时，此前他在迈克尔·埃利奥特1961年由瓦妮莎·雷德格雷夫主演的《皆大欢喜》中饰演了西尔维乌斯。这次经历的价值在于演出结束后，他经过一系列苏豪区的酒吧和同性恋酒吧返回哈默史密斯的旅程。

1963年，吉尔担任加斯基尔在《约克神秘剧》中的助手，这次经历启发了他创作皇家法院剧作《约克现实主义者》（2003年，2018年由罗伯特·哈斯蒂在唐马仓库剧院复排）。该剧背景设定在20世纪60年代初，主角是乔治，一名约克郡的农场劳工，在神秘剧中被饰演一名钉十字架的工匠。他与该剧年轻的助理导演、一名伦敦中产阶级青年约翰坠入爱河，但无法强迫自己跟随约翰前往首都。

在焦虑的折磨下，吉尔在24岁时放弃了表演。“我对戏剧艺术，对赋予戏剧生命力产生了越来越浓厚的兴趣，而这似乎在于导演，”他解释道。1964年，他被任命为皇家法院剧院斯蒂芬·弗里亚斯的助理导演。

自从来到伦敦后，他一直住在哈默史密斯，在那里他被邀请参与一个新的社区艺术项目。河滨工作室于1976年开幕，首演的是由他执导、佐伊·瓦纳梅克主演的《皆大欢喜》，并迅速成为年轻艺术家和令人难忘剧目的聚集地，包括他在1978年执导的里程碑式作品《樱桃园》。伯纳德·莱文在《星期日泰晤士报》中写道，这部剧“在我的经验中，从未如此地既令人心碎又如此璀璨；其脆弱的节奏地被如此精妙、笃定地编织，其发展如此自然、人性且真实”。

1980年，彼得·霍尔（Peter Hall）邀请吉尔（Gill）担任国家剧院的副导演。四年后，他建立了该剧院的工作室（Studio），这是一个致力于培养剧作家、导演和演员的实验空间，一直持续到艾尔（Eyre）接替霍尔为止。吉尔竭尽外交手段解释称，“理查德在管理上有着不同的方法”，而艾尔则写道，他无法接受将工作室视为一个绝不能产生商业作品的实验室的愿景。

尽管如此，吉尔一直担任国家剧院的副导演直到1990年。在他任职期间的亮点之一是《Mean Tours》（1987年），该剧的核心是两个男人之间的关系，而当其中一人（由比尔·奈伊（Bill Nighy）完美演绎）对女性产生觊觎之心时，这段关系受到了威胁。

在其他方面，吉尔为广播和电视导演了几档节目。他还涉足歌剧，包括为北英格兰歌剧院（Opera North）执导的《费加罗的婚礼》（1987年），该剧以他专注于以极高清晰度呈现故事而著称；以及在伊丽莎白女王大厅执导的哈里森·伯特威斯尔（Harrison Birtwistle）的双剧目《Down by the Greenwood Side》和《Bow Down》（同样于1987年）。回到奥斯本（Osborne）的作品，他在2005年于喜剧剧院执导了由约瑟夫·费恩斯（Joseph Fiennes）出演的《乔治·迪伦的墓志铭》（Epitaph for George Dillon）。

次年，他在谢菲尔德的克鲁西布尔剧院（Crucible Theatre）成为为期一个月艺术节的主题，其核心作品是他那具有震撼力的《原罪》（Original Sin），该剧灵感来自弗兰克·韦德金德（Frank Wedekind）所谓的“露露剧作”，但讲述的是一个美丽男孩而非女孩的命运变迁。与他的许多剧作一样，这部作品由他亲自执导。近期，他开始分享导演工作，包括在杰明街剧院（Jermyn Street Theatre）由爱丽丝·汉密尔顿（Alice Hamilton）共同执导的《Something in the Air》（2022年），这是一部关于一对住在养老院的七旬老人的精简且静态的双人剧。

吉尔唯一避开的体裁是音乐剧。“我记得24岁时去看《音乐之声》，当时我想，‘这简直是胡扯，越南战争正在进行。我们在看这个，而他们却在用凝固汽油弹攻击人们，’”他告诉《卫报》，尽管他后来澄清了自己的立场，解释道：“我对大众主义没有问题……只是我进入剧场的时候，剧场的目的是为了严肃。”

彼得·吉尔 OBE，剧作家兼剧院导演，出生于1939年9月7日。他于2026年8月3日去世，享年86岁

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48

登记册

弗朗索瓦·英格勒特 (François Englert)

这位谦逊的物理学家和诺贝尔奖得主是“上帝粒子”背后的功臣，正是该粒子“让人们所知的世界——以及我们自身——得以存在”。

弗朗索瓦·英格勒特在被任命为布鲁塞尔自由大学 (ULB) 的物理学教授后，搬进办公室的第一件东西是一张二手床垫。英格勒特坚信，最好的突破是通过归纳法而非演绎法思考而实现的，而他所有最好的归纳思考都是在躺着时完成的：“如果你用演绎法思考，你只能发现你最初怀疑的东西，”他说，“而用另一种方法，你可以释放你的潜意识大脑。”

音乐是这个方程式中的另一个重要部分：“有时，通过聆听莫扎特的歌剧，比参加大学讲座更能让我们更好地感知基础研究的世界。”

1959年，英格勒特在康奈尔大学签署了一份临时研究合同，并发现了一位在科学创造力和对音乐的热爱方面与他旗鼓相当的研究伙伴。罗伯特·布劳特 (Robert Brout) 在机场接到了英格勒特，一旦他们开始交谈就停不下来。“这次初次见面持续了几乎整个晚上，”英格勒特回忆道，“当我们最终分别时，我们知道我们会成为快交的朋友。”

他们花了两年时间共同研究固体，当英格勒特最终于1961年返回比利时时，布劳特也随之而来。正是在那里，这两位物理学家开发了他们最重要的理论，该理论在数十年后为英格勒特赢得了诺贝尔奖：布劳特-英格勒特-希格斯机制，而一种特定的玻色子——现在被称为希格斯玻色子或“上帝粒子”——就是该机制的物理体现。

该机制首次在英格勒特和布劳特1964年的一篇论文中详细阐述，为亚原子粒子如何获得质量提供了一个人们梦寐以求的解释。英格勒特和布劳特理论认为，这些粒子并非自身产生质量，而是通过与渗透宇宙的一种不可见的能量场相互作用而获得质量。这些相互作用阻止了粒子以光速移动，从而赋予了它们质量。“这就是让人们所知的世界，以及随之而来的我们自身，得以存在的原因，”英格勒特解释道。

几周后，英国物理学家彼得·希格斯 (Peter Higgs) 提出了同样的理论，并且在物理学家史蒂文·温伯格 (Steven Weinberg) 的一次错误引用后，“布劳特-英格勒特-希格斯玻色子”很快变成了“希格斯玻色子”。就英格勒特而言，他不介意它以谁的名字命名：他自己将其称为“标量玻色子”，他说这更能描述其性质。

英格勒特和布劳特没有手段证明他们的理论，对于大部分科学界来说，这个理论过于抽象而无法引起兴趣。“我们有点难过人们似乎没有关注，”英格勒特说。尽管如此，在验证了他们的假设后，两位物理学家前往一家咖啡馆点了一瓶香槟。“我们觉得最终它会奏效的，所以我们庆祝了，”英格勒特说。直到50年后，随着大型强子对撞机的建成以及希格斯玻色子的发现，世界其他地方的人们才与他们一起庆祝。

弗朗索瓦·英格勒特1932年出生在比利时的埃特尔韦克 (Ethelwek)，他的波兰犹太裔父母，什穆尔-约瑟克 (Szmul-Josek) 和拜拉·英格勒特 (Bajla Englert)，在一家小型纺织店工作。英格勒特是一个早慧的孩子：他在入学前通过读电车上的广告自学阅读，并被提前

“我们有点难过，因为人们似乎没有关注，”他说道

在第二次世界大战爆发前不久的一年。

1940年的一个早晨，Englert的父亲冲进他的房间，宣布德国入侵了比利时。年仅七岁的Englert因恐惧而呕吐。占领该地的纳粹政权很快开始实施反犹政策：Englert被要求在去学校时佩戴一颗黄星，而他父母的商店被没收为“犹太

Englert在2014年的样子。他提出的理论用了50年才得到证实

资产”。他们最终在1942年7月逃离该市，就在盖世太保和党卫军开始大规模逮捕前的几周。

为了避免被发现，家人分开了，一年时间里，Englert被隐藏在偏远的Lustin村的一家餐厅老板家中。在那里，这个十岁的孩子在当地的抵抗运动中发挥了自己的微小作用，他的任务是清点经过的德国火车车厢数量，以协助其破坏行动。

他在1943年与家人团聚，在一名牧师的帮助下，他们一起躲在Annevoie村。牧师为Englert洗礼，使他能够就读当地的一所天主教寄宿学校。最终，在1944年，英美军队解放了该地区，家人回到了布鲁塞尔。

Englert回到Athénée Royal de Koekelberg就读，随后进入ULB学习工程学。他于1955年以最高荣誉毕业，但那时他对应用物理失去了兴趣，因此拒绝了一家法国科技公司的高薪董事职位。

Englert于1955年与另一名学生Esther Dujardin结婚。他们育有三个孩子：Michèle、Anne和Georges，随后离婚。Englert的第二次婚姻对象是Danielle Vindal，时间从1971年持续到1985年。他们育有两个孩子，Sarah和Hélène。Englert去世后，留下了五个孩子和他的第三任妻子Mira Nikomarow，他于1991年与她结婚。

通过对半导体的研究，Englert接触到了量子物理这一深奥领域，并为其深深吸引。1959年，他完成了该主题的博士学位，不久后前往康奈尔大学与Brout共事。

在发表了具有里程碑意义的1964年论文后，Englert和Brout继续研究量子场论和“无限小”的问题，但也在尺度另一端进行了重要工作，发表了关于宇宙学和宇宙起源的论文。Englert继续在ULB任教，同时也曾在Cerni高度协作的理论物理部门工作。“我认为与其他研究人员的交流和伙伴关系至关重要，”Englert说。“对我来说，研究中的友谊是一个巨大的动力因素。”

在20世纪90年代后期，Englert、Brout和Higgs的发现终于开始获得认可。1997年，他们因“提出关于一种负责产生非零质量粒子的新基本粒子——玻色子的存在假设”而共同获得欧洲物理学会奖。随后他们又获得了沃尔夫奖和J.J. 樱井奖。

2012年7月4日，Cerni的研究人员宣布发现了希格斯玻色子，终于证实了Englert和Brout在1964年首次提出的理论。Higgs激动得流下眼泪。对于坐在他身边的Englert来说，这是一个苦乐参半的时刻：Brout在2011年去世，仅仅早了一年，没能与他们共同分享这个重大时刻。

随后宣布，Englert和Higgs被授予2011年的诺贝尔物理学奖。在ULB校园里，Englert赢得了雷鸣般的掌声，记者们聚集在他布鲁塞尔的公寓外。同年，Englert被比利时国王阿尔贝封为男爵。

他的诺贝尔奖是经过数十年的积累而获得的，但对于英格勒特来说，这并非他职业生涯的最高光时刻。“我必须承认，1964年的那种快感甚至更强烈，”他在回忆起他与布劳特首次验证其假设的那一天时说道。他们的发现花费如此之久才得到证实，或许是一件幸事：英格勒特很快发现，成为诺贝尔奖得主意味着必须牺牲大量时间进行演讲和接受采访。“我很庆幸自己在50岁时没有获奖，”他打趣道，“否则那会对我的研究造成真正的困扰。”

理论物理学家弗朗索瓦·英格勒特出生于1932年11月6日。他于2026年6月18日去世，享年93岁。

王全英

被认为是中国长征中最后一名幸存的女兵，她在长征期间担任向导、炊事员和护士

1935.年，红军第四方面军抵达中国西南四川省的家乡时，14岁 的孤儿兼家佣王全英正遭受富裕雇主的虐待。当时，他们正在参加后来被称为“长征”的行动。

起初，她与这支主要由农民和工人组成的共产党军队保持距离。然而，受其纪律和行为的启发，她开始参加他们的会议，其中许多会议由女性干部主持。“她们穿着整洁，从不打扰百姓，对村民也从不粗鲁，”她说。

王全英是大约 8,000 名参军年轻女性中的一员，其中 90% 来自四川。她穿上红军制服，剪掉长长的辫子，在女子独立团担任向导、炊事员和护士。“号角声就是命令：前进！前进！”她去年11月告诉《人民日报》。

她携带武器，与士兵一同行军，在野外露宿。她的职责包括挑水和“清危”（清巢）行动，即搜寻并没收富人囤积的物资。当医疗用品短缺时，她用童年时期的草药和民间疗法治疗病人。夜晚，她守护着病人。“有些人挺过来了，而有些人第二天再也没有睁开眼睛，”她说。

尽管毛泽东的长征成为了中华人民共和国的开国神话，但实际上，它是共产党军队为了逃避蒋介石的国民党军队，从中国东南部向西北部进行的一次历史性的 6,000 英里撤退。这在某种程度上也是一场军事灾难：在 1934, 10 月从一个小镇于都出发的 90,000 名红军士兵中，只有几千人在为期一年的前往陕西的跋涉中幸存。然而，这次长征确立了毛泽东作为中国共产党的领导者地位，并始终是坚韧、牺牲和革命决心的定义性象征。

到 1936 年 3 月，王全英所在的部队位于四川省的丹哈哈县，在那里他们与国民党统治下的第 24 军展开了激战。“子弹在我的耳边嗖嗖地飞过，但没有击中我，连连长都说我能活下来很幸运，”她说。国民党军队破坏了横跨县河的桥梁，但第四方面军仍设法撤过了桥。王全英当时与一群受伤士兵在一起，无法过桥。

与部队失散后，王全英在雪山间穿行交易了一个多月，靠野草和融雪生存。由于没有合适的鞋子，她的左脚脚趾因冻伤而脱落。在无法重新加入红军或回家的情况下，她流浪到了汶川县的三江，隐瞒身份并使用化名。

直到 20 世纪 80 年代，得益于一项调查并确认与战友失散红军士兵的政府项目，她在长征中的角色才为人所知。在获得认可后，她收到了一份“失散红军老战士证明”，为其提供了官方福利和医疗保障。

王全英日益被视为一名伟大的幸存者，并被授予纪念勋章。在她去世时，她被认为是最后一名参加过长征的女兵。当被问及如何生存时，她回答道：“跟随红军，心中有光，我不怕艰苦。”

她1921年出生于四川省金川县，原名王桂香，同年中国共产党成立。她的父母是贫穷的藏族人，在她一周岁后不久便去世，随后由一名叔叔抚养。五岁时，她开始为当地一名官员的家庭工作。她的日常工作包括放牛羊和磨粮。洗澡时，雇主将她用绳子系住，扔进冰冷的河中。

长征结束后定居三江后，她过着普通农民的生活。她嫁给刘富光，两人育有五个孩子，但只有两个女儿幸存：在政府工作的刘桂花和医生刘桂芳。她们在成长过程中对母亲的经历知之甚少，除了母亲哼唱的革命歌曲：“蛇皮岭九道弯，空岭上立起哨杆，哨杆倒了路没了，走到雪山时冷得打颤，走到草原时饥肠辘辘。”

1949年中华人民共和国成立后，她将名字改为王全英，寓意“全世界的红军战士都是英雄”。2008年，她搬到都江堰市；2022年5月，她接受了中央电视台纪录片系列剧《长征之歌》的采访。

步入11个十年（100岁以上）后，年迈且不识字的王婆婆依然在唱革命歌曲，举起右手敬礼。她的视力依然敏锐，并热爱女红，将她手工制作的垫子捐给学校和革命教育中心。她说，她唯一的遗憾是未能走完全程的长征。她告诉四川省委党校教授王玉强（他采访了四川长征幸存女性），她长寿的秘诀是“心态好，饮食清淡，心怀慈悲且热爱行善”。

中国长征老战士王全英出生于June 23, 1921. 她于July 22, 2026,去世，享年105岁。

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49

登记簿

法律报告

扭动点火钥匙可能被视为“驾驶”

上诉法院 PARKING August 6, 2026

Rax x OFM Before Lord Justice Edils, Lady Justice Whistler, Judge General K. EDDS EWC / CON 199 判决日期：May 15, 2026

被告在服用可卡因后，在停车场内解锁了一辆汽车，打开驾驶员车门，从外部倾身进入并扭动点火开关以预热车辆，而无意驾驶该车或使其移动。随后，车辆在自身惯性的作用下猛然向前移动，将他一同带走，并撞上了一名坐在婴儿车中的儿童，导致该儿童死亡。现有证据足以让在获得正确指导的陪审团得出结论，即被告针对该车的行为构成了“驾驶”该车。

上诉法院刑事分庭在允许检方根据《Criminal Justice Act 2013》第58条提出上诉时做出了上述裁定。此前，刑事法院的审判法官曾裁定，被告OFM在 count 1（违反《Road Traffic Act 1998》第7条，危险驾驶导致死亡）和 count 2（违反《1989年法案》第34 / 1954条，在酒精或药物影响下粗心驾驶导致死亡）中无需答辩。

本次上诉的争议点在于，是否存在证据足以让在获得正确指导的陪审团得出结论，认为其针对该车的行为构成了“驾驶”该车。法官此前对该问题的回答是否定的。

由于该案涉及重大法律问题，法院在审判期间公布了其保留判决的匿名版本。

Louis Mably KC 代表检方；John Hipkin KC 和 Dean Pulling 由刑事上诉登记官指派代表被告。

LORD JUSTICE EDDS在宣布法院判决时，首先阐述了为本次上诉而达成一致的事实。

被告解锁了汽车，然后打开了驾驶员车门。为了通过启动发动机来预热汽车，他将钥匙插入点火开关并将其扭动。在执行此操作时，他站在车外，身体向内倾斜。除了启动点火开关外，他没有与其他控制装置进行任何交互。

点火启动后，汽车的移动被闭路电视（CCTV）记录下来。车辆从静止状态开始，在自身惯性的作用下猛然向前移动（整体停止旋转）。它驶出了停车位，穿过停车场的行驶车道（宽度为5.91米），随后撞上了儿童的婴儿车。

一旦汽车开始移动，被告随之移动。在与婴儿车发生第一次碰撞时，他似乎在一定程度上倾斜进入了车内，并且可能被车辆携带或拖拽着前进。根据闭路电视证据，他的下肢全程处于车外。

被告在警方询问中表示，他无法停止汽车，因为他无法将脚放在刹车上，也无法触及手刹。专家分析确认，在他当时所处的位置（在车旁但基本上在车外），上述两种操作都将十分困难。

专家分析确认，由于该车没有离合器点火互锁装置、车辆处于挂挡状态，且手刹未被拉至最大程度，这些因素共同导致汽车在点火启动时向前推进。如果手刹被拉至最大，汽车将会熄火，而不会像那样向前移动。没有机械缺陷导致此次事故，尽管更现代的汽车拥有能够防止本案中出现的向前惯性的安全系统。

被告在事故前服用过可卡因。这导致他在案发时的血液苯甲生态原可卡因读数几乎是法定驾驶限值的 5 倍。

在法院的判决中，陪审团需要确定的问题是，在开启点火开关并启动汽车发动机时，被告的行为是否构成了“驾驶”该车辆。在大多数情况下，该问题的答案将是肯定的，因为启动汽车发动机的行为涉及对其移动的控制，且在日常语言中，是构成“驾驶”行为的必要部分，尽管本案的具体事实可能会导致陪审团得出否定的结论。

涉嫌的行为必须涉及涉嫌驾驶者“在实质意义上控制汽车的移动和方向”，这是一个必要而非充分的条件，且该活动还必须符合“驾驶”一词的普通含义。结果可能取决于“被告依赖使用驾驶控制装置的程度和级别”，而界限并不总是容易划定。

当被告在锁孔中转动点火钥匙时，汽车处于静止状态这一事实并不排除该行为构成“驾驶”。即使在当时驾驶者并不打算让汽车移动，陪审团仍可得出该行为构成了“驾驶”汽车的结论。虽然意图与行为是否构成驾驶相关，但并非决定性因素。

他通过转动点火钥匙启动发动机使车辆移动，在大多数情况下，这就是驾驶开始的时间点。一名谨慎的驾驶员在启动发动机之前，会进入驾驶座以检查手刹是否拉起以及汽车是否挂挡。

被告在无法通过使用刹车、离合器或方向盘来控制该行为后果的情况下启动发动机，这一事实同样不能阻止其被认定为驾驶行为。他制造了一种情况，即在启动汽车发动机的同时无法控制汽车的移动，因为他选择站在人行道上进行操作，从而使自己失去了控制手段。

陪审团可以得出结论，站在汽车旁的人行道上启动发动机的行为属于“驾驶”行为。一名“控制汽车移动”的驾驶员并不一定必须对其行使有效的控制。

在法院的判决中，控方认为这是一个由陪审团决定的事项，这一观点是正确的。因此，上诉获得准许，诉讼程序应在刑事法院（Crown Court）重新启动。

事务律师：皇家检控署 (Crown Prosecution Service)。

出生、结婚与死亡

如需在登记簿上预订出生、结婚或死亡公告，请访问 newskadvertising.co.uk；如需帮助，请致电 020 7782 7553 或发送电子邮件至 BMDs@thetimes.co.uk

当他祷告时，面貌改变，衣服变得洁白发光。忽然有两个人站在他旁边与他说话。他们是摩西和以利亚，他们以荣耀的形象出现，与耶稣谈论他在耶路撒冷将要通过死亡来实现上帝旨意的方式。路加福音 5:29-31 (GWE)

圣经经文由圣经协会提供

出生

HAARSTON，2026年7月25日，Sophie (late-Fairie) 与 Scott 之女，Charlotte, Adele Melly，Oscar, Lovell 之妹，深受所有人喜爱。

ROSEDALE，2026年7月23日，Imogen (late-Hatham) 与 Jonathan 之女，Olivia Elvera。

周年纪念

SEDGWICK CHURCHWARD 结婚周年快乐 1956年8月6日于 Ashburton，圣安德烈教堂， Peter 与 Mary。现居住在 Bellman, Knessetère。他们 正与子女 Paul 和 Carey 以及 孙辈 Charlotte, Annabel, Sophie, Lucy, Ben, Emma 和 Katie 共同庆祝这个 非常特别的周年纪念和 快乐时刻。

死亡

ALLISON Joseph Philip Stace (Philip)，2026年7月26日在家中平静去世，家人在侧。Carol 之夫，Austin, Catherine, Joe, Peter 之父，Louise 之兄，祖父。爱丁堡圣玛丽音乐学校退休校长，Bellmann HE, Clutten, Joseph of Waverly 和 Henrich 之挚爱。葬礼将于周五（本期8月7日）在 Warriston Commissions 举行。无需献花，但可捐款至 RN。仪式直播可通过 watchcloths.com 观看，用户名：card0939 密码：056957

COMYN James Alston，2026.年7月18日。Alston 挚爱的丈夫，父亲、岳父 / 公公，以及孙女们倍加疼爱的祖父。葬礼仪式将于8月12日周三下午2点在 East Grafton 的圣尼古拉斯教堂举行。如愿可将捐款赠予 Brian Research UK 和 The Gordis Organization，请通过 Diames Masterson Funeral Service, Wagon Yard, MacDonough, Whitacre, 5W8 3LR，电话：0952-7124446 或发送邮件至 team@charterschurch.co.uk。

宫廷通报

圣詹姆斯宫 2026年8月5日 爱丁堡公爵夫人，哈勒音乐会协会赞助人，今晚出席了在伦敦SW7肯辛顿戈尔皇家阿尔伯特音乐厅举行的漫步音乐会。

圣詹姆斯宫 2026年8月5日 安妮公主，皇家爱丁堡军乐节赞助人，在蒂姆·劳伦斯海军中将爵士的陪同下，今日出席了在爱丁堡科林顿路雷德福德军营举行的军乐节彩排，并由国王陛下在爱丁堡市的领主-兰布兰特（罗伯特·阿尔德里奇议员，尊敬的市长）接待。

在登记册中刊登出生、结婚或死亡公告的简便方法。全天24小时可用。请访问 newskadvertising.co.uk

HAYERS Poth于2026年7月19日安详去世。她是Nelly和Ede深受爱戴的母亲，Poppy、Jake、Willow和Arlie的祖母，以及Philip的妻子。所有认识并爱她的人都将深深地思念她。当地将举行私人仪式，随后是庆祝和感恩仪式。2026年10月22日上午11.30在Release 6th教堂举行。2026年7月24日向坎特伯雷Patrician综合治疗中心捐款以纪念。

HODSON Neil James（肿瘤学家）Care 60年挚爱之夫，Andrew和Matthew深受爱戴之父，七个孙辈之祖父。7月18日去世。安魂弥撒于8月17日星期一下午2点在Keymer, 8W4 6NA的Mary and Elizabeth, McChurch举行。无需鲜花，请向St Peter and St James捐款以纪念Neil。安魂弥撒（在Bowery Funeral Service, The former Road, Heavicks, West Sussex, BW6 5NF）。

HOLLAND 社会教育 出生于1939年8月19日 Gerry于2026年7月17日安详去世，享年66岁。 追思仪式将于2026年9月19日星期一在Billericay, CM10 3YR, Little Bostwick, Banbury Road的圣玛丽处女教堂举行。 诚挚邀请亲友出席。

MARTIN John Patrick在短时间患病后于7月25日安详去世，享年85岁。慈爱且忠诚的丈夫、父亲、祖父及曾祖父。一位将被深深思念的卓越之人。葬礼将于8月11日星期二上午11点在Sparkwell的McGarrin教堂举行。邀请所有亲友参加。应要求无需鲜花；如愿捐款给Dame Hannah Rogers和Moorfields眼科医院，可通过wrightsontchland在线办理。所有咨询请联系：Walter C Farson, Plympton, PL7 2QW 电话：0572 243848。

MCKINLEY Sylvia Ruth（原姓LeFouvent）于2026年7月28日安详去世，享年96岁。Nigel, Susan和Stephen深受爱戴的母亲，Mike, Lydia, Madity, Rory和Jodie的祖母。将被深深思念。

TAFF Philippa Helen于2026年7月24日在家中去世，享年95岁。已故St Gordon Taft海军上将之挚妻，四个孩子深受爱戴的母亲，十二个孙辈之祖母，九个曾孙辈之曾祖母。

法律、公共、公司及议会公告

如需在这些板块刊登公告，请致电 020 7782 7553

公告需经确认，并应在刊登前三天的11.30前返回

法律公告

关于 SOLIFT10 LABS LTD 为购买公司自身股份而拟定从资本中支付的通知 公司编号：15751364 注册地址：WSM, Conners House, 1515137 Alexandra Road, London SW59 2JY 根据 1986 年公司法 (CA 2006) 第 719 条，SOLIFT10 LABS LTD（公司）特此通知资本：

公司已通过 2026 年 8 月 2 日通过的特别决议，批准从资本中支付，用于通过购买方式收购 1,213 股其自身已发行的 B&BS 优先股，这些股份属于公司资本的一部分。

根据 CA 2006 第 720 条定义，上述股份的允许资本支付金额为 £782,984.92。

CA 2006 第 720 条要求的董事声明和审计师报告可在上述公司注册地址查阅。

公司的任何债权人可在上述特别决议日期后的五周内，随时根据 CA 2006 第 721 条向法院申请禁止从资本中支付的命令。

缅怀逝者

尼尔·雷丁 (Neil Reading)

尼克·坎迪 (Nick Candy) 撰文。在商业和生活中，你遇到的真正不可替代的人寥寥无几。尼尔·雷丁（讣告，7月31日）就是其中之一。

当我与我的兄弟克里斯蒂安 (Christian) 共同创建 Candy & 时，世界往往显得快节奏、不可预测，且有时非常混乱。尼尔恰恰相反。无论周围发生什么，他始终保持冷静、稳重且令人安心。他拥有一种非凡的能力来稳住局面。

我经常反思，如果没有尼尔， & 永远无法取得今天的成就。他不是一个追求镁光灯或认可的人。他只是默默地完成工作，高质量地促成事情地发生，解决问题，并开启那些很少有人能开启的大门。他深深关心中他所代表的人。

客户信任他，因为他们知道他真心为他们的利益考虑，并且他总是会付出额外的努力。与此同时，他与记者和编辑建立了令人惊叹的关系，这种关系建立在相互尊重、诚实和数十年的友谊之上。

尼尔也懂得享受生活。我记得那些漫长的午餐，充满了交谈、欢笑，以及总是一场精彩的葡萄酒博弈。然而，无论下午的时间变得多么漫长，他总能以激光般精准的记忆力，想起每次交谈的每一个细节。

在许多方面，尼尔是一个生活在现代世界的古老灵魂。他将忠诚、谨慎、善良和人际关系置于一切之上。这些品质日益稀有，这使他变得更加特别。

失去了尼尔，世界变得贫瘠了许多。我会想念他的智慧，他的友谊，以及最重要的是，他那坚定不移的存在。他留下的遗产不在于头条新闻或赞誉，而在于每一个有幸认识他的人的极大喜爱与尊重。

唐纳德·莱格特 (Donald Legget)

休·特威斯 (Hugh Twiss) 在《记忆中的生命》(Lives Remembered) 一书中描写特灵顿勋爵时，提到了唐纳德·莱格特在启动利安德 (Leander) 见习生计划方面的才干。然而，唐纳德（讣告，8月1日）在说服德里克·德鲁里 (Derek Drury) 担任利安德主教练方面也发挥了关键作用，后者此前在伊曼纽尔学校 (Emanuel School) 的赛艇队中取得了巨大成功。唐纳德表示，他从德鲁里那里学到了很多关于教练的知识，正是这一系列的成功真正开启了唐纳德漫长的教练生涯。

1972年，唐纳德和我还驾驶着CB赛艇队的船只拖车前往慕尼黑奥运会。我可以写很多篇专栏来讲述我们的冒险经历，其中包括每天开车进入运动员村探访赛艇队。我们没有许可证，但唐纳德对着大门守卫大声宣称自己是英国大使或类似的身份，总是能让我们进去。直到我们离开的那一天，由于以色列人质危机爆发，没有任何东西能通过安检。

约翰·利文斯通 (John Livingstone) 写道：由于我的两个儿子都在学校、随后在大学以及为英国国家队参加赛艇比赛，我们多次遇到唐纳德。他是一个极具个性的人，能够将一群不同的运动员凝聚成一支获胜队伍的能力堪称传奇。

有一次在一次赛艇比赛中，他的队员们正准备将船从船库中搬出。按照传统，在此之前，教练会召集他们讨论比赛战术。

队员们满怀期待地聚集在这个伟人周围，希望获得见解、比赛计划、鼓励或智慧之言。队员们安静了下来……DL开始说话：“如果你有机会……”队员们前倾身体，专注地倾听：“如果你有机会，那就……！”

如果您想为已发表的讣告添加个人悼词，可以通过电子邮件将您的贡献发送至 tdbates@thetimes.co.uk

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50

法律

腐败、致命惊悚片与法律生涯

从对抗普京到一部受露丝·埃利斯 (Ruth Ellis) 启发的小说，我们的评论员在法律类精选书籍中提供了许多值得阅读的内容

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51

简报 (THE BRIEF)

本月历史案例 重婚者与一项使其脱离谋杀指控的法医学失误

伯纳姆支持陪审团审判，众人欢欣

JOHN BUNHAM / STANLEY / STANLEY, 2006 照片 / JULIETY SMITH / STANLEY, 2007 / 06

Jonathan Ames

在议会结束夏季休假回归后，那些热爱看激辩的人们将期待着 Sarah Sackman KC 首次重新出现在下议院。

与她曾经的上司、前司法大臣 David Lammy 不同，Sackman 在伯纳姆对斯塔默派（Starmerites）进行清洗后，依然保留了政府职务。对于这位法院大臣来说，问题在于，虽然 Lammy 本应成为政府拟议的英格兰和威尔士陪审团审判激进改革方案的首席鼓动者——该方案旨在遏制刑事法院中激增的积压案件——但实际上在威斯敏斯特承担所有艰巨工作的人却是 。

这包括经常站在派遣箱前，击退来自反对党——以及越来越多来自她所属工党席位——的指责，称这些改革等同于对宪法权利的屠杀。

值得称赞的是， 在捍卫一项不受欢迎的提案时表现得非常出色。Lammy 总是容易受到指责，称他并非真正的信奉者——这是基于他在 2017 年关于刑事司法审查中对陪审团价值的高度评价——而 则像完全认同该方案一样，为这些极具争议的计划而战。

现在，她可能得吞下大量苦果——而烹制这道菜的人正是新任首相。安迪·伯纳姆上周在谢菲尔德的一次集会上表示，他的“直觉”是“我们需要寻找不减少陪审团审判机会的方法”。反对党前排的司法和内政发言人们正对此垂涎三尺。

在“北方之王”入主唐宁街之前，大臣们至少在公开场合全力支持这些改革。而且不仅是大臣，还包括像 Sir Brian Leveson 这样的人物，他是一位退休的上诉法院法官，他去年提交给政府的报告经常被用来证明这一举措的合理性。前保守党大法官 Alex Chalk 曾提出过类似的建议——正如本报自己的犯罪与司法委员会去年的报告中所建议的那样。

至于这些提案在何处出了错，简单的答案可能是 Lammy 和

的过度扩张。Leveson、Chalk 以及《泰晤士报》的委员会都或多或少地呼吁在刑事法院创建一个中间级别，由一名法官和两名平信徒治安法官组成法庭，审理涉及较轻罪行的案件。但政府又进一步推进了两步——增加了无需陪审团即可审理的罪行严重程度，并取消了任何平信徒的参与，改为由一名法官单独坐镇，该法庭将被称为刑事法院分庭（crown court bench division）。

政府在采取这一额外举措时，是否已知已经严重短缺的治安法官人数不足以填补分庭的空缺，目前尚不清楚——他们对此保持沉默。更重要的是，其他因素也让该计划无法成立。

反对者反复向大臣们指出，虽然导致案件积压的原因很多，但陪审团的选任及其审议并非其中之一。事实上，当大臣们取消法院司法出庭天数的上限时，全国关键地区的积压案件开始下降。资深律师表示，只要允许法院满负荷运转并解决排期问题，积压情况就会缓解。

政府提案中一个较少被公开讨论的问题是——由 Leveson 大力推崇的——关于取消陪审团将使由法官单独审理的案件结案速度提高 20% 的说法。政府经常引用 Leveson 来支持这个数字，而这位退休法官反过来则说这是政府研究人员得出的结论。

无论这 20% 的数字来源如何，律师们指出，即便该数字有效，改革的支持者们也忽略了一个关键因素。在他们的计划中，有一项要求是让法官分庭的法官撰写判决书，解释他们定罪或宣判被告无罪的原因。

刑事法院的法官并不习惯撰写裁决书——批评者指出，他们撰写裁决书所需的时间将很容易抵消掉那 20% 的节省，甚至可能耗时更久。

法律界负责人对伯纳姆上周的言论反应是克制的欣喜。刑事大律师协会主席 Riet Karny-Jones KC 自信地认为“陪审团审判将继续存在”，并补充说，伯纳姆已经给出了一个

“明确的迹象，表明本届政府明白，陪审团审判的权利与我们的首相所称的‘对人民的关怀’处于其新政府核心地位的声明是相辅相成的。”

事务律师团体法律协会主席 Mark Evans 表示，“任何减少法院积压案件的努力都绝不能以牺牲基本保障为代价。必须保护陪审团审判，以确保公众对我们司法系统的信心。”

但至少有一位资深人士在敦促伯纳姆不要退缩。Leveson 告诉《泰晤士报》，他仍然“坚定地认为”陪审团制度需要进行“结构性改革”。

订阅者专属

讨好的报告 审计师必须被追究责任

《泰晤士报》法律专栏 (Times Law)

编辑 Jonathan Ames 020 7782 5405 jonathan.ames@thetimes.co.uk

广告与营销

印刷版与在线版，Jeanne Kiala 020 7782 7518 jeanne.kiala@news.co.uk

法庭之外 (OUT OF COURT)

案件、闲谈、混乱：法律界究竟在发生什么

按小时计费真的要结束了吗？

至少在过去的 30 年里，英国法律界的预言家们一直在预言按小时计费的终结。客户更倾向于固定费率，而律师则厌恶成为工时表和臭名昭著的“六分钟单位”的奴隶。

尽管如此，按时间计费的方式依然存在——就在去年，《泰晤士报》法律专栏报道称，一些伦敦金融城 (City) 的合伙人每小时收费高达 £2,000。但不必担心——新一轮的预言再次出现，称该制度的终结已近在咫尺。这一次的预言来自 Helix Law，一家位于布赖顿的诉讼律所，该公司称其专注于利用技术“提供更快速、成本更低的法律服务”。

Helix 上周报告称，其“在 2025-26 年来自替代融资安排的营业额大幅增长，目前占公司收入的 69%，而按小时计费的收入已降至少数”。读者被邀请在十年后再次回顾本专栏，以看看是否会出现类似的故事。

就职服装

威斯敏斯特 (Westminster) 内部正蔓延着一种担忧，认为一场宪法危机正在酝酿。人们担心，由于接替 David Lammy 担任司法大臣的非法律专业人士 Alex Norris 在 10 月之前不会穿着全底假发和古老服装就职，他将无法正式履行大法官 (lord chancellor) 的职责。

不过请放心，司法部确认，十年来的第十任司法大臣已于 7 月 21 日在枢密院 (Privy Council) 正式宣誓就职。遗憾的是，该部门确认，由首席大法官在 10 月法律新年度开始时主持的正式活动仅仅是为了作秀——尽管这给了现任大法官一次发表演讲的机会……同时也增加了 Ede & Ravenscroft 的利润，这家位于 Chancery Lane 的裁缝店提供全底假发、长袍和各种饰物，这些共同构成了大法官的礼仪服装。

被挖走的精英

法律界有些人痴迷于哪些合伙人正跳槽到哪些律所，因此在假期到来之际，猎头咨询公司 Macrae 提供了一份有用的数据汇总。纽约在今年前六个月经历了创纪录的高端横向流动（这是对合伙人跳槽的委婉说法），记录了 358 起。而伦敦则大致回到了 2024 年的水平，有 240 名合伙人被挖走。■ 《泰晤士报》法律专栏将进行短暂的夏季休假，并将于 9 月 3 日回归

本周律师 Jo Keddie

Forsters律师事务所的就业法主管Jo Keddie曾为一名高盛公司高管提供法律服务，该高管被就业法庭裁定获得近$1.500 万的赔偿。法庭此前裁定，Jonathan Reeves在孩子出生后请育儿假期间遭受性别歧视，随后被该投资银行不公平解雇。

在这个案件中，您必须克服的最大障碍是什么？ 获取有力证据以支持因诉讼导致的名誉受损和职业中断而提出的“污名”损害赔偿请求。挑战在于构建证据链以证明其中的联系。法庭认可，尽管原告赢得了诉讼，但其就业前景受到了严重影响。另一个挑战是量化该损失对未来职业前景和收入的影响。

作为一名律师，您做出的最正确的决定是什么？

采取一种好奇且勇敢的方式，探索法律中新颖且有趣的领域。

在法律界，您最钦佩谁？

最高法院前院长Hale女男爵。她的影响力依然巨大。她在宪法法和平等法方面的领导力，包括Gina Miller关于暂停议会的案件，使她成为现代最受尊敬的法官之一。

在您的工作中，发生过最有趣的事情是什么？

在新冠疫情期间，一名主持远程听证会的法官不得不面对他那一群鸡的竞争，那些鸡以不断增强的分贝要求每日的玉米喂食。我当时很难忍住不笑。

成为一名律师最好的和最糟糕的元素是什么？ 最好的是在困难但值得关注的案件中产生影响，尤其是当胜算不高时——我将其描述为“将水推上山”。最糟糕的是法庭系统的延迟，这使得获得司法公正变得愈发具有挑战性。

如果您可以制定一项法律，会是什么？

对法庭系统进行改革，该系统迫切需要资金投入和优先关注。

您最喜欢的饮料是什么？ 一杯起泡酒。在好日子里，我会用它与团队庆祝；在坏日子里，我会用它提醒自己不要把生活看得太严肃。

Frances Gibb

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法律通知

在高等法院 英格兰和威尔士 商业与财产法院 公司法院 (ChD)

CR-2026-005429

关于 ROTORK PLC 的事项

以及 关于 2006 年《公司法》的事项

特此通知，根据上述事项于 2026 年 8 月 4 日作出的命令，英格兰和威尔士高等法院（以下简称“法院”）已允许在普通股投票记录时间（定义见下文的“普通股方案”）持有普通方案股份的股东召开会议（以下简称“普通股法院会议”），旨在审议并（如认为合适）批准（无论是否经过修改）一项拟根据 2006 年《公司法》（以下简称“《公司法》”）第 26 部分在 Rotork plc（以下简称“公司”）与普通方案股份持有者之间达成的安排方案（以下简称“普通股方案”）。该普通股法院会议将于 2026 年 9 月 3 日上午 10.15（伦敦时间）在位于英国伦敦 EC4N 8AL, St Swithin's Lane, New Court 的 Rothschild & Co 办公室举行，请所有普通方案股份持有者届时出席。

任何希望在普通股法院会议上投票的普通方案股东（定义见普通股方案）均有权按照日期为 2026 年 8 月 6 日且致公司股东的文件（以下简称“方案文件”，普通股方案为该文件的一部分）中列出的指示指定代理人。

在普通股法院会议上，将通过投票表决，每位亲自出席或由代理人出席的普通方案股东，在普通股投票记录时间持有的每股普通方案股份将拥有一票投票权。普通股法院会议所需的批准条件是：在普通股法院会议上亲自出席或由代理人出席并投票的普通方案股东中，人数占多数，且这些普通方案股东所投的普通方案股份价值占所投股份总价值的 75% 或以上。

对于普通股法院会议而言，尽可能多地进行投票至关重要，以便法院能够确信普通方案股东的意见得到了公正且合理的代表。无论您是否打算出席和 / 或在普通股法院会议上投票，因此强烈建议您按照方案文件中所述的方式指定代理人。这样做不会妨碍您在希望且有权的情况下，出席普通股法院会议或其任何延期或推迟的会议，并在会上发言和投票。

任何未收到蓝色代理表单的普通方案股东，应在周一至周五（英格兰和威尔士公共假期除外）伦敦时间上午 8.30 至下午 5.30 之间，拨打股东帮助热线 +44 (0) 371 384 2269 向公司注册代理机构 Equiniti Limited 索取，或向 Equiniti Limited (Highdown House, Yeoman Way, Worthing, West Sussex, BN99 6DA) 提交书面请求。

方案文件的副本（其中包括普通股方案以及根据《公司法》第 897 条要求公布的解释性声明）可在公司网站 https: / www.rotork.com / en / investors 获取。希望收到方案文件纸质副本的普通方案股东，可在周一至周五（英格兰和威尔士公共假期除外）伦敦时间上午 8.30 至下午 5.30 之间，拨打股东帮助热线 +44 (0) 371 384 2269 向公司注册代理机构 Equiniti Limited 索取，或向 Equiniti Limited (Highdown House, Yeoman Way, Worthing, West Sussex, BN99 6DA) 提交书面请求，并提供接收纸质副本的地址。

日期：2026 年 8 月 6 日

Slaughter and May One Bunhill Row London EC1Y 8YY 公司代表律师

CR-2026-005429

特此通知，根据英格兰和威尔士高等法院（以下简称“法院”）在上述事项中于2026年8月4日作出的命令，法院已允许在优先股投票记录时间（定义见下文的优先股计划）持有优先计划股份的持有人召开会议（以下简称“优先股法院会议”），旨在考虑并（如认为合适）批准（无论是否经过修改）一项拟根据2006年《公司法》（以下简称“《公司法》”）第26部分在Rotork plc（以下简称“公司”）与优先计划股份持有人之间达成的安排计划（以下简称“优先股计划”）。该优先股法院会议将于2026年9月3日上午10.45（伦敦时间）在位于英国伦敦EC4N 8AL, St Swithin's Lane, New Court的Rothschild & Co办公室举行，届时请所有优先计划股份持有人出席。

任何希望在优先股法院会议上投票的优先计划股东（定义见优先股计划）均有权按照日期为2026年8月6日且致公司股东的、优先股计划所属文件的指示（以下简称“计划文件”）指定代理人。

在优先股法院会议上，投票将通过投票表决方式进行，每位亲自出席或通过代理出席的优先计划股东，将根据其在优先股投票记录时间持有的每股优先计划股份拥有一次投票权。优先股法院会议所需的批准条件是：在优先股法院会议上亲自出席并投票或通过代理出席并投票的优先计划股东中，人数占多数，且这些优先计划股东所投的优先计划股份价值占所投股份总价值的75%或以上。

对于优先股法院会议而言，尽可能多地进行投票至关重要，以便法院能够确信优先计划股东的意见得到了公正且合理的代表。无论您是否打算出席和 / 或在优先股法院会议上投票，因此强烈建议您按照计划文件中所述的方式指定代理人。这样做不会妨碍您在希望且有权的情况下，出席优先股法院会议或其任何延期或推迟会议并进行发言和投票。

任何未收到绿色代理表单的优先计划股东，应在周一至周五（英格兰和威尔士公共假期除外）伦敦时间上午8.30至下午5.30之间，拨打股东帮助热线+44 (0) 371 384 2269，或向Equiniti Limited (Highdown House, Yeoman Way, Worthing, West Sussex, BN99 6DA) 提交书面请求，向公司注册处Equiniti Limited索取。

计划文件的副本（其中包含优先股计划以及根据《公司法》第897条要求公布的解释性声明等内容）可通过公司网站https: / www.rotork.com / en / investors获取。希望收到计划文件纸质副本的优先计划股东，可在周一至周五（英格兰和威尔士公共假期除外）伦敦时间上午8.30至下午5.30之间，拨打股东帮助热线+44 (0) 371 384 2269，或向Equiniti Limited (Highdown House, Yeoman Way, Worthing, West Sussex, BN99 6DA) 提交书面请求并提供邮寄地址，向公司注册处Equiniti Limited索取。

日期：2026年8月6日

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Aire Gardens

BuyAssociation GetGround

您的航程亮点

探索巴哈马晶莹剔透的海水、库拉索色彩斑斓的荷兰风情、阿鲁巴阳光普照的海岸，以及牙买加和开曼群岛悠闲之美，同时享受丽晶七海（Regent Seven Seas）著名的全包式奢华体验。从迷人的岛屿冒险到优雅的海上时光，这段精心策划的旅程在放松、探索与精致享受之间达到了完美平衡。

为了提醒人们以前的夏天是什么样子，1956年的夏天简直是一场灾难——寒冷、潮湿且多风，伴有冰雹和阵发性的雷暴。在那个年代，八月的银行假期是在该月的第一个星期一。1956年的银行假期就在今天的日期，即8月6日，当时的情况极其糟糕。

一场规模惊人的冰雹风暴将大量冰雹和暴雨倾泻在肯特郡的汤布里奇韦尔斯。一度之中，市中心被1英尺厚的冰层覆盖，但冰块也被汹涌的雨水冲刷成高达4英尺的积冰堆，导致交通陷入瘫痪。

窗户被击碎，商店的遮阳篷被撕成碎片，当排水管被冰雹堵塞时，引发了严重的洪水。一对原定于那天早晨在教堂结婚的新人不得不稍微改变计划，因为闪电击中了教堂且管风琴被淹，但婚礼最终还是举行了，只是没有管风琴的伴奏。

房屋、商店、车库和地下室被淹，花园被毁。随后，推土机、工人及志愿者协助搬运冰块并清理道路，总共清运了100车冰雹。交通在四个小时后才得以重新通过该镇。

同一天，雷暴袭击了该国的其他地区。萨塞克斯郡的阿伦德尔城堡遭遇了特大暴雨，18分钟内降雨量达1.78英寸（45毫米），肯特郡的法弗舍姆降雨量达3.1英寸（80毫米）；这也是伦敦自1880年以来最寒冷的八月银行假期。

8月下旬发生了洪水和山体滑坡，8月27日苏格兰边境地区降雨量达75毫米。事实上，那是英格兰和威尔士自1912年以来最潮湿的八月，也是自1914年以来最寒冷的八月。八月在欧洲大部分地区同样潮湿寒冷，九月亦然。

次年，早八月银行假期的诅咒再次降临，伴随着更多的雷暴、强降雨和洪水，以及具有破坏性的冰雹和强风。

请拨打 09065 777675 直接与我们的预报员沟通

每日至下午 5 点（通话费用为 £1.55 另加网络附加费）

WeatherQuest

weatherquest.co.uk

探索。规划。现在通过《泰晤士报》预订。

《泰晤士报》和《星期日泰晤士报》是独特且值得信赖的旅行灵感来源。现在，您也可以信任我们带您前往目的地。

请致电 0808 231 5090 或访问 thetimes.com / holidays

TIMES Holidays

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56

Sandown Park

Rob Wright

5.00 10 am 7:30 p.m. 7:48 Hamside 5.35 Catching Dreams (Yea) 7:23 Ascending Star 6.33 7:10 a.m. 7:38 Arnaud

Going: good to firm

Draw: 10, 6:44 numbers best Racing TV

5.00 Handicap

(15,772: 7m, 2 / 7 (7 numbers))

1 (2) 3-9D WASHING SIGN 7-1 (6 / 2) 6-2 / Hours 7-12-1 2 (6) 3 / 9D FORTICUS 15-1 / 2 / Volume 6-12 1 Blue M Jordan 3 (6) 4-6 ABCGONE HERO'S 15-2 / 3 4-7 amphora 7-12-1

4 (2) 1 / 2 HIPPERSON 17-1 / 3 7m Door 7-3 / 5 8 R Calan 5 (2) 4 / 6M ABOUTH PORT 17-1 / 2 / 6 8-6 amps 5-6 1 MB 7-1 6 (2) 2001 DORVOTOT 17-1 / 3 8-7 / 8 8-6 7-5 8-6 1 MB 7-1 7 (2) 3001 WHEY'S THE PLAN 21-3 / 7 1-1 / 4 8-6 7-5 8-6

8 (2) 3001 DORVOTOT 17-1 / 3 8-7 / 8 8-6 7-5 8

9 (2) 3001 WHEY'S THE PLAN 21-3 / 7 1-1 / 4 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5

5.38 Stakes (2-Y-0: 65.04: 5 / 5 (9) 1 (6) 3 / 8D 6-8 / 8D 7-1 6-2 amps 7-1 8 Koolbaum

2 (6) 1 CATCHING DREAMS 17-1 / 2 / 6 8-7 / 8 7-1 3 (6) 1 / 2 HASHING DREAMS 17-1 / 2 / 6 8-7 / 8 7-1 4 (6) 1 / 2 HASHING DREAMS 17-1 / 2 / 6 8-7 / 8 7-1

4 (2) 4 CRUCES IN HOSHIM 17-1 / 2 1-1 / 4 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5

6 (2) 1 / 2 REISWALK 18-1 / 3 8-6 7-5 8-6

7 (2) 1 / 2 REISWALK 18-1 / 3 8-6 7-5 8-6

8 (2) 1 / 2 REISWALK 18-1 / 3 8-6 7-5 8-6

9 Wright choice 4:24 / 6 / 8

6.13 Stakes (2-Y-0: 63.02: 1m (4) 1 (2) 4-7 / 8

1 (2) FIRST EART 7-2 / 3 / 6 / 7 7-1 2 (2) FIRST THAKISH 7-2 / 3 / 6 / 7 7-1 3 (2) 3-8 / 8

4 (2) 3-8 / 8

4 (2) 3-8 / 8

6.48 Handicap (2-Y-0: 23.07: 1m (2) (3)

1 (2) 3-7 / 8

2 (2) 3-7 / 8

3 (2) 3-8 / 8

Wright choice: Immortage was broken a row it at December set for first time at 1st in the week to come Danger Grant (7)

7.23 Handicap (6.619: 7 / 1 (6) 1 (6) 4-7 / 8

1 (2) 3-8 / 8

6 (2) 3-8 / 8

6 (2) 3-8 / 8

Wright choice: Ascending Star set on country camp seven third here; drops in top Danger Desert Shallow

7.58 Handicap (6.649: 1m) (6) 1 (2) 3-8 / 8

2 (2) 3-8 / 8

Wright choice: Rescued was collateral at an enhanced time, still looks fairly weighted Danger Great Basket

Newmarket

[...OMITTED...]

Book Wright

3.20 Stormy Music 4.00 Guns Blanco 3.35 Lost Raptor 4.15 Hicks Rays 3.30 Kaboom 5.08 Seeking Charles

场地状况：好至坚实 (good to firm)

抽签：无优势 Racing TV

2.20 障碍赛 (25.234: 1m) (7)

1 (2) 3-7 / 8

2 (2) 3-7 / 8

4 (2) 3-7 / 8

2.55 幼马赛 (Nursery) (2-Y-0: 25.234: 1m) (5)

1 (2) 3(2) LIME HASHER 3(1) 3m / 6 7-7 8 Lymphoma 2 (2) 3(2) HELLENSTEIN 3(1) 3m / 6 7-7 8 Rhyama

3 (2) 3(2) HELLENSTEIN 3(1) 3m / 6 7-7 8 Rhyama 4 (2) 3(2) PHEUSCH 3(1) 3m / 6 7-7 8 5 (2) 3(2) 3(1) 3m / 6 7-7 8

5 (2) 3(2) 3(1) 3m / 6 7-7 8 6 (2) 3(2) 3(1) 3m / 6 7-7 8 7 (2) 3(2) 3(1) 3m / 6 7-7 8

6 (2) 3(2) 3(1) 3m / 6 7-7 8 8 (2) 3(2) 3(1) 3m / 6 7-7 8

3.20 锦标赛 (Stakes) (2-Y-0: 65.757: 4 / 1 (7) 1 (2) 3-7 / 8

3.30 锦标赛 (Stakes) (2-Y-0: 65.757: 4 / 1 (7)

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57

网球运动 (Tennis Sport)

Matthew Syed

拉杜卡努和德雷珀成为体育高层贪婪的牺牲品

这简直是疯狂。你不需要看到杰克·德雷珀周二在蒙特利尔大师赛上痛苦哭泣的照片，也不需要看到艾玛·拉杜卡努因压力性骨折退出美网的故事，或者卡洛斯·阿尔卡拉斯在已经缺席法网和温网后又因手腕受伤退出辛辛那提公开赛——而他能否出现在法拉盛公园现在存在严重疑问，这将使网球界失去他与扬尼克·辛纳之间竞争的光彩——才能理解这一点。

体育曾经关乎卓越，关乎伟大时刻，关乎处于巅峰状态的运动员之间的碰撞——有时现在依然如此。但让我们诚实面对：近年来，由于痴迷于将所有能动的东西“货币化”，并在拥挤的赛程中塞进更多项目，现在的体育更像是一个由无关紧要的赛事和毫无意义的对决组成的仓鼠轮，导致了更多的伤病和更少的戏剧性高光时刻。

网球的结构简直愚蠢至极。去年，由诺瓦克·德约科维奇共同创立的职业网球运动员协会提出了一个合理的观点，即排名系统是“严酷的”（通过给球员施加不断的参赛压力），而且强制要求参加ATP和其他赛事（通常在极端高温下，比赛一直打到凌晨）是不可持续的。组织者、推广者、随从、经纪人、西装革履的高管（以及确实包括一些目光短浅的球员）可能认为这太棒了。更多网球，更多金钱。

但他们错得令人发指——而且错得越来越明显。在体育运动中，少即是多。球迷希望看到阿尔卡拉斯在四大满贯中面对辛纳（而不是在那些糟糕的表演赛中）。我们希望在温布尔登看到德雷珀。当他们被投入一个几乎全年无休的绞肉机时，这就不可能实现了；当网球不再是一个展示顶尖选手的论坛，而更像是一条像生产小零件一样批量产出比赛的工厂流水线时，情况便是如此。我是一个网球迷，但我宁愿看《名人恋爱岛》（如果真的有这种节目的话），也不愿在只有八个人观看、每个人都感到厌倦（包括精疲力竭、时差严重的球员）的利雅得无关公开赛上观看德雷珀对阵辛纳。

但这不仅仅关乎网球。足球正在产生一种足以媲美旧魏玛共和国的通货膨胀。上赛季改版后的欧冠联赛有36支球队，每支球队至少要打八场比赛而非六场，联赛阶段总共进行144场比赛，而旧的小组赛赛制下为96场。英冠附加赛的参赛球队从四支增加到六支，这意味着排名第三到第八的球队现在将竞争升级资格。32支球队参加的世俱杯在2024-25赛季末增加了一个包含63场比赛的赛事，这是一个为期一个月且令人厌烦的盛会。

尤尔根·克洛普——圈内少数几个头脑清醒的人之一——称这项最新的赛事为“史上最糟糕的主意”，我对这一表态本会由衷赞同，直到詹尼·因凡蒂诺用一个可怕的尝试将其盖过：试图将世界杯出售给一个由唐纳德·特朗普女婿的兄弟牵头的机构。当然，据报道，其中的部分逻辑是——你猜对了——将这项赛事的频率增加到每两年一次，而且谁知道，也许随着时间的推移，会变成每年一次，使得下一届世界杯在上一届结束之前就开始。

我应该指出，最近的一篇论文认为这里没什么可看的。它声称，在英超联赛中，伤病在统计学上并没有增加。这种说法只有那些知道所有东西的价格却不知道任何东西价值的人才能说得出口。我的意思是，难道你没注意到原因吗？在网球运动中，顶尖球员在低级别赛事中越来越多地降低强度，因为担心再次出现撕裂或断裂。足球以及橄榄球也是如此，本·厄尔指出，英格兰球员为了在约翰内斯堡对阵南非队，飞行距离达到了25,000英里，斐济

一项持续的手臂伤势彻底毁掉了德雷珀（Draper）的职业生涯，他在本周加拿大公开赛的复出败仗中一度落泪。

在利物浦，然后是阿根廷的圣地亚哥-德尔埃斯特罗——三个周末在三个大洲进行三场测试赛。这简直疯了。但既然管理层不太可能对此采取行动，那就得靠球员自己。当然，有些人可能觉得短期内在赚钱，但他们需要退后一步，意识到他们同时在摧毁自己的长期价值——并冒着遭遇职业生涯毁灭性伤病（如德雷珀现在可能面临的那样）的灾难风险。我记得我的左髋部曾有一处持续性伤病，在我的体育生活完全开始之前就几乎毁掉了它。从这个意义上说，过度参赛就类似于一些目光短浅的报纸编辑所采取的策略：用挑逗性的标题来追逐广告收入，同时摧毁品牌。所以，我想对任何阅读此文的职业运动员说：请采取立场。不要指望你的经纪人为你们这么做，因为他们不会。职业体育的一个巨大迷思就是认为那群 1% 的顶层群体是一群在商业上精明的人。根据我的经验，大体上他们并不是。所以请拒绝参赛。组织起来。在太晚之前这样做。你们是明星，是球迷希望在最高舞台上、以巅峰状态出现，并创造出最令人振奋回忆的球员。拒绝这个仓鼠轮。拒绝这条工厂流水线。把自己从这个电池养殖场中抽离出来。你会如此地享受体育运动。我们也会。

昨日赛马结果

布莱顿 (Brighton)

场地状况：好至坚实（部分区域良好）

2.30 (SF 21fwd) 1. Cape Tannada (William Carson, 11-8 热门); 2. Beach Partee (15-2); 3. Hovana Jeg (100-30); 5 匹参赛。1 / 2, 17 / 2. A W Carroll.

3.00 (77 21hyd) 1. River Wharls (Molly Gunn, 2-1 热门); 2. Rovinia (11-4); 3. Rainbow Sign (11-1). 9 匹参赛。sh, 1 / 2. A W Carroll.

3.30 (71 21hyd) 1. Sea Suite (Clarion Fallon, 9-3); 2. Tex (3-5); 3. Northern Empire (17-2). 9 匹参赛。nk, 1 / 2. James Owen.

4.00 (3m 31 207yd) 1. Port Darwin (Bob Plumby, 6-1); 2. Iru Life (9-2); 3. Bluebird Table (11-10 热门); 6 匹参赛。sh, 21. C. Johnston

4.30 (SF 21hyd) 1. Viking Glory (Clarion Fallon, 5-1); 2. Rockwinton (20-1); 3. The Organiser (10-2). 9 匹参赛。2 / 2, 8. James Owen.

5.00 (SF 43yd) 1. Secret Handsholfe (Clarion Fallon, 11-4); 2. Kento (4-1); 3. Titus Thur (11-2). 6 匹参赛。37 / 2, nk. J. Gallagher.

Placapet: £94.20

Quadpet: £27.50

庞特弗拉克特 (Pontefract)

2.45 (3m 21 5yd) 1. Star Start (Mick C Parker, 11-4 热门); 2. Sunny Orange (3-1); 3. Quake On Parole (10-1). 7 匹参赛。1 / 2, 27 / 2. Mrs R Carr.

3.15 (sf) 1. Buggy (D Tudhope, 15-2); 2. Lady Henshaw (4-1); 3. Bar Son Oscar (9-1). 8 匹参赛。1 / 2, 8. Tom Clover.

3.45 (3m 5yd) 1. Spirit Sense (Jason Hart, 9-4); 2. Alouise Fernando (10-1); 3. Garden Oasis (11-10 热门); 6 匹参赛。27 / 2. R. J. Candlish.

4.15 (SF 3yd) 1. Great (Shane Gray, 5-2); 2. Spirit Of Applause (11-4); 3. Masonimi (18-1). 9 匹参赛。NR. Sea Her Excal. 1 / 2, nk. S England.

4.45 (sf) 1. Atilla Whitehurst (Jason Hart, 9-4); 2. Alasanta Gold (10-1); 3. Man Amor (11-1). 8 匹参赛。NR. Willslanap. 17 / 2. R. J. Furtado.

5.15 (3m 1 / 2 27yd) 1. Division Day (Clarion Beasley, 12 热门); 2. Arcan Day (9-2); 3. Something (4-1). 4L. 4JL. B Bisson.

Placapet: £122.20

Quadpet: £19.70

Jackpot: £2,442.60

肯普顿公园 (Kempton Park)

场地状况：标准 / 慢

5.20 (M) 1. Immobile Isaac (Rizasa Ryan, 9-1); 2. Nascent Star (7-2); 3. Kocheba (14-1). 10 匹参赛。NR. Secret Rivid. Trust Yourself. 1 / 2. R. Lamox Souza.

5.50 (7F) 1. VIP The Peg (Frasa Marsh, 6-4); 2. Chanticlee (3-1); 3. Greenlander (30-1). 8 匹参赛。5 / 2, ns. R Hughes.

6.20 (7F) 1. Clive The Winter (S De Souza, 15-6); 2. Ghost Raider (11-2); 3. Gold Army (14-1). 8 匹参赛。1 / 2. W Muir & C Granock.

6.50 (3m) 1. Majdi Storm (Colin Keane, 11-2); 2. Salmat (9-2); 3. Raimfy (4-1). 13 匹参赛。1 / 2, 2 / 2. Harry Charlton.

7.20 (3m 21 21hyd) 1. Forhiculite (James Doyle, 7-2); 2. Dialstone (5-6 热门); 3. Treble Bass (6-1). 12 匹参赛。2 / 1, 1 / 2. C Appleby.

7.50 (3m 21 21hyd) 1. Shadow Road (D Egan, 26-1); 2. Cloud Forest (16-11); 3. Dove Tale (11-1). 10 匹参赛。5 / 2, 21. J. Butler.

8.20 (7F) 1. Victory Ace (Bobby Sheehy, 4-1 热门); 2. Budevful (4-1 热门); 3. Angel Gabriel (4-1 热门). 8 匹参赛。sh, 31. J. Butler.

8.50 (3m 21 21hyd) 1. Captain Robert (George Wood, 7-2); 2. Desert Belle (5-4 热门); 3. Roland Garros (28-1). 8 匹参赛。1 / 2, 2 / 2. J. B Fanshawe.

Placapet:£20.50

Quadpet:£3.60

雅茅斯 (Yarmouth)

场地状况：好至坚实

5.40 (SF 3yd) 1. Luminous Warrior (Mr Fitticher Fairham, 7-2 热门); 2. So Grateful (7-2 热门); 3. Indy's Angel (4-1). 7 匹参赛。hd, 12. Dylan Cunha.

6.10 (SF 3yd) 1. Speed of Sound (Saffre Osborne, 5-6 热门); 2. Pensacola A. Te (13-2); 3. Minkawa (7-2). 10 匹参赛。hd, 1 / 2. R Spencer.

6.40 (SF 43yd) 1. Beauty Boy (H Crouch, 17-2); 2. Bowman (2-1 热门); 3. Dubai Charm (11-4). 5 匹参赛。1 / 2. M. J. Fair.

7.10 (3m 2F 23yd) 1. Time Thief (R Callan, 9-4); 2. Liberiye (8-1); fav); 3. Angel Breeze (28-1). 6 匹参赛。1 / 2, 13. Tom Clover.

7.30 (3m 6F 17yd) 1. Urban Warrior (Marco-Draan, 9-4); 2. Le Rouge Chinois (9-2); 3. Highland Harvey (8-4 热门). 7 匹参赛。2L. sh, 3. C Williams.

8.10 (SF 42yd) 1. Pure Passion (C R Lipton, 7-2); 2. Shining Super (12-1); 3. Mayflower Rock (7-1). 6 匹参赛。NR. She Want Whoosh. 1 / 2, nk. S C Williams.

Placapet:£47.80 Quadpet:£22.50

彪马队10号因“恐吓”裁判被禁赛四场

橄榄球联盟

Will Kelleher 橄榄球副记者

阿根廷飞翼 Tomás Albornoz 因在上个月输给英格兰队后愤怒地对抗裁判 Angus Gardner，被禁赛四场。

世界橄榄球联盟（World Rugby）纪律小组认定，在阿根廷于圣地亚哥-德尔埃斯特罗以 31-24 输给英格兰队的国家冠军赛测试赛后，Albornoz 在两次接近 Gardner 时表现出了“恐吓行为”。

这位 28 岁的球员在责骂这位澳大利亚官员时不得不由队友将其制止。在电视比赛官员 Brett Cronan 做出一项微小判决，导致阿根廷队在最后一分钟被取消一次达阵后，他感到愤怒不已；Cronan 协助推翻了 Gardner 将达阵分授予边翼 Bautista Delguy 的决定。

Albornoz 承认恐吓比赛官员的指控，最初被禁赛六场，但由于他此前纪律记录良好，且同意公开和私下道歉，小组将其禁赛期缩短至四场。他将缺席三场阿根廷队的测试赛，分别是周六对阵南非队，以及 8 月 29 日和 9 月 5. 对阵澳大利亚队的比赛。他还将缺席图隆队在 9 月 12 日对阵拉罗谢尔队的 Top14 比赛。

UAR 本身未受到世界橄榄球联盟的处罚。

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58

Thursday, August 6, 2026 / THE TIMES

体育 橄榄球最伟大的宿敌

新西兰与南非之间，即全黑队（All Blacks）与跳羚队（Springboks）之间的橄榄球宿敌之争，并非始于纳皮尔的麦克林公园或附近的报社，但其政治复杂性正是在那里显现的。那是1921年9月，一场24场巡回赛中的第22场比赛，当时测试赛系列赛战成1-1平，决定性比赛在十天后举行，客队跳羚队以9-8.击败了新西兰毛利队。那场比赛有些混乱，而赛后发生的事情则引发了轩然大波。

“比赛粗鲁且令人不快，”唐纳德·萨默维尔在《橄榄球联盟百科全书》中写道，“但这与随后的丑闻相比根本不算什么。当时一份关于比赛的冒犯性南非报告被发表，记录了跳羚队因被迫与一支非白人球队比赛而感到厌恶。”这封由南非记者查尔斯·布莱克特撰写的泄露电报，是这场持续数十年之久的丑闻的第一个迹象。橄榄球最伟大的宿敌之争花费了几代人的时间才将其与种族脱钩。这是一个关于生活与体育中至上主义观念的故事。

当全黑队和跳羚队在20世纪初进行为期一个月且横跨欧洲的远征时，他们表现得更为优越。母国制定了橄榄球规则，而自治领则过来向他们展示如何操作。荣誉至关重要，但有一件事并非如此：非正式的世界冠军头衔。新西兰和南非将其据为己有。正如《全黑队对阵跳羚队》的作者格雷姆·巴罗所写：“每个国家都知道，在击败对方之前，它不能自称为王者。”

21世纪的组织者计划将他们聚集在一起并称之为“橄榄球最伟大的宿敌”，并非没有原因。在追求经济利益的过程中，新西兰和南非回归到了赋予他们目标的系列赛——一个包含四场测试赛在内的八场比赛日程，将于明天开始。这是这些国家在1921年至1996年间以宗教般狂热进行较量的现代简化形式。

这是一部关于前锋群（scrum）阵型、亨尼·穆勒的中场防守和唐·克拉克踢球得分的历史，但同样也是关于丑闻电报、被排除在外的毛利人以及震撼国家的抗议活动的历史。政治意味着全黑队在巡回赛中没有携带毛利人，然而在新西兰，一支毛利XV队会面对由南非白人人口组成的跳羚队，就像在1921年的那次首次远征中一样。

当这些国家在105年前终于在橄榄球场上相遇时，他们无法被分开。在风雨和泥泞中的决定性测试赛以0.-0.结束。系列赛战平，非正式的世界冠军头衔在60年间一直处于悬而未决的状态——正如从布莱克特的电报开始，“进口的种族隔离”（即南非的种族隔离及其对新西兰的影响）的积累一样。

全黑队在1924-25年前往欧洲，并以“不可战胜者”的姿态回归，其中一名19岁的全卫乔治·内皮亚是明星球员。他是毛利人。因此，当球队在1928年前往南非时，内皮亚没有随行。橄榄球协会表示希望保护毛利球员，以免他们遭受侮辱。“他的缺席几乎没有引起评论，”巴罗写道。

全黑队在第一场测试赛中遭遇尴尬，以17-0落败，这成为了他们直到1995年为止最惨重的失败，并在系列赛中以1-2落后。在决定性比赛之前，新西兰队长莫里斯·布朗利说：“如果我们不赢，我们还不如不回家。”南非的3-4-1前锋群阵型优于新西兰的2-3-2（带有一名有争议的游走前锋），但这不足以获得整体的至高地位。系列赛再次战平。

内皮亚（见下图）未被选入1928年全黑队的南非巡回赛，因为他是毛利人。“进口的种族隔离”一直持续到1970年，当时毛利人和萨摩亚球员终于代表新西兰参赛，但那次粗鲁的系列赛以杜·普雷兹对莱德劳（见左图）臭名昭著的拦截为特征。

“全白”全黑队、政治抗议与前锋线上的拳击手

在四部分系列文章的第一篇中，Elgan Alderman 回顾了 1921-76 年间南非与新西兰之间的巡回赛，以及一场定义了橄榄球且与种族交织在一起的激烈竞争的诞生。

终于，在 1937 年，当跳羚队在新西兰队的后花园以 2-1 获胜时，橄榄球拥有了它的非正式世界冠军。他们被誉为“离开新西兰的最伟大球队”。早期的南非队以精彩的后卫进攻著称。而现在，他们热爱紧凑的对抗，选择用争球（scrums）代替边线球（line-outs），这在当时的规则下是允许的。“争球，争球，争球”是前队长保罗·鲁斯（Paul Roos）在电报中使用的词组。

新西兰在 1949 年回到南非。此时关于球员缺席的议论更多，且出现了抵制呼吁。一支毛利球队同时在澳大利亚巡赛以作安慰，从而避开了新西兰橄榄球的一个低谷：被跳羚队 4-0 横扫。新西兰针对 1937 年的惨败做出的回应是优先增加前锋线的体型，但这在坚硬的场地上产生了反效果。绰号“灰狗”的穆勒（Muller）在新西兰后卫中引起了恐慌，而曾在波兰被囚期间练习过的奥基·戈芬（Okey Goffin）则是南非队的踢球前锋。

到 1956 年的巡赛时，新西兰也拥有了一名出色的踢球手克拉克（Clarke），这位全卫的脚法在全黑队 3-1 的主场胜利中起到了关键作用——这是他们在这次竞争中获得的第一块荣耀。靴子的用途不止于此：新西兰采用了高吊球（up-and-unders）以及对那些处于错误位置的人进行激烈的新西兰式 ruck 抢球

南非 对阵 新西兰

橄榄球最伟大的宿敌赛程

风暴队 对阵 新西兰： 8月7日，开普敦

鲨鱼队 对阵 新西兰： 8月11日，德班

公牛队 对阵 新西兰： 15日，比勒陀利亚

第一场测试赛： 22日，约翰内斯堡

狮队 对阵 新西兰： 25日，约翰内斯堡

第二场测试赛： 29日，开普敦

第三场测试赛： 9月5日，约翰内斯堡

第四场测试赛： 9月12日，美国巴尔的摩

一方。在锋线中选择一名拳击手凯文·斯金纳（Kevin Skinner）引发了争议，其目的是为了削弱春羚队，而那次系列赛因其暴力而为人所知。

政治因素并未消失。在第三场和第四场测试赛之间，春羚队以 37-0 击败了一支毫无斗志的毛利十五人队。五十四年后，穆拉·沃尔特斯（Mura Walters）声称，毛利事务部长欧内斯特·科贝特（Ernest Corbett）曾告诉球队要输球，“为了橄榄球的未来”。

1960年，政治凌驾于橄榄球之上。此前认为南非事务应由南非人而非新西兰人决定的普遍观点开始发生变化。《泰晤士报》在 1959 年的一则标题是“全黑队将成为全白队”。现在出现了抗议活动，以及“没有毛利人，就没有巡赛”的口号。1960年3月的沙佩维尔大屠杀，当时警察杀害或伤了 300 多名示威者，加剧了对南非的反对。橄榄球赛照常进行，全黑队采用了十人制比赛，克拉克的踢球发挥了影响力。客场获胜依然难以实现：春羚队在 1960 年主场以 2-1 获胜，全黑队在 1965 年主场以 3-1 获胜。

在 20 世纪 60 年代后半期，“停止所有种族主义巡赛”运动兴起。南非总理亨德里克·费尔沃德（Hendrik Verwoerd，后被暗杀）重申，毛利球员将不会被纳入巡赛阵容，导致新西兰 1967 年的巡赛被取消。当全黑队在 1970 年重返南非时，情况发生了变化。其中包含了毛利和萨摩亚球员：西德·戈因（Sid Going）、布莱恩·威廉姆斯（Bryan Williams）、巴夫·米尔纳（Buff Milner）和布莱尔·弗隆（Blair Furlong）。这并非剧烈的政策转变，而是一种妥协，这四人被赋予了“荣誉白人”的身份。新西兰 प्रॉप（prop）球员肯·格雷（Ken Gray）出于私人道德反对而退休。

1970 年的比赛再次十分粗暴，其特点是弗里克·杜·普雷兹（Frik du Preez）用紧握的拳头击向头部地擒抱克里斯·莱德劳（Chris Laidlaw）的画面。春羚队以 3-1 获胜。南非在板球和奥运会中已开始被孤立，但橄榄球——以及全黑队——比这些运动中的任何一项都更重要。巴罗（Barrow）写道：“他们认为，如果春羚队获胜，其他国家仍然会想与他们比赛，以将他们从顶端位置上拉下来。”

这种宿敌关系在 20 世纪 70 年代变得平淡，不仅是因为政治原因，还因为这或许是第一次，它不再是非正式的世界冠军赛。英国狮队在 1971 年在新西兰的胜利，以及随后在 1974 年前往南非的“不可战胜”巡赛，使北半球处于该项运动的顶端。

在 1973 年的巡赛被取消后，新西兰在 1976 年回到了南非——客队再次以 3-1 告负——其中六名球员被授予“荣誉白人”身份。另一个进展是在对阵全黑队的巡赛中出现了非白人球员。

这未能平息全球的愤怒。1976 年的索韦托起义发生在关于学校使用南非语的裁决之后，南非警察杀害或伤了 1,000 多名抗议者。由于新西兰的橄榄球与南非的联系， 20 多个非洲国家退出了蒙特利尔奥运会。但在南非，橄榄球是权势阶层的避风港。一名报社高管在从索韦托的报道转向体育新闻时被引用说：“感谢上帝有全黑队，灾难还没有蔓延到橄榄球场上。”

当巡回赛结束时——主队南非再次以 3-1 获胜——局势已足够紧张，以至于惠灵顿的一家报纸《多米尼恩》（The Dominion）在报道最后一场测试赛时，将其写得仿佛是橄榄球历史上最伟大宿敌关系的终结：“无论尘埃落定后南非的形象如何，显然，埃利斯公园球场的裁判在吹响终场哨的同时，也为人们在 50 年间所熟知的全黑队与跳羚队的交锋画上了句号。新西兰必须毫不含糊地阐明其对非洲少数人统治的态度，以及其在海外经常受到质疑的对种族隔离制度的敌视。”

1976 年并非终点。随之而来的 1981 年是新西兰历史上最动荡的时期之一。那是另一个时间的故事。

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59

板球 体育

Mike Atherton

首席板球记者

斯托克斯之后，平衡阵容是一项艰巨任务

“本·斯托克斯是你想要在队中拥有的那种家伙，”迈克·布雷利在斯托克斯成为英格兰队长的三年前曾这样说道。“他是一种领导者，毫无疑问，有时在深夜会带来负面影响，但对球队来说更多是正面作用。如果你要进入丛林，他会是你首选的同行者。”

毫无疑问，布雷利在思考时多少想到了自己的好运，因为在他担任队长的岁月里，拥有伊恩·博瑟姆这样一名同样不可遏制的全能球员。布雷利作为队长的传奇地位是在1981年灰烬杯中确立的，当时英格兰以3-1击败澳大利亚，但如果失去了博瑟姆在那个夏天的复苏，他不可能完成这一壮举，而这种复苏在很大程度上当然归功于布雷利富有同理心的管理和精准的掌控。

那些曾拥有真正全能球员的队长知道自己是多么幸运；有了全能球员，选人以及平衡阵容会变得简单得多。自从博瑟姆在1977年首次亮相以来，英格兰在随后的50年里，大约有35年幸运地拥有三位这样的球员——安德鲁·弗林托夫、博瑟姆和斯托克斯——他们能够凭借球棒或球球赢得测试赛，尽管他们并非在所有时间都处于巅峰状态。

而现在他们没有了。英格兰的选拔委员会将在今天上午公布斯托克斯之后的第一支测试赛阵容，而最重要的考虑因素将是如何在他缺席的情况下平衡球队。这并不简单，仅仅是因为没有明显的对等替代者。没有一个选项——尽管有许多不同的选拔方案来弥补他的缺席——能够完全符合要求。

我对此困境记忆犹新。我担任队长的时期（1993年至1998年）恰逢博瑟姆和弗林托夫之间的权力真空期，我们尝试了多种方式来优化选拔，但大多数方式都有其缺陷。我们尝试让亚历克·斯图尔特担任 विकेट-keeper（接球手）。斯图尔特是一位出色的板球运动员，但一名担任接球手的全能球员仍然会导致阵容略显失衡。

如果他在前六名击球手之列，则尾盘显得过长；如果我们增加一名击球手，则投球能力会受损。斯图尔特作为开场击球手的卓越表现，以及杰克·罗素作为接球手的卓越表现，使问题进一步复杂化。我们一直不确定该怎么做。我们有一些优秀的全能球员，其中以多米尼克·科克和克雷格·怀特为主，随后，怀特成为了其中最接近能稳坐前六名且同时担任四名快球手之一的人。

统计学家本尼迪克特·伯曼计算了英格兰在有或没有博瑟姆、弗林托夫或斯托克斯时的比赛结果，令我惊讶的是，这些数据并没有那么绝对。自从博瑟姆首次亮相以来，英格兰在队中有这三人之一时赢得了39%的比赛，输掉了36%；而在队中没有他们任何一个时，这些数字分别是33%和33%。

如果取他们的巅峰时期（ICC排名最高的五年期间），这些数字就更具决定性。博瑟姆最好的五年期间带来了37%的胜率，22%的败率；弗林托夫最好的时期胜率为43%，败率为34%，而

摩根，这位18岁的米德尔塞克斯全能球员，是英格兰U-19队的近期毕业生，未来有潜力晋升至成年队，但他仍有很长的路要走

斯托克斯的数据则是49%对39%。在那个时间跨度内，平局变得远不那么频繁，这解释了胜率和败率百分比同时上升的原因。

在灰截杯板球赛中，一些最令人难忘的胜利都受到了这些板球运动员的启发，1981年和2005年就是典型的例子。自博瑟姆首次亮相以来，共进行了26届灰截杯系列赛，在其中一名全能选手出战的比赛中，英格兰赢得了八次系列赛，输了六次（两次平局）。在没有任何一名全能选手出战的情况下，八次系列赛告负，仅赢两次。虽然这一对比十分鲜明，但在整个时间跨度中，英格兰最出色的灰截杯表现——2010-11年在客场3-1获胜——是在没有全能选手的情况下实现的。

随后我对鲁特首次担任队长的期间进行了数据分析，他团队中有斯托克斯和没有斯托克斯时的差异相当之大。鲁特共65次率领英格兰队，其中46次有斯托克斯在队，19次没有。他在这些比赛中赢了27场，其中21场胜利是斯托克斯在队时取得的，仅有6场是在没有斯托克斯的情况下取得的。随着他准备开始第二次担任英格兰队长的任期，鲁特必须再次面对斯托克斯缺阵的挑战。

此前，为了弥补失去斯托克斯的影响，鲁特的球队选择了多名具备全能技能的板球运动员。在2017年灰截杯开始时，穆因·阿里、乔尼·贝尔斯托和克里斯·沃克斯分别填补了第六、第七和第八的位置。一年后，萨姆·库伦加入其中，乔斯·巴特勒也是如此。后者这一阶段与埃德·史密斯担任国家选拔员的时期相吻合。史密他在2018年初出版的《做出决定》(Making Decisions)一书中探讨了斯托克斯缺阵的问题，并概述了选择库伦替代斯托克斯的原因。

概括而言，史密斯欣赏库伦的态度、左臂的多样性以及进取的击球风格。没有人会认为他比斯托克斯更优秀的板球运动员，但史密斯认为库伦也帮助其他所有人变得更好了一些。在库伦的测试赛首秀之前，史密斯写道：“在最后一刻，有人试图改变计划，并（谨慎地）召回一名额外的专业击球手，而不是用一名全能选手 [库伦] 来替代另一名全能选手 [斯托克斯]。”他

谁能成为下一个伟大的全能球员？

随着时间的推移，英格兰板球界将希望有一位年轻球员出现，具备成为下一个博瑟姆（Botham）、弗林托夫（Flintoff）或斯托克斯（Stokes）的能力，尽管对于在“牛肉”（Beefy）之后的那一代人来说，被贴上这样的标签往往是一个不受欢迎的沉重负担，其中许多人难以达到预期的水准。

在今年郡级比赛中我见过的所有优秀年轻板球运动员中，最有可能成为我们讨论的那种全能球员的是来自米德尔塞克斯（Middlesex）的18岁少年塞布·摩根（Seb Morgan）。他距离准备就绪还很遥远，但作为英格兰Under-19队的近期毕业生，他是值得关注的一员。

不过，目前他正在MI伦敦队的替补席上候场，已经一个月没有比赛了。他加入了一大批目前在板球赛季高峰期没有参赛的其他优秀年轻球员之列。除了摩根，你还可以加上卡莱布·法尔科内（Caleb Falcone，米德尔塞克斯，目前在南方勇士队）、本·梅耶斯（Ben Mayes，汉普郡和曼彻斯特超级巨人队），以及直到周三在单日杯中为汉普郡重返赛场的曼尼·卢姆斯登（Manny Lumsden，汉普郡和南方勇士队）。

这也增加了我的同事史蒂夫·詹姆斯（Steve James）最近撰文提到的担忧，即培养全格式球员所面临的挑战。在坐替补席期间，他们错失了在各自郡队参加50-over比赛的经验。如果国际板球队的征召来得较早，这将是又一批被要求在几乎没有国内比赛经验的情况下参加50-over板球赛的球员。被选入但没有在“百球赛”（Hundred）中出场，对他们的银行余额是有好处的；但对他们的成长则不利。

文中没有说谁想要额外的击球手，但作为队长，那可能是鲁特（Root）。

碰巧的是，库兰（Curran）目前受伤，无法作为投球全能球员完成一场测试赛；因此他不在对阵巴基斯坦的首场测试赛的考虑之列。结果，英格兰可能会在第六位选择一名能投球的击球手，如丹·劳伦斯（Dan Lawrence）或威尔·杰克斯（Will Jacks），并在第七位选择杰米·史密斯（Jamie Smith），从而使他们仍能派出四名快速投球手，而这通常是在海丁利（Headingley）赢得或输掉测试赛的关键。

不过，一旦恢复健康，斯托克斯的退役对库兰来说是个好消息，他将重新回到测试赛的考量之中，并得到其他能提供全能能力的球员的支持，就像史密斯担任国家选拔员初期那样。因此，斯托克斯的缺席对专业守门员来说是个坏消息，但对于像史密斯这样同样能击球的人来说是个好消息；对于像劳伦斯和杰克斯这样能投球的击球手来说是个好消息；对于像雷汉·艾哈迈德（Rehan Ahmed）和卡尔文·哈里森（Calvin Harrison）这样能击球的旋转投球手来说是个好消息——而对于肖艾布·巴希尔（Shoaib Bashir）来说则是坏消息。

接续背面 Fleming 希望 Hussey 加入教练组

2022年的T20世界杯征程，当时他被聘请以提供当地专业知识。这位51岁的人是Hundred赛事中Welsh Fire男队的主教练，其资深球员之一是Joe Root，在Ben Stokes令人震惊的退役后，Root被任命为英格兰测试赛队长。

Welsh Fire已被要求就此发表评论，但目前据了解，这仅是Fleming与Hussey之间的初步讨论。Hussey可能会被提供CSK的主教练职位以填补Fleming留下的空缺，这可能比英格兰队的助理教练职位更具吸引力且报酬更高。

繁忙的冬季意味着英格兰可能需要一个更大的助理教练池

以覆盖测试赛和白球赛。Trescothuck、Carl Hopkinson和Sarah Taylor目前是英格兰队的助理教练，而19岁以下青年队的主教练Mike Yardy有时也与成年队合作。前新西兰快速投球手Tim Southee和前新西兰旋转投球手Serian Patel作为快速投球和旋转投球教练，也是后勤团队的一员。

英格兰今天将公布对阵巴基斯坦首场测试赛的大名单。不太可能出现令人震惊的人选，但选拔人员需要决定如何替代Stokes。国家选拔员Marcus North、总经理Rob Key以及Root昨天举行了会面，并听取了Fleming和Trescothuck的一些意见。在被召回队中且仅参加了夏季首场测试赛的Ollie Robinson预计将被选中。腿旋转全能球员Rehan Ahmed将被考虑，另外两名能投旋转球的全能球员也将被考虑：参加过灰烬杯的Will Jacks和Dan Lawrence。他们可以担任6号或7号击球手，从而允许英格兰队选择四名快速投球手。在其他全能球员中，萨默塞特的Craig Overton可能会被考虑，但投左臂快速球的Sam Curran受伤了。

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60

体育 高尔夫

LIV 声称获得新资金，但顶尖球星的前景仍不确定

Tom Kershaw

在沙特公共投资基金确认将撤回对该联赛的资金支持后，LIV Golf 似乎通过一名新投资者的形式获得了一条生命线。

Golf 首席执行官 Scott O'Neil 在特朗普国家贝德明斯特球场（Trump National Bedminster）举行的新闻发布会上声称，双方已签署一项协议，这将“在支持该联赛下一个 era. 的前行道路上发挥关键作用”。他接着声称，有“十几个额外的相关方表现出强烈的兴趣，有可能担任少数股东投资者”。

O'Neil 拒绝透露新投资者的姓名或其他合作伙伴，但他补充说， 2.0 的结构将使球员成为联赛的多数股权持有者，并声称如果交易完成，该投资将支撑其直到 2030 赛季的未来。

近日有传言称，由于欠球员的款项——尤其是 Jon Rahm，他在 2023. 年签署了一份 $30 / million（现为 £2.23 亿）的合同—— 可能会申请破产。而球员随后将成为债权人，在 2.0 中向他们提供的股权将基于其未结合同的价值及其对新企业的重要性。

O'Neil 没有排除 申请破产的可能性，并将情况描述为“流动”的，并表示董事会将

“在那个时候考虑最佳方案”。O'Neil 在一份声明中表示：“ Golf 已与一名领投方达成协议，由该投资者签署并经董事会批准，旨在锚定此次交易，并在由球员驱动且为球员服务的联赛下一个 era, 前行道路上发挥关键作用。”

“我们也看到十几个额外的相关方表现出强烈兴趣，有可能担任少数股东投资者，从而创建一个旨在实现长期稳定与增长的多伙伴模式。”

“值得注意的是，我们的下一个篇章将使我们的球员成为 Golf 的多数股权持有者，这是一个大型全球体育联赛的首次尝试，并为联赛在世界范围内继续推广这项运动奠定了基础。”

“我们预计在未来几周内敲定条款，目标是在 9 月进入交易。与此同时，我们的重点是为贝德明斯特的球迷和球员提供精彩的一周，并强力完成 2026 赛季。”

自从 PIP 在 4 月份停止对该联赛的资助后，O'Neil 一直在绝望地寻找潜在投资者。在此之前，PIP 耗资超过 50亿美元，以巨额合同和奖金从 PGA Tour 吸引像 Rahm、Bryson DeChambeau 和 Phil Mickelson 这样的人员。

因此，原定于 6 月在新奥尔良举行的 活动被取消，而其 $40 / million 的赛季末团体冠军赛是否会在本月底于密歇根州举行仍不确定。

DeChambeau 周二主持了一次仅限球员参加的会议，而插图中的 O'Neil 已在一段时间内寻找投资者

还面临与未付款供应商相关的法律诉讼、商标侵权以及与其前身 Premier Golf League 的知识产权纠纷；同时，作为 国际赛事及追求世界排名积分的关键合作伙伴的亚洲巡回赛（Asian Tour）在 7 月选择重新与 PGA 和 DP World Tour 结盟。

如果所有这些障碍都能被克服， 2.0 预计将采用缩减后的赛程，将赛事数量从 14 场减少到 10 场。其中一半的赛事将在美国举行，其余将在国际上举行并冠名为“团体大奖赛”（Team Majors）。奢华的奖金——本周赛事的奖金池为 $30 / million——也将被大幅削减。

该公告是在周二由 DeChambeau 在特朗普国家

贝德明斯特。德尚博的LIV合同将在2026赛季结束时到期，但他已表示愿意继续成为该联盟未来的一部分。上个月在伦敦的活动中，当被问及2027年是否会在LIV参赛时，拉姆并未给出明确答复。

当被问及德尚博和拉姆的未来时，奥尼尔开始长篇大论地谈论美国职业棒球大联盟以及它是如何通过调整来赢得年轻球迷的。在再次被追问关于这对组合的问题时，奥尼尔依然含糊其辞，反而提到了南非的迪恩·伯梅斯特——一名优秀的球员，但绝非家喻户晓的名字——的明星影响力。

“我们很幸运地拥有许多明星，”奥尼尔说。“我对它的定义略有不同，而对于那些有幸且愉快地随我们环球旅行的人来说，你们能亲眼看到这一点。但我认为在南非，地球上没有比迪恩·伯梅斯特更大的明星了。而且我认为当我们身在澳大利亚时，地球上没有比卡姆·史密斯更大的明星。我认为当你拥有一个全球性的比赛，拥有来自21个国家的57名球员，并且在五大洲的十个国家进行比赛时，你如何定义明星就变得非常有趣了。”

“所以，虽然我对乔恩·拉姆和布赖森·德尚博充满期待，但如果我说他们不仅是地球上最伟大、最优秀的两名高尔夫球手，而且我认为他们是体育界（更不用说高尔夫界了）最顶尖的明星之一，那我就太保守了。我当然希望他们能加入这次旅程，因为他们在该项运动中的影响力可能超过任何人。”

“我们得到了足够多球员的支持，而且我们拥有如此有趣且全球化的赛制，我认为我们在为这项运动吸引合适的明星方面会做得相当不错。”

泄露文件揭露国际足联超级联赛计划

接后页

因凡蒂诺已承诺决赛确实将在那里举行，而非在马德里的伯纳乌球场——西班牙、葡萄牙和摩洛哥将共同举办该赛事，其中三场比赛将在南美洲举行。因凡蒂诺的对手表示，他就决赛所做的任何决定都没有约束力，且可由其继任者更改。

一名国际足联发言人否认因凡蒂诺做出过此类承诺，称：“声称国际足联主席就举办2030年世界杯决赛做出过任何承诺是不实且具有误导性的。国际足联将在适当时候做出决定。”

今年，西班牙足协主席拉斐尔·卢赞 (Rafael Louzán) 坚称，西班牙“将成为2030年世界杯的领导者，该世界杯的决赛将在地这里举行”。

因凡蒂诺还选择拉巴特作为明年国际足联大会的举办地，他曾希望在这次大会上在没有竞争对手的情况下竞选第四任主席。他至少将在那里面临一名挑战者，但欧足联、中北美及加勒比海足联以及亚足联的领导人们希望他立即离职。

与此同时，那些仍然忠于因凡蒂诺的助手一直试图说服“国际足联传奇人物”——一组被付费出席国际足联活动的前国际球员——公开支持国际足联主席，但目前尚未成功。另一位消息人士告诉《泰晤士报》：

“他们非常希望有一位著名的前球员站出来支持因凡蒂诺，但在世界杯抛售计划之后，他似乎太招人厌了。”路易斯·菲戈 (Luis Figo) 曾是葡萄牙前锋，自2017年起担任欧足联顾问，

因凡蒂诺表示他希望“恢复”对国际足联的信心

他在社交媒体上发布了一篇措辞严厉的帖子，要求因凡蒂诺辞去主席职务。菲戈表示：“因凡蒂诺贬低了他承诺要提升的职位。他撒谎、欺骗，并试图以他理应服务的这项运动为代价来中饱私囊。他失去了高级职员、最亲近的顾问、绝大多数致力于这项运动的人，甚至似乎连国际足联和平奖获得者 [唐纳德·特朗普] 的支持也失去了。挽救他的尊严已经太晚，但挽救足球还来得及。他应该走人。现在就走。”

加拿大总理卡尼 (Carney) 表示：“认为正确的治理是不向你最亲近的顾问、首席运营官、其他董事会成员披露你甚至在考虑、更不用说在提议的事情，这种想法应该是致命的。在此时此刻，我对因凡蒂诺先生确实没有信心。无论是一家小企业还是像足球这样具有全球责任的事业，都不应该这样经营。”

与此同时，泄露的文件显示，因凡蒂诺曾与欧洲顶级俱乐部举行会谈，讨论组建一个可能被称为“国际足联超级联赛”的脱离赛。一份日期为2020年10月的非约束性协议“条款清单”详细阐述了在国际足联参与下如何启动超级联赛。在文件中，国际足联被简称为“WOI”，该文件最早由《卫报》报道，且《泰晤士报》已查阅。在2021年4月欧洲超级联赛启动后，因凡蒂诺公开反对该脱离赛，但当时有人怀疑他此前曾与这些俱乐部有过接触。

条款清单规定：“超级联赛创始俱乐部承诺超级联赛采用非封闭模式，并为额外球队的参与制定透明的体育标准。关于准入的具体规则将在2022年6月前与WOI协商一致，并将基于体育标准。超级联赛对将该赛事命名为‘WOI SL’持开放讨论态度。”

1.85亿英镑世俱杯资金延迟引发担忧

国际足联（Fifa）的危机引发了欧洲小型俱乐部对一年多前承诺的2.5亿美元团结金份额的广泛担忧（Martyn Ziegler 撰文）。

50多家俱乐部已联系欧洲足球俱乐部协会（EFC）——该组织代表欧洲球队——表达了对尽管国际足联做出承诺但资金仍未到账的担忧。国际足联告诉《泰晤士报》，这2.5亿美元（约1.85亿英镑）依然在原计划中，且关于其分配的讨论仍在继续。这笔资金是作为在美国举行的世俱杯的收益，承诺提供给全球范围内的小型职业俱乐部。据了解，包括切尔西和曼城在内的参赛球队已收到赛事资金。在国际足联主席詹尼·因凡蒂诺（Gianni Infantino）试图将世界杯股份出售给私人投资者的计划崩溃并引发进一步担忧后，这场危机已将其波及。

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61

足球体育

贾斯莱必须治愈豪之宿醉

WWW.TASSANWALDT.COM / DIVILITY@WEST

马丁·哈迪 (Martin Hardy)

马蒂亚斯·贾斯莱 (Matthias Jaissle) 昨日终于被揭晓为纽卡斯尔联的主教练，签署了一份为期四年的合同。

这位 38 岁的德国人自周末起就与他的新球员们在拉曼加 (La Manga) 的训练营中在一起，在合同问题解决后，他谈到了自己对俱乐部的未来感到“极其兴奋”。贾斯莱表示：“我完全且毫无保留地相信这个项目，以及俱乐部所采取的雄心和方向。这里有清晰的愿景、强有力的领导力以及一个卓越的建设平台。”

贾斯莱曾带领红牛萨尔茨堡赢得两次奥地利冠军，并在沙特阿拉伯带领国民俱乐部 (Al-Ahli) 赢得两次亚冠精英联赛冠军。然而，他的大日子在一定程度上被另一场在很大程度上预料之中的高调离队所掩盖——阿森纳与纽卡斯尔最终就巴西中场布鲁诺·吉马良斯 (Bruno Guimarães) 达成了一项 £7500 万 的折中转会费。

在桑德罗·托纳利 (Sandro Tonali) 和安东尼·戈登 (Anthony Gordon) 已经离队之后，吉马良斯前往阿森纳是否意味着纽卡斯尔陷入了危机？

嗯，他们可能应该，而且仍然可能处于危机之中，但新事物的可能性也带来了一种对未来转折的好奇。首先，让我们处理吉马良斯、托纳利和戈登的出售，这继去年夏天亚历山大·伊萨克 (Alexander Isak) 转会利物浦之后发生。这意味着纽卡斯尔在 12 个月内失去了四名最优秀的球员，正是这些球员与前主教练埃迪·豪 (Eddie Howe) 一起，带领俱乐部赢得了 70 年来的首座国内奖杯。对于这种损失以及那支球队的彻底解体，应该有更多的哀悼，因为如果拥有更好的投资和更宽松的财务监管，那支球队本可以继续前行。

那么，这个夏天是否又是另一个足以与去年的“大清洗”相媲美的灾难性夏天？

不，因为当时的纽卡斯尔在没有体育总监和首席执行官的情况下，看起来像是在挥霍的彩票中奖者。纽卡斯尔球迷之间正激烈争论 £7500 万 对于俱乐部的灵魂人物队长吉马良斯来说是否是一个公平的价格。去年夏天的背景是，这个价格仅比纽卡斯尔为尼克·沃尔特马德 (Nick Woltemade) 支付的费用多 £600 万，仅比他们支付给布伦特福德购买约安·维萨 (Yoane Wissa) 的费用多 £2000 万，以及

贾斯莱作为纽卡斯尔新任主教练，在会见蒂亚乌 (Thiaw) 和沃尔特马德（左图）时，他的待办事项清单上有很多工作。下图：18 岁的斯特尔 (Steur) 是俱乐部引进的几名年轻球员之一。

他上赛季仅有的一个英超进球。去年夏天花费 £2.5 亿 的后果仍在显现。看看他们不得不赶在财年结束前匆忙出售戈登这一事实。这关乎于账目平衡。对于伊萨克、托纳利、戈登和吉马良斯来说，在纽卡斯尔竞争英超顶端之梦已经结束，而对于留下的人来说，这可能是不可能实现的。

那么贾斯莱需要成为一个奇迹创造者吗？

他必须迅速进入状态。人们似乎对他处境的困难有很多理解，并且对他能创造出什么持有真正的期待。杰克·查尔顿 (Jack Charlton) 曾说一名教练应该只留任五年，就豪而言，这可能是正确的。支持者们想看看贾斯莱能做些什么。就目前而言，他拥有三名新的外场球员——20 岁的边锋拉祖马纳·图雷 (Razoumana Touré)，20 岁的中场阿拉吉·班巴 (Aladji Bamba) 和 18 岁的肖恩·斯特尔 (Sean Steur)，以及两名新门将——20 岁的尤文·雅文 (Ewen Jaouen) 和 24 岁的卢卡斯·霍尼切克 (Lukas Hornicek)。几个月以来的计划一直是建立一支更年轻、更清新的阵容。公平地说，纽卡斯尔确实在这样做。然而，贾斯莱需要重建带来更多成果才有可能获得机会。

为什么纽卡斯尔想要他？

纽卡斯尔的消息人士坚称，俱乐部高层很高兴能签下一位他们认为的世界最令人兴奋的年轻教练之一。这解释了为什么他们花费数日处理大量繁琐的文书工作，才与对此举深感不满的艾赫利队达成协议，以及为什么他们不得不向这家沙特职业联赛球队支付£940 万的赔偿金。在等待候（Howe）是否会改变离开意愿之后才采取行动，这个时机实际上正是他们私下认为最终会对他们有利的原因。这促使他们去寻找一名新主帅，而不是在赛季末筛选那些常规的可用候选人。所谓的“贾斯莱足球”（Jaissleball）是什么样的？高压迫、全节奏且快速推进。有点像巅峰时期的候。

在转会方面，他们还需要购买什么？

纽卡斯尔需要一名右后卫，他们与许多球员有联系，包括皇家巴列卡诺的安德烈·拉蒂乌（Andrei Ratiu），并且他们需要一名吉马良（Guimarães）的替代者，皇家社会卢卡·苏西奇（Luka Sucic）是一个目标。他们可能需要一名进球率更高的中锋，但到目前为止还没有迹象表明他们试图清洗沃尔特马德（Woltemade）、维萨（Wissa）或威尔·奥苏拉（Will Osula）。

阵容是否缺乏领导力和经验？

他们在后防线上拥有丰富的经验，有丹·伯恩（Dan Burn）、斯文·博特曼（Sven Botman）和法比安·舍尔（Fabian Schär）。至于那里是否拥有足够的速度则是另一个问题，但基兰·特里皮尔（Kieran Trippier）、吉马良和托纳利（Tonali）的离去可能会带走更衣室的核心。

沙特方面对纽卡斯尔计划的投入程度如何？

每次坚称都是他们希望向俱乐部投入更多资金，但由于财务规则而无法实现。预计很快将宣布购买新训练基地土地的消息。

在又一个动荡的夏天之后，什么样的表现才算成功？

在现实中，在重启的第一年进入前十名就算成功。

接后页 阿森纳就吉马良交易达成一致

交易，纽卡斯尔目前已准备好接受该报价。

吉马良在拉曼加（La Manga）的季前训练营中会见了纽卡斯尔的新任主教练马蒂亚斯·贾斯莱（Matthias Jaissle）——他在上周离职后接替埃迪·候（Eddie Howe），并向其告知了自己的离队意愿。贾斯莱，38, 在昨晚被正式确认为纽卡斯尔的新任主教练，但这位德国人从周末起就一直在拉曼加与球员在一起。

纽卡斯尔今夏已经出售了安东尼·戈登（Anthony Gordon，25岁，£7000 万）和桑德罗·托纳利（Sandro Tonali，26岁，£1 亿），并坚称他们只会在最高价值时才放走球员。

吉马良将于11月年满29岁，他于2022年1月以£4200 万的价格从里昂加盟纽卡斯尔，并随后率领俱乐部在2025年卡拉宝杯决赛在温布利球场击败利物浦，夺得自1955年以来首个重大国内奖杯。

本周，纽卡斯尔确认从布拉加签下捷克共和国门将卢卡斯·霍尼切克（Lukas Hornicek），转会费被认为约为£2570 万。他是纽卡斯尔今夏签下的第二名门将，也是他们的第五名新援。

凯尔特人主帅奥尼尔（74岁）在进行“小手术”后住院

迈克尔·格兰特 (Michael Grant)

苏格兰足球记者

凯尔特人主帅马丁·奥尼尔在接受俱乐部称之为“小手术”的治疗后目前在医院就诊。

这位 74 岁的北爱尔兰人将住院一到两天，预计将在周日凯尔特人对阵基尔马诺克时回归并率队出战。在他缺席期间，他的助手肖恩·马洛尼和马克·福瑟林厄姆将负责训练。当苏格兰顶级联赛冠军在周一晚上以主场之胜击败邓迪，开始捍卫其连续第五个联赛冠军头衔时，奥尼尔仍像往常一样负责指挥。赛后，奥尼尔也照常履行了所有媒体义务。

俱乐部在昨天下午 4 点前不久发布了一份声明，内容如下：“针对相关猜测，我们可以确认马丁·奥尼尔在医院接受了一次小手术。”

“我们预计马丁将在未来一两天内出院，并代表马丁感谢支持者们的亲切祝愿。我们请求尊重马丁及其家人的隐私。”

消息传出后，凯尔特人及其他俱乐部的球迷纷纷在社交媒体上祝愿这位资深主帅能够完全且快速地康复。

奥尼尔是凯尔特人历史上的传奇人物，首先是因为他在 2000 年至 2005 年期间极其成功的第一任期，随后又是两次担任临时主帅，在上赛季将球队救于水火，并最终确保了联赛和苏格兰杯的双冠王。首先，在布伦丹·罗杰斯在争议情况下离职时，他响应了控股股东德莫特·德斯蒙德的召唤。随后，在他离职被威尔弗里德·南西取代后，南西经历了灾难性的 33 天执政，他再次回归。

在凯尔特人于冠军争夺战中先后在落后于流浪者和哈茨的情况下反超，并在顶级联赛赛季最后一天击败哈茨夺得联赛冠军的过程中，奥尼尔的经验和冷静起到了关键作用。随后，他又赢得了苏格兰杯，使其作为凯尔特人主帅的冠军总数达到 9 个。

今年 6 月，他签署了一份为期一年的合同，并附带第二年的续约选项。临时主席布莱恩·威尔逊赞扬了他给凯尔特人带来的“领导力、启发和成功”。德斯蒙德表示：“马丁一次又一次地证明了他的素质以及他能为凯尔特人带来什么。”将于明年 3 月年满 75 岁的奥尼尔表示，能继续担任凯尔特人主帅是巨大的荣幸。

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62

体育 足球

一场酒精浸润的梅费尔晚餐与无规则特质：德泽比如何提升托特纳姆热刺

这位意大利教练向Peter Rutzler解释了对“绝对自由”的信念如何拯救了俱乐部，并概述了他对新赛季的目标

罗伯托·德泽比（Roberto De Zerbi）倾向于不受拘束，而正是这种心态，让你能开始剖析他是如何帮助托特纳姆热刺（Tottenham Hotspur）摆脱上赛季自由落体般的消沉状态的。球员们被他吸引，被这位曾经也是一名创意球员，一名 No 10 的特立独行者所迷住，而这正融入了他的哲学。

“我不喜欢规则，”他说。“我读过一本书，书里写道创意人士不遵循任何规则。我喜欢有创意的球员。我不想制定任何规则。最多只有两三条。我不是警察，甚至对我自己的孩子也不是。自由，绝对的自由。One is one。你像我一样，或者像一名装备管理员，在我看来都一样。但每天我们都必须努力，每天都必须证明自己配在这里待着，或者配踢足球，或者配赚我们现在赚的钱，否则这不正常。我们必须尊重生命中获得的运气。”

如果他的球员破坏了这种信任怎么办？“你想知道什么，是我会揍球员吗？”话音刚落，房间里爆发出一阵笑声，而这已经不是第一次了。德泽比是一个极具吸引力的对话者，一个具有磁场般存在感的人，他用低沉、沙哑的声音和断断续续的英语将你吸引——期间由他长期合作且信任的翻译恩里科·文图雷利（Enrico Venturelli）提供协助——然后他用一句犀利的俏皮话将你从出神状态中惊醒。他用锐利的目光审视你，说话时带着像牧师一样的坚定。

足坛许多人都信奉他的教义。佩普·瓜迪奥拉（Pep Guardiola）曾说他是过去 20 年里最具影响力的教练之一，其他教练包括恩佐·马雷斯卡（Enzo Maresca）和弗朗切斯科·法里奥利（Francesco Farioli）也提到过他的影响。“这是少数让我感到有点尴尬的事情之一，”德泽比说。“我对自己很有信心，始终充满能量。但当我开始当教练时，我无法想象自己能成为英超联赛的教练，而且是在托特纳姆热刺，然后世界上最顶尖的教练们对我评价很高，或者[说]我是他们的参考标杆。我变得害羞了。我不习惯这样，我觉得我永远也不会习惯。”

“上赛季当我进入那些大型体育场时，我对我的助手说，‘我们不习惯在具有这种氛围的体育场工作’。我们很幸运，因为我们是从足球的底层（shit）开始的。”

借用他的话来说，当他在3月的最后一天接手时，托特纳姆热刺正处于“底层”。在仅经过 1 场比赛后，他担心会出现最坏的情况，并决定最好的行动方案是让

他的球员们借酒消愁。托特纳姆热刺在光明球场以 1-0 惨败给桑德兰，全场比赛结束时，他在更衣室看到的景象简直是末日般的；充斥着痛苦与绝望的混乱。

“我在新闻发布会上没告诉你们，但当时的情况是这样的：所有人都在哭，躺在地上，”几个月后，在悉尼洲际酒店托特纳姆热刺私人楼层的一个会议室里，他在季前赛相对安全的环境中回忆道。“我说，‘我们是去世了吗？’”

托特纳姆热刺在积分榜上排名第18位，降级危机迫在眉睫。第二天，在俱乐部的训练基地，在球员们恢复工作之前，德泽比向每位工作人员发布了新指令。

“在桑德兰那场比赛之后，训练基地里的人们都很悲伤且消极，”他说。“那天我组织了一次没有球员参加的会议[只有工作人员]，我说，‘第一个被我发现说消极话的人，我立刻让你回家。我不想看到任何人悲伤、消极或哭泣。如果你保持积极，我保证，我们将在这里共同面对。’这是另一个关键部分，因为球员们与这些人生活在一起。他们必须感觉良好。是的，他们有高薪，一切对他们来说都很美好，这在他们的工作中很重要，但在他们的行为、态度和精神方面[同样重要]。”

球员们的治疗方法是什么？“在梅费尔的Bacchanalia餐厅举行一次盛大的晚餐，配上酒精，”他说道，引起一阵笑声。“酒精是很好的良药，只要你像正常人一样认真地享受它，而不是像傻瓜那样。我相信团结。然后，我每天向他们传递我的看法。我认为他们在那一刻觉得自己比人们想象的要糟糕。但当时仍有机会挺住并获胜。这支球队的潜力非常高。”

“如果我热爱你这个球员，你会变得不可思议” 德泽尔比在被任命时签署了一份为期五年的合同，尽管他在马赛的火山口游泳后想要休息一段时间。他最初拒绝了热刺的恳求。

“我与维奈 [Yenkatesham，首席执行官] 以及约翰·兰格 [体育总监] 谈过了，但我不想 [那么早] 来，因为我在离开马赛的路上遭受了痛苦，”他说。但他们讨论了转会目标，于是他决定加入。他说，如果他没能将热刺从降级区救出，他也不会如此大声疾呼。“这是真的，我甚至无法在英冠联赛生存，我会痛苦，我会 [崩溃]，”他说。“但如果你签了五年合同，你不能仅仅因为在英冠比赛就在两个月后离开。”

这是一次心理上的救援行动，而非战术天才的展现。德泽尔比的足球在他在任何地方都受到赞誉，但当时没有时间去装饰；房子已经在燃烧了。“我的工作中最重要的 thing 是我作为一个男人所建立的关系，”他说。“价值观、关系，足球中人性的一部分。足球在于此，在于足球知识，在于比赛、压迫、在每个球场管理比赛的心态——无论客场还是主场，没有什么会改变。但在教练的起点，是一个人。没有关系，我无法工作。没有关系，你就无法踢出好的足球，无法拥有良好的比赛风格，尤其是在艰苦的

现在他想打造一支能够将过去两个赛季抛在脑后的球队。球员们一直热情高涨，非常喜欢他对前场进攻和用球控制比赛的坚持。后卫米基·范德文坚称，对于观众来说，比赛将变得“更有趣”。球员们需要做些什么才能赢得另一个狂欢之夜？

“不，什么都不需要！”他说。“我希望他们能为自己组织一次，因为在体育运动中，球员之间，球员与教练之间，如果你有尊重，这是正常的，不是吗？如果你尊重并重视一个人，情况会好得多。如果你有尊重、重视和爱——友谊、关怀——你就会变得顶尖，顶尖，顶尖。”

“尊重是正常的。‘教练，早上好，你好。’这就是尊重。如果我相信你，情况会好得多。如果我热爱你——在球员与教练之间——你会变得不可思议。”

这种方法是德泽尔比从生活经验中总结出来的。

“当我作为学生在学校里感受到与老师的关系，或者作为球员感受到与教练的关系时，我能够发挥出最佳水平，”他说。“如果我感觉不到这种连接，如果我感觉不到老师或教练赏识我，我就关闭我的大脑 [心扉]，我们就开始战争。”

“在桑德兰之战后，所有人都在哭泣，瘫在地上。我说，‘我们死掉了吗？’”

托尼·布鲁姆“大学”的启示

现在他正在为热刺规划一条远离麻烦的道路。他们今年夏天在转会上花费了超过 £237 万，而德泽尔比希望再签入两到三名球员。他觉得与热刺的高层关系极佳。“我们合作得非常好，这是我与董事会之间最好的连接，”他说。他是一位曾经历过激烈

我想我认为我有资格想要顶级球员，因为现在这家俱乐部有资格打造一支顶级球队

时刻，你会进入人性层面。就此而言，上赛季也许是我（职业生涯中）最好的版本。20% 是教练，80% 是个人。“我感到自豪和快乐，但我并不觉得上赛季是我的成就——那是球员们的成就。”

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体育

ROTHMANS SPORTS WEEKLY 2026 6 6 2026 7 6 2026

从主图起逆时针方向：在带领热刺脱险后，德泽尔比正处于他在热刺的第一个季前训练中，而梅费尔的 Bacchanalia 助力了这次复兴。在上赛季 2-2 平布莱顿的比赛中，中后卫范赫克助攻鲁特尔进球，随后这位教练告诉这位今夏六名新援之一的范赫克：“现在你得加入我。”

他过去与高层之间的关系时有波动。“如果老板不尊重我，无论你是不是老板都一样。我一生一直这样认为。有时我的关系结局很糟糕，但在 80 到 90 per cent 的情况下，我们拥有极好的关系。”

他说在布莱顿 & 霍夫阿尔比恩与托尼·布鲁姆共事就像上了一所“大学”。在谈到转会市场的复杂性以及将卢卡·武斯科维奇卖给布莱顿时，他补充道：“我把俱乐部的钱视为我的钱。就像老板是我父亲一样，你不想要求你的父亲花钱或亏钱。”

“如果我们引进一名球员，或者卖掉一名球员，我们就是一个家庭。”

德泽尔比说，当他心中有转会目标时，他“就像一只鲨鱼”，这体现在他如何前往布雷西亚，前往桑德罗·托纳利的家中，说服这位中场球员以 £1 亿 从纽卡斯尔联加盟；而且与许多其他教练不同，他热爱操盘转会窗口。“如果教练给球员打电话，你可以在开始时建立一种特殊的连接，因为

前五场联赛赛程

布伦特福德 (客) 8月22日，周六 纽卡斯尔 (主) 8月29日，周六 诺丁汉森林 (客) 9月5日，周六 埃弗顿 (主) 9月12日，周六 阿斯顿维拉 (主) 9月19日，周六

球员知道你是这次转会的关键，也许这会让球员觉得他必须给你更多的回报。

“关于马特乌斯·费尔南德斯 [签约费£85]，我和他的父母谈过了。关于JP·范·赫克，在埃弗顿比赛之后，我给他发了一条信息：‘滚蛋，你在给乔治尼奥·鲁特助攻时 [他在4月一场惨烈的2-2平局中，在第95分钟助攻扳平比分] 想要压制热刺。现在你必须加入我——要么同意，要么同意，你没得选！’赛后，在热刺球场的办公室里，我先给我女儿发了条信息，然后给JP·范·赫克发了信息，他签约费为£52。”

德泽尔比正期待着在英超联赛中留下自己的印记。

“对我来说这是一个巨大的机会，因为我现在理应留在这里，不仅是为了我的职业生涯，也是为了[上赛季的]最后七场比赛，因为在最后七场比赛的情况下接受这份工作是不正常的，”他说道。

“所以，首先，我认为我理应留在这里，理应想要顶尖球员，因为现在的热刺理应打造一支顶尖球队。”

“言语……并不清晰，但事实在桌面上很清晰。现在我们必须引进顶尖球员以增强竞争力，我不知道是否能夺冠，但肯定要比过去两个赛季在英超的结果更好。”

“然后，我认为奖杯是旅程的终点。我无法掌控旅程的终点。但我可以掌控从开始到结束的整个旅程。现在不是考虑奖杯的时候。如果你在这次旅程中工作努力，展现出最好的状态，并且球员们能够以他们最好的方式比赛，奖杯自然会到来。”

萨拉抵达土耳其与特拉布宗体育进行谈判

北方足球特派记者

穆罕默德·萨拉正在就一次丰厚的自由转会谈判加入特拉布宗体育，并于昨日抵达土耳其以继续讨论。

特拉布宗体育在一份声明中公开宣布了他们对这位 34 岁的前利物浦前锋的追求。萨拉此前也是特拉布宗体育在土耳其超级联赛竞争对手贝西克塔斯的追求目标，同时沙特职业联赛对他也表现出了兴趣。

特拉布宗体育的一份声明称：“职业足球运动员穆罕默德·萨拉，我们已与其开始转会谈判，他将于周三中午 12 点抵达伊斯坦布尔阿塔图尔克机场。”

“该球员计划于当日傍晚抵达特拉布宗。关于特拉布宗欢迎计划的时间和其他详情，将在当天通过俱乐部的官方沟通渠道向公众公布。”

萨拉在今年年初告知利物浦他希望撕毁合同最后 12 个月的条款并终止其每周 £400,000 的合同后，一直在寻找新俱乐部。

这位埃及国脚在去年 11 月 / 12 月被剔除出利物浦首发阵容时，在一次惊人的激烈言论中声称他与时任主教练阿尔内·斯洛特的关系已经破裂；尽管随后回到了球队，但他对自己所受待遇的愤慨导致他

推动离开。他的离队在 3 月份得到确认，并在默西赛德郡效力九个赛季后于 5 月份离开。

从表面上看，转会到土耳其，且加入一支自 1983-84 年以来唯一的联赛冠军头衔还是在四年前获得的球队，这与萨拉自己的信念相悖——他认为自己成为了利物浦上赛季下滑的替罪羊。他打入了 12 个进球，但对斯洛特治下的比赛风格持有批评态度，并认为这对其产出产生了不利影响。

然而，由于他的财务待遇极高——土耳其的报道称，在他两个赛季的合同中，每赛季将赚得 €1700 万（约 £1450 万）——现实的追求者数量似乎被限制在一个很小的范围之内。

与此同时，利物浦将其寻求进攻补强的搜索范围扩大到了巴黎圣日耳曼的青少年边锋易卜拉欣·姆巴耶。

对这位塞内加尔国脚的兴趣与利物浦长期追求其俱乐部队友布拉德利·巴尔科拉是分开的，尽管巴黎圣日耳曼对巴尔科拉 £1.45 亿 的估值被证明是有问题的。因此，这家安菲尔德俱乐部正在考虑多种选择，18 岁的姆巴耶是研究对象之一。

勒沃库森希望签下姆巴耶，后者的估值约为 €4000 万 (£3429 万) 至 €5000 万 (£4290 万)。法国消息人士表示，姆巴耶会被搬到安菲尔德所吸引，而他的经纪人乔治·门德斯与该俱乐部高层有深厚联系。

马德里竞技与国际米兰争夺£40m身价的罗梅罗

汤姆·奥尔纳特 (Tom Allnutt)

托特纳姆热刺的克里斯蒂安·罗梅罗（Cristian Romero）预计将在今年夏天以约4000 万英镑 million的价格离开俱乐部，马德里竞技和国际米兰正激烈竞争签下这位后卫。

国际米兰与托特纳姆热刺已就一项包含附加条款在内、总价值达该金额的交易达成广泛协议，但马德里竞技坚信这位阿根廷人更倾向于加盟他们，并准备采取行动。罗梅罗，28, 愿意在意甲联赛效力，但他在托特纳姆热刺的周薪超过£150,000，这对国际米兰来说将是一笔巨大的投资。罗梅罗长期以来也深知马德里竞技的兴趣，并此前表示，如果托特纳姆热刺批准他离开，他的首选将是前往西班牙。

马德里竞技必须匹配国际米兰的报价，但如果他们这样做，预计罗梅罗会优先选择这家西班牙俱乐部，在那里他还将有机会在同为阿根廷人的马德里竞技主教练迭戈·西蒙尼（Diego Simeone）麾下效力。马德里竞技去年撤回了对罗梅罗的兴趣，当时托特纳姆热刺的态度是，只有在转会费与世界上最昂贵的一些后卫相当的情况下才会考虑出售。

相反，罗梅罗签署了一份为期四年的新合同，并被时任热刺主教练托马斯·弗兰克（Thomas Frank）任命为队长。但罗梅罗又经历了一个动荡的赛季，期间他因禁赛缺席了七场比赛，并公开批评董事会，这使各方都相信，在今年夏天离队是最佳解决方案。

穆德里克“情感充沛”地回归

伊恩·惠特尔 (Ian Whittell)

切尔西主教练哈比·阿隆索（Xabi Alonso）承认，在昨天球队在香港 1-0 不敌尤文图斯的友谊赛中，欢迎缺席 20 个月且成功就禁药禁令提出上诉的米哈伊洛·穆德里克（Mykhailo Mudryk）回归，是一件“情感充沛”的事情。

这位 25 岁的乌克兰人在对阵这家意大利球队的比赛中于第 82 分钟登场，受到了支持者和队友们热烈的欢迎。

“是的，当然，我真的为他感到高兴，”阿隆索说。“对于俱乐部的所有人来说，看到他回归都是情感充沛的，尤其是当我赛前告诉他我的想法，即他可以踢 10-15 分钟的时候。”

“他肯定非常激动。在经历了这么长一段时间之后，重新回到球场，对他来说是一种很棒的感觉，对每个人来说也是如此。”

穆德里克自 2024, 年 12 月以来一直没有参加比赛，此前他因米多隆（midlonsium）检测结果呈“阳性”被英足协禁赛四年，但该球员在上周赢得了上诉。

阿隆索声称，关于穆德里克本赛季将在哪里效力尚未做出最终决定，尽管由前斯坦福桥主教练弗兰克·兰帕德（Frank Lampard）执教的考文垂城，以及切尔西的姐妹俱乐部斯特拉斯堡，据信对租借交易感兴趣。

前锋丹尼·韦尔贝克（Danny Welbeck）在对阵尤文图斯的比赛中也完成了切尔西的首秀，这位 35 岁的球员踢了上半场。

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《泰晤士报》

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体育

因凡蒂诺

抱歉——但 将继续战斗

国际足联主席向摩洛哥提供 2030 年世界杯决赛

独家报道

Martyn Ziegler 首席体育记者

尽管外界广泛要求其辞职，但国际足联（Fifa）主席詹尼·因凡蒂诺（Gianni Infantino）拒绝下台，但在其试图通过出售世界杯股份以寻求生存的最后尝试中，他为该计划中的“错误”表示道歉。

据消息人士称，陷入困境的因凡蒂诺曾向摩洛哥承诺，作为获得其支持的回报，摩洛哥将举办2030年世界杯决赛。尽管加拿大总理马克·卡尼（Mark Carney）表示，该出售计划“应当是对其国际足联主席前途的致命打击”，但因凡蒂诺仍坚持立场。

自危机爆发以来，因凡蒂诺一直躲在摩洛哥的拉巴特。他一直试图说服各国发表支持声明，但许多国家对此不予理会。多年来一直是其最强力支持者并被指定为2034年世界杯主办国的沙特阿拉伯，其沉默显得格外明显。

在与拉巴特的数名工作人员会面后，因凡蒂诺致信国际足联理事会成员，表示他希望“恢复对该组织的信心”。

信中写道：“在这种背景下，我们承认在拟议成立国际足联前行企业（Fifa Forward Enterprise, FFE）的过程中出现了错误。”

“国际足联理事会和国际足联成员协会感到被排除在过程之外，这绝非我们的本意，且该过程本应以不同的方式处理。我们承认，在提案泄露给媒体后也出现了错误。”

“我们为这些错误诚挚道歉，并承诺不再发生。基于此，我们将进行必要的审查，并在下次预定会议上向国际足联理事会提交报告。”

因凡蒂诺还对针对国际足联的批评发出了含蓄的威胁。

信中补充道：“随着该项目的撤回，国际足联将不再容忍任何对其诚信、良好治理和正当程序的攻击，并将采取一切必要措施来保护和维护其名称与声誉。”

“总有教训需要汲取，我们将根据此次经验继续改进我们的流程。然而，在这种情况下，必须强调的是，尽管出现了错误，但所做的一切均完全符合国际足联的监管框架。”

自十年前当选以来，摩洛哥一直是因凡蒂诺最忠实的支持者，而他则通过授予这个北非国家2030年世界杯的共同主办权来予以回报。然而，摩洛哥一直在推动在卡萨布兰卡新建的115,000座哈桑二世体育场举办决赛，该体育场建成后将成为世界上最大的足球场。

消息人士告诉《泰晤士报》 续见第60页

Matthew Syed

可怜的德雷珀（Draper）成了管理精英体育的“绞肉机”的受害者

专栏，第57页

Mike Atherton

没有斯托克斯（Stokes），英格兰队将难以维持平衡

专栏，第59页

萨拉抵达土耳其

前利物浦前锋，34, 正在与土耳其联赛第三名特拉布宗体育（Trabzonspor）协商一份价值约£2900 万的两年合同 —— 完整报道，第63页

弗莱明希望

哈西加入团队

Elizabeth Ammon

前澳大利亚击球手迈克·哈西（Mike Hussey）在收到新任主教练斯蒂芬·弗莱明（Stephen Fleming）的正式接触后，可能会成为英格兰测试赛队的击球教练。

两人在印度超级联赛中合作多年，最初在钦奈超级国王队（Chennai Super Kings）作为队友，随后哈西加入了该俱乐部的弗莱明教练组。弗莱明上个月离开了钦奈超级国王队主教练的职务，这为他被任命为英格兰队主教练打开了大门，但由于家庭原因，他直到12月的南非之旅才会正式接任。马库斯·特雷斯科西克（Marcus Trescothick）将负责从8月19日开始的对阵巴基斯坦的三场测试赛。

哈西曾在英格兰队成功期间担任顾问教练 续见第59页

阿森纳就

吉马良斯交易达成协议

马丁·哈迪 (Martin Hardy)

北方体育记者

在伦敦俱乐部修改了其 £7500 万 的报价结构后，阿森纳即将从纽卡斯尔联签下布鲁诺·吉马良斯。

在阿森纳之前的报价包含通过附加条款达到该金额后，纽卡斯尔现已准备接受 £7500 万 的固定费用。该费用将在 24 个月内支付，这将帮助纽卡斯尔应对英超支出规则，并允许他们在今年夏天投入资金签下队长的替代者。

在经过整个夏天的追求后，阿森纳在周日提交的第一份正式报价为 £6900 万，其中可能包含 £600 万 的未来附加条款。

该报价被纽卡斯尔拒绝，但《泰晤士报》获悉，周二的新一轮谈判似乎已经解锁了 续见第 61 页

泰晤士报纵横字谜 29,614

横向

7 变得相当老，我记录生活细节？ (7) 8 以某种方式被崇拜 (7) 10 用这种酒的开头来点缀，趋向于辛辣 (9) 11 成年，渴望女性陪伴 (5) 12 你反对第二次联络？ (5) 13 什么有助于广播简短广告围绕州？ (5,4) 15 同谋部分同意关于执行手段 (7) 17 使用租金翻新房东提供的财产？ (7) 18 一个人可以在哪里把烧瓶放在包里 (3,6) 20 缪斯最终使模糊的封面更加忧郁 (5) 21 最好的可用门，没有选择的接合者 (5) 23 在学校期间提供项目以方便沏茶 (9) 24 新生在正午时分在大学外问候德国人 (7) 25 遇到此服务的延迟法院诉讼 (3,4)

纵向

1 醉酒的纹身师分开了教区牧师的嘴 (6,4) 2 仓促的工作 (6) 3 美国人经营低劣小说中的酒店 (3,5) 4 定期发送他们为出版准备的一小部分 (6) 5 王座上的男人 (4,4) 6 在酒吧里没有饮料 (4) 7 重要作品，本质上完全拥抱未知？ (3,4,6) 9 利兹开业晚，减少的酒吧数量让迪基惊讶 (13) 14 主要用于椅子上且被吹胀 (3,7) 16 因为没吃东西而饱？ (8) 17 著名的数学家开始教学 (8) 19 先喝很多清酒 (6) 20 进口新煎饼的协同努力 (6) 22 电台上的教练压力大吗？ (4)

昨日答案 29,613

在午夜前拨打 0905 757 0141 检查今日答案。通话费用为每分钟 £1，外加您的电话公司网络接入费。SP: Spoke 0333 202 3390。

报纸

支持回收

2024 年英国报纸的再生纸含量为 34.7%

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TIMES 2

8月6日

2026

我要 竞选 工党领袖

什么？又 来了！

如何成为一名直率的妻子

——专家指南

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2

凯特琳·莫兰的 (Caitlin Moran's)

名人

观察

6

休·爱德华兹 (Huw Edwards)

亲爱的《泰晤士报》读者，日安。恐怕我得用一个对我们所有人来说都难以面对的消息来开启本周的商业板块。

众所周知，在2023年，前《BBC十点新闻》主播休·爱德华兹经历了一场极其惨烈的名誉崩塌。爱德华兹承认接收淫秽图像的指控，被判处缓刑，随后Channel 5对他案件的戏剧化改编进一步加剧了爱德华兹在名声上的“放射性污染”。

可以理解，爱德华兹此后一直处于失业状态。然而，现在是2026年，如果我们学到了什么，那就是只要愿意灵活变通，只要敢于打破常规，在互联网存在的时代，没有任何人的职业生涯真的必须终结。因此，今年春天，爱德华兹开设了一个Substack：在这个网页上，正如他所言，这位“记者、广播员、作家”发布关于“政治、文化、心理健康和刑事司法”的思考。

坦白说，前几篇帖子在自我怜悯的基调上表现得非常明显：有关于审判的思考文章（爱德华兹认为人们审判过多！）、关于仇恨的文章（爱德华兹认为人们仇恨过多！）以及关于伪善的文章（爱德华兹——你懂我的意思）。

然而，本周出现了一个激进的进展。“在我人生中第一次，”爱德华兹在周日写道，“我尝试写了一首诗。这首诗是我对我已故父亲的个人致敬。而且……它是用威尔士语写的。”

我不确定爱德华兹是否意识到，市场对于前新闻主播用威尔士语写关于父亲的诗歌的需求有多低。他没有提到篇幅——共有37节——这表明，事实上，他是意识到了。

很方便地，爱德华兹提供了一个英文译本。如果我能足够残酷地将其精髓概括出来，那就是威尔士这个“褴褛国家”的“坚韧农民”被“贪婪、鲁莽的农场主”以及他们对“撒克逊人悲剧且可怜的尊重”所“诅咒”，这使他们变得“卑躬屈膝”，并且似乎将服务经济的概念推向了极端。

“讨好外国人并非爱国之举，”爱德华兹警告道——显然，对他来说，写这句话是个糟糕的选择。

作为一个拥有完整资质的扶手椅心理学家，我可以提供进一步的翻译，将其转化为基础的情绪潜台词。简而言之，这首诗暗示威尔士被撒克逊人伤害得如此之深，难怪它会产生一些“忏悔的”、“自我毁灭的”、且“渴望爱”的儿子。而这些人，有一天可能会成为性犯罪案件的当事人。

我们都知道，所有初次尝试写诗的人都希望自己的诗作足够出色，以至于世界低语道：“为什么你之前没告诉我们你是位诗人？这意味着常规规则不适用于你！现在你用37节诗解释了一切，一切都好起来了。让《十点新闻》请你回来吧！”

唉，这种情况从未发生过，而爱德华兹的诗也不太可能打破这个记录。但很高兴知道，“指责撒克逊人”再次成为不良行为的借口。请相应地修改你的笔记。

3

Neil Amin-Smith

安迪·伯纳姆担任首相的前三周取得了巨大的成功。他的受欢迎程度飙升，仅仅是因为他“在社交媒体上突然出现并宣布一项乐观的新政策，尽管该政策相当模糊且完全没有预算核算”。

然而，伯纳姆对政治的激进重塑似乎并未止步于此。本周，财政大臣约翰·希利任命尼尔·阿明-史密斯为高级特别顾问，以协助制定10月的预算。这一点值得关注，因为阿明-史密斯a) 曾是Clean Bandit乐队的小提琴手，一名前流行明星；b) 是第一位真正长得好看的英国政治顾问。

此前曾有人声称某些政治人物“其实相当性感”。比如大卫·米利班德、年轻时的玛格丽特·撒切尔，甚至在状态极佳时的托尼·布莱尔。但现在我们可以看出，这其实是一种斯德哥尔摩综合征式的错觉——在缺乏真正竞争者的情况下，与比如尼古拉斯·索姆斯或迈克尔·富特相比，米利班德、撒切尔和布莱尔看起来就显得性感了。

既然现在有一个普通人会称之为“性感”的人进入了威斯敏斯特，我们可以承认：在过去的300多年里，英国政坛没有出现过一个真正性感的人。直到今天。这是一个新 era.。而且这非常上相。

2

Slipknot

重金属世界——与它的形象相反——在很大程度上是和平的。在这样一个制造极其嘈杂的噪音并对着撒旦之类的话题大喊大叫 / 嘶吼的乐队中，似乎有一种情感上的净化作用。

然而，在Slipknot乐队的世界里，似乎经历了一段动荡时期。该乐队创作了《Wait and Bleed》、《Death Because of Death》和《People + Shit》等曲目。

《太阳报》在报道Slipknot的键盘手与乐队分道扬镳的故事时，标题写道：“凯莉·奥斯本的前未婚夫西德·威尔逊在两人分手四个月后‘被永久踢出Slipknot’”。

这条新闻之所以变得有趣，是因为Slipknot的成员在表演时都戴着面具——这意味着照片看起来像是奥斯本站在一个惊恐万分的CIPO旁边。虽然我赞赏《太阳报》报道这个金属乐的黑暗之日，但我不能掩饰我的失望，因为它没有将故事标题定为“SlipNOT”。这就是为什么我们知道西方文明正在衰落。

5

Count Binface

来自完全没有必要的克拉克顿补选的劲爆新闻：财务状况复杂的奈杰尔·法拉奇在争取席位时，面临着国家最受喜爱的傲娇“垃圾桶头”——Binface伯爵的挑战。

距离投票开始还有一段时间，但值得注意的是，Binface已经达成了一个重要的文化标志：现在出现了一个Binface伯爵的变装表演。是的，C***y Binface正在同性恋俱乐部中巡演，其“垃圾桶脸”被渲染成闪亮的粉红色，配以玫瑰色的披风和一些20世纪70年代的Terry de Havilland高跟鞋。

就软实力的影响力而言，这将Binface伯爵提升到了一个新的水平。没有人会装扮成一个会唱歌的法拉奇。

看到那样的事情会让人感到阴森且压抑。Shantay, you stay, C***y Binface!

4

丹尼·西普里亚尼 (Danny Cipriani)

尽管本周的第 1 页有更多婚礼新闻，但我们首先将即将举行的前橄榄球运动员丹尼·西普里亚尼及其准妻、美国女演员安娜琳·麦考德 (AnnaLynne McCord) 的婚礼作为“开胃菜” (amuse bouche) 来讨论。

而我们的“嘴巴”确实得到了极大的“娱乐”！让我们看看《镜报》是如何向我们透露详情的：“丹尼·西普里亚尼发起在线筹款，要求宾客帮其支付婚礼费用”。

没错，就是这样！GoFundMe 时代——通常用于支付手术费用或进行“大卫挑战歌利亚”式的法律斗争——现在进入了一个新阶段，一部 90210 的核心演员和前年度最佳球员竟然利用它来支付他们奢华的婚礼费用！

点击进入西普里亚尼-麦考德的婚礼网站，我们发现它很贴心地展示了所有乞讨——我的意思是赠礼——可以用于的地方，包括“招待会音乐”、“彩排晚餐”、“婚礼摄影”和“婚礼场地建设”。

对于那些倾向于谷歌搜索西普里亚尼-麦考德夫妇净资产的人来说——估计在 $800 万 和 1100万美元 之间——可能会对为什么要求宾客为他们的婚礼共同出资 $14k 感到困惑。尤其是发现麦考德的订婚戒指是“一颗巨大的 15 克拉祖母绿切割钻石，在黄金戒圈的两侧各镶嵌七颗圆形点缀钻石”——这种六位数的订婚戒指表明，你终究是可以支付自己的婚礼费用的！

就我个人而言，我喜欢这种氛围。它似乎揭示了一个具有争议的真相：即将结婚的夫妇厌恶他们即将到来的庆典，而每一个忘恩负义、白吃白喝的宾客都应该缴纳某种税款，仅仅是为了能在一个大帐篷里与一群穿着过分华丽、醉醺醺的陌生人共处六小时的快感。加油，西普里亚尼-麦考德！惩罚那些宾客！这是让他们了解爱情真实成本的唯一方法！

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3

times2

1A

汤姆·霍兰德与赞达亚

对于全球的浪漫主义者以及英国旅游局来说，这绝对是极其喜庆的一周，因为有消息开始流出，好莱坞最炙手可热的一对情侣——《奥德赛》和《蜘蛛侠》的汤姆·霍兰德与赞达亚——即将举行一场婚礼庆祝活动，而且就在我们英国本土！

需要澄清的是：霍兰德和赞达亚已经结婚了。所有枯燥的法律手续都已经办妥。正如这对全球最酷的年轻电影明星所为，霍兰德和赞达亚在某个时间点悄悄溜走结了婚。外界第一次得知此事是在上个月，当时赞达亚在红毯上被拍到戴着结婚戒指。

考虑到此前关于泰勒·斯威夫特婚礼的长期骚动（那次骚动最终导致曼哈顿大部分地区陷入瘫痪），看到两位名人在不惊动任何娱乐圈播客的情况下，低调地溜走结婚，真是令人耳目一新，而不需要每个播客主突然拼凑出一场毫无内容却能持续数小时的紧急广播。

然而，霍兰德 / 赞达亚的婚礼似乎规模太小且过于低调，以至于现在需要举办一场后续派对，好让超过三个人能一起庆祝他们的结合。据几篇新闻报道，这场派对将在莱斯特郡“宫殿般”的贝尔沃城堡举行，该城堡由第11代拉特兰公爵所有。

我必须说，在2026年至今，谷歌搜索贝尔沃城堡是我最大的乐趣之一。这座城堡的历史可以追溯到非常遥远的过去（这可是真正的1066年时期的东西）。它的故事中点缀着一些遗憾地在日常生活中根本遇不到的词汇和短语。看看这个：“一座诺曼城堡最初矗立在高地上，位于弗拉姆兰的wapentake（行政区）内。”

弗拉姆兰的wapentake！Wapentake！弗拉姆兰！谁知道弗拉姆兰存在过？而且它竟然还有一个wapentake？除了大卫·奥卢索加，如果有人说“我知道”，那他一定在撒谎。

而且，相信我，在弗拉姆兰的wapentake里发生了一切。“1267年，罗伯特·德·罗斯被授予了一项筑城许可（licence to crenellate）。”筑城许可！ 这简直是我现在极想看到的一部中世纪版詹姆斯·邦德电影！大概当时wapentake里有些人是在非法筑城——但德·罗斯希望他的所有筑城工作都按规矩来。好样的。而古老的快感并未就此结束。

“19世纪40年代访问贝尔沃城堡时，贝德福德公爵夫人安娜发现，正常的晚餐时间是晚上8.30分。漫长的下午没有任何点心，让人们感到饥饿。”贝德福德公爵夫人安娜怎么做呢？“她发现，一份由茶（通常是大吉岭茶）、蛋糕和三明治组成的轻食是完美的平衡。下午茶很快在许多中产和上层阶级家庭中成为一种既定且欢乐的餐食。”

是的，贝尔沃城堡如此古老，以至于其中一名居民发明了“吃零食”。为什么在那之前没有人发明吃零食？因为其他人都太穷了！他们只是在挨饿！正是凭借贝德福德公爵夫人安娜那资源充足的天才，才发明了“纯粹为了好玩而在下午3点吃点蛋糕”。

我不敢相信我已经51岁了，竟然对弗拉姆兰在我们国家历史中的核心地位如此无知。而且，显然，这是一个

在继续的故事，因为很快在弗拉姆兰，一名“蜘蛛侠”将在完全经过认证的城垛见证下结婚，然后在这个“随心所欲地在任何时间吃剩余食物”的发源地享用下午茶。

这是一个怎样的国家啊！我们的国家持续展现出怎样的奇迹！汤姆·霍兰德，请为你们民族的历史感到自豪！而赞达亚——既然你是美国人，因此大概还在试图向你的朋友们解释为什么要在一个发音为“海狸城堡（Beaver Castle）”的地方举办派对，我能说的只有：欢迎来到wapentake！英格兰欢迎你！

凯特·布兰切特不得不与自己进行一次“严肃谈话”。我也一样，凯特 希拉里·罗斯

个人问题：你会自言自语吗？你是否曾对着镜子，就某件事与自己的倒影进行一次严厉的谈话？如果答案是肯定的，那么请欢呼吧——你并不孤单。奥斯卡获奖演员且全方位优秀的人才凯特·布兰切特也是如此。而我，一个最高成就仅是种了一盆天竺葵、且上次获奖还是在棕色女孩童军队的人，同样如此。

在接受《时尚芭莎》采访时，布兰切特谈到了她每晚仅睡四个小时，以及她如何就此事与自己进行了一次“严肃谈话”，因为四个小时显然是不够的。你看，如果她想在日程中安排喂鸡、冷水浴、遛狗和接送孩子上学，她必须在凌晨5点起床，但她热爱在他人入睡后的深夜时光，这导致睡眠时间所剩无几。

我在这里关心的不是她睡了多少小时，而是她通过与自己“进行一次严肃谈话”来处理这件事。我真心以为除了我之外，再也没有人这么做了。我以为这个概念已经被取消了，可能是因为在我成长过程中，人们说这是发疯的第一个迹象。我以为如今每个人都将自己的缺陷外包给了心理治疗师，或者在翻开感恩日记时完全避开这些缺陷，所以，为布兰切特欢呼吧，因为她没有这样做。

我几乎每天都会就大多数事情与自己进行严厉的谈话，因为天知道总得有人这么做，如果不是我，那会是谁？我雇不起心理治疗师。我认为感恩日记处于尴尬与自我放纵之间的某个光谱上，毫无疑问，心理治疗师能告诉我原因。

在我们等待那个见解的同时，我提供一份我最近与自己进行严肃谈话的事项清单，希望

它们并非发疯的迹象，而是完全不同的某些东西。例如，明显且可治疗的强迫症，或者轻微的饮食失调，或者可能仅仅是愚蠢。如果你知道与自己进行严肃谈话在何时会演变成“自我折磨”，请务必联系我。

• 我问自己为什么用厨房剪刀剪刘海，甚至有一次用了指甲剪。尽管我去了金钱能买到的最好的理发店，因为我的头发需要所有可能的帮助，但我一年中至少有六个月的刘海是歪的。
• 为什么我的步数不够，以及为什么全世界除了我之外的每一个人显然每天都在走 10,000 步。
• 薯片：我为什么要买它们？上帝为什么要发明它们？
• 为什么我还没有开始重量训练，尽管读了数千字关于这对我的年龄段的女性有多么重要的文章。一位住在洛杉矶的朋友最近说她这么做是因为她想在“100 岁时在沙漠中跳舞”，这个前景让我感到恐惧。我甚至不想去沙漠，更不用说在其中跳舞了。

如果我能活到 100 岁，我的目标是在壁炉旁享用无限量的烤面包和热里贝纳果汁。从积极的一面来看，这似乎与不举重相兼容。

• 我怎么能告诉自己点一份外卖披萨是一种犒赏，尽管这是我每周都有的犒赏。与之密切相关的是：在采取行动之前，增加多少体重是可以接受的？布兰切特认为，如果你为做错事承担责任，你就不会再犯，但她谈论的是脱欧，而不是披萨。

• 为什么我养成了糟糕的晚上使用 iPad 的习惯。我的屏幕使用时间报告不断上升，因为下班回家后漫无目的地刷屏似乎取代了做一些有用的事情，但当一个

我最后一次深思大概是在想唇彩

朋友问：“比如呢？”我大脑一片空白。这引发了我对自己灵魂的审视。

• 为什么我不像布兰切特那样，能在对话中随意引用希腊悲剧和阿伽门农那复仇的女儿。部分原因是由于我不知道阿伽门诺有个女儿，无论是否复仇。但主要原因是，我的想法更自然地转向了《布里杰顿》。
• 为什么凯特·布兰切特会对人工智能的危险和气候变化进行深思，而我最后一次深思是在1991年，而且大概是在想唇彩。必须做得更好。
• 为什么在阳光明媚的周五晚上，夏布利白葡萄酒总是比蔓越莓苏打水更好喝。另外，谁会买那些价格昂贵、尝起来像树篱一样的无酒精烈酒？

鱼手指：你站在哪一边？

将布兰切特、人工智能和人类的未来留在身后，我的思绪转向了鱼手指。Birds Eye 询问了其

客户他们如何切鱼手指三明治，结果大多数人，即 32%，竟然是野蛮人：他们纵向切割，直接从中间切开。该公司贴心地提供了一张纵向切割三明治的照片，

而答案令人惊恐。全身紧绷。自从利兹·特拉斯在唐宁街10号台阶上出现以来，我还没见过如此明显错误的事情。只有少 1% 的人投票给横向切割，这显然是正确答案，因为

我就是这么切的，但这几乎不能带来什么安慰。我们将对那些把三明治切成三角形的异类遮掩过去，同时对那 11% 完全不切割的人的灵巧感到惊叹。如果说复活节关乎你如何吃奶油蛋，那么夏天则关乎三明治：你如何切割你的三明治？

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做个“软隐士”的快乐

厌倦了在潮湿的酒吧花园里逗留？查理·高万斯 (Charlie Gowans) 同样如此

你最近是否推掉了和朋友在酒吧共度的一晚？当群聊中有人建议买音乐节门票时，你是否保持沉默？是否为了避开下班后的啤酒之约而悄悄溜出办公室，或者在超市假装没看到熟人？恭喜你，你正在进行“软隐士”生活 (soft hermiting)，这是来自 Z 世代的最新趋势。

这是一个 TikTok 上的话题标签。根据 RiseGuide（一款针对“末日刷屏”行为的应用程序）对 2,000 名 Z 世代和千禧一代进行的调查，32% 的受访者在过去一年中曾经历过一到三天不与任何人交谈的情况。

在我看来，这听起来像是一个完美的周末。Z 世代或许开启了这一趋势，但这并非新行为。现在的不同之处在于炎热的夏季天气——以前活动常因下雨而取消，让我们所有人都能喘口气。而当阳光持续数周时，人们会感到一种不能在室内浪费时光的压力。

在学校时，我曾连续一年逃避社交场合——生日派对、保龄球之夜

但如果没人想出去社交，这难道是一件坏事吗？

作为一名千禧一代，在面对 Z 世代的趋势时，我习惯了过时，但这一次我确实是一个早期的实践者。在学校时，因为我连续一年逃避所有的社交场合——生日派对、保龄球之夜——我得到了“隐士”的绰号。没错，我后来被开了抗抑郁药，但几十年后，我的隐居生活源于纯粹的快乐。过去几周，我没有在酒吧花园度过，而是在阳台上喝葡萄酒，烤一只鸡然后用骨头熬汤，在伦敦的运河边走 30,000 步，清理衣柜，在公园里读书，做深层组织按摩，重新粉刷走廊，逛古董中心，参观巴比肯中心 (Barbican)。我一个人住，所以不存在意外的社交。偶尔你可能会在酒吧花园发现我，但那是周中下午晚些时候的我独自一人，为了避免与熟人撞面的风险。

我在 8 月底要和朋友度假，所以我正在积攒我的社交电量：到目前为止，我未来三周的日历中没有任何社交计划（而且在度假结束后，我还会单独留五个晚上来恢复）。我极力推荐隐居生活——尽管我也建议你，最好不要在《泰晤士报》上承认这件事。

像B夫人一样，我是一个直率的人

当他提出要挑战 No 10 时，安迪·伯纳姆的妻子对他极其坦诚。希望你也能如此坦率？方法如下。作者：Shane Watson

玛丽-弗朗斯·凡·海尔（Marie-France van Heel）担任首相夫人的时间才短短几周，但到目前为止，我们非常喜欢她的风格。妻子和伴侣大致分为两类：讨好型和直言型。我们已经知道伯纳姆夫人坚定地属于后者——而这恰恰是一个首相夫人应该在的位置。

伯纳姆在《如何失败》（How to Fail）播客中透露，当他宣布要竞选这个重要职位时，他妻子的反应是：“什么？又来？”接着她说：“他们已经两次告诉你他们不需要你了。你为什么还要再试一次？”在这种情况下，讨好型的人会把指甲深深地掐进手掌，灿烂地微笑并说：“噢，亲爱的，太棒了。我全力支持你。”而直言型的人则实话实说，因为他们不知道其他沟通方式，且他们的伴侣对此有所预期——甚至依赖于此——以确保他行事端正。据伯纳姆称，B夫人一直是他最直率的批评者，显然他并不希望改变这一点。这同样是非常令人期待的。

在同一个播客中，伯纳姆回忆起自己在面试结束后认为表现良好，结果打开手机发现一条来自妻子的全大写信息，写着：“回答那个该死的问题”。如果你是一个讨好型的人，这无疑会让你惊恐。但如果你是一个“直率妻子”（Blunt Wife），你会感到极大的鼓舞和欣慰，因为

我们的职责就是守在炉灶旁，提醒道：“烧焦了”

首相背后有一个头脑清醒的BW（直率妻子），引用猫史蒂文斯（Cat Stevens）的歌词，她会促使他尽全力而为，且不会允许他盲目地遵循党派路线（那是她对面试的抱怨），或者忘记他并非救世主，亦或开始相信媒体对他的吹捧。为此我们应当心存感激。我并非针对讨好型的人，但这么说吧，如果利兹·特拉斯（Liz Truss）先生（此处原文为Mr Liz Truss）更像一个BW而不是一个纵容者，我们现在可能不必与成年子女进行那些没完没了的抵押贷款对话了。

与此同时，在现实生活中，我们这些以身为BW而自豪的人，正忙着尽自己的一份力来确保我们的男人不走偏——尽管我们的工作没那么重要。注：直率妻子（Blunt Wifery）不要与“愤怒妻子综合征”混淆。BW是我们丈夫的第一号粉丝，正因如此，我们才能在面对真相时毫不留情，当然也有少数显著的例外（见下文）。BW的丈夫必须知道你 100 per cent 尊重他，否则到圣诞节你就会在离婚法庭上了。

如果你正考虑转换阵营，并想知道如何以正确的精神面貌来实现，这就是我们的方式。

沟通

正如我们所确定的，BW与丈夫之间的沟通没有问题，但在丈夫生活的其他所有领域，沟通可能都是个问题。他的朋友出院了，但他不确定现在是否应该给他打电话。他的侄子要离婚了，但他可能不想谈这件事。他老板的母亲上周去世了，但她是个非常注重隐私的人，所以……在所有这些场景中，BW都会说：“拿起电话就对了，你这个怪人！”有些BW甚至得帮他们拨号，然后把电话拍在他们面前，同时用口型说：“问问扬（Jan）！告诉他你想他了！问问他什么时候想见你。”

烹饪

所有丈夫和伴侣都讨厌在决定烹饪“奥托伦吉风格（Ottolenghi）的东西”时被干扰（这是指使用 14 种食材并在 10.30pm 才用餐）。直率妻子知道，为了大家，厨师必须受到挑战，而我们的职责就是守在炉灶旁低声嘀咕：“烧焦了……那是烧焦的味道……你需要调小火”，以及，“那不是罗勒，是鼠尾草”，还有，“你没法给那个柠檬刮皮是因为它打过蜡”。这

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妻子。你也是吗？

CRAIG HENRY MICHELLE BOSTON，编辑，ANDREW MILLIAMSON

这没什么乐趣，而且你会被指责为一个控制欲强且令人厌烦的混蛋。然后（这是稍微有点棘手的部分），当你的客人们离开，他问：“所以食物真的没问题吗？”（尝起来像烤焦的蝗虫），BW必须保持坚强并回答类似这样的话：“是的……但也许柠檬放得有点多。”他知道柠檬放多了，所以不要用谎言让情况变得更糟。同时不要说：“我告诉过你少放点柠檬，但你听了吗？你从来不听。可怜的杰里简直快被呛到了。”

出门穿衣 根据我的经验，男性在穿衣恐慌的程度上逐渐追上女性，然后反超我们，开始为运动鞋的款式、衬衫是否塞进裤子、是否系腰带，以及天气热时要解开多少颗扣子而折磨自己。

这是一个敏感领域，因为我们明白没有人想在出门前被告知自己看起来像个奥地利牙医。但话又说回来，如果他们不小心把自己打扮成了奥地利牙医，他们当然希望被提醒。最好的策略一如既往是直截了当，但时机要把握得精妙。你必须在他们认定自己看起来很不错之前截住他们。你需要悄悄靠近他们并说：“噢。我以为你要穿另一件上衣。为什么不穿另一件上衣呢？”如果你听到一个略带恐慌的“这件怎么了？”，直接回答“这件没那么像夏天”。如果他想要完整的BW式回应——而且他和你一样清楚规则——那就直接告诉他：“你看起来像个奥地利牙医，但我认为主要是因为那件背心。”

理发

这是BW最初必须忍住不说的一个领域，因为发型决定一切。尽量争取几天不在一起，这样当他说：“这样行吗？我去办公室旁边那家新店理了。”时，你就不用直视他的眼睛。理想情况下，在他忘记自己理过发之前，避免任何接触。

你必须对他们的购物习惯狠下心

然后，当他下次考虑理发时，尽管告诉他，如果他敢回那家店，你就离开他。注：这是一个很好的例子，说明为什么“强硬之爱”的BW比“讨好型”BW对伴侣更有利。讨好型会让她的伴侣认为自己的发型真的很棒，然后他会直接回去再次被毁掉，而对此毫无察觉。

购物

你必须对他们的购物习惯狠下心。“为什么我们养的是一只迷你腊肠犬，你却订了10公斤装的狗粮？”“为什么这是亮光漆，而且我们需要的是乳白色，结果怎么变成了钴蓝色？看看这个颜色。”你的母亲会说，“噢，他在尽力了，”但你是BW，你的工作不是把你的丈夫当成实习生对待。他能做得更好。

发消息

那句“回答该死的问题”肯定会让各地的BW想起她们给伴侣发送紧急消息的所有时刻。仅举几个最近的个人例子：“该死的车钥匙在哪？”“你的手机居然又没开铃声？”“我在Co-op停车场！我还在Co-op停车场！你在哪？”“你把遥控器弄哪去了？”“为什么我的羊绒衫在该死的洗衣机里？”我想如果你是个讨好型，你会等到他们回家，给他们倒一杯冰凉的饮料，然后……实际上，我完全想象不出那个画面。

为什么像我这样的女性厌倦了故作冷淡

这是单身人士的第一条准则——表现得若无其事。但现在我渴望透明度。露西·萨雷特（Lucy Sarret）表示，我并非一个人如此。

在过去两年探索伦敦单身市场的过程中，我虔诚地遵循着现代求爱金律：在任何情况下都绝不能表现出你在意。

我们都熟悉这套剧本。想要成功就得表现得冷淡。你必须将五小时的短信回复窗口视为一项基本人权，将情感上的脆弱视为一场胆量游戏，并保持一种如此深沉的冷漠氛围，以至于你看起来几乎处于昏迷状态。

毕竟，我是在经典“三天法则”的教义中长大的——这是由1996年喜剧电影《单身汉》（Swingers）普及的神圣指令：在约会后要等待72小时再打电话或发短信，否则你就有显得绝望的风险。2000年代的浪漫喜剧，如《如何用10天搞定男人》（How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days）和《他其实没那么喜欢你》（He's Just Not That Into You），反复强调这一教训：表现出渴望会让人疏远，热情令人尴尬，而假装你根本不在乎，才是让对方追随你的唯一方法。

但坦白说，我精疲力竭了。而且看来我并不孤单。在社交媒体和约会软件上，年轻人正对“故作冷淡”表现出集体的疲劳，并积极地夺回真诚，一场巨大的新运动正在倡导明确地表现出“在意”（chalant）。

所谓“chalant”，简单来说，就是“nonchalant”（冷淡）的反义词——自豪地承认事情确实很重要，你确实有期待，并且毫无歉意地投入其中。这是一种“表现得热情”的艺术。根据约会软件Hinge的一份报告，去年对“chalant”一词的搜索量激增了217%，用户公开地筛选那些愿意追求他们的匹配对象。

在理智上，我渴望这种浪漫的透明度。我厌倦了现代约会中像鸭子池塘一样停滞不前的情况。然而，当付诸实践时，我根深蒂固的条件反射呈现出一个心理障碍：一旦有人表现出热情，我就会恐慌。

我承认，我的朋友们认为我切断关系太快，而且我从未在对方之前说过“我爱你”。我的前男友坦承，在我们关系的前三个月里，他不确定我是否喜欢他。科学表明，这种冷淡是有效的。一项2020年的研究发现，表现出选择性而非过度可用，会让我们看起来更具吸引力。

追逐是有趣的，但它让我陷入了一个浪漫悖论：我需要知道对方喜欢我才能敞开心扉，但如果对方太快喜欢上我，我就会产生不信任感，或者失去兴趣。

举个例子：我和朋友们最近讨论了一个匹配对象，他在我们第一次约会结束几个小时后给我发短信，说他很喜欢见到我，并想定好下次

我的朋友们认为我很快就会与人断绝关系，而且我从未在一段关系中率先说出“我爱你”

周。正如任何理智且适应良好的人会感受到的那样，我的直接反应是一场轻微的存在主义危机。“他看起来太热情了，”我向朋友们解释道，“他显然在对我进行‘爱情轰炸’。”他们只是问：“你是不是就没那么喜欢他，还是你在试图找个借口？”

他们说得有道理。正如关系治疗师兼性学家索菲·罗斯（Sofie Roos）告诉我的那样，“即使你内心渴望与这个人在一起，却假装自己并不那么在意，这是一种保持戒备的方式，对许多人来说，这比袒露心扉感觉起来没那么脆弱。然而，有所选择与在喜欢某人时假装不在意之间有显著的区别，后者会让你显得在情感上不可触及。”

我们没完没了地抱怨那些给我们“撒面包屑”的、在情感上不可触及的人，但我们却惩罚那些坦率表达感情的温柔之人。如果他们发信息太频繁，我们会反感；如果他们发得太少，我们同样反感。难道真的没有一个人能恰到好处地测试我吗？（这真的有那么难吗？）

重新找回我的“淡定”意味着要摒弃这些规则。带着目的去约会很可怕，但因为双方都太恐惧而不敢承认自己在意，从而在暧昧不清的状态中浪费三个月时间则更糟糕。

“在喜欢某人时停止玩心理游戏，而是诚实地表达自己的意图，可以降低误解的风险，让约会变得更成熟、更稳定，”罗斯说。“关键在于能够说出‘我喜欢你’而不会迷失自我，并且即使没有隐藏真实感受，也能坦然接受拒绝。”

所以，请将此视为我正式退出淡漠 era 的宣言。我在意，我准备好了，而且我的档期很快会被订满。如果你想约我出去，请提前预约——而且请不要等三天之后才告诉我你过得很愉快。

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啊，不！我们搬到了法国，但我没料到我的孩子们会变得如此“法国化”

在2019年移民后，艾利克斯·奥尼尔（Alix O'Neill）希望她的孩子们能够融入当地。但她没预料到他们会对高卢式的生活方式如此彻底地拥抱。

进球！ 我的六岁儿子将双手交叉在胸前，塞在腋下，模仿着基利安·姆巴佩标志性的庆祝动作。我的丈夫德克斯（Dex）和我一脸困惑地看着。怎么会变成这样？我们两个对足球都没有丝毫兴趣。而且在世界杯上为法国队加油？C'est pas possible（这不可能）。

我想，这一天终究会到来。每逢六国赛，我们的儿子们在决定支持哪支橄榄球队时总是很纠结：是支持德克斯和我出生并成长的地方爱尔兰，还是支持他们被收养的故乡法国。八岁的威廉（William）经常声称保持中立，以免得罪父母。而他的弟弟萨沙（Sasha）天生就不那么在意取悦他人。有一年，为了惩罚我们不让他吃甜点，他宣布他希望英格兰队获胜。

2019年，在伦敦生活了12年后，我们移民到法国西南部，当时我们并未考虑到自己最终会养出两个法国男孩。我们决定搬家的原因有很多，包括对脱欧的厌倦，以及渴望一种更实惠、更悠闲的生活方式。最主要的是，德克斯和我对所有高卢风情都毫无抵抗力。我出生在巴士底日，小时候经常去法国度假。一旦你在生日那天体验过公共烟花表演，就很难回头了。德克斯在大学期间曾在蔚蓝海岸度过了一个迷失的夏天，因此不需要太多劝说。最终促成决定的是2015年的一次普罗旺斯艾克斯之行。我们在一个阴凉的广场上喝着桃红葡萄酒，坐在一个时髦的家庭旁边，那家的孩子们穿着得体，餐桌礼仪无懈可击。我捅了捅德克斯：有一天我们也会变成那样。

正如Z世代在面对极度好笑的事情时所说的，“我快笑死了”（I'm dead）。大多数时候，我都在帮他们洗掉各种衣服上的泥土和不明食物，而我的儿子们则把餐具视为餐桌装饰。我不介意。我热爱成为一个男孩的母亲，热爱这种肢体上的互动。我经常被他们攀爬、被他们大声叫喊，沉浸在这种喧闹之中，而传统的法式育儿方式（à la française）通常是不赞同这种行为的。

即便如此，我们最近决定申请法国

浪漫之爱根植于文化之中。每天我都会收到关于谁在爱慕谁的最新进展

国籍。虽然萨沙在这里出生，但在他满18.之前，他没有权利获得出生公民权。如果我们入籍，孩子们也将成为法国人。（法国允许双重国籍，所以我们的爱尔兰身份将保持不变。）

现在将其正式化的原因？尽管我们尽了最大努力——例如在每个圣帕特里克节强迫他们观看《河之舞》（Riverdance），以提醒他们母国的才华——但我们的儿子们在内心深处觉得自己是法国人。萨沙拥有一个真正的图尔人（Turnais）的所有习惯。在市场里，他会听着奶酪商抱怨养老金改革，并同情地鼓起腮帮子叹气，低声嘟囔一句恰当的脏话。他把业余时间花在“肌肉塑造”（masculation）上，用我3公斤的哑铃雕刻他的婴儿肱二头肌。这种大男子主义的展示绝对不是从他父亲那里继承的，因为他父亲的健身包在酒吧地板上过夜的时间比在更衣室储物柜里的时间还多。

我是否应该担心这种将体力强壮视为男性气概标志的痴迷？在MeToo运动多年后，性别歧视在法国依然盛行——去年的一个议会报告显示，性暴力、骚扰和霸凌在该国的娱乐业中是系统性的。另一项官方调查检测到，法国社会各界出现了对该运动的男性反弹。

最终，我并不为此焦虑。陷入假设性的担忧很容易。诚然，法国在性政治方面进化得较慢，但我并不担心会养出下一个安德鲁·塔特（Andrew Tate）。事实上，萨沙对提升体能的专注激励了我去提高自己的健身水平。

[...OMITTED...]

至于威廉，他的特质虽不那么接地气，但同样具有法兰西风格。他渴望日常生活中的美，且偏好戏剧化的表达。在不写故事或制作漫画书的时候，他总是在沉思生命的意义。虽然他的创造力可能会让家乡的老师感到沮丧，但在这里，艺术家依然备受推崇。每当他忘记带作业，或者穿着一件前后穿反的T恤出门时，他的老师总是宽容地微笑，并向我保证一切都好。他简直就是一个 un petit rêveur（小梦想家）。

虽然两人的性格迥异，但两个男孩在情感问题上都颇有心得。法国孩子对人际关系非常痴迷。他们怎么能不痴迷呢？浪漫之爱早已根植于这里的文化之中。每天我都会收到关于谁在 amoureux（恋爱）谁的最新进展。一群六岁和八岁的孩子簇拥在厨房餐桌旁，交流心得，赞美一段美满姻缘的喜悦，或为一段单相思而彼此宽慰。我曾就读于一所全女生修道院学校，深知不能把男孩带来的烦恼告诉我那位务实的北爱尔兰母亲。而在法国，这种行为深受父母的鼓励。法国女孩身上有一种我在英语国家朋友的女儿身上从未见过的娇俏，而威廉班上的一个母亲甚至认真地谈论她的孩子与坐在旁边的男孩结婚的事。有一次我提出，这些浪漫的东西是不是有点傻？男孩们几乎掩饰不住他们的轻蔑。威廉追问道，还有什么比爱更重要的吗。

我不知道。生存？我身边有两个初露头角的美食家。虽然两人都不怎么喜欢奶酪（sacré bleu），但萨沙欣赏陈年孔泰奶酪，并且在闻父亲杯中的当地葡萄酒时，能正确识别出许多次级香气。威廉则更偏爱面包，他能立刻分辨出手工法棍和家乐福提供的法棍。这与我童年时期的 Findus 脆皮煎饼简直天差地别。

我的孩子们身上最具有法国特质的一点是他们对待 jeux de société（社交游戏 / 桌游）的方式。我们英语使用者倾向于直接开始玩桌游，边玩边摸索。而对于法国人来说，关键在于策略。男孩们会花一小时进行深入的赛前分析——如果你记得第二次世界大战的历史，就会知道这并不能保证成功。（法国人花了太长时间构建他们复杂的马奇诺防线，以至于未能规划应对德国军队通过比利时推进的情况。）

公平地说，孩子们这种过度思考的倾向并不令人惊讶。他们从小就处于这个体制之中。在我们移民的那一年，马克龙规定三岁起必须入学。规则和结构是他们所熟知的一切。顺便提一句，这也是对法国育儿方式的批评之一：即它僵化且缺乏包容，过度关注服从。今年，国家铁路公司禁止 12 岁以下儿童进入部分商务舱车厢。成人专属空间的普及引发了一场文化战争，左翼和中间派政治家要求制定新立法来禁止这种做法。

我们体验过这种养育 bébé（婴儿）的旧式方法。尽管体罚在 2019 年被宣布非法，但看到法国父母对孩子举起手并不罕见。在年长一代中，人们仍然期望孩子能克制天生的活泼。在威廉六岁生日的一家家庭餐厅里，一名女性指责我们破坏了她的用餐体验。她告诉我，男孩们及其朋友（他们一直端坐且表现良好）是 mal élève（没教养的），她别无选择，只能取消甜点订单。

与此同时，我们注意到法国社会正悄然美国化

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MATTHEU KENDEL / NAME LUCA 为《泰晤士报》供图

Alix O'Neill 和她的儿子们，威廉与萨沙

近年来的育儿方式：奢华的生日派对、对纪律采取更为放任的态度，以及对垃圾食品的依赖程度日益增加。由于我拒绝让孩子们吃糖果或含糖饮料，我成了学校妈妈们眼中的一个笑料。万圣节已经大受欢迎。当我们刚到这里时，在超市里能找到个南瓜就算运气好。而现在，每个城镇都庆祝“不给糖就捣蛋”，当地店主们纷纷为小小庆祝者们储备起哈瑞宝 (Haribo) 软糖。

无论你处于分歧的哪一方，礼貌 (la politesse) 都是关键。忘掉“请”和“谢谢”吧——bonjour（你好）和 au revoir（再见）才是法国文明的基石。如果你的后代在进出商店时忘记说这些词，他们会被视为野蛮人。

在尝试融入法国生活的同时又保持我们核心家庭价值观不变，这就像是在走钢丝。我们费尽心机地去同化于这种文化。我们参加地方选举投票，加入学校的家长教师协会 (PTA)，在市政厅 (mairie) 请求志愿者时带孩子们去捡垃圾。然而，有时我仍会坚持以英语母语者的方式行事。

比如在做错事时道歉（在这里很少见）、对孩子们的赞美滔滔不绝、不把生活看得太严肃。前几天，萨沙 (Sasha) 讲述了他在面包店 (boulangerie) 里因为把玩具蜘蛛藏在羊角面包中而被一名女士责骂的经历。“她一点也不幽默 (no craic)，妈妈，”他感叹道。德克斯 (Dex) 和我如释重负地相视一笑。他们或许看起来像法国男孩，但他们的幽默感？那完全是爱尔兰式的。

胰腺炎——减肥药物的风险有多大？

一起致命事件引发了人们对 GLP-1 类药物的质疑。Peta Bee 报道

减肥药物附带关于不愉快胃肠道副作用的信息——恶心、便秘和呕吐——大多数用户认为为了身体的转变，这些副作用是值得忍受的。此外，还有关于更严重潜在并发症的显著警告，尤其是胰腺炎。但随着 GLP-1 受体激动剂药物的普及率飙升，一些使用者出现更严重疾病的报告也随之增加。

本周，诺福克郡的一家验尸法庭获悉，73 岁的 Caroline Savage 两年前在家中去世。此前，她的药剂师建议她在服用 Moanjaro (tirapatide) 减肥药四个月后，将剂量增加到最高 10mg。她的死因是粪性腹膜炎，即粪便泄漏到腹腔中，这可能是胰腺炎症的一种罕见副作用，而该炎症可能与她私下开具的药物有关，也可能无关。

提交给英国药物监管机构并于去年发表在《英国医学杂志》(BMJ) 上的数据显示，截至 2025 年 1 月 31 日，共有 22 例因用于减肥目的而服用 GLP-1 受体激动剂导致的严重不良反应死亡病例。急性医学学会候任主席 Vicky Price 表示担心，“患者在没有正确理解潜在风险或没有意识到将这些药物作为支持性减肥计划一部分的重要性的情况下，就在服用这些药物”。

莱斯特大学注册营养师兼营养学荣誉副教授 Duane Mellor 表示，任何考虑使用这些药物的人都应确保获得良好的医疗支持。

“目前尚不清楚严重副作用是否与使用 GLP-1 直接相关，”Mellor 说。“无论是通过饮食还是药物，任何体重的变化都不是没有副作用的，但人们在使用时应确保在监督之下。”

增加剂量时需要保持怎样的警惕？

GLP-1 注射剂的剂量通常从每周 0.25mg 开始，在几个月内逐渐增加，直到达到每周 2.4mg 的较高维持剂量。如果需要，部分患有临床肥胖的成年人在使用 2.4mg 至少四周后，可获得最高增加至每周 7.2mg 的剂量。这种循序渐进的方法至关重要，且应始终由医疗专业人员监督。“这使得开药者能够在每个阶段检查并管理症状，”Mellor 说。“这也意味着剂量可以根据个人情况量身定制，以实现适当的体重减轻，因为每个人的情况都不同。”

任何通过国民医疗服务体系 (NHS) 开具 GLP-1 药物的人都将被追踪，但那些私下或在线购买减肥

药物的人可能无法获得同级别的支持，因此应谨慎行事。请务必确保在线购买的药物是由注册药房配制的。

胰腺炎的风险有多大？

急性胰腺炎是指胰腺（位于胃后方并辅助消化的器官）的极度炎症——对于服用某些 GLP-1 受体激动剂药物的人群来说，这是一个罕见但确实存在的风险，发生率在 0.2 to 1 per cent 之间。

“无论通过何种手段快速减轻体重，包括极端饮食或药物，都会增加患胰腺炎和胆结石的风险，”梅勒（Mellor）表示。“这并不总是药物本身的直接影响，但人们确实需要意识到相关症状。”

当体重快速减轻时，肝脏被迫将过量的胆固醇释放到胆汁中，从而形成胆结石，这些结石可能会阻塞胰管。药品和医疗产品监管局（MHRA）表示，症状包括腹部和背部剧烈且不消退的疼痛。

“胆结石倾向于引起侧腹疼痛，而胰腺炎的疼痛会放射至背部，并可能导致呕吐，尤其是当你弯腰时，”梅勒说。“如果感到担忧，请立即咨询医疗专业人员。”

大多数人能在大约一周内从该病症中恢复，但如果被忽视，可能会导致包括坏死（胰腺组织死亡）甚至器官衰竭在内的并发症。

其他严重副作用如何？

根据 MHRA 的说法，服用该药物的非糖尿病患者可能会出现低血糖（血糖极低），且超过十分之一的人会出现呕吐或腹泻，这可能导致脱水。该机构表示，如果脱水严重，会增加更严重后果的风险，例如肾脏损伤，“这可能导致住院治疗”。在最近一项针对近 150,000 人的研究中（该研究在 美国骨科医师学会年度会议上发表），服用减肥药的人面临骨骼疾病（包括骨质疏松症和腱断裂）的风险显著高于非使用者。一份发表在《新英格兰医学杂志》上的报告表示担心，长期使用这些药物可能会使某些人产生进食障碍。

“由于这些药物影响胃部消化食物的方式，它会影响某些营养物质的吸收，”梅勒说。“存在维生素 B12 和铁缺乏的风险，从而导致疲劳和潜在的贫血。”

是否存在某些潜在健康状况，意味着服用减肥药可能不是个好主意？

由于减肥药与胰腺炎症之间潜在的联系，任何有胰腺炎病史的人在被开药前应接受彻底评估，患有心血管疾病（如心绞痛）、胆囊疾病、肝功能受损或肾脏问题的人也应如此。

任何本人或家族有甲状腺癌或肿瘤病史的人在服药前应与全科医生（GP）讨论，且被诊断患有进食障碍的人不应被开具减肥药物。如果你正在服用任何其他处方药，特别是华法林和抗凝剂、甲状腺药物或胰岛素，存在产生不良相互作用的风险，因此请先与医生讨论。

微剂量给药是更好的选择吗？

在一周的时间里滴喂低于推荐剂量的 GLP-1 注射量是一种“超说明书”趋势，在那些只想通过少量药物维持体重减轻的人群中变得流行。目前没有证据表明这样做是安全的，英国监管机构或 NHS 也不推荐此做法。

“作为专业人员，我们不能推荐微剂量给药，因为这与剂量不准确以及每周重复使用一次性针头相关联的风险，”梅勒说。“很多患者在拿到药物后会自行操作，我们无法控制，但微剂量给药并非没有风险。”

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8

arts

“丽塔和我打算一起拍一部浪漫喜剧”

奥斯卡获奖导演塔伊加·维迪提向埃德·波顿讲述了与萨姆·尼尔合作的经历、他的新电影，以及他的流行歌手妻子如何改变了他的电影口味

塔伊加·维迪提正穿着一件粉色连帽衫，在奥克兰的家中闲逛，啜饮着柠檬热水，向我讲述他排满的日程表。“我想丽塔和我打算一起拍一部浪漫喜剧，”他说。那是他的妻子，流行歌手丽塔·奥拉——稍后会详细介绍她。他还“一直在洛杉矶支持一位新电影制作人维克多·加布里埃尔”，指的是加布里埃尔的电影《哈利路亚·琼斯的惊人抢劫案》。然后是《极年轻的弗兰肯斯坦》，这是《年轻的弗兰肯斯坦》的一部电视前传衍生剧。“那是另一位新电影制作人，叫梅尔·布鲁克斯，”维迪提带着一丝微笑说道。布鲁克斯在1974年执导了《年轻的弗兰肯斯坦》，最近刚满100岁。

维迪提和布鲁克斯在2020年奥斯卡奖之前的洛杉矶一次午餐会上相识，当时前者凭借《乔乔的兔子》获得提名，这部喜剧讲述了一个十岁希特勒青年团成员的故事，他的幻想朋友是阿道夫·希特勒，由维迪提饰演。这部由这位新西兰人编剧、导演并共同制作的电影，在几天后为他赢得了奥斯卡最佳改编剧本奖：“梅尔就《乔乔的兔子》发表了一场非常精彩的演讲，讲述了这部电影如何与他们拍摄《制作人》时的初衷完全一致，”50岁的维迪提说道，他指的是布鲁克斯那部同样充满争议的关于一部名为《希特勒的春天》的音乐剧的电影。“梅尔开了一个玩笑：‘你扮演希特勒之前没征求我的许可。’”

由两人担任执行制片人、扎克·加利法纳基斯主演的《极年轻的弗兰肯斯坦》“真的非常非常有趣”，维迪提承诺道。“我对最终呈现的效果非常满意，因为当你试图将这样一个深受喜爱的作品以一种全新的方式带入世界时，你会感到有些紧张。互联网上总会有一些迷人的家伙会说：‘别碰它。这是我世界上最喜欢的东西。’”

朱利安·丹尼森和萨姆·尼尔在《野生之子》中。右图：塔伊加·维迪提与妻子丽塔·奥拉

“萨姆·尼尔用我的名字给一只猪命名。我问他那头猪怎么样，他说：‘噢，它味道极好’”

《野生之子》将于明天起在部分电影院上映

“你依然拥有原作，没有人强迫你用这部作品来替代它。”

值得注意的是，他得到了布鲁克斯以及英国诺贝尔奖得主石黑一雄等巨匠的信任，维迪提已将后者的书籍《基亚拉与太阳》改编为他的下一部电影。但毕竟他是电影制作领域最具原创精神的思想者之一。他聪明、幽默、俏皮且多才多艺，在短短几年内，就从《康科德飞行》等突破性的新西兰喜剧和吸血鬼伪纪录片《阴影中》跃升至为漫威编剧并执导大预算电影《雷神3：诸神之战》和《雷神：爱与雷霆》。他的足球喜剧《下一球获胜》(2023) 则是罕见的失手。

将他的项目联系在一起的是他所谓的“平凡之喜剧”，一种典型的、带有新西兰特色的冷面反差幽默。想想克里斯·海姆斯沃斯饰演的《雷神》被倒吊在扭曲的链条上，但必须转完一整圈才能开口说话。“越无聊，我觉得就越好笑，”维迪提说。“新西兰就像一个巨大的郊区。我们大概有三个城市，而且我犹豫是否要称它们为城市。小时候的大部分时间都花在向灯柱扔石头、幻想事情以及做傻事上。”

这种低调的傻气贯穿于他最出色的电影之一《野生原住民》（Hunt for the Wilderpeople）中，该片本月正值上映十周年而重新发行。影片讲述了多动症养子里基（Ricky，朱利安·丹尼森饰）被一对乡村夫妇赫克托（Hector，山姆·尼尔饰）和贝拉（Bella，里玛·特威亚塔饰）收养的故事。当贝拉突然去世后，里基逃入了新西兰的丛林，面色阴沉的赫克托不情愿地跟在后面。随后，一场针对他们的搜捕行动展开。上个月去世、享年78岁的尼尔是韦蒂蒂最喜爱的演员之一。“他可能是我们新西兰最著名的演员，而且他是唯一适合那个角色的人，”他说道。他们成为了朋友，韦蒂蒂曾访问尼尔在中央奥塔哥的葡萄园，那里养了一些猪。“他居然用我的名字给一只猪命名。我询问那只猪怎么样了，他说：‘哦，它味道极好。’”

“山姆是片场最放松的人，因为他见惯了这一切。当所有人都陷入恐慌时，他只会露出这种坏笑，就像在说，一切都会没事的，”韦蒂蒂说。“新西兰是一个非常糟糕的、基于大男子主义、体育和喝啤酒的父权社会。如果你说你想从事艺术，你会被称为‘娘炮’，但山姆根本不在乎这些。他知道艺术才是最重要的东西。”

韦蒂蒂说，《野生原住民》最初是一部严肃的电影。“我原以为我会成为一个非常激烈、充满戏剧性的电影制作人。在那个版本的结尾，赫克托被警察枪杀，而里基最终仍留在寄养系统中。幸运的是我们没有拍那部电影。它可能会进入戛纳电影节——只要是孩子受伤害的题材都能进去。而《乔乔的兔子》（Jojo Rabbit）绝无可能进入戛纳，因为他们没有被送到西伯利亚的性集中营。”

相反，他构思出的作品更温暖、更幽默，其中大部分喜剧效果源于赫克托对里基那种脾气暴躁的厌烦。赫克托带有尼尔在《侏罗纪公园》中格兰特博士的影子，后者自称讨厌孩子。孩子们喜欢电影中的这类设定，因为这种刻薄中带有安全感——他们知道这个角色内心深处是个柔软的人，就像尼尔一样。“山姆的眼神中有些东西，你只要看一眼就知道，”韦蒂蒂说。

他说，在惠灵顿和丰盛湾长大，严厉的成年人是常态。“当时有一种不成文的规定，每个人都是所有孩子的家长，并且会约束他们，而现在这种情况不再发生了。美国制片厂会对成年人对孩子刻薄的想法感到恐慌，我认为这只是对向全世界刻薄的一种过度补偿的愧疚感。”

韦蒂蒂的母亲是一名学者，她在监狱里遇到了他的父亲——一名艺术家兼摩托车帮派头目，当时她在那里做志愿者，而他是一名囚犯。在他五岁时，父母离婚了，他的父亲很少在身边，这影响了韦蒂蒂的电影。“我不知道如何描写一对在一起的夫妇，”他说。“我成长过程中只在朋友家见过这种情况，感觉有点奇怪。孩子与单亲父母之间会产生一种非常强烈的关注。”

《野生原住民》在儿童观众中反响良好，这“提醒你不要为了孩子而把东西简化”，他说。“在电视上滚动浏览时，我看到一个接一个这种空洞、无脑内容的缩略图。”他很自豪自己的大多数电影——即使是涉及弃婴和虐待的《男孩》（Boy，2010年）——他的孩子们都可以观看。很多演员无法这样说

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9

艺术

从上至下：泰卡·韦蒂蒂和罗曼·格里芬·戴维斯在《乔乔的兔子》中；珍娜·奥尔特加和娜塔莎·里昂在《克拉拉与太阳》中

那样。“克里斯蒂安·贝尔——他的作品集对一个五岁孩子来说可不是什么好的选择。”

Waititi 与新西兰人切尔西·温斯坦利（Chelsea Winstanley）育有两个女儿，分别是 14 岁的 Te Kainga o te Hinekahu 和 10 岁的 Matewa Kiritapu。温斯坦利曾共同制作了《阴影中的我们》（What We Do in the Shadows）和《乔乔兔》（Jojo Rabbit）。他与温斯坦利于 2018 年离婚，四年后，他与 Ora 结婚，两人是由演员罗伯特·帕丁森（Robert Pattinson）在一次好莱坞烧烤聚会上介绍认识的。是 Ora 向 Waititi 求婚的。他们的生活在奥克兰、伦敦和洛杉矶之间往返。

他的喜剧口味与她的重合度有多高？“Rita 比我 [35] 年轻一点，所以前几天我给她看了《黑亚德》（Blackadder），”他说。结果并不像他预想的那样受欢迎。“这就像《年轻人们》（The Young Ones）一样——是你需要在某个特定年龄段观看的那类东西。她说：‘我知道这很有趣，我只是觉得有点难以领会。’”

Ora 有向他推荐过什么吗？他显得有些局促。“坦白说，她把我拉进了浪漫喜剧的世界。我当时觉得，‘我才不看《甜蜜家园阿拉巴马》（Sweet Home Alabama）’，但看了之后我觉得，‘这还挺让人满足的。’这些作品之所以成功是有原因的。我现在年纪大了，喜欢蜷在沙发上，吃着小零食，看这类东西。”

这种惬意的顿悟——以及想要更多时间陪伴妻子的潜意识动机——促使他们共同开发一部由两人主演的浪漫喜剧。

“当你娶了一个超级忙碌的人，而你自己也超级忙碌时，你必须想办法在一起，而唯一的办法就是一起工作。我的意思是，她现在在慕尼黑，”他笑着说。“所以她会出演我制作的作品，我们也在共同创作一些东西。”他说，在《格雷的五十道阴影》系列电影中饰演克里斯蒂安·格雷妹妹，以及在《后裔》（Descendants）系列中饰演红心女王的 Ora 是一个“非常幽默的演员”。

她参与了《克拉拉与太阳》（Klara and the Sun），尽管参与的方式仍处于保密状态。我打赌是一首歌。这部电影将于 10 月上映，讲述了一个名叫乔西（Josie，由 Mia Tharia 饰演）的患病女孩的故事，她得到了一个安卓机器人伴侣，由《星期三》（Wednesday）的詹娜·奥尔特加（Jenna Ortega）饰演。艾米·亚当斯（Amy Adams）共同出演乔西的母亲。“我从未想过我会拍出如此有意义的作品，”Waititi 说。“我想，这是我的一种成熟；对我那些傻气的成熟。”他说，这归功于石黑一雄原著的质量。“你会觉得，‘这是孩子写的吗？太简单了。’然后你意识到，‘噢不，这是一个大师写的。一切都在表面之下流动。’”

他能与一个人工智能生物建立关系吗？“也许吧，我知道有些人与聊天实体处于恋爱关系中。这种情况正在发生，而且他们很幸福。这也是这部电影探讨的部分内容。你的伴侣是什么已经不再重要了吗？我们每天只想听到寥寥几句话：‘我爱你。我懂你。我在听你讲述那些关于工作的无聊故事。你昨晚梦到了什么？明天见。’”

这听起来其实并不太糟。尽管与丽塔·奥拉（Rita Ora）生活在一起可能更胜一筹。

走进鲸鱼体内 —— 近距离接触北极熊埃里克

赫尔海事博物馆在经过 £2000 万 的翻新后于本周末重新开放。利比·珀夫斯认为这是一次巨大的成功。

沿着螺旋楼梯登上旧赫尔码头办公室的圆顶，在维多利亚时代的雕塑式屋顶景观之下，你可以看到码头变成了花园，街道景观充满艺术感，这座曾经艰苦奋斗的城市正享受着作为 2017 年文化之都带来的余波。在 £8000 万 的投资中，四分之一（£2039 万）用于这家海事博物馆的重新设计，因此在我下方令人眩晕的丰富展陈中，有顶尖遗产建筑师事务所 Purcell 设计的新展厅，一些优雅的 Angus Ross 家具，以及任何对海洋有感情的人都无法抗拒的珍宝，尤其是对于赫尔数世纪的航海历史而言。

这里有巨大的展品、残酷的记忆和精致的小奇迹。走进馆内，有一具巨大的北大西洋鲸鱼骨架 —— 被称为“露脊鲸”，因为它是捕猎收益最高的一种。孩子们可以爬进它下方的一个气泡舱向上凝视；达尔文主义者会欣喜地发现，它是世界上少数几具保留了前史祖先在岸上行走时退化腿骨的鲸鱼遗骸之一。周围是捕鲸贸易的遗物：一支因撞击而几乎折成两倍的鱼叉，用于熔化鲸脂的大锅，以及在发动机出现后才得以实现的向北“远洋”贸易的物品。因此，这里有因纽特人的工艺品，以及两名被拖网渔船“收养”的孤儿雕塑（顺便说一句，这里有一处注释，说明因纽特人现在明确表示他们一直照顾自己的孤儿，因此他们的祖先可能并不想要这种维多利亚时代的异域主义绑架）。

但那个狂野、艰苦、充满探索与狩猎的过去的遗迹和态度是真实的，从灯油到紧身胸衣和刷具，其有用的成果在此展出。往上走两层是世界第二大刻牙艺术（scrimshaw）收藏（最大的一组在马萨诸塞州），即水手在牙齿和象牙上的雕刻。有一块鲸鱼耳骨被画上了睫毛和口红，是某个孤独家伙对女性亲属的思念：显然，一个像鼻子一样突出的部分使耳骨在被加工成面孔时大受欢迎。这种“刻牙”艺术总是令人动容，其中关于船只和战友的细节微小而细致，但将一只曾经传递远方同类鲸鱼之歌的耳朵人性化，则带有一种双重的酸楚。

馆长罗宾·戴珀做出了一个强而有力的明智决定，直接深入探讨不仅是捕鱼而且是捕鲸的历史，而没有现代式的道歉或畏缩。同样的情况也适用于那只巨大的北极熊，它被捕鲸船

北极熊埃里克已安装完毕。下方：绘画处理后的与天然的鲸鱼耳骨

这是极少数带有腿骨的鲸鱼骨架之一

SS Erik 捕获，并从邓迪博物馆长期借用。在听到埃里克回归的消息后，赫尔市感到非常高兴：他是家人。

2010 年，修复人员在他体内发现了几份 1874 年的报纸。

这里主要讲述的是关于人类的故事：勤奋、聪明、勇敢，为生存而奋斗。在入口处看到巨大的拖网门时不禁打冷战：想象一下在波涛汹涌的大海中将一扇湿漉漉的谷仓大门拉上船。年仅 11 岁的学徒就被送去从事拖网捕鱼，直到 1880 年代，逃兵才不再意味着入狱。

这里还有其他记忆：关于邮船和商船队的记忆，以及一间为各个时代的失踪海员设立的安静纪念室。这里有造船模型，以及马弗利特（Marfleet）的码头工人工具和钩子收藏。作为一座现代博物馆，它拥有大量的视频，一个小型的天文馆，以及一个在虚拟冰山中驾驶拖网渔船的机会（我撞上了一座，就为了听那一声碎裂声）。

但现实占据了主导地位，正如它必须的那样，从独角鲸的象牙到莉莉安·比洛卡（Lillian Bilocca）写的一封信，这位“头巾革命者”在1968年发生一系列悲剧后的运动，迫使哈罗德·威尔逊执行更好的安全措施。几个世纪以来那些等待、照顾男人并在渔业不景气时艰苦奋斗的女性也得到了应有的认可。但与此同时，几乎像是某种戏谑，旁边是一幅卡罗琳娜·雅布里克（Karolina Jabryk）的最新肖像：她是壹级亨伯领航员，也是那个危险的大船贸易中少数的女性之一。哦，而且在宏伟古老的码头公司董事会会议室里，我偶然被告知有一个由8名女性组成的专家团队，她们在六周的时间里，躺在荒诞且华丽的天花板下的高台上，清理掉了一个世纪以来男人们留下的烟斗和雪茄烟雾。

这座博物馆令人愉悦，但它希望避免成为一个“停车即走”的目的地；你可以走过王子码头（Prince's Quay）前往古老的斯普恩灯船（Spurn Lightship），而女王花园（Queen's Gardens）——另一个自1930年代以来被填平的码头——则是一场壮丽的巡游，路灯呼应着起重机臂，树木高耸如人。

然后你终于到达了北端造船厂，下周，一项关于潮汐、拖船和船闸屏障的复杂工程计算，将迎来“北极海盗号”（Arctic Corsair）的抵达并将其移入干船坞。它是雄伟的侧向推进拖网渔船中的最后一艘，因在1970年代的鳕鱼战争中撞击一艘冰岛炮艇而闻名。学生团体会喜欢这个故事的。

赫尔海事博物馆周六开馆

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Ben Dowell 电视评论

《大鸡》(Big Chicken) Netflix ★★★★☆

信不信由你，在英国 6,000 多家灯光惨白的炸鸡店买的炸鸡，并不能为你提供一周中最有营养的一餐，无法改善你的心情，也不会让你一天心情愉快地跳跃。但如果你花 28 天时间只吃这种东西，你可能会变得像 Mo Gilligan 那样——这位活泼的喜剧演员被削减成了一个眼窝深陷、抑郁、臃肿、慵懒且痛苦的躯壳。“因为这些该死的炸鸡，我睡不着觉，”他抱怨道。

在《大鸡：快餐阴谋》(Big Chicken: A Fast Food Conspiracy) (Netflix) 中，没有太多是我们之前没有怀疑过的内容，但事实却是触目惊心且令人震惊的。大规模生产的鸡用粪便污染了我们的水道（在美国，一年产生的鸡粪足以覆盖伦敦），同时也污染了我们的肠道。在全球范围内，肥胖儿童的人数多于饥饿儿童；加工鸡肉中使用的一种添加剂被用于润滑避孕套。如果婴儿以现代“科学怪鸡”的速度生长，他们在两个月内就会长到成年猪的大小。

尽管出发点高尚，但纪录片制作者以身试险的做法早已有人做过，且更令人难忘，比如 Morgan Spurlock，他的《超级 size 我》(Super Size Me) 在 2004. 年短暂地抹去了 Ronald McDonald 脸上的笑容。但要为热情洋溢的 Gilligan 采用这种方法来吸引更年轻的 Netflix 观众而点赞（而且，我希望我的青春期女儿们也能看到，当她们下次要求去 Popeyes 或 Wingstop 时，会发现她们的父亲不再那么乐意为了换取清静而交出 20 英镑）。正如 Clarkson 的《农场》(Farm) 所展示的那样，流媒体平台与 BBC 或 Channel 4 一样，能够制作出极具价值的公共服务影片。

Gilligan 塞进了很多内容（也许太多了），包括一次前往美国的长途旅行，他在那里与健康专家和活动人士交谈，这些人关注那些在大型加工厂屠宰场工作的员工的福利（我们被告知，一名工人被斩首，有些人不得不穿尿不湿，因为他们不被允许

Mo Gilligan 为了拍摄这部电影连续 28 天吃炸鸡

上厕所），随后他加入英国活动人士，准备潜入林肯郡的一个养鸡场。Gilligan 临阵脱逃了。“我很想去，但我女朋友说不行，”他笑着说，但这个笑容并没有给我或活动人士留下深刻印象。反正他们也没什么运气。

来自公关部门的平淡企业声明，是这顿考验性大餐中熟悉的配菜，而 Gilligan 大快朵颐的多个镜头会让你感到真正的恶心。但看到一段“影响力者”（这个词可能比“特惠桶”更令人反感）访问肯德基 (KFC) 供应商农场并喋喋不休地讲述这些鸟类受到多么良好对待的档案 footage，依然令人震惊。太可怕了。

Gilligan 亲切、谦逊且好学，即使在做他所谓的“正经新闻报道”时也是如此。他也非常意识到，正如他多次提醒我们的那样，炸鸡对黑人身份认同的重要性；他记得在南伦敦与朋友们一起嚼肉（和软骨）度过的许多快乐时光。

也许部分是因为他感到矛盾，他的电影在表达上有所保留——最明显的是在结尾，Gilligan 带着伙伴们过于快意地前往一个炸鸡节并大快朵颐。要求我们所有人停止食用这种垃圾食物，是否就太过分了？

《吉他故事》(The Guitar Story) Radio 4, 9.30am

1966年5月，在曼彻斯特自由贸易大厅的人群中，有人对着上图中的鲍勃·迪伦大喊“犹太人！”，因为他敢于弹奏电吉他，背离了原声吉他的民谣纯洁性。为了纪念这一60周年，约翰·威尔逊将通过四个部分来探讨这种乐器作为社会和文化变革驱动力的故事。威尔逊——Centrist Dad乐队的贝斯手，队友包括主唱罗伯特·佩斯顿和鼓手埃德·鲍尔斯——将从吉他的历史讲起，从西班牙用于弗拉门戈的古典乐器，到被美国蓝调音乐家所采用。克莱尔·伍德沃德

Times Radio

数字端、网页、智能扬声器、应用程序 5.00am Tom Nunan 主持 Early Breakfast 6.00 Kate McCann 和 Stig Abell 主持 Breakfast 10.00 Ed Vaizey 1.00pm Sebastian Payne 2.00 Aasmah Mir 4.00 John Pienaar 主持 Drive 7.00 Kait Borsay 10.00 Henry Bonsu 1.00am The Best of Times Radio

Radio 2

FM: 88-90.2 MHz 6.30am The Sara Cox Breakfast Show 9.30 Vernon Kay 12.00 Jeremy Vine 2.00pm DJ Spoony 4.00 Joel Dommett 7.00 Edith Bowman 9.00 The Country Show，由 Darius Rucker 主持 10.00 The Good Groove，由 Melvin Odoom 主持 12.00 Connor Phillips 3.00am Alternative Sounds of the 90s (r) 4.00 Owain Wyn Evans

Radio 3

FM: 90.2-92.4 MHz 6.30am Breakfast 9.30 Essential Classics 1.00pm Classical Live Mark Forrest 介绍 the Proms 的精彩片段。BBC Proms — 拉赫玛尼诺夫（《帕格尼尼主题上的狂想曲》），Ryedale Festival — 舒伯特（李斯特改编）（《磨坊工与溪流》及《爱情信使》），弗里堡国际宗教音乐节 — 库瑙（《噢，良善的耶稣》）；BBC — 奥利弗·克努森（《烟花绽放》），Ryedale Festival — 肖松（小提琴、钢琴与弦乐四重奏协奏曲）；以及 BBC — 肖斯塔科维奇（G小调第11交响曲《1905年》） 4.00 本周作曲家：莫扎特 (1756-1791) Kate Molleson 探讨安东尼奥·萨列里与莫扎特的关系

5.00 In Tune 7.00 Live BBC 2026 由 Mark Elder 指挥的 Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique 与 Monteverdi Choir 半舞台表演韦伯的《奥伯龙》。由 Nicky Spence（饰演 Oberon）和 Jennifer Davis（饰演 Nicca）出演，由 Andrew McGregor 主持，现场直播自皇家阿尔伯特音乐厅 10.00 Night Tracks 11.30 Round Midnight 12.30am Through the Night

Radio 4

FM: 92.4 FM.6 MHz 5.00am News Summary 5.04 Sideways (4 / 8) (r) 5.34 Shipping Forecast 5.43 Prayer for the Day 5.45 Farming Today 6.00 Today 9.00 Natalie Haynes Shards Up for the Classics Christopher Biggins 和 Llewelyn Morgan 了解尼禄 (2 / 7) 9.30 Choice The Guitar Story 探讨该乐器如何驱动文化变革 (1 / 4) 10.00 Woman's Hour 由 Chloe Tilley 主持 11.00 The Three Ages of Child Guddi Singh 博士穿梭于伦敦 (2 / 3) (r) 11.45 Tony Hawks Is Giving Nothing Away 与 Russell Kane 和理财导师 Selina Flaviu (4 / 5) (r) 12.04pm Scam Secrets 与 Shari Vahl (2 / 8) 12.32 Sliced Bread 产品大胆主张背后的科学证据 (6 / 8) 1.00 The World at One 1.45 The Bare Necessities Dan Richards 了解生存技能如何帮助建立生态和文化韧性 (4 / 5)

2.00 The Archers (r) 2.15 Drama: A Portmeirion Love Affair with Life 作者：Bethan Roberts 3.00 This Natural Life Tracey Emin 向 Martha Kearney 介绍马盖特汹涌的海浪 (5 / 6) 3.27 Radio 4 Appeal (r) 3.30 Feedback 4.00 The Briefing Room David Aaronovitch 讨论新闻中的一个故事 4.30 BBC Inside Science 最新的科学研究 5.00 PM 6.00 Six O'Clock News 6.30 Icklewick FM Chris 和 Amy 等待 Great Zambino 的到来 (2 / 6) (r) 7.00 The Archers 一名居民面临紧急冲刺，Brad 渴望提供帮助 7.15 Front Row 艺术节目 8.00 At Your Own Peril 探讨现代风险管理的诞生 (3 / 5) (r) 8.15 The Media Show 来自快速变化的媒体世界的最新消息 (r) 9.00 Loose Ends 与 Fiona Allen, Olly Smith 和 Natalie Wildgoose (r) 9.45 The Cows Are Mad 1995 年的事件 (5 / 10) (r) 10.00 The World Tonight 10.45 Book at Bedtime: The Vicar of Wakefield 作者：Oliver Goldsmith (4 / 10) 11.00 Radical 11.30 Hollywood and the Adland Five Tony Scott 的作品 (4 / 4) (r) 12.00 News and Weather 12.30am Tony Hawks Is Giving Nothing Away (4 / 5) (r) 12.48 Shipping Forecast 1.00 As BBC World Service

Radio 4 Extra

仅限数字广播 8.00am Believe It! 8.30 Following Pappano 8.45 Small Island 9.00 Icklewick FM 9.30 Behind the Taverna 9.45 Daily Service 10.00 Great Lives 10.30 The Race to Dover 11.00 The Waiting Game 11.30 Who Killed Aldrich Kemp? 12.00 Capital Gains 12.30pm The Burkiss Way 1.00 Believe It! 1.30 Following Pappano 1.45 Small Island 2.00 We've Been Here Before 2.30 The Change 3.00 Berlin 4.00 Great Lives 4.30 The Race to Dover 5.00 The Waiting Game 5.30 Who Killed Aldrich Kemp? 6.00 Capital Gains 6.30 The Burkiss Way 7.00 Believe It! 7.30 Following Pappano 7.45 Small Island 8.00 We've Been Here Before 8.30 The Change 9.00 Berlin 10.00 Comedy Club: Icklewick FM 10.30 1966 and All That 11.00 The Casebook of Max and Ivan 11.30 Sophie Willan's Guide to Normality 11.45 What's the Story, Ashley Storrie?

Radio 5 Live

中波 (MW): 692, 909 5.00am Wake Up to Money 6.00 5 Live Breakfast 9.00 Nicky Campbell 11.00 Adrian Chiles 2.00pm Matt Chorley 4.00 5 Live Drive 7.00 5 Live Sport 8.00 现场橄榄球超级联赛：圣海伦斯对阵赫尔足球俱乐部 (开球 8.00)。在 BrewDog 体育场进行的超级联赛比赛评论 10.00 Johnny l'Anson 1.00am Edward Adoo

talkSPORT

中波 (MW): 1053, 1089 MHz 5.00am Early Breakfast 6.00 Breakfast with Shebahn Aherne 10.00 Adam Catterall & Carlton Cole 1.00pm Hawksbee and Baker

4.00 talkSPORT Drive 7.00 The Transfer Insiders 10.00 The Sports Bar 1.00am Extra Time

Talk

仅限数字广播 6.00am Ian Collins 10.00 Julia Hartley Brewer 1.00pm Mark Dolan 4.00 Kevin O'Sullivan 7.00 Peter Cardwell 10.00 Andre Walker ft. Ash 1.00am Paul Ross

6 Music

仅限数字广播 5.00am Chris Hawkins 7.00 Nick Grimshaw（与演员 James Norton 共同主持） 10.00 New Music Fix 1.00pm Craig Charles 4.00 Emily Pilbeam 7.00 New Music Fix Daily 9.00 Riley & Coe 11.00 Artist in Residence: Ezra Collective 12.00 New Music Fix Playlist 1.00am New Album Fix 2.00 Jukebox 3.00 6 Music's 90s Forever 4.00 6 Music's 00s Forever

Virgin Radio

仅限数字广播 6.30am Steve Denyer 在 The Chris Evans Breakfast Show with Moneybox 10.00 Emma B 2.00pm Ben Jones 6.00 Geoff Lloyd 10.00 Goldierocks 2.00am Stu Elmore

Classic FM

调频 (FM): 100-102 MHz 6.30am Classic FM Breakfast（主持人 Dan Walker） 9.00 The Classic FM Hall of Fame Hour（主持人 Dan Walker） 10.00 Aled Jones 1.00pm Anne-Marie Minhiel 4.00 Margherita Taylor 7.00 Relaxing Evenings（主持人 Zeb Soanes） 9.00 Classic FM's Composer Carousel（主持人 Zeb Soanes） 10.00 Calm Classics 1.00am Bill Overton 4.00 Early Breakfast

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12

电视

今日推荐

《Possession》（占有） Sky Atlantic/Now, 晚上9点/10点

Gugu Mbatha-Raw 在这部“超自然惊悚片”中饰演 Claudia，一名从布里斯托被派往牙买加的双种族律师。她的任务是保护 Oliver (Jonny Lee Miller) 继承其家族遗产的权利，而此时有人声称其已故父亲将遗产留给了神秘的 Cudjoe East (Sheldon Shepherd)。在 Claudia 第一次访问 Hope Hill 时，哥特式元素比比皆是，山外彻夜狂欢；很快，第二条叙事线出现，背景设定在同一种植园的一次奴隶起义被镇压之时。将这两条故事线联系起来的是，Cudjoe 声称自己来自那个遥远的时代，并被谴责在时间中徘徊。剧本起初显得可以预见，但一旦《Possession》揭示其不仅是现代法律寓言，而且是类似于《Sinners》的历史恐怖片，叙事便有了显著提升。John Dugdale

Gugu Mbatha-Raw 在《Possession》中

彼得·塞勒斯精选 (The Very Best of Peter Sellers) Sky Arts / Now, 晚上9点

1958年，《彼得·塞勒斯精选》(The Best of Peter Sellers) 出版，这是一张对流行音乐和电视等新奇事物进行音频恶搞的专辑。《彼得·塞勒斯最精选》(The Very Best of Peter Sellers) 则在塞勒斯去世十年后的1990年发行，试图对其银幕生涯做同样的事情。虽然这又是一次令人惊叹的多才多艺之作，但它严重倾向于他后期的电影——国际化、彩色，且大多明显是为了博君一笑——其中包含

来自《粉红豹》系列甚至《新猫咪》(What's New Pussycat?) 的片段，后者是六十年代的一场混乱。可以说，他“最精选”的角色是在黑白片中（如《奇爱博士》），处于戏剧与黑色喜剧之间，并且 / 或者是在为英国观众拍摄的电影中，例如《我没问题，杰克》(I'm All Right Jack) 和《杀手》(The Ladykillers)。JD

你认为你是谁？ (Who Do You Think You Are?) BBC1, 晚上9点

奥运七项全能运动员 Katarina

BBC1

• 6.00am 早安节目 (Breakfast)
• 9.30 动物公园 (Animal Park) (重播) (AD)
• 10.15 追踪、寻找，找回我的车 (Trace, Track, Get My Car Back) (重播)
• 10.45 专家证人 (Expert Witness) (重播)
• 11.15 锤下之屋 (Homes Under the Hammer)
• 12.15pm 淘宝猎人 (Bargain Hunt) (重播)
• 1.00 BBC一点钟新闻；天气预报
• 1.35 BBC地区新闻；天气预报
• 1.45 BBC一点钟新闻；天气预报
• 2.00 废物利用 (Money for Nothing)。一名铁匠处理一个生锈的水箱
• 2.45 逃往乡村 (Escape to the Country)。Nicki Chapman 与一对来自曼彻斯特、在西约克郡寻找住房的年轻夫妇在一起 (重播)
• 3.45 竞拍室 (The Bidding Room)。交易商竞拍一场足球赛、木梯和一张地图 (重播)
• 4.30 答案冲刺 (The Answer Run)。Jason Manford 主持这场快节奏的问答节目，三对夫妇面临一系列 50 / 50 的问题
• 5.15 无用之题 (Pointless)。由 Alexander Armstrong 和 Konnie Huq 主持的问答节目 (重播)
• 6.00 BBC六点钟新闻；天气预报
• 6.30 BBC地区新闻；天气预报

BBC2

• 6.15am 锤下之屋 (Homes Under the Hammer) (重播)
• 7.15 废物利用 (Money for Nothing) (重播)
• 8.00 手语区：园丁世界 (Sign Zone Gardeners' World) (重播) (AD, SL)
• 9.00 BBC新闻
• 1.00pm Richard Gunnar 的游戏之屋 (Richard Gunnar's House of Games)。Sean Fletcher, Louise Minchin, Chris Washington 和 Kimberly Wyatt 参加 (重播)
• 1.30 终点直播 (The Finish Live)。由 Roman Kemp 和 Sarah Greene 主持的问答节目 (重播)
• 2.15 你了解你的位置吗？ (Do You Know Your Place?) Annelia Rice, Shane Todd 和 Remi Burgz 回答关于 Jedburgh 的问题 (重播)
• 2.45 毛茸茸骑行者的烘焙之旅 (The Hairy Bikers' Bakeation)。这对搭档在法国边烘焙边旅行 (重播) (AD)
• 3.45 农民乡村对决 (The Farmers' Country Showdown)。中德文展 (Mid Devon Show) 的奖项至关重要 (重播)
• 4.30 复古古董路演 (Vintage Antiques Roadshow)。团队访问多伦多。首次播出于 2003 年 (重播)
• 5.15 甩卖 III (Flog III)。来自萨福克郡伯里圣埃德蒙斯附近的伊克沃思庄园 (重播)
• 6.00 Richard Gunnar 的游戏之屋 (Richard Gunnar's House of Games)。双集连播。由 Gethin Jones, Kate Thornton, Tiff Stevenson 和 Gary Wilmot 参加 (重播)

ITV1

• 6.00am 早安英国 (Good Morning Britain)
• 10.00 此时此刻 (This Morning)。包含名人访谈和演艺圈新闻
• 1.30pm ITV新闻；天气预报
• 2.00 迪金森的真实交易 (Dickinson's Real Deal)。David Dickinson 和他的团队在谢菲尔德，Mark Stevens 遇到了对手，Tracy Thackray-Howitt 挥金如土 (重播) (AD)
• 3.00 成交还是不成交 (Deal or No Deal)。Stephen Mulhern 主持，一名参赛者尝试按正确顺序打开 22 个红盒子，与臭名昭著的银行家对赌，以争取赢得改变生活的现金大奖 (重播) (AD)
• 4.00 敲击点 (Tapping Point)。Ben Shephard 主持这场以街机为主题的问答节目，参赛者将代币投入四个选定的滑道中，希望能赢得 £10,000 奖金 (重播)
• 5.00 追击 (The Chase)。Bradley Walsh 主持，来自奥尔德姆、埃塞克斯、格洛斯特和斯坎索普的参赛者希望能够共同带走数千英镑 (重播)
• 6.00 地区新闻；天气预报
• 6.30 ITV新闻；天气预报

频道 4

• 6.30am 《女王之王》(r) (AD)
• 7.45 《 everybody loves raymond》(r) (AD)
• 9.10 《弗雷泽》(r) (AD)
• 11.10 《拉姆齐的厨房噩梦 美国版》(r)
• 12.05pm 第 4 频道新闻摘要
• 12.10 《寻找、修复、出售》。南威尔士的物品包括一张斯诺克球桌和一台哥特式管风琴 (r) (AD)
• 1.10 《伟大的房屋赠送》。两名陌生人在格洛索普购买了一栋平房 (r)
• 2.10 《倒计时》。主持人 Ade Adepitan
• 3.00 《阳光之所》。一对夫妇希望实现他们长期以来的梦想，在特内里费岛南部购买一栋度假屋 (r)
• 4.00 《与 Penelope Keith 共救乡村住宅》。在科茨沃尔德的 Chavemage House，开始抢救一个破旧且杂草丛生的池塘 (r) (AD)
• 5.00 《城堡 DIY》。在 Brives 城堡，两座巨大的谷仓被改造 (r) (AD)
• 6.00 《美国拾荒者》。Mike Wolfe 和 Frank Fritz 发现了一座巨大的 200,000 平方英尺的工厂 (r) (AD)

5

• 6.00am Milkshake!
• 9.15 Jeremy Vine
• 11.30 Storm & Alexis
• 12.45pm 5 News at Lunchtime
• 12.50 Matt Allwright
• 2.20 电影：《小镇之恶》(Evil in a Small Town) (PG, TVM, 2023) 当她的父母在一次家庭度假中失踪时，一名青少年必须找到他们——但她信任的人可能错了。由 Veronica Ramirez 主演的惊悚片
• 4.00 《Castle》。两集中的第一部分。当一名女性被谋杀且证据指向连环杀手 Jerry Tyson 回归时，Beckett、Castle 及其团队展开调查 (r)
• 4.55 《Love Nature》。一项鼓励儿童参与户外活动的计划 (r)
• 5.00 5 News，由 Dan Walker 主持
• 6.00 《Menocia: A Year in the Sun》。两集中的第一部分。Joanna Lumley 讲述这个地中海岛屿的概况，镜头聚焦于 Menocia 的首府马翁 (Mahon)，那里拥有地中海最大的天然港口 (r)

• 6.55 5 News Update

• 7.00 《The One Show》，由 Alex Jones 和 Roman Kemp 主持的现场杂志类节目

• 7.30 《EastEnders》Sheila 面临日益增加的压力，Priya 被迫面对一些残酷的事实，Mark 与 Max 因 Lauren 而起冲突 (AD)

• 7.00 《Escape to the Country》Alistair Appleton 指导一对渴望逃离到科茨沃尔德 (Cotswolds) 的初创企业家，他们拥有 £900,000 的丰厚预算 (r)

• 7.30 《Tom Kerridge Cooks Italy》Tom 学习农民如何为番茄酱 (passata) 生产番茄，随后向南前往烹饪羊排 (4 / 6) (AD)

• 7.00 Channel 4 News

• 8.00 《Renovation Rescue》在西萨塞克斯 (West Sussex)，Vogue Williams 和 Luke Malibott 帮助一位艺术家挽救她在海边、在女儿和孙辈附近过悠闲退休生活的梦想 ()

• 7.00 《Around the World in First Class with Josie Gibson》Josie 乘坐头等舱飞往格林纳达，并探索一家名为 473 的隐秘精品度假村，这是一个海边的私人别墅套房。Josie 还乘坐了一艘提供全方位餐饮服务的双体船 (2 / 4)

• 7.55 5 News Update

• 8.00 《Fake or Fortune?》艺术侦探前往萨默塞特 (Somerset)，在那里一个车库中发现了 15 幅 Lucian Freud 的蚀刻画《带无花果叶的女孩》(Girl with Fig Leaf) 的未签名印版 (4 / 6) ()

• 8.00 《Digging for Britain》英国西部的考古宝藏，包括一座罕见的中世纪墓地、一个正在消失的中石器时代景观、一个神秘的铁器时代葬礼以及一座哥特式杰作的遗迹。由 Alice Roberts 主持 (3 / 6) (r) ()

• 8.00 《Emmerdale》Charity 采取重大步骤，而 Dingle 家族在 Monty 的葬礼上共同面对悲痛 ()

• 8.30 《Coronation Street》Kit 向 Gary 发出了一个不祥的邀请，Tim 与 Richie 重新认识 ()

• 8.00 《Renovation Rescue》在西萨塞克斯 (West Sussex)，Vogue Williams 和 Luke Malibott 帮助一位艺术家挽救她在海边、在女儿和孙辈附近过悠闲退休生活的梦想 ()

• 8.00 《Cornwall: A Year by the Sea》在 Watergate Bay，米其林星级厨师 Chris Eden 及其团队尝试他们夏季的首次海滩盛宴。在与海岛赛跑的情况下，他们只有几个小时时间将沙滩转化为一家高级餐厅 (10 / 10)

• 9.00 《Who Do You Think You Are?》Katarina Johnson-Thompson 前往巴哈马和迈阿密寻找她的祖先，发现了关于韧性和勇气的故事。本系列最后一集。参见当日推荐 ()

• 9.00 《The Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke》随着 Franke 一家的被隔离，外界的人试图找出发生了什么，而现实比任何人想象的都要糟糕。本系列最后一集 ()

• 9.50 《The Fens: A Wild Year》 (2 / 3) (r) ()

• 9.00 《The Chase Around the World》各团队抵达巴黎，挑战“狐狸与野兽”(the Vixen and the Beast)，后者设置了一系列测验问题，参赛者必须解决这些问题才能在终点线找到 Bradley Walsh (4 / 6) ()

• 9.00 《Murder Case: The Digital Detectives》讲述侦探如何利用数字取证，揭开 2023 年 7 月在奥姆斯基克 (Ormskirk) 发生的一次街道斗殴后，19 岁的 Matthew Daubly 被致命刺伤之夜的经过 ()

• 9.00 Benidorm Is Murder 一场屋顶谋杀案揭露了一家陷入困境、负债累累的喜剧俱乐部的旧恨与埋藏的秘密。由 John Hannah 主演的剧集 (2 / 6) (AD)

• 10.00 BBC News at Ten

• 10.30 BBC Regional News and Weather
• 10.40 Murder 24 / 7 关于 2025 年 54 岁赫里福德男子 Jamie Gawler 谋杀案的两部分调查之首，该男子在公寓内被发现被殴打致死 (5 / 8) (r) (AD)

• 11.40 Murder 24 / 7 两部分调查之二。警方在构建案件时陷入困境 —— 直到发现一个血脚印，带来了突破 (6 / 8) (r) ()

• 10.00 Inside No 9 侦探督察 Katrina 决心破解一名男孩失踪案 (3 / 6) (r) ()

• 10.30 Newsnight With Paddy O'Connell

• 11.05 电影：《Women Talking》(15, 2022) 2010 年，一个孤立宗教社区的女性努力在残酷的现实与信仰之间达成和解。由共同编剧 / 导演 Sarah Polley 执导，Rooney Mara, Claire Foy 和 Jessie Buckley 主演的剧情片

• 10.00 ITV News at Ten；天气预报；随后是地区新闻

• 10.45 电影：《Casino Royale》(15, 2006) 詹姆斯·邦德追捕一名负责资助全球恐怖组织的国际罪犯。由 Martin Campbell 执导的间谍惊悚片，Daniel Craig 首次饰演 007，Eva Green, Mads Mikkelsen, Judi Dench 和 Giancarlo Giannini ร่วม演 ()

• 10.00 The Body Detectives 一个致力于重新审视被遗忘案件的组织的工作，首先是 1984 年一名男子在家庭度假期间于诺福克海岸失踪的案件 (1 / 3) (r) ()

• 11.05 Social Media Monsters 探讨社交媒体发挥了重要作用的严重犯罪，包括对受害者的采访和专家的意见。首先是 15 岁 Holly Newton 的谋杀案，她的社交媒体账号被黑客攻击 (1 / 10) (r) ()

• 10.00 Killer at the Crime Scene 在一起硅谷入室抢劫案中，百万富翁 Raveesh Kumar 被谋杀。没有强行进入的迹象，导致调查人员怀疑是内部作案 (r)

• 11.00 Murdered at First Sight 调查 Jorge Rodriguez 的案件，他是一位三个孩子的父亲且即将成为祖父，于 2017 年 7 月 4 日在车内被枪击。他在医院去世前曾向震惊的路人寻求帮助 (2 / 10) (r)

• 12.40am Alan Carr's Picture Slam 游戏节目，参赛者必须识别一组图像，如果全部识别正确，有机会赢得高达 £10,000 的奖金。本次参赛者包括来自伯明翰的朋友、来自兰开夏郡的朋友以及一对来自卡迪夫的夫妇 (r) 1.30-6.00 BBC News

• 12.40am Sign Zone: Ambulance 据报道，一名年轻患者在西约克郡宾利的一片森林散步时发作癫痫 —— 但急救人员难以找到她 (r) (SL) 1.40-2.40 Evolution. Chris Packham 讲述蝙蝠进化的故事 (r) (, SL)

• 1.10am Shop on TV 3.00 The Summit. 由于残酷的徒步和危险的过境对某些人来说过于艰难，且山脉守护者再次强行干预，人数从 14 人减少到 11 人 (r) (, )

• 3.50 Unwind with ITV 5.05-6.00 Deal or No Deal: Celebrity Special (r) (, )

• 12.05am Crime Scene Cleaners (r) (, )

• 1.00 Murder Case: The Digital Detectives (r) (, ) 1.55 Ramsay's Hotel Hell (r) (, )

• 2.45 The Undeclared War (r) (, ) 4.30 Kirstie and Phil's Love It or List It: Brilliant Builds (r) (, ) 4.55 Couples Come Dine with Me (r) () 5.50-6.30 Countdown (r)

• 12.05am Street Cops: Catching the Yobs 一个醉汉 (r) 1.00 Cruise TV with LovelBook (r) 2.00 GPs: Behind Closed Doors (r)

• 2.50 Castle (r) 3.40 Friends (r) 4.35 The Highland Vet (r) () 5.25 Entertainment News on 5.5.35 Mio (r) () 5.45-6.00 The Adventures of Paddington (r) ()

---

13

电视

约翰逊-汤普森一直觉得自己在“两边之间徘徊”。她的父亲里基来自巴哈马，约翰逊-汤普森在生命的第一年住在那里，随后她的父母分居，她搬到了利物浦。她前往巴哈马寻找自己的根源，将祖先追溯到一个微小的定居点，随后她的旅程将她带到了迈阿密，在那里她发现了一系列致力于改善自身及社区状况的远亲。 乔·克莱 (Joe Clay)

克里斯托弗·里夫：让希望在运动中延续

BBC4, 10.15pm

克里斯托弗·里夫的儿子马修在2007年更新了这部获得艾美奖提名的纪录片：记录了这位演员在1995年的一场骑马事故导致颈部以下瘫痪后，所经历的艰苦每日康复过程。这部影片拍摄于两年之间，展现了里夫与妻子达娜之间强大的纽带，以及他坚不可摧的精神。“我不想

表现得太戏剧化，”他在2004年，即去世前几个月说道。“但我已经51岁了，时间在流逝……我不希望在痊愈之前就变成一名老年人。” JC

流媒体之选

《碎片》(The Shards) Disney+

《碎片》在May 23, 1980开始，而这一天恰好是《闪灵》上映的日子，这完全合乎逻辑：从一开始，

这部改编自布雷特·东顿·艾利斯2023年小说的作品就旨在制造不安。由伊格比·里格尼饰演的面无表情的高中生布雷特（没错，可能涉及元小说）进行旁白，讲述了一群特权阶层的洛杉矶青少年，他们的全球牢笼被一个名为“拖网渔船手”(The Trawler) 且极具创造力的令人不安的连环杀手所渗透，故事令人不安且引人入胜。该剧还由名门后裔凯亚·格伯和霍默·格雷主演。它就像是一个颓废版的《比弗利山超级名媛》90210：阴险、冰冷且极其吸引人。 维多利亚·塞格尔

电影之选

《与陌生人共舞》(Dance with a Stranger) (15, 1984) Film4, 11.40pm

迈克·纽维尔执导的这部剧情片讲述了露丝·艾利斯的故事，她是英国最后一名被绞刑处决的女性。米兰达·理查森饰演艾利斯，她曾是一名男装模特，管理着一家伦敦的饮酒场所，在那里她遇到了花花公子赛车手大卫·布莱克利（鲁珀特·埃弗里特）。他们开始了一段关系，最终导致了一场极端的激情犯罪。(96分钟) JC

BBC4

7.00pm 英国铁路之旅。迈克尔·波蒂略从诺萨勒顿前往切斯特勒街。本系列最后一集 (AD) 7.30 酒馆、池塘与权力。村庄的故事。德比郡克罗姆福德的历史 8.00 电影：《超人》(PG, 1978) 由克里斯托弗·里夫主演的漫画式冒险片 (AD) 10.15 克里斯托弗·里夫：让希望在运动中延续。这位已故演员为恢复独立呼吸能力而奋斗。见今日精选 11.15 帕金森。嘉宾包括梅尔·史密斯、肯尼斯·格里菲斯和克里斯托弗·里夫。首次播出于1982年 12.15am 伊恩·巴克什的隐藏爱丁堡 () 1.10 酒馆、池塘与权力。村庄的故事 1.40 伊恩·巴克什的隐藏爱丁堡 (, SL) 2.40am-3.10 英国铁路之旅 (, SL)

Sky Arts

6.00am 彼得与狼 7.30 绘画之乐 () 9.00 出人意料的故事 () 10.00 阿尔弗雷德·希区柯克呈现 11.00 发现 () 12.00 仙境：从JM巴里到JRR托尔金 1.00pm 出人意料的故事 () 2.00 阿尔弗雷德·希区柯克时间 (黑白) 3.00 八十年代 () 4.00 发现 () 5.00 2022年度肖像画家 () 6.00 出人意料的故事 () 7.00 山谷之声 8.00 发现：布鲁斯·威利斯 () 9.00 彼得·塞勒斯精选。人物简介。见今日精选 10.10 斯派克·米利根：未公开档案。近期发现的影片 () 11.45 导演们 12.45am 加博：你去了哪里？ 2.40 第二次世界大战与电影 () 3.40 艺术内部 4.05 Sky Arts读书会 5.05am-6.00 仙境

(Numeric Anchors: 10. 11. 12. 1. 2. 5. 6. 7.)

More4

8.55am Heir Hunters 10.00 Four in a Bed 12.40pm Come Dine with Me (AD) 3.20 Four in a Bed 5.50 Car SOS. 一位木匠的 1980 年款福特 Escort 9020XX (AD) 6.50 Car SOS. Fuzz Townshead 和 Tim Shaw 修复一辆 1994 年款 Vaushali Cavalier Turbo () 7.55 Grand Designs. Kevin McCloud 采访一对在埃塞克斯林地建造黑色外墙私人隐居地的夫妇 (4 / 6) () 9.00 The Reclaimers: Made in Suffolk. Andy 和 Hayley 在诺里奇城堡度过了一天 (4 / 5) () 10.00 24 Hours in A&E. 因工作或娱乐而受伤的患者 (5 / 8) () 11.05 24 Hours in A&E. 两名创伤患者乘坐直升机抵达医院的新停机坪 (6 / 8) () 12.10am 999. On the Front Line 1.15 24 Hours in A&E () 3.25am-3.55 A Place in the Sun

圣海伦斯队队长 Jodie Cunningham

欧洲女子巡回赛高尔夫球赛直播 Sky Sports Golf, 2pm-6 报道在圣奥尔本斯 Centurion Club 举行的 PIF 伦敦锦标赛第一天赛事

女子超级联赛直播：圣海伦斯 v 威根勇士 Sky Sports + Action, Mix, 5pm-7.30 (开球 5.15)。报道来自 BrewDog 体育场

LIV 高尔夫直播 TNT 3, 5.30pm-11.30 报道本赛季第 11 轮第一天赛事，地点在新泽西州的特朗普国家高尔夫俱乐部 Bedminster

The Hundred 直播：伦敦精神队男子组 v 米尔伦敦男子组 Main Event, Cricket, 5pm-9.30 (6.30 开始)。报道来自勋爵板球场

Betfred 超级联赛直播：圣海伦斯 v 赫尔城 + Action, 7.30pm-10.15 (开球 8.00)。报道来自 BrewDog 体育场

Talking Pictures

6.00am 电影：《棉花女王》(U, 1937) (黑白) 7.40 电影：《法律与混乱》(PG, 1940) 9.10 电影：《波利先生的历史》(U, 1949) (黑白) 11.10 电影：《第二个女人》(PG, 1951) (黑白) 1.00pm The Adventures of Sir Lancelot (黑白) 1.35 电影：《从这里到永恒》(PG, 1953) (黑白) 3.55 电影：《局外人》(PG, 1947) (黑白) 6.20 Strange But True 6.55 The Brothers 8.00 Mark Gable (黑白) 8.30 The Wheeltappers and Shunters Social Club 9.20 电影：《弗兰肯斯坦的恐怖》(15, 1970) 恐怖 11.20 The Strange Case of Sherlock Holmes and Arthur Conan Doyle 1.10am 300 Men and a Girl 1.35 Doomwatch 2.40 电影：《纸绞刑架》(12, 1950) (黑白) 4.00am-5.00 Burke's Law (黑白)

Film4

11.00am 《34街奇迹》(U, 1994) 由 Richard Attenborough 主演的圣诞家庭剧翻拍版 () 1.15pm 《黑天鹅》(PG, 1942) 由 Tyrone Power 主演的惊险冒险片 & 200 Sign of the Pagan (U, 1954) 由 Jack Palance 主演的历史剧 4.50 《天堂允许的一切》(U, 1955) 由 Jane Wyman 和 Rook Hudson 主演的浪漫剧 6.45 《路易斯·温的电气生活》(12, 2021) 由 Benedict Cumberbatch 主演的传记剧 () 9.00 《菲利普船长》(12, 2013) 由 Tom Hanks 和 Barkhad Abdi 主演的基于事实的惊悚片 11.40 《与陌生人共舞》(15, 1985) 由 Miranda Richardson 主演的基于事实的剧集。见电影选择 1.45am-4.00 《我们的叛徒》(15, 2016) 由 Ewan McGregor 和 Naomie Harris 主演的间谍惊悚片

[...OMITTED...]

BBC3

7.00pm The Catch Up 7.05 Deadly 60. 纳米比亚的野生动物 7.30 Deadly 60. 非洲的大猫 8.00 Sort Your Life Out with Stacey Solomon. 一个农民家庭的成员决定 (2 / 5) (AD) 9.00 Better Date than Never. 一组人开始尝试约会 (1 / 6) (AD) 9.30 Better Date than Never. Charles 获得指导 (2 / 6) () 10.05 . Olivia 哑口无言 (3 / 6) () 10.20 . Liv 计划她的婚礼 (4 / 6) () 11.05 . Liv 前往海滩 (5 / 6) () 11.40 . 本系列最后一集 () 12.10am Things You Should Have Done 1.40 Tartan Around with Lawrence Chaney 3.45am-4.00 Jobless

ITV2

6.00am Backyard Builds (SL) 6.30 Dress to Impress (, SL) 7.30 The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City 8.20 The Real Housewives of Orange County 9.20 The Only Way Is Essex 10.15 Dawson's Creek 11.15 Charmed 12.15pm Deal or No Deal () 1.15 Supermarket Sweep 2.15 The Four USA () 3.10 The Only Way Is Essex 4.10 Real Housewives of Salt Lake City 5.00 The Real Housewives of Orange County 6.00 Celebrity Catchphrase () 7.00 The Four USA () 8.00 The 1% Club () 9.00 Kenneth Ranganathan's Parents' Evening 10.00 Changing Ends () 10.35 Family Gay () 11.35 American Dad! () 12.35am Bob's Burgers () 1.30am-2.25 Deal or No Deal (, SL)

ITV3

6.00am George and Mildred 7.05 Classic Emmerdale () 8.10 Classic Coronation Street () 9.10 Agatha Christie's Poirot () 11.30 Heartbeat () 1.35pm Midsomer Murders () 3.35 Classic Emmerdale () 4.40 Classic Coronation Street () 5.50 Heartbeat. 怀旧剧 () 8.00 Vira. 侦探调查一名无家可归年轻人的谋杀案 (2 / 4) () 10.00 Grantchester. Will 和 Ellie 在一次电影院之旅中遇到一起残忍的谋杀案 (3 / 6) () 11.00 Grantchester. 一名年轻男子被发现赤身裸体死在芬兰沼泽地 (4 / 6) () 11.50 Trial & Retribution (6 / 10) 12.55am Agatha Christie's Poirot. 厨师的失踪 () 2.00am-2.25 George and Mildred

Live LIV Golf TNT Sports 3, 5.30pm-11.30

报道本赛季第 11 轮的第一天，地点位于新泽西州的特朗普国家高尔夫俱乐部贝德明斯特

ITV4

6.00am Magnum, PI () 8.05 Dempsey and Makepeace () 9.05 Boon 10.10 The Professionals () 11.20 Robin of Sherwood 12.25pm Magnum, PI () 2.30 Dempsey and Makepeace () 3.30 Boon 4.40 The Professionals () 5.45 Minder. 复古喜剧剧 () 6.50 River Monsters. 阿拉斯加的法蒂玛湖怪 () 7.20 River Monsters. Jeremy Wade 前往俄罗斯偏远的 Army 河 7.50 Sharpe. 这名士兵发现自己因谋杀面临被处决 10.00 The Motorbike Show. Henry Cole 花一天时间与大都会警察局一起训练 11.00 Black Sails. Finit 返回拿骚取回黄金 12.05am Hell's Kitchen 1.00 Minder (, SL) 2.00am-3.00 The Professionals (, SL)

UKDrama

6.00am 电视购物 7.20 《警局风云》(The Bill) 8.15 《医生》(Doctors) 9.25 经典版《霍比城市》(Holby City) 10.45 《急诊中心》(Casualty) (AD) 11.45 《警局风云》(The Bill) 12.50pm 经典版《东区东区》(EastEnders) 2.00 《邻居》(Neighbours) 3.00 《天空中的派》(Pie in the Sky) 4.05 《洛威》(Loweys) 5.20 《岁月如歌》(As Time Goes By) 6.00 《夏日之末》(Last of the Summer Wine) 8.00 《马洛谋杀俱乐部》(The Marlow Murder Club)。帆船俱乐部的一位受尊敬成员被残忍杀害 (5 / 6) (AD) 9.00 《马洛谋杀俱乐部》(The Marlow Murder Club)。嫌疑人的动机不断增加，Kit的凶手发出了另一个暴力警告 (6 / 6) () 10.00 《新线索》(New Tricks)。调查一起致命的殴打事故 (7 / 8) () 11.20 《路德》(Luther)。凶手亨利·马登从昏迷中醒来 (4 / 6) () 12.40am 《洛威》(Loweys)。一批罗马钱币 1.50 《博尼法斯修女谜案》(Sister Boniface Mysteries) () 2.50 《波托菲诺酒店》(Hotel Portofino) (SL) 4.00am-6.00 电视购物

Variations

BBC1 爱尔兰 11.40pm 《我不能忘记》(The Come I Can't Forget) (r) 11.30 《谋杀 24 / 7》(Murder 24 / 7)。关于 2025 年一名赫里福德男子被谋杀案的两部分调查之首 (r) 12.30-1.30 《谋杀 24 / 7》(Murder 24 / 7)。第二部分 (r)

BBC1 苏格兰 7.00pm-7.30 《河城》(River City) (r) 12.40am 《苏格兰》(Scotland) (r) 1.10 《艾伦·卡尔的图片大赏》(Alan Carr's Picture Slam) (r) 1.55 未来一周天气预报 2.00am-6.00 BBC新闻

BBC2 爱尔兰 11.15pm 《健康民谣》(Health Folk)。在贝尔法斯特曼德拉大厅举行的音乐会，庆祝阿尔斯特共同的音乐根源 (r) 12.30pm-1.40am 电影：《女性谈话》(Women Talking) (2022) 剧情片

STV 1.10am-3.00 电视购物 3.50am-5.05 与STV一起放松

BBC Scotland

7.00pm 苏格兰报道：七点新闻 7.30 《隐藏的生活》(Hidden Lives) (r) 8.00 《山毛榉林花园》(Beechgrove Garden) 8.30 《苏格兰最大的丑闻》(Scotland's Greatest Scandal) (r) 9.00 《花岗岩港口》(Granite Harbour) 10.00 《苏格兰小队》(Scot Squad) (r) 10.30 《来到卡巴莱！》(Cumming to the Cabaret!) (r) 11.15 《苏格兰》(Scotland) 11.45pm-12.00 汉娜·莱因：跟随狂欢 (Hannah Laing: Follow the Rave) (r)

S4℃ 6.00am Cyw 10.00 Yr Whws (r) 10.05 Canu Canu a Sbor (r) 10.15 Sigildigw (r) 10.30 2026 年国家吟诵节 (Eisteddfod Genedlaethol 2026) 12.00 新闻 12.05pm 2026 年国家吟诵节 (Eisteddfod Genedlaethol 2026)。奥斯本·罗伯茨纪念奖将在展馆舞台上颁发 2.00 新闻 2.05 2026 年国家吟诵节 (Eisteddfod Genedlaethol 2026) 7.30 新闻：天气 7.00 2026 年国家吟诵节 (Eisteddfod Genedlaethol 2026) 10.30 Y Babell Lén 2026 11.00pm-12.05am Yr Afon。系列最后一集 (r)

PBS America

8.00am 《富饶的美国》(America the Bountiful) 8.35 《征服者：兴衰》(Conquistadors: The Rise and Fall) 9.35 《海盗：传奇背后》(Pirates: Behind the Legends) 10.35 《铁幕：在苏联占领下生活》(Iron Curtain: Living Under Soviet Occupation) 11.50 《希特勒的金库》(Hitler's Gold) 1.00pm 《富饶的美国》(America the Bountiful) 1.35 《征服者：兴衰》(Conquistadors: The Rise and Fall) 2.35 《希特勒的金库》(Hitler's Gold) 3.35 《海盗：传奇背后》(Pirates: Behind the Legends) 4.35 《铁幕：在苏联占领下生活》(Iron Curtain: Living Under Soviet Occupation) 5.50 《希特勒的金库》(Hitler's Gold) 6.50 《征服者：兴衰》(Conquistadors: The Rise and Fall)。殖民地的增长 7.50 《海盗：传奇背后》(Pirates: Behind the Legends) 8.50 《铁幕：在苏联占领下生活》(Iron Curtain: Living Under Soviet Occupation)。斯大林去世后，莫斯科对东欧集团的掌控如何保持强力 (3 / 3) 10.00 《希特勒的金库》(Hitler's Gold) 11.00 《海盗：传奇背后》(Pirates: Behind the Legends) 12.00 《铁幕：在苏联占领下生活》(Iron Curtain: Living Under Soviet Occupation) 1.15am-2.00 《富饶的美国》(America the Bountiful)

Sky Atlantic

6.00am 《鱼镇》(Fish Town) (r) 8.00 《亿万》(Billions) (r) () 10.20 《激烈竞争》(Heated Rivalry) (r) () 12.30pm 《凶杀案：街头生活》(Homicide: Life on the Street) (r) 2.30 《亿万》(Billions) (r) () 4.40 《激烈竞争》(Heated Rivalry) (r) () 6.50 《企鹅人》(The Penguin) (3 / 8) (r) () 7.55 《企鹅人》(The Penguin)。索菲亚计划一个更有希望的未来 (4 / 8) (r) () 9.00 《占有》(Possession)。由古古·姆巴塔-罗主演的新超自然惊悚片。见当日精选 () 10.00 《占有》(Possession)。一名律师在挑战一项遗产继承主张。见当日精选 () 11.00 《五星级周末》(The Five-Star Weekend)。风暴降临 (7 / 8) () 11.45 《五星级周末》(The Five-Star Weekend)。随着深埋的真相浮现，Gigi终于敞开心扉。系列最后一集 () 12.45am 《全是她的错》(All Her Fault) (r) () 1.45 《真探：夜之国》(True Detective: Night Country) (r) () 3.00 《亿万》(Billions) (r) () 5.05am-6.00 《城市秘密》(Urban Secrets) (r)

Sky Docs

6.00am The 2000s (r) 7.00 Discovering: Michelle Pfeiffer (r) (AD) 8.00 The Directors (r) (AD) 9.00 100 Foot Wave (r) () 10.00 The Comedy Store (r) () 11.05 UFO (r) () 12.00 The Man Who Stole The Scroem (r) () 2.00pm 电影：Hitsville – The Making of Motown (12, 2019) Motown唱片公司的历史 4.00 The Directors (r) () 5.00 Discovering: Michelle Pfeiffer (r) () 5.55 JFK: Destiny Betrayed (r) 7.00 The Alien Autopsy Scandal. The film is released (r) () 8.00 Ghislaine Maxwell: Epstein's Shadow. 纪录片 (r) () 11.10 An American Bombing: The Road to April 19th (r) () 1.10am Telemarketer, in New Jersey (r) () 4.30 Premier League Legends (r) () 5.00am-6.00 Discovering: Maggie Smith (r) ()

UK Yesterday

6.10am Abandoned Engineering () 8.00 Bangers & Cash. Restoring Classics () 10.00 Secret Nazi Bases 11.00 Auschwitz: The Nazis and the Final Solution 12.00 Antiques Roadshow 2.00pm Bangers & Cash () 4.00 Secret Nazi Bases 5.00 Auschwitz: The Nazis and the Final Solution 6.00 Antiques Roadshow 7.00 The Green Planet () 8.00 & . Derek买入了一辆50年代在英国为美国市场制造的汽车 () 9.00 & . Restoring Classics. 一辆Volvo 144 () 10.00 & () 11.00 & () 12.00 & . Restoring Classics. 一辆MD Metro () 1.00am Find It, Fix It, Flog It () 2.00 Abandoned Engineering () 3.00am-6.10 电视购物

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14

MindGames

Tetonor Tricky No 698

198 / 65 / 19 / 220

49 / 39 / 273 / 34 18 / 360 / 31 / 94 240 / 37 / 46 / 186 3 / 5 / 6 13 / 15 / 31

当完成时，网格下方的条带可以被分成八组数字对。每一对数字的和等于网格中的16个数字之一。它们的积等于网格中另一个不同的数字。例如，条带中的 4 和 6 可以配对产生网格中的 10 (4+6) 和 24 (4x6)。在网格中对应的数字下方输入每个和。条带中的空格必须推导出来，请记住数字是以升序排列的。

下一个Tetonor谜题将于周二出现

尝试 Wordhunt 和 Picle，我们在 thetimes.com / puzzles 和 Live 应用上推出的全新在线快速游戏谜题

KenKen 困难级 No 6904

2½ / 3- / 2 / 10+ / 20×

2- 2- / 6+ 40× / 5- / 1- 12× / 60× 2½

每行和每列必须出现所有 1 到 6 的数字。在每个粗线“区块”中，左上角的数字是通过该区块内所有单元格的数字，使用符号所示的运算计算得出的。

Futoshiki No 5452

Kakuro No 4411

仅使用 1 到 9 的数字填充网格。每组水平或垂直白色方格中的数字之和等于其左侧或上方的三角形中的总数。同一个数字在同一行或同一列中可以出现多次，但在同一组白色方格中不能重复出现。

© PCCS SA 06 / 2024

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15

MindGames

times2 纵横字谜 No 10,228

横向

1 英格兰东北部城市 (10) 7 辛辛那提所在的美国州 (4) 8 年岁最高 (6) 9 减速 (7) 10 羞愧 (8) 11 互联网连接设备 (5) 13 作为替代 (7) 14 敲铃，呼叫 (5)

纵横字谜 10,227 的答案

需要今日谜题的帮助？请致电 0905 757 0143 查询答案。通话费用为每分钟 £1，外加您的电话公司网络接入费。SP: Spoke, 0333 202 3390 (周一至周五 上午9点-下午5.30点)。

桥牌 Andrew Robson

我坚信，如果你持有单色牌且对手抢码，你应该在某个级别叫你的花色。不要进行抢码双叫，否则可能会发生糟糕的事情。

来看看这场在里加举行的第 57 届欧洲桥牌国家队锦标赛公开赛中，英格兰对阵葡萄牙的牌局。当庄家不愿冒险进行梅花试牌时，这看起来像是一个强力的 4♠，能拿到 10 个 tricks。

但面对 Tom Paske (西) 和 David Gold (东) 时并非如此。Paske 和 Gold 是多年的好朋友，最近开始成为桥牌搭档。在不打桥牌或照顾各自年轻家庭时，（住在维也纳）热爱攀岩，而 Gold（住在沃特福德）是一位著名的美食博主（搜索 Eat like Gold）。

对我来说，南家在 3♦ 之上叫 3♠。如果他认为自己的牌稍微好一点，就叫 4♠。双叫不是中间路线——因为可能会（而且确实）发生的事情。

对 5♠ 进行双叫以增加处罚，并领出最高心的牌（用 A 表示态度，用 K 表示计数，在四级及以上合同中领出 K）。现在怎么办？

切换到他的单张方块是非常诱人的。搭档赢得 A 之后可以让他吃掉，那么 5♠ 双叫将掉两局。

明智地克制了。因为如果他切换到那张方块（也许是在领出第二张最高心牌之后），庄家可以用 A 击败东家的方块 Q，抽掉王牌，然后领出梅花到 Q（当你处于五级合同时，这是一个必要的风险）。

17 完整的字母集 (8) 18 可怜的，卑劣的 (7) 19 视为已知 (6) 20 侦探的线索 (4) 21 赤道栖息地 (10)

Down

1 白色花瓣的花 (8) 2 裸体倡导者 (6) 3 维护（权利、法律等）以示尊重 (8) 4 数量慷慨的 (5) 5 冬季具有显著红色茎的植物 (7) 6 未来的丈夫 (6) 9 煤仓 (7) 11 刷掉男性的骄傲 (8) 12 对……残酷或疏忽，star item (字母异位词) (8) 13 新到者 (7) 15 就价格协商 (6) 16 理解缓慢的 (6) 17 证明不在犯罪现场的证据 (5)

庄家：东家，脆弱性：东西

(1) 不利的脆弱性是一个令人担忧的问题，但这类失分确实会让局面变得困难。忍受一个面对非脆弱局面的 -800 分（不过，很可能是两个 -800 分——隔壁桌也会开叫 3♠）。(2) 不同寻常。持有单套牌时不要加倍抢叫——直接叫该套牌（在您认为合适的任何级别，在这种情况下是较重的 3♠）。

(3) 将搭档安置在经典的 441, 4 形状中，5♠ 将打得非常漂亮。

(4) “好吧，你又把我弄进了另一个糟糕的局面”（除了南家是把自己弄进去的）。

(5) 让他们付出代价。如果 3♠ 输两墩，加倍将不会像弃叫那样导致四次失误（与另一桌 4♠ 毫无疑问地输一墩相比）。

合同：1♠: Bitkat，首攻：4♦: ←

然后在他出梅花 A 时弃掉方块 J —— 赢得 11 墩。

只有转换到梅花才有效，从而切断联系：庄家必须冒险进行试探，然后尝试兑现 A（因为他无法回到哑牌端）。东家粗鲁地截击，结果输一墩。Pasktastic。

andrew.robsen@batimes.co.uk

大脑训练师

多边形

利用这些字母，组成四个或更多字母的单词，且必须包含中心字母。答案必须出自《牛津简明词典》，不包括大写单词、复数、变位动词（过去式等）、以 LV 结尾的副词、比较级和最高级。您的评分标准为：15 个单词，平均；20 个，良好；24 个，非常好；28 个，优秀。

昨天的答案

axy, arris, artist, artistry, artsy, arty, astir, rarity, rats, ratty, sari, satyr, star, star, star, starry, start, stir, strait, stray, stria, tarry, tart, tarty, trait, tray, tryst, tsar

单元格区块 No 5795

将网格划分为正方形或长方形区块，每个区块仅包含一个数字。每个区块包含的单元格数量必须与其中的数字一致。

Set Square No 4414

在网格中填入 1 到 9 的每个数字，使六个求和式成立。我们已经放置了两个数字以供开始。每个求和式应从左到右或从上到下计算。

请注意，不适用 BODMAS 运算顺序

Killer Gentle No 10,852

Killer Tough No 10,663

与标准数独一样，填充网格，使每列、每行和每个 3x3 宫格都包含数字 1 到 9。由虚线连接的每组单元格之和必须等于其左上角的目标数字。在由虚线连接的每组单元格内，数字不能重复。

Cluelines 数独、Killer 或 KenKen 没思路？请在午夜前拨打 0901 293 6263 获取今日任何谜题的四个线索。通话费用为 £1 加上您电话公司的网络接入费。SP: Spoke, 0333 202 3390 (周一至周五 9am-5.30pm)。

答案

快速隐喻谜题: 3372

数独 17001

数独 17002

数独 17003

Killer 10,860

Killer 10,861

密码字 5911

密码字 5912

单元格区块 5794

Fulcolink 5451

密码字 5913

密码字 5914

Set Square 4413

KenKen 6903

隐喻谜题

KenKen 6903

Lexica 9036

Lexica 9035

9036

9036

Kakuro 4410

火车轨道 2936

9035

今日答案

Concise

五角星图 (Quintagram)

1 Point

2 Olive

3 Crude

4 Vegetable

5 Essential

Godson (c) A

Scottish (c) A

Crostic (c) A

A

Ward watch

Godson (c) A

Gosham (c) A

Scottish (c) A

Crostic (c) A

A

Bert - 4.8D QD

3.2.1.1

3.2.1.1

隐喻谜题

五角星图 (Quintagram)

1 Pina

2 Brad

3 Howler

4 Pardys

5 Republican

5 Republican

Sakuro 4813

大脑

训练师

东 34

中等 34

较难 10

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《泰晤士报》

06.08.26

心智游戏

获取更多谜题 请参阅第 10 页

词汇观察

David Parfitt

Graham

a 一种早期的电话

b 一个缺乏经验的作者

c 一类苏格兰山脉

Creatic

a 以原创性为特征

b 含义晦涩

c 与肉类有关

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包含的体验：

雅典观光计划，包括卫城、卫城博物馆、科林斯和苏尼翁角

在德洛斯、库萨达斯、罗得岛、科斯岛和阿摩尔戈斯岛的导览游。在米科诺斯岛和波罗斯岛的独立访问

Day 1 - 到达雅典

抵达雅典并接送至酒店，随后享受当天的其余悠闲时光。

Day 2 - 雅典

揭开雅典的奇迹，深入探索卫城和帕特农神庙的壮丽。

3 - 古科林斯

探索古科林斯，参观科林斯运河，并搭乘 Star Flyer 号起航。

4 - 德洛斯与米科诺斯

享受迷人的基克拉泽斯群岛——德洛斯岛和米科诺斯岛。

5 - 以弗所

游览古城以弗所，参观其著名的两层图书馆和巨大的圆形剧场。

6 - 罗得岛

发现罗得岛，欧洲最古老的有人居住的中世纪城市。

7 - 科斯岛

探索受欢迎的科斯岛，参观 Asklepieion 和古朴的山村 Zia。

8 - 阿摩尔戈斯

访问迷人的基克拉泽斯群岛——阿摩尔戈斯岛，参观 Panagia Homiotiosa 修道院。

9 - 波罗斯

漫步在波罗斯迷人的街道上，或参观埃皮道罗斯宏伟的剧院。

10 - 苏尼翁

在波塞冬神庙惊叹于爱琴海和萨罗尼克湾的壮丽景色。

第 11 天 - 返回家中

告别并开始返程之旅

立即致电预订

0808 303 9694

《泰晤士报》旅行合作伙伴

价格为每人价格，基于两人同房，且在利润产生时准确。简易船舱 / 房间取决于相关附加费的可用情况。可能适用额外的入场费用。所有问题均取决于可用情况。图像与 Riviera Travel 共同使用。开放 / 进入取决于 Riviera Tours Ltd 的接收条件，ABTA 14004, AFIB, 3450, AFIB, 1027440，该公司完全独立于 News UK，Riviera Travel, New Manor, 520 Wetmore Road, Burton-on-Trent, DE14 5Y1。详见网站。

ABTA

U.S. EXPRESS

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《泰晤士报》旅行合作伙伴

18 天起

£7,390( ^{TM} )

每人

为《泰晤士报》读者提供的专属免费前置之夜

另可每人最高节省 £1,000^

揭秘日本

2026年8月至2028年12月

在这场广泛的旅行中，让自己沉浸在日本的历史瑰宝和文化奇观之中，探索该国最壮丽的景观，包括标志性的富士山和日本阿尔卑斯山。

从充满活力的大阪开始，您将探索日本的主岛本州，最后抵达首都东京的霓虹灯火与摩天大楼之间。沿途，您将领略日本最精华的部分：京都和奈良的古代历史，广岛的近代过去，日本阿尔卑斯山之美（您将在那里看到雪猴并探索乡村城镇），凝视富士山的完美圆锥形以及更多景观。期待丰富的传统日本体验，从茶道到和纸制作，以及根据您的出发日期而定的相扑比赛。

通过《泰晤士报》旅行优惠预订此行程，您将获得专属的免费行前延展，包括额外的一晚酒店住宿及早餐——预订时请务必注明 TIMES-ON。

我们热爱的地方

全方位的行程，包含一系列卓越的真实体验，从美味的当地美食到沉浸式体验。通过《泰晤士报》旅行优惠预订，您还将体验专属的免费行前延展。

使用相机应用扫描二维码以查看更多详情。

价格包含

国际航班及当前税费

境内交通，包括前往京都的新干线

整个行程的所有住宿

16 顿早餐，14 顿午餐和 15 顿晚餐

导游陪同游览及景点门票

任何 Wendy Wu 旅游行程的专属行前延展，包括含早餐的酒店住宿及私人接送——预订时请提供代码 TIMES-ON

立即致电 0808 302 6995

提供代码 TIMES-ON^

我们的

信赖合作伙伴

Wendy Wu Tours

ABTA

放心出行

©所列价格基于两人共用酒店双人间。单人差价请咨询。提前 11 个月以上预订的假期航班，在航空公司公布票价时可能需要支付补差价。特惠活动且受 Wendy Wu 的预订条件约束，ABTA WTPA-ATOL 6629，该公司独立于 News UK。*优惠视供应情况而定，Wendy Wu Tours 保留更改或撤回优惠的权利。折扣已适用，有效期至 2026 年 01 月 01 日。

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在一次令人难忘的九日跟团游中体验加拿大落基山脉惊心动魄的美景，那里白雪皑皑的山峰、青绿色的湖泊、标志性的铁路之旅以及世界著名的地标将创造终生难忘的回忆。

我们为期九日的加拿大落基山脉跟团游 truly magical（真正神奇）——目睹冰雪赋予这片壮丽景观的生命力。我们的跟团游从卡尔加里出发，直接前往

被联合国教科文组织列入名录的班夫国家公园。在这里，班夫缆车将带您登上硫磺山顶，俯瞰班夫无与伦比的景色——这一景象将令您惊叹并欣喜。您还将体验马车雪橇

之旅，随后前往班夫天然温泉放松身心。冒险继续，前往贾斯珀国家公园，随后前往如画般的露易丝湖——而我们行程中该阶段的酒店让这一景象变得更加完美——入住著名的费尔蒙露易丝湖城堡酒店，该酒店就坐落在湖岸边。

价格包含

• 从伦敦出发的往返航班及海外交通
• 七晚优质酒店住宿及一晚机上住宿
• 入住费尔蒙夏托湖路易斯酒店 (Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise)
• 五次早餐及欢迎饮品
• 班夫国家公园之旅
• 湖路易斯篝火饮品
• 贾斯珀国家公园之旅
• 体验马车雪橇之旅
• 在班夫温泉放松
• Travelsphere 假期导游服务

“一次终生难忘的假期。我们在加拿大的冬季仙境落基山脉度过了一周，从卡尔加里进出。访问了三个绝美且各具特色的地区：班夫、贾斯珀和湖路易斯，我们被这里的风景所震撼，包括冰冻的湖泊和瀑布、冰川以及群山本身。” Carole Taylor ★ Trustpilot

我们的可靠合作伙伴

travelsphere

*折扣仅适用于选定的出发日期，且已从广告价格中扣除。价格在发布时准确，且优惠可随时撤回。所示价格基于双人或双床房的入住率及经济舱航班，并包含折扣。所有假期均视供应情况而定。图片与 Travelsphere 共同使用。由 Travelsphere (ABTA F6412, AT01 22216) 运营并受其预订条件约束，该公司完全独立于 News UK。

立即致电 0808 258 4090

报号 TIMES

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体验加尔达湖的永恒魅力，波光粼粼的水面、优雅的湖畔小镇和起伏的葡萄园，为一次放松的意大利逃离铺设了背景。入住现代化的四星级 Aqualux Hotel Spa Suite & Bardolino，它位于加尔达最迷人的度假胜地之一，距离湖边仅几步之遥。漫步在巴尔多利诺色彩斑斓的滨水区，品尝当地葡萄酒，乘船前往西尔米奥内的中世纪街道，或者仅仅是沉浸在壮丽的山景之中。提供每日早餐，抵达时赠送一瓶 Prosecco 起泡酒和新鲜水果，这是一个将放松与北意大利精华完美平衡的高雅湖畔静修之所。

其他可用日期

2026年10月 每人 £479 起 • 2026年11月和12月 每人 £449 起 • 2027年1月、2月和3月 每人 £499 起 • 2027年4月 每人 £619 起 • 2027年5月 每人 £669 起

价格包含

• 从英国各机场出发的往返航班
• 在四星级 Aqualux Hotel Spa Suite & Bardolino 入住五晚
• 每日早餐
• 抵达时房间内提供一瓶 Prosecco 葡萄酒和水果拼盘

五晚起价

£449*

每人

立即致电

0808 231 9671

报号 TIMES

探索马德拉岛的永恒之美，这里戏剧性的火山地貌、郁郁葱葱的植物园和壮阔的大西洋景色，为一次仅限成人的逃离创造了完美环境。入住优雅的四星级 The Views Baia，它坐落在丰沙尔之上，可俯瞰城市和海岸线的全景。您可以花时间探索这座岛屿迷人的首府，漫步于色彩斑斓的市场，或通过包含在内的导览 levada 徒步之旅或风景游览，深入马德拉壮丽的乡村。凭借半食宿餐饮、宁静的仅限成人环境以及体验欧洲最迷人岛屿之一的自由，这里是放松、文化与冒险的完美结合。

其他可用日期

2026年11月和12月 每人 £729 起 • 2027年1月和2月 每人 £799 起 • 2027年3月 每人 £829 起 • 2027年4月和5月 每人 £859 起 • 2027年6月 每人 £899 起

价格包含

• 从英国各机场往返的航班
• 在四星级 The Views Baia（仅限成人）入住七晚
• 每日早餐和晚餐
• 可选择两次半日游或 Levada 徒步之旅，含接送服务

七晚起价

£729*

每人

立即致电

0808 231 9671

td-madeiraretreat

报称 TIMES

在这场令人难忘的欧洲逃离之旅中，通过铁路和海路体验意大利的最佳魅力。首先在时尚的米兰入住三晚，您将享受一次令人叹为观止的瑞士阿尔卑斯山全天远足，包括乘坐世界著名的伯尔尼纳红火车前往迷人的圣莫里茨。随后乘火车前往永恒之城入住一晚，然后登上 Enchanted Princess 号开启为期七晚的全包地中海邮轮之旅。航行至意大利、希腊、克罗地亚和黑山迷人的港口，部分出发日期包含阿马尔菲海岸、圣托里尼和以弗所等标志性目的地。

其他可用日期

2026年8月 £1,299pp 起 • 2026年9月 £1,899pp 起 • 2026年10月 £1,539pp 起 • 2026年11月 £1,499pp 起 • 2027年6月 £1,679pp 起 • 2027年7月 £1,689pp 起 • 2027年8月 £1,749pp 起 • 2027年11月 £1,529pp 起

价格包含

• 伦敦至米兰以及罗马至伦敦的航班
• 在米兰四星级酒店入住三晚，含早餐
• 瑞士阿尔卑斯山和圣莫里茨全天游，含伯尔尼纳红火车体验
• 从米兰到罗马的火车之旅
• 在罗马四星级酒店入住一晚，含早餐
• 在 Enchanted Princess 号上享受七晚全包邮轮之旅
• 所有餐饮及船上娱乐活动
• 包含所有接送服务

11晚起价

£1,299*

每人

立即致电

0808 231 9671

报称 TIMES

我们的信任合作伙伴

travelodeal

ABTA

*价格在印刷时准确。最低价格基于 2026年8月至 2027. 年6月期间的各种日期旅行。所列价格基于两名成人共用双人房 / 双床房 / culais 并从伦敦机场出发。单人旅行者和区域出发需支付额外费用。行程由 Travelodeal Ltd ABTA P6297 AT01,11601, 运营，该公司完全独立于 News UK。

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TIMES 旅行合作伙伴

五日起价

£999*

Hastings 战役与 Bayeux 挂毯

4月 25 日和 6月 20, 2022 日

在这场迷人的旅程中，回到中世纪英格兰的世界，将在英国本土观看标志性的 Bayeux 挂毯的罕见机会，与参观塑造了国家历史的历史城堡和战场相结合。

在这场激动人心的旅程中回到 1066 年，您将获得一生一次的机会，在英国本土观看 Bayeux 挂毯，因为它在近一千年后首次离开诺曼底。作为在英国博物馆备受期待的展览的借展品，

这件非凡的文物提供了窥见诺曼征服英格兰的真实视角，场景以复杂的细节生动呈现。我们还将探索挂毯中所记载的地点，包括 Hastings 战役的古战场和 Battle Abbey，征服者威廉在此取得了胜利，并从此改变了英国历史的进程。对 Bodiam Castle、Hever Castle 和 Penshurst Place 的参观，将在这场对肯特郡和东萨塞克斯郡的迷人探索中，继续描绘中世纪英格兰的画面。

我们热爱

直接踏上历史转折的土地。站在东萨塞克斯郡 Battle 的安静战场上，这里在 1066 年的一个下午改变了英格兰的轨迹。

价格包含

在七橡市（Sevenoaks）的唐宁顿庄园（Donnington Manor）入住四晚，含晚餐和早餐

往返于游览景点的接驳巴士

欢迎饮品

酒店晚餐后的茶与咖啡

行程单中列出的任何额外餐饮或点心

行李搬运服务

行程单中列出的所有游览景点及导览行程的入场券

领队服务

立即致电 0808 303 0896

引用代码 TIMU

我们的 信赖 合作伙伴 just go holidays

在其中获取

• 价格在出版时正确，并受运营商 Just Go Holidays Ltd 条款和条件的约束；该公司完全独立于 News UK。您的预订受 Bonded Coach Holidays 和 Association of Bonded Travel Organisers Trust Ltd 保护。自行驾车前往酒店，所有游览均由巴士承运。参考火车站 - Denton Green（1 英里远）或 Sommeaks（2.5 英里远）。价格为每人价格，基于两人共用一间房且在出版后七天内消费。单房差 £320 或 £340。欲了解完整详情，请访问 Just Go Holidays 网站。

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仅限导览游

婆罗洲与马来半岛

2026年8月至2027年12月

通过这次 Exodus 导览游，探索马来西亚的多样亮点，从红毛猩猩和雨林小径到神圣遗址和精致的街头美食。

马来西亚是一个由两部分组成的国家。东部是拥有红毛猩猩、丛林和河流的婆罗洲岛。西部是融合了文化、宗教、殖民历史和现代风情的马来半岛。探索两者的亮点，有机会在婆罗洲发现红毛猩猩和小象，然后潜入吉隆坡、马六甲和乔治市的文化之中。我们在兰卡威岛的热带海滩结束行程——这是这次充满反差的冒险之旅的绝美终章。

您的行程

马来西亚西必洛（Sepilok） – 基纳巴通岸（Kinabatangan） – 山打根（Sandakan） – 吉隆坡 – 马六甲 – 槟城 – 兰卡威

包含内容

• 七晚酒店住宿，两晚海滨度假村住宿，以及四晚度假村住宿
• 13 份早餐，三份午餐和五份晚餐
• 包含所有交通（小型巴士、船只和国内航班）及列出活动的沉浸式行程
• 专业领队为您提升冒险体验
• 提供团体抵达和离境接送
• 参观西必洛红毛猩猩保护区和太阳熊保护中心
• 吉隆坡步行游
• 指定出发日期每人最高可节省 £130*
• Times+ 会员可额外获得 £100 优惠*
• 访问 thetimes.com / timesplus 获取您的唯一代码

致电 0808 304 8719 或访问 thetimes.com / th-borneomalaysia

TIMES Holidays

适用条款和条件。所示价格为每人价格，基于 2026年10月4日 出发且两名成人共用房，不含机票及必须在当地支付的当地税 / 度假村费（金额因目的地而异），这些将包含在您的报价中。价格截至 2026年7月9日 正确，且视具体情况和可用性而定。+ £100 优惠适用于在 2026年12月31日 之前通过引用您的唯一 + 代码且最低消费 £2,000 的每笔 Holidays 预订。访问 thetimes.com / timesplus 查看完整条款和条件。Exodus 仅在指定出发日期提供每人最高 £130 的折扣，且名额有限。此假期由 Holidays 作为 Exodus Adventure Travels 的代理商销售，并受 ABTA P8770 保护。欲了解完整预订条件，请访问 thetimes.com / holidays / terms-and-conditions。

ABTA

巴林银行

ABTA 编号 P8770

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自助导览 飞航+自驾

西班牙北部的城堡与葡萄园

2026年8月至10月

这次由考克斯与金斯 (旅行社) 提供的行程将为您带来一次沉浸式的自驾之旅，穿梭于该地区壮丽的自然景观与著名的美食文化之间。探索拉里奥哈 (La Rioja) 拥有数百年历史的葡萄酒产区，在米其林星级餐厅用餐，并参观维万科葡萄酒文化博物馆 (Vivanco Museum of Wine Culture)。旅程将经过像奥利特 (Olite) 这样历史悠久的山顶小镇，您将在那里入住一座由15世纪堡垒改建而成的酒店。旅程在巴斯克地区结束，在沿海城市圣塞巴斯蒂安 (San Sebastian) 体验一次 pintxos 美食之旅。Times+ 会员可获得免费的附加体验：享受奥利特的私人步行游览，探索西班牙保存最完好的中世纪城镇之一，以及毕尔巴鄂古根海姆博物馆的私人导览。

您的行程

西班牙马德里 – 杜埃罗河岸 (Ribera del Duero) – 拉里奥哈 (三晚) – 奥利特 (过夜) – 洪达里比亚 (Hondarribia) (过夜) – 圣塞巴斯蒂安 (过夜) – 毕尔巴鄂 (过夜)

欲了解更多信息， 请访问 thetimes.com / th-northernspain

包含项目

• 国际往返机票
• 四星级和五星级酒店住宿
• 六次早餐和三次午餐
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DAILY NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR

THE

TIMES

Thursday August 6 2026 | thetimes.com | No 75104

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The Blunt Wives Club — I've joined it

INSIDE TIMES2

Zut alors! Our children have turned out French

Defiant councils pledge to ignore new rules on single-sex spaces

Geraldine Scott Assistant Political Editor Bill Curtis

Left-wing councils have launched a co-ordinated effort to defy rules on single-sex spaces, as some are refusing to make staff run services on the basis of biological sex.

Labour, Green and Liberal Democrat authorities said they would resist im-

plementing the Equality and Human Rights Commission's (EHRC) code, which came into force yesterday, as women pushed for legal action to force public bodies to comply with the law.

The leaders of six London boroughs — Lambeth, Hackney, Haringey, Lewisham, Southwark and Waltham Forest — made a commitment to keep their services "inclusive" and warned that

the rules "will feel like an attack" on transgender and non-binary residents.

In a joint letter, they said: "Trans women are women, trans men are men, and non-binary identities are fundamentally valid". They described the code as "harmful to the rights of trans people" and said: "We won't put our staff in the impossible position of policing entry to public spaces." Hackney is

understood to have already been served with a formal legal challenge over its alleged failure to provide female-only services, in what appears to be the first move against a public authority since the code came into force.

Lambeth councillors had previously backed a motion calling for the borough to refuse to implement the code. Islington said it was "contradictory,

poorly developed and risks creating a climate of suspicion of trans people".

Bristol city council said services could admit people according to their gender identity, meaning trans women could be allowed into women's services. However, it said any service operating in that way must not be described as female-only and should instead be Continued on page 2

LEE DAVENS/WITDE

Kyiv's missile defence plea

A warehouse burns after a Russian missile strike on Kyiv. President Zelensky urged allies to send more Patriot interceptors after a massive ballistic attack on the capital left at least 17 dead Page 28

Grooming gang abusers set for early prison release

Oliver Wright Policy Editor Daisy Eastlake, Ollie Cole

Members of Asian gangs who sexually abused girls in northern England may be freed from prison early despite Andy Burnham's pledge to exclude grooming offences from the release scheme.

The Times has identified a number of cases of men who were convicted of assaulting children in Bradford. But because many of the offences took place before anti-grooming laws were introduced in 2003, they were charged with indecent assault, which does not fall within the exemptions to early release announced by the prime minister.

Last night Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, wrote to Burnham to highlight the loophole, describing it as "yet another betrayal of victims".

She wrote: "On Tuesday you told the country that those convicted of grooming offences would be excluded. Your own government has now put in writing that some of these men will be released early anyway."

Among those who could be eligible for release having served just half of their sentence are five men who were sentenced to a collective 35 years in prison last October for abusing a Bradford girl from the age of 13. Mohammed Imran Akram, Safraz Ahmed Latif, Wajid Hussain, Mohammed Naheem and Nadeem Ali were each sentenced to between six and eight years in jail. Some of them could now be freed by the end of 2028. After the trial the victim said the men had taken away "my basic rights and stole my future".

The victims' commissioner told The Times that sufferers of abuse had been left "enduring weeks of stress and uncertainty" after the announcement of the new early-release scheme.

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: "We have been clear that we wanted to go further and block more offenders from getting out sooner into their sentence, but could not do so without risking prisons reaching capacity and collapsing."

Clamour to halt early release, page 6

Plagiarism row professor resigns from Cambridge

Decision comes as university launches inquiry after fresh claims of dishonesty revealed by The Times

Emma Yeomans

A star Cambridge professor accused of plagiarism and dishonesty quit last night and said he no longer wished to live "under a constant spotlight".

Jason Arday, who was the youngest black professor in the university's history, resigned after it launched an investigation into him.

Cambridge has been under pressure for more than a week to launch an inquiry into Arday, who is accused of plagiarising his PhD thesis and has made extraordinary claims about his

athletic feats and fundraising achievements. Last night the university said it would investigate his academic qualifications and honorary appointments, as well as research misconduct linked to his journal publications.

The announcement came after The Times submitted fresh evidence to the university suggesting that large parts of his research were fabricated and contained "impossible" evidence. Cambridge said there are "a number of ongoing complaints" about his academic research under investigation. He is also accused of exaggerating his

Jason Arday receiving an honorary doctorate from St Mary's University, Twickenham, in 2024. He said he was quitting for the sake of his wellbeing

sporting and fundraising achievements, including claims that he ran 300 miles in three days, raised more than £5 million for charity and installed pumps for WaterAid.

In a resignation letter published by the Good Law Project, which had previously launched a petition defending him, Arday said he no longer wished to live "under a constant spotlight" and was resigning for his wellbeing.

Arday, 41, pledged to return "stronger, wiser and with the same determination that has always defined my Continued on page 4

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2

Thursday August 6 2026 | THE TIMES

News

Today's highlights

• 7am Yvette Cooper, the health secretary
• 8.10am Claire Waxman, the victims' commissioner for England and Wales
• 10.30am The actor Neil Patrick Harris and the director George Jaques on their new film, Sunny Dancer
• 1.45pm The music industry executive Jamie Njoku-Goodwin, right, on his plan to save the arts
• 3.45pm The film-maker Will Darbyshire

TODAY'S EDITION

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BUSINESS 31 REGISTER 47 LAW 50

SPORT 56 CROSSWORD 64 TV & RADIO TIMES2

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'Unsustainable' student loans must be fixed, MPs tell Healey

Mary Downer

More than 120 MPs and peers have written to the chancellor to urge him to reform the student loans system to help millions of struggling graduates.

The letter, co-ordinated by the campaign group Rethink Repayment, has been signed by Labour, Conservative, Liberal Democrat and Green Party members. They say that the system, under which graduates have to repay 9 per cent of their income above a certain threshold, is an 'unsustainable and unfair financial burden'.

Lucy Powell, the education secretary, said last week that the issue was at the 'top of my in-tray' after saying in February that she thought the interest rates charged on the loans were 'egregious'.

The government has been under pressure to reform student loans thanks to the Sunday Times End the Graduate Rip-Off campaign, which triggered a parliamentary inquiry.

The open letter has been sponsored by MPs from each main party, including the shadow education secretary Laura Trott. They are calling for the chancellor and the education secretary to meet them.

Oliver Gardner, the founder of Rethink Repayment, said: 'The student

loans crisis is no longer a partisan issue. When 121 parliamentarians from across the political spectrum come together on one issue like this, it shows how important it really is.'

Signatories include the former education secretaries Sir Gavin Williamson and Kit Malthouse, and the former chief executive of Universities UK, Baroness Warwick of Undercliffe.

Jas Athwal, the Labour MP for Ilford South and a sponsor of the letter, said: 'Student loans were sold as investments in young people's futures, but for millions of graduates, they have become a tax on aspiration.'

David Reed, Conservative MP for Exmouth & Exeter East, said: 'At a time when many graduates are already facing a high cost of living, a difficult jobs market and heavy tax burdens, adding what is, for all practical purposes, another 9 per cent charge on their earnings is simply wrong.'

The average student debt for English students is £53,000. Depending on when a graduate went to university, loans have different interest rates and repayment thresholds, which were designed to increase with earnings so that payments remained affordable.

Plan 2 loans, which have come under the most scrutiny, have an interest rate

set at the retail prices index rate of inflation plus up to 3 percentage points, depending on how much the graduate earns. These loans were taken out by students who started university between 2012 and 2023.

At last year's budget Rachel Reeves, then the chancellor, announced that the repayment threshold of £29,385 would be frozen for three years — the third freeze that Plan 2 graduates have faced. In April the government capped interest on Plan 2 loans at 6 per cent.

The parliamentary inquiry into student loans called for Reeves's threshold freeze to be reversed, to honour the terms when the loans were taken out. The inquiry also found that promotional materials for the loans, which were circulated by the Department for Education and Student Loans Company, would amount to mis-selling if they were from a regulated private company.

Munira Wilson, the Liberal Democrat MP for Twickenham, said: 'No party has covered itself in glory on the topic of student loans, and the piecemeal changes to the system are seeing young people used as cash cows for other forms of public spending. It's time to work across parliament to build a student finance system that lets people get on with their lives.'

No 10 denies plans for Epstein inquiry

Peter Chappell

Andy Burnham is not actively considering a public inquiry into the UK activities of the paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, despite a minister saying the government was 'looking into' it.

Alex Davies-Jones, the victims minister, said that the prime minister had agreed to meet Epstein's victims, who she said had not been taken seriously by Sir Keir Starmer.

She told BBC Newsnight on Tuesday: 'We are looking at this [an inquiry], we are reviewing what is possible. Again, same with Harrods survivors.'

However, The Times has been told that Burnham is not considering a public inquiry.

The Ministry of Justice said: 'Our thoughts are firmly with the victims of Jeffrey Epstein, who have survived devastating trauma. As [the minister] said, we are reviewing what is possible and will look at all options to support victims and survivors. The prime minister is committed to meeting with victims, but a public inquiry is not being actively considered.'

Davies-Jones resigned from Starmer's government in May, accusing him of failing to listen to Epstein survivors

over the decision to appoint Lord Mandelson as ambassador to Washington.

Asked what assurances she had received before returning to the role under Burnham, she said he 'has assured me that he will meet them now he's prime minister and will work with us to look at systemic change across the system for all victims'.

Jake Richards, a justice minister, had also indicated that an inquiry was possible. Speaking on LBC yesterday, he said Davies-Jones had 'spoken to the prime minister and they're certainly considering and looking at all the options that are available'.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Councils ignore single-sex rules

labelled 'single-gender' or 'trans-inclusive'.

The EHRC's code of practice was updated after the Supreme Court ruled last year the protected characteristic of sex in the Equality Act referred to biological sex.

Mary-Ann Stephenson, the EHRC chair, told Times Radio there was 'potentially a degree of performativity' from councils who have spoken out against the code. She said: 'Once they talk to the legal department, they will realise that they are obliged to follow the law.'

Akna Reindorf, a barrister and former EHRC commissioner who worked on the code, added: 'It's either performative or it's uninformed. The law is the law, the guidance is not the law; it just tells you how to comply.'

Labour MPs including Nadia Whitteme have backed a judicial review launched by the Good Law Project, which said the code amounted to a 'blanket prohibition on trans-inclusive gendered services'.

Baroness Falkner, the former EHRC chair, warned this week the law would 'remain unenforced by the equalities regulator' because of its 'meagre funding', leaving women to pursue cases themselves.

But Bethany Hutchison, the nurse

who led a successful claim against Darlington Memorial Hospital over a trans colleague using single-sex changing rooms, said it was not right that women would be left to fight legal battles.

She said there must be 'national leadership, clear direction and meaningful enforcement, rather than leaving ordinary women to uphold the law one costly case at a time'.

Maya Forstater, chief executive of Sex Matters, added: 'It's a disgrace that it should take the expense and personal cost of such legal action for women's rights to simply be upheld.'

The code applies to all organisations providing services, exercising public functions or running associations — from councils and NHS trusts to universities, charities and businesses.

NHS England refused yesterday to set out a timetable for updating policies allowing trans patients to choose which ward they are treated on. The National Union of Students has produced guidance to help students 'resist' the code.

Bash Back, the militant transgender activist network, told supporters not to comply with the guidance. The group said: 'We must make them afraid of us.'

The government said it was 'committed to upholding single-sex spaces while also protecting the rights of trans people. There are clear laws in place to protect trans people from discrimination and harassment, which we continue to uphold.'

Thousands of families lose free childcare

Aaliyah Ahmed

The number of children missing out on government-funded care because a parent earns more than £100,000 has more than quadrupled since 2018.

Parents of children aged from nine months to four can get up to 30 hours of government-funded childcare a week if they earn at least the minimum wage for 16 hours a week. Once one parent earns more than £100,000 a year, however, they lose all free childcare.

Between 50,500 and 99,000 children were affected by the £100,000 rdfd edge in the last tax year, up from between 10,900 and 22,500 children in 2018-19.

The £100,000 threshold has not changed since it was introduced in 2017.

Ian Futcher, from the wealth manager Quilter, which obtained the figures through a freedom of information request, said: 'While £100,000 is still a high income, it is not worth what it was when this threshold was set. More families are finding themselves caught by rules that were designed in a different economic environment.'

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THE TIMES | Thursday August 6 2026

1

News

Murder most fowl? Fury as tennis club's geese culled

Members loved the birds at St George's Hill but the chief executive said they had to be shot, writes David Brown

Members of one of Britain's most prestigious private tennis clubs are up in arms after a gaggle of geese were culled in secret because they kept making a mess on the courts.

The St George's Hill Lawn Tennis Club is in a gated estate that has been popular with celebrities and billionaires, leading to it being dubbed as the UK's Beverly Hills.

But the normally genteel atmosphere has been agitated after marksmen were hired to shoot the club's resident Canada geese.

Neighbours heard gunshots at 5.25am on July 16. They later discovered eight birds had been killed, including goslings. The cull raises wider issues about controlling Canada geese, whose numbers are soaring across the UK. Adult birds produce about 2lb (0.9 kg) of droppings a day.

St George's is an unlikely frontline in the battle against foreign invaders. The 16-acre club, which now has 3,700 members, was opened by Prince Alexander of Teck accompanied by his wife, Princess Alice, in 1913.

Annual fees are now £2,664, plus an entrance charge for new members of £2,000.

The club in Weybridge, Surrey, has 34 tennis courts, 13 of which are grass, and regularly hosts international tournaments. Emma Raducanu triumphed in the UK Pro Series and Classic Tournament a year before winning the 2021 US Open.

St George's has previously featured its resident Canada geese on its social media, which highlight its beautiful grounds and wildlife.

The club posted photographs of two adult and two young birds waddling in April last year on Instagram and Facebook with the caption:

"We have baby goslings on our Lakeside Terrace!"

Rumours of the cull were swirling around the club-

The geese were social media stars at the £2,600-a-year club, where Emma Raducanu played before she won the US Open

house before an official confirmation was emailed to members of the local residents' association.

An adult and a gosling that survived the cull were referred to in a social media post as having been "found in a distressed state the same day wandering the local area".

The post continued: "The tennis club claim they were pests and murdered them by the club's lake which they used as their home much to the delight of the young and old club members. Such barbaric action in a situation where local wildlife organisations would have taken them in."

Club members asked for anonymity when discussing the controversy.

"The members have always liked the geese," said one long-standing member. "It is sometimes a bit annoying because they amble on to the courts and leave their poo.

"But that does not mean

they had to be shot. It's a private estate and the residents are concerned about a firearm being brought in without any warning."

Another player said: "The club management ordered this because they felt the birds were making the courts messy. There was no consultation with the members. The club is in a beautiful setting and the birds were part of that."

Some members claim they were initially assured the birds had simply been relocated two miles away to the lakes at the Claremont Landscape Garden.

Another member said: "The Canada geese were adored and loved. They walked around the club at their own pace and sometimes held up the traffic, but nobody minded.

"First we were told they had been rehomed and then that they had 'flown off'. The members and local residents are furious."

The shooting was carried out by a contractor with a licence from Natural England to cull some species of birds, including Canada geese, to preserve

public health or safety. Surrey police were informed before the cull.

Miles Hill, the club's chief executive, said in a statement: "We fully understand that some members and estate residents have been upset by what occurred. This was not a decision the club wished to take, nor one that was taken lightly. It followed many months of attempting to manage a growing resident population of Canada geese through enhanced cleaning and non-lethal measures."

Hill said the club concluded that it was appropriate to restrict advance knowledge of the cull so it could be carried out safely and effectively.

Canada geese are believed to have been introduced to the UK when King Charles II received the birds as a gift from a Russian ambassador in 1664. They were installed in St James's Park, central London.

The British Trust for Ornithology says numbers of the birds in the UK have more than doubled since 1984. The current UK population is about 160,000.

Allergic scientist creates a gene-edited dog he can bring home

Rhys Blakely Science Editor

Matt Walker loved dogs. The trouble was that being around them made him sneeze.

Stroking one would make his eyes itch and bring his skin out in a nasty rash. For years, his allergies stopped him from having a dog of his own until Walker, who happens to have a PhD in genetics, set about creating a canine companion he could live with.

The result is Bailey, a beagle whose DNA has been edited. In simple terms, Walker and his colleagues switched off a gene that produces a protein known as "Can f1'. Found in hair, skin cells and

saliva, it is often responsible for allergic reactions to dogs.

According to Walker, the experiment worked. In a paper published in The Crispr Journal, he and his colleagues said they had shown that "precise genetic modification in dogs can reduce allergenicity." In plainer English, that means Bailey does not make him sneeze. "The feeling is sort of a mix of relief and awe and gratitude that it worked," Walker said. "It feels just amazing to get to have a dog."

Walker's company, Kindred Companion Sciences, created Bailey and her twin, Alfie, using Crispr, a widely used gene-editing technique. The scientists

began with beagle skin cells. They edited the DNA inside them to disable the gene that produces Can f1, then transferred the altered genetic material into eggs. These were implanted in a surrogate beagle, which gave birth to two female puppies in September 2024.

Tests found no detectable Can f1 in the puppies' saliva or in their hair and dander. By contrast, the protein was present in samples from an ordinary beagle, a poodle and a goldendoodle—a crossbreed often marketed as "hypoallergenic".

In a skin-prick test, Walker reacted to samples taken from the ordinary dogs, but not to those from Bailey and Alfie.

Bailey and Alfie have both turned two and so far have had no health issues

The test was limited to just one person, however, and dog allergies can be caused by other proteins besides Can f1.

Bailey and Alfie have so far developed normally, and the scientists found no obvious unintended genetic changes. However, the animals' health will need to be monitored for much longer to be sure the process is safe.

Bailey lives with Walker in New York, while Alfie lives in Florida with another Kindred Companion scientist.

It is likely to be several years before gene-edited pets are available to buy. Larger trials will be needed to establish whether the approach works for a broader range of allergy sufferers.

---

4

News

Star professor's research was full of claims that simply didn't add up

Academic papers by the former Cambridge professor are littered with inconsistencies, Emma Yeomans writes

Professor Jason Arday's academic research contains "impossible" evidence and is littered with inconsistencies, a Times analysis of his work has found.

An audit of five years of study conducted by the former University of Cambridge scholar, the youngest black professor in the institutions' history, suggests large parts could be fabricated.

The findings include false funding declarations; participant quotes that appear to have been taken from another researcher's own analysis; and "impossible" samples, such as a breakdown of his participants' genders, which adds up to 110 per cent.

Arday has come under increasing scrutiny after allegations that he plagiarised his PhD thesis and parts of his published academic research.

He denies plagiarism and was cleared by investigators at Liverpool John Moores University where he completed his doctorate.

Six academics said the new findings unearthed by The Times could indicate fabrication of his research. A further two have separately and publicly accused him of fabrication in his studies.

Arday has previously denied fabricating any of his research. He told The Times last week: "It's more likely that I've made a mistake, there's a clerical error. It's not that I've fabricated."

FAMILIAR QUOTES

"My understanding of English is improving daily," a Latin-American academic is quoted as saying in one of Arday's papers. "Sometimes I struggle to articulate clearly and accurately what I would like to say to the healthcare professionals provided at university." Three years earlier, he had attributed the quote to an Asian female undergraduate student. It is one of numerous issues with his papers.

In a section of his 2021 paper under the heading "Funding", Arday wrote: "This research was supported by Mind." But Mind said it had "no record of any research we funded or commissioned relating to this."

The Times also understands that Arday has not applied for ethical approval for published studies, despite working with human participants to discuss sensitive topics of race and mental health.

Giving a webinar in July 2020 about the paper prior to its publication, Arday referred to a participant who took their own life and read out their quote detailing the "violence of these racialised cultures" in the academic world. Although the published paper used near-identical quotes attributed to a male, mixed-

Jason Arday said that one paper was supported by Mind, but the charity said it had no record of funding the research

heritage academic; there was no reference to this person taking their own life.

Arday told The Times that it was normal to be "selective" and impossible to use every detail. He said: "I have no reason to fabricate or to exaggerate black people's suffering in academia."

The 2021 paper was Arday's second piece of research into mental health and race at universities, after a 2018 paper that he was forced to retract and republish with corrections.

The new analysis has identified more quotes in his 2018 paper that appear to have been plagiarised from a study by the renowned epidemiologist Anjum Memon and his team, which Arday now claims come from his own participants. While some had been identified, The Times has seen evidence that far more quotes are textually or structurally traceable to Memon's work.

Passing off another academic's research as if it comes from one's own interviews would amount to fabricating

his data, experts said. Andrew Gelman, a professor of statistics and political science at Columbia University in New York, said: "I can't think of any alternative explanations."

'IMPOSSIBLE' PARTICIPANTS

Arday's research relies on interviews with samples of black and minority ethnic students and university staff discussing their experiences of race and mental health. In one paper, "Attempting to break the chain: reimaging inclusive pedagogy and decolonising the curriculum within the academy", he says he interviewed a sample of 17 participants. But a breakdown of their races, genders and jobs adds up to 18.

Further oddities appear: he quotes four distinct academics, but says he only interviewed three; quotes five mixed-heritage participants, but interviewed only four; and attributes a quote to participant No.21, in a study that only interviewed 17 or 18 people. Similar

issues appear in five studies. Professor Robert Dingwall, a professor of sociology at the University of Nottingham, said there could be "legitimate privacy reasons" for blurring participant numbers. He added: "However, this decision should always be declared and justified. It does not seem relevant ... here."

CALLS FOR AN INVESTIGATION

The University of Cambridge has previously said any inquiries must be carried out "by the institution at which the research was carried out", and that it had passed information to the relevant institutions. Last night it said it that had begun an investigation following new information about Professor Arday's academic qualifications and honorary appointments. "To ensure a fair process, we will not comment further until this has concluded. Separately, there remains a number of ongoing complaints regarding academic misconduct, which are being handled in

How Arday's story unravelled

July 21 Nathan Cofnas, a former researcher at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, makes claims of plagiarism against Arday.

July 24 Analysis of Arday's 2015 thesis by The Times confirms multiple examples of identical or near-identical passages to the doctoral thesis of Paula Zwozdiak-Myers, a Brunel University student, published six years earlier.

July 24 David Harris, emeritus professor at Plymouth Marjon University, claims that he alerted Cambridge and Liverpool John Moores universities to his concerns about plagiarism in 2023.

July 28 A "solidarity letter" published by the Good Law Project backing Arday receives hundreds of signatures, including from Zack Polanski, the Green Party leader.

July 31 Arday, in an interview with The Times, denies academic fraud. August 2 Arday faces scrutiny over his claims that police investigated a pig's head sent to his parents. The Met tells The Times it could find "no record" of the claim.

August 3 The president of a Cambridge college withdraws her support for Arday. WaterAid casts doubt on claims Arday made about "installing water points" in South America and west Africa.

August 4 It emerges that the Met spent four months investigating Jack Grove, a journalist who emailed questions to Arday. Glasgow University denies that he held a visiting professor title and Cambridge removes one of his qualifications from its website.

Yesterday Hours after Cambridge opens an investigation into the allegations, Arday quits.

line with our Misconduct in Research policy," it added.

The University of Durham, which employed Arday when he published the 2021 paper, said: "We have looked into this, and there are no records that the research discussed at the July 2020 webinar or the subsequent paper accepted in September 2020, fell under our institutional ethical oversight."

The journal Higher Education, which published his 2021 paper, investigated the ethical approval of the study but concluded that at the time he had submitted, ethical approval was not a condition of publication so there was no breach of their rules.

Liverpool John Moores University said in 2025 it received allegations of academic misconduct against Arday. "A confidential procedure was conducted in response to those allegations and Professor Arday's PhD still stands."

Arday did not respond to requests to comment on the new findings.

'Relentless accusations have taken toll on me and those I love'

Continued from page 1

journey", and asked his supporters for "the space to begin again". He said: "This is not the end of my work. It is simply the end of this chapter."

Arday did not respond to any of the allegations of plagiarism or misconduct, nor address any of the other

claims he is said to have made. He said: "This decision should not be interpreted as a loss of faith in scholarship or in the values that first brought me to Cambridge. Nor should it be mistaken for an acceptance of the narratives that have surrounded me. It is simply the decision of someone who has reached the limits

of what any person should reasonably be expected to endure ... The relentless accusations, speculation and public commentary have taken a profound toll on me and on those I love."

It also emerged yesterday that Arday had falsely claimed to have published a book, it had been abandoned by publishers.

A statement posted to Cambridge's website said: "The University of Cambridge has begun an investigation following new information about Professor Arday's academic qualifications and honorary appointments. Separately, there remains a number of ongoing complaints regarding academic miscon-

duct, which are being handled in line with our misconduct in research policy."

Jesus College, Cambridge, where Arday is a fellow, also launched an inquiry. Affair is an own goal for Cambridge, Roger Mosey, page 22

Resignation leaves questions for university, leading article, page 25

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THE TIMES | Thursday August 6 2026 51

5

News

Four stabbed in Covent Garden

Jessica Sharkey Crime Correspondent Seren Hughes, Hamish McCorriston Louis Sykes

A woman has been arrested after four people were stabbed in Covent Garden in central London yesterday afternoon.

Four men, aged 34, 39, 42 and 52, were wounded in the incident on Endell Street, near the Shaftesbury Theatre, at about 12.30pm. The Metropolitan Police said two men sustained injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening or life-changing and the other two victims had been discharged from hospital.

"While at an early stage of the investigation, this is believed to be a mental health-related incident. Officers seized a pair of scissors at the scene," a Met spokesperson said.

A 47-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon and assault. She was taken into custody. A witness told The Times that the alleged attacks unfolded outside the theatre before the woman made her way down Endell Street.

Arjan Gjorga, 48, the co-owner of a fish and chip shop on Endell Street, said the alleged attacker was a homeless woman he had seen "a hundred times" in the area. He said the woman allegedly "started stabbing random people", adding: "We saw this lady after a few minutes being arrested. The police responded immediately."

An employee at 2 Chairs Grooming Room, a barber shop, said one of the alleged victims ran into the shop to call the police. The employee said "there was a lot of blood on [the victim]", but that he was not badly hurt.

Sarah Calcraft, who works at Pop Boutique, helped two of the men and gave one a T-shirt from her store. "They were both calm and relaxed. Both had very minor injuries, but still scary injuries nonetheless," she said. "One of them was bleeding from his back and the other had a really small wound. There were lots of tourists around Covent Garden. You wouldn't really anticipate the sort of thing happening, so it was quite a shocking little affair."

Matt Bishop, 42, who works at a consultancy firm in Covent Garden, claimed that the woman had a "stand-off" with three police officers.

"What she was shouting was pretty incoherent. The police officer was asking what language she was shouting," he added.

Another worker, who did not wish to be named, claimed the police surrounded the woman, who appeared to be holding "large gardening scissors".

Footage of the aftermath of the incident appeared to show two police officers pointing Tasers in the direction of a woman. They were seen tackling her to the ground and she appeared to use her vape as she was restrained.

A large police cordon was put up from High Holborn to the St Mungo's homeless centre on Endell Street, where officers were speaking to people

before they entered the building.

St Mungo's, a homeless charity which works in the area, said: "Our thoughts are with everyone who has been affected by this distressing incident. We are working closely with emergency services to ensure that all of the people we support, in addition to our colleagues, are safe and accounted for."

Chief Superintendent Jason Stewart

of the Met, who leads policing in the area, said: "Officers responded within minutes of this incident after receiving a number of reports.

"While still at an early stage of the investigation, we would like to reassure the community that we currently believe this to be an isolated, mental health-related incident."

London Ambulance Service said:

Police with Tasers confronted a woman after four men were stabbed in Covent Garden yesterday. One person was arrested on suspicion of assault and possession of an offensive weapon after allegedly attacking people at random

"We were called at 12.29pm today to reports of a stabbing on Endell Street, WC2H.

"We sent an ambulance crew, a paramedic in a fast-response car and an incident response officer. We also dispatched London's air ambulance. We treated four patients at the scene and took them all to a major trauma centre as a priority by road."

Father charged with murder of girl, 9

Marc Horne

The father of a nine-year-old girl who died after being found seriously injured on an industrial estate has appeared in court charged with her murder.

Minnie Merriman, from West Yorkshire, was discovered just after midnight on Monday at Elliot industrial estate in Arbroath, Angus, where her family had been camping. She was taken to Ninewells Hospital in Dundee, where she died.

Christopher Rice, 35, from Wakefield, appeared at Forfar sheriff court yesterday charged with her murder. He did not enter a plea and was remanded in custody. He will appear in court again within the next eight days.

Minnie's family paid tribute to her in a statement released through Police Scotland. "We are devastated with the

Minnie Merriman, from West Yorkshire, is believed to have been camping with her family in Arbroath

loss of our beloved, absolutely incredible, beautiful and brave Minnie Moo. Our family asks that our privacy is respected at this extremely difficult time," they said.

The family are being supported by specialist officers. West Yorkshire police are assisting Police Scotland in

the investigation. Detective Inspector Mike Ness, from Police Scotland's major investigation team, said: "Our thoughts remain with everyone affected by these events, especially Minnie's family. A police presence will remain in the area while our inquiries continue."

Karen Youngson, an Arbroath resident, said that she had picked up her friend from the gym on the industrial estate at about 10pm on Sunday and had seen a small tent and some camping chairs. When I first went up there, I was like, my goodness, why is there a tent there?" she told the BBC. "There were two camping chairs, that's all I saw, but it was the amount of rubbish that I noticed, it was unbelievable."

When she returned from collecting her friend, she said the tent was dark and silent.

Gary Glitter in court over historical abuse allegations

Jessica Sharkey, Hamish McCorriston

Gary Glitter has appeared in court charged with historical sexual offences dating back to 1978.

The former singer, whose real name is Paul Gadd, is charged with unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under the age of 13 and three counts of indecent assault on a girl under the age of 14.

The alleged offences relate to one child and allegedly took place at the defendant's property in London between 1978 and 1981. He is accused of giving the girl chocolate and inviting her to his house where he "then committed a number of serious sexual offences."

Jonathan Polnay KC, for the prosecution, told Westminster magistrates'

court yesterday that this continued over a period of about two years.

Glitter, 82, appeared at Westminster magistrates' court via videolink, wearing a cap and a blue shirt, and confirmed his personal details.

At the hearing, the defendant complained of hearing issues. After being asked to confirm his name, Glitter said: "Your honour, excuse me, I'm extremely deaf and unless I'm lip-reading I can't hear. My name is Paul Gadd."

An investigation was launched after allegations were reported to the Metropolitan Police in January last year. The police interviewed Glitter six months later. Judge Paul Goldspring remanded Glitter into custody and he will next appear at the Old Bailey nest month.

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6

News Politics

Chief constable joins clamour to halt early release

Daisy Eastlake, Ollie Cole

Thames Valley Police is weighing up whether to join legal action to block the release of two men who killed PC Andrew Harper, saying that opposition to the decision was “overwhelming”.

Jason Hogg, the chief constable, said he was in talks with the Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file officers, about challenging the early release in the courts.

He described the decision to release Harper’s killers early as “perverse”, adding that bringing the decision to judicial review was “certainly something I would consider”.

Harper, who served with Thames Valley, was killed in 2019 when he was dragged by a car down a country road in Berkshire by three teenagers fleeing the scene of a quad bike theft. The two passengers in the car, Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers, were sentenced in 2020 to 13 years for manslaughter and could apply for early release after serving half of their sentences.

After a campaign by Harper’s widow, Lissie, parliament passed “Harper’s Law”, which gives mandatory life sentences to the killers of emergency services workers. It also doubles the maximum penalty from 12 months to two years for those who assault police or other emergency workers.

However, the new rules — introduced in 2022 — did not apply retrospectively to the sentencing of Harper’s killers, and so do not prevent them from being released early.

Hogg told the BBC: “The law isn’t retrospective and we all understand that, but the fact that they are released early simply seems perverse.”

Andy Burnham announced a rapid review of the previous Labour government’s early release scheme when he became prime minister. On Tuesday he announced that he was scaling back the programme and excluding anyone who had been found guilty of “rape, serious child sex and other grooming offences”.

Mohammed Imran Akram, left, and Mohammed Naheem, jailed for sex crimes in October, could be freed early

However, the announcement has unravelled as it emerged that historical child abusers who committed their offences before 2003 would not be covered by the exemption. Among those affected are Vicki Crawford, who was a victim of sex offences when she was 14 in the 1980s. Her attacker was jailed for seven years in 2024.

However, because of when the offences took place, he was found guilty of indecent assault — the crime at the time — rather than sexual activity with a child, which was only brought in as a law just over two decades ago.

This same principle applies to some of those who have been convicted as part of long-running historical investigations into Asian grooming gangs.

While most of those involved have been convicted of rape, which is covered by the exemption, others were convicted of indecent assault, which covers everything other than penetrative sex and was not included in the list.

Kemi Badenoch, the Tory leader, has written to Burnham pointing out the loophole and calling for a rethink.

“I’m not arguing against early release,” she told the BBC. “I’m against early release of this dangerous category of rapists, paedophiles, killers, including the killers of PC Andrew Harper.”

Jake Richards, the justice minister, said the killers would remain subject to the early release scheme from October as he faced broadcasters yesterday. “It would be wrong to pick out individual

cases within different offending cohorts,” he said. “That wouldn’t be right. It wouldn’t be lawful either. I understand the strength of feeling from police officers. [but] if we do not have prison places available then the police, the good work that they do every day on the streets, finding perpetrators, locking them up, it would be impossible.”

The victims’ commissioner, Claire Waxman, said that victims had been left “enduring weeks of stress and uncertainty” because of the early release scheme as she called for “greater clarity and timely communication” from Burnham’s government.

Communication with victims on the changes is expected to go through victim liaison officers, but this process could take some time, leaving victims unclear on whether the crimes committed against them are included in the new early release plans.

The Ministry of Justice uploaded a list of offences covered by the release programme to its website on Tuesday evening but Waxman is concerned that the list is complex and could be hard to navigate for victims.

She told The Times: “People are only receiving information, as far as we’re aware anyway, from the media at the moment. Above all, the priority now must be delivering clarity to victims, whichever side of the exclusions they fall, and timely communication and sufficient time for safety planning.”

She has called for a ministerial-led national taskforce to oversee implementation of the reforms, improve coordination between agencies and provide greater transparency on how it is being delivered, with concerns that prison and probation services are facing “huge pressures”.

The chief inspector of probation, Martin Jones, has warned that the electronic tagging system is failing to alert the authorities to potential breaches of conditions. There is also a 1,500 shortfall of probation officers, and the trade union representing probation staff is balloting members on industrial action.

Haigh will not grace Admiralty residence

Andy Burnham’s de facto deputy prime minister, Louise Haigh, has declined the offer of a grace-and-favour residence (Aubrey Allegretti writes). Haigh, the first secretary of state and most senior minister in the Cabinet Office, turned down the chance of extra taxpayer-funded accommodation. Allies said she

I know the devastating cost of letting unrepentant killers go free

Arlene Foster Comment

Believe the House of Lords went into recess for the summer, we had an opportunity to ask about the government’s early release scheme handling prisoners such as the killers of PC Andrew Harper. Many of us had remained in the chamber to express our concern that such an action would take place.

From my perspective, as the daughter of a police officer who was the subject of an attempted murder

by the IRA and the wife of a now-retired police officer, I urged the government to learn the lessons of the early release scheme that was inserted into the Belfast agreement at the last minute by Sinn Fein.

The government has now indicated that although it will not release those who have been convicted of rape or serious sexual offences, and rightly so, it will go ahead with the release of those guilty of killing PC Harper.

Understandably, his widow called the decision to proceed with the release of his killers an “affront to justice” and I completely agree. The reason given by the prime minister as to why he was proceeding was that

“he had pushed the very limits of what is possible” but could not exempt more prisoners without the prison system falling apart.

I find all this totally bizarre. We are allowing some of the most violent killers out of prison after serving half their sentence to make space for prisoners who may not be anywhere near as violent. Surely the answer is to create more prison spaces in short order — we were able to create Nightingale hospitals when Covid struck — and in the longer term we need to assess why we have more criminals and prisoners than the system can cope with.

The answer to a lack of prison

spaces is not to allow violent offenders to walk free. The reason I referenced the prisoner release scheme in Northern Ireland is that scheme has had a devastating effect on victims and their families, who still see the early release of IRA murderers as a betrayal. It has also had a long-term impact on faith in the justice system. I asked the government to not just think of prison spaces in terms of numbers but to think of the impact the early release of police killers would have on the wider justice system and the future recruitment of police officers.

Tony Blair, the prime minister at the time of the Belfast agreement, in words reminiscent of the current prime minister, said the early release of prisoners was “horrible but necessary”. That is such a poor justification for a policy that still today is causing problems in Northern Ireland and across the UK — as many young soldiers from

Britain were murdered by IRA terrorists who were then released. Meanwhile the government still pursues veterans who served in Northern Ireland.

Andrew Harper’s widow is bereft. Like so many IRA terrorists, his killers showed no remorse, yet they will walk free from prison as she and the rest of his family live with the void that his killing has left.

Police officers go out every day to protect the rest of society from thugs like those who killed Andrew Harper. It is beyond appalling that the government is prepared to allow these killers to be freed. Promises that victims will have access to better support and the reassurance that offenders will face tighter supervision will ring hollow, especially to those of us who have seen it all before. Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee is a former first minister of Northern Ireland and leader of the Democratic Unionist Party

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News

wanted to spend her time away from Westminster focusing on supporting "No 10 North", closer to her Sheffield Heeley constituency. Ed Miliband, the foreign secretary, has gained exclusive use

of Chevening, a Palladian mansion in 3,000 acres near Sevenoaks, Kent. It is the building most sought-after by ministers. John Healey, the chancellor, is also expected to inherit Dorneywood, a

retreat in Buckinghamshire, from Rachel Reeves. Burnham plans to use Chequers occasionally but has not been to the Elizabethan manor since he became prime minister.

As his effective deputy and co-ordinator of the new Office of the Prime Minister, Haigh was offered a government residence but declined. A senior Labour source said: "Any spare time Louise has away from Westminster is going into making No 10 North a success."

As deputy prime minister, Angela Rayner used a three-bedroom apartment in the grade I listed Admiralty House. She is understood not to have asked for use of an official government residence on her return as housing secretary.

The new occupant of Admiralty House will be Wes Streeting, the defence secretary, due to the fact his house in Ilford, east London, is outside the urgent response time.

Badenoch rejects coalition with 'woke' Reform

Patrick Maguire Chief Political Commentator

Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, has said she will never form a coalition with Reform because she could not trust Robert Jenrick and Suella Braverman, and denounced Nigel Farage as the leader of a "woke" party.

Badenoch said a hung parliament after the next general election was a "probable" scenario but emphatically ruled out any agreement with Reform and accused her challengers on the right of a "victim mentality".

The leader of the opposition told the Political Currency podcast that she had no interest in heeding calls to "unite the right" despite repeated calls for an electoral pact, adding: "I'm not trying to unite the right, I'm trying to unite the country." Speaking to Ed Balls, the former Labour cabinet minister, Badenoch stressed she was unwilling to work with Reform or its leader. "I want people to know that I'm not doing any deals with Nigel Farage... pre-election, I don't even see how we could do any kind of deal post-election."

She declined, however, to reveal her strategy for dealing with the "challenging" scenario "where really nobody has won" the election.

Accusing advocates of a deal between the two parties of seeking self-advancement, she said: "Even deals post-elections are stitch-ups. So I just say no to everything, and the reason why is because people who talk about deals are usually not thinking about the public — they're just thinking about how they can get jobs themselves."

Badenoch went on to say that the presence of her former cabinet colleagues Robert Jenrick and Suella Braverman in Reform's leadership team made any suggestion of co-operation a "non-starter". Agreeing with Balls that she "couldn't trust them an inch", Badenoch said the two defectors had "spent their time trying to destroy and undermine the Conservative Party, first from inside and then by leaving."

Asked to name the biggest difference between the Tories and Reform, Badenoch said: "Reform are a woke party. A lot of people don't understand, you know, the word 'woke' is used to mean many things." She said the word was not necessarily a "left-wing thing" and

accused Reform of "demonising" large sections of the population.

"When I talk about woke, I talk about people who [think] it's all grievance. It's victim narratives. People are doing this to us. Oppressor narratives ... On the left, it's, you know, whites are the oppressors, or men are the oppressors." She said Farage had cast the "establishment" as the "oppressors", saying: "It's all moaning and whinging and not proper solutions. It's about power dynamics and how to get power, not actually solutions and how to fix things.

"There's a huge victim mentality. I'm not a victim, and I will never ever play the victim, even when I probably have grounds to do so."

She added: "What I'm not going to do is demonise certain groups, whether it's billionaires or immigrants or the wealthy, or NHS workers, or the public sector — we're not doing that. We're not setting groups against each other, and Reform does that."

Senior Reform sources derided the Tory leader's claims, telling The Times: "This is quite rich from a woman who will rant and rave at any and every editor who dares publish the slightest bit of criticism about her. Kemi is a thin-skinned professional loser — there's a reason she is the most unsuccessful Tory leader of the opposition in history."

Badenoch also sought to dispel criticism of her opposition to net zero, telling Balls: "I think a lot of people think I don't care about the environment. That's not my critique of net zero. It's that these plans are not working and we're spending a lot of money on them. ... Businesses are closing, and yet we're making climate change worse.

"We need to do more on the natural, on the nature side of things: biodiversity, habitat. What are we doing on flood defences? What exactly are we funding to make sure that we can keep our environment as sane as possible?"

Asked whether she thought Andy Burnham's first moves as prime minister were "smart", Badenoch said: "Who, Andy? Nah, I don't think so."

The Tory leader did, however, pay heartfelt tribute to Sir Kerr Starmer — suggesting the scale of public "loathing" for the last prime minister became "excessive" and describing the arson attack on his former family home last year as "absolutely horrific."

Former neo-Nazi who harassed MP aborts Tory election bid

Geraldine Scott

A former neo-Nazi who carried out a campaign of antisemitic abuse against a Jewish MP has stood down as a Conservative council candidate.

Joshua Bonehill-Paine was chosen to contest the Crewkerne South ward of Somerset council in May but said yesterday afternoon that he needed to do more work to "help destroy antisemitism and rebuild trust" before standing for public office.

Bonehill-Paine, 33, was jailed in 2016 after being convicted of racially aggravated harassment against Luciana Berger, who was then the Labour MP for Liverpool Wavertree and now sits in the House of Lords. He published a series of blog posts about Berger, describing her as "an evil money-grabber" with a "deep-rooted hatred of men". In

another post he claimed the number of Jewish Labour MPs was a "problem".

Berger said yesterday that Bonehill-Paine had been "smoking throughout" his trial and the judge found he had "showed utter contempt ... And it was during the court case that he thought it appropriate to do a Nazi salute in the Old Bailey in the direction of his supporters ... in the gallery."

He had previously been imprisoned for producing an advert featuring an image of Auschwitz that promised "an absolute gas" at a rally in Golders Green, north London.

Kemi Badenoch, the Tory leader, had defended him and said there was a difference between allowing him to seek local office and giving him "a national platform" as a prospective MP.

She said: "He is standing to be a councillor in Somerset. It is a local platform

looking at parking, sorting out bins. That's what councillors do. It's not a national platform. I have much higher thresholds for what it takes to be a Con-

servative MP. This man is not standing to be an MP. There's a huge difference."

Announcing his withdrawal, Bonehill-Paine said: "The last 24 hours have

shown that a lot of people do not understand how terrible I feel about the things I did when I was much younger. I know that my previous actions continue to cause pain in the Jewish community. I had thought that getting involved in my local council and working hard for my community was a good way to show how much I have changed."

He has accepted an offer to become an adviser to the Conservative Party's culture and integration commission, "specifically focusing on how young men become radicalised". Badenoch said she was "sad" Bonehill-Paine had withdrawn but "glad he is going to work with me and the party on tackling radicalisation". She said: "I see this man as somebody who has been rehabilitated."

His crimes can't be shrugged away. Janice Turner, page 22

Joshua Bonehill-Paine said he had been rehabilitated after being jailed in 2016

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8

News Politics

DJ Polanski finally adds climate crisis to his playlist

Political Sketch

Last week, The Times caught up with Zack Polanski at a Green Party rave in Bristol. In a short peroration delivered from the DJ booth, the party leader hyped up his crowd on all manner of subjects, from rent control to the toppling of the statue of the slave trader Edward Colston to the genocide in Gaza and the terrorist attack at Pride Berlin. At the time, France and Spain were on fire, but with so much else to discuss, the de facto leader of the UK's climate protection movement just couldn't squeeze it in.

My esteemed colleague Lucy Bannerman also wrote of encountering a 77-year-old man in a straw hat who, out of concern for the planet, had recently joined the Green Party and described himself as "disappointed" to find the topic somehow hadn't come up.

So we can only hope both he and his straw hat found their way to Westminster yesterday, where Polanski was doing something highly unusual. No, not paying his council tax, but giving a speech on climate change. It's arguable that this, Polanski's big speech on the climate crisis, might have come a touch sooner rather than fully eleven weeks after the first record-shattering heatwave of the year.

But Polanski, right, chose a fine day for it. A few weeks ago, the London School of Economics had to cancel a panel event called "Extreme Heat" owing to what it also described as "extreme heat". There was no chance of that this time. According to AccuWeather, the conditions around the venue were '25, feels like 22'. Polanski, who has recently moved from his houseboat and into some sort of flatshare in Hackney, may relate, though his numbers are more '43, acts like 19'.

He'd come with a list of demands. "There needs to be a free, accessible 'cool space' in every local area," he said. He didn't overtly explain what a free, accessible cool space was, so we do have to brace ourselves for the possibility he means more Green raves.

His next one? "We need financial support for households so they can be atypical their homes." This was an idea a bright young chancellor called Rishi Sunak had six years and five prime ministers ago. It was called the green homes grant and would be in with a strong shout for the most woeful and most pointless government initiative quite possibly

of all time. If Polanski is serious about doing this properly, then the very best of luck to him. It's crucial, but it's very, very expensive.

"We need a robust wildfire prevention service," he said. "A fire service that includes firefighting helicopters when needed, and not needing a charity to contract a private firm to fight fires." This was a reference to the situation in Suffolk last week, in which the National Trust paid for a helicopter to join the forces trying to control the wildfire that took hold around its coastguard cottages at Dunwich Heath.

So how's all this going to be done? Well, that part is easy. "We will tax the fossil fuel firms, who are fuelling these infernies," he said. Well, it's easy to say. In reality, it's quite hard, given there's virtually no one in the UK whose pension is not in some way linked to the profits of fossil fuel firms. And, at least for the time being, nothing in the western world brings down governments faster than rising fuel prices.

He had another big idea too. "We need to bring water back into public hands," he said. His diagnosis of this country's outrageous privatised water supply was entirely correct. Money that should have been spent investing in infrastructure has instead been paid out to shareholders. Billions have vanished and the system has all but fallen apart. But you can't get the billions back, so all you can do is ask the public, who've already paid out in the form of exorbitant bills, to pay up again.

"Let me speak directly to the prime minister," he said. "If we are to secure a liveable future for our children and grandchildren, there can be no new drilling for oil and gas. On this, the science is crystal clear."

On this, the science is not crystal clear. What's crystal clear is that human beings, everywhere on Earth, need to dramatically reduce their carbon emissions. How we best manage that transition is very much a matter of debate.

In the questions at the end, Polanski denied he hadn't said very much about the environment since becoming Green Party leader, which is not the sort of denial you'd expect someone in his position to have to make. Still, it was a welcome intervention. People care about the environment, and they expect the Green Party to care the most. If they don't then they've no right to be surprised when their supporters find themselves abiding by one of life's wisest lessons. If you're wandering around a rave in a straw hat with no idea what's going on, it might be a good idea to go home.

The talks between the foreign secretary and Marco Rubio, his US counterpart, were described as warm and productive

Spend more on defence, Miliband told

George Grylls Washington

Ed Miliband was told that Britain must increase defence spending during talks with Marco Rubio on his first visit to Washington as foreign secretary.

Rubio, the US secretary of state, said Europe needed to "take a greater role in its own security".

It comes after Andy Burnham refused to commit to spending 3 per cent of GDP on defence by 2030, suggesting instead the UK might meet a longer-term target of raising core defence spending to 3.5 per cent by 2035.

Upon resigning as defence secretary this year, John Healey, the chancellor, said he was "certain" the UK should hit 3 per cent by 2030. Germany has overtaken the UK as the largest defence spender in Europe.

Miliband is regarded with scepticism by some in the Trump administration because of his opposition to North Sea drilling. Allies of the president including Chris Wright, the energy secretary,

used the nickname "Ed Milwatt" to satirise the foreign secretary's embrace of green energy projects, the Times revealed this week.

Miliband is a longstanding critic of President Trump, calling him a "racist" and a "misogynist", and saying he had a "peculiar" relationship with Russia and "authoritarian tendencies".

Confronted with those comments before the talks, Miliband ignored reporters' questions and said: "We are looking forward to our meeting".

After the meeting, Rubio said they discussed "the need for Europe to take a greater role in its own security" and the "shared commitment to open transit in the Strait of Hormuz".

The Times understands that Rubio also regards confronting high levels of immigration and "left-wing terrorism" as important to European security.

The two sides also discussed Ukraine. Rubio had earlier laughed off a question about whether the war would come up at the meeting. "Are we

going to talk about Ukraine?" Of course it's going to come up. That and intergalactic affairs and all kinds of other things," he said.

Allies of Miliband called the meeting with Rubio "warm and productive".

Miliband was one of the most vocal in Sir Keir Starmer's cabinet to argue that the UK should prevent the US from using British airbases to bomb Iran.

That decision at the start of the war led Trump to turn on Starmer, who he described as "no Winston Churchill".

Trump has praised Burnham since he became prime minister and they discussed North Sea drilling in their first phone call.

Having previously called him "extremely liberal" and the "mayor of a town", Trump said he had been encouraged by Burnham's willingness to exploit North Sea energy reserves.

"I think your new prime minister is actually gonna open up. I spoke to him. He sounded terrific on this subject," Trump said this week.

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THE TIMES | Thursday August 6 2026 81

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News

Winter book is coming ... very slowly, reveals Thrones writer

Herbie Russell

The creator of Game of Thrones says that he has "battled sadness and depression" over the past year as fans anticipate the long-awaited sixth instalment of his world-famous book series.

George RR Martin, 77, revealed in a blog post that he "kept falling further and further behind" and that this year had "been stressful, to say the least."

Fans of his fantasy novels have been

waiting 15 years for Martin to publish The Winds of Winter. It would be the penultimate book of the A Song of Ice and Fire series and many fear that he will never finish it.

HBO, creator of the 59-time Emmy Award-winning screen series, was forced to skip ahead of the penned narrative.

Martin explained the plot to the producers David Benioff and DB Weiss, allowing them to conclude the Game of Thrones television series in May 2019. In a blog post dated August 3, his

first in almost six months, the American author wrote: "It's been a while, I know. My last blog post went up here on February 19. The posts that came after were made by my mighty minions.

"I am lucky enough to have a great staff of assistants ... though even with their help, I kept falling further and further behind.

"This year has been ... stressful, to say the least. So much has been happening, it's been overwhelming. Some great things, exciting things. Dreams coming

true. But there have been nightmares too. I have lost friends. Battled sadness and depression. The worst may be yet to come.

"I turned 77 last September, and I tell you, getting old is no fun. But there have been amazing times as well. I suppose that's just life. Of course, I knew that. If you've read my stories, you know that."

Martin, who is worth an estimated $120 million, saw A Dance with Dragons, the series' fifth instalment, published in 2011.

In January of this year, he said that he

had completed 1,100 pages of the latest novel, the same figure that he gave in a 2023 interview.

The writer admitted that he had been side-tracked by other projects like the Fire & Blood series, telling The Hollywood Reporter: "I do think if I can just get some of these other things off my back, I could finish The Winds of Winter pretty soon.

"It has been made clear to me that Winds is the priority, but ... I don't know. Sometimes I'm not in the mood for that."

Times Radio listeners hit record high

Alex Farber Media Correspondent

Times Radio has grown its audience to a record level, boosted by the addition of the breakfast presenters Kate McCann and Rosie Wright.

The radio station, which is owned by News UK, the publisher of The Times, reached 660,000 weekly listeners in the second quarter of the year, according to the latest figures released by Rajar, the independent measurement body.

That number was up by 7 per cent from the 616,000 listeners who tuned in for the same period last year.

The total amount of time audiences spent listening was up by more than a fifth, to almost 6 million hours a week.

The performance was spearheaded by the breakfast show, which has grown its audience by almost a third compared with last year.

McCann joined Stig Abell as a weekday breakfast presenter in February 2025, with Wright joining Calum Macdonald for the weekend edition in March 2026.

Abell, who has been with the station since its launch in 2020, said the breakfast show aimed to be "smart and informal, rather than stuffy or shouty."

Interviews over the past three month have included the former prime minister Sir Tony Blair criticising Labour's net zero targets, Jeremy Clarkson discussing farmers' growing support for Reform UK and the French activist and rape victim Gisèle Pelicot addressing the impact of pornography.

Scott Taunton, News UK's president of broadcasting, said: "It is clear there is an exceptional demand for the station's expert analysis and fearless debate during a turbulent political period."

The singer James Blunt spent his school holidays at Cley Windmill in Norfolk, which his family sold in 2006

Beautiful spot: Blunt's childhood mill for sale

A windmill home where James Blunt spent his childhood is on the market for £2.65 million. Cley Windmill, in the coastal village of Cley next the Sea in Norfolk, was owned by the singer-

songwriter's family for more than 70 years. The ten-bedroom property has had several owners since the family sold it in 2006 and has been run as a guesthouse and wedding venue. Parts of the property, which has views over the

marshes towards the sea, date to 1713, and the tower was added in 1819. It was a working mill

James Robinson, from Strutt & Parker, which is selling the mill, said that the property brought "a chance to own a truly iconic landmark".

Expect a new Bond by the end of year

James Bond fans can expect to be stirred — if not shaken — by the announcement of a new 007 by the end of the year, according to a producer.

Amy Pascal, who is making preparations for the next iteration of the spy franchise for Amazon MGM Studios, said that Daniel Craig's successor would be someone "stirring and exciting":

"I would say [an announcement by] the end of the year is a good bet," she told the US entertainment website Deadline. "We are being really, really methodical. Having worked with Barbara Broccoli at the studio. I mean, Daniel Craig is a hard act to follow. And

it's got to be something really different that is stirring and exciting and different."

Producers are expected to hand the role of the seventh Bond to a younger actor. Jacob Elordi, 29, known for Saltburn, and Callum Turner, 36, of Apple TV's Musters of the Air, are said to be in the frame.

Aidan Turner, 43, is also rumoured to be a contender. The Irish

actor is known for his roles in Poldark, The Hobbit and Rivalts.

Craig was 38 years old when 2006's Casino Royale was released and 53 by the time his tenure ended with 2021's No Time to Die.

Production of the next Bond film is expected to start in 2027, with a release planned for 2028.

Jacob Elordi and Callum Turner are in the frame for the role

It will be directed by Dune's Denis Villeneuve and written by the Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight.

Knight said this year that he had a "very particular way" he wanted to take the franchise.

"I can't really talk about what I'm doing with Bond but I'm enjoying every single second of it," he told the BBC in March. "The books are so good — so underrated as literature. There is something about the world that [Ian Fleming] created that is tangibly real and yet it's dreamlike somehow."

Courtenay Valenti, head of film at Amazon MGM, previously said that the decision over the next Bond was being treated with immense care.

"What I can tell you is this: when you

pair one of the most beloved franchises in history with a world-class film-making team ... you're setting the stage for something that's truly worthy of the Bond legacy," she said.

One actor who has ruled himself out of the running is Idris Elba.

The 53-year-old said that reports of him seeking to play the super spy had been wide of the mark as he suggested that some audiences would not accept a black actor in the role.

"In realistic terms, some markets just don't go for that," he told GQ in June.

"Bond is big all over the world. And [audiences] won't [all] go for a black male, an African male, playing Bond. That's not what they like in their culture. Period."

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PM to meet swimmer in brain cancer plea

Andy Burnham has agreed to meet a Scottish swimmer who has inoperable brain cancer after he made an emotional plea to the prime minister for more money and resources to be put into research (Peter Chappell writes).

Archie Goodburn, 25, who reached the 50m breaststroke final at the Commonwealth Games, begged Burnham to “give us a chance to fight for our lives” and end the “unbearable” suffering of brain cancer patients and their families. On BBC Breakfast on Tuesday, Goodburn said: “Andy Burnham, if you believe and want to make a change and a difference to the future of our country and our young population, please listen to us. Please establish a national brain cancer lead and give us a chance to fight for our lives because the things that patients are going through out there are unbelievable and so unjust. “There are clinical trials

Archie Goodburn, who competed at the Commonwealth Games, made an emotional appeal on BBC Breakfast

around the world — in the US, in Australia, in China — that could change lives. We are not seeing them in the UK and it is unfair and unjust. “Please invest and make the difference. I’m on my knees begging for — not just my own life — but for those of my best friends and those that are affected and the families around the country. This has to change. It’s been going for too long

and the suffering is unbearable.” He added that the Rare Cancers Bill, which became law last year, established only two new positions, a clinical lead and a research lead, who would spend 36 days a year tackling 14 different types of cancer. “I do not see how 36 days a year is going to make that change for 14 different types of cancers, let alone the most deadly type of cancer,” he said. In a comment on the interview posted on TikTok,

Burnham said: “Archie, thank you for this. I know how hard it must have been. What you’re doing for other people while you’re going through all this yourself shows the best of us. I’d really like to meet you and hear from you directly and I’ve asked my team to get in touch.” Goodburn was diagnosed with inoperable brain tumours two years ago and has advocated for more focus on the disease. After competing at the

Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, where he missed out on a medal, he said: “One of my dreams is that we see a future where brain cancer isn’t the biggest killer of patients under 40.” This week, he added: “What I do in the pool is only possible because of the medical advances that have been made and the campaign that’s been done by the whole community. It was really a chance to give back and make sure that momentum keeps going.”

Quintagram® No 2639

Solve all five concise clues using each letter underneath once only

1 Flat of the hand (4)

2 Mediterranean fruit (5)

3 Coarse, vulgar (5)

4 Parsnip or pea, eg (9)

5 Necessary, vital (9)

A	A	A	B	C	D	E	E
E	E	E	E	E	G	I	I
L	L	L	L	M	N	O	P
R	S	S	T	T	U	V	V

Solutions see T2 MindGames p14 Cryptic clues T2 MindGames p15

How to delay dementia

Avoiding smoking, diabetes and hypertension could delay dementia, research suggests. A US study, published in Neurology, followed 12,409 middle-aged people for an average of 26 years. Those who had none of the three risk factors lived without developing dementia nearly 13 years longer on average than those who had all three.

Body found in North Sea

A body has been found after a teenage boy went missing in the sea off East Yorkshire. The 13-year-old was swimming near the South Promenade in Hornsea on Tuesday evening when police received reports of concern for his safety. The body, which was found at 4.30am yesterday, has not been formally identified.

Deaths of 153 obesity jab users reported to regulator

Poppy Koronka Health Correspondent

Weight-loss medication patients in the UK have filed about 150,000 reports of adverse side-effects, and more than 150 deaths have been linked to the drugs, analysis by The Times has found.

Figures published by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) show thousands of reports have been made about all of the GLP-1 weight-loss drugs available through the NHS. They include liraglutide, also known as Saxenda; semaglutide, offered as Wegovy; and tirzepatide, also known as Mounjaro.

The data is collected through the MHRA’s Yellow Card scheme, which allows patients and medical professionals to report side-effects they suspect were caused by a certain drug.

There were more than 100,000 reports of adverse effects from tirzepatide — some 10,000 of them classed as “serious”, the figures show. The MHRA has potentially linked 98 deaths to the medication. Eli Lilly, the maker of Mounjaro, said yesterday that sales of the drug had doubled this year globally.

It is thought about 1.6 million people are on weight-loss drugs in the UK.

For liraglutide, some 3,000 reports were made of adverse reactions and 734 of them were defined as “serious”. Of these reports, 18 resulted in a “fatal out-

come”. For Wegovy, 44,000 adverse reactions were reported, and 4,800 of those were categorised as serious. Of these reports, 37 resulted in death.

The Yellow Card scheme allows more than one report per patient, meaning the figure does not reflect the total number of individuals complaining of side-effects. Fatal outcomes could be caused by underlying or undiagnosed illnesses, unrelated to the treatments. The scheme allows relatives of patients or medical profession-

Caroline Savage died in 2024 after increasing the dose of her Mounjaro

als to report their belief or concern that the medication may have contributed.

Reports are published with the caveat that the side-effects could have been caused by another undiagnosed condition. For example, gastrointestinal distress could be due to a weight-loss medication, or could in some situations be caused by a bug or virus, or another underlying condition.

The Times reported on Tuesday that a coroner in Norfolk was examining whether the death of a 73-year-old

woman could be linked to weight-loss jabs. Caroline Savage died in 2024 after increasing the dose of her Mounjaro.

This week a coroner for Devon and Plymouth opened an inquest into the death of Paula Owen, 66, claiming a GLP-1 agonist weight-loss medication had contributed to her death on July 23.

In January this year, the MHRA updated its product information to strengthen its guidance regarding severe pancreatitis, including warnings of necrotising and fatal pancreatitis.

An increase in reports to the Yellow Card scheme of severe and acute pancreatitis informed the announcement.

It comes after a host of lawsuits were filed in the US against both jab manufacturers, Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly.

A Novo Nordisk spokesperson said: “We care deeply about patient safety. Like all medicines, treatments used for chronic conditions can have side-effects, and these can vary from person to person. That is why medicines should be prescribed by, and used under the supervision of, a healthcare professional who can consider the potential benefits and risks for each individual.”

An Eli Lilly spokesperson said: “We take reports regarding patient safety seriously and actively monitor, evaluate and report safety information for all our medicines.”

Is pancreatitis a risk?, Times2, page 7

‘Mental health A&Es’ to offer support without GP referrals

Poppy Koronka

Dozens of ‘mental health A&Es’ will be opened alongside new specialist centres on high streets to help people get support earlier and closer to home.

Andy Burnham said that the centres will be a “lifeline” for people who have been waiting for months for help and prevent patients facing long waits in general emergency departments.

The government announcement included 100 new community mental health centres and 59 dedicated emergency departments, in what officials called the “biggest redesign of mental health services in a generation”.

Patients will be able to attend the centres on a walk-in basis, without the need for a referral from their GP.

The specialist emergency departments will, meanwhile, provide a “calm, therapeutic environment where people can be assessed quickly”.

Charities welcomed the reforms to “threadbare” services but added that centres must be adequately staffed and work well with current provisions.

The Department of Health and Social Care said the A&Es, which will begin to open from this autumn, will bring the total number of emergency mental health departments to 82.

The prime minister said: “Nobody should be left to struggle with their mental health alone. But every day, thousands of people are waiting months for help, then finding the only

door open to them is a busy A&E. These new centres will be a lifeline for so many. They will bring NHS services closer to home, making it easier to get support before problems get worse and ensuring those in crisis get the right care in the right place.”

Plans for a network of mental health A&Es were first reported by The Times in May last year. The initiative is backed by £343 million and the announcement forms part of the government’s mental health strategy, which is expected to be published later this year.

Yvette Cooper, the health secretary, said: “Too many people are only getting mental health support when they reach crisis point, after struggling for far too long to get the help they need.

“These new community mental health centres will help people get support earlier and closer to home, making it easier to get the right care before problems escalate. And when someone does need urgent help, new mental health emergency departments will be able to make sure they are seen quickly by specialist teams in the right setting.”

Marjorie Wallace, chief executive of the charity Sane, said: “This welcome expansion of mental health support, if sufficiently staffed, could prove to be a lifesaver to the many hundreds of troubled people and their families, and set the framework for a more immediate and humane response to an illness that can debilitate and shorten lives.”

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Boxer: I found Athens victim dead

George Odling Athens

The Afghan boxer accused of murdering a British charity worker has claimed that he found her already dead and was advised to dump her body in a suitcase by an elderly stranger.

Sharif Ahmadzai, 26, appeared at a court in Athens yesterday, charged with killing Elisabeth-Jane Ross, 38, and stealing thousands of euros from her bank accounts.

In a statement given to Greek police on Saturday, he claimed that he used the money to pay a man named Nikos he met outside the victim's flat to dump her body, the Greek news outlet Proto-thema reported.

He reportedly claimed to have discovered Ross dying in the bathroom on the evening of July 15, before returning the next day to find her dead. He said he then dumped the body.

"When I turned on the lights and headed to the bathroom, I noticed that Lisa was lying on the bathroom floor and was spitting something like water out of her mouth," Ahmadzai, who travelled to Greece on a small boat in 2016, said in the statement, according to Greek press.

"I spoke to her two or three times but she didn't respond. I froze. My legs went numb. I never did anything bad to anyone. I was just in a panic."

Ahmadzai, whose family were wiped out by the Taliban, then claimed he left the property, which is owned by an NGO that he runs with his wife, a US citizen, and asked an elderly man at a bus stop what he should do if he found a dead body.

"He told me what I should do is remove it from my house or I will get into trouble," he said in the statement.

"So the next day towards evening, in my panic and fearing I wouldn't get involved because I also have a small child, I listened to him [the old man] and went back to the home. Lisa was there. I hoped she would be alive and I wouldn't find her in the same situation again.

"So I decided to do what the old man told me. I took a black suitcase that I found inside the house and put Lisa inside. I took the suitcase and put it in the trunk of the red Peugeot which I had previously parked outside the house.

"This car belongs to my wife. So I started with the Peugeot, arrived near my house and parked it.

"I got out of the car, took the suitcase out of the trunk and walked to an abandoned building opposite the Panellinios [sports club]. There I found the old man I told you about who gave me the advice. He told me to leave the suitcase with him and he would take care of it.

"Of course, he asked me for money in return. I explained to him that at that moment I didn't have any and that I would find it and give it to him."

Ahmadzai claimed he took Ross's bank cards and her mobile phone, which he used to text her friends and family to reassure them she was fine. He said that the day after dumping the body he took his wife, Alaina Hall, from Georgia, and their son to the resort of Arachova in the mountains.

"I don't know what I was thinking," his statement continued. "I wasn't thinking clearly. I gave all the money I took out of Lisa's cards to the old man because he was blackmailing me that he would tell everything to the police.

As far as I know, this old man's name is Nikos and he frequents the place where I left the suitcase. [later] threw Lisa's cell phone and cards in a bin."

The prosecution claim that Ahmadzai murdered Ross and the old man does not exist. Proto-thema reported.

The case file stated that Hall became suspicious of her husband when she woke in the early hours of July 16 to find he had left the home, then traced him to Ross's accommodation via the Final My Friends app.

Ahmadzai had also given her €2,550 (£2,200) and a new iPhone 17 Pro, which she told police she believed had been bought using money stolen from Ross's bank accounts. Hall provided

this evidence to the police herself. Ahmadzai met his wife at the Moria migrant camp, where she had been volunteering, after travelling to Greece in 2016 via Pakistan, Iran and Turkey. He converted to Christianity in 2017. The couple married in April 2023 and set up a ministry helping refugees in Athens under the name Love Every Nation.

Their son was born in April. Ahmadzai announced the birth on Facebook as a "blessing straight from the hand of God".

Ahmadzai, a competitive boxer, won a Greek super lightweight boxing title in March and ran boxing classes to raise money for the NGO.

The couple are understood to have

met the victim through their work, and she was staying at a flat linked with the NGO which the pair were said to have had access to.

Ahmadzai appeared at the Evelpidon court wearing an Under Armour sweatshirt, dark shorts and trainers. The handcuffed Afghan was escorted to the courtroom by two armed police officers, but the hearing was adjourned until this morning.

Ahmadzai's lawyer, Christos Erdas, said he could not confirm nor deny whether the statement represented his client's position. He said that he requested, and was granted, an adjournment at yesterday's hearing to prepare Ahmadzai's defence.

Politician on abuse bail wins election

David Brown Chief News Correspondent | Haroon Janjua Islamabad

A Manchester restaurateur has been elected to a ruling assembly in Pakistan while reportedly on police bail in the UK as part of an investigation into child abuse and trafficking. Rukhsar Ahmed was elected last week to the legislative assembly covering Azad Jammu and Kashmir for the party of the prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif.

Ahmed, 63, was arrested at Manchester airport in July 2024 as part of an investigation into allegations of sexual abuse of children in care dating back to the 1990s, according to The Guardian.

Greater Manchester police's investigation into child abuse in the Rusholme area of the city has resulted in 22 arrests. The force said in January that the investigation was launched in 2020

after a survivor's disclosure of abuse and officers were building "strong case files aimed at securing justice for the horrific abuse inflicted decades ago".

Ahmed has been contacted for comment. He has not been charged with any offence and according to The

Rukhsar Ahmed was arrested in 2024 over child sex abuse allegations

Guardian was given permission by a British judge to travel to Pakistan while on bail despite concerns from police.

The politician was said to have been due to answer bail at a police station in Manchester last month but was "too

unwell to fly". Around that time, social media posts showed him campaigning for the election. Ahmed was a minister in various governments of the Kashmir assembly between 2006 and 2021.

He was the owner of a restaurant called Gujjar Palace close to Manchester's "curry mile" and was pictured outside a neighbouring restaurant in May. Friends told The Guardian that he was "incredibly influential" in Manchester's Pakistani community. During his campaign Ahmed highlighted his experience as a minister and appealed to voters by stressing his links with the large British-Kashmiri diaspora.

The allegation emerged as the UK and Pakistan are locked in a dispute over attempts to deport Shabir Ahmed, head of a child abuse gang of manly Pakistani-origin men based in Rochdale. He was released from jail last month.

Amazon recalls children's play sand over asbestos fears

Andrew Ellison Consumer Affairs Correspondent

Amazon has been forced to recall a batch of children's play sand after officials found that it may contain asbestos.

The Office for Product Safety and Standards issued a recall notice yesterday for Craftplay Sand Art Bottles, warning that the sand "may be contaminated with a small quantity of asbestos". The watchdog said the product, made in China by Anthony Peters Mfg Co Ltd, did not meet the Toys (Safety) Regulations 2011 because asbestos was banned and posed a risk even at low levels of exposure.

Parents were told to stop using it immediately and follow disposal advice.

Sue Davies, head of consumer rights policy at Which?, said: "There is far too little regulation for platforms like Amazon. Lives will be at risk, including those of children and infants, until online marketplaces are forced to clean up their act."

The government is considering overhauling product safety rules, with a focus on online marketplaces.

Amazon said the sand was removed from sale immediately after it received the notice. The retailer added: "Safety is our top priority and we are taking this issue very seriously. We continuously monitor our store and we take action to maintain a safe selection."

The manufacturer did not respond to a request to comment.

THE TIMES

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AI bots went

on hacking spree during official tests

Mark Sellman Technology Correspondent

Advanced artificial intelligence agents went rogue during testing by the government and embarked on an unprecedented hacking spree, the AI Security Institute has warned.

The agents developed by Anthropic and OpenAI attempted 19 different hacks. One by Anthropic's Mythos created fake online identities to try to trick a developer into approving malicious code for a software project.

The incidents were disclosed by the institute, a government agency, and are the latest examples of rogue agents that have led to international alarm.

An autonomous hack by an OpenAI agent of Hugging Face, a platform where developers publish and share code, in July sparked the recent concern and has been followed by similar disclosures from Anthropic, which develops the Claude model.

A senior official at GCHQ has called for stronger safeguards for the agents.

The Trump administration is drawing up a voluntary code for US companies to submit their models for pre-release testing.

The institute is a research organisation set up by former prime minister Rishi Sunak which evaluates the capabilities and dangers of AI technology. It works closely with GCHQ and the National Cyber Security Centre.

It said on Tuesday that on July 28, during a cyber test of Anthropic's Mythos 5 and OpenAI's GPT-5.6-Sol, it detected "unusual data transfers" leaving its systems.

Its investigation found that Mythos took "autonomous, unsanctioned action on the live internet, targeting real people and organisations" 17 times and GPT-5.6-Sol tried to hack twice.

The institute said: "In the most seri-

ous case, an agent tried to insert malicious code into an open-source project.

"In an attempt to get the code approved, the agent engaged in social engineering, creating fake online identities and using them to pressure the project's maintainer to approve the code. A human maintainer caught and refused to approve the malicious code."

The institute identified this agent as Mythos and said that most of the hacking "primarily arose" from the Anthropic model. It said that no "real-world harm" came from the hacking, but added: "This is the first time we have seen risks around autonomy and deception manifest this clearly, without specific prompting, in the real world."

Alan Woodward, professor of cybersecurity at Surrey University, said: "Why did AISI connect the agent to the internet, and did the agent know it was no longer in a test environment? If the latter, why did AISI do that? Are we finding that it is necessary to try these tests out on live unwitting guinea pigs?"

Ed Newton-Res, a former AI industry executive, said that the institute was "framing this as a responsible disclosure, but we should be clear about what happened: a government body was responsible for a sequence of potentially harmful activity directed at real people and organisations.

"AISI chose to give this model internet access and to remove guardrails, and it didn't notice what was happening for three days."

Ollie Whitehouse, chief technology officer at the National Cyber Security Centre, said: "These technologies must be developed and used from the outset with strong safeguards, real-time oversight and clear plans for responding when the unexpected happens.

"Relying on detection alone after the fact of an incident will not be enough."

'Whirlpools' on surface of sun are clear as day

The sharpest-ever pictures of the sun have revealed how its surface is constantly seething with vast

"whirlpools" of superheated plasma (Rhys Blakely writes).

Scientists believe the newly observed activity can help solve a mystery: why the atmosphere, or corona, of the sun reaches more than 1 million Celsius while its surface is relatively cool, at about 5,500C.

The swirling structures,

The images of whirlpools on the sun's surface, taken at the Inouye telescope in Hawaii, below, provided clues to how dangerous solar storms are created

which measure from 15 miles to 105 miles across, are also thought to help generate solar storms, powerful surges of radiation that can disrupt satellites and electricity grids on Earth.

The images were captured by the Inouye telescope in Hawaii, the largest solar telescope in the world. The research "is a major step forward" in understanding the sun, said David Boboltz of the US National Solar Observatory, a co-author of the study, published in the journal Nature.

Dozens of whirlpools were seen around the edges of strongly magnetic areas of the sun's surface. The phenomenon, known as Kelvin-Helmholtz instability, occurs when two layers of fluid or gas move past one another at different velocities. Small disturbances along the boundary grow into curling eddies. The effect had never previously been directly observed on the sun's surface.

Computer simulations produced very similar patterns, proving that the structures were genuine examples of Kelvin-Helmholtz instability.

The newly observed vortices may act as small engines, continually braiding magnetic fields in the sun's plasma.

The researchers said this could create the reservoir of energy that causes flares and solar storms.

They also said the whirlpools may push magnetic energy upwards, where it is converted into heat in the corona, making it far hotter than the surface.

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Balcony battle on millionaires' row

Jonathan Ames Legal Editor

A resident of "millionaires' row" in Dorset is battling to save a balcony that overlooks the home of a celebrity interior designer despite the extension being ruled unlawful.

Neil Kennedy, a retired accountant, faces the prospect of having to demolish at least part of his £4 million home in Sandbanks after another neighbour successfully sued the council over flaws in planning approval.

Garth Weston, the managing director of the cracker manufacturer Ryvita, claimed that Kennedy's builder failed to adhere to approved plans. He argued that among unauthorised changes was an extension to a balcony, which meant the structure overlooked the garden of a property owned by Celia Sawyer.

Sawyer, an interior designer who starred in Channel 4's Four Rooms and has a client list extending from Hollywood to the Gulf, claimed the bigger balcony invaded her privacy, especially as she often sunbathed in a bikini.

Windows were added to the side of Kennedy's house, including one that was said to look directly into Weston's bedroom. The builders also installed what was described as a noisy air conditioning unit on Kennedy's flat roof.

Neil Kennedy is fighting a court decision about his home on the exclusive Dorset peninsula, below

Sandbanks is well known for being one of the most expensive residential areas in the country.

Officials at Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council originally told Kennedy that he had to apply for retrospective planning permission to modify the property, which includes an indoor swimming pool and gym. That application was approved at the beginning of 2024, prompting Weston and Sawyer to accuse the council of acting unlawfully. Weston then sued the local authority, claiming that the council planning officer failed to visit the site and therefore had no understanding of the impact the changes had on the neighbouring properties.

The top balcony of Kennedy's home, centre, in Sandbanks overlooks the garden, left, of the TV interior designer Celia Sawyer, who accused him of invading her privacy

In the High Court two years ago, Judge Andrew Keyser KC backed Weston's claim in a ruling that rendered the planning consent invalid. "The officer did not visit the properties," the judge said, adding: "Arguably this did not enable a correct understanding of the subject development and the impact on neighbouring properties." Quashing the council's original decision Judge Keyser said that the planning officer's report exhibited a "material misunderstanding of the factual position". He ordered the council to pay Weston's legal bill of nearly £15,000.

Now, more than two years later, Kennedy has submitted a fresh planning application in an effort to be allowed to keep his three-storey home. The application is for the creation of "a replacement dwelling" even though the house

already exists. Martin Hanham, Kennedy's planning consultant, said in the application that after having secured the initial planning consent for the replacement dwelling, "he put all the building works in the hands of a local

construction company which appointed another firm of architects to deal with the building regulation application". He said that Kennedy had been "aware that very minor changes were made during the construction phase but he was not aware as to whether any form of planning consent was required".

Hanham noted that "given that all the changes made to the approved plans have now been inspected on site by your council and it has been confirmed none of the changes made raise any planning issues. I trust that an approval will be forthcoming in the near future".

Residents remained angry. The Sandbanks Neighbourhood Forum, a community group, objected to the latest application, claiming the design does not comply with the policies on overlooking and impact on neighbours and noise.

All of the parties directly involved in the revised application declined to comment.

Labour hopeful made career of lying

Marieta Marinova

A former Labour parliamentary candidate has been sentenced to four years in prison after using fake degree certificates from leading universities to gain more than a dozen senior NHS roles.

During a fraudulent campaign over eight years, Amran Hussain falsely claimed to hold degrees from institutions including Oxford, Harvard, and the University of London. He made more than £168,000 in NHS roles that he had obtained, despite spending 1,332 of his 1,902 employment days off sick.

Hussain, 40, who was a Labour candidate for North East Hampshire, used fabricated references to support more than 2,071 applications for NHS roles between July 2014 and September 2022.

An investigation by the NHS Counter Fraud Authority (NHSCFA) revealed that shortly after taking up a post, Hussain would go on sick leave

and remain absent until his contract ended or his employment was terminated. He claimed he was suffering from a range of medical conditions, including anxiety, depression, post-Covid syndrome, migraines and vertigo.

One of his roles was at University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust, where he turned up for only one shift during his 116 days of employment as a head of outpatient pathway redesign. That was one of his most senior roles at Band 8D — the second-highest pay band in the NHS.

Nine of the roles were within Band 8, while other positions included national delivery officer and senior engagement manager at NHS England.

His fraud was uncovered when Devon Partnership NHS Trust carried out background checks after offering Hussain the £90,000 role of deputy chief operating officer. They found no record of him ever being employed by

Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership Trust, where he claimed he had previously worked as director of transformation and improvement.

Ben Harrison, head of operations at the NHSCFA, said: "Such behaviour undermines trust in NHS recruitment processes and diverts public money away from frontline services."

Hussain was arrested in November 2022 near Westerham, Kent. He was living with his partner in a two-bedroom cottage on an estate owned by the aristocratic Astor family and remained there until February this year.

During his sentencing hearing at Maidstone crown court, Hussain claimed he was a war veteran who had completed two tours with the British Army, but it was later revealed that he had only ever served as a reservist.

In 2015, he was photographed campaigning alongside Ed Miliband, who was the Labour leader at the time.

Sea turtle's odyssey ends with transatlantic flight

Bill Curtis

More than two years after Rhossi the sea turtle ended up on a Welsh beach after losing its way while swimming through the Gulf of Mexico, he is finally on his way home via helicopter, lorry and transatlantic flight.

The critically endangered Kemp's ridley sea turtle was found cold-stunned and close to death in December 2023 by a dog called Meg on Traeth Llydan beach in Anglesey. Barely 25 centimetres long and weighing less than one kilogram, Rhossi was rushed to Anglesey Sea Zoo, where a specialist team nursed him back to health.

He is now preparing for the journey back to the warm waters of Padre Island on the Texas coast next week. He will fly in a helicopter from Anglesey to a

site five miles from Heathrow. After a short drive to the airport Rhossi will be joined by Frankie Hobro, owner of Anglesey Sea Zoo, for a scheduled British Airways cargo flight to Houston.

Dr Joe Flanagan, the renowned sea turtle veterinarian, has come out of retirement to oversee the final stages of Rhossi's pre-release health checks.

Rhossi the sea turtle is going home

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Professor who 'forged dean's signature' loses tribunal claim

Jonathan Ames Legal Editor

A university professor was sacked for forging a senior colleague's signature in a 'fraudulent' attempt to win promotion, a tribunal has ruled.

Katy Angliss, a professor at Warwick University, was accused of copying her boss's signature before fraudulently amending a letter from him so that it purported to support her application for a more senior role.

When the faked document was revealed, the chartered engineer who specialised in project management at the Russell Group university argued that she had made an 'honest mistake'.

University bosses sacked Angliss, 55, for gross misconduct and she went on to sue for unfair dismissal on the

Katy Angliss was sacked by the University of Warwick for gross misconduct

grounds of sex and age discrimination. But an employment tribunal has rejected her claim.

Earlier, the tribunal in Birmingham was told that Angliss had a copy of the signature of Robin Clark, a fellow professor and one of the university's deans. Clark's signature was on an unsupportive letter he had provided two years earlier that said Angliss had failed to meet the criteria for promotion.

The tribunal was told that Angliss resubmitted her application and fraudulently amended Clark's letter to support her, and she included a forged signature.

Angliss joined the academic staff at the university in 2013 as a teaching

fellow and by the time of her sacking she had risen to assistant professor.

It emerged in evidence that during the 2020-21 academic year, Angliss submitted her first application for promotion to assistant professor at the Warwick Manufacturing Group, the university's research centre for applied science, technology and engineering.

Clark, then the head of department, provided the unsupportive statement. Shortly after he wrote that letter, Angliss's job title changed to assistant professor in name only and there was no substantive change in duties.

In 2023, Angliss submitted her second application, with the amended letter and forged signature. That forgery was spotted by Clark's assistant and it was reported to the university's human resources team, which opened a disciplinary investigation.

Angliss was sacked in 2024, despite having claimed that she had simply committed an 'honest mistake'.

She denied that she knew the department was not supporting her application, and declined to comment when accused of having lied.

In its ruling, the tribunal said Angliss 'cannot be considered a reliable witness of truth' owing to ambiguities in her evidence. Judge Jacques Alguys described Angliss as 'a relatively senior academic', who was 'found to have committed serious misconduct and breached the trust and confidence between her and [Warwick] by making the fraudulent statement she did and by using Professor Clark's signature without his permission'.

The tribunal ruled that the university's decision to dismiss Angliss 'was not ... in any way linked to, tainted by or influenced by considerations of [her] age or sex'.

Bit by bit A special resin is used to stabilise the Roman mosaic floor at Dorset Museum and Art Gallery in Dorchester as part of a painstaking renovation

Antisemitic crimes 'up a fifth' after Iran war

Peter Chappell

Antisemitism in Britain is believed to have soared after the United States and Israel's war with Iran and a double stabbing of two Jewish men in London, according to a report.

Data from the Community Security Trust (CST) details 1,926 antisemitic incidents recorded across the country in January to June, up by almost a fifth on the first half of last year, when there were 1,598. It is the second-highest total reported to the trust in the first six months of any year, exceeded only by the 2,019 incidents in the first half of 2024.

Sarah Jones, the policing and crime minister, said the figures were 'appalling and showed 'people living in fear just for being who they are'.

In the first few months of this year there were a series of arson attacks at Jewish sites in London, including on four Jewish community ambulances, and a double stabbing in Golders Green, which was treated as terrorism.

The April 29 stabbings, which left two men injured, preceded the highest daily antisemitic incident totals of the six-month period. A total of 71 incidents were recorded by CST in the three days after the stabbing. The trust said some of the incidents 'celebrated the violence and called for further injuries to Jewish people, or used [them] to promote antisemitic conspiracy theories and anti-Jewish abuse'.

The Islamic Movement of Companions of the Right, a terrorist group with suspected links to pro-Iranian networks, has claimed responsibility for a number of attacks, including firebombing Jewish ambulances.

In July the government designated the Islamic Movement of Companions of the Right as well as Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps under terrorism legislation.

Mark Gardner, chief executive of CST, said the incidents 'should concern everyone who cares about Britain and the threats against it, whether state-directed from Iran, or internally driven by Islamist, far right, far left, or other ideological extremes'.

Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said antisemitism was 'a national emergency'.

Chris Kaba misconduct case dropped

David Woode Crime Editor

Britain's most senior police officer said that the decision to withdraw misconduct action against a marksman acquitted of murdering Chris Kaba was a 'milestone moment' to reset the police accountability system.

It marked the end of an almost four-year chapter that began when Martyn Blake fired a single shot after Kaba, 24, ignored demands to stop his Audi Q8 in Streatham, south London, in September 2022. Kaba died in hospital.

Blake was unanimously cleared of murdering the gang member following a trial in October 2024.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) launched disciplinary action and said Blake, who was identified during the trial as NXI21, 'still had a case to answer'.

The IOPC paused the proceedings after the government accepted recommendations regarding police use of force; the test for bringing misconduct

Kaba, a gang member, was shot after he ignored police requests to stop his Audi Q8

proceedings was raised to the standard used in criminal law.

Yesterday, after representations from Kaba's family, the IOPC said that there were 'no exceptional circumstances'

and a misconduct notice was formally withdrawn.

Sir Mark Rowley, the Metropolitan Police commissioner, said the 'decision finally brings to an end almost four years of uncertainty for NXI21, his family and the wider firearms command. This must be a milestone moment to reset a police accountability system that is out of balance.

'Timely accountability for use of force is essential, but your life being on hold for four years or more as you go through multiple accountability processes is a disgraceful way to treat leave men and women.'

Amanda Rowe, of the IOPC, said: 'We are acutely aware of the impact of proceedings for everyone involved in this case and have always sought to avoid any unnecessary delays, however it was right that we paused progressing disciplinary proceedings until the legislation change came into effect.'

A coroner will decide whether an inquest will take place into Kaba's death.

Met sent victim's details to defendant in stalking case

The Metropolitan Police has been rebuked by the data watchdog after it sent the address and phone number of a female stalking victim to the defendant.

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has ordered London's police force to stop up its data protection policies and training urgently after failings in two cases, including the Westminster honeytrap case.

It said the Met's policies were 'weak' and had 'serious shortcomings'. One officer involved had not completed data protection training for more than four years before they broke data rules.

In one case, a woman had to move house and change her phone number after a Met officer sent her details to a defendant in a stalking protection order case. It also wrongly sent out the names and contact details of three witnesses to the defendant.

The defendant later contacted the

victim on her new number and said he had received documents containing her new contact details from police.

In the other incident, involving the alleged 'honeytrap' of former Conservative MP William Wragg, the Met emailed all of the people affected to tell them of a change to the suspect's bail date.

However in doing so they did not blind-copy, or hide, the names of all those being contacted — so all recipients could see each other's names and email addresses. A statement by the ICO said the issues showed 'wider weaknesses' in the Met's policies.

The force took action, including telling those affected and issuing reminders to staff. However, the ICO believed more action was needed, and issued a reprimand and enforcement notice.

The Met has been contacted for comment.

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Natural muscles? Thank your Neanderthal ancestors

Kaya Burgess Science Correspondent

People who find themselves naturally blessed with larger, stronger muscles may be able to thank the Neanderthals for passing down a key genetic trait that helped them to bulk up.

No matter how hard you work out in the gym, there will always be someone who seems stronger and more muscly, despite appearing to put in less effort.

Scientists have now discovered a link between muscle mass and a genetic variant from outside our species tens of thousands of years ago, giving carriers an average of 271 grams more muscle. The same variant also makes carriers taller, with wider hips and differently shaped jaws, the study found.

Alas, those with the variant cannot skip the gym, said Miriam Berreiter, author of the study, from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden.

"Even a Neanderthal growth hormone receptor is no substitute for training," she said.

It is sometimes assumed that Neanderthals died out because they were less intelligent and more primitive than

our own emerging Homo sapiens ancestors, who drove them to extinction by outcompeting them for resources.

Evidence suggests, however, there was no great cognitive difference.

Instead, it is thought that sex was largely to blame. There is compelling evidence that modern humans interbred with Neanderthals. Over time, Neanderthal DNA was absorbed into the lineage of humans until there were no true, fully Neanderthal people left.

It is therefore not strictly correct to say that Neanderthals died out when the last of them disappeared about 40,000 years ago. Parts of their DNA survive, making up about 2 per cent of modern human DNA for people outside sub-Saharan Africa.

Researchers from the Wellcome Sanger Institute in the UK as well as from Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Japan and Australia have found further evidence that "aspects of Neanderthal anatomy live on in people today".

One Neanderthal variant that persists is in a specific version of what is known as a growth hormone receptor or GHR. This is a protein found on the

surface of cells that binds to the body's growth hormone, helping to regulate the development of our bodies.

About 0.5 per cent of Europeans, 2 per cent of north and south Americans, 15 per cent of east Asians and 20 per cent of south Asians have a version of the receptor that was inherited from Neanderthals, research shows.

In the Neanderthal-derived version, there are two changes in the amino acids that make up the protein compared with the receptor linked to Homo sapiens.

"Some present-day humans have inherited the gene encoding the Neanderthal GHR," noted the study, published in the journal Current Biology.

"These individuals tend to have more muscle mass."

After analysing data from 1.13 million people held in five biobanks, plus data from 6,602 children born in Bradford, which includes a large number of people with south Asian heritage, researchers found that those with the Neanderthal receptor were on average 3mm taller and carried

A study has linked muscle mass to Neanderthal DNA

between 270 and 285g of extra weight, almost entirely made up of lean muscle mass, particularly in the arms, legs and torso.

They also had a hip circumference that was on average 2.7mm larger, had shorter tooth roots, and a different jaw shape, with a shorter "ramus", the vertical portion that sits at the back of the lower jaw. They also carried a larger risk of an overbite. The changes were not noted in children.

Six-week summer? We've got you

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Trainers and timelords

With Andy Burnham off sunning himself, the country's tiller is being handled by Louise Haigh, the first secretary of state, and the tabloids were waiting for her when she turned up to work. In accordance with Whitehall's more casual summer dress code, Haigh was wearing a summer suit with trainers and this was catnip to the red tops, who greeted the photos with a headline of "Dressed to run the country?". Unexpectedly, her predecessor Darren Jones, below, commented on the story with a picture of himself during a winter break this year, wearing a long brown coat, jeans and a stripy jumper. "No one wrote a story when I turned up to work dressed like I was auditioning to be the next Doctor Who," he said. Haigh will no doubt see this as an apt comparison. Much like the Tardis, the problems of government are far bigger than they look from the outside.

THAT NAME RINGS A BELL A torrent of Tory tributes have been paid to the former MP and minister Greg Hands who has announced that he will not be seeking reselection as a candidate for the party. His replacement will need to be an ardent champion of the Chelsea constituency, as Hands used his office to defend both the No II bus and the currant bun. However, it is likely that the new candidate will be better at door knocking. Hands once went canvassing and showed that he was slow on the uptake. He said: "It was only after the sixth time that I crossed off the name from the canvass card and added 'moved—new resident Friedland' that I realised Friedland

was the name of the local doorbell company."

Congratulations are in order to the comedian Al Murray and the historian James Holland. Their Second World War podcast We Have Ways of Making You Talk, which launched the history podcast boom in 2019, has just passed 1,000 episodes and is in its eighth year — which means that it has now lasted longer than the actual war itself. You'd think that would be a cue for them to wrap things up, but they are finding good excuses to keep on going. Murray said: "Current scholarship now says the war started in 1931." Thankfully for the pair's significant others, they have at least ruled out doing the prequel.

WINE FOR THE NEW FELLOW For decades, the author Roger Lewis has fulminated against the Royal Society of Literature, saying that they were snooty dullards and that he was glad not to be a part of their low-grade fandango. So, naturally, he was delighted to accept his election as a fellow of the society, though his skill as a writer was called into question when he signed the society's book and spilt ink all over the page. He was miffed to find that his appointment was marked not in a marbled hall but in a Holborn wine bar, but the link is clear. As Robert Louis Stevenson said: "Wine is bottled poetry".

Today marks the centenary of the first Channel swim by a woman. On August 6 1926, Gertrude Ederle set off at 7.08am from Cap Gris-Nez and, 14 hours and 14 minutes later, she landed at Kingsdown in Kent having swam the equivalent of 35 miles. Things were very different back then. When she arrived after her Channel crossing, the first person who greeted her was an official who demanded she produce her passport.

JACK BLACKBURN

ACTIVITIES

Eight ways to get your child excited by nature — and off their screen

16 best family-friendly weekend breaks in the UK

HOLIDAYS

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What I've learnt as a 'boy mom' (that I didn't expect)

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King of the castle The walled garden at the Castle of Mey, a few miles from John o' Groats, appears to be keeping the King busy on his summer break. He usually spends the first week of August at the property, which was bought by his grandmother Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, in 1952, before heading south to Balmoral

Rail firm blocks digital tickets in 'quick scan' fraud crackdown

Laurence Sleator Transport Correspondent

Britain's biggest rail operator has blocked some travellers from buying digital tickets to reduce fare evasion.

Greater Thameslink Railway (GTR), which runs Thameslink, Southern, Great Northern and Gatwick Express services, is targeting those who use a type of fraud called 'quick scanning'.

This is when a passenger gets on board without a ticket but quickly purchases a digital one if they spot an inspector, or to scan through if the barriers at their destination are closed.

Often, the tickets purchased will be for the last section of the journey or from the last stop the train passed, saving them the cost of the full ticket. The technique is also known as 'short faring' or 'short ticketing'.

GTR said that it launched a three-month ticketing trial last week, where

digital tickets that can be scanned on phones would not be sold from stations around its major hubs. When a customer purchases a digital ticket they will not receive a QR code to scan through the barrier but will instead be required to collect their ticket from a ticket office or machine at the station.

The company would not reveal which stations this would affect, over fears fraudsters would adapt their tactics and simply purchase a ticket from stations further along the line.

The change could affect law-abiding commuters who legitimately purchase their tickets digitally, forcing many to wait in peak-time queues to collect their ticket.

GTR, which handles millions of passengers each year on some of the busiest commutes into London, said the launch followed a 'block', where inspectors close off all exits and manually look at tickets, at Brighton Station

which resulted in sanctions issued to 78 people. Of these, almost half the offences were related to 'quick scanning'.

Data from the company also showed that at the 'blocked' stations there was a 'disproportionate increase' in tickets bought within the 60 seconds before the ticket gates opened.

The National Rail Conditions of Travel states every passenger must have a valid ticket before boarding, but inspectors may be lenient in certain circumstances. If the customer is judged to have travelled fraudulently, they are issued with a penalty fare notice of £100 plus the cost of their actual journey.

Stephen MacCallaugh, head of revenue protection at GTR, said: 'It is only fair that everyone travelling on our railway pays the right fare, and as the UK's largest train operator in public ownership, reducing fare evasion and the taxpayer's subsidy on the railway is crucial to our success.' The move follows a

similar crackdown by South Western Railways (SWR), which in June blocked the purchase of digital tickets between Vauxhall and Waterloo after its data showed up to 95 per cent of barcode tickets were being used fraudulently.

Some customers have been forced to repay tens of thousands of pounds after being caught 'short faring' regularly. These included somebody travelling from South Hampshire to Waterloo five days a week using the scam, who settled with the operator for £49,000.

Since the launch of the crackdown, SWR said it was already aware of fraudsters changing their tactics, with one location recording an 89 per cent increase in barcode tickets compared with the same period last year.

Fare evasion costs the industry up to £400 million a year. The government has made a series of announcements designed to tackle it, including the introduction of shoulder-high barriers.

More delays for £7bn line as union row escalates

A rail line which is yet to run passenger services two years after being built is set to be further delayed.

The 36-mile East West Rail line between Oxford and Milton Keynes was completed in 2024 as part of a £7 billion project and then handed over to Chiltern Railways. Since then, the company has been in a dispute with the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union over whether the trains should allow the driver or a guard to open and close the doors. Only empty trains

training drivers and freight services have been running on the line.

In June Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill, the transport minister, said that services had been time-tabled to run in December, but yesterday the union rejected an 'abhorrent' proposal by Chiltern to have customer service inspectors on board.

Eddie Dempsey, general secretary of the RMT, wrote to members: 'The proposal is nothing more than an abhorrent attempt to undermine the

safety-critical role of the guard and further push through the unsafe and contentious method of operation in the form of driver-only operation.'

Chiltern Railways has published job adverts for inspectors, whose tasks include customer care, revenue protection, on-train announcements and reporting faults. Train doors will be operated by drivers, meaning some services could be operated without a second person on board.

Dempsey said that a second person

on board trains was essential for carrying out duties and responding to dangerous and fast-moving situations. He said the RMT would 'use all of the political and industrial strength available to defend safety'.

Diana Blamires, co-founder of the East West Rail Action Group, described the service as 'an absolute shambles' and 'a disgraceful waste of money'.

Chiltern Railways said that there was 'still work to finish to prepare the trains and on the operating arrangements'.

Airports are pausing new EU checks to avoid queues

Cathy Adams News Features Editor, Travel

Europe has been pausing its strict new border checks at busy times to avoid long waits at airports and ports.

At the start of July ACI Europe, which represents airports, warned that holidaymakers faced queues of up to five hours to provide a scan of their face and fingerprints under the conditions of the EU's new entry-exit system (EES).

In the UK Sir Roger Gale, the MP for Herne Bay and Sandwich, had said that Britons could die in the 12-hour queues at the Port of Dover, where European checks take place on British soil.

Industry figures said that the long waits had not come to pass, in part because of EU member states making use of the small permitted amount of flexibility to temporarily pause EES checks in 'exceptional circumstances' if queues got too long. Countries must notify EU border agencies of the reason for the suspension.

The contingency measure comes to an end early next month and won't be renewed, according to the EU border security agency Frontex. Industry bodies are lobbying for it to be extended.

Last week Sean Doyle, the chief executive of British Airways, said that the airline would 'monitor closely' the impact of EES. He added that there had not been flight delays or missed flights since the full rollout in April.

Dover, which had forecast queues of up to four and a half hours in the two busiest weekends at the end of July, reported that its longest wait time was 55 minutes, with the average wait 20 minutes or less. At LeShuttle in Folkestone, which has a European border, the queue for EU border control is described as 'fluid'. The ports are doing EES checks manually because the self-service kiosks have technical problems caused by a French software problem.

Rome Fiumacino airport, which last month said that processing times at the border had doubled, blaming a 'design flaw' in the EES system, said that the situation had 'progressively improved since the full rollout of EES'. It said that it would continue to switch off the checks this month when required.

Greece, France, Portugal and Spain are switching off the checks when needed, according to the UK travel association Abta. The industry body suggested airports had staffed the border better and 'improved the triaging of arrivals in some cases', which had avoided long queues.

Julia Lo Bue-Said, chief executive of the Advantage Travel Partnership, which represents independent British travel agents, said that the rollout of EES had 'gone more smoothly than anticipated', although there were isolated hotspots of trouble across Europe, such as Lisbon, Tenerife and Milan. She added: 'In the main the airports have been operating efficiently and the wait time to pass through border control has been better than many of us feared. It seems probable that the EU was well aware of the strong feeling that all airports needed to be properly resourced ahead of the main summer holiday period and acted accordingly.'

Tim Alderslade, chief executive of the industry body Airlines UK, said that the flexibility should 'continue throughout the summer and be extended beyond September to ensure passengers are not experiencing delays'.

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Victorian properties sold by peepshow

Kaya Burgess

"Property porn" TV programmes and websites have become a sensation for showcasing beautiful homes in exquisite detail, but historians have found that Victorian estate agents got there first by using painted peepshows to entice buyers.

Described as "the world's first version of Rightmove", coming more than 160 years before the birth of property websites offering video walkthroughs and wide-angle panoramas, a high-end estate agent in the 1830s found a way to give customers an immersive view of their most lavish homes at a time when photography was in its infancy.

Researchers from the University of Exeter have found that a 19th century

estate agent called Brooks and Green, based on Old Bond Street in London, used a format called the cosmorama.

In these peepshow-style installations, large paintings were hidden behind walls and had to be viewed through convex lenses. In combination with specially designed lighting, this gave the images a depth that made them lifelike and meant the viewer felt like they were immersed in the scene.

They were particularly popular when used to depict landscapes and cities from far-flung parts of the world, giving people a glimpse of exotic and beautiful lands. They often appeared in department stores and toured the country in travelling shows.

The research, published in the journal Early Popular Visual Culture, forms

part of a European study led by Lusofona University in Lisbon called Curiositas Peeping Before Virtual Reality, which charts the history of immersive, virtual reality-style media.

"The cosmorama offered picture galleries for the people, tapping into an era of greater travel and offering views of international tourist sites and scenes from across the British Empire," said Professor John Plunkett, an expert in Victorian visual media at Exeter.

"What we've discovered through this latest research project, however, is that its use extended beyond simple entertainment. The appeal of cosmomars was that they sold an experience of virtual travel. This was used by estate agents seeking to sell luxury properties and country estates."

Researchers found evidence of more than 650 cosmomars from around the world, writing: "Advertisements in London newspapers in the late 1830s revealed that auctioneer and surveyor Brooks and Hedger — later, Brooks and Green — on Old Bond Street, close to the Cosmorama Rooms of Regent Street, were offering cosmomatic views of some of the properties and estates they were selling."

There are numerous examples in The Times's archives of such adverts, with one placed by Brooks and Green on June 15, 1842, offering for sale a "delightfully situate [sic] cottage residence called the Ray" and inviting interested parties to their gallery where "a cosmomatic view and plan of the estate may be seen".

Written descriptions would "fail to assist the imagination to any thing like the same extent as these pictorial representations", the Brooks and Green advertisement added.

It would have been a labour-intensive process, with artists required to spend considerable time at the properties to produce the images.

"In contemporary life, prospective purchasers of real estate are usually aided by a full suite of photographs and floor plans, and often an online video walkthrough," Plunkett said.

"Nineteenth-century buyers had no such advantages. We can see how Brooks and Green pioneered the virtual tour, over 150 years before digital technology would fully realise this potential."

Burke's reign as queen of funk lacks a little soul

Theatre Clive Davis

I'm Every Woman

160min

Troubadour Wembley Park

Theatre

★★★☆☆

Who's next for the musical theatre treatment? The ghost of Michael Jackson has already conquered the West End, and Frank Sinatra has joined the biodrama stakes in a jukebox show at the Aldwych which dutifully sifts through the first phase of his career, often throwing songs in at random. Now, in I'm Every Woman, X Factor winner Alexandra Burke portrays "Queen of Funk" Chaka Khan, a soulful performer whose tally of chart hits doesn't quite do justice to her talent.

What a curious evening it turns out to be. Having fought our way through the scrum outside the Troubadour Wembley Park, a functional venue with a touch of Ikea about it, we then had to endure a delay of around 30 minutes before Khan and her entourage made their entry into their seats in the stalls and the show began. Ricky Plews, the direc tor, oversees a

Alexandra Burke was joined on stage by the real Chaka Khan on Tuesday evening at the Troubadour Wembley Park

production embellished with striking period detail (dip those funky Seventies Afros) but undermined by a script by Nia T Hill which drifts from one stilted scene to another. For much of the time, Khan seems a bystander in her own life, content to be overshadowed by facsimiles of VIPs from Stevie Wonder to Prince and Miles Davis.

The episodes slip past at a bewildering pace. One minute Khan is just an aspiring singer, the next she is hanging out with Aini Mitchell (Sophie Earl delivers a fine version of Big Yellow Taxi). At the very beginning, we see young, Chicago-born Yvette Marie Stevens trying to cope with her father's heroin addiction. Soon she gravitates towards an Afrocentric cultural centre where she acquires her new first name before embarking on a marriage to Hassan Khan (Jelani Munroe), a member of the Black Panther Party.

He turns out to be a disappointment, as does hedonistic husband No 2, Richard (Miles Anthony Daley). Life turns sour; arguments descend into violence. If there's one constant in Khan's existence, apart from her passion for music, it's her reliance on drugs. When she encounters jazz legend Miles — Teddy Wills is required to play him as little more than a manic, streetwise dandy — he is quick to open up his own private pharmacy.

Still, the music lifts the spirits. Burke is in commanding form on the vocals, and the songs from Khan's years with funk band Rufus still shimmer. Sara Perks's set designs are bright and evocative. It's just a pity that, much of the time, Chaka seems to be a guest at her own party.

To Sept 27, imeverywomanthemusical.com

Pigsty whisky stash worth £750,000

Herbie Russell

A retired farmer is selling one of Britain's largest whisky collections for £750,000 after storing it in a pigsty.

Bill Garratt, 81, has amassed more than 5,000 bottles over the last four decades, some dating to the 19th century, along with thousands of pieces of Scotch-related memorabilia.

The pensioner's collection is so vast that he was forced to convert a 100ft-long pigsty into a storehouse after his wife became "fed up" with what was then 1,000 bottles cluttering the house.

The stockpile includes 1,800 single mails, 1,800 miniature bottles and about 500 blends, with some individual bottles worth more than £6,000.

The grandfather, from Ravensden in Bedfordshire, said that he "stumbled in-

to" his hobby after a friend gave him a bottle of Jolly Runner in 1982.

"I've seen more expensive collections but I haven't seen a bigger collection. It could be one of the most diverse collections," he said.

The most expensive bottle is a £6,000 Macallan Magnifico, which he believes could be worth much more today. Other highlights include Macallan 26 fluid ounce bottles from 1937 and 1938, which can fetch up to £6,000 each. The oldest is a Choice Old Scotch Whisky produced by R Thorne and Sons Limited in 1894. There is also a Hanyu The Joker single malt worth about £5,000. a Macallan Diamond Jubilee special edition valued at up to £6,000 and a tourdrop-shaped Mortlach 70 by Gordon and MacPhail.

Garratt, who enjoys a dram three

times a week, said: "I like Macallan, especially the 18-year-old and up bottles, but The Lakes Distillery whisky and The English Distillery, Norfolk, are two good options for those looking to get into whisky. Highland Park offers some great choices, too. I've been to Scotland quite a bit. One time I flew up to Scotland and I brought back 34 bottles."

He estimates that the assortment also contains about 1,800 pieces of memorabilia including Johnnie Walker figures, ashtrays, pictures, paintings, boxes and glasses.

Mark Littler, who is handling the sale, said: "Most whisky collections are built around single mails. Bill's collection is different: it tells the story of Scotch whisky itself. He has collected its entire history, rather than only its most fashionable names."

Disney strikes deal to let characters loose on TikTok

Amelia Stout

Darth Vader, Spider-Man and Buzz Lightyear are to become TikTok stars after Walt Disney struck a "first of its kind" deal with the online platform.

A select group of creators will be given access to a library of characters, scenes and other material from franchises such as Star Wars, Toy Story and the Marvel Universe. The scheme will be introduced in the United States in the coming months before being extended to other countries. Content will appear on TikTok and on Disney+ Verts, a vertical video feed built into the Disney+ streaming platform.

The deal, financial details of which

have not been disclosed, marks a departure from Disney's tight protection of its intellectual property as it embraces fan-made content to market new releases. Matt Navarra, a social media expert, told the BBC: "Disney owns some of the world's biggest franchises but ownership of attention is shifting towards creators. Hollywood used to market at fans. Now it needs to give fans the raw materials to market with it, and that is quite a profound shift."

Navarra added that TikTok's algorithm gave it the power to influence which character or franchise "suddenly becomes very valuable again".

Toy Story comes to Disney's rescue, Business, page 37

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Why are young women using walking sticks? Kathleen Stock Page 23

Chinese money still has universities in thrall

Despite warnings that Beijing is a 'genuine and increasing cyber risk', British science's love affair with China continues

@CITYSAMUEL

You can see how it happens. One minute you're running a little side hustle to attract fee-paying 'engineering and management' students; the next you've got scientists on the roster doing research for Chinese defence companies.

The partnership between Queen Mary University of London and Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications (BUPT), an institution closely linked to the Chinese military, is now in its 23rd year. It operates a joint campus in China, offers joint degrees and fosters research collaborations. But nearly 10,000 students and 500 research papers later, with topics ranging from 6G to satellite systems and drone networks, you'd think someone might ask: 'Is this a good idea?'

Queen Mary's does not appear to have mulled over the matter. Perhaps it's so ideologically committed to doing science with anyone that the details don't matter — or making too much money to care. A spokesperson said it was 'proud' of the partnership and that it is 'in full alignment with UK government legislation and subject to rigorous procedures, policies and regulations'. This attitude is not unusual.

According to research by the charity UK-China Transparency (UKCT), Beijing lists 19 British universities as being foreign 'partners' to the eight universities in China known for their deep links to

its military and defence establishment. Not even Russia comes close: it has just ten such partnerships.

This tells us, yet again, that Britain is still by far China's favourite foreign destination for academic collaboration designed to further its defence interests. Yet as other free countries crack down on these links, Britain is becoming even more of an outlier.

Our allies have severely restricted permissions and funding for partnerships with the eight Chinese universities, such as BUPT, that enjoy Level I security clearance from Beijing, meaning they can work on top-secret defence projects. The US placed all eight on an entity list requiring explicit permission in 2020. Canada restricts funding for any project involving them and other Chinese, military-linked institutions. Japan restricts partnerships with at least three of them. Taiwan has banned joint research and exchanges with seven of them, and the EU has

Hostile state actors are targeting universities to steal personal data

excluded the same seven from parts of the Horizon funding programme.

But in Britain, the government is terrified of naming the devil in such a straightforward way. We're told the security services have stepped up screening but there is no list of high-risk entities. In the absence of strong and explicit government policy, it's left to spooks to police hundreds of individual collaborations and educate academics on the quiet.

Our leaders are still stuck in the default mode of 'openness', oblivious to the way predatory forces use this freedom. In China, there is an explicit policy of fusion between

military and civic. But our ministries are so reluctant to draw up lists of dangerous foreign players that they effectively invite them in to exploit British science and technology.

So we play a haphazard game of whack-a-mole, where only the most brazen moles are spotted and most of those survive their whacking. Over the years, 1 and others have written about mind-boggling collaborations between British and Chinese laboratories: a ballistics expert teaching in Britain while affiliated with a Chinese defence laboratory; British professors taking up funding and jobs at China's nuclear weapons development institute; and British researchers co-authoring papers with Chinese peers at military-linked universities on drone swarms, batteries, supercomputing, satellites, facial recognition and 5G.

From 2012 to 2017, laboratories funded by Chinese defence conglomerates were established at Imperial, Manchester, Birmingham, Strathclyde, Exeter, UCL and Nottingham. Those labs were eventually shut down, but in 2022 a Times investigation found that our universities had taken £240 million in Chinese funding, a quarter of it from sources sanctioned by the US.

Eventually, the security services were moved to speak. In 2019, GCHQ and MI5 warned that 'hostile state actors are targeting UK universities to steal personal data, research data and intellectual property'. Two years later it emerged that 200 British academics were under investigation for possible export control breaches (what came of that is unclear). The same year the head of MI6 warned of 'large-scale [Chinese] espionage' in the UK. A year later, the head of MI5 said Chinese agents had approached more than 20,000 British targets.

Parliamentary committees took

Fang Binxing's university sends half its students studying abroad to the UK

notice. The government (Tory throughout) claimed three times to be expanding screening: in 2020, again in 2022 and again in 2024. That year, Britain and the US blamed a Chinese state-affiliated group for a 'prolific global hacking operation' that included the Electoral Commission, with the head of GCHQ calling China a 'genuine and increasing cyber risk'. Last year, three Chinese companies were blamed by the National Cyber Security Centre for a global hacking campaign targeting 'critical sectors'.

After all of this, plus Covid, the lab leak cover-up, the supply chain embargoes, one might imagine that British science's love affair with China would have peaked. Well, after eight years of covering this topic even I was surprised to read, in the UKCT report, that partnerships between British and Chinese universities on cyber research — cybersecurity, computer science, electronics and so

on — have actually accelerated. There are now 34 cyber-focused partnerships, ten of them established since 2024, including four with US-sanctioned universities. That compares to 46 across the entire EU. BUPT, the partner to Queen Mary University, is a major player in Chinese cyber research and home to Fang Binxing, a chief architect of China's 'Great Firewall'. This university now sends nearly half of its

Surely we can rely on the consciences of the students to activate?

students studying abroad to the UK. Another partnership, between the US-sanctioned Beijing Institute of Technology and Reading University, requires students on its informatics master's to complete modules on 'Theory and Practice of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics' and 'Marxism and Social Science Methodology'. A spokesperson for Reading said: 'We have no concerns about the appropriateness of our double degree programmes in China.'

Does anyone? The government? The spooks? Why is this still going on? Surely we can rely on the consciences of the students to be activated? They'll scream and cry and camp out in protest at the mere rumour of a handshake with a western defence company, after all.

But the Chinese money spinner goes on and there's barely a whimper, as our universities do deals to further the interests of a regime that locks up and drugs petitioners, imprisons dissidents and has 're-educated' a million Uighurs. Is it sickness or insanity? Ignorance or cynicism? Or is it all just a case of Science with Perfidious Characteristics?

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Comment

Arday affair is an own goal for Cambridge

Hardline pursuit of diversity leaves the university looking as if it is subverting excellence

Roger Mosey

Cambridge in this hot and arid summer is a university divided. The Jason Arday affair, in which a young black professor has been accused of plagiarism and making up some of the events in his life, has revealed to the outside world a fault line apparent to insiders for some years. On one side are advocates of social justice who have encouraged the university to lead the way in challenging the prejudices lurking in academia and wider society, and on the other are usually quieter academics, fired up by recent events, who fear this has led to the compromising of standards and allowing identitarian politics to dictate policy.

As someone who arrived in Cambridge in 2013, it was plain there was a problem. The student body was disproportionately white compared with modern Britain, and the senior leadership of the university was even more unrepresentative. I had no hesitation, when asked, in joining the university's equality, diversity and inclusion committee. And thanks to a collective effort by the colleges and the central administration, Cambridge has made enormous progress. The most recent admissions statistics show 75 per cent of new undergraduates came from ethnic minorities. My own college trebled

its minority representation in a decade while moving up the academic league tables. The tiresome claim that diversity means dumbing down is false.

But it was tougher at the senior level. A university with a predominantly white history cannot produce its own black professors at the drop of a hat, and it was reasonable for Cambridge to look for recruits around Britain and across the world. Where it hit controversy was alighting on Arday. His academic track record was unconventional for a Cambridge professor: an undergraduate degree in education studies with physical education, and later a PhD (which he acknowledged

That's the language of Nigel Farage, scolded one white woman

was poorly supervised) at Liverpool John Moores University.

What made him a compelling candidate, seemingly, was his life story: autism rendered him non-verbal until the age of 11, he said, and he was unable to read until he was 18. But when other elements of this story seemed to unravel — his charity fundraising record, his claimed relationships with other universities, inaccurate memories about taking part in TV programmes as a child — the whole rationale was thrown into question.

Arday denies the main allegations against him and his advocates are mostly sticking by him, but a number of Cambridge academics I've spoken

to have no sympathy. Some want there to be an investigation under the university's "research integrity statement" to look at the issues around Arday's work. They're also bothered about the methods used in his specialist area, the sociology of education, with a particular emphasis on racial disadvantage.

One observer believes research built around small groups of interviewees can lead to academics "interviewing people who will agree with them", and an underpinning of ideology, most notably the contentious critical race theory, can make it resistant to challenge. A black scholar remarks that there are hundreds of leading academics from diverse backgrounds around the world who could have been recruited by Cambridge in fields such as physics or history without controversy, but it looked, instead, as if the university had been indulging in "social-justice nepotism".

There are echoes in what I experienced in dealing with some of the beliefs of the harder-line diversity campaigners. The student body has been transformed: the number of non-white UK students admitted for medicine in recent years was 66 per cent; for economics it was 58 per cent. I'm sure they will do Cambridge proud. But what this should prompt, I argued in one committee, was a focus on who now is missing out in admissions — and that seemed to be the young white working class, and especially boys. "That is the language of Farage," scolded one white woman. But surely the best way of playing into Nigel Farage's hands is to make it look as if

Cambridge doesn't give two hoots about deprived areas of England away from the big cities.

Any challenge to EDI orthodoxy gets a similar response. I spoke to a doctoral student who told me he felt pressured to nod towards critical race theory even though it was neither relevant to his thesis nor, in his view, a helpful framework. The university diversity network shared research that suggested unconscious bias training might be counterproductive, but leading figures shot down the idea of change because it would be "a retreat from EDI". After many organisations abandoned their membership of Stonewall, it was Cambridge — under pressure from staff lobby groups and despite the opposition of most college heads — which bucked the trend by rejoining.

The Arday affair has the potential to be more divisive still for the university. But if there is a lesson it could be this: equality, diversity and inclusion are goals for a leading global university to which most reasonable people would sign up. It is when they are baked into inflexible policies and questionable appointment processes that they become contentious and risk subverting rather than supporting excellence.

Most of all, there should be an open and vigorous debate about the next steps. I am struck by how many Cambridge people have legitimate views on these topics yet do not feel they can express them publicly. Now they must be allowed their voice.

Roger Mosey was master of Selwyn College, Cambridge, 2013-25

Hackney Greens should visit Haifa, not judge from afar Yona Yahav

The Green leadership of Hackney council wants to end its twinning agreement with Haifa after nearly six decades. The announcement was accompanied by grave accusations against the state of Israel and portrayed Haifa as a city that no longer reflects the values Hackney seeks to uphold.

At a time when facts are so easily replaced by slogans, and complexity reduced to soundbites, it is important to pause and consider the reality. Haifa is an exceptional model of coexistence in the Middle East. For more than a century, Jews, Muslims, Christians, Druze and Baha'is have lived alongside one another here, not as an abstract ideal but as a way of life.

They study in the same schools and universities. They care for one another in our hospitals, work side by side, establish businesses together, meet in the same cafes and restaurants, and co-operate in local government and community life.

As in every democratic society, we experience arguments and differences of opinion. But we believe the way to address them is not by severing ties or singling out entire communities. It is through dialogue, familiarity and working together. Precisely because our region is so complex, we have learnt that coexistence is built through small decisions made every day: to respect, to listen, to co-operate and to see the person standing before you.

About 20 per cent of our residents are Arab, both Christian and Muslim, and they are represented at every level of local government. Jewish pupils in Haifa learn spoken Arabic because I believe language is one of the most important bridges between people. We honour Arab cultural figures by naming public sites and streets after them.

Haifa is not isolated from the painful reality of the region. On October 7, 2021, Israel suffered one of the most devastating terrorist attacks, and the worst massacre, in its history. Families from every part of Israeli society paid a terrible price. This is why we must distinguish between political disagreement and the delegitimisation of an entire society.

My message to the British public, and particularly the residents of Hackney, is simple. Do not judge Haifa through headlines, slogans or political resolutions. Come and visit us and walk throughout our neighbourhoods. Speak to those of all faiths who share this city and call it home.

And thus, I invite Zoë Garbett, the mayor of Hackney, to come and to look for herself. The world does not need more cities severing ties with one another. It needs more cities that choose, every day, to bring people together. This is Haifa.

Yona Yahav is mayor of Haifa

Janice Turner Notebook

Beach fire insanity as the heath blazed

The wind changed in the night and I was woken at 3am by smoke. The sky on Aldeburgh's northern horizon had been bruised all day by the wildfire four miles away on Dunwich Heath. But now you could smell the burning and my lizard brain wouldn't let me go back to sleep.

I live for summer. I'll take heatwaves over washed-out Julys. But the next morning felt eerie and ominous. Just beyond Starewell's white orb, animals were fleeing, birds incinerated, mature trees lost on that mysterious scrubland which overlooks the sea where a medieval city drowned. Firefighters had worked all night but still it burnt.

On my morning run along the beach to Thorpenees, the vegetated shingle, typically dark green, was parched and pale. Just one stray fag butt, I thought, and whoomph!

Then I saw two campers rolling up a tent beside a pile of driftwood and

dead roots. Nearby was a mound of warm ashes. Is that yours? "Yeah." You know there's a massive wildfire up the coast? Gormless look. "No, we're from Scotland." They were young, probably on their phones all the damn day and if I'd smelt Dunwich burning, they surely had.

Should I call the police, if only to scare them? They were packing their car. They'd be gone, the selfish morons, off to set a fire somewhere else.

Youthful errors

The core principle of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 is that a criminal should not be punished for ever. Kemi Badenoch is right to note that Joshua Bonehill-Paine was in his early twenties when he conducted a vile campaign of antisemitic, misogynist harassment against the MP Luciana Berger which landed him in prison.

Young people have the plasticity to change. The writer Ed Husain, a teenage supporter of Haifa ut-Tahira, became a prominent critic of Islamic extremism. Bonehill-Paine says he has

de-radicalised from Nazi sympathiser to holding views somewhere between the Torres and Reform.

But it's a big leap between being allowed to write, speak or hold down a job and stand for public office. Some professions are held to higher standards. Solicitors have noted that a youthful dishonesty conviction such as Louise Haiglis would have

precluded them from ever practising law. And even if Bonehill-Paine only wanted to be a local councillor, dealing with "parking and putting out bins", as Badenoch put it, his vicious crimes can't be shrugged away.

He's only 34. After standing down, he can now spend a few more years proving he's a reformed character.

Bragging rights

I was raised not to bang my own drum and am quite allergic to the boastfulness of others. (Is writing that boastful? I hope not.) Jason Arday's autobiography is full of quotes from those who divine he is an exceptional person with remarkable talents and a "good

heart" who will go on to do extraordinary deeds.

But more prosaically I hear politicians say things of themselves that should always be left to others. When he resigned as prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer said: "I do so with good grace". Grace, like dancing, is a performance for us to judge. And when Natalie Fleet resigned as safeguarding minister she said it was the "bravest thing I've ever done". No doubt it was the toughest, but bravery is a quality others bestow, not a medal you pin on yourself.

United front

I've seen only two episodes of Kabul (BBC iPlayer), a drama about the 2021 departure of Nato forces from Afghanistan, but so far it is gripping. Outside foreign embassies, endangered locals — women prosecutors, anti-Taliban forces and interpreters — fight to be allowed to leave. Some choose to stay, and you feel it won't end well for the idealistic female doctor or her little-girl patient.

This is a French/German/Italian co-production yet oddly all the European characters speak English, even among themselves. (The Afghans speak Pashto.) And all nationalities are united in trying to get one over the arrogant Americans.

@VICTORIAPECKHAM

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23

Comment

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Why are young women using walking sticks?

A disproportionate number of Gen Z females are affected by vague syndromes and may be victims of social contagion

Kathleen Stock

In 19th-century Paris, walking with a cane was a symbol of the dandyish flâneur, strolling elegantly around the city with an ironically arched eyebrow. In 21st-century Britain, canes are the unironic preserve of vulnerable looking girls. Sometimes you see groups of them, each leaning on a walking stick as they edge gingerly along. Startlingly fresh-faced users have been visible at Pride parades for a while, and there are growing numbers on university campuses. The message sent to onlookers is about a life spent in pain, though what kind of pain, exactly, remains unclear.

TikTok has hundreds of videos on the subject: how to match your stick to your outfit, how to dance with a cane, how mobility aids can still look hot. And the trend is not just for walking aids.

This week a video went viral of a young woman in a wheelchair at a train station, filming the laborious attempts of staff to get her chair up some stairs after the lift failed. Towards the end of the video, somewhat unexpectedly, she gets

out of her chair and walks upstairs herself, saying she “had a bit of energy that day” so could do it. In another video, she films herself putting on roller skates before pushing off from her wheelchair and skating happily away, Lazarus-like.

Even severely debilitating physical conditions produce good days as well as bad. On some bad days, a person may need extra help. But when a disproportionate number of young women are insisting this applies, we need to find out what is going on. Why do Gen Z females, apparently unlike every generation before them, have strangely unstable bodies that intermittently

Many symptoms are of anxiety, the defining emotion of teenagers

require support?

When you dig into their explanations, a few officially medical-sounding words tend to recur: postural tachycardia, joint hypermobility, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue. What these syndromes all share is a set of non-specific symptoms, versions of which are familiar to all of us: dizziness, a racing heart, exhaustion, brain fog, muscle pain.

And of course, many of these are also symptoms of anxiety, the defining emotion of teenage years. Saying this doesn’t indicate that the syndromes in question don’t exist, but only that it can be unclear whether you really have one.

Could it be, then, that some are taking a cue from internet influencers, overanalysing normal experiences and talking themselves into a disabled state? If true, it would hardly be the first time that young women were in the grip of social contagion — indeed, they are famously good at it.

In her 2017 book How Emotions Are Made, the psychologist Lisa Feldman Barrett argues that emotions are a form of prediction, with the mind trying to decipher bodily feelings according to scripts learnt from the past. She starts with a vivid example of her own. As a young woman on a first date, her stomach started to flutter and she couldn’t concentrate. Soon afterwards she threw up, and realised that what she had assumed were emerging feelings of lust was actually a stomach bug.

What was true of the author then is true of all of us. Our inner sensations don’t come with labels attached but require mental interpretation, which is why cultures differ in their emotional ranges. Humans gradually learn the

meaning of their feelings from society around them.

The old-fashioned repressed British script, still beloved of many middle-aged men, said: “Just ignore the painful twinge or weird sensation and it will go away.” Some are so adept at this they literally don’t notice injuries or signs of illness.

These days, the medical profession encourages us to take our physical experiences seriously in case some disease or other can be caught in

We owe it to young people to challenge neuroticism and fear

time. But in certain subcultures, young people are being told that unpleasant feelings should be focused on more than anything else.

These feelings may be frightening; but they also make you different, special, excused from the pressures of life, pleasingly fussed over by strangers. And if a person then spends a lot of time sitting or lying down, she will naturally become unfit, so that the next time she stands up or walks any distance she will feel even worse; and the cycle of confused self-interpretation will continue.

To point this possibility out tends to produce anger in those affected or

those that care for them. Arguing that certain kinds of disability are socially created, particularly in females, looks at odds with the dictum that young women with chronic illnesses tend to be disbelieved by doctors, and that this is a very bad thing.

When talking about trends across huge populations, though, both things can be true — indeed, they might even be connected. And in the socially constructed case, we are still talking about illness rather than deliberate feigning. It’s just that the source of illness is, in part, a story the sufferer has unconsciously learnt. And this is very good news. For unlike biologically fixed disorders, stories can be changed for the better, and happier endings produced for the sufferers concerned.

Rather than it being cruel to say this, in fact, it is cruel not to. We owe it to potentially able-bodied young people to challenge their tendencies to neuroticism and fear; to get them out into the world as functioning adults, wherever that is possible. For their sake, we need to help them ditch the props, and — quite literally — to stand on their own two feet.

Kathleen Stock is a contributing editor at UnHerd

Hugo Rifkind is away

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24

Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor should be sent to letters@thetimes.co.uk or by post to 1 London Bridge Street, London SE1 9GF

Care home crisis

Sir, I am a trustee of a charity that runs 15 care facilities. We are interested in buying other care homes and have had discussions on taking over homes being closed by local authorities. However, we cannot possibly run them without losing a great deal of money. The problem is that the cost of staff is so much higher than our own staff costs, particularly the very expensive inflation-proofed pensions. The charity takes in both privately funded residents and publicly funded residents. Like many other care homes, we make a loss on the publicly funded residents and subsidise them with the fees from the privately funded residents.

It is not difficult to conclude that local authorities clear their homes because it is so much cheaper to sub-contract the cost of care. In addition, they avoid bad publicity if something goes wrong with the care.

Ian Hepworth Ilkley, W Yorks

Navy's drone boats

Sir, There is no doubt that drones and unmanned vehicles will be crucially important in any future armed conflict and that the Royal Navy needs them ('Made in Britain: Ukrainian drone boats', Aug 5). I remain to be convinced that in events short of 'hot war' whether they are able to rescue seafarers in distress, firefight on ships requiring assistance; search for drugs/contraband/victims of slavery in merchant ships, assist with disaster relief, check the size of fishermen's nets, have unrestricted passage through other nations' waters, establish a presence and a myriad of other tasks performed over centuries by Royal Navy warships.

Wedgwood history

Sir, It is unwarranted to castigate the role of Arthur Bryan in the demise of Wedgwood (letter, Aug 5). Further, AN Wilson's assertion (comment, Aug 5) that Bryan was responsible for the decision to take Wedgwood public is incorrect: it was the insistence of the Wedgwood family to cash in their shareholdings. Bryan was a marketing visionary and propelled Wedgwood's global success. For from asset-stripping the acquisitions, he provided significant investments in every one of them to support their development. His strategy was very successful until the circumstances of cheaper imports came to bear.

Christopher Johnson Wedgwood manufacturing director 1975 to 2002; Shrewsbury

Corrections and clarifications

IPSO Regulated We are committed to abiding by the Independent Press Standards Organisation rules and regulations and the Editors' Code of Practice that IPSO enforces. Requests for corrections or clarifications should be sent to feedback@thetimes.co.uk

Britain's lack of support for wealth creation

Sir, James Kanagasooriam (comment, Aug 5) is right to argue that Britain's problem is not simply one of inequality but of wealth creation. Increasingly, we appear to resent those who succeed while paying insufficient attention to the conditions that allow more people to succeed in the first place.

The irony is that the very people most willing to applaud the departure of high earners are often the same people demanding better public services. Yet those services depend disproportionately on a relatively small number of taxpayers.

If Britain becomes progressively less attractive to entrepreneurs, investors and highly skilled professionals, there will be fewer businesses to employ people, fewer innovations to improve productivity and a smaller tax base to fund the NHS, education and social care.

The public's frustration is understandable where wealth has been accumulated through extracting value rather than creating it. The owner who builds a successful engineering firm, software company or manufacturing business enriches not only themselves but also employees, suppliers, pension funds

and the Treasury. A society that ceases to admire productive success will eventually produce less of it.

Tim Williams Aberdeen

Sir, Your leading article is right that Labour risks treating profit itself as the villain ('Labour's Dirty Word', Aug 5). But why pick supermarkets and petrol stations? These are the easy cases. They are competitive markets, with thin margins, and rivals keeping everyone honest. I've spent 30 years running fare and ticketing systems across rail and London transport, both public and private. The harder case is the one that actually explains why the public doesn't trust profit — where competition is weak or absent, or where there is no day-to-day rival for customers to switch to utilities, rail, the contracted edges of the public sector. There the question isn't public versus private, it's earned versus extracted profit. Profit from genuine efficiency, investment or risk, while delivering to a contracted standard, deserves celebrating, whoever earns it. Profit paid out while assets are run down or standards missed is something else entirely. Neither

free-market nor anti-market rhetoric should be allowed to blur the two.

The chant in Orwells Animal Farm started as 'four legs good, two legs bad' and ended as a reason to stop checking either. Britain has done the same with 'public good, private bad' Labour should drop it.

Antony Lain Former CEO, TranSys/Oyster joint venture for Transport for London; former CEO, National Rail ticketing and systems; London NW5

Sir, A wealth tax would introduce an additional unfairness between the pensions of public and private sector employees. Many private sector employees have saved into lcas and self-invested pension plans, and when they retire they live off the income from these portfolios during their old age. These portfolios look like 'wealth' to HMRC and are an easy target to tax. A public sector employee, whose inflation-linked pension would cost many hundreds of thousands of pounds if purchased as an annuity, has no such visible 'wealth' of this type and would not suffer from a wealth tax.

Richard Tweed FCA Croydon

Message of Ceuta

Sir, Further to William Hague's column on the implications of the mass border crossing at Ceuta, the real solution lies in addressing the underlying causes of migration at source ('Ceuta is a warning the West cannot ignore', Aug 4). Most migrants, like most people, would rather make a life at home, but a combination of climate change-induced drought, high population growth and conflict makes them despair of being able to do so. The best solution, therefore, is to address those problems in, or near, their home countries by creating and sustaining employment opportunities and investing in local infrastructure.

Comparison and self-interest point in the same direction, but no one country can make a difference on its own. Hence the West needs to act collectively, urgently and with a clear focus that recognises that the best defence against illegal migration is not rhetoric or photocalls at Dover but a helping hand to make it easier for people to stay at home.

Tom Kelly Prime minister's official spokesman 2001-07; Coleraine, Northern Ireland

Autism definition

Sir, As a retired head teacher of a special residential/day school for pupils with a diagnosis of autism (the majority of whom required lifelong care), I totally agree with Professor Dame Uta Frith's comments ('Diagnosis of autism is so wide it risks being useless', Aug 4). One of the many consequences of a 'catch-all' diagnosis is that valuable resources are being diverted away from children and adults who require lifelong care. The definition of autism must be divided into clearer groups. This would be beneficial to all those who are at present defined as being on the autistic spectrum.

Brian Brayford Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan

Education debate

Sir, I agree with Dave Halliwell (letter, Aug 4) that a missing piece of the jigsaw in the Michael Gove versus Lucy Powell debate on improving education is parenting. However, the final missing piece is surely truancy. To avoid a life of crime or one stuck

on benefits, the young need more education, not less. Numeracy and literacy should be tackled head on. There must be harsh penalties for school non-attendance and tailored programmes for failing children, if necessary from the age of four. This country offers a free first-class education to every child. They should be encouraged to use it.

Julia Jeffries Hartfield, E Sussex

Middlesbrough man

Sir, The one-off that was Rod Liddle was well captured in your obituary, Fraser Nelson's appreciation and your quotes from others who worked with him (Aug 4; letter, Aug 5). But an element of his writing that could easily be forgotten was his observations on Middlesbrough, Salthurn, Redcar and that area generally. As one who, through marriage, became very familiar with Middlesbrough, I have long known it as one of Britain's most overlooked towns. Rod helped to redress that. His efforts will be missed.

Professor Sir Roger Williams Caversham, Reading

THROUGH THE EYE OF A GLOW-WORM

FROM THE TIMES AUGUST 6, 1926

The various sections of the British Association settled down yesterday to their respective tasks, and a busy day's programme included the addresses of six sectional presidents.

The Prince of Wales made a tour of a number of the sections. He visited the Geographical Section just in time to hear the presidential address delivered by Mr Ormsby-Gore, and he spent half an hour in the Forestry Section.

In the Section of Anthropology one of the most interesting topics was the skull of Noanderthal type found by Miss DAE Garrond on a site

at Gibraltar, which was originally discovered in 1917 by the Abbe Breuil. In the section of Chemistry an account of an examination of an ancient Egyptian cosmetic was contained in a paper prepared by Mr A Chaston Chapman and Dr H Plenderleith. It was stated that the discovery by Dr Howard Carter of a sealed cosmetic jar of calcite in the tomb of Tutankhamen at Luxor presented a unique opportunity for examining an ancient fatty substance which had not entirely decomposed.

The wastage that occurs owing to defective knowledge of the conditions affecting the quality of fruit carried in refrigerating chambers on board ship, and the attempts which are being made to solve the problems involved, formed the subject of a joint contribution to the Section of Engineering by Dr Ezer Griffiths and Mr Edgar A Griffiths.

Dr H Eltringham, in the Zoology Section, exhibited a unique

photograph, which was taken by using the eye of a glow-worm instead of the ordinary lens of a camera. The projection on the screen proved to be a fairly clear and easily recognizable portrait.

'Our Coming Total Eclipse' was the title of a paper read by Professor HH Turner before the members of the Mathematics and Physics Section. He said that Spain had total eclipses in 1900 and 1905, and England had total eclipses in 1715 and 1724, but for 200 years we had not again been favoured, nor should we be favoured (after next year) for another 200 years at least. But on June 29, 1927, a total eclipse track would cross England from Southport to West Hartlepool; and those who stationed themselves on that line would see the sun totally eclipsed soon after his rising.

THE TIMES.COM/ARCHIVE

The dying art of conversation

Sir, It's terrifying just how accurate James Marriott's piece is on the dying art of conversation ('In the silence, you can hear society crumble', Aug 4; letter, Aug 5). Something that he doesn't specifically mention is the extent to which our lack of clut-chat is affecting relationships across different generations. Conversation still exists, but it's increasingly being confined within the boundaries of our social circles. Young people like me are engaging in fewer conversations with their elders — and vice versa. The result of this is the intensification of negative stereotypes around each generation, which in turn make it harder for those generations to converse. It's a sad reality and one that I hope many, like Marriott, will fight against, one Uher ride at a time.

Esmie Gordon-Craig (age 24) Tisall, Staffs Sir, May I direct James Marriott to the No 58 bus that links Macclesfield to Buxton, especially on a Saturday? There the art of casual conversation is alive and well. The driver provides a running commentary on the traffic, the Saturday morning cyclists and notable gardens on the route. On the way up the hill all aboard discuss their plans for the day (shopping, 'stag do' pub crawls, matinee performances at the Opera House, lunch). On the way home we all compare notes, purchases and the merits of the many cafés and real ale pubs. There is no silence!

Sue Jones Macclesfield

Manual conversion

Sir, Helen Bell (letter, Aug 5) argues that a one-hour conversion course would not be enough to safely allow a driver with an automatic licence to drive a manual. The AA agrees. The one-hour course would be the assessment preceded by up to ten lessons. This works in Germany. At present 83 per cent of new cars sold are automatic, and the switch to electric and hybrid cars will increase this. With five-month waiting times to book a practical test, we believe this AA Driving School proposal will help those who may occasionally need to drive a manual car for work.

Edmund King AA president

Hat trick

Sir, Like Giles Coren (Notebook, Aug 4), my husband likes a straw hat, but he makes his own from crocoonsia, a common garden perennial. He picks the plant's leaves when they are green and pliable, and plats and baboons them into a brimmed hat. The leaves then dry and fade. When he wears it, he looks not unlike Van Gogh's Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat.

Jane Smillie Radyr, Cardiff

Welsh Star Wars

Sir, If it is proposed to reissue Star Wars: A New Hope in Welsh ('May the force be Cymru', Aug 5), should not the next episode be retitled The Empire Strikes, Buch! Michael Hammerson London N6

Letters to The Times must be exclusive and may be edited. Please include a full address and daytime telephone number.

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Leading articles

Daily Universal Register

Boris Johnson is a speaker at the Young America's Foundation's National Conservative Student Conference in Washington.

Nature notes

By and large the birds have fallen silent. A low profile is essential for them as they undergo a moult that can involve losing so

many feathers that they can barely fly. This doesn't mean there is nothing to listen to. The dog days of summer are a great opportunity to enjoy grasshoppers. The three most common UK species are relatively easy to identify by ear. The field grasshopper, often found in parks and gardens, gives single staccato chirps. The meadow grasshopper is like a novice playing the maracas: you hear short bursts of rapid churning. The common green grasshopper's song is a bicycle's back wheel ticking pleasantly: these calls generally last uninterrupted for 30 seconds and often far longer. JONATHAN TULLOCH

Birthdays today

Sir Chris Bonington, pictured, mountaineer, made the first British ascent of the North Wall of the Eiger (1962), 92; Sir Jonathan Baker, lord justice of appeal, 71; Lord (Guy) Black of

Brentwood, media executive, deputy chairman, Telegraph Media Group, 62; Sir Billy Boston, rugby player, member of the team that won the 1960 rugby league World Cup, 92; Sir Ian Cheshire, chairman, Ofcom, Landsec and Spire Healthcare Group, 67; Mary Davis, chief executive, Special Olympics, 72; Michael Deeley, film producer, Blade Runner (1982), 94; Bill Emmott, editor-in-chief, The Economist (1993-2006), author, Deterrence, Diplomacy and the Risk of Conflict over Taiwan (2024), 70; Romola Garai, actress, Becoming Elizabeth (2022), 46; Joe Glanfield, sailor, two-time Olympic silver medallist, 47; Lord (Andrew) Green of Doddington, co-founder (2001) and president, MigrationWatch UK (think tank), 85; Geri Halliwell-Herner, singer, Spice Girls, Wannabe (1996), 54; Prof Sir James Hough, physicist, a leader in the field of gravitational wave physics, 81; Conor McPherson, playwright, The Writ (1997), and director, 55; Kulidas Madhayeddi, chairman, Glencore, 71; Richard Prince, painter and photographer, 77; Paul Roseby, chief executive and artistic director, National Youth Theatre, and broadcaster, 60; Chris Sherwood, chief executive, National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, RSPCA (2018-25), 46; M Night Siyamalan, film director, Trop (2024), 56; Mary Ann Sieghart, writer and broadcaster, 65; Robin van Persie, footballer, Netherlands (2005-17), Manchester United (2012-15), 43; Roger Weatherby, chairman, Weatherbys Banking Group, senior steward, The Jockey Club (2014-19), 64; Michelle Yeoh, actress, Everything Everywhere All at Once (2023, best actress Oscar), 64.

On this day

In 1926 Gertrude 'Trudy' Ederle, an US Olympic gold medallist, became the first woman to swim the Channel. Her time of 14 hours and 31 minutes was achieved in rough conditions and broke the men's record. After arriving near Dover, an immigration officer demanded to see her passport.

The last word

'The sea is as near as we come to another world,' Anne Stevenson, poet and writer, North Sea Off Carnoustie (1977)

Borrowing Bonanza

Flexing fiscal rules to invest in infrastructure may have some merit. But any new borrowing is still borrowing and the UK's debt pile remains dangerously high

During Rishi Sunak's time as chancellor and later prime minister, the scale of the UK's debt pile was said to have kept him awake at night. He was worried, rightly, that the vast interest payments were stilling growth, limiting spending elsewhere, and risked spiralling out of control with even the slightest change to interest rates. After the pandemic, when borrowing rose by some £400 billion, debt came near to 100 per cent of GDP for the first time in decades. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, especially on the question of whether propping up swathes of the economy during the restrictions was the right thing to do. But there is no dispute that it left the UK's economy exposed.

In the present financial year, the debt interest bill is set to hit £112.8 billion — the second highest on record after Mr Sunak broke the record for the average annual debt payment. The cost of servicing this debt is vast, the equivalent of the budget of HS2 (even considering its vast cost overruns). Or it is equivalent, according to the TaxPayers' Alliance, to filling every pothole in England and Wales nearly six times over. Such is the scale of debt now that £1 in every dozen spent by the government goes on paying the interest. Debt has, however, begun to fall quickly and in the next budget on October 28, this trajectory must continue.

Instead of acknowledging the great cost of debt, John Healey is thinking about expanding it. As this newspaper reported yesterday, the chancellor is examining how to fiddle with his fiscal rules to raise an extra £9 billion a year by 2031 by reclassifying spending on infrastructure as 'assets' that can be offset against borrowing. The same may be applied to equity in companies. This idea was explainably Rachel Reeves when as chancellor she considered channelling the funds through state institutions such as the National Wealth Fund and the British Business Bank. She did not last long enough to try it out.

Mr Healey has spoken of the need for flexibility within the fiscal constraints to borrow more. Lord O'Neill of Gaffey, an informal economic adviser to the prime minister, is backing the plan. In the context of £113 billion of debt, an extra £9 billion is not a vast sum. And were it to be used to help fix the UK's allied infrastructure — such as building reservoirs, improving the electricity grid and expanding road capacity — it could prove beneficial. But the notion that the government should be picking winners through equity in startups is less wise. Be it the DeLorean Motor Company or British Steel, experience suggests that such state interference probably does little good.

There is a simple truth, however, behind Mr Healey's idea: more borrowing, however it is dressed up, is still more borrowing. And more borrowing will mean more expensive interest payments. The same can be said of another new idea to introduce 'war bonds' to fund higher defence spending. The ruse to offset new 'assets' may allow the Burnham government to say it has not broken its fiscal rules. But the test will be whether it is accepted by the bond markets, which are carefully watching the government's actions — especially whether the chancellor maintains enough fiscal headroom to cope with any turbulence.

The Resolution Foundation, an economic think tank, has said the critical question for this plan is whether returns from extra spending will ultimately boost productivity. This is indeed the test. But a more important test is whether Mr Healey is prepared to trim back day-to-day spending. The chancellor has written to ministers to warn them that a boat of belt-tightening across Whitehall is approaching. The government must explain to the country that the state is doing too much. Whether it is the NHS, benefits or the state pension, spending is too high. For the UK to avoid fiscal disaster, it must be restrained if the debt pile is ever to shrink. Rising borrowing cannot continue indefinitely.

Dubious Don

Jason Arday's resignation leaves questions for Cambridge to answer

The unravelling of Jason Arday's career quickly took on bewildering proportions. A poster child for the vaguish diversity, equity and inclusion agenda, Mr Arday was appointed to a prestigious sociology chair at Cambridge University in 2023 — the youngest black professor in the institution's history.

What made his meteoric rise all the more inspiring was Mr Arday's inauspicious back story: illiterate, he claims, until the age of 18, he came to elite academia by the roundabout route of an early career as a PE teacher.

In recent weeks, however, serious allegations came to light about the standing of Mr Arday's scholarship, including accusations that he plagiarised large parts of his PhD thesis and later published work and engaged in other forms of scholarly embellishment. Yesterday, he finally did the right thing and resigned.

Wider scrutiny did not do Mr Arday any favours. His remarkable life story, the subject of a forthcoming memoir, raised eyebrows: Mr Arday claims to have raised £5.5 million for charity — in one instance by running 300 miles in three days,

a feat that would make him one of the world's most gifted long-distance athletes. The charity WaterAid, for which Mr Arday claims to have worked in west Africa, says it has no record of sending him, or any volunteers, abroad. Though tangential to professional malpractice, the accumulation of seemingly fantastical detail in Mr Arday's CV made for a concerning pattern.

The most serious questions concerned Mr Arday's academic integrity. Two institutions — Glasgow University and Ohio State University — where Mr Arday claimed to be a visiting professor now say they have no record of him.

References to an MA degree have also been scrubbed from his staff webpage. Examination of his published work reveals dozens of instances in which evidence is treated in a seemingly inconsistent or shoddy way.

Cambridge University, which belatedly launched an investigation, must get to the bottom of how Mr Arday was ever appointed to such a senior position in the first place. That includes his outrageous suggestion that the allegations against him were evidence of an 'insidious and relentless

strategy' to remove black academics 'under the guise of academic integrity'. On an impartial assessment of the mounting evidence, that conspiracist claim did not survive scrutiny. Yet, Cambridge indulged it.

The university has not handled this crisis deftly. Allegations that a star scholar has repeatedly engaged in such behaviours have done enormous damage to its reputation. Instead of treating them seriously in the first instance, Cambridge's reflexive response was to uncritically side with Mr Arday and bolster his baseless claim to being the victim of a journalists: 'smear campaign'.

The reality could not have been more different. It has emerged that a reporter at Times Higher Education, who was doing his professional duty in looking into anomalies in Mr Arday's CV, was subjected to a four-month police investigation for allegedly harassing him. Such action is a clear misuse of police time.

Cambridge University has much to explain. The damage it has done to other minorities, by promoting someone so seemingly unsuitable for a professorship, will be hard to repair.

Burnham on Leave

Do prime ministers' summer holidays reveal their politics and personalities?

The government will function normally while the new prime minister is away on holiday. Downing Street has solemnly announced. Of course it will. The Inizona reassurance is evidence not only of the assumption nowadays that all decisions must be personally taken by the PM and that the moment he steps out of No 10 — or, in this case, the Downing Street of the north — paralysis will follow. It also is an attempt to quell the carping of those who, for petty political motives, are eager to portray Andy Burnham as indolent for taking a holiday only two weeks into the job.

Everyone needs a break. But where and when

prime ministers go to relax has become an issue freighted with symbolism. Some scorned patriotically reluctant to leave the country. Harold Wilson, eager to bolster his man-of-the-people image, donned shorts and sandals on the beach of his beloved 'Jolly Isles' David Cameron often favoured Cornwall. Ted Heath captained Morning Cloud around Britain's wider seas. And Boris Johnson hired a hide-away in Scotland — inevitably revealed by the paparazzi — before deciding the Costa del Sol was more fun.

Others, however, lived it up: Tony Blair in Sardinia or Barbados at the expense of Silvio Ber-

Lusconi and Sir Cliff Richard. Rishi Sunak left at home in California. Theresa May, more modestly, was content to hike through Alpine pastures. But two prime ministers abhorred holidays. Gordon Brown, dourly dutiful, was persuaded once to go to Southwold, where he was spotted on the Suffolk beach in a formal jacket. He preferred to stay at No 10. And Margaret Thatcher, seeing holidays as a dereliction of duty, once booked a ten-day break in Corsica but came home after four, saying that she and Denis had 'done' the island. Inevitably the analysts will be parsing Mr Burnham's still unknown destination for clues about Britain's future.

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World

Democrats split after another win for populist left

George Grylls Washington

A progressive who wants to introduce wealth taxes for billionaires and end US military aid to Israel has won the Michigan Senate primary in a sharp blow to the Democratic establishment.

Abdul el-Sayed, 41, defeated his opponent Haley Stevens in a rancorous battle between Democrat progressives and moderates to prove their electability in a key swing state.

Having secured the Democratic nomination, Sayed is aiming to become America's first Muslim senator, although first he must defeat the Republican candidate Mike Rogers in a mid-term race that could decade whether the Democrats recapture the Senate.

His narrow win — securing 48.5 per cent of the vote compared with 47.5 per cent for Stevens — will worry the Democratic Party establishment and encourage progressives who believe a left-wing candidate such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez should run for president in 2028.

However, his victory was much closer than polls predicted and takes some of the momentum out of the progressive wave that has swept America since Zohran Mandaris's election as mayor of New York last year.

In his victory speech, Sayed said he 'took on the machine' in a 'crucial, bitter and divisive' campaign where his opponent was funded by 'corporations and special interests' as he paid tribute to his mentor, Bernie Sanders, the left-wing Vermont senator, whom he described as the 'OG'.

'What we showed is that the power of our many is greater than the power of their money,' he said, echoing Jeremy Corbyus slogan from Labour's losing 2017 election campaign.

He suggested that the Republican Party had attempted to run a racist campaign by using his full name 'Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed', in the same manner that President Trump referred to 'Barack Hussein Obama'. 'If you can't say the name Abdulrahman, keep the damn name out your mouth,' he said.

Students at the University of Michigan and Michigan State University supported Sayed's campaign, while moderate black voters in Detroit turned out in large numbers for Stevens, the four-term congresswoman.

The late counting in Wayne County, which covers Detroit, complicated progressive attempt to portray the race as a thumping victory. The heart of America's automotive industry, Detroit, has a majority black population but has

a significant Arab-American community concentrated in the suburb of Dearborn.

There have been tensions between the two communities during the race. One African-American voter who spoke to The Times last week said that Sayed's 'culture doesn't have respect for women'.

Republicans appeared delighted with Sayed's victory because it gives President Trump further ammunition to paint the Democrats as extremists before November's elections.

Reacting to the outcome yesterday, Trump called Sayed a 'communist' and warned of a 'rigged election' in November. 'The Radical Left Socialist has a real shot, and don't discount all of those fake mail-in ballots that will 'surprisingly' show up at the last moment,' he posted on Truth Social. He called Detroit 'one of the most corrupt voting areas in the United States' and 'strictly Third World'.

Sayed, the son of an Egyptian engi-

Michigan Senate results

Democratic primary

Abdul el-Sayed

760,950 votes (48.5%)

Haley Stevens

726,057 (47.5%)

Mallory McMorrow

61,250 (4%)

800, 995 of votes counted

Source: Associated Press

neer who emigrated to Detroit in the 1970s, received a medical degree from the University of Michigan before winning a Rhodes Scholarship to Oriel College Oxford, where he earned a blue captaining the lacrosse team.

He lectured in epidemiology at Columbia University in New York, before returning to Michigan and being appointed head of Detroit's public health department at the age of 30.

An Arabic speaker with a talent for producing viral social media videos, he went weightlifting with Hasan Piker, the influential pro-Palestinian podcaster, last year.

As a swing state that voted for President Trump in 2024, Michigan is more electorally significant than New York, where Mandaris election as mayor last year set off a flurry of socialist wins.

After that victory, left-wingers affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America (Sayed is politically aligned with the

Abdul el-Sayed is aiming to become America's first Muslim senator

group, but not a member) chalked up primary wins in safe Democrat districts from Brooklyn to Denver that were dominated by college-educated liberals.

However, progressives are yet to prove their mettle in a swing state and a November victory for Sayed in Michigan would offer some proof that left-wingers can win over Trump voters.

For that reason, the two likeliest progressive candidates in 2028 — Ocasio-Cortez and Ro Khanna, the California congressman — both endorsed Sayed and travelled to Michigan to campaign alongside him.

A DSA candidate, Donavan McKinney, also won a House primary in Detroit on Tuesday, defeating his moderate opponent Shri Thanedar in Michigan's 13th district.

Moderates argue that Sayed's narrow victory does not mean a leftwards shift, pointing to the fact that centrist candidates are standing for the Democrats in many of the other significant midterm Senate races, including North Carolina, Ohio, Alaska, Texas and Iowa.

On the same night that Sayed won in Michigan, a primary in Missouri's first congressional district went against the party's left wing, after Cori Bush, a former Black Lives Matter activist, failed in her attempt to regain her seat from Wesley Bell, a pro-Israel moderate.

'Sayed is going to make the case that his win is the bellwether for the rest of the country,' said Matt Bennett, a former Democrat staffer for Bill Clinton, who works for Third Way, a moderate think tank. 'I think this is a massive overinterpretation.'

Nevertheless, the fact that Stevens, who received more than $30 million from the pro-Israel lobby group Aipac and outspent Sayed nine to one, failed to defeat him suggests that any Democratic candidate arguing for a continuation of American military aid to Israel will struggle to get the party's nomination in 2028. 'Aipac is only dropping money in this race because they want us to be focused on what's happening over there,' Sayed told the Times before polling day.

Left-wing activists are determined to sever the Democrats' ties to Israel and an attempted terror attack on a synagogue in Detroit this year did little to affect Sayed's momentum in a state with a large Arab diaspora.

Many pollsters still believe the most important factor in November's mid-term will be Trump's popularity. The president remains increasingly unpopular — hitting a second-term low of -20.6 this week, according to the Silver Bulletin average of approval ratings.

As midterm elections tend to favour the party that does not hold the White House, Democrats may still feel confident of success, even though moderates believe Sayed will be a tougher will to swing voters in Michigan than Stevens would have been.

'They killed my family, Revenge is our only option'

Afghans count cost as conflict with Pakistan escalates, writes Anthony Loyd in Mandekhail

It was after 11pm when the first Pakistani bomb hit the roof of a house where 35 men, women and children lay sleeping. It blew the building apart and all but three were wounded or killed. Among the victims was Najma, a three-year-old girl, whose arm was torn off, and Luqman, a 12-year-old boy, who was killed in his bed.

Villagers ran to the debris to pull out survivors. Then the second bomb landed. The heat of the blast set some people on fire; others were torn apart. As the cries of the wounded rose up, flames illuminated a vista of rubble and bodies.

Pakistan's 'double-tap' airstrike on Mandekhail, in Afghanistan's Paktia province, killed 17 and left more than a hundred wounded. More than a month later, many remain in hospital with life-changing injuries.

Far from being an isolated incident, the attack on June 28 is part of a pattern of escalating violence between Afghanistan's Taliban government and its former ally Pakistan. In a report published last week, the United Nations assistance mission in Afghanistan said that 499 Afghan civilians had been killed and 1216 wounded during the past nine months in fighting between the neighbouring countries. Most were killed in airstrikes.

Pakistan commonly claims that Afghan casualties are militants from the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a proscribed Pakistani Taliban organisation that often takes refuge in Afghanistan's border areas. Formed in 2007, the group is committed to overthrowing Pakistan's government, and its presence in Afghanistan is the main reason for the present conflict.

In Pakistan, dozens of soldiers were

killed last month in TTP attacks and four days ago, a TTP suicide bomber killed 17 people in an attack on a police station in Swat.

Yet accounts from survivors of the June 28 airstrike on Mandekhail who spoke to The Times suggested that the TTP had no presence in the village. Instead, the strike appears to have been yet another punitive or mistaken attack on civilians who had no involvement in the conflict.

'The Pakistanis blasted my home and family, and killed my brother,' said Altaullah Malyar, 16, as he stood in the wreckage of the bedroom where his younger brother Luqman was killed as he slept. 'The Pakistanis are our great enemy,' Altaullah added, a flash of anger in his eyes. 'We can never trust them. We have no other recourse than revenge.'

Mandekhail is a Pashtun village of more than a thousand people in the southeastern foothills of the Hindu Kush. Some of its elders fought against Soviet troops during the 1979-89 occupation but the area around it was largely peaceful during the US-led occupation in 2001-21, and it escaped airstrikes or bombs.

That all changed on June 28, when the village celebrated the return of one of its residents, Haji Hassan, from his pilgrimage to Mecca. In keeping with tradition, scores of locals drove out from the village to accompany him home from the haj.

In a country that has seen wedding parties and civic ceremonies bombed by the US because drones mistook them for militant assemblies, the celebration might have been enough in the eyes of Pakistani drones to target Mandekhail.

Some survivors believe the celebratory convoy was mistakenly identified as a TTP cortège. Most think they were merely a convenient target for Pakistani vengeance.

The airstrike hit a house occupied by three brothers — Racha Khan, Bismillah Khan and Qari Abdullah — their children and families. 'It wasn't a misunderstanding,' said Fathullah Darwish, 28, a doctor and Racha Khan's son, who was asleep on the ground floor with his wife and

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27

Ancient lost statue muscles its way back into limelight Page 29

Thousands went back but not the children Page 30

ANTHONY LOVE FOR THE TIMES, ALANP. AFFI/GETTY IMAGES

Attaullah Malyar, 16, stands in the wreckage of the bedroom where his brother was killed in a strike on a house, top left. Below, mourners at the funeral for the victims

two infant daughters when the first bomb hit. “Nor were there any TTP in our house. The Pakistanis hit us out of convenience because they were unable to fight our government’s forces.”

The blast broke Darwis’is leg and ribs and lacerated his arm and the tendons in his hand. His wife and daughters remain in hospital with serious injuries.

Although it sometimes imprisoned Taliban commanders or traded their whereabouts to US forces, Pakistan was the Taliban’s biggest regional supporter.

However, since the Taliban’s return to power five years ago, the former friends have fallen out. The Taliban reasserted their independence and rejected Pakistan’s interference in their affairs. The Taliban’s blossoming relationship with India further antagonised the Pakistanis. Indian and Afghan ministers have met regularly since last year, and trade between the two countries surpassed $1.5 billion in the past financial year.

The TTP proved to be the final straw in the relationship. Pakistan has long accused the Taliban of

providing refuge inside Afghanistan for the TTP, from where it launches terrorist attacks on its neighbour.

Tensions increased sharply last October when Pakistan launched airstrikes on what it said were TTP targets in Afghanistan. The Taliban struck back. Over two days, dozens of fighters from both sides, including at least 23 Pakistani soldiers, were killed in clashes along the frontier.

The violence has escalated since, notably in March when 269 civilians, most of them patients, were killed in a Pakistani airstrike on a drug rehabilitation centre in Kabul. Islamabad has also forcibly returned to its neighbour more than a million Afghan refugees who had sought sanctuary in Pakistan.

The fallout from the conflict has hit Afghanistan hard. Now that its border with Pakistan is closed, and the US conflict with Iran is disrupting trade, its economy is in turmoil. More than 17 million of its 45 million people are facing acute hunger, and millions more are at risk of severe malnutrition.

“The strikes have stunted the Afghan government’s effort to

become a regional trade hub for central Asia,” Ibraheen Bahiss, an analyst at the International Crisis Group, said. “It has reintroduced war to the country. Pakistani jets have bombed downtown Kabul and Kandahar. Psychologically, Afghans are no longer sure about the [Taliban’s] staying power.”

An insurgency against the Taliban in Badakhshan, a northeastern province, grew last month, pitting anti-Taliban fighters from the Afghanistan Freedom Front against government forces. Some see the hidden hand of Pakistan fomenting civil unrest to weaken the Taliban.

Yet even as violence returns to their lives, some Afghans see the depredations of war as a lesser evil beside the hardships of the peace.

Gul Afiar, 40, was one of the Mandekhail villagers who rushed to pull survivors from the rubble on June 28. He was seriously injured by the second bomb and spent 19 days in hospital before returning home. He said: “We do not want a return to war ... We want peace, but what can we do with a peace with permanent hunger?”

Debris from SpaceX rocket crashes into the moon

Jacqui Goddard Miami

A SpaceX rocket segment left over from a lunar-landing mission has crashed into the moon at 5,400mph.

The collision at 7.35am BST yesterday produced a blast roughly equivalent to 15,000 sticks of dynamite and a debris plume that scientists believed may stretch up to 62 miles high.

Imagery from Nasa and a South Korean satellite are expected over the coming days, potentially yielding a trove of valuable scientific data.

“Because the timing, location and speed of the crash are known in advance, this event is a rare opportunity to learn about impact physics, the properties of lunar soil, planetary protection and the safety of future operations on the lunar surface,” said William Jo, a researcher in aerospace engineering at the University of Texas, Austin.

The impact was set to occur near the moon’s Einstein Crater, which was created by a natural impact possibly billions of years ago. Its location is close to the moon’s visible western limb.

More than 60 items of human-made space junk have crashed on the moon since 1959 when Luna 2, an uncrewed Soviet craft, intentionally impacted the surface. It was during the early days of the space race between the Soviet Union and the United States and aimed to demonstrate Soviet technological capability, in addition to collecting scientific data.

Between 1970 and 1972, during Nasa’s Apollo lunar exploration era, the upper stages of the rockets that launched men to the moon were deliberately slammed into the surface to create moonquakes, to calibrate the seismometers that crews left there for scientific research.

The unplanned impact involved the discarded part of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, in January 2025, carrying Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lunar lander.

The lander touched down on the moon in March 2025. The 13.7m (45ft) rocket stage that helped to propel it off the earth was meant to have fallen away and eventually burn up in Earth’s atmosphere. For reasons unknown, it remained in space and spent the months since being dragged closer and closer to the moon.

Bill Gray of Project Pluto, a website for amateur astronomers, said: “If this object had hit the earth, as most upper stages do, it would have burnt up in the upper atmosphere on re-entering and simply added some fine dust up there. Since this object is instead hitting the moon, there will be a sudden impact, a flash of light and then some lunar rock blasted out of a crater at high speed, with no air resistance to slow it down.”

The chances of people on Earth being able to see the impact flash were “slim, though not impossible”, Gray said.

“If we have humans on the moon in the coming years, we might start to worry more about this sort of thing. But it won’t be a problem on August 5... it doesn’t present any danger to anyone, though it does highlight a certain carelessness about how leftover space hardware is disposed of,” he added.

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Glamorous blogger on mission to make Putin’s war trendy

For years, the face of Kremlin propaganda has been aggressive state television presenters who threaten to reduce western countries to radioactive wastelands and portray President Putin as Russia’s saviour (Marc Bennetts writes).

Russians who get their information mainly from state television are the most enthusiastic supporters of the war in Ukraine, surveys by the Levada Centre, an independent pollster in Moscow, show. Yet as the war grinds on, into its fifth year, the Kremlin is eager to connect with social media users, whose views are not always in tune with the party line.

That is where Maria Chadina, an influential

blogger with hundreds of thousands of online followers, comes in. A former lifestyle blogger, Chadina, 25, is married to a Russian soldier and has been accused by Novaya Gazeta Europe, an exiled opposition website, of seeking to make the Kremlin’s brutal war seem “glamorous and trendy”.

The website wrote: “A well-groomed young woman with flawless make-up and a velvety voice ... Chadina alternates posts about love and family life with claims that there is no political repression in Russia, that Ukraine has no state sovereignty, and that there will be no new wave of mobilisation. Her blog demonstrates how ‘Z-patriotism’ can be fashionable, cosmopolitan, and

Maria Chadina has hundreds of thousands of online followers and posts videos of herself and her soldier husband

“Europeanised.”

Born in 2000 — the year that Putin came to power — in Obninsk, 60 miles from Moscow, Chadina only began posting about politics and the war last year.

She has already gained almost 400,000 followers on Instagram. Although the US social media website is banned

in Russia, it is accessible with VPN software.

Among her most popular posts are videos of her reuniting with her husband, Vladimir, when he is allowed home on leave. She refuses to speak to “liberal” media outlets and has said that she was proud to be called a Kremlin agent.

“I genuinely believe that the Russian people have a specific, sacred mission. Part of that mission is to fight against these monsters,” she said in an interview, referring to Ukraine and its western allies. She has advised Russians not to question the Kremlin. “The leadership knows best,” she added.

In May she was given an award at a ceremony in Moscow sponsored by the Kremlin-backed Institute of Internet Development for the fastest-growing political blog last year. She dedicated the award to her husband. “Victory will be ours,” she said. Chadina’s rise to prominence has been

helped by Base Media, a Moscow-based PR agency whose clients include other pro-Kremlin figures.

A source at Dialog, an organisation which helps the Kremlin to influence social media, told Novaya Gazeta Europe: “Her channel and videos hit the mark: a sweet, beautiful young wife of a soldier fighting in the ‘special military operation’, and a patriot.”

Yulia Akhmedova, the journalist who compiled the website’s profile of Chadina, wrote: “This is the most dangerous form of propaganda: people get so caught up in the beautiful imagery they fail to analyse what Maria is saying.”

The registered owner of Base Media is the mother of Sargis Mirzakhanian, a political strategist who was accused in 2023 by the US-based Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project of involvement in an attempt to promote pro-Moscow views among European politicians. He did not comment on the allegations.

Among Chadina’s online followers are the female relatives of soldiers, including those who have been killed in action.

Not all social media users are fans, however. “This young woman is dangerous ... with her languid delivery she instills a false sense of security in those at risk of being mobilised.”

Russians social media user wrote. Chadina said on her Telegram channel: “They are afraid of me!”

Zelensky pleads for missile defences

Ukraine

Catherine Philp Kyiv

President Zelensky pleaded with allies to send US-made Patriot interceptors after Ukraine ran out of stocks, leaving the capital defenceless against a massive ballistic attack that killed at least 17 people.

The overnight attack on Kyiv was the one of the most intense in a weeks-long campaign by Russia to exhaust Ukraine’s air defences with salvos of ballistic missiles.

Ukraine was unable to shoot down any of the 28 Russian missiles fired at the capital last night after running out of interceptors for the Patriot system, the only air defence capable of shooting down high-speed ballistic missiles.

“Ballistic interceptors are what could have saved the lives of those killed today,” Zelensky said in a social media post confirming the attack.

“It is very important for partners to realise that delays in their deliveries or failure to provide anti-ballistic measures lead to such terrible casualties.”

Zelensky added that supplies of air defence missiles had dropped threefold this year compared with last year while Russia has stepped up its use of ballistic missiles. Global shortages of the Patriot

interceptors have been exacerbated by the war in Iran which has seen the United States and Gulf allies rely on the systems to see off Iranian missiles and drones. Ukraine has received 600 Patriot missiles throughout the entire war, compared with the 800 used to repel Iranian strikes in the first few days of that conflict alone, according to American media.

On Saturday, after strikes that killed nine in Kyiv, Zelensky revealed those stocks were now exhausted. “Only one ballistic missile was intercepted simply because there are no interceptors for the Patriot systems,” he wrote.

Ukraine is one of about 20 countries waiting for Patriot interceptors, which can take more than two years to manufacture and cost about $4 million per round.

At last month’s Nato summit in Ankara, President Trump said that Washington would grant Ukraine a licence to produce the interceptors domestically, only to walk that promise back last week, saying: “Those people that you give that technology, they can someday turn on you.”

Many European Nato member states have Patriot missiles in their arsenal which they could transfer to Ukraine with US permission. Since Trump cut

aid to Ukraine, European allies have bought American hardware including Patriots before handing them to Kyiv.

But critically low stocks worldwide have left states nervous of parting with their own interceptors for fear they would not be able to replace them.

Patriot production runs at about 620 missiles a year and efforts to scale that up will take up to four years.

That has left Ukrainian civilians facing the consequences. Last week ten members of the same family were killed in a Russian strike on their village in southern Ukraine by a North Korean

ballistic missile. At the Nato summit, Zelensky described Moscow’s ballistic arsenal as Russia’s last advantage, adding: “We are capable of doing everything else ourselves, but when it comes to air defence we need our partners’ determination.”

During a visit to Washington last week for the funeral of the pro-Ukrainian senator Lindsey Graham, Zelensky asked Trump to secure Elon Musk’s permission for Ukraine to use his Starlink internet service inside Russia to strike its missile launchers.

While Musk has reluctantly given

Ukraine permission to use the system for drone operations, he has balked at allowing its use for offensive operations deep inside Russia. Taking the fight to Russian launch sites could help get around Ukraine’s dependence on Patriot supplies.

Ukraine is working on its own native anti-ballistic defence system in partnership with European governments.

The Freyja missile defence project was launched in Paris last month by ten European governments and 12 defence firms. But it is not expected to be ready for use until next year.

The overnight attack on Kyiv lasted more than two hours, striking transport and commercial premises including warehouses belonging to the Ukraine private courier service Nova Poshta.

Last month, Kyiv began a drone campaign targeting the Russian e-retaler Wildberries which has supplied dual-use items including drone components to the military. After the US launched its war on Iran this year, Ukraine dispatched teams of military advisers to the Gulf to share its expertise on countering Iranian attack drones.

Zelensky said then that he expected governments to reciprocate Ukraine’s assistance by sharing the more advanced missiles it was running out of.

Firefighters at the site of a Russian missile strike yesterday, a ballistic missile attack that lasted more than two hours and killed at least 17 people

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The bronze reconstruction of the Canon of Polykleitos is on display at the Palestra Grande in Pompeii. The head was reproduced from a bronze bust found at a villa in Herculaneum, below

Ancient lost statue muscles its way back into limelight

Italy James Imam Milan

In the fifth century BC, a Greek sculptor created a vision of the human body so perfectly balanced that it would define the course of western sculpture for the next two millennia.

Known as the Canon, after the treatise in which its creator, Polykleitos, distilled the mathematical principles behind human form, the statue portrayed a muscular young man with a javelin slung over his shoulder. The statue, often referred to as Doryphoros, inspired countless marble copies during antiquity, helping to establish an ideal of beauty later embraced by Michelangelo and Raphael.

Yet the original masterpiece disappeared centuries ago.

Now, after more than 2,000 years, archaeologists in Pompeii believe they have come closer to recreating it. Drawing on the finest surviving Roman copies, they have produced a new bronze reconstruction they say challenges modern assumptions about how people in the ancient world understood beauty.

"Research in Pompeii is much more than excavations and telling the story of ancient life," Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director of the archaeological park in Pompeii, said. "If we want to continue studying Greek art, it could be a good idea to look at Pompeii, Herculaneum and Stabiae."

The new bronze statue displayed at the park was largely modelled on a marble copy of the Canon discovered at Pompeii in 1793 — the most complete

version of about 50 known copies. The head was based on a bronze bust found at a villa in Herculaneum, another nearby archaeological site, chosen because it was considered an "excellent copy" in the original material.

Nineteenth-century casts of both works, produced by a Naples foundry, provided an additional reference.

Using the same technique as Polykleitos, craftsmen sculpted a full wax statue, covered it in clay and heated it in a furnace so that the wax melted away. Molten bronze was then poured into the empty mould before the shell was broken away to reveal the newly created statue.

Using polychromy, the ancient technique of decoration in many colours, the sculpture was painted in dark tones for the hair and brown pigments for the eyes, likely to reflect what would have been used on the original. The tone of the complexion recalls the faces represented in frescoes at Pompeii.

"This figure represents a young man who could have come from Greece, from Italy, from Syria or Morocco," Zuchtriegel said, noting the spread of the Roman empire. "When we're looking at white marble statues, we're losing the colours and risk losing this Mediterranean vision of beauty and harmony."

Pompeii's research also aims to solve

the puzzle of the statue's identity. For more than a century, scholars have generally treated Doryphoros and Canon as two names for the same work by Polykleitos. However, Zuchtriegel argues that the ancient evidence points to two distinct statues. He notes that Pliny the Elder referred separately to the Doryphoros, describing it as a boy, and the Canon, suggesting they were different works.

Under this reinterpretation, the famous Pompeii statue and its related Roman copies — including the example in the Minneapolis Institute of Art — should be identified as the Canon, not the Doryphoros. Zuchtriegel

instead proposes that the true Doryphoros may have been a different Polykleitan statue type, known as the Westmacott Ephobe, represented by about 50 Roman copies, including the best-known example in the British Museum.

Pompeii's new bronze is being displayed at the Palestra Grande, an ancient gymnasium surrounded by porticoes. Instead of the long spear traditionally associated with the Doryphoros, the figure carries a javelin made of wood, leather and metal, reflecting the team's conclusion about what kind of weapon Canon held.

"These are incredible treasures to understand the history of art in antiquity," Zuchtriegel said.

Rome's street stalls return after tat ban thrown out

James Imam

Rome's traditional souvenir vendors have scored a rare victory in their fight to return to the city's historic centre, after Italy's highest administrative court overturned efforts to remove their stalls from landmarks including the Colosseum, Piazza di Spagna and the Trevi fountain.

In 2014, the city council ordered street vendors selling maps, trinkets and religious items such as statuettes of saints to move their covered stalls away from prime locations in the Unesco-protected historic centre in an effort to curb tourist tat. About 60 vendors were required to relocate. The decision sparked protests and a prolonged court battle between the council and 125 vendors, who have operated in the Eternal City since the Fifth century.

This week, the Council of State ruled that the ban was invalid because the council had failed to adequately consult the sellers. The judgment allows the vendors to return to their original pitches immediately.

Angelo Pavoncello, a spokesperson for the sellers, said: "Justice took a while, but it finally came." He added that the first stalls had already returned to the Colosseum.

Rome authorities have had greater success in tackling a growing imbalance between tourist shops and traditional businesses. In May, after a separate ruling by the Council of State, the city council extended a three-year ban on bricks-and-mortar souvenir shops and small convenience stores opening in the historic centre after their numbers rose to about 3,000. Meanwhile, about 2,000 businesses in the Italian capital close each year as Airbnb lets force up rents, according to the Confederate business association. The group has called for tax breaks and simpler administrative procedures.

Last month, Italy's Marche region passed a so-called "anti-årbah" law that offers financial incentives to shops selling traditional local food.

A souvenir stallholder waits for tourists outside the Colosseum

Bin collectors to the rescue after lottery winner kicks up a stink

James Imam

When a local from Italy's southern Puglia region realised they had accidentally thrown away a lottery ticket worth €1 million they were overcome with disbelief and anguish.

Now the head of a waste disposal company has led a successful operation to recover the ticket from a six-tonne mountain of rubbish, returning it to its owner in the town of Bitonto, and becoming a national hero. "It was won-

derful to see the joy of those who had their hands in the rubbish finding the ticket, because it was as if they had won themselves," said Roberto Toscano, the head of the waste company.

He added: "The winner called me in tears and gave an imaginary hug to all the workers."

Italy's latest millionaire had bought the ticket at a shop and discarded it after reading that it was "non-payable."

The message is reserved for the highest winning sums, which are paid

directly by the lottery rather than retailers, but the ticket holder, who remains anonymous, assumed it meant the ticket was worthless and threw it in a bin as they left the shop.

They realised their mistake when family members pointed out their numbers had been drawn. The winner rushed back to the shop, but by then the rubbish had already been collected.

Toscano was alerted to the problem on Sunday morning. "My first reaction was disbelief, followed by scepticism

that it would be possible to find that piece of paper," he said.

The manager ordered his staff to begin a search. "We are a publicly controlled company," he said. "That sense of responsibility had to be honoured."

Luckily, the waste had not yet been taken to landfill. Staff identified the waste compactor likely to contain the ticket and placed it under "our strictly personal custody", Toscano said. The search was carried out on Tuesday morning, slowly moving the vehicle

forwards so rubbish spread out lengthways rather than piling up.

Those involved wore overalls without pockets and worked with a camera recording. The cost of the operation will be covered by the winner, with expenses expected to run into several tens of thousands of euros.

To celebrate the discovery, the team went for a coffee and Toscano bought his first ever lottery ticket. "You won't believe it, but we won €50, which I left to the workers," he said.

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World-class wines and legendary cuisine, the most spectacular river scenery, verdant landscapes draped in vineyards and honey-coloured medieval towns with intriguing, cobbled lanes - discover one of southern France's most tantalising regions. Departing August to October 2026 and April to October 2027 11 DAYS FROM £3,149 PER PERSON Return flights or Eurostar plus transfers Ten nights on board a five-star ship Your choice of spacious cabins with window or French balcony Delicious full board dining, plus Chef's Dinner Free drinks package* INCLUDED EXPERIENCES Eight guided tours including Cluny Abbey, Beaune, Lyon, Avignon, Uzès, Arles, Orange and Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer Three visits including the Camargue & the Ornithological Park of Pont de Gau and the Ardèche Gorges Two wine tastings in Mâcon and Chateauneuf-du-Pape and an Olive Oil farm visit at Les Baux-de-Provence

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Thousands went back but not the children

Spain is facing a care crisis as minors wait in squalid conditions, David Sharrock writes in Ceuta

On the beaches of Ceuta the children remain, as Botsam and jetsam left behind by the massive tide of migrants that overwhelmed the tiny Spanish territory last week.

Nearly 70,000 of the estimated 72,000 people who illegally crossed into Ceuta have already returned to Morocco, either voluntarily or under emergency measures agreed between Madrid and Rabat.

But more than 1,100 unaccompanied Moroccan minors remain stranded, overwhelming migrant centres designed for only a tenth of that number. What started as a border security crisis has become a child protection emergency.

Rayan, 15, leans against his mother on a strip of pavement a few hundred metres from the Moroccan border, his forearm wrapped in a stained bandage. Jagged rocks cut him as his family scrambled around the breakwater during the crossing.

"We have received nothing since we got here," says Samira, Rayan's mother. "No food. No help." She says a Moroccan policeman urged families towards the frontier.

"He told us to hurry. He said the only way we'd come back to Morocco was if we were dead."

Of hundreds of children in the city, most without their parents, some have been laying low in its Muslim cemetery. Others drift between the empty warehouses of the Tarajal industrial estate, sleeping among rubble, mattresses and rubbish outside an improvised reception centre.

While Spanish soldiers and Civil Guard officers have steadily cleared the city of adults through returns to Morocco, the children's fate is one of institutional procedure.

Unlike adults, they cannot legally be expelled without individual assessments to establish their identity, trace relatives and determine whether returning them would be in their best interests — a process that can take months.

Spain's interior minister, Fernando Grande-Martaska, insisted this week that "in Spain, the fundamental rights of children and adults are respected. That is beyond discussion." Walking through Ceuta, however, those assur-

A minor is escorted by Spanish troops in Ceuta, while others are forced to shower down on the beach

ances are tested. Fadal, a young Moroccan in Ceuta carrying two mobile phones, he said, so children could call their families, pointed to teenage girls too ill to move and said others had disappeared into poor neighbourhoods where residents fear they had been sexually exploited.

Kenza, 15, parts her dark hair to reveal a wound healing on her scalp, which she says was caused by a stone thrown shortly after she arrived. She says she reached hospital bleeding but was never treated. Near by, 12-year-old Rida limps through Tarajal on a heavily bandaged knee after, he says, surviving for days on almost no food before being attacked while queuing for a meal.

Among the crowds of mostly young men last week there were cheers and shouts of "viva España," as they crossed the border. But 75 people died in just a few hours while trying to make the trip, one of the deadliest migration episodes on the European Union's external frontier.

A warehouse bearing a sign saying New Hope has become a shelter, a spillover for the main migrant reception facility. Sports halls and municipal buildings have also been pressed into service. Hundreds more children are sleeping outside, many convinced by rumours circulating on social media that reaching Ceuta would guarantee passage to mainland Spain.

The rumours had been fuelled by a law introduced last year requiring unaccompanied minors to be transferred from overwhelmed frontier regions within 15 days once they have been formally registered. Many of the children now sleeping rough are not yet even recorded by the system. For them, the legal clock has not started.

That has left Juan Jesús Vivas, Ceuta's veteran conservative Popular Party (PP) president, pleading for help. "This is an absolutely unsustainable situation," he said, adding that there was "a high risk for order and public security" in the city with a regular population of 84,000. "We are crying out for help."

In response, Madrid has approved €25 million in emergency funding and wants the children redistributed across Spain.

But as well as raising alarm bells across the EU, the crisis has also become a battleground in Spanish politics. The opposition Popular Party finds itself divided. While its administration in Ceuta is demanding solidarity, the PP runs several regional governments only with the help of the populist right-wing Vox party, and these have resisted the idea that they should accept young migrants.

Miguel Tellado, the PP's secretary-general, said the Socialist government's priority should be ensuring that migrants "leave by the same route through which they entered".

But a day later, senior PP official Alma Ezcurra softened the position, saying the party would "always comply with the law" while insisting every apparent minor must first be properly identified. Vox has been more categorical. It says "not one euro" of public money should be spent caring for the migrant children.

Resistance has also come from funds, the Catalan separatist party whose votes are crucial to the minority government of the prime minister

Pedro Sánchez, Miriam Nogueras, a spokeswoman, said Catalonia should be excluded from any redistribution because it already receives a disproportionate share of migrant children. Carlos Cuerpo, the Socialist deputy prime minister, insisted on television that parties and regional governments must comply with the law".

Taiwan limits internet in test for Chinese attack

Taiwan The country's defence forces have started their biggest military exercise of the year, as President Trump weighs up a big arms package to the island in defiance of demands from Beijing. The Han Kuang, or "Glory to the Han", exercise this year focuses not only on defence against a physical attack from the Chinese mainland but also on countering Beijing's "grey zone" blockade and cyberwarfare tactics. Unusually, the exercise includes a partial shutdown of Taiwan's internet. It also features the latest Abrams tanks delivered by the United States as part of their unofficial alliance.

Drone carrying explosives found near airport runway

Germany A counterterrorism investigation has been opened after an explosive-laden drone was found near a runway at Leipzig airport overnight, which prompted the closure of parts of one of Europe's biggest cargo hubs. Flights were suspended and aircraft were diverted after airport staff found the drone in a restricted cargo area. During the disruption, a diverted DHL cargo plane hit an unknown object mid-air in an incident investigators are also examining. The authorities said there had been no danger to passengers or staff and most operations resumed by yesterday morning.

White House helipad gets Trump seal of disapproval

United States President Trump has ordered a revamp of work on the helipad he is having built at the White House after he was reported to have grown frustrated at its alignment with the sloping South Laws. Contractors have uprooted a 100ft granite presidential seal on the helipad as they race to meet Trump's deadline of next month's state visit by President Xi. Trump has called for the helipad to be level with the horizon. The Washington Post reported Sikorsky Aircraft, the Lockheed Martin subsidiary that makes Marine One helicopters, has said it will pay the construction bill of at least $5 million.

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Hassabis steps down as DeepMind boss as Google shakes up AI

Chris Dorrell

Sir Demis Hassabis has stepped down as chief executive of Google DeepMind as part of a major shake-up of Alphabet's artificial intelligence division.

Hassabis, who founded the company in 2010 and sold it to Google for £400 million in 2014, will become chairman of Google DeepMind and chief scientist at Alphabet, the owner of Google. Koray Kavakcuoglu, who had previously been DeepMind's chief

technology officer, will become the division's chief executive.

Hassabis, who will remain in the UK, said: 'I've decided that now is the right time for me to hand over my day-to-day operational responsibilities at Google DeepMind so I have the time and space to focus on the big picture, and to help influence what is to come to the best of my ability.'

'As a business we are in an incredibly strong position. We are the only company that has the full stack and we're

world-class at every layer, from infrastructure to cloud to frontier models to AI-first applications,' he added.

Hassabis was born in London and is one of the most influential AI researchers in the world. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2024 for his work on AlphaFold, the AI program capable of predicting the shape of proteins. He will remain chief executive of Isomorphic Labs, an AI-powered drug discovery company backed by Alphabet.

Alphabet also confirmed that Jeff

Dean, the company's chief scientist, will leave, alongside several Google AI colleagues, to start their own company, Discovery Loop. Dean had been at the company for almost 27 years.

Discovery Loop will be a public benefit corporation focused on automating machine learning and engineering to accelerate scientific discoveries. Google confirmed that it will invest in the company.

Shares in Alphabet closed down \$15.22, or 4.1 per cent, at \$360.13 in New

York. The news follows a number of high-profile departures from Alphabet's AI division as it attempts to keep up with OpenAI and Anthropic.

In the past few months, Noam Shazeer and John Jumper, two of the company's leading researchers, have left the company, joining OpenAI and Anthropic, respectively. Researchers at the company have reportedly been frustrated with the 2023 consolidation of the more scientifically minded DeepMind with Google Brain.

Bank taxes 'jeopardise investment'

Citigroup boss warns 'money votes with its feet'

Graham Ruddick Deputy Business Editor

Dame Jane Fraser, the chief executive of Citigroup, has said she is 'worried' about bank taxes in the UK.

In comments made on a visit to London, Fraser warned that the UK tax rate on banks is higher than in New York, Dublin, Frankfurt and Paris, which could jeopardise investment. 'Money votes with its feet,' she said.

Fraser, 59, is Scottish — and as the boss of Citi, the third-largest US bank, she is the most powerful woman on Wall Street.

Fraser also said that the perception of the UK in America was that it is a 'bit diminished from what it used to be,' but that there is a 'desire and want for the UK to succeed'.

She added: 'This is an important country — huge talent, great infrastructure, a strong history of capabilities and reliability. I think the intent from most of the business community vis-à-vis the UK is that we want the UK to succeed.'

'We want to see some of the things that have held the country back getting taken down by the government and the country fulfilling its potential. That is the overwhelming sentiment from the business community.'

Citi employs 14,000 people in the UK and is opening new offices at Canary Wharf. Fraser took over as Citi boss in March 2021; since then shares in the bank have almost doubled.

Fraser's comments about bank taxes follow a similar warning from Jamie Dimon, the boss of JP Morgan.

Asked if she was concerned about a new bank tax in the UK under Andy Burnham's government, Fraser said: 'Where I get concerned is London is such an important centre, a financial centre around the world. The world needs London to work well and to continue to prosper and innovate.'

'There aren't great alternatives. We need stronger alternatives to New York because you need the diversification. But money votes with its feet.'

Fraser said the tax rate for banks was already about 48 per cent in London compared to New York at 27 per cent and Dublin at around 28 to 29 per cent.

'It makes it a tougher decision,' Fraser added. 'It's already one of the most expensive centres in the world. Your clients have a lot of choices where things get booked. We have to make choices to where things get booked. If the taxes go up even higher, then that makes it an easier decision not to book it in London.'

Fraser said alternative places for Citi to invest included France, Germany, Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan.

She added: 'The UK is important. It's got talent. It's got infrastructure, it's got pretty sensible regulatory capabilities and the like. But that difference — and I hate to be Scottish about it — it gets overcome pretty quickly. I am quite worried about it.'

'I'm not sitting there going. 'OK, this is a catastrophe. But we care about the UK. This is a very important centre for Citi. I don't want to see London diminished.'

My advice for the new PM, pages 32-33

Not all plain sailing Moana underperformed but Toy Story 5 and theme park attendance helped Disney's revenues Page 37

Glencore digs into listing in Sydney

Emma Powell

One of the world's largest mining companies is set to launch a secondary listing in Sydney, raising fresh questions over London's status as the home for global resources companies.

The move by Glencore, which is one of the London market's largest listed companies, comes after the group faced pressure to move its primary listing to boost its valuation.

The £64.6 billion group said that the secondary listing would 'strengthen our profile in one of our most important operating jurisdictions, broaden our shareholder base, improve trading liquidity and enhance corporate financial flexibility'.

Australia is home to 'one of the world's largest and fastest-growing pools of long-term investment capital'

and offered 'access to a highly sophisticated investor base with deep expertise in the global resources sector', Gary Nagle, Glencore's chief executive, said.

Glencore has previously faced pressure from Tribeca Investment Partners, an Australian hedge fund, to move from London to boost its valuation.

Ben Cleary, a portfolio manager at Tribeca Global Natural Resources, said that the London stock market 'is a joke exchange for mining companies, low liquidity and low multiples, and the [secondary listing] may well be the opening gambit to a primary listing'.

He added: 'Glencore would be the sixth-largest company on the exchange on our numbers, which makes it larger than ANZ Bank, so will be very relevant for local investors.'

The group is targeting admission to the Australian Stock Exchange in Oc-

October. It mines commodities including energy coal and steelmaking coal, copper and cobalt, and it has one of the world's biggest commodities trading businesses.

The plans for an Australian secondary listing came alongside half-year results that revealed an 86 per cent rise in adjusted earnings to \$10.1 billion, the second-highest level ever. The performance was boosted by its marketing division, which has cashed in on the volatility in energy markets since the outbreak of the war in the Middle East.

Earnings for the trading arm more than doubled to \$3.3 billion, which put the business on track to 'comfortably exceed' the upper end of its long-term annual profit guidance range of \$2.3 billion to \$1.5 billion.

Shares in Glencore rose 22\$p, or 4.1 per cent, to close yesterday at 57.3\$p.

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Need to know

1 Dame Jane Fraser, the chief executive of Citigroup, said she is 'worried' about bank taxes in the UK. Fraser warned the UK tax rate on banks is higher than in New York, Dublin, Frankfurt and Paris, which could jeopardise investment. 'Money votes with its feet,' she said. Page 31

2 One of the UK's largest mining firms is set to launch a secondary listing in Sydney. The move by Glencore comes after the group faced pressure to move its primary listing to boost its valuation. Page 31

3 Sir Denis Hassabis has stepped down as chief executive of Google DeepMind — part of a major shake-up of Alphabet's artificial intelligence division. Page 31

4 Reports of merger talks between AstraZeneca and US rival Bristol Myers Squibb that wiped close to £18 billion off the FTSE 100 group's market value have been called into doubt, amid claims there was 'never a deal to be done'.

5 A jump in electric vehicle sales driven by high petrol prices, discounts and incentives resulted in the strongest UK new car market in seven years in July. Battery electric vehicle sales rose 44.5 per cent year-on-year to a record 43,106. Page 34

6 Strong sales of Spanish lager Cruicampo have helped Heineken deliver better-than-expected profits in the first half of the year. UK volumes of Cruicampo jumped by more than 30 per cent, helped by the launch of Sevilla Orange flavour. Page 36

7 Sunny British weather and increased marketing efforts helped Next to deliver better than expected sales in the latest quarter and to boost its full-year profit forecast again. Page 37

8 Sir Martin Sorrell's advertising company has narrowed losses and slowed a decline in revenue. 54 Capital reported a 4.7 per cent fall in net revenue on a like-for-like basis during the first six months of the year, half the 10 per cent drop in the same period last year. Page 41

It is reassuring a leading figure in the artificial intelligence buildout is studying history

For expert business analysis subscribe to the business newsletter thetimes.com/newsletters

What I'd tell the PM? Have big ears and a thick skin

Citigroup's Jane Fraser tells Graham Ruddick her thinking on Burnham, Trump — and her reputation

As the boss of Citigroup, Dame Jane Fraser is one of the most powerful figures on Wall Street and one of the most influential Brits in the business world. During a visit to London yesterday, Fraser spoke to reporters about issues ranging from bank taxes to Andy Burnham, but also the financial markets. President Trump and her journey to the top of banking from Scotland. This is what she said.

ON ANDY BURNHAM

The Citi boss has yet to meet the new prime minister but hopes to in the autumn. 'I'm glad to say they're actually focused on what they need to be doing, which is how they're going to be running the country.' Fraser said of the government. 'If they were making time to see me, I'd be a little worried.'

Fraser shared some advice for the new prime minister that she was given when she became Citi boss in 2021: 'Have big ears and thick skin.'

She added: 'That thick skin is a resiliency — stick with the plan and focus on the long run. But the big ears is just listen.'

'Don't let it get in the way of being decisive, so you get confused by all the different views — but listen and then work out what is in the UK's best interest.'

'We need growth and we need competitiveness. Our strongest competitive

capability here is our capital market. Don't undermine it.'

Fraser said the UK 'can't afford everything' and has to make difficult decisions.

'I grew up when the Labour Party had a 105 per cent tax rate in the late 70s. It was a disaster for the country. You don't grow and you don't build businesses. So I think there's a balance. But there's also some tough choices [to be made]. We cannot afford everything here that we would like to pay for. Being realistic about that and having a sensible fiscal policy that the market finds palatable is going to be very important.'

ON MARKETS

With sharp movements in the price of oil and technology-related share prices, it is 'quite a precarious time' in financial markets, Fraser said.

There is huge capital expenditure, she explained, and some of this is from companies that do not have the cash-flow Google, Microsoft or Apple has.

'Naturally, I think that makes people nervous as time goes by. It's a lot of money,' the Citi boss said.

ON PRESIDENT TRUMP

The US president has praised Fraser and Citi on social media. In June he wrote on Trump Social: 'Congratulations to Jane F and ALL of her great people. They've worked really hard! BIG comeback for CITIP!'

That post raised questions about why President Trump was singling out Citi for praise. 'I don't know,' said Fraser when asked.

'We both have a Scottish mother. I think that helps,' she quipped. 'I think I've only met him a few times. Not that many. I wouldn't say I have a personal

relationships with him.' The 59-year-old refused to be drawn on her view of Trump's politics, such as his crackdown on diversity targets.

'I do my job. I keep my personal opinion to myself on all different matters. When you have these roles, you do your job. Whether I agree, disagree, or whatever is utterly irrelevant. I need to follow the laws, rules and regulations in the countries I'm in and I follow my clients' interests. My job is not to comment on politics.'

ON HER RISE IN THE US

'I never imagined that,' Fraser said on whether she had always aimed for the top of the banking world. 'I mean, I

grew up in Monifieth [a town in Scotland] and no, I never imagined that until a few years before it came about.'

Fraser studied economics at Cambridge University and did an MBA at Harvard. She spent ten years at McKinsey, the consultancy firm, and joined Citi in 2004. She spent 17 years climbing the ranks of the US bank before becoming chief executive in 2021.

'Home is America, but I definitely have a Scottish identity,' Fraser explained. 'I get very upset because my sons identify as English because they grew up in London. The boys all wear kilts to weddings in the US. Women love them, you know. They're not stupid. They get a lot more attention than

Source denies Astra in merger talks

James Hurley Assistant Business Editor

Reports of merger talks between AstraZeneca and a US rival that wiped close to £18 billion off the FTSE 100 group's market value have been called into doubt, amid claims there was 'never a deal to be done'.

Purported discussions with Bristol Myers Squibb to create one of the world's biggest pharmaceutical groups resulted in the British giant losing 9 per cent of its value on Monday.

But Reuters reported that there are 'no discussions' about a potential merger between the two companies.

It quoted a senior source who said: 'There is no deal between AstraZeneca and BMS. There never was a deal to be done, and there are no discussions between the companies.'

Both AstraZeneca and Bristol Myers Squibb declined to comment.

Shares in AstraZeneca rose 3 per cent following the Reuters report but were still down 5 per cent from where they were before the original report.

The Financial Times first reported news of the talks, which would have created a pharmaceutical group with a combined value of nearly $400 billion.

AstraZeneca, the London market's second-largest company, was said to have held discussions with its New Jersey-based rival in recent months.

The suggestion confused analysts, with John Murphy, a senior pharma analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, saying it made 'limited strategic sense', while Jefferees said it was 'perplexed'.

Objections included the overlap between the groups' drug portfolios, particularly in cancer treatments, competition hurdles, and the potential impact on research and development.

Analysts at Bank of America had warned that few giant pharma-mergers 'have been perceived as successful given the frequently cited disruption to research and development'.

The Financial Times report claimed talks 'could yield a deal in the near future but may be delayed or fall apart'.

There had been speculation that a

merger would be a sign that the British drugmaker was tilting further towards the US market, after it upgraded its New York listing earlier this year.

The company has invested tens of billions of dollars in US manufacturing since President Trump started his second term. It aims to generate half of its targeted $80 billion in annual revenue by 2030 from the US market.

Cancer treatments accounted for about $25 billion of AstraZeneca's 2025 sales, nearly half of the total, followed by cardiovascular, renal and metabolism treatments worth about $12 billion.

It is facing the loss of exclusivity on cancer drugs Tagrisso, Calquence and Imfinzi in the early 2030s. Bristol Myers Squibb is also heading into its own patent cliff, for the blood thinner Eliquis and cancer drug Opdivo. The two companies' cancer immunotherapies are in direct competition.

The Financial Conduct Authority declined to comment on whether it was looking into trading patterns following the reports for signs of market abuse.

Pension deals drive growth at L&G

Helen Cahill

Britain's leading life insurer has exceeded City forecasts for its half-year results as it seeks to deliver growth after a two-year reorganisation under its chief executive, António Simões.

Legal & General reported that core operating profit rose by 7 per cent to £918 million for the half year, beating analysts' expectations.

L&G said its institutional retirement division had written or secured pension risk transfer deals worth £5.7 billion by the end of July. L&G has become a dominant player in pension risk transfers, buying up defined benefit pension schemes from corporate sponsors.

Core operating profit in the institutional division, its largest unit, was up 5 per cent to £646 million, and rose by 10 per cent to £222 million at the asset-

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JEAN LAMYANO/GETTY IMAGES

"I'm not ruthless," says Dame Jane Fraser, "but I am damn tough"

Americans do, so you play to your competitive advantages."

Shares in Citi have nearly doubled since Fraser took charge in March 2021. She has been credited with revitalising the bank, although at times her approach has been described as uncompromising as jobs have been cut and assets have been sold. "I'm not ruthless, but I am damn tough," Fraser said.

"Ruthless sounds like I'm being a real jerk and I think it's stupid to be a jerk. You can be tough, it doesn't mean that you can't do that in a way that helps someone.

"You have to tell people straight what's going on because they usually know anyway. So speak straight, tell

people straight and then tell them how you're going to help them from there.

"There's a big difference between ruthlessness and being tough."

ON DEALING WITH SEXISM

"With a sense of humour," Fraser said. "There's no point taking offence at things like that. I mean, I've been lucky. I've worked with some great companies. Usually within the companies, there's good policies. It's not been an issue and I've probably been lucky.

"You see it a bit more in some areas. But if someone's being sexist then I find treating it with a smile and polite amusement is a far more effective tool than taking offence."

management division. Core operating profit at L&G's retail business, which sells annuities, rose 5 per cent to £248 million. Overall, profit before tax increased to £699 million, up 47 per cent from £476 million.

The FTSE I/O company raised its interim dividend by 2 per cent to 6.24 per share and said it had bought back shares worth £450 million by the end of July, having announced a £1.2 billion buyback earlier this year.

Simões said the group would exceed its strategic targets as it was "making good progress in becoming a simpler, more focused L&G".

Analysts at Peel Hunt said the group's asset management business had "improved significantly", but that pressure on margins continued to impact the retirement division.

● Britain's largest mutual life and pensions provider has seen the value of its assets under management reach a record high as it benefited from "positive market movements" over the first six months of 2026. Royal London reported that assets under management rose by 6.7 per cent to £212.5 billion despite the "increased volatility" arising from the war in the Middle East.

Chinese tax crackdown batters banks

Helen Cahill Financial Correspondent

The shares of British banking and financial services companies with exposure to China fell sharply yesterday after Beijing launched a global search for billions of pounds of unpaid taxes dating back decades.

Shares in UK bank HSBC, which does much of its business in Hong Kong and has extensive operations in mainland China, fell more than 5 per cent. Standard Chartered, another leading British bank that conducts a considerable amount of business in China, was down more than 2 per cent. Prudential, the insurance group that in recent years has shifted its operations to the Far East, at one stage retreated 8 per cent.

The Chinese have increased scrutiny of overseas capital gains and investments, in some cases going back as far as 2000, according to the Financial Times. Chinese banks have been told to review overseas investments by wealthy nationals to see if income was declared to the country's tax authorities. The measures appear to be aimed at filling Beijing's deepening fiscal hole.

The operations are part of a series of tax reforms focusing on gains made from buying real estate, equities, cryptocurrencies and other assets.

Meanwhile, Caxun, a publisher based in Beijing, reported that some tax bureaus had levied 20 per cent personal income tax on the returns of offshore insurance policies. It said the authorities were targeting dividend payouts and interest earned on premiums. Analysts at Citigroup said offshore vehicles were more concentrated among ultra-high net worth individuals, and any impact on earnings for finance providers was "therefore likely to be limited".

The moves follow reports in June that lenders had stopped opening Hong Kong bank accounts for clients based in China as authorities sought to limit capital flight. This year, Chinese authorities tightened requirements on investment accounts for individuals to prevent "illegal cross-border securities, futures and fund management activities". The aim was apparently to close a loophole long used by the wealthy to send assets overseas.

Bank accounts deemed suspicious by the authorities are often frozen until all relevant taxes have been paid in full.

Barclays taken to court over frozen MFS funds

James Hurley

The administrators of a collapsed mortgage lender at the centre of an alleged £1.3 billion fraud are suing Barclays in an attempt to get the bank to release funds needed to run the insolvency.

The insolvency practitioners in control of Market Financial Solutions Limited are pursuing the bank to provide access to the accounts of the entity that sat at the centre of the group.

Administrators from AlixPartners filed the case on July 31, court records show. Barclays is among several City and Wall Street institutions exposed to MFS, which collapsed in February.

The funds were frozen the lender ahead of MFS's failure, but administrators believe they should be distributed to help fund administration work as they pursue repayments for creditors. It is not yet clear how much is being pursued — but it is understood that more

than £150 million was in the accounts in question when MFS collapsed.

Barclays said it would defend the claim but declined to comment. The Financial Times reported that the bank has communicated that it has the right to use the funds to offset other losses linked to the collapse. The administrators believe the funds should be available for the benefit of all creditors.

The bank precipitated MFS's failure when it froze its accounts in November.

Insolvency practitioners have alleged in separate court filings that the banks actions suggested it had "concerns, or strong suspicions, that these accounts were tainted by money-laundering or other criminal activities".

Several different insolvency firms are engaged on MFS work and there are more than 200 companies in the group. Barclays released up to £21 million to Grant Thornton after a similar claim in April related to a silo of the group.

Flutter's bet on US yet to pay out

BUSINESS COMMENTARY Alistair Osborne

Proof that even bookies don't price up every outcome. How could Peter Jackson have predicted this? That shifting Flutter Entertainment's primary listing to New York would have had such a spectacular impact — on both the company and him (report, page 39).

He took the plunge into America's "deeper capital markets" in May 2024 in a quest to get the group re-rated. And, in some respects, he's succeeded big time: the outfit behind the Paddy Power, Betfair and FanDuel brands has had such a thorough re-rating that the shares are now down 70 per cent in a year.

Not only that, Jackson's personal journey stateside has also now been brought to an abrupt end, not entirely of his own volition. After the fourth quarterly profits warning on the trot he's off after almost nine years in charge, handing over to Dan Taylor, the head of Flutter's (non-US) international wing.

It's been a brutal reversal for a man who, for years, barely put a foot wrong. In 2018, Jackson climbed into the saddle of Paddy Power Betfair, the business starring the Irish bookie famous for its nice irreverent ads. One of them? Two old ladies crossing a busy road, with odds and the caption "Let's make things more interesting."

Jackson took charge of a group then valued at £72 billion and transformed it with what long looked one of the best win-doubles in UK M&A history. For a total $4.35 billion, he pulled off a two-part takeover of FanDuel's soft-gambling enterprise with customers playing for prizes in fantasy sports leagues that Jackson precariously spotted was the ideal vehicle for harder gambling once US market deregulation kicked in.

The result? FanDuel is today the US No 1 for both sports and online casino bets. And roll back a year and Jackson was presiding over a US-listed business with a share price of $307 and a market cap of $54 billion. Not any more. After the latest profits alert, sending the shares down 13 per cent to $92, its market value is down to $16 billion.

What's gone wrong? Well, Jackson would admit that "our execution last year wasn't good enough": hence May's sudden exit of FanDuel boss Amy Howe. But the biggest downer? Competition from prediction markets such as Polymarket and Kalshi offering binary yes/no bets on just about everything: the date for the Strat of Hormuz reopening, the next Fed decision, the guest list for Cristiano Ronaldo's wedding.

Cleverly, they've convinced US regulators that they are financial trading products, despite taking heaps of sports bets. The upshot? They've got round the rules in some states that still outlaw sports wagers, giving them a free run at the likes of California and Texas. Worse, despite legal challenges, you wouldn't bank on any law change soon. Donald Trump Jr is an adviser to Kalshi and Polymarket, with stakes in both.

True, Flutter now has its own prediction market business. And Jackson says this is "not cannibalising" its sportbook, with average US monthly players up

8 per cent last quarter, despite the group losing $296 million. But Flutter is still having to invest more to maintain its market leadership — a reason for the latest $210 million cut to full-year ebitda guidance — and the market's taking no chances.

Jackson insists "I still believe that the decision to move the listing to the US is the right thing for the business", given it's the world's biggest market. And who knows if the shares, which no longer trade in the UK, would have fared any better over here. Even so, Flutter still makes a cautionary tale: the American dream is no sure-fire bet.

Deal or no deal

Has someone made a packet out of fantasy M&A? It's hard to tell just yet. But that blockbuster "$400 billion tie-up" between AstraZeneca and America's Bristol Myers Squibb is a right curio. After the Financial Times came up with the story on Sunday night, complete with the caveat that any deal "may be delayed or fall apart", the market reaction on Monday was to take 9 per cent, or £18 billion, off Astra's share price — despite neither company commenting. There was also a flurry of analyst notes, largely questioning the logic of any deal.

And now? Up has popped Reuters, quoting a senior source saying: "There is no deal between AstraZeneca and BMS. There never was a deal to be done, and there are no discussions between the companies." Note: that doesn't mean there weren't ever any discussions, just that none are live. That tale got the same "no comment" from both, but Astra shares rose 2.5 per cent to £120.36, even if they're still down 5 per cent on the week.

Sure, companies don't want to comment on market rumours, as they fear setting a precedent where they'd be forced into updates on every bit of speculation. Yet, there are rules. The UK "takeover Panel could have forced a statement if the FT story was a) true; b) about talks still going on; or c) related to a bid for a UK-listed company. There's been no statement. US regulators have less strict rules but can halt trading on unusual price spikes.

And, so far, there's been nothing. Still, in the UK there are also the Financial Conduct Authority's market abuse rules. Given the value of Astra stock bought and sold, the regulator needs to check no trades were as curious as this (non) story.

Credit for banker

A banker calling for lower taxes on banks. Fancy that. Yet, Andy Burnham should not ignore the warning from the Citigroup boss Dame Jane Fraser that the UK's 48 per cent tax rate on banks is already too high versus Dublin, Frankfurt and Paris, not to mention New York's 27 per cent.

Britain has already seen how an idiotic 78 per cent rate has deterred North Sea investment. It can't afford a re-run with our biggest industry.

alistair.osborne@thetimes.co.uk

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Business

Record electric vehicle sales drive the market to a seven-year high

Martin Strydom, Charlotte Bend

A jump in electric vehicle sales driven by high petrol prices, manufacturer discounts and government incentives resulted in the strongest UK new car market in seven years in July.

Battery electric vehicle sales rose 44.5 per cent year-on-year to a record 43,106 to capture a 27.5 per cent share of the market, up from 21.3 per cent a year ago, Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) data showed.

Demand was spread across private buyers, business fleets and commercial operators, helping overall new car registrations increase 11.7 per cent to 156,571. It was the eighth consecutive month of market growth and the best July total since 2019 as the market continues its recovery from the pandemic.

Plug-in hybrids rose 33.6 per cent to take a 14.9 per cent market share over the month. Sales of hybrid electric vehicles — self-charging cars that combine a fuel engine with an electric motor and a battery — rose 11.6 per cent to 20,711, a 13.2 per cent share of the market.

By contrast, petrol and diesel registrations fell by 5.2 per cent and 17.7 per cent to 62,799 and 6,596, respectively.

Demand has also been boosted by the entrance of Chinese carmakers, which are starting to eat into the market share of older manufacturers. Among the best-selling models this month were the Jaecoo 7 and the MG 195, in fourth and fifth place. The top three sellers were the Ford Puma, the Nissan Qashqai and the Kia Sportage.

Despite the rise in sales, industry leaders warned that natural consumer demand continues to lag behind strict government targets.

Battery electric cars (BEVs) were up 44.5 per cent, compared with a sub-par July 2025 when some buyers delayed switching until confirmation of full model eligibility for the electric car grant, to claim a 27.5 per cent share.

The SMMT upgraded its full-year outlook, predicting that zero-emission vans will outpace the wider market and BEVs will account for 27.4 per cent of an expected 2.18 million new car market in 2026. However, that remains well short of the government's 33 per cent zero-emission vehicle mandate target.

The BEV share of the market is expected to rise as high as 32.1 per cent in 2027 against the zero-emission mandate target of 38 per cent for that year.

The shortfall is currently being bridged by aggressive price cuts, subsidised financing and fiscal support from carmakers seeking to avoid costly regulatory fines. Under the mandate, car-makers face a financial penalty of

Ullo John, got a new motor?

Top sellers July 2026

Ford Puma	3,531
Nissan Qashqai	3,224
Kia Sportage	3,205
Jaecoo 7	2,709
MG 195	2,703
Ford Kuga	2,533
Jaecoo 6	2,431
Volkswagen Golf	2,413
MINI Cooper	2,350
Vauxhall Corsa	2,326

New car registrations in July 2010 to 2026

JSE MORRIS SETTY IMAGES

£15,000 for every car and £9,000 for every van sold short of the target.

The SMMT warned that urgent reform of the mandate was necessary due to the barriers that remain to the transition to electric cars. These include higher upfront purchase costs, insufficient charging infrastructure and mounting pressure faced by fleet operators and commercial transport firms as they attempt to run their businesses while upgrading to electric vehicles.

Mike Hawes, the SMMT's chief executive, warned that such market distortion threatens the long-term viability of the sector. "July's record EV performance is a great achievement, but cannot be sustained if manufacturers continue haemorrhaging billions in discounts.

"A sustainable transition will not happen merely by compelling supply when underlying demand is not keeping pace. We need reform of the regulation — or Britain risks undermining its competitiveness and the jobs and livelihoods that depend on the industry."

Hawes also noted that while record battery electric van uptake was "encouraging", businesses will only switch if conditions are right.

Andy Burnham's government is considering whether or not to follow through on Sir Keir Starmer's plans to water down electric car sales targets.

Analysis from HSBC showed the average UK discount on EVs fell to a near 15-month low of 11 per cent in July, the lowest since April last year. The reduction in discounts could be seized upon by those urging Burnham not to follow through on Starmer's plans.

Uber to invest more than $10 billion in self-driving cars

Uber Technologies forecast current-quarter adjusted earnings below Wall Street estimates, warning that foreign exchange would trim bookings growth and reaffirming plans to invest heavily in robotaxis and acquisitions.

The global ride-hailing and delivery business's capital allocation has become a key investor focus after it announced a $14.8 billion deal for Delivery Hero last month, which it plans to fund with existing liquidity and debt.

The company yesterday outlined plans to spend more than $10 billion on autonomous vehicles over the coming years, but did not provide a specific timeline.

Uber forecast third-quarter gross bookings of $58.25 billion to $60.25 billion, broadly in line with expectations of $59.21 billion, according to data compiled by the London Stock Exchange Group.

Foreign exchange rates are expected to trim reported third-quarter gross bookings growth by

about one percentage point from last year, the firm said, after boosting growth over the previous four quarters.

Uber's second-quarter gross bookings of $58.02 billion topped analysts' estimates of $57.06 billion, while adjusted core earnings also exceeded expectations.

The business benefited from broad-based demand across regions and services during the quarter, including travel linked to the Fifa World Cup, Dara Khosrowshahi, right, chief executive of Uber, said. More than 8 million

tourists used Uber in the host cities during the tournament, according to the company.

Revenue rose 12 per cent to $14.19 billion, narrowly missing estimates of $14.24 billion after an accounting change in Britain reduced reported sales growth without affecting the underlying economics.

Operating expenses rose about 10 per cent in the second quarter, with

spending increasing across marketing, research and administrative operations.

Uber said it added more first-time users over the past year than in any comparable period in the previous five years, helping lift gross bookings by 24 per cent. The shares were down $4.86, or 6.8 per cent, at $6.12 by mid-afternoon in New York.

UK services sector returned to growth in July, survey shows

Mehreen Khan Economics Editor

The UK's dominant services sector returned to growth last month, recording its highest output levels since April as a new government took office.

A closely-watched survey of activity in services, which account for more than three quarters of the UK economy, rose from 48.8 to 52.1 in July, beating City forecasts of 51.8. Any number over 50 suggests expansion in output, and July's purchasing managers' index is the first growth in three months.

The rebound was driven by growing consumer spending, demand for tech-

nology services and a smaller increase in input costs faced by firms after costs peaked in April. A measure of new work rose to a five-month high, and some companies said they were investing more. The equivalent measure of activity in the eurozone rose from 49.4 to 51.7 — a five-month high for the area.

UK services firms said new business from overseas clients fell for the fifth month in a row in the aftermath of the US-Iran war. Companies warned that "elevated geopolitical uncertainties linked to the Middle East conflict were still...a growth headwind," according to S&P Global Market Intelligence, which

carries out the survey. Companies said they were cutting headcount last month, but the pace of employment loss was the slowest since last October.

The survey was carried out from July 9 to July 29, a period marked by volatile oil prices and the change of government. Martin Beck, chief UK economist at WPI Strategy, said Burnham "may have inherited an economy beginning to catch a modest tailwind".

"The drag from high interest rates, energy costs and political uncertainty may be starting to ease, creating space for some of the economy's underlying strengths to re-emerge. Private sector

balance sheets remain relatively healthy, and households have scope to reduce saving, increase spending and gradually take on more credit as confidence improves."

Rob Wood, chief UK economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, said July's PMI figure suggests the UK economy grew by 0.2 per cent in the third quarter. Signs of weakening price pressures and lower hiring intentions suggests interest rate rises from the Bank of England "are becoming less likely", he added.

Tim Moore, economic indices director at S&P, said "Stronger growth projections for the year ahead partly re-

flected hopes of de-escalating Middle East tensions and recent signs of easing inflationary pressures. The latest increase in overall input prices was the slowest for five months and well below the peak seen in April."

Beck said sectors like leisure and hospitality had a "temporary boost" from record temperatures and the World Cup. "The survey nevertheless contained some genuinely encouraging news on inflation. Services input cost inflation remained above the norm but eased to its slowest rate since February, while firms increased their own prices at the weakest pace in five months."

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Comment Business

Louisa Clarence-Smith

Why Microsoft's boss is reading up on the 1873 financial crash

Satya Nadella has been thinking about the 1873 global financial panic. When asked last week about the risk of an oversupply of data centres and artificial intelligence chips, the Microsoft chief executive said that 'the book to read right now' is 1873: The Rothschilds, the First Great Depression, and the Making of the Modern World. 'All of us are reading this,' he told analysts on an earnings call, after the software giant predicted that its investments in AI infrastructure would propel its capital spending to $175 billion in 2026.

The book, by historian and economist Liaquat Ahamed, explores the Victorian-era industrial revolution, when the Rothschild banking dynasty created the international bond market and the introduction of the railway transformed international trade. Those innovations combined began as a rational construction investment bonanza but eventually would lead to a speculative investment frenzy.

At the start of the 1870s, output in economies across western Europe was booming, and some 12,000 miles of track was being added every year to European and North American rail networks. According to Ahamed, about $3 billion was invested in the US railroad buildout from after the Civil War until 1873, of which roughly $1 billion came from Europe and $2 billion from individual investors in the US, where millions of people bought bonds in small denominations to fund rail construction projects.

The revolutionary rail expansion has drawn comparisons to the AI infrastructure investment bonanza. Last year America's biggest tech companies spent $450 billion on infrastructure. Their combined spend is expected to rise to $900 billion this year, $1.4 trillion in 2027. They have borrowed more than $400 billion this year to fund the buildout.

Back in the early 1870s, asset bubbles emerged

Anselm von Rothschild initiated a market sell-off in Vienna in 1873

in different countries. In Vienna, property prices doubled and redoubled, while the stock market rose by 300 per cent in three years. High stock prices were supported by rising profits and dividends at rail companies around the world.

The gilded age came to an end gradually, then suddenly. The first signs of trouble emerged in early 1873 in Austria, where a group of senior railway officials were arrested for fraud. Then, in April, the news got around that Creditanstalt, the bank run by Anselm von Rothschild, had withdrawn its deposits on the stock exchange and liquidated a large position in equities. It triggered a sell-off: bank shares on Vienna's stock market fell 45 per cent in a single day on what became known as Black Friday, the property market crashed and unemployment shot up. Many of the nouveau riche who had made fortunes in the boom went bankrupt.

Panic spread after the collapse in America of Jay Cooke & Co. financier of the Northern Pacific Railroad and a leading salesman of Union war bonds during the American Civil War. In September, Cooke was forced to announce he had run out of money, which led people to doubt whether any capital could be raised for a railroad. The New York Stock Exchange closed, investors panicked, and by the end of the year one in three railroad bonds had defaulted.

Within a year, Germany, much of Central Europe and the US fell into a recession lasting until almost the end of the decade. Lending dried up, and global prices fell by 30 per cent.

Nadella's response to concerns about building overcapacity was that Microsoft, firstly, is building in response to careful thinking about

customer demand, such as geographical and product mix, as it invests heavily in AI infrastructure.

Then, the company has to 'build an efficient railroad,' he said. Microsoft's AI distribution model includes Azure, its cloud division that sells computing power, data storage and AI services. The company,

which previously relied on OpenAI for core AI models to power products such as its Copilot assistant, is now designing its own models alongside its own chips — and reaping efficiency gains of up to 40 per cent.

US tech giants are racing to achieve 'superintelligence', a theoretical milestone where machines could surpass human performance. Doing so could make the AI infrastructure investments worthwhile, but some investors fear the spending won't generate the scale of demand from businesses and consumers that the hyperscalers are expecting.

Nadella admits there will be 'ups and downs' in the cycle. However, he said he is 'very bullish' about Microsoft's investments meeting demand at prices customers are willing to pay and delivering the profit margins the company wants.

It is reassuring that a leading figure in the AI buildout is studying history. Still, Nadella's comments are partly a symptom that investor nerves around the AI buildout are already growing.

Bearish investors are pointing to signs of trouble. Ken Griffin of Citadel last week stepped in as a rescue buyer of deflated AI stocks owned by Situational Awareness, a California-based hedge fund, after it faced margin calls from prime brokers. Hedge fund blow-ups can be a precursor to bigger financial crises, as they were in the run up to 2008.

Events leading up to 1873 remind us of the challenges of countering elements of human nature that are familiar to multiple crashes: collective psychosis, a gambling mentality, the contagion of fear. They are also a reminder of how difficult it is to predict when a bubble will burst.

Ahamed has noted that 'people were declaring that there's too much money-chasing going into railroad bonds in 1873.' He told a podcast: 'It took another two years for the whole thing to implode... I think we are condemned to relive this sort of episode and this sort of drama again and again... If it happens again in the next couple of years, it won't happen for another generation. But every 25 to 30 years, we are condemned to relive this drama.'

Louisa Clarence-Smith is US Business Editor of The Times

Ryan Bourne

How price controls on app stores could cost users dearly

When the last government created the Digital Markets Unit, one could envisage two futures for it. It could be a nimble watchdog, avoiding heavy Brussels-style regulation and placing Britain at the frontier of technology innovations. Or it could treat big tech platforms like utilities, smothering them in rules and redesigning popular markets according to officials' competition blueprints.

Early evidence is not encouraging. The DMU, housed within the Competition and Markets Authority, has proposed complex new price regulation for Apple's and Google's app stores. It's not quite Ofwat for apps — but the resemblance with utility-rate regulation has caught the sector off guard.

App stores' critics have long complained that developers are restricted from telling customers about other ways to subscribe to their services. Spotify, for example, must pay Apple a commission on an in-app subscription, but cannot link from the app to its own website for customers to purchase there. Regulators argue this restriction blunts competition and leaves users unaware of cheaper alternatives.

The platforms reply that app stores do more than process payments. They screen for malware, supply developer tools, handle refunds, police fraud and provide businesses with customers in a trusted marketplace. Commissions help finance that ecosystem, rather than represent pure rent. The tech giants thus dispute whether they should have to allow developers to advertise on platforms they built from scratch. Should Tesco have to let Heinz use its stores to advertise where ketchup is cheaper?

Under the DMU's plans, app developers would gain a new right to steer users towards outside websites with other payment options. To ensure Apple and Google get reimbursed for their genuine services, the tech giants could still levy a fee on purchases completed via those links. This fee, however, would be subject to CMA regulation.

Without some price controls, it is feared Apple and Google might charge so much that nobody makes use of steering. Yet cap fees too low

and there's clearly less incentive for Apple and Google to invest in the integrity of their ecosystems.

To manage this tension, the CMA proposes intrusive price regulation. Apple and Google would have to parse the costs of app reviews, malware checks, software tools, fraud prevention, customer support and security, then identify which were 'materially and directly' connected to completed purchases.

CMA officials would then decide how much common investment could be recovered, what profit was reasonable, how much value arose from platform trust, how much reflected market power and how much app developers collectively contributed themselves.

That sounds like a technocratic nightmare. Price fixing is hazardous enough for something tangible like water passing through pipes. It is vastly harder in a sector built on intangible assets, software and trust, where each app draws different value from the platform.

Lawyers, accountants and economists will have a field day. Whether consumers benefit is less clear. True, they may get some cheaper subscription options, at least if developers don't pocket most of the difference. A low fee, though, could also lead to Apple and Google investing less in the payment infrastructure that consumers trust.

Consumers highly value these features. A recent Public First poll, albeit commissioned by the tech industry's trade body, found that many more respondents prioritised secure payments (45 per cent) and fraud protection (39 per cent), compared with lower prices for buying apps or subscriptions online. The CMA's own 2025 survey found users cited convenience, choice, security and privacy far more frequently than affordability.

Here then is a successful sector, built over years to foster consumer trust, that is now threatened with regulatory redesign based on the CMA's preconceptions about competition. Britain has no shortage of genuinely broken customer experiences. Regulating this seems a strange priority.

Ryan Bourne is an economist at the Cato Institute and editor of the book The War on Prices

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16

Business

Coca-Cola HBC has the rights to bottle and sell Coke products in 28 countries across the continents of Europe and Africa

Coca-Cola HBC raises sales forecast after strong first half

Jessica Newman

One of Coca-Cola's biggest global bottlers raised its profit expectations after the World Cup put a rocket under sales of sports energy drinks.

Coca-Cola HBC, which has exclusive rights to bottle and sell Coke's products in 28 countries across Europe and Africa, said the American brand's sponsorship of the tournament lifted revenue and profit in the first half of the year.

The FTSE 100 company posted a 9.6 per cent increase in organic revenue to €6.2 billion, as volumes grew 7.5 per cent.

Volumes of energy drinks sold, which include Powerade and Monster Energy, jumped 26.1 per cent, while sparkling drink volumes rose 6.4 per cent.

Operating profit increased 15.9 per cent to €746.9 million.

Partnerships such as the one for the World Cup, which offered special-edition Coca-Cola and Powerade packs, tend to have a lasting impact beyond the event, Zoran Bogdanovic, the chief executive of Coca-Cola HBC, said.

He added that the company had seen resilience in consumer sentiment, even as some markets showed signs of sensitivity and most other consumer goods

companies flagged softer consumer trends.

Rising inflation, commodity and energy costs stemming from the Iran war have also prompted businesses to hedge against swings.

Coca-Cola HBC is 85 per cent hedged on key commodities, which include sugar, aluminium, aluminium premium, gas oil, corn and plastics.

The company now expects organic operating profit growth of between 8 per cent and 10 per cent this year, compared to a previous guidance range of 7 per cent to 10 per cent. It forecast annual organic revenue growth at around the top end of its guidance range of 6 per cent to 7 per cent.

Coca-Cola HBC, based in Switzerland, was created in its present form from the merger in 2000 of the Hellenic Bottling Company and the London-listed business Coca-Cola Beverages.

The biggest shareholders in the business are The Coca-Cola Company, with a 21.5 per cent stake, according to FactSet, alongside the Greek-Cypriot Leventis family, which has 23.4 per cent.

When Coca-Cola HBC moved its main stock market listing from Athens to London in 2013, the shares kicked off at £1750. On the back of yesterday's announcement, they closed up 189p, or 4 per cent, at £5015.

UK drinkers help lift Heineken profits

Jessica Newman

Lecture Industries Correspondent

Strong sales of Spanish lager Cruzcampo and Irish stout Murphy's in the UK have helped Heineken deliver better-than-expected profits in the first half of the year.

The world's second-largest brewer said UK volumes of Cruzcampo jumped by more than 30 per cent in the six months to the end of June, helped by the launch of the "Sevilla Orange" flavour, which it said was attracting new customers. Meanwhile, Murphy's, which has become popular as a cheaper alternative to Guinness, doubled volumes thanks to increased sales in pubs and bars, as well as the launch of its cans in supermarkets and off-licences.

Overall, total consolidated volumes were up 0.9 per cent in the period, better than the small decline the City had forecast. Organic revenues increased 2.4 per cent to €17.5 billion, driven by the Asia-Pacific region, which was ahead of analysts' estimates. Heineken's organic operating profit also surpassed the City's expectations, rising by 6.7 per cent to €2.2 billion.

The company credited its performance on the strength of low and non-alcoholic brands, which grew across every region in the first half. It also cited a step-up in investment into its top global brands, which include Amstel, Birra Moretti and Desperados.

Heineken reiterated its full-year guidance of delivering operating profit growth of between 2 and 6 per cent. An-

alysts at Jefferies were not surprised by the lack of guidance upgrades, given continuing geopolitical uncertainty and the fact that Rafa Oliveira starts as chief executive in October.

Heineken said it had pushed ahead with efficiency initiatives, cutting about 1,000 full-time jobs, which is about half of the overall reductions targeted as part of a two-year restructuring plan.

Doll van den Brink, the chief executive who stood down at the end of May, announced the job cuts in February as the company sought to tackle weak beer demand across the industry.

Harold van den Broek, Heineken's finance boss, said the cuts were "enterprise-wide" and resulted from initiatives across breweries, the supply chain,

head office and individual markets, with Europe a "big component".

"It will be no surprise that the more we're going through this process, the more opportunities we're also trying to uncover," he said.

The cuts have helped put Heineken on track to achieve cost savings at the "top end" of its target range of €400 million to €500 million.

Laurence Whyatt, an analyst at Barclays, said Heineken's swift cost-cutting had boosted confidence in its performance despite weakness in key markets in the Americas, where it lost market share.

The market has put its faith in Oliveira, not only to oversee the rest of the company's restructuring, but also revive sales volumes.

While major brewers have been struggling to sell more beer as they grapple with higher costs and lower demand, Heineken has frustrated some investors with its volatile performance and for lagging behind its bigger rival Anheuser-Busch InBev in efficiency.

Oliveira was announced as van den Brink's successor in July. Previously, he was the boss of JDE Peet's, the Dutch coffee and tea maker. The appointment was welcomed by analysts, who argued that Oliveira's strong background in consumer goods and earlier experience in capital markets gave him an edge as he looked to deliver returns for some dissatisfied investors.

Heineken's shares, up 14 per cent since the start of the year, closed up 2 per cent to €79.40 yesterday.

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17

Business

The sun continues to shine for Next

Isabella Fish Retail Editor

Sunny British weather and increased marketing efforts helped Next to deliver better-than-expected sales in the latest quarter and to boost its full-year profit forecast again.

Shares in the FTSE 100 clothing and homeware chain closed up 850p, or 5.7 per cent, at £156.60 after it posted a 9.2 per cent rise in full-price sales in the three months to August 1, more than double the 4 per cent it had estimated.

The retailer said the performance was boosted by a mixture of warm weather in the UK, a rebound in demand in the Middle East and northern Europe following a weaker first quarter, and its ability to increase spending on profitable marketing activity.

Demand was particularly strong for Next's virtual department store, Label, which sells a range of brands and organises the logistics for many of them. Sales in the division rose 13.2 per cent.

On the back of the strong performance, Next said it now expects full-year profits to be £1.24 billion, up 7.3 per cent on last year and £25 million higher than previous forecasts. Of the upgrade, Next said £15 million came from the additional sales during the quarter, while a further £10 million reflected a stronger than expected performance from the group's equity investments.

The upgraded guidance means Next expects full-price sales of £6 billion for the full year, up 6.3 per cent. Total group sales are forecast to reach £75 billion. International business was the pri-

mary growth driver during the period, propelled by online sales overseas surging 36.9 per cent in the second quarter and 23.9 per cent across the first half. UK sales posted a modest 2.8 per cent quarterly gain, while physical retail store revenues remained virtually unchanged, slipping just 0.3 per cent.

Next cautioned that overseas growth will cool in the second half due to tougher year-on-year comparisons following last year's restructuring of its European distribution network. Nevertheless, it maintained a positive outlook, projecting a 14 per cent increase in international sales for the period.

Louise Delgise-Frave at GlobalData said: "Within the UK online channel, Label significantly outperformed, with full-price sales rising 13.2 per cent, high-

lighting how [third-party] brand selection is one of Next's strengths. However, Next's own brand online sales fell 1.2 per cent in the quarter, which should alert the retailer to pay close attention to its own proposition."

David Hughes at Shore Capital noted: "While some of the recent growth may be attributed to one-off factors such as hotter weather and pent-up demand, the stronger return on marketing speaks to continued opportunity internationally... This guidance looks once again on the conservative side to us, leaving scope for further beats down the line."

Next has been a consistent performer on the UK high street, despite the wider challenges affecting rivals. It has upgraded its profit forecast three times

this current financial year, cementing Lord Wolfson of Aspley Guise's reputation as a boss who consistently underpromises and over-delivers.

Wolfson, the company's and the FTSE 100's longest-serving chief executive, who has been in the job since August 2001, is widely acknowledged as having adapted well to major changes such as the shift to online shopping, while other big-name retailers have disappeared from the high street.

Wolfson marked 25 years as chief executive of Next last weekend — serving for 18 years and 10 months longer than the average FTSE 100 boss.

Next said its earnings guidance assumes it will complete £524 million of share buybacks this year. £14 million higher than its previous guidance.

John Lewis boss gives warning

The boss of the John Lewis Partnership has warned profits will be squeezed by lower sales as the store chain battles "really tough" trading conditions.

Jason Tarry, chairman of the employee-owned group that also owns Waitrose, told staff John Lewis was operating in a retail environment where it "will trade into lower sales and higher costs... We have to adjust for an immediate future we weren't expecting even six months ago, let alone a couple of years ago," he said in an interview with the house magazine, seen by the FT.

"The team is heavily focused at the moment on what that means for us in terms of adjusting our plan going forward."

Tarry told employees the group is seeking to boost profits while sales are being squeezed.

"It is difficult when things are tough from a sales perspective, but we're holding our nerve around our focus on margin improvement and firm stock control, rather than just trying to

chase top-line sales." John Lewis, which operates 34 department stores, is undergoing a turnaround under Tarry and executive director Peter Ruis. The group is betting on fast-growing

categories such as beauty, fragrance and hospitality to reinvigorate its offering. It follows a difficult few years for the company, which faces stiff competition from

discounters and online retailers, with department store footfall under pressure. Its cost-cutting programme, including

John Lewis is undergoing a turnaround under Jason Tarry, chairman of the employee-owned group

closures and bonus cuts, was unpopular with staff and customers alike.

Tarry was asked when the turnaround would be complete, to which he replied: "My honest counsel to anyone asking when it will end is that it will never end."

This year, the group paid a 2 per cent bonus to its 66,000 workers for the first time in four years. It was a far cry from the 24 per cent staff got in the 1980s.

The group posted a profit before tax and exceptional items of £134 million for the year to the end of January, up from £126 million a year earlier. But it swung to a statutory loss before tax of £21 million, compared with a £97 million profit the previous year, after one-off charges including a writedown of old technology.

Sales rose 5 per cent to £13.4 billion. Most growth came from Waitrose, where sales climbed 7 per cent to £8.5 billion. The department store arm reported sales growth of 3 per cent to £4.9 billion.

Toy Story comes to Disney's rescue

Louisa Clarence-Smith US Business Editor

Disney said the blockbuster success of Toy Story 5 helped drive higher quarterly revenues as the film also attracted theme park visitors and boosted merchandise sales.

Toy Story 5, starring Tom Hanks and Tim Allen, has surpassed $1 billion at the global box office, helping to boost Disney's revenue in the June quarter to $25.2 billion, up 7 per cent year-on-year. Operating income rose 21 per cent to $5.6 billion, beating forecasts of $5.2 billion.

Josh D'Amaro, who took over

Tim Allen is the voice of Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story 5

from Bob Iger as chief executive in March, said Toy Story merchandise helped the company deliver its strongest quarter of year-over-year growth in consumer products revenue in five years, while boosting visitors to theme parks and cruise ships.

Together, the five Toy Story films have delivered more than $4 billion in global box office and more than two billion hours streamed on Disney+.

While other films such as Star Wars: The Mondalorian and Grogu "did not meet our box office expectations" said D'Amaro, it still drove higher retail sales for the Star Wars franchise and attracted guests to theme parks.

The live-action Moana also underperformed, said D'Amaro, but like the latest Star Wars instalment, investment in the film contributed to merchandise sales and drove people to theme parks.

Disney's parks and experiences division reported revenue of nearly $10 billion, up 10 per cent from a year ago, fudged by a 4 per cent increase in attendance at its parks globally and a 3 per cent increase at its domestic parks.

The results came as a surprise to investors after Comcast warned of softening visitor trends at its Universal parks in Orlando, Florida, due to higher fuel prices and weak consumer sentiment.

Disney's entertainment group reported $11.3 billion in revenue for the quarter, a gain of 6 per cent from a year earlier. Operating income for the division rose 64 per cent to nearly $1.7 billion.

4imprint shares climb after 'solid' showing in first half

Jessica Newman

A London-listed seller of promotional merchandise has upgraded its annual profit and sales forecasts after a "solid" performance in the first half of the year.

Shares in 4imprint Group closed up 500p, or 11.4 per cent, at £48.90 yesterday after it said it expected revenues for the year to the end of December to come in "slightly above" the $1.35 billion delivered last year.

The FTSE 250 company said adjusted pre-tax profits are expected to hit around $130 million, surpassing City analysts' forecasts. This was despite pre-tax profits falling 19 per cent to $59.6 million in the six months to June 27, which it attributed to lower gross

profit margins amid tariff-related supplier costs. Revenues inched up to $666.4 million, slightly above the $659.4 million generated in the same period the prior year as the company managed to bring in new customers.

With a total of over one million orders in the period, which was a 1 per cent decrease from the same six months a year earlier, the average value per order improved 3 per cent as a result of "carefully considered price adjustments."

Jessica Pok, an equity research analyst at Peel Hunt, said: "We see a double positive of improving trading conditions and effective cost management. With significant cash building up, there remains potential for additional shareholder returns."

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How Manchester's rise may be blueprint for Burnham

A former wasteland, MediaCity in Salford is now a creative hub for 250 businesses, writes James Hurley

The rapid ascension of Andy Burnham to No 10 means Manchester is once again the centre of the universe. Or at least it certainly feels that way. Much like it did in the 1800s when the city was so integral to the global cotton industry it earned the nickname Cottonopolis. Back then, the Manchester docks, to the southwest of the city centre, would

have been a hive of activity, with ships loaded with spices, sugar and, of course, raw cotton.

That lasted up to the 1970s, when the docks went into a rapid decline as the bigger modern ships could no longer navigate the Manchester Ship Canal. When the last docks closed in 1982, the site was deserted.

Head back up there today, though, and the buzz is back. Not from dockers but from the broadcasters, podcasters and influencers based in MediaCity. Opened 15 years ago on what was the old docks-cum-wasteland, it is now a hub for creatives, owned by Land Securities, the FTSE 100 landlord. Last year more than 50,000 hours of content were created at MediaCity, including productions of Match of the Day, Countdown, The Voice and Coronation Street.

It was the BBC that first moved up there in 2011, with BBC Sport, BBC Breakfast and CBeebies all part of the great migration north. Alice Webb, then the chief operating officer of BBC North, was tasked with overseeing the move. It was not easy.

"It was — and still is — the largest relocation of any organisation of that size," she says, as we stand on top of MediaCity Studios and look out over the canal towards Old Trafford, Manchester United's ground.

"We were asking 1,500 people to pick up their lives and their families. About 50 per cent of people came with their jobs, which was an extraordinary number. Go and find any relocation over that distance, and that scale, where people moved in that number."

It was last September when Landsec asked her to go from tenant to landlord and become chief executive of MediaCity. Her background meant that few people knew and understood the area better than she did.

Webb leads us back down the stairs from the roof and into what she calls the site's "engine" — a maze of studios, editing suites and production galleries.

In one of these studios the BBC filmed much of its World Cup programming, although most of the set has now been cleared. Some argued that Gabby Logan, Wayne Rooney and co should have followed ITV and based themselves closer to the action in America. Webb disagrees.

"I think the BBC made a very sensible and quite an enlightened decision," she says. "Just the cost of sending 250 or 300 people out to the States, would that have been the right decision for licence fee payers' money?"

It would not have looked like such a

MediaCity opened 15 years ago and

smart move if the technology failed, but Webb insists that would never have happened. She shows me through another door and into a room that is filled with racks and racks of servers. If you have ever visited a data centre, this is what it feels like: air-conditioned, with a loud hum of fans and generators.

For the World Cup matches there were 100 or so "feeds" — cameras and microphones — being sent back from North America and into MediaCity's 20 million metres of fibre-optic cables.

"Would you rather be in an outside

Beazley profits down 53% ahead of Zurich takeover

Emma Powell

The Lloyd's of London insurer set to be taken over by Zurich has warned of "a heightened risk environment" and "softening" rates, as its profits halved.

Beazley reported a 53 per cent decline in its pre-tax profit to $2.18 million during the first half of the year, as its investment returns took a hit from increased market volatility.

The FTSE 100 group said its political violence and marine war books had been impacted by geopolitical turmoil, while wildfires, flooding and extreme storms had caused the "risk environment" for its property business to increase and the size of claims to rise.

The combined operating ratio, a key performance metric, rose to a loss profitable 93.3 per cent, from 84.9 per cent a year earlier. Net written premiums were down 6 per cent at $2.4 billion.

Adrian Cox, Beazley's chief execu-

tive, said the group had "seen a return to an active large loss environment, compared to the more benign experience seen in recent years".

In March it agreed to a sweetened £8 billion bid from Zurich after five previous offers were rejected by the board, who argued that they undervalued the insurer. The deal is expected to be completed before the end of the year.

Beazley was founded in 1986 with just a handful of desks and has grown to become one of the world's biggest specialist insurers, focusing on everything from cybersecurity and satellites to fine art and pleasure yachts.

Zurich is Switzerland's biggest insurer, operating in general and life assurance, employing 55,000 people worldwide, including 4,500 in the UK, and weighing in at SwFr917 billion, about ten times the value of Beazley.

The shares closed down by 1p, or 0.1 per cent, at £12.90 yesterday.

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This exclusive package includes official match tickets and two hosted events with commenter legend Stuart Barnes, The Times's Charlie Morgan and a celebrity guest speaker, for an experience that goes beyond kick-off. With a prime city-centre four-star hotel, you'll also remain close to the stadium, restaurants and post-match debate. Insight before the whistle, atmosphere after it — and every detail handled from start to finish.

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Business

WWW.WAYUNMAGNETTIP.PR/ES

attracted broadcasters, podcasters and influencers to the former wasteland

broadcast truck in Miami with the lightning striking, or would you rather be here?" Webb, 53, asks.

We keep walking and bump into a polite American man in a suit. Webb says he is here for the new series of Wordle. An American game show being filmed in Salford? Apparently it is quite common for foreign productions to film over here. MediaCity can provide them with just the physical space, or it can also help them find crew, too.

"The price point in America is much more expensive, sometimes two or

three times more," Webb explains. "Plus, we've got everything here — post-production/facilities, hotels and a really deep pool of skills. The UK's creative industry is amazing."

MediaCity is home to over 250 businesses, ranging from the BBC and ITV to start-ups and one-man bands. About three quarters of them have something to do with film and television.

There are all the usual production houses and prop-makers, but we also walk past the office of a chap who sells anti-glare eyeglasses so we can still see

the eyes of the "talent" despite all the stage lighting.

There are plenty of businesses that have nothing to do with the creative industries, but just want to be among it in MediaCity. Next to the new CBeebies set, for example, an insurance company has just moved in, and the co-working space is full of people on laptops and video calls as we wander through.

Webb says MediaCity is more than just a place for work; she prefers to call it a "neighbourhood". There are restaurants, coffee shops, bars and more than 1,000 flats. At the front of the main building, an army of contractors are packing away the World Cup fanzone where thousands watched the football.

"Twenty years ago this was muddy wasteland," she says. "Now we're this amazing mixed-use site — and it's my privilege to be responsible for it all."

In total, the site is about 38 acres, but only half of that has been built on. Webb wants to expand. "We've only just started really," she says. "We've got lots of space to keep growing." Any new developments will be "more of the same" with a continued focus on creative and digital "because they are two of the fastest-growing sectors in our economy".

From a standing start, MediaCity has established itself as a genuine creative hub. Webb has been fielding calls from some of her peers who are interested in moving parts of their organisations and trying to set up their own Technology-City or FinanceCity. "There wasn't a blueprint when we set up MediaCity, but there is now, arguably."

Of course, not every industry has an organisation like the BBC taking the first step. Webb says that was "incredibly helpful" in putting MediaCity on the map but feels it would still have been a success, because of where it is.

"Greater Manchester already had a strong creative industries sector prior to the BBC move," she says. "Plus there is a level of stability here and there has been for years, going back to before Andy [Burnham]. We know that businesses thrive on stability. it's why Landsea has invested £1.2 billion in the North West over the past 18 months."

"There is a very clear growth strategy, and the [Greater Manchester] combined authority is staffed by ex-investment bankers who understand what it is to do business."

Her best advice for cities or industries wanting to set up their own hubs from scratch? Believe.

"There's always a million reasons not to do something. If the BBC listened to all of the reasons why it'd never be able to employ anybody up here, or why nobody would come up for BBC Breakfast ... it's very hard for people to imagine something they don't already know."

Housing market slump pushes Ibstock to a loss

Guy Taylor

Britain's biggest brickmaker has swung to a loss and cut dividends sharply as it counted the cost of a "subdued" housing and construction market.

Ibstock reported pre-tax losses of £27 million for the six months ending June 30, down from a profit of £8 million in the same period a year ago, as price increases failed to offset slower demand and cost headwinds from the Iran war. The results also reflected a £25 million non-cash impairment charge taken on some mothballed "soft mud" facilities — a process that produces handmade-style clay bricks.

The London-listed company warned yesterday that activity in private house-building and the market for repairs, maintenance and improvement was expected to "remain challenging in the near term."

The shares closed down 4%p, or 4.7 per cent, at 93%p yesterday, adding to a decline of more than a third over the past year. Since the onset of the pandemic, the stock has fallen by about 65 per cent, giving the company a market valuation of about £380 million.

Ibstock, which supplies all manner of clay and concrete products including bricks, roof tiles, flooring and bollards, is currently the second-most shorted stock in London as hedge funds bet against the British housing and construction markets.

The latest figures from the Financial Conduct Authority show aggregated net short positions totalling 17.91 per cent against the stock, behind only the struggling housebuilder Visiry.

The company's clay-brick operations encompass 15 manufacturing sites served by 15 active quarries across the UK. In concrete, which includes walling, fencing and lintels and rail and infrastructure products, the company operates from 11 manufacturing sites.

Renewed cost pressures and the prospect of higher-for-longer interest rates amid the conflict in the Middle East have further clouded sentiment, given the potential implications for the Brit-

ish housing market. For the full-year, earnings before deductions are expected to be at the lower end of an analyst consensus of between £59 million and £68 million.

Ibstock said it remained "mindful of the potential near-term effect" that both the Iran war and the change in prime minister in the UK might have on consumer confidence and the wider construction sector.

"Whilst volatility persists, we will continue to focus on managing capacity, inventory levels and costs and will adapt plans to market conditions," it said.

On an adjusted basis, earnings before deductions fell by more than a quarter to £26 million, with margins also shrinking. Revenue declined 15.1 per

Share price

cent to £164 million over the half-year, while interim dividends were cut by two thirds to 0.5p.

Joe Hudson, the chief executive, described the first-half as "solid" against a "challenging" market backdrop, adding that the company would continue to "adapt capacity, inventory levels and costs to market conditions."

Analysts at Peel Hunt said the results were "as expected", albeit noting that revenue and pre-tax earnings had dropped "materially".

"The group continues to pull strategic levers to improve performance, but soft market volumes continue to consume these gains. When volumes recover, Ibstock's operational gearing should drive a quick improvement in profitability," they said.

Private equity firms circle London-listed Bodycote

Robert Miller

Bodycote said yesterday it had received separate takeover proposals from private equity firms CVC Advisers and Veritas Capital, valuing the thermal processing services provider at about £1.56 billion.

The London-listed company said it would be minded to recommend either if talks lead to a firm bid. The shares closed up 17p, or 23.1 per cent, at 92.3p, valuing the business at £1.6 billion.

CVC's proposal values the company at up to 93%p a share, narrowly above Veritas's 94%p-a-share approach, Bodycote said.

Both include cash consideration and an interim dividend for 2026.

Bodycote said it had "carefully considered" the proposals with its advisers. In both cases it has concluded that each proposal is at a value that its board "would be minded to recommend un-

animously" to shareholders, should CVC or Veritas express the intention to make a firm offer.

Bodycote has provided both CVC and Veritas with access to confirmatory due diligence, it added.

CVC declined to comment, while Veritas did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In June, Apollo Global Management, the US asset manager, dropped its 88%p-a-share, or £1.52 billion, bid for Bodycote. After the US firm walked away, the company said its board had "strong confidence in Bodycote's potential and its strategy to create a high-performing, resilient business with attractive growth prospects". It added that the business had made a "positive start to 2026 trading".

Bodycote reported core revenue growth of 9 per cent for the first four months of the year, compared with a 5 per cent decline a year earlier.

Flutter boss steps down amid US woes

Jessica Newman

Leisure Industries Correspondent

Peter Jackson is to step down as chief executive of Flutter Entertainment at the end of next month after nine years at the world's largest gambling firm.

Jackson, who has spearheaded Flutter's push into America, will be replaced by Dan Taylor, who is chief executive of the company's international division.

Taylor assumed the expanded role of Flutter president in May, with responsibility for overseeing the group's under-performing US operations following the departure of Amy Howe as head of its market-leading FanDuel brand.

He has been with Flutter for more than a decade and was in charge of its main UK Faddy Power Betfair brands between 2018 and 2020 before becoming head of all non-US operations, where he oversaw a number of big acquisitions in Italy and Brazil.

John Bryant, Flutter's chairman, said Taylor has an "outstanding track record of delivering results, building high-

performing teams and leading complex international businesses".

Under Jackson, Flutter shifted its primary listing from London to New York in 2024 in an attempt to capitalise on the nascent US gambling market.

However, Taylor will be tasked with reversing fortunes at its FanDuel

$4.3bn

Flutter's second-quarter revenues

sportsbook business, which had been growing rapidly until last year, while seeing off the threat posed by dominant prediction market players such as Polymarket and Kalah, which effectively allow people to bet on everything from geopolitics to commodities and culture — as well as sports.

Flutter's shares, which have tumbled almost 70 per cent in the past 12 months, lost a further 12 per cent to $92.75 in afternoon trading yesterday

after warning increased investment would hurt near-term profits.

Alongside the leadership change, the Betfair owner said that "proactive" spending on FanDuel and other investments in customer acquisition and retention will result in a "reduction in near-term profitability".

As a result, the company is now forecasting a 7 per cent fall in full-year core profit to $2.65 billion, below the $2.87 billion it flagged in May and $2.79 billion expected by analysts. The planned investments are expected to hit profit by $270 million. It also estimates annual revenues will reduce by $395 million to $179 billion.

In a letter to shareholders, Jackson said: "Our momentum and the current market dynamics mean now's the right time to move from a focus on margin growth, to prioritising average monthly players growth and customer value."

Flutter generated second-quarter revenues of $4.3 billion, up from $4.2 billion last year, despite monthly player figures dropping 11 per cent.

---

40

Business

The Times unit trust information service

	Soft	Buy	+/-	Y/N %
ALLIAR2 GLOBAL INVESTORS
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Strategy Bond Fund	128.75		-6.47	0.86
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0800 692 2051

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	Soft	Buy	+/-	Y/N %
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FTSE 2M Ind Inc t	221.3		-2.3	2.06
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Income Acc t	1463			1.35
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Monthly Inc Acc t/f	313.4			2.75
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HSBC Specialist Investment P/Ls (IDEC)

American Index Retail Inc t	1150		-10	0.76

INVESCO FUND MGRS LTD

Ding:0800 005 0371 Inv Serv:0800 005 0677

Bdr Serv:0800 028 2121

Invesco Funds

Cap Bond t	232.62		-0.80
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Income & Growth Dls t	928.9		0.89
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Memo Acc t	107.79		-5.63
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INVESTEC FUND MGRS LTD

Broker Support and Dealing: 020 7597 2900

ODC Series t, 528.8 lv

American A A/c t	675.43		-6.10
Cashless Managed A A/c t	472.2		-2.90
Cashless Managed A A/c t	1069.92		-1.71
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Direct Bhd Income A A/c t	62.93		-0.18
Energy Mix Brand (60 t A/c t	69.44		-0.6
Energy Mix Brand (60 t A/c t	36.91		-0.20
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Investors Mix Loans A A/c t	1165.79		-13.6
Global Equity A A/c t	306.13		-4.13
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Global Franchise A A/c t	1122.33		-25.39
Global Estd A A/c t	592.13		-23.26
Global Special Studies A A/c t	528.03		-6.0

	Soft	Buy	+/-	Y/N %
Global Special Studies A/Ac t			-5.22
UK Special Studies A/Ac t	1790.97		-10.36	1.69
UK Special Studies A/Ac t	945.1		-11.13	1.69

For DDS Asset Mgmt, see FSC For Mgmt Ltd (ODC) JAMES HENDERSON INVESTORS

Investor Spro 0000 832 831 Dips:0840 946 4646

All Short Asset A A/c t	12.6		-4.42
Asian Dls to 2 Trad A/c t	98.62		-5.40
Cashless Managed A A/c t	109.3		-1.00
Cashless Managed A A/c t	134.1		0.90
China App Bond A A/c t	1342		-0.10
Free Whittl Bank A A/c t	1064		-0.10
Free Whittl Bank A A/c t	1057		-0.10
For HSE400s to A/A/c t	21.23		-6.20
Global Equity A A/c t	6496		-6.20
Global Equity A A/c t	5761		-2.40
Total Bt A/c A/A/c t	1376.98		-2.70
Mr Asset A/Ac Dls A A/c t	137.2		-2.70
Mr Asset A/Ac Dls A A/c t	130.9		-1.6
Mr Asset A/C Bt A/A/c t	141.1		-2.70
Mr Asset A/C Bt A/A/c t	135.6		-2.70
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UK A/A A/A A/A/c t	286.7		-1.30
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J.P. MORGAN ASSET MANAGEMENT

ODC

UK Expy A/c t	0.6	-1.90	0.90	1.90

JUPITER UT TRUST MANAGERS LTD

020 7585 3010

British American Growth t	175.26		-0.9671	3.93
Euro Special S/S t	749.49		-0.3437	0.71
Corporate t	948.1		-0.3671	0.61
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Martin Growth A/c t	103.61		-1.2832	0.30
Martin Inc A/c t	470.28		-0.7916	3.67
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LEGAL & GENERAL (UT MANAGS) LTD

Enquiries: 0870 008 0955 Dealing: 0870 050 0956

Euro Inv A/c t	324.5888		-230.8000	280.00
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M&G SECURITIES

Eng:0800 789 990 Dealing Line: 0800 320 3246

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Chart End Inv t	2095.32		-0.4695	3.07

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Gold Or Fund A/c t/PK t	1472.51		-8.32
Gold Or Fund A/c t/PK t	1549.92		-8.95
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Gold Or Fund A/c t/PK t	1472.51		-8.32
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US A/c T A/c t	1453.39
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US A/c T A/c t	2102.26
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---

41

Business

Headcount cuts enable S4 Capital to narrow losses

Emma Powell

Media and Telecoms Editor

Sir Martin Sorrell's advertising company has narrowed losses and slowed a decline in revenue, in a rare boost for the embattled group.

S4 Capital reported a 4.7 per cent fall in net revenue on a like-for-like basis during the first six months of the year, half the 10 per cent drop reported for the same period last year.

Pre-tax losses reduced to £100,000 from £25.1 million a year earlier, as the company further cut its workforce. Staff numbers shrunk by just over 720, or 11 per cent of its overall workforce.

The shares, which have fallen 95 per cent from their 2021 peak, were up 125p, or 32.4 per cent, to close at 52p.

Net revenue is expected to decline in the “mid-single digits”, compared with previous guidance of being “slightly down” on last year, which implied a margin improvement of about 140 basis points year over year; previous guidance was just over 100 basis points.

Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes and other items are expected to come in at £85 million, in line with analyst consensus, for the full year. Over the first half of the year it reported adjusted earnings of £38 million, more than double the previous year's figure.

Net debt is also set to be lower than previously expected at £50 million to £80 million, from £60 million to £90 million, or 0.7 times adjusted earnings. The group pressed ahead with its first interim dividend of 1.35p a share.

Sorrell said that he expected clients to remain cautious in the near term, reflecting “heightened macroeconomic uncertainty as a result of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East... This challenging environment results in more measured decision-making.”

The company has been hit by a downturn in spending by technology clients, which account for more than half the company's revenue, as they prioritise multibillion-dollar investments in expanding their AI capacity. Shaky macroeconomic conditions have also contributed to major brands pulling back on advertising spending.

The broader industry has been hit by weaker confidence among advertisers, as well as questions about the impact of artificial intelligence, which threatens to complete some tasks more cheaply and quickly.

S4 Capital's results came a day before WPP's interim results, which are expected to show a 6 per cent decline in underlying second-quarter revenue.

S4 Capital was founded by Sorrell in 2018 after his departure from WPP, the FTSE 100 ad group he formed in 1985, amid allegations of misconduct. Sorrell has denied any wrongdoing and was allowed to depart as a “good leaver”.

He founded S4 with the ambition of creating a digital advertising challenger to the leading incumbents, including WPP.

However, it has been plagued by a series of profit warnings, which have contributed towards its market value shrinking to approximately £325 million from a peak of more than £5 billion in 2021.

S4 employs almost 6,200 people, or “monks”. In a recent interview with Fortune, Sorrell said that it was “dead true” that running a business with a lot of Gen Z employees was difficult.

“I think it's to do with a different attitude developed through Covid, developed through distributed working. It is much more difficult to manage that than it is a workforce of 200,000 who come into offices on a regular basis,” he told the title.”

Croydon firm sends Nike shoe work abroad

The owner of a Croydon factory best known for developing the technology used

in Nike's long-distance “super shoes” has placed more than 100 jobs at risk as it shifts its focus towards Vietnam and Poland (Guy Taylor writes).

Zotefoams is a key supplier of the lightweight foam used in Nike's record-breaking running shoes, which were worn by Eliud Kipchoge when he

became the first person to run a sub two-hour marathon in 2019.

Founded as a rubber manufacturer in 1921, the company specialises in high-performance foams across a host of industries from aviation and automotive to construction, insulation and athletic footwear. It employs about 680 people globally and

Marathon runner Ruth Chepngetch uses the new Nike long-distance “super shoes”

counts Nike as its biggest customer.

Zotefoams announced proposals yesterday for a restructuring at its historic Croydon site, which it expects to produce annual cost savings of about £4 million.

In a statement, Zotefoams said the decision reflected efforts to transfer “high-volume” footwear production to Vietnam through 2026 and 2027, alongside “increased utilisation of manufacturing capacity in Poland” and investment in automation.

The proposals remain subject to consultation and decisions on individual roles will be made only once discussions have concluded.

“As operations in Vietnam come online, we must make sure our UK operations are the right size and shape for the future.

“Today's proposals reflect the next step in aligning our manufacturing footprint with the long-term needs of our customers and our strategy for future growth,” Ronan Cox, the group chief executive, said.

Shares in Zotefoams were trading down 0.7 per cent after the announcement, which came alongside strong half-year results. Revenue rose by nearly a quarter over the period to £95.2 million, driving adjusted pre-tax profits up 34 per cent to £15.3 million.

Zotefoams maintained full-year guidance of £190.8 million in revenue and £26.3 million in pre-tax profits.

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Classic Costa Rica

August 2026 to December 2027

An adventure awaits in a land of wild jungles, pristine beaches and towering volcanoes with this small group tour with Intrepid Travel. Prepare to immerse yourself in the vibrant culture and incredible biodiversity of this captivating country. You'll journey from the lush forests of San Jose to the stunning coastlines, discovering a world teeming with unique wildlife. A highlight of the journey is a stay with a local family, where you'll share a traditional meal and learn to cook authentic dishes – a truly personal insight into the local way of life.

Contact us today to add flights to this package.

What's included

• 11 nights in a hotel, two nights in a lodge and one night in a homestay
• Five breakfasts, two lunches and one dinner
• Overseas transport by a private vehicle, public transport and boat
• Activities, tours and experiences with a local tour leader
• Save up to £455 per person
• Times+ members save an extra £100
• Visit thetimes.com/timesplus for your unique code

Call 0808 303 3072 or visit thetimes.com/th-classiccostarica

TIMES Holidays

Terms and conditions apply. * Price shown is per person, based on various September and October 2026 departures with two adults sharing and excludes flights and mandatory local taxes/recart fees payable locally (amount varies by destination). None will be included in your quote. Price correct as of August 1, 2026 and subject to change and availability. * £100 off Times+ offer applicable to each Times Holidays booking made by December 31, 2026 with a minimum speed of £2,000 when quoting your unique Times+ code. Visit thetimes.com/timesplus for full terms and conditions. Intrepid up to £95gp savings applies to new bookings on selected departures through August, September and October 2026 and are capacity controlled. This holiday is sold by Times Holidays as an agent for Intrepid Travel and protected under ABTA P6770. For full booking conditions, visit thetimes.com/holidays/terms-and-conditions.

ABTA Food & Beverage Authority ABTA No. P6770

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43

Markets Business

Robert Stephens Tempus Buy, sell or hold: today's best share tips

Buy on the dip and you could clean up

RECKITT BENCKISER

Market cap | First-half revenue £3.5 billion | revenue £6.4bn

Many may feel that Reckitt Benckiser's 15 per cent share price slide since the start of the year is set to continue. After all, the FTSE 100 consumer goods company faces an uncertain near-term operating outlook amid elevated geopolitical and economic risks that could weigh on demand for its products. However, with a relatively appealing market valuation, sound fundamentals and upbeat medium-to-long-term profit growth prospects, its performance could prove pessimistic investors wrong.

Although Reckitt Benckiser was formed in 1999 via the merger of Reckitt & Colman and Benckiser, its history goes all the way back to 1840, when 25 employees manufactured starch at a factory in Hull. Today, 36,000 staff in 80 countries produce well-known brands such as Dettol, Gaviscon and Finish.

Emerging markets are its most important geographical sector, accounting for 44 per cent of core revenue. Europe and North America are its other key markets, contributing 33 per cent and 23 per cent, respectively, of core revenue.

Their performance in the first half of the current financial year was very mixed. While emerging markets produced like-for-like (LFL) sales growth of 8.5 per cent, recently released interim results showed that North America posted a relatively lacklustre 0.8 per cent, while minus

From Hull

ADVICE Buy WHY Market valuation fails to fully factor the company's long-term growth potential

3 per cent LFL sales growth in Europe was highly disappointing.

In the short run, it would be unsurprising if developed markets continue to act as a drag on the firm's overall financial performance. After all, inflation in the US and Europe remains persistently above central bank targets.

Alongside a recently tightened monetary policy in Europe, as well as the potential for interest rate rises in the US over the coming months, sticky inflation is likely to squeeze real-terms wage growth. This could

lead to reduced demand in the short run as customers potentially trade-down to cheaper substitutes or even reduce their consumption.

This, though, is likely to only be a temporary problem. Inflation in the US and the eurozone is expected to fall to 2 per cent within the next 30 months, according to central bank forecasts. This should ease pressure on disposable incomes, while providing scope for a looser monetary policy that, once time lags have passed, acts as a catalyst on after-inflation wage growth and the company's financial performance.

Boosted by a £500 million buyback programme, the firm is set to post an 8 per cent rise in earnings per share (EPS) next year. This is modestly higher than the FTSE 100's typical mid-single-digit EPS growth rate and suggests that, trading on a forward

earnings multiple using current year forecasts of 15.8, it offers good value for money at a time when the UK's large-cap index has a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 18.

Alongside upward rerating potential and fresh prospective EPS growth, Reckitt Benckiser's total return is set to be boosted by a dividend yield of 4 per cent that is 110 basis points higher than that of the FTSE 100. And with continued restructuring via divestment to focus on a narrower range of faster-growing core brands with higher profit margins, while further reducing fixed costs as a proportion of revenue in a major efficiency drive, its long-term total return prospects are likely to improve.

In the meantime, a solid financial position means it can overcome near-term threats. The half-year results showed that net finance costs were covered more than seven times by operating profits. The firm's strong competitive position, which is largely focused on brand loyalty, means it is also particularly well placed to cope with continued above-target inflation. It affords significant pricing power vis-à-vis sector peers that should help to support profit margins if, for example, war in the Middle East leads to higher-than-expected energy prices and rising input costs.

When combined with the threat of a global trade war, this could lead to further share price volatility in the short run. But with the shares already offering good value for money following their recent decline, alongside a strong financial position, and attractive income prospects, Reckitt's risk/reward ratio remains highly favourable.

NEWS IN BRIEF

Tritax to raise up to £350m

Tritax Big Box Reit, the real estate investment trust that specialises in developing logistics and data centres, is looking to raise up to £150 million through a placing of ordinary shares to City fund managers as well as a conditional retail offer.

The final issue price of the shares will be determined at the close of the book building process and retail investors can participate through RetailBook's partner network, with a minimum subscription of £250.

The net proceeds of the money raiser will be used to fund data centre development and enhance financial flexibility for future logistics acquisitions. The company said this would include the capital expenditure requirements of two additional data centre schemes in Greater London deliverable over 2030-31.

Colin Godfrey, the chief executive of Tritax Big Box, said: "These new schemes have the potential to add £50 million to £60 million of incremental rental at an attractive 9 to 11 per cent yield on cost and £300 to £400 million of capital profits in aggregate, reflecting a development profit on cost of over 50 per cent."

Tritax Big Box reported its half-year results yesterday with a 16.2 per cent rise in net rental income to £173.3 million in the six months to June 30 compared with £149.2 million a year ago. The shares closed down 5p, or 0.1 per cent, at 171.5p.

Eli Lilly's upbeat forecast

Eli Lilly raised its full-year revenue forecast yesterday, banking on sustained demand for its blockbuster GLP-1 weight-loss and diabetes drugs. Despite pricing pressure and competition from Novo Nordisk, which launched an oral version of its weight-loss drug, Wegovy, in the US this year, the strong results are likely to reassure investors. Eli Lilly passed a $1 trillion valuation last year, analysts expect it to make over $100 billion by 2030 in America alone. Its diabetes treatment, Mounjaer, and obesity drug, Zepbound, accounted for a combined 64.7 per cent share of revenues in the most recent quarter.

Activist raises Unite stake

An activist investor that has taken aim at a number of London-listed companies has built an interest of more than 5 per cent in Britain's largest student housing provider. Saba Capital, an American hedge fund run by Boaz Weinstein, has built an interest in Unite through financial derivatives. It held 0.084 per cent of the voting rights in Unite Group through shares and 5.04 per cent through financial instruments, taking its total interest in Unite Group to nearly 26.4 million voting rights as of July 31, a regulatory filing showed. Unite declined to comment. Saba was approached for comment.

Digital slows at NY Times

The New York Times added digital subscribers more slowly in the second quarter despite a busy news cycle that included the US-Israeli war with Iran and the Fifa World Cup. The newspaper added about 280,000 digital-only subscribers in the three-month period, lower than an estimate of 295,300 from Visible Alpha and the 30,000 it added in the previous quarter. Its total subscriber count is now 13.35 million. The company said it expected digital-only subscription revenue growth to slow to between 12 and 15 per cent in the third quarter, the mid-point of which was below the estimate of 14.2 per cent.

FTSE 250 hits record high on AI slump fears

MARKET REPORT

The FTSE 250 has hit a record high, topping 24,000 points as part of a broader rally in UK assets (Mehreen Khan writes).

The mid-cap index, which is a better reflection of the UK economy than the FTSE 100, gained 173.33 points, or 0.7 per cent, yesterday to hit 24,612.63. It has climbed more than 11 per cent this year, adding more than 2,000 points. The benchmark FTSE 100, which set a record high last month, has gained nearly 10 per cent this year.

Analysts said UK stocks were the beneficiaries of fears over the valuation and mass investment carried out by US AI companies, with capital finding its way into less exposed stock markets in Europe. Global equities rallied in the midweek session, reversing recent drops in tech-related firms.

Investors have flocked to "more defensive sectors ... including consumer staples and financials. This broadening of market leadership helped propel the UK's FTSE 100 to a fresh record high," Tony Whincup, head of investment specialists at TrinityBridge, said.

The FTSE 250's best-performing stocks this year have been CMC Markets, a spread betting group, Rasp-

Wall Street report

Strong corporate profits and expectations for more growth ahead have been steadily pushing stocks higher but with uncertainty about the direction of the US war with Iran continuing to hung over the market, indices had a mixed session but still a record. The S&P 500 dipped 12.97 points, or 0.2 per cent, to 7,723.55, while the Nasdaq shed 221.55 points, or 0.8 per cent, to 26,363.44. The Dow Jones industrial average, however, rose 263.24 points, or 0.5 per cent, to 54,349.12, a new high and its 24th record close of 2026.

The day's biggest movers

Company	Owner
Next	5.7%
Endurance Mining	5.7%
Fresnillo	4.5%
Glencore	4.1%
Coca-Cola HBC AG	3.9%
Vodafone	-2.1%
ConnaTec	-2.4%
Autotrader	-2.8%
HSBC	-4.7%
Prudential	-6.4%

HSBC and Standard Chartered both suffered yesterday on exposure to China

berry Pi, a Cambridge computer firm, and Keller Group, an engineering group that prepares ground for building on.

The shares of the first two have gained more than 120 per cent and Keller is up 90 per cent. The total value of the index is more than £313 billion and it represents 37 per cent of the value of the UK's publicly listed companies.

On the FTSE 100 it was a tough day for banks and financial services stocks with exposure to China, following a report that the Chinese authorities are taking steps to claw back decades of unpaid taxes worth billions of pounds.

Shares in Prudential, which has significant exposure to China, fell as much as 8 per cent in the day before closing down 70p, or 6.4 per cent, at £10.25. HSBC, which makes most of its money in Hong Kong, was down 74p, or 4.7 per cent, at £15.51. Britain's other major bank with significant operations in China, Standard Chartered, closed down 36p, or 1.6 per cent, at £22.12.

At the top end of the FTSE 100 was Next after another set of strong results and an upgrade to its profit forecasts for the year. Its shares were up 850p, or 5.7 per cent, at £156.60.

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44

Business

EQUITY PRICES

Dividend yields Please note dividend yields are supplied by ICE Data Services. The yield is the sum of a company's annual 12-month dividend payments divided by the last day's closing share price.

12-month high and low High/low prices for UK equities and investment trusts are based on intra-day figures.

12-month High Low Company		Price b/d	Forecast YrR%	P/E

Automobiles & Part

831, 1321, Inter-Martin Lay	595,-	-	5, -	-0.7

Banking & Finance

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45

Business

12 monthHigh Low Company		Price(yr)	ForwardV	YATV	FYE
0%	0 Egypti Paysacara	0%	-	-	9.6
34%	2912 EMY Group	3361	-	76	11.25
1%	75, Evelin & Silva Rota	16%	-	-	91.6
225%	319, Bouquivalle	11	-	-	16.4
499%	399% BP	5345	-	105	4.8
1%	0 Bayonnez Energy	0	-	-	4.7
0%	15, Cabernas Minerals	4%	-	-	9.0
5%	25, Cabran Energy	1%	-	-	11.2
290%	1250 Cabranas Minerals	2000	-	49	2.8
1%	15, Capone Services	1%	-	-	1.9
24%	225, Celi Asia Minerals	1495	-	13	8.4
2%	15, Chantal Lota	1%	-	-	-
0	0 Chantal Energy	0	-	-	4.3
0%	0, Griva	0%	-	-	2.1
18%	0 Crista Therapeutics	9%	-	-	1.9
380%	1000, 1000 Gold	2765	-	105	1.4
4%	0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0
0%	0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0
0%	0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0
0%	0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0
0%	0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0
0%	0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0
0%	0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0
0%	0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0
0%	0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0
0%	0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0
0%	0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0
0%	0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0
0%	0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0
0%	0, 0, 0, 0, 0
0%	0, 0, 0, 0, 0
0%	0, 0, 0, 0, 0
0%	0, 0, 0, 0, 0

12 monthHigh Low Company		Price(yr)	ForwardV	YATV	FYE
5%	25, Propan Energy	2%	-	-	4.1
5%	95, Quellera	1	-	-	9.9
100	0 Product Resources	67	-	-	67.5
0	0 Port Ford Rice	0	-	-	4.3
2465%	1250% Fin Food	5135%	-	1035%	17.17
9117	4610% Mix Tinto	7511	-	299	4.8
0%	0, Rota Resources	0%	-	-	15.4
975	2000, Sands Gold	157	-	29	1.8
1021%	14% Swiss Energy	225	-	13	7.2
3765%	1015% Shell	1200%	-	41	4.4
7	25, Shala Minerals	2%	-	-	2.1
11	15, Santal Energy	1%	-	-	1.5
0	0, Smal Energy	345	-	11	-
4%	0, Sands Energy	1%	-	-	1.4
0	0, Sands Resources	1%	-	-	1.3
0	Santal Energy	0	-	-	4.5
0%	0, Tortura Minerals	0%	-	-	4.0
0%	0, Tintura Minerals	0%	-	-	4.6
0%	0, Tintura Energy	0%	-	-	4.6
7666	4350% Total Dry Oil	6320%	-	175	4.7
0	0, Total Resources	0%	-	-	4.4
20%	25, Yellow Oil	141	-	1	-
0	0, Oil Oil & Lique	0	-	-	4.2
11	25, UBC Metals	4	-	-	-3.7
0%	0, Vital Resources	0%	-	-	4.5
1%	15, Vitaminal Energy	3%	-	-	4.3
1%	95, Vitam Resources	1%	-	-	4.7
0%	25, Zaylan Energy	0%	-	-	7.0
Professional & Support Services
4896	2000 Ampere	4896	-	900	2.7	16.3
505	464 Andover Sykora	575	-	10	6.5	11.3
100	1005, 075 Conveiling	1061	-	11	4.3	26.1
2614	1001 Bunati	2614	-	10	3.4	26.0
466	125 Carina	2521	-	5	-	1.8
45%	125, GSPA	30	-	-	11.1
165	99 Orotola Group	2521	-	2	1.8	16.0
2001	1000 Company	2001%	-	171	2.1	16.1
17	50% Cross Security	30	-	1.8	11.2
6766	4550 M&E Energy	6300	-	11	3.4
14	15, Chaka Dua	12	-	-	4.7	16.6
7730	4979 Diploma	7675	-	100	6.6	16.7
100	500 Chumard	831	-	19	1.8	17.3
114%	15% Exercia	108	-	-	1.9
1997	1000 Experian	2001	-	9	2.8	15.4
116	116 PM Group	115	-	10	5.6	3.1
190	500 Hargreaves Servs	804	-	2	5.8	8.6
5000	10,5% Intertek	5846	-	-	2.6	16.0
290%	5105, Int'l Workplace	1005%	-	2	8.5
272%	1225, Johnson Service	1001%	-	5	1.2	16.2
954	360 Journee	900	-	20	-	20.0
2541	1150, Kim Group	2471%	-	11	1.1	19.4
1279	950, Caravan Care	2100	-	-	5.4	20.9
1760	2100 London Security	3600	-	-	2.7	16.6
190	200 LOL Property Servs	140	-	3	4.4	14.9
100%	595, Machalana	745%	-	21	4.4	26.7
290	25, Mumel Holdings	31%	-	-	4.1
18	15, Mishore Iota	31%	-	-	2.0
440%	310 Hines Group	4301%	-	21	4.1	3.7
2021	1000, Hines Group	2071%	-	5	4.4	44.0
214	1505, Hille Group	207	-	5	2.2	15.4
10%	95, Middleland	6%	-	-	2.1
137	15, Hometra Security	110	-	-	19.6
160	175 Hometra Broadband	100	-	10	-	5.0
190	165, Gorham Group	115%	-	6.1	4.1
107%	110 HWT Group	144	-	4	6.0	7.7

12 monthHigh Low Company		Price(yr)	ForwardV	YATV	FYE
80	42 P1194	99	-	-	-
17%	7 Pictoral	10%	-	-	15.3
12%	9 PACA	7%	-	-	2.6
0%	0% Powerhouse Energy	0%	-	-	1.1
64	45% Paverel	64%	-	5	6.1
650	772 Enron Holdings	630	-	12	2.3
567	1000 Bankroll	1005	-	11	2.6
110	122 Fantea	367	-	2	2.4
1%	1, Fiber Global Inc.	2%	-	-	4.3
30	125, Football Fund Group	26	-	-	4.0
500	500, 0% Group	1925	-	172	3.2
150	10 KFC Group	67%	-	7	6.2
130	66 20% Holdings	1225	-	1	5.5
612	920 Sunco Group	920	-	1	7.0
137%	207 Suna	2425%	-	35	19.36
9%	5% Sniffra News	12	-	1	7.7
30	13% Software Credit	16%	-	5	-
51%	50% Software Group	46	-	2	-
271%	1225, UTham	230	-	45	5.3
200	100 Transita	2025%	-	25	17.7
2	0% Broadman Group	0%	-	-	4.6
0%	0% Trident	0%	-	1	2.6
84%	50 Vassile	66	-	1.6	46.2
490	1995, 2000	4645%	-	25	5.8
Retailing
117%	62% All World	97%	-	5	-
269%	140 0000 Earnown	2315%	-	11	4.1
1%	10% Card Factory	74%	-	5	6.4
1640	1062 CVS Group	1200	-	9	4.7
1100	100, 1995 Hovsham	149	-	45	4.7
1249	702 Goodee	8925%	-	62	7.8
1440	500 Finance Group	612	-	12	-
2646	1497% Gregor	2919	-	17	5.6
1.2%	1225, 6th Ave	160	-	1	1.7
961	112 Hooshan Johnny	111	-	11	2.6
999	640% Indvase	8455%	-	5	4.6
1.6%	0% Freightan Elementary	0%	-	-	5.6
1645	64 JD Sports	92%	-	11	1.3
572%	1000, Phegelber	1325%	-	15	5.8
4.0%	0.0% Marks & Spencer	49%	-	5	1.8
91%	61% Robert Whocor	0%	-	-	4.6
95%	61% Robert Whocor	0%	-	-	3.9
1999	1000 Mark	29600	-	810	1.7
397%	1000, Oralia	2115%	-	7%	-
242%	167% Price at Home	2125%	-	11	3.9
575	200 Financial Tech Comp	433	-	1%	-
719	117% Sapp	713	-	11	-
1065%	291% Salisbury's	256	-	5	1.8
1120	193% NW Smith	440	-	5	-
0%	0% Scandia	13%	-	-	96.4
5.6%	406% Tessa	486%	-	13	1.8
0%	0% Napa's Inc.	91%	-	15	1.8
Technology
252	140% Mrs. Financial	165	-	5	5.2
1.2%	407 Andover Software	29	-	1	2.2
129	16 Group	61	-	5	-
20	12 KATRA Life Servs	13	-	5	-
13	19% Berkeley Res	29	-	1	-
0%	1% Klastikra	1%	-	-	5.5
184	50 Andover Tech	167	-	2	2.2
28	12% Crusak	14%	-	1%	-
0%	0% Croutland	0%	-	-	4.5
4962	2112 Computer367	4112	-	16	6.6
1.0%	1.0% General Tech	200	-	9	6.0
17%	75, Givore	0%	-	-	2.1
1640	500 Greenware	1116	-	56	1.5
110	50 Greenware Tech	87%	-	-	26.0
0%	0% CamComolo Hldgs	9%	-	-	4.3
15%	0 Dillstone Group	10%	-	-	7.4

12 monthHigh Low Company		Price(yr)	ForwardV	YATV	FYE
0%	0 Forward	0	-	-	4.0
165%	99% EBM Group	1165%	-	35	6.3
400	114 Whimers	241	-	9	-
160	100% GE Group	231	-	4	1.9
51	26 TSEA	36	-	-	4.5
100	56 Inpatula	63%	-	-	7.1
170	79 Intertech	130	-	25	-
20%	11% Group	17%	-	-	1.9
71%	45, TSE	42%	-	25	-
4402%	9125% GE Electronics	3463%	-	35	1.7
9	97 497 Omnivore	45%	-	5	1.1
10%	2 Kenova Group	1%	-	-	2.1
100	94% Sotcalia	110	-	4.6	40.2
36	22 Northamore	34%	-	2.4	-1.7
60%	37% Global Motors	30%	-	0.3	60.0
31	17 Personal	29%	-	-	9.9
447	153 Phytech	365%	-	11%	-
9	5% Global Corp	9	-	-	4.3
5.9%	1000, OpenID	5461%	-	4	2.8
117	88 PM	96	-	35	-
0%	0% Sarsha Machanam	4%	-	-	12.0
49%	10% Dreamland Group	61%	-	-	1.5
2900	1000 Softcat	2875	-	26	1.3
90	5 Sottal Group	9	-	-	4.2
3630%	5500, Tele Ericsson	7595%	-	51	1.1
1260	551% Thea Supp Corp	3611	-	31	2.1
91%	52% Touchstone	85%	-	1.8	-6.4
410	200 Tranjol	332%	-	10	6.8
400	250 Total Group	394	-	4	2.3
130	216 Water India	307%	-	-	24.4
250	96% Yant	159	-	1	-27.7
17	8% 2m Byrda	11%	-	-	-4.2
Telecoms
436%	206 Airtol Africa	127	-	61	1.6
242%	175 6F Group	203%	-	1	4.1
169%	106 G952	161%	-	5	1.8
1260	107 Games Loose	93%	-	2.1	24.6
247%	1116, Hales Sears	295%	-	25	6.9
0%	0% Cera World	0%	-	-	3.7
2946	630 Tohuan Poc	859	-	2	5.6
131%	92% Vodafone	1145%	-	25	1.5
Transport
360	350% Business	220	-	1	1.1
5400	1165 Chokaa	4966	-	79	2.2
403%	1025, EasyJet	451%	-	14	2.8
340%	1105, Prudhansar	289%	-	1	1.9
554	320 Fisher (Jones)	436	-	15	-
492%	1125, Int'l Corp Air	444%	-	51	7.3
600	450 Intel Cent	469	-	10	2.1
30%	17 Phithos Group	34%	-	-	1.1
1%	1% Sultan Hatham	0%	-	-	4.4
1452	632 Vico Air	1247	-	16	-
Utilities
230%	151% Controls	151%	-	11	5.7
937%	1625, Emu Group	7100%	-	3	4.2
400	420 Jones Electricity	440	-	5	5.6
1400%	1000 Standard Grid	1387%	-	5	4.1
460	439% Pioneer	457%	-	11	6.4
1110	1100 Sensen Trust	1062	-	12	4.1
2767%	1000 SEE-	2342	-	14	2.9
1497	1072 Vinthal Utilities	1437	-	11	5.8

INVESTMENT COMPANIES

12 monthHigh Low Company		Price(yr)	ForwardV	YATV	FFE
4497	1025 IB Group	2922	-	15	1.9
994%	325 B Infodromtors	2925%	-	5	3.5
1350	1400, Aberforth Ind	1216	-	8	2.8
1291	1175 Alliance Whites	1205	-	4	2.1
396	525 Adams Oil Fats (cont'd)	1015%	-	25	1.8
120	1100, 1000, 1000, 1000, 1000, 1000, 1000, 1000, 1000, 1000, 1000, 1000, 1000, 1000, 1000, 1000, 1000, 1000, 1000, 1
210	1200, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1
210	1200, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1
210	1200, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1
210	1200, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1
210	1200, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1
210	1200, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1
210	1200, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1400, 1

Exchange rates

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47

Theoretical physicist behind the 'God particle' François Englert Page 48

Obituaries

Peter Gill

Theatre director, founder of the National Theatre Studio and playwright who brought working-class Cardiff to life on stage

Peter Gill was too nervous to watch the premiere of his first play, The Sleepers' Den, at the Royal Court Theatre in February 1965, which used the backdrop of a drab and dull family to compose what one critic called 'a trap-comedy of remarkable vitality and tension'. Afterwards George Devine, the theatre's artistic director, found him hiding in the wardrobe department.

He need not have worried. Suitably encouraged, he went on to write more for the Royal Court including Over Gardens Out (1969), the tale of a homoerotic friendship between two teenagers, and Small Change (1976), angrily looking back on the destruction of the close-knit, postwar Cardiff community in which he was raised. Indeed, several of his plays revolved around the impoverished working-class communities of the Welsh capital. 'That is the language I can hear,' he explained.

An energetic, talkative and opinionated figure, Gill ran a parallel career as a director, notably staging the premieres of three previously overlooked DIY Lawrence pieces: A Collier's Friday Night, The Daughter-in-Law and The Widowing of Mrs Holroyd. He recalled that there was no awareness of this being a significant archaeological rediscovery. 'I just found the play [A Collier's Friday Night] and Devine said, 'Do it on a Friday night', so I did,' he told The Times, adding elsewhere that 'the absence of parasols and middle-class melancholy' had led to the neglect of these early 20th-century masterpieces.

With his white hair, blue eyes and tough, intelligent manner, Gill was a force to be reckoned with in the world of theatre, even if he never acquired the same public profile as Peter Hall, Trevor Nunn or Richard Eyre. He was assistant director of the Royal Court, founder director of the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith and set up the Studio at the National Theatre, and leaves a legacy of more than 20 plays in addition to translations and adaptations.

He was also a mass of contradictions: self-deprecating while grand, gregarious but conducting most of his social life by telephone; and rarely persuaded to go to a party, but swamped by admirers when he did. His encyclopaedic knowledge was renowned for stimulating new ideas. 'He's got a library in his head, and he likes to share it,' the actor Andrew Woodall said when Gill staged Patrick Hamilton's 1938 thriller Gurlight at the Old Vic in 2007. The actor Kenneth Cranham added: 'I've never asked him a question that he's been unable to answer.'

Peter Gill was born in Cardiff in 1939, the youngest of four children of George Gill, a dock worker, and Margaret (née Browne). His brothers, Bernard and Paul, followed their father into manual work and his sister, Mary, ran a care home. As a child he listened to radio dramas with his mother, while his father took him to the music-hall. At 14 he and his best friend discovered dance when the Royal Ballet came to Cardiff. 'We saw [Margot] Fonteyn and [Michael] Somes dance Ashton's Symphonic Variations, we saw Violetta Elvin dance Le Tricorne with the Picasso decor,' he told the Financial Times.

At 8 Illtyd's, his grammar school, Gill helped to paint the scenery for a class

Gill in 1978 when he staged The Cherry Orchard at the Riverside Studios; Gill, fourth left, next to Peter Hall with other luminaries of the National Theatre in 1984; below, Zoe Tapper and Joseph Fiennes in Epitaph for George Dillon by John Osborne, directed by Gill in 2005

staging of The Wind in the Willows. 'The effect was intoxicating,' he said. The caretaker allowed him to watch amateur-dramatic society shows in the school hall in exchange for setting out the chairs and by 16 he was good enough at acting to enter drama school alongside Anthony Hopkins.

A year later he left Cardiff. His father drove him to the station. His mother believed, wrongly as it turned out, that the theatre would bring down the curtain on his Catholic upbringing. He

'I came into theatre at a time when its purpose was to be serious'

joined Hopkins as assistant stage manager for Frank Dunlop's touring productions, acting as prompt for the 'hetero hell' of John Osborne's Look Back in Anger. By 2001 his views had mellowed sufficiently to direct Rufus Sewell in the title role of Osborne's Luther, about the instigator of the Protestant Reformation, at the National Theatre.

Like Harley Granville-Barker, whose 1905 play The Voyssey Inheritance he staged at the National in 2006, Gill

found his way into acting. He and Michael Caine were understudies for The Long and the Short and the Tall, Willis Hall's 1959 play about the British Army in Malaya that started life at the Royal Court. He ended up doing anything and everything for that theatre including for a very short time the press officer's job, a role to which he was spectacularly unsuited. 'No one quite remembers how Peter Gill arrived in our lives. He was suddenly there, like a changeling ... he fastened like a succubus on John Dexter and me,' the director William Gaskill recalled in his autobiography.

Over the next few years Gill flitted around minor roles on stage and screen. On television he was the boyfriend of a Welsh miner's daughter who wins a scholarship to Oxford in A Matter of Degree (1960), a Royal Navy radio officer in City Beneath Be Sea (1962) and made a guest appearance in the detective series No Hiding Place (1964). On the big screen he was

Lieutenant D'Arblay in the 18th-century mutiny tale HMS Defiant (1962) starring Alec Guinness and Dirk Bogarde, and Private 612 Williams in Zulu (1964), Cy Endfield's epic re-creation of the 1879 Battle of Rorke's Drift with Caine, Jack Hawkins and Stanley Baker.

Returning to the stage he was in an Arts Theatre revival of Ronald Duncan's This Way to the Tomb with incidental music by Benjamin Britten that was, he wrote, 'unutterable tosh of a kind which abounded then'. Such a direct approach to passing judgment was seen again when he described a brief flirtation with the Royal Shakespeare Company as 'part rancorous and part arse-licking', having played Silvius in Michael Elliott's 1961 production of As You Like It starring Vanessa Redgrave. The experience was worthwhile for his after-show journey home to Hammersmith via a succession of Soho pubs and gay bars.

In 1963 Gill was Gaskill's assistant on the York Mystery Plays, an experience that inspired his Royal Court piece *The

York Realist (2003, revived by Robert Hastie at the Donmar Warehouse in 2018). Set in the early 1960s, the play's protagonist is George, a Yorkshire farm labourer who is cast as one of the crucifixion workmen in the Mystery Plays. He finds love with John, the productions young assistant director and a bourgeois Londoner, but cannot bring himself to follow John to the capital.

Tormented by anxiety, Gill abandoned acting at the age of 24. 'I became increasingly interested in the art of theatre, in animating the theatre, which seemed to lie in directing,' he explained. In 1964 he was appointed as-

sistant director to Stephen Frears at the Royal Court.

Since arriving in London, he had lived in Hammersmith, where he was invited to be involved in a new community arts project. The Riverside Studios opened in 1976 with his staging of As You Like It starring Zoë Wanamaker and quickly became a magnet for young artists and memorable productions, including his landmark staging of The Cherry Orchard in 1978. Bernard Levin wrote in The Sunday Times that the play had 'never, in my experience, been at once so harrowing and so glittering; nor its fragile rhythms so finely, surely spun, its development so natural, human and real'.

In 1980 Peter Hall invited Gill to be associate director at the National Theatre. Four years later he established its Studio, an experimental space dedicated to developing playwrights, directors and actors that lasted until Eyre succeeded Hall. Mustering all the diplomacy he could manage, Gill explained that 'Richard had a different approach to management', while Eyre wrote that he could not accept a vision of the Studio as a laboratory that must never produce commercial work.

Nevertheless, Gill remained associate director of the National until 1990. Among the highlights of his tenure was Mean Tours (1987), which has at its centre a relationship between two men that is threatened when one of them, played to perfection by Bill Nighy, has a wandering eye for the ladies.

Elsewhere Gill directed a few programmes for radio and television. He also turned his hand to opera including The Marriage of Figaro for Opera North (1987) that was notable for the way he focused on projecting the story with utmost clarity and a Queen Elizabeth Hall staging of Harrison Birtwistle's double bill Down by the Greenwood Side and Bow Down (also 1987). Returning to Osborne's work, he directed Epitaph for George Dillon at the Comedy Theatre with Joseph Fiennes in 2005.

The following year he was the subject of a month-long festival at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, the centrepiece of which was his hauntingly powerful Original Sin, inspired by Frank Wedekind's so-called Lulu plays but following the changing fortunes of a beautiful boy rather than a girl. As with many of his plays, he directed the work himself. Latterly he shared the directing, including in Something in the Air (2022), a slim and sedentary two-hander about a pair of septuagenarians living in a care home that was co-directed by Alice Hamilton for Jermyn Street Theatre.

The one genre Gill eschewed was musicals. 'I remember going to see The Sound of Music when I was 24 and thinking, 'This is bollocks, the Vietnam War is going on. We're watching this and they're napalmung people,' he told The Guardian, though he later clarified his position, explaining: 'I have no problem with populism ... It's just that I came into theatre at a time when its purpose was to be serious.'

Peter Gill OBE, playwright and theatre director, was born on September 7, 1939. He died on August 3, 2026, aged 86

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48

Register

François Englert

Modest physicist and Nobel laureate behind the 'God particle' that 'allowed the world that we know — and ourselves — to exist'

The first thing François Englert moved into his office upon being appointed a physics professor at the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) was a second-hand mattress. It was Englert's firm belief that the best breakthroughs were reached through inductive, rather than deductive, thinking, and he did all of his best inductive thinking lying down: 'If you think deductively, you only discover what you suspected at the beginning,' he said. 'With the other method, you unleash your unconscious brain.'

Music was another important part of the equation: 'It happens sometimes that we better perceive the world of fundamental research by listening to a Mozart opera than by attending a university lecture.'

In 1959 Englert took a temporary research contract at Cornell University and discovered a research partner who equalled his scientific creativity and love of music. Robert Brout picked Englert up at the airport, and once they got talking they didn't stop. 'This first encounter lasted nearly the entire night,' Englert recalled. 'When we finally parted ways, we knew we would be fast friends.'

They spent two years working together on the study of solids, and when Englert finally returned to Belgium in 1961, Brout followed. It was there that the two physicists developed their most significant theory, the one that decades later would earn Englert a Nobel prize: the Brout-Englert-Higgs mechanism, of which a particular boson — now known as the Higgs boson or 'God particle' — is the physical manifestation.

The mechanism, first detailed in a 1964 paper by Englert and Brout, provided a much sought-after explanation for how subatomic particles acquire mass. Englert and Brout theorised that these particles, rather than generating their mass themselves, acquire it through interactions with an invisible field of energy that permeates the universe. These interactions prevent the particles from travelling at light speed, thereby giving them mass. 'This is what allowed the world that we know, and

ourselves along with it, to exist,' Englert explained.

The same theory was put forward weeks later by the British physicist Peter Higgs, and, following an erroneous citation by the physicist Steven Weinberg, the 'Brout-Englert-Higgs boson' soon became known as the 'Higgs boson'. For his part, Englert didn't mind whom it was named after: he himself referred to it as the 'scalar boson', which, he said, better described its nature.

Englert and Brout had no means of proving their theory, and for much of the scientific community it was too abstract to be of interest. 'We were a little bit sad that people didn't seem to pay attention,' Englert said. Regardless, after verifying their hypothesis, the two physicists headed out to a café and ordered a bottle of champagne. 'We had the impression that at the end it would work, and so we celebrated,' Englert said. It would take 50 years, the construction of the Large Hadron Collider, and the discovery of the Higgs boson before the rest of the world would celebrate with them.

François Englert was born in 1932 in Ethelwek, Belgium, where his Polish-Jewish parents, Szmul-Josek and Bajla Englert, worked in a small textiles shop. Englert was a precocious child: he taught himself to read before starting school by sounding out the advertisements on the tram, and was moved up

'We were a little bit sad that people didn't seem to pay attention,' he said

a year shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War.

One morning in 1940, Englert's father burst into his room and announced that Germany had invaded Belgium. Englert, only seven years old, threw up in fear. The occupying Nazi regime soon began instituting anti-Jewish policies: Englert was required to wear a yellow star to school, and his parents' store was seized as a 'Jewish

Englert in 2014. It took 50 years for the theory he put forward to be confirmed

asset. They finally fled the city in July 1942, weeks before the Gestapo and the SS began making mass arrests.

The family split up to avoid detection, and for a year Englert was hidden with a family of restaurant owners in the secluded village of Lustin. There the ten-year-old played his own small part for the local resistance movement, which tasked him with counting the carriages of passing German trains to assist with their sabotage efforts.

He was reunited with his family in 1943, and they hid together in the village of Annevoie with the help of a vicar, who baptised Englert so that he could attend the local Catholic boarding school. Finally, in 1944, British and American troops liberated the region, and the family returned to Brussels.

Englert returned to school at the Athénée Royal de Koekelberg, before enrolling at ULB to study engineering. He graduated summa cum laude in 1955, but by then he had lost interest in applied physics and so turned down a

well-paid directorship at a French technology company.

Englert married Esther Dujardin, another student in 1955. They had three children, Michèle, Anne and Georges, before divorcing. Englert's second marriage, to Danielle Vindal, lasted from 1971 to 1985. They had two children, Sarah and Hélène. Englert is survived by his five children and his third wife, Mira Nikomarow, whom he married in 1991.

Through his study of semiconductors, Englert was introduced to — and captivated by — the recondite field of quantum physics. In 1959 he completed a PhD on the subject, and travelled to Cornell to work with Brout soon after.

After the publication of their landmark 1964 paper, Englert and Brout continued to work on questions of quantum field theory and the 'infinitely small', but also did significant work at the other end of the scale, producing papers on cosmology and the genesis of the universe. Englert continued to

teach at ULB and also spent time at Cerni's highly collaborative theoretical physics department. 'I find interchange and partnership with other researchers to be essential,' Englert said. 'For me, friendship in research is a huge motivating factor.'

In the late 1990s, Englert, Brout and Higgs's discovery at last began to receive recognition. In 1997 they were jointly awarded the European Physical Society prize 'for their hypothesis of the existence of a new elementary particle, the boson, responsible for the emergence of non-zero mass particles.' The Wolf prize and the JJ Sakurai prize followed.

On July 4, 2012, researchers at Cerni announced the discovery of the Higgs boson, at last confirming the theory first put forward by Englert and Brout in 1964. Higgs broke down in tears. For Englert, sitting next to him, it was a bittersweet moment: Brout had died in 2011, only a year too soon to share this momentous occasion with them.

It was announced that Englert and Higgs had been awarded the Nobel prize for physics in 2011. There was thunderous applause for Englert at the ULB campus, and journalists gathered outside his Brussels apartment. Englert was ennobled in Belgium as a baron by King Albert the same year.

His Nobel prize had been decades in the making, but, for Englert, it was not quite the highlight of his career. 'I have to admit that the thrill was even greater in 1964,' he said, remembering the day he and Brout first validated their hypothesis. It may have been a blessing that their findings had taken so long to confirm: Englert soon discovered that being a Nobel prizewinner meant sacrificing much of his time to giving talks and interviews. 'I am very happy not to have received it when I was 50 years old,' he quipped. 'It would have posed a real problem for my research.'

François Englert, theoretical physicist, was born on November 6, 1932. He died on June 18, 2026, aged 93

Wang Quanying

Red Army veteran thought to be the last female survivor of China's Long March on which she served as guide, cook and nurse

Wang Quanying, a 14-year-old orphan and domestic servant, was being abused by her wealthy employer when the Red Army's Fourth Front arrived in her home town in Sichuan province, southwest China, in 1935. They were taking part in what became known as the Long March.

At first she kept her distance from the Communist force, which was made up largely of peasants and workers. However, inspired by their discipline and conduct she began to attend their meetings, many led by female officers. 'They dressed neatly, never disturbed the people and were never harsh with the villagers,' she said.

Wang was among about 8,000 young women who signed up, 90 per cent of them from Sichuan. Putting on her Red Army uniform and cutting off her long, plaited hair, she served as a guide, cook and nurse in the Women's Independent Regiment. 'The bugle call was the order: Forward! Forward!' she told the People's Daily in November last year.

She carried a weapon, marched with the soldiers and slept in the wild. Her role included fetching water and qingwei (clearing nests) operations, searching for and confiscating goods that had been stockpiled by the wealthy. When medical supplies ran short, she treated the sick with the herbal medic-

nes and folk remedies of her childhood. At night, she watched over her patients. 'Some managed to pull through, while others never opened their eyes again the next day,' she said.

Although Mao Zedong's Long March became a founding myth of the People's Republic, in reality it was a historic 6,000-mile retreat from southeast to northwest China by Communist forces escaping Chiang Kai-shek's nationalist troops. It was also something of a military disaster: of the 90,000 Red Army soldiers who set out from the little town of Yudu in October 1934, only a few thousand survived the year-long trek to Shaanxi. Yet the march established Mao as the Chinese

Communist Party's leader and remains a defining symbol of endurance, sacrifice and revolutionary determination.

By March 1936 Wang's unit was in Danha county, also in Sichuan province, where they were engaged in a fierce battle with the ruling Kuomintang party's 24th Army. 'Bullets whizzed past my ears but

didn't hit me, even the company commander said I was lucky to be alive,' she said. Kuomintang forces damaged the bridge across the county river, but the Fourth Front still managed to retreat over it. Wang was with a group of wounded soldiers and unable to cross.

Now separated from her unit, Wang spent more than a month trading across snow-capped mountains, surviving on wild grass and melted snow. Without proper footwear she lost a toe from her left foot to frostbite. Unable to rejoin the Red Army or return home, she wandered into Sanjiang, in Wenchuan county, disguising her identity and using an assumed name.

Only in the 1980s did her role in the Long March become known, thanks to a government project to investigate and identify Red Army soldiers who had become separated from their comrades. Having been recognised she received a Certificate of Stranded Red Army Veteran, providing her with official welfare and medical provision.

Increasingly Wang was fêted as a great survivor and honoured with commemorative medals. By the time of her death she was thought to have been the last female soldier to have taken part in the Long March. Asked how she survived, she replied: 'Following the Red Army, with light in my heart, I was not afraid of hardship.'

She was born Wang Guixiang in Jin-chuan county in Sichuan province in 1921, the same year the Chinese Communist Party was founded. Her parents were impoverished Tibetans who died shortly after her first birthday and she was raised by an uncle. When she was five she began working for the family of a local official. Her daily routine included herding cattle and sheep, and grinding grain. To bathe she was tied by her employer to a rope and thrown into the icy river.

Having settled in Sanjiang after the Long March, she lived the life of an ordinary peasant. She married Liu Fuguang, with whom she had five children, although only two daughters survived: Liu Guihua, who worked for the government, and Liu Guifang, a doctor. They grew up knowing little of their mother's experiences other than the revolutionary song she hummed: 'Nine bends on the snake-skin ridge, a look-out pole on the empty ridge, the lookout

pole fell and the road was lost, we shrewd from the cold when we reached the snow mountains, and were starving when we reached the grassland.'

After the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949 she changed her name to Wang Quanying, meaning 'all the Red Army soldiers in the world are heroes'. In 2008 she moved to the city of Dujiangyan and in May 2022 was interviewed for the China Central TV documentary series The Song of the Long March.

Well into her 11th decade the elderly and illiterate Wang was still singing revolutionary songs, raising her right hand in salute. Her eyesight remained sharp and she enjoyed needlework, donating her handmade cushions to schools and revolutionary education centres. Her one report, she said, was not being able to complete the Long March. She told Wang Yuqiang, a professor at Sichuan Provincial Party School who interviewed Sichuan female survivors of the march, that the secret to her longevity was 'a good attitude, a vegetarian diet, compassion and a love of doing good deeds'.

Wang Quanying, veteran of China's Long March, was born on June 23, 1921. She died on July 22, 2026, aged 105

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49

Register

Law Report

Turning ignition key could count as 'driving'

Court of Appeal PARKING in August 6, 2026

Rax x OFM Before Lord Justice Edils, Lady Justice Whistler, Judge General K. EDDS EWC/CON 199 Judgment May 15, 2026

Where the defendant, who had consumed cocaine, unlocked a car in a car park, opened the driver's door, leant in from outside to turn on the ignition to warm the car up, without intending to drive it or cause it to move, and it moved forward sharply under its own momentum carrying him with it and colliding with a child in a stroller, killing the child. There was evidence on which a properly directed jury could conclude the defendant's acts in relation to the car amounted to 'driving' it.

The Court of Appeal, Criminal Division so held when allowing the appeal by the Crown under section 58 of the Criminal Justice Act 2013 against the ruling of the trial judge in the Crown Court that there was no case to answer by the defendant OFM on count 1 causing death by dangerous driving contrary to section 7 of the Road Traffic Act 1998, and on count 2 causing death by careless driving when under the influence of drink or drugs contrary to section 34/1954 of the 1989 Act.

The issue on this appeal was whether there was evidence on which a properly directed jury could conclude that his acts in relation to the car amounted to 'driving' it. The judge had answered that question in the negative.

The court published an anonymised version of its reserved judgment, pending the trial, because it contains a significant point of law.

Louis Mably KC for the Crown: John Hipkin KC and Dean Pulling, assigned by the

Registrar of Criminal Appeals, for the defendant.

LORD JUSTICE EDDS, giving the judgment of the court, began by setting out the facts agreed for the purposes of this appeal.

The defendant had unlocked the car, and then opened the driver's door. Intending to warm up the car by starting the engine, he put the key in the ignition and turned it. When he did this he was standing outside the car, leaning in. Apart from starting the ignition, he had no other interaction with the controls.

Once the ignition was started, the movement of the car was captured on CCTV. From a standing start, it moved forward sharply under its own momentum (the whole having stopped spinning). It moved out of its parking bay, across the driving lane of the car park (a width of 5.91m), before colliding with the child's stroller.

Once the car started moving, the defendant moved along with it, and by the time of the first impact with the stroller he appeared to have been leaning into the car to some extent, and may have been being carried or dragged along by the vehicle. From the CCTV evidence, his lower limbs remain outside the vehicle throughout.

The defendant said in his police interview that he was unable to stop the car because he was unable to put his foot on the brake or reach the handbrake. Expert analysis confirmed that either would have been difficult in the position he was in, being alongside but essentially outside the car.

The expert analysis confirmed that a combination of the fact that the car did not have a clutch ignition interlock, that the car had been left in gear, and that the handbrake was not

pulled to its maximum resulted in the car being propelled forward when the ignition was started. Had the handbrake been pulled to the maximum the car would have stalled and not moved forward in the way that it did. There was no mechanical defect which contributed to the incident, although more modern cars had safety systems which would prevent the forward momentum that arose in this case.

The defendant had consumed cocaine prior to the incident. This led to him having benzoylecgonine in his blood reading at a level almost five times the legal driving limit at the material time.

In the court's judgment, the question for the jury was whether they were sure that, in switching on the ignition and starting the engine of the car, the defendant did an act which amounted to 'driving' it. In most cases the answer to that question would be that it did because switching on the engine of a car was an act which involved control over its movement and was, in ordinary language, a necessary part of conduct which amounted to 'driving' although the particular facts of the case might lead the jury to conclude that it did not.

The alleged conduct had to involve the alleged driver 'in a substantial sense controlling the movement and direction of the car' which was a necessary but not a sufficient condition and the activity also had to fall within the ordinary meaning of the word 'driving'. The outcome might turn on 'the extent and degree to which the defendant was relying on the use of the driver's controls' and the dividing line was not always easy to draw.

When the defendant turned the ignition key in the lock the fact the car was stationary did not preclude the act from being 'driving'. Even if at the time the driver did not intend the car should move, it would be open to a jury to conclude that the act amounted to 'driving' the car. Although intention was relevant to whether conduct amounted to driving, it was not decisive.

He caused the vehicle to move by starting the engine by turning the key in the ignition which, in most cases, was the point at which driving would start. A careful driver would have got into the driving seat to check whether the handbrake was on and the car in gear before starting the engine.

The fact that the defendant started the engine when he was not in a position to control the consequences of that act by using the brake, clutch or steering wheel did not prevent it from being an act of driving either. He created a situation where he had started the car engine without being in a position to control the car's movement because he had chosen to stand on the pavement while doing it, depriving himself of a means of doing so.

The jury could conclude that the act of starting the engine of a car when standing on the pavement beside it was an act of 'driving'. A driver 'controlling the movement of the car' did not have to exercise effective control over it.

In the court's judgment the prosecution were right to say that this was a matter for the jury. Accordingly, the appeal would be allowed, and the proceedings should be resumed before the Crown Court.

Solicitors: Crown Prosecution Service.

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WHILE he was praying, his face changed its appearance, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly two men were there talking with him. They were Moose, and Elijah, who appeared in heavenly glory and talked with Jesus, about the way in which he would seem told God's purpose by dying in Jerusalem. Luke 5:29-31 (GWE)

Bible verses are provided by the Bible Society

Births

HAARSTON on 25th July 2026 to Sophie, (late-Fairie) and Scott, a daughter, Charlotte, Adele Melly, sister to Oscar, Lovell, dearly by all.

ROSEDALE on 23rd July 2026 to Imogen (late-Hatham) and Jonathan, a daughter, Olivia Elvera.

Anniversaries

SEDGWICK CHURCHWARD Pleasure wedding anniversary On 6th of August 1956 at St Andrew's Church, Ashburton, Peter to Mary. New residing in Bellman, Knessetère. They are obligated to be celebrating this very special anniversary and happy occasion with their children Paul and Carey and grandchildren Charlotte, Annabel, Sophie, Lucy, Ben, Emma and Katie.

Deaths

ALLISON Joseph Philip Stace (Philip) on 26th July 2026 died peacefully of home surrounded by his family. Husband to Carol, father to Austin, Catherine, Joe, Peter, brother to Louise, during Granddaddy. Retired headmaster of St Mary's Music School, Edinburgh, dearly head of Bellmann HE, Clutten, Joseph of Waverly and Henrich, Funeral Marday (7th August of issue at Warriston Commissions No flowers but directions to RN), A livestream of service available from watchcloths.com Username: card0939 Password: 056957

COMYN James Alston on 18th July 2026. Beloved husband of Alston, father, father-in-law and much-boxed Barbar to his granddaughters. Funeral service at St Nicholas Church, East Grafton, on Wednesday 12th August, at 2pm. Divorters if desired for Brian Research UK and The Gordis Organization on Diames Masterson Funeral Service, Wagon Yard, MacDonough, Whitacre, 5W8 3LR Tel: 0952-7124446 or team@charterschurch.co.uk.

Court Circular

St James's Palace 5th August, 2026 The Duchess of Edinburgh, Patron, Halle Concerts Society, this evening attended a Promenade Concert at the Royal Albert Hall, Kensington Gore, London SW7.

St James's Palace 5th August, 2026 The Princess Royal, Patron, the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, accompanied by Vice-Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, today attended the Tattoo Dress Rehearsal at Redford Barracks, Colinton Road, Edinburgh, and was received by His Majesty's Lord-Lambrant of the City of Edinburgh (Councillor Robert Aldridge, the Rt Hon the Lord Provost).

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HAYERS Poth passed away peacefully on 19th July 2026. Much-loved mother of Nelly and Ede, grandmother of Poppy, Jake, Willow and Arlie, and wife of Philip. She will be dead missed by all who knew and loved her. A private comedian will be held locally followed by a service of celebrities and thanksgiving. Release 6th Church on 22nd October 2026 at 11.30am. Donations in ten memory to the Patrician's Centre for Integrated Therapy, Canterbury, on 24th July 2026.

HODSON Neil James (oncologist) Beloved husband of Care for 60 years and much-loved father of Andrew and Matthew and grandad of seven. Died on 18th July. Requiem Mary and Elizabeth, McChurch, Keymer, 8W4 6NA, on Monday 17th August at 2pm. Instead of flowers, donations in Neil's memory to St Peter and St James. Requiem (on Bowery Funeral Service, The former Road, Heavicks, West Sussex, BW6 5NF.

HOLLAND Social Education Born 19th August 1939 Gerry passed away peacefully on 17th July 2026, aged 66. A service of remembrance will be held at St Mary the Virgin Church, Banbury Road, Little Bostwick, Billericay, CM10 3YR, on Monday 19th September 2026. Family and friends are warmly invited to attend.

MARTIN John Patrick died peacefully after a short illness on 25th July, aged 85. Loving and devoted husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. A remarkable man who will be young missed. Funeral to be held at McGarrin Church, Sparkwell, on Tuesday 11th August at 11am. All family and friends are invited. No flowers by request; donations if desired for Dame Hannah Rogers and Moorfields Eye Hospital can be made online at wrightsontchland. All inquiries: Walter C Farson, Plympton, PL7 2QW Tel: 0572 243848.

MCKINLEY Sylvia Ruth (née LeFouvent) died peacefully on 28th July 2026, aged 96. Much-loved mother to Nigel, Susan and Stephen and grandmother to Mike, Lydia, Madity, Rory and Jodie. Will be dearly missed.

TAFF Philippa Helen died on 24th July 2026 at home, aged 95. Beloved wife of the late Admiral St Gordon Taft, dearly loved mother of four, grandmother of twelve and great-grandmother of nine.

LEGAL, PUBLIC, COMPANY & PARLIAMENTARY NOTICES

To place notices for these sections please call 020 7782 7553

Notices are subject to confirmation and should be returned by 11.30am three days prior to insertion

Legal Notices

Notice of proposed payment out of capital for purchase of own shares SOLIFT10 LABS LTD Company number: 15751364 Registered office: WSM, Conners House, 1515137 Alexandra Road, London SW59 2JY Pursuant to section 719 of the Companies Act 1986 (CA 2006), SOLIFT10 LABS LTD (Company) hereby gives capital that:

The Company has approved, by special resolution passed on 2 August 2026, a payment out of capital for the purpose of acquiring 1,213 of its own used preferred shares of B&BS with in the capital of the Company by purchase.

The amount of the permissible capital payment, as defined in section 720 of the CA 2006, for the shares in question is £782,984.92.

The directors' statement and the auditors' report required by section 720 of the CA 2006 are available for inspection at the Company's registered office as stated above.

Any creditor of the Company may at any time within the five weeks immediately following the date of the said special resolution apply to the court under section 721 of the CA 2006 for an order preventing the payment out of capital.

Lives remembered

Neil Reading

Nick Candy writer. There are very few people you meet in business and life who become genuinely

irreplaceable. Neil Reading (obituary, July 31) was one of them.

When my brother Christian and I were building Candy & Candy, the world often felt fast-moving, unpredictable and, at times, very chaotic. Neil was the opposite. Whatever was happening around him, he remained calm, measured and reassuring. He had an extraordinary ability to steady the ship.

I have often reflected that Candy & Candy would never have become what it did without Neil. He wasn't someone who wanted the limelight or recognition. He simply got on with the job, quality making things happen, solving problems and opening doors that few others could. He cared deeply about the people he represented.

Clients trusted him because they knew he genuinely had their interests at heart, and he would always go the extra mile. At the same time, he had built incredible relationships with journalists and editors, founded on mutual respect, honesty and decades of friendship.

Neil also knew how to enjoy life. I felt loved a long lunch, full of conversation, laughter and always a great battle of wine. Yet no matter how long the afternoon became, he would somehow remember every detail of every conversation with laser-focused precision.

In many ways, Neil was an old soul living in a modern world. He valued loyalty, discretion, kindness and relationships above everything else. Those qualities are increasingly rare, which made him all the more special.

The world is a much poorer place without Neil in it. I will miss his wisdom, his friendship and, above all, his unwavering presence. He leaves behind a legacy not measured by headlines or accolades, but by the enormous affection and respect of everyone fortunate enough to have known him.

Donald Legget

Hugh Twiss writer Lord Terrington in Lives Remembered alluded to Donald Legget's skills in launching the Leander

cadet scheme. However, Donald (obituary, August 1) also played a key role in persuading Derek Drury, who had had great success with Emanuel School crews, to become Leander's head coach. Donald said that he learnt much about coaching from him and it was this string of successes that really launched Donald's long coaching career.

In 1972 Donald and I also drove the CB rowing teams boat-trailer out to the Munich Olympics. I could fill many columns with our escapades, which included driving into the athletes' village every day to visit the crews. We did not have a permit, but a forceful call from Donald to the guards on the gate that he was the British ambassador, or something similar, always got us in. That is until the

day we were leaving, when nothing could get past the security due to the unfolding Israeli hostage drama.

John Livingstone writes: As both my sons rowed at their school, and then universal and for Great Britain, we came across Donald on multiple occasions. He was a larger-than-life personality whose ability to weld together a team of disparate athletes into a winning crew was legendary.

On one occasion at a regatta, his rowers were about to carry out their boat from the boat shed. Before that, the coach traditionally gathers them round to discuss race tactics.

The crew gathered round the great man in expectation, looking to receive insight, a race plan, encouragement or words of wisdom. The crew hushed ... DL began to speak. "If you get a chance to ..." The crew craned forward and listened intently: "If you get a chance to *** off, then ... *** off!"

If you would like to add a personal resolution to a published obituary, you can send your contribution by email to tdbates@thetimes.co.uk

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50

Law

Corruption, killer thriller and life in law

From fighting Putin to a Ruth Ellis-inspired novel, there's plenty to enjoy in our reviewers' legal picks

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51

THE BRIEF

Historical case of the month The bigamist and a forensic blunder that cleared him of murder thetimes.com

Joy as Burnham backs jury trials

JOHN BUNHAM/STANLEY/STANLEY, 2006 PHOTO/JULIETY SMITH/STANLEY, 2007/06/06

Jonathan Ames

Fans of bear-baiting will be looking forward to the first reappearance of Sarah Sackman KC in the Commons when parliament returns from its summer break.

Sackman, unlike her one-time boss the former justice secretary David Lammy, has kept her job in government after the Burnham purge of the Starmerites. The problem for the courts minister is that while Lammy was meant to be the cheerleader-in chief for the government's proposed radical reform of the jury trials in England and Wales — designed to rein in a rocketing backlog of cases in the crown courts — Sackman did all the heavy lifting in Westminster.

That involved routinely standing at the dispatch box to bat away suggestions from the opposition — and increasingly from her own Labour benches — that the reforms amounted to a butchering of constitutional rights.

To her credit, Sackman made a good fist of defending an unloved proposal. Whereas Lammy was always vulnerable to claims that he was not a true believer — based on glowing comments about the value of juries in his 2017 review on criminal justice — Sackman battled in favour of the controversial plans as though she had guzzled down the Kool-Aid.

Now she is likely to be consuming a large portion of humble pie — and cooking that dish is the new prime minister. Andy Burnham told a gathering in Sheffield last week that his 'instincts' were 'that we need to find ways of not reducing access to jury trial'. Front bench opposition justice and home affairs spokespeople will be licking their lips.

Up until the arrival of the King of the North in Downing Street ministers were at least publicly right behind the reforms. And it was not just ministers but figures such as Sir Brian Leveson, a retired Court of Appeal judge whose report last year to the government was routinely wheeled out in justification of the move. A former Conservative lord chancellor, Alex Chalk, had proposed something similar — as indeed had last year's report from this newspaper's own crime and justice commission.

As to where it has gone wrong for the proposals, the simple answer might be overreach on the part of Lammy and

The prime minister wants to ditch proposed reforms that had been defended by Sarah Sackman KC, the courts minister

Sackman. Leveson, Chalk and The Times's commission had all more or less called for the creation of an intermediate level of the crown court that would hear cases involving less serious offences with a judge and two lay magistrates on the bench. But the government went a couple of steps further — increasing the severity of the offences that could be tried without a jury and ditching any lay involvement by having the court overseen by a judge sitting alone on what was to be known as the crown court bench division.

Whether the government went that extra mile in the knowledge that an already depleted magistracy would not have the numbers to fill slots on a bench division is unknown — they remained silent on that point. More importantly, other factors didn't add up for the plan.

Opponents repeatedly pointed out to ministers that while there were many causes of the growing case backlog, the empanelment of juries and their deliberations was not one of them. Indeed, when ministers lifted the cap on judicial sitting days in the courts, backlogs in key areas across the country began to fall. Allow the courts to sit

at full capacity and sort out listing issues, experienced lawyers said, and the backlog will fall.

A less publicised issue with the government's proposal was the suggestion — highly touted by Leveson — that ditching juries would mean those cases heard by a judge alone would be concluded 20 per cent faster. The government routinely cited Leveson for this figure, while the retired judge in turn would say that government researchers produced it.

Regardless of the origins of the 20 per cent figure, lawyers pointed out that even if it were valid, proponents of the reform were overlooking a crucial factor. Included in their plans was a requirement of bench division judges to write judgments explaining why they had convicted or acquitted defendants.

Crown court judges are not used to writing rulings — and critics pointed out that the time it would take them to do so would easily devour the 20 per cent saving, if not take longer.

Law chiefs greeted Burnham's comments last week with restrained joy. Riet Karny-Jones KC, chair of the Criminal Bar Association, was confident that the 'jury trial is here to stay', adding that Burnham had given a

'clear indication that this government understands that the right to jury trial goes hand in hand with our PM's statement that 'the care of people' is at the heart of his new administration.'

Mark Evans, president of the Law Society, the solicitors' body, said that 'any efforts to reduce court backlogs must not come at the expense of fundamental safeguards. Jury trials must be protected to ensure public confidence in our justice system.'

But at least one senior figure was pressing for Burnham not to backtrack. Leveson told The Times he remained 'of the firm view' that 'structural reform' of the jury system was needed.

EXCLUSIVE TO SUBSCRIBERS

Flattering report Auditors must be held to account

thetimes.com

Times Law

Editor Jonathan Ames 020 7782 5405 jonathan.ames@thetimes.co.uk

Advertising and marketing

For print and online, Jeanne Kiala 020 7782 7518 jeanne.kiala@news.co.uk

OUT OF COURT

The cases, the chatter, the chaos: what's really going on in the law

End of hourly billing, really?

For at least the past 30 years soothsayers in the UK legal profession have been predicting the end of hourly billing. Clients would prefer fixed rates, and lawyers despise being slaves to timesheets and the notorious six-minute unit.

Still, billing by time has persisted — and only last year Times Law reported that some City partners were charging £2,000 an hour. But fear not — yet another round of prognostications are being made that the end of the system is nigh. This time from Helix Law, a litigation firm in Brighton that says it specialises in the use of technology 'to deliver faster, lower-cost legal services'.

Helix reported last week that it had seen a 'steep rise in turnover from alternative funding arrangements in 2025-26, which now comprise 69 per cent of the firm's income, while hourly rate income fell to a minority'. Readers are invited to revisit this column in ten years' time to see a similar tale.

Swearing-in outfit

Concern was spreading in Westminster that a constitutional crisis was brewing. There were fears that since Alex Norris, the non-lawyer who has replaced David Lammy as justice secretary, would not be sworn in wearing full-bottom wig and the ancient outfit until October, he would not be officially able to conduct the lord chancellor's duties.

Rest assured, though, the Ministry of Justice confirmed that the tenth justice secretary in as many years had been officially sworn in before the Privy Council on July 21. Sadly it confirmed that the formal event, conducted by the lady chief justice at the start of the legal new year in October, is just for show — although it does give the latest lord chancellor a chance to make a speech... as well as boosting the bottom line of Ede & Ravenscroft, the tailor in Chancery Lane that provides the full-bottom wigs, gowns and potpourri that combine to make the lord chancellor's ceremonial garb.

Poached eggheads

Some in the legal profession are obsessed with which partners are defecting to which firms, so as holiday season dawns, a useful round-up on the numbers has come from Macrae, a headhunting consultancy. New York had a record-breaking first six months of the year for top-tier lateral moves — as partner defections are euphemistically described — logging 358. While London returned broadly to 2024 levels, with 240 partners being poached. ■ Times Law is taking a short summer break and will return on September 3

Lawyer of the week Jo Keddie

Jo Keddie, the head of employment at the law firm Forsters, acted for a Goldman Sachs executive who was awarded nearly $1.5 million by an employment tribunal. It ruled earlier that Jonathan Reeves was unfairly dismissed from his job at the investment bank after suffering sex discrimination while on parental leave after the birth of his child.

What were the biggest hurdles you had to overcome in this case? Obtaining compelling evidence to support the 'stigma' damages claim for reputational harm and career disruption caused by the litigation. The challenge was building the evidential picture to demonstrate the link. The tribunal accepted that despite winning, the claimant's job

prospects had been severely affected. Another challenge was quantifying the loss in terms of future impact on career prospects and earnings.

What is the best decision you have taken as a lawyer?

To take a curious and courageous approach, and explore novel, interesting areas of the law.

Whom do you most admire in the law?

Baroness Hale, the former president of the Supreme Court. Her influence remains enormous. Her leadership in constitutional and

equality law, including the Gina Miller prorogation case, made her one of the most respected judges of modern times.

What is the funniest thing that has happened in your job?

When a judge presiding over a remote hearing during Covid had to compete with his chorus of chickens, demanding their daily corn in ever increasing decibels. I struggled to keep a straight face.

What are the best and worst elements of being a lawyer? The

best are making a difference, especially in difficult but deserving cases where the odds are against us — I describe it as 'pushing water uphill'. The worst are delays in the tribunals system that make securing access to justice ever more challenging.

What law would you enact?

Reforms to the tribunals system, which is in urgent need of financial investment and priority attention.

What is your favourite drink? A glass of fizz. I reach for it on the good days to celebrate with the team and on the bad to remind myself not to take life too seriously.

Frances Gibb

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Legal Notices

IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE BUSINESS AND PROPERTY COURTS OF ENGLAND AND WALES COMPANIES COURT (ChD)

CR-2026-005429

IN THE MATTER OF ROTORK PLC

and IN THE MATTER OF THE COMPANIES ACT 2006

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that, by an order dated 4 August 2026 made in the above matters, the High Court of Justice in England and Wales (the "Court") has given permission for a meeting (the "Ordinary Share Court Meeting") to be convened of the holders of Ordinary Scheme Shares as at the Ordinary Share Voting Record Time (each as defined in the Ordinary Share Scheme (defined below)) for the purpose of considering and, if thought fit, approving (with or without modification) a scheme of arrangement proposed to be made pursuant to Part 26 of the Companies Act 2006 (the "Companies Act") between Rotork plc (the "Company") and the holders of Ordinary Scheme Shares (the "Ordinary Share Scheme"), and that such Ordinary Share Court Meeting will be held at the offices of Rothschild & Co at New Court, St Swithin's Lane, London EC4N 8AL, United Kingdom on 3 September 2026 at 10.15 a.m. (London time), at which time and place all holders of Ordinary Scheme Shares are requested to attend.

Any Ordinary Scheme Shareholder (as defined in the Ordinary Share Scheme) wishing to vote at the Ordinary Share Court Meeting is entitled to appoint a proxy by following the instructions set out in the document of which the Ordinary Share Scheme forms part, dated 6 August 2026 and addressed to the shareholders of the Company (the "Scheme Document").

At the Ordinary Share Court Meeting, voting will be by poll and each Ordinary Scheme Shareholder present in person or by proxy will be entitled to one vote for each Ordinary Scheme Share held as at the Ordinary Share Voting Record Time. The approval required at the Ordinary Share Court Meeting is a majority in number of the Ordinary Scheme Shareholders who are present and vote, whether in person or by proxy, at the Ordinary Share Court Meeting and who represent 75 per cent. or more in value of the Ordinary Scheme Shares voted by those Ordinary Scheme Shareholders.

It is important that, for the Ordinary Share Court Meeting, as many votes as possible are cast so that the Court may be satisfied that there is a fair and reasonable representation of opinion of the Ordinary Scheme Shareholders. Whether or not you intend to attend and/or vote at the Ordinary Share Court Meeting, you are therefore strongly advised to appoint a proxy in the manner described in the Scheme Document. Doing so will not prevent you from attending, speaking and voting at the Ordinary Share Court Meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof, if you so wish and are so entitled.

Any Ordinary Scheme Shareholder who has not received a BLUE form of proxy should request one from the Company's registrars, Equiniti Limited, by calling the shareholder helpline between 8.30 a.m. and 5.30 p.m. (London time) Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays in England and Wales) on +44 (0) 371 384 2269, or by submitting a request in writing to Equiniti Limited, Highdown House, Yeoman Way, Worthing, West Sussex, BN99 6DA.

A copy of the Scheme Document, containing, among other things, the Ordinary Share Scheme and the explanatory statement required to be published pursuant to section 897 of the Companies Act, is available from the Company's website at https://www.rotork.com/en/investors. An Ordinary Scheme Shareholder who wishes to receive a hard copy of the Scheme Document may request one from the Company's registrars, Equiniti Limited, by calling the shareholder helpline between 8.30 a.m. and 5.30 p.m. (London time) Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays in England and Wales) on +44 (0) 371 384 2269, or by submitting a request in writing to Equiniti Limited, Highdown House, Yeoman Way, Worthing, West Sussex, BN99 6DA, with an address to which the hard copy may be sent.

Dated: 6 August 2026

Slaughter and May One Bunhill Row London EC1Y 8YY Solicitors for the Company

CR-2026-005429

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that, by an order dated 4 August 2026 made in the above matters, the High Court of Justice in England and Wales (the "Court") has given permission for a meeting (the "Preference Share Court Meeting") to be convened of the holders of Preference Scheme Shares as at the Preference Share Voting Record Time (each as defined in the Preference Share Scheme (defined below)) for the purpose of considering and, if thought fit, approving (with or without modification) a scheme of arrangement proposed to be made pursuant to Part 26 of the Companies Act 2006 (the "Companies Act") between Rotork plc (the "Company") and the holders of Preference Scheme Shares (the "Preference Share Scheme"), and that such Preference Share Court Meeting will be held at the offices of Rothschild & Co at New Court, St Swithin's Lane, London EC4N 8AL, United Kingdom on 3 September 2026 at 10.45 a.m. (London time), at which time and place all holders of Preference Scheme Shares are requested to attend.

Any Preference Scheme Shareholder (as defined in the Preference Share Scheme) wishing to vote at the Preference Share Court Meeting is entitled to appoint a proxy by following the instructions set out in the document of which the Preference Share Scheme forms part, dated 6 August 2026 and addressed to the shareholders of the Company (the "Scheme Document").

At the Preference Share Court Meeting, voting will be by poll and each Preference Scheme Shareholder present in person or by proxy will be entitled to one vote for each Preference Scheme Share held as at the Preference Share Voting Record Time. The approval required at the Preference Share Court Meeting is a majority in number of the Preference Scheme Shareholders who are present and vote, whether in person or by proxy, at the Preference Share Court Meeting and who represent 75 per cent. or more in value of the Preference Scheme Shares voted by those Preference Scheme Shareholders.

It is important that, for the Preference Share Court Meeting, as many votes as possible are cast so that the Court may be satisfied that there is a fair and reasonable representation of opinion of the Preference Scheme Shareholders. Whether or not you intend to attend and/or vote at the Preference Share Court Meeting, you are therefore strongly advised to appoint a proxy in the manner described in the Scheme Document. Doing so will not prevent you from attending, speaking and voting at the Preference Share Court Meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof, if you so wish and are so entitled.

Any Preference Scheme Shareholder who has not received a GREEN form of proxy should request one from the Company's registrars, Equiniti Limited, by calling the shareholder helpline between 8.30 a.m. and 5.30 p.m. (London time) Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays in England and Wales) on +44 (0) 371 384 2269, or by submitting a request in writing to Equiniti Limited, Highdown House, Yeoman Way, Worthing, West Sussex, BN99 6DA.

A copy of the Scheme Document, containing, among other things, the Preference Share Scheme and the explanatory statement required to be published pursuant to section 897 of the Companies Act, is available from the Company's website at https://www.rotork.com/en/investors. A Preference Scheme Shareholder who wishes to receive a hard copy of the Scheme Document may request one from the Company's registrars, Equiniti Limited, by calling the shareholder helpline between 8.30 a.m. and 5.30 p.m. (London time) Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays in England and Wales) on +44 (0) 371 384 2269, or by submitting a request in writing to Equiniti Limited, Highdown House, Yeoman Way, Worthing, West Sussex, BN99 6DA, with an address to which the hard copy may be sent.

Dated: 6 August 2026

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---

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SEAS CRUISES*

16 NIGHTS DEPARTING 3RD NOVEMBER 2027

NOVEMBER 2027

Wed 3 Fly from London to New York, USA

Upon arrival, transfer to your hotel for an overnight stay

Thu 4 New York, USA

Transfer to the port and embark the 6★ Seven Seas Grandeur* for your 14 night voyage

Sun 7 Nassau, Bahamas

★RECOMMENDED INCLUDED EXCURSION*: Athol Island Snorkel

Wed 10 Cabo Rojo, Dominican Republic

Fri 12 Willemstad, Curaçao

★RECOMMENDED INCLUDED EXCURSION*: Trolley Train Through History

Roll through the streets of UNESCO-listed Willemstad historic district by comfortable trolley train

Sat 13 Oranjestad, Aruba

Mon 15 Falmouth, Jamaica

Tue 16 George Town, Cayman Islands

★RECOMMENDED INCLUDED EXCURSION*: Reef Snorkel & Stingray Sandbar

Thu 18 Miami, Florida, USA

Disembark and transfer to the airport for your overnight flight to London

Fri 19 Arrive in London

Dates not mentioned will be spent relaxing at sea

SUITE	GRADE	NEW FARE (PP)
Veranda Suite	H	£5,989
Deluxe Veranda Suite	G2	£6,139
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Concierge Suite	E	£7,729
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Fares and availability correct at time of sign off 04/08/2026. Fares are per person based on two adults sharing, may increase or be withdrawn at any time. Subject to the cruise line's T&Cs, eSavings are already applied to the advertised fares. Included shore excursions exclude Regent Choice Excursions and private arrangements. †Will incur supplementary costs and may require an additional overnight stay. Flights are subject to schedule changes and will be based on indirect services with flights arriving same day or overnight. On board credit is per booking, based on two people sharing. *Gift is based on one per booking, for UK mainland addresses only. Wildlife sightings are not guaranteed. 6★ and all-inclusive refer to the cruise element only. ††Cruise Miles® T&Cs apply. Regent Seven Seas Cruises® T&Cs apply. Agent to ATOI, Holder Regent (10297), E&OE.

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55

Weather

Today Dry for most with sunny spells, a few showers in northern and western areas. Max 24C (75F), min 7C (45F)

Around Britain

Max 24C (75F), min 7C (45F)
Maximally, 21 PC
Maximally, 12 PC
Anxious
Anxious
Anxious
Anxious
Anxious
Anxious
Anxious
Anxious
Anxious
Anxious
Anxious
Anxious
Anxious
Anxious
Anxious
Anxious
Anxious

	Temp	1	Rain mm	Sun hr( ^{a} )
	entire outside		after a 1st minute
Aberdeen	21	PC	5.2	0.0
Alleghany	12	PC	6.0	1.9
Ankrony	15	C	5.0	5.5
Ankrony	17	B	12.0	0.3
Barnclayle	19	PC	0.6	( \rightarrow )
Bedford	23	PC	0.0	( \rightarrow )
Bolton	16	B	0.0	( \rightarrow )
Birmingham	22	PC	0.0	( \rightarrow )
Beavenworth	23	PC	0.0	7.5
Bridlington	22	PC	2.6	( \rightarrow )
Bristol	20	PC	6.4	3.2
Camberte	16	C	0.2	3.5
Cardiff	19	PC	0.6	2.9
Edinburgh	17	B	0.6	1.0
Edinburgh	14	B	3.2	0.0
Glasgow	16	C	2.0	2.6
Horsford	21	C	1.0	( \rightarrow )
Hertfordshire	24	PC	0.0	7.3
Horsley	23	PC	0.0	6.3
Iole of Man	18	PC	0.4	3.3
Iole of Midgle	21	C	0.0	( \rightarrow )
Jersey	21	S	0.6	5.8
Kentrick	15	B	1.0	( \rightarrow )
Malmo	16	C	0.0	( \rightarrow )
Leeds	17	C	0.0	( \rightarrow )
Lincoln	14	C	11.4	0.0
Lynchall	19	B	3.6	0.6
Lincoln	20	PC	0.0	4.3
Liverpool	17	C	0.0	( \rightarrow )
London	29	PC	0.0	7.6
Lyncham	20	PC	0.0	4.9
Manchester	21	C	2.6	1.4
Maryden	26	PC	0.2	12.5
Milford House	19	C	0.0	( \rightarrow )
Newcastle	17	B	1.2	( \rightarrow )
Nottingham	21	C	0.0	4.2
Orkney	14	D	11.4	( \rightarrow )
Oxford	26	C	0.0	( \rightarrow )
Plymouth	21	PC	0.0	( \rightarrow )
Portland	21	PC	0.0	( \rightarrow )
Salts, St Mary's	21	PC	0.4	( \rightarrow )
Shamane	( \rightarrow )	( \rightarrow )	0.0	7.3
Stencoburg	19	PC	0.0	1.9
Somalawa	14	C	4.2	( \rightarrow )
Southend	26	C	0.0	10.7
South End	12	B	0.0	( \rightarrow )
Shrewsbury	13	B	16.4	0.0
Ston	13	B	0.2	0.0
Wakeham	15	B	5.2	1.0
Wick	( \rightarrow )	C	2.6	( \rightarrow )
Yewellton	20	PC	0.6	4.7

The world

All readings are multiple underlies

Allicarba	22 PC	Madonna	27 PC
Anchorage	19 PC	Madrid	32 S
Athens	34 S	Malaya	26 S
Auckland	( \rightarrow )	Madonna	33 PC
Edinola	30 PC	Malta	32 S
Enaple	37 PC	Melbourne	14 R
Barbados	33 B	Mexico City	25 S
Barcelona	33 S	Miami	32 ( \rightarrow )
Buffalo	( \rightarrow )	Milan	35 S
Bolivia	( \rightarrow )	Mombasa	25 R
Bulgaria	34 S	Montreal	26 PC
Berlin	29 S	Moscow	26 S
Bermuda	26 PC	Mumbai	27 M
Bonthaya	27	Munich	32 S
Brussels	25 PC	Nairobi	24 PC
Budapest	34 S	Naples	34 S
Budapest	36 S	New Orleans	32 PC
Buenos Aires	( \rightarrow )	New York	25 R
Calu	32 S	Nice	41 S
Calcutta	38 ( \rightarrow )	Nicosia	34 PC
Canberra	12 PC	Oslo	14 R
Cape Town	16 B	Paris	27 S
Chicago	29 PC	Perth	19 PC
Copenhagen	23 PC	Prague	33 S
Corfu	34 PC	Rudspeth	13 R
Corfu	33 ( \rightarrow )	Rice	26 S
Dobai	45 S	Rio de Janeiro	25 PC
Dublin	31 PC	Riyadh	41 S
Fare	25 S	Rome	34 S
Florence	26 S	San Francisco	22 PC
Frankfurt	30 S	San Diego	21 R
Geneva	29 PC	São Paulo	25 S
Gibraltar	28 S	Seoul	34 S
Helsinki	21 PC	Southville	29 PC
Hong Kong	31 PC	Singapore	32 R
Honshills	( \rightarrow )	St Petersburg	24 S
Istanbul	32 S	Stockholm	21 S
Jerusalem	33	Turkey	32 S
Johannesburg	17 S	Tui Aviv	33 S
Kuala Lumpur	33 PC	Tunelife	33 S
Kyle	( \rightarrow )	Tokyo	29 PC
Lancayeir	34 S	Vancouver	19 S
Las Palmas	25 PC	Venice	( \rightarrow )
Lima	22 SD	Vienna	38 S
Lübeck	28 PC	Warsaw	34 S
Los Angeles	25 PC	Washington	29 PC
Luxor	26 S	Zurich	( \rightarrow )

Five days ahead

Mostly dry and sunny in England and Wales, cloudy with patchy rain in Ireland and Scotland

Tomorrow

Patchy cloud and one or two spots of rain in northern Scotland, Dry and warm elsewhere with plenty of sunshine.

Saturday

Tropic and with sunny periods across southern England and Wales. Thick cloud and spots of rain past showers elsewhere.

Max 29C, min 7C

Sunday

Bright intervals and showers outbreaks of rain across Ireland and Scotland. Dry and sunny periods in England and Wales.

Max 33C, min 4C

Monday

Clouds with a few spots of rain in Sydney, Scotland and Wales. Largely dry with some sunshine across England.

Max 30C, min 4C

Tuesday

A dry and hot day for most with lots of sunshine and a chance of the soil isolated shower entry, southwest Ireland. Max 29C, min 4C

The Times weather page is provided by

WeatherQuest

General situation: Cloudy with showers in northern Scotland and northwest England, dry and sunny elsewhere. Republic of Ireland, N Ireland: A largely dry day with sunny periods and a chance of the soil isolated shower in the northwest through the afternoon. Light to moderate west to southwesternly winds. Maximum 20C (48F), minimum 5C (46F). NW Scotland, SE Scotland, Aberdeen, Marny Firth, N Isles: Patchy cloud and frequent showers through the morning.

Drier with some bright periods by the afternoon. Light to moderate west to northwesterly winds. Maximum 17C (63F), minimum 8C (46F). Edinburgh and Dundee, Cen Highland, Argyll, Glasgow, SW Scotland, Barders, NE Eng: Mostly dry with a mixture of sunny spells and patchy cloud throughout the day. One or two showers may move into southwest Scotland later. Light to moderate west to northwesterly winds. Maximum 19C (46F), minimum 7C (45F).

Lake District, Cen N Eng, NW Eng, IolB, W Mids, N Wales: Bright intervals and scattered showers in the morning. Mainly dry with sunny spells by the afternoon. Light to moderate west to northwesterly winds. Maximum 20C (48F), minimum 7C (45F). London, E Anglia, SE Eng, Cen S Eng, E Mids, E Eng, SW Eng, Channel Is, S Wales: A dry and warm day with long spells of sunshine. Light to moderate northwesterly winds. Maximum 24C (75F), minimum 7C (45F).

Tides

Tidal predictions. Weights in metres. All times in local time

Today		HI		HI
Aberdeen	0?03	3.8	0.54	3.6
Aronoworth	---	---	0.55	---
Bedford	0A39	3.3	17.23	3.1
Cardiff	---	---	12.26	10.4
Donanport	11.29	4.6	22.69	4.7
Dover	0A26	4.8	14.57	4.0
Dublin	0?10	5.8	17.97	5.5
Edinburgh	0A47	4.4	29.28	4.4
Greenock	0?49	3.3	18.18	3.1
Horsyth	0?32	3.5	17.72	3.6
Holthood	0?52	5.1	16.27	4.7
Hull	---	---	10.86	4.7
Leeds	0?19	5.8	17.84	4.7
Liverpool	0A33	8.5	17.84	8.0
London Bridge	0?26	6.2	19.42	6.4
Lowestoft	0?11	2.2	18.15	2.5
Milford House	11.56	5.9	---	---
Monroeville	0A49	8.4	17.37	7.9
Newbanes	0A35	5.8	17.92	5.9
Newquay	0?54	5.7	29.28	5.7
Olas	11.16	3.1	---	---
Pequance	10.24	4.7	22.54	4.7
Portsmouth	0?04	4.1	17.96	4.2
Shenham	0A36	5.5	17.87	5.5
Southampton	0A12	4.1	16.43	4.1
Swansea	11.56	7.9	---	---
Tues	0?26	5.8	22.29	4.6
Weymouth	---	---	12.37	1.5

Synoptic situation

An area of high pressure to the southwest of the British Isles will bring a dry and warm day across much of the region with one or two showers across northern Scotland, Wales and northwest England through the morning. The best of the sunshine will be in southeast England by late afternoon, although it may turn a little hazy at times.

Highs and lows

24hrs to 5pm yesterday Warrnam: Writtke, Davis, Eros Cobbett: Cairnsport, 6.3C Wofford: Vicki, Aberdeen, 11.6m Somerset: Mauston, Kent, 12.9m?

Sun and moon

For Greenwich Sun rises: 25.31 Sun sets: 20.39 Moon rises: 23.89 Moon sets: 16.48 New Haven: August 12

Hours of darkness

Aberdeen 23:41-04:49 Nuffield 21:49-05:15 Birmingham 23:21-05:07 Cardiff 23:22-05:16 Epsilne 23:22-05:18 Glasgow 23:44-05:03 Liverpool 23:29-05:06 London 23:18-05:03 Manchester 23:26-05:05 Newcastle 23:29-04:54 Newark 23:30-04:54 Pequance 23:27-05:38 Sheffield 23:22-05:02

Weather Eye Paul Simons

Just as a reminder of what summers used to be like, the summer of 1956 was a shocker — cold, wet and windy with hail and outbreaks of thunderstorms. In those days the August bank holiday was on the first Monday of the month. The 1956 bank holiday was on today's date, August 6, and it was horrendous.

A hailstorm of biblical proportions sent a barrage of hailstones and torrential rain crashing down on Tunbridge Wells in Kent. At one point the centre of town was buried under lft of ice, but the ice was also swept up by the deluge of rainwater into drifts reaching 4ft high, leaving traffic marooned.

Windows were smashed, awnings on shops turn to shreds and when drains became blocked with the hailstones it set off serious flooding. A couple about to get married at a church that morning had a slight change of plan when lightning struck the church and the organ was flooded, but the wedding still went ahead, minus any organ music.

Houses, shops, garages and basements flooded, and gardens were ruined. Afterwards, bulldozers, workmen and volunteers helped to shift the ice and clear roads, and a total of 100 lorry loads of hailstones were removed. It took four hours before traffic could pass through the town again.

On the same day, thunderstorms hit other parts of the country. Huge downpours struck Arundel Castle in Sussex with 1.78in (45mm) of rainfall in 18 minutes, and 3.1in (80mm) fell at Faversham, Kent; it was also the coldest August bank holiday in London since 1880.

Floods and landslides struck in late August when 75mm of rain fell in the Scottish Borders on August 27. In fact, it was the wettest August in England and Wales since 1912 and the coldest since 1914. August was also wet and cold over most of Europe, as was September.

The following year the curse of the early August bank holiday returned with more thunderstorms, heavy rains and flooding as well as damaging hail and strong winds.

Speak directly to one of our forecasters on 09065 777675

Barn to 5pm daily (calls are charged at £1.55 plus network extras)

WeatherQuest

weatherquest.co.uk

Explore. Plan. And now book with The Times.

The Times and Sunday Times is a unique and trusted source of travel inspiration. Now you can trust us to take you there too.

Call 0808 231 5090 or visit thetimes.com/holidays

TIMES Holidays

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56

Sandown Park

Rob Wright

5.00 10 am 7:30 p.m. 7:48 Hamside 5.35 Catching Dreams (Yea) 7:23 Ascending Star 6.33 7:10 a.m. 7:38 Arnaud

Going: good to firm

Draw: 10, 6:44 numbers best Racing TV

5.00 Handicap

(15,772: 7m, 2/7 (7 numbers))

1 (2) 3-9D WASHING SIGN 7-1 (6/2) 6-2 / Hours 7-12-1 2 (6) 3/9D FORTICUS 15-1/2 / Volume 6-12 1 Blue M Jordan 3 (6) 4-6 ABCGONE HERO'S 15-2/3 4-7 amphora 7-12-1

4 (2) 1/2 HIPPERSON 17-1/3 7m Door 7-3/5 8 R Calan 5 (2) 4/6M ABOUTH PORT 17-1/2/6 8-6 amps 5-6 1 MB 7-1 6 (2) 2001 DORVOTOT 17-1/3 8-7/8 8-6 7-5 8-6 1 MB 7-1 7 (2) 3001 WHEY'S THE PLAN 21-3/7 1-1/4 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6

8 (2) 3001 DORVOTOT 17-1/3 8-7/8 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8

9 (2) 3001 WHEY'S THE PLAN 21-3/7 1-1/4 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5

5.38 Stakes (2-Y-0: 65.04: 5/5 (9) 1 (6) 3/8D 6-8/8D 7-1 6-2 amps 7-1 8 Koolbaum

2 (6) 1 CATCHING DREAMS 17-1/2/6 8-7/8 7-1 3 (6) 1/2 HASHING DREAMS 17-1/2/6 8-7/8 7-1 4 (6) 1/2 HASHING DREAMS 17-1/2/6 8-7/8 7-1

4 (2) 4 CRUCES IN HOSHIM 17-1/2 1-1/4 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5

6 (2) 1/2 REISWALK 18-1/3 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6

7 (2) 1/2 REISWALK 18-1/3 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6

8 (2) 1/2 REISWALK 18-1/3 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 8-6

9 Wright choice 4:24/6/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8

6.13 Stakes (2-Y-0: 63.02: 1m (4) 1 (2) 4-7/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8

1 (2) FIRST EART 7-2/3/6/7 7-1 2 (2) FIRST THAKISH 7-2/3/6/7 7-1 3 (2) 3-8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8

4 (2) 3-8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8

4 (2) 3-8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8

6.48 Handicap (2-Y-0: 23.07: 1m (2) (3)

1 (2) 3-7/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8

2 (2) 3-7/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8

3 (2) 3-8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8

Wright choice: Immortage was broken a row it at December set for first time at 1st in the week to come Danger Grant (7)

7.23 Handicap (6.619: 7/1 (6) 1 (6) 4-7/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8

1 (2) 3-8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8

6 (2) 3-8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8

6 (2) 3-8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8

Wright choice: Ascending Star set on country camp seven third here; drops in top Danger Desert Shallow

7.58 Handicap (6.649: 1m) (6) 1 (2) 3-8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8

2 (2) 3-8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8

3 (2) 3-8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8

4 (2) 3-8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8

Wright choice: Rescued was collateral at an enhanced time, still looks fairly weighted Danger Great Basket

Newmarket

Book Wright

3.20 Stormy Music 4.00 Guns Blanco 3.35 Lost Raptor 4.15 Hicks Rays 3.30 Kaboom 5.08 Seeking Charles

Going: good to firm

Draw: no advantage Racing TV

2.20 Handicap (25.234: 1m) (7)

1 (2) 3-7/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8

2 (2) 3-7/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8

4 (2) 3-7/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8

2.55 Nursery (2-Y-0: 25.234: 1m) (5)

1 (2) 3(2) LIME HASHER 3(1) 3m/6 7-7 8 Lymphoma 2 (2) 3(2) HELLENSTEIN 3(1) 3m/6 7-7 8 Rhyama

3 (2) 3(2) HELLENSTEIN 3(1) 3m/6 7-7 8 Rhyama 4 (2) 3(2) PHEUSCH 3(1) 3m/6 7-7 8 Rhyama 5 (2) 3(2) HELLENSTEIN 3(1) 3m/6 7-7 8 Rhyama

5 (2) 3(2) HELLENSTEIN 3(1) 3m/6 7-7 8 Rhyama 6 (2) 3(2) HELLENSTEIN 3(1) 3m/6 7-7 8 Rhyama 7 (2) 3(2) HELLENSTEIN 3(1) 3m/6 7-7 8 Rhyama

6 (2) 3(2) HELLENSTEIN 3(1) 3m/6 7-7 8 Rhyama 8 (2) 3(2) HELLENSTEIN 3(1) 3m/6 7-7 8 Rhyama

3.20 Stakes (2-Y-0: 65.757: 4/1 (7) 1 (2) 3-7/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8

3.30 Stakes (2-Y-0: 65.757: 4/1 (7) 1 (2) 3-7/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8

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57

Tennis Sport

Matthew Syed

Raducanu and Draper victims of sports chiefs' greed

It's madness. You don't have to see the pictures of Jack Draper crying in pain at the Montreal Masters on Tuesday or the story of Emma Raducanu withdrawing from the US Open with a stress fracture or Carlos Alcaraz pulling out of Cincinnati Open with a wrist injury having already missed the French Open and Wimbledon — and whose presence at Finishing Meadows is now in serious doubt, depriving the tennis world of the lustre of his rivalry with Jannik Sinner — to grasp this.

Sport was once about excellence, about great moments, about the clash between athletes at the top of their game — and sometimes it still is. But let's be honest: over recent years, with the obsession with "mometising" everything that moves and squeezing ever more furniture into congested calendars, it is now more like a hamster wheel of irrelevant tournaments and meaningless match-ups, leading to more injuries and fewer moments of high drama.

The structure of tennis is nothing less than foolish. Last year the union that Novak Djokovic co-founded, the Professional Tennis Players' Association, made the legitimate point that the ranking system is "draconian" (by putting incessant pressure on players to compete) and that the mandatory requirement to contest ATP and other events, often in extreme heat with matches played into the early hours of the morning, is unsustainable. Organisers, promoters, hangers-on, agents, suits (and, indeed, some of the more short-sighted players) may think this is terrific. Mo' tennis, mo' money.

But they are maddeningly — and ever more conspicuously — wrong. In sport, less is more. Fans want Alcaraz to face Sinner in the slams (not in those horrendous exhibition matches). We want to witness Draper at Wimbledon. This is not possible when they are fed into an almost all-year-round meat grinder, when tennis is no longer a forum showcasing the best of the best but more a factory line churning out matches like so many widgets. I am a tennis nut but would rather watch Celebrity Love Island (if such a thing exists) than Draper v Sinner at the

Irrelevant Open in Riyadh with eight people watching, everyone bored, including the exhausted, jet-lagged players.

But this isn't only about tennis. Football is producing a form of inflation worthy of the old Weimar Republic. The revamped Champions League last season had 36 teams playing at least eight games each instead of six, with 144 total league-phase games compared with 96 under the old group-stage format. The Championship play-offs have increased from four teams to six, meaning teams finishing third to eighth will now compete for promotion. The 32-team Club World Cup added a 63-match tournament to the end of the 2024-25 season, a month-long bore-fest.

Jürgen Klopp — one of the few people in the game with his head screwed on — called this last competition the "worst idea ever", a statement that I would have heartily agreed with until Gianni Infantino trumped it with a grisly attempt to sell off the World Cup to a vehicle fronted by the brother of Donald Trump's son-in-law. Of course, part of the reported logic was — you guessed it — to increase the frequency of this competition to every two years and who knows, perhaps in time, every year, such that the next World Cup commences before the previous one has finished.

I should note that a recent paper argued that there is nothing to see here. In the Premier League, it claimed, injuries are not statistically increasing. It is the kind of statement that could be made only by someone who knows the price of everything but the value of nothing. I mean, have you not noticed why? In tennis, top players increasingly take their foot off the gas in lower tier events, fearful of another tear or rupture. Ditto in football and, indeed, rugby, where Ben Earl noted that England players covered 25,000 miles to play South Africa in Johannesburg, Fiji

A persistent arm injury has completely derailed the career of Draper, who was reduced to tears during his comeback defeat at the Canadian Open this week

in Liverpool and then Argentina in Santiago del Estero — three Tests on three continents in three weekends. It's insane. But with the suits unlikely to do much about it, it's up to the players. Sure, some may feel they are making money in the short term but they need to take a step back and notice that they are simultaneously destroying their long-term value — and risking the calamity of career-propandising injuries of the kind that Draper may now be facing. I remember a persistent injury in my left hip that almost destroyed my life in sport before it had fully started. Over-competing, in this sense, is not unlike the myopic strategy pursued by

unwise newspaper editors, chasing advertising revenue with titillating headlines while destroying the brand. So let me say to any pro sportspeople reading this: take a stand. Don't rely on your agents to do this on your behalf because they won't. One of the great myths of professional sport is that the IS per cent brigade are a commercially savvy bunch. In my experience, by and large, they are not. So refuse to play. Organise. Do so before it is too late. You are the stars, the players whom fans want to see in peak condition, on the grandest stages, creating the most life-enhancing memories. Refuse the hamster wheel. Reject the factory line. Take yourselves out of the battery farm. You'll enjoy sport so much more. And so will we.

Yesterday's racing results

Brighton

Going: Good to Firm (good in places)

2.30 (SF 21fwd) 1. Cape Tannada (William Carson, 11-8 fav); 2. Beach Partee (15-2); 3. Hovana Jeg (100-30); 5 ran. 1/2, 17/2. A W Carroll.

3.00 (77 21hyd) 1. River Wharls (Molly Gunn, 2-1 fav); 2. Rovinia (11-4); 3. Rainbow Sign (11-1). 9 ran. sh, 1/2. A W Carroll.

3.30 (71 21hyd) 1. Sea Suite (Clarion Fallon, 9-3); 2. Tex (3-5); 3. Northern Empire (17-2). 9 ran. nk, 1/2. James Owen.

4.00 (3m 31 207yd) 1. Port Darwin (Bob Plumby, 6-1); 2. Iru Life (9-2); 3. Bluebird Table (11-10 fav); 6 ran. sh, 21. C. Johnston

4.30 (SF 21hyd) 1. Viking Glory (Clarion Fallon, 5-1); 2. Rockwinton (20-1); 3. The Organiser (10-2). 9 ran. 2/2, 8. James Owen.

5.00 (SF 43yd) 1. Secret Handsholfe (Clarion Fallon, 11-4); 2. Kento (4-1); 3. Titus Thur (11-2). 6 ran. 37/2, nk. J. Gallagher.

Placapet: £94.20

Quadpet: £27.50

Pontefract

2.45 (3m 21 5yd) 1. Star Start (Mick C Parker, 11-4 fav); 2. Sunny Orange (3-1); 3. Quake On Parole (10-1). 7 ran. 1/2, 27/2. Mrs R Carr.

3.15 (sf) 1. Buggy (D Tudhope, 15-2); 2. Lady Henshaw (4-1); 3. Bar Son Oscar (9-1). 8 ran. 1/2, 8. Tom Clover.

3.45 (3m 5yd) 1. Spirit Sense (Jason Hart, 9-4); 2. Alouise Fernando (10-1); 3. Garden Oasis (11-10 fav); 6 ran. 27/2. R. J. Candlish.

4.15 (SF 3yd) 1. Great (Shane Gray, 5-2); 2. Spirit Of Applause (11-4); 3. Masonimi (18-1). 9 ran. NR. Sea Her Excal. 1/2, nk. S England.

4.45 (sf) 1. Atilla Whitehurst (Jason Hart, 9-4); 2. Alasanta Gold (10-1); 3. Man Amor (11-1). 8 ran. NR. Willslanap. 17/2. R. J. Furtado.

5.15 (3m 1/2 27yd) 1. Division Day (Clarion Beasley, 12 fav); 2. Arcan Day (9-2); 3. Something (4-1). 4L. 4JL. B Bisson.

Placapet: £122.20

Quadpet: £19.70

Jackpot: £2,442.60

Kempton Park

Going: Standard/Slow

5.20 (M) 1. Immobile Isaac (Rizasa Ryan, 9-1); 2. Nascent Star (7-2); 3. Kocheba (14-1). 10 ran. NR. Secret Rivid. Trust Yourself. 1/2. R. Lamox Souza.

5.50 (7F) 1. VIP The Peg (Frasa Marsh, 6-4); 2. Chanticlee (3-1); 3. Greenlander (30-1). 8 ran. 5/2, ns. R Hughes.

6.20 (7F) 1. Clive The Winter (S De Souza, 15-6); 2. Ghost Raider (11-2); 3. Gold Army (14-1). 8 ran. 1/2. W Muir & C Granock.

6.50 (3m) 1. Majdi Storm (Colin Keane, 11-2); 2. Salmat (9-2); 3. Raimfy (4-1). 13 ran. 1/2, 2/2. Harry Charlton.

7.20 (3m 21 21hyd) 1. Forhiculite (James Doyle, 7-2); 2. Dialstone (5-6 fav); 3. Treble Bass (6-1). 12 ran. 2/1, 1/2. C Appleby.

7.50 (3m 21 21hyd) 1. Shadow Road (D Egan, 26-1); 2. Cloud Forest (16-11); 3. Dove Tale (11-1). 10 ran. 5/2, 21. J. Butler.

8.20 (7F) 1. Victory Ace (Bobby Sheehy, 4-1 fav); 2. Budevful (4-1 fav); 3. Angel Gabriel (4-1 fav). 8 ran. sh, 31. J. Butler.

8.50 (3m 21 21hyd) 1. Captain Robert (George Wood, 7-2); 2. Desert Belle

(5-4 fav); 3. Roland Garros (28-1). 8 ran. 1/2, 2/2. J. B Fanshawe.

Placapet:£20.50

Quadpet:£3.60

Yarmouth

Going: Good to Firm

5.40 (SF 3yd) 1. Luminous Warrior (Mr Fitticher Fairham, 7-2 fav); 2. So Grateful (7-2 fav); 3. Indy's Angel (4-1). 7 ran. hd, 12. Dylan Cunha.

6.10 (SF 3yd) 1. Speed of Sound (Saffre Osborne, 5-6 fav); 2. Pensacola A. Te (13-2); 3. Minkawa (7-2). 10 ran. hd, 1/2. R Spencer.

6.40 (SF 43yd) 1. Beauty Boy (H Crouch, 17-2); 2. Bowman (2-1 fav); 3. Dubai Charm (11-4). 5 ran. 1/2. M. J. Fair.

7.10 (3m 2F 23yd) 1. Time Thief (R Callan, 9-4); 2. Liberiye (8-1); fav); 3. Angel Breeze (28-1). 6 ran. 1/2, 13. Tom Clover.

7.30 (3m 6F 17yd) 1. Urban Warrior (Marco-Draan, 9-4); 2. Le Rouge Chinois (9-2); 3. Highland Harvey (8-4 fav). 7 ran. 2L. sh, 3. C Williams.

8.10 (SF 42yd) 1. Pure Passion (C R Lipton, 7-2); 2. Shining Super (12-1); 3. Mayflower Rock (7-1). 6 ran. NR. She Want Whoosh. 1/2, nk. S C Williams.

Placapet:£47.80 Quadpet:£22.50

Four-game ban for Pumas No 10 for 'intimidating' ref

Rugby union

Will Kelleher Deputy Rugby Correspondent

Argentina fly half Tomás Albornoz has been banned for four matches for angrily confronting referee Angus Gardner after last months defeat by England.

A World Rugby disciplinary panel deemed that Albornoz showed "intimidatory conduct" while approaching Gardner twice after Argentina lost their Nations Championship Test 31-24 to England in Santiago del Estero.

The 28-year-old had to be restrained by his team-mates as he berated the Australian official. He was incensed after Argentina were denied a last-minute try by a marginal call from

the television match official Brett Cronan, who helped to overturn Gardner's decision to award Bautista Delguy, the wing, a score in the corner.

Albornoz admitted the charge of intimidating a match official, and was initially suspended for six matches, but the panel reduced his ban to four games as he had a previously clear disciplinary record and agreed to apologise publicly and privately. He will miss three Argentina Tests, against South Africa on Saturday and Australia on August 29 and September 5. He will also miss Toulon's Top14 match against La Rochelle on September 12.

The UAR itself has not been punished by World Rugby.

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58

Thursday, August 6, 2026 | THE TIMES

Sport Rugby's Greatest Rivalry

The rugby rivalry between New Zealand and South Africa, between the All Blacks and the Springboks, did not begin at McLean Park in Napier or in a nearby newspaper office, but that is where its political complexity emerged. It was September 1921, the 22nd match of a 24-game tour, with the Test series level at 1-1 and the decider ten days away, when the visiting Springboks beat New Zealand Maori 9-8. It was a bit of a dust-up and what happened afterwards kicked up a stink.

"The game was rough and unpleasant," Donald Summerville wrote in The Encyclopaedia of Rugby Union, "but was nothing compared with the scandal that followed when an offensive South African report on the match was published, recording Springbok disgust at being forced to play a non-white team." The leaked cable, written by the South African journalist Charles Blackett, was the first hint of scandal that festered for decades. It took generations for rugby's greatest rivalry to divorce itself from race. It is a tale about ideas of supremacy, in life and sport.

When the All Blacks and Springboks took to the fields of Europe on month-long odysseys in the early 20th century, they left superior. The Mother Country codified rugby football, and the Dominions came over to show them how it was done. Honour was at stake, but one thing was not: the unofficial world championship. New Zealand and South Africa kept that to themselves. As Graeme Barrow, the author of All Blacks Versus Springboks, wrote: "Each country knew it could not call itself king until it had defeated the other."

Not for nothing did 21st-century organisers plan to gather them together and call it Rugby's Greatest Rivalry. In the quest for financial gain, New Zealand and South Africa have reverted to the series that gave them purpose, an eight-game schedule with four Tests, beginning tomorrow. It is the shorter, modern form of how these nations tussled with religious fervour between 1921 and 1996.

It is a history of scrum formations, Hennie Muller's midfield defence and the goalkicking of Don Clarke, but also of scandalous telegrams, omitted Maoris and protests that shook a nation. Politics meant that the All Blacks toured without Maoris, yet in New Zealand a Maori XV would face Springboks drawn from the white population of South Africa, like on that inaugural excursion in 1921.

When these nations finally met on a rugby field 105 years ago, they could not be separated. The deciding Test, in wind, rain and mud, ended 0-0. The series was shared and the unofficial world title bubbled away for 60 years — as did the build-up of "imported apartheid", the segregation of South Africa and its effect on New Zealand, from Blackett's cable onwards.

The All Blacks went to Europe in 1924-25 and returned as The Invincibles, with George Nepia, a 19-year-old full back, as the star. He was Maori. So when the squad went to South Africa in 1928, Nepia did not. The union said it wished to protect Maori players, so as not to expose them to insults. "His omission excited little comment," Barrow wrote.

The All Blacks were embarrassed in the first Test, a 17-0 defeat that remained their heaviest until 1995, and went 2-1 down in the series. Before the decider, the New Zealand captain, Maurice Brownlie, said: "If we don't win, we might as well not go home." South Africa's 3-4-1 scrummaging formation was superior to New Zealand's 2-3-2 (with a controversial roving forward) but it was not enough for overall supremacy. Again, the series was drawn.

Nepia, below, was not selected for the All Blacks' tour to South Africa in 1928 because he was Maori. The "imported apartheid" continued until 1970, when Maori and Samoan players were finally involved for New Zealand, but a rough series was characterised by Du Preez's infamous tackle on Laidlaw, left

'All White' All Blacks, political protests and a boxer in the pack

In the first of a four-part series, Elgan Alderman looks at the 1921-76 tours between South Africa and New Zealand, and the birth of a fervid rivalry that would define rugby and was entwined with race

At last, in 1937, rugby had its unofficial world champion, when the Springboks won 2-1 in the All Blacks' backyard. They were dubbed "the greatest team ever to leave New Zealand". Early South Africa teams were known for scintillating back play. Now they had a love of the tight, choosing scrums instead of line-outs, permissible under the laws of the time. "Skrum, skrum, skrum" was the phrase in a telegram by Paul Roos, the former captain.

New Zealand returned to South Africa in 1949. There was more noise around player absences now, and calls for a boycott. A Maori squad toured Australia simultaneously as a consolation, missing out on a low point in Kiwi rugby: a 4-0 whitewash by the Springboks. New Zealand responded to the 1937 pasting by prioritising size in their pack, which backfired on hard grounds. Muller, "The Greyhound", caused panic among Kiwi backs and Okey Goffin, who had practised while a prisoner of war in Poland, was South Africa's goalkicking prop.

By the 1956 tour, New Zealand had a great goalkicker too in Clarke, and the full back's boot was pivotal in the All Blacks' 3-1 home win — their first slice of glory in the rivalry. That was not the only use of boots: New Zealand employed up-and-unders and vigorous Kiwi rucking on those lying on the wrong

South Africa v New Zealand

Rugby's Greatest Rivalry fixtures

Stormers v New Zealand: August 7, Cape Town

Sharks v New Zealand: August 11, Durban

Bulls v New Zealand: August 15, Pretoria

First Test: August 22, Johannesburg

Lions v New Zealand: August 25, Johannesburg

Second Test: August 29, Cape Town

Third Test: September 5, Johannesburg

Fourth Test: September 12, Baltimore, US

side. The selection of Kevin Skinner, a boxer, in the pack was controversial, with a view to softening up Springboks in a series remembered for its violence.

Politics would not go away. Between the third and fourth Tests, the Springboks beat a listless Maori XV 37-0. Fifty-four years later, Mura Walters claimed that Ernest Corbett, the minister of Maori affairs, had told the team to lose "for the future of rugby".

In 1960, politics overtook rugby. The common view that matters in South Africa were up to South Africans, not Kiwis, was beginning to change. "All Blacks to be All White" was a headline in The Times in 1959. Now there were protests and a tagline of "No Maoris, no tour". The Sharpeville massacre of

March 1960, when police killed or wounded more than 300 demonstrators, heightened opposition to South Africa. Rugby went ahead and the All Blacks operated a ten-man game, with Clarke's kicking influential. Winning away continued to prove elusive: the Springboks won 2-1 at home in 1960, the All Blacks 3-1 at home in 1965.

In the latter half of the 1960s, the Halt All Racist Tours movement grew. Hendrik Verwoerd, the prime minister of South Africa, who was later assassinated, reiterated that Maori players would not be included in touring squads, leading to the cancellation of New Zealand's 1967 tour. When the All Blacks did return to South Africa in 1970, the situation had developed. There were Maori and Samoan players involved: Sid Going, Bryan Williams, Buff Milner and Blair Furlong. This wasn't a drastic policy change but a fudge, the quartet given the status of "honorary whites". Ken Gray, the New Zealand prop, retired out of private, moral objection.

The action was again rough in 1970, characterised by an image of Frik du Preez tackling Chris Laidlaw with a clenched fist to the head. The Springboks triumphed 3-1. South African isolation had begun in cricket and the Olympics, but rugby — and the All Blacks — mattered more than any of those sports. "If the Springboks won, they reasoned, other nations would still want to play them, to topple them from their position at the top," Barrow wrote.

The rivalry dulled in the 1970s, not only because of politics but because, perhaps for the first time, it was not the unofficial world championship. The British Lions' victory in New Zealand in

1971, followed by their Invincibles tour to South Africa in 1974, put the northern hemisphere at the top of the game.

After the 1973 tour was cancelled, New Zealand made it back to South Africa in 1976 — another 3-1 loss for the tourists — with six players granted "honorary white" status. Another development was non-white players in tour games against the All Blacks.

This did little to quell global fury. The Soweto uprising of 1976 came after rulings around the use of Afrikaans in schools, and South African police killed or injured more than 1,000 protesters. More than 20 African nations withdrew from the Montreal Olympics because of New Zealand's rugby links with South Africa. But in South Africa, rugby was the establishment's haven. "Thank God for the All Blacks," a newspaper executive was quoted as saying as he turned from reports of Soweto to sport, "dissater has not taken to the rugby field yet."

When the tour ended — another 3-1 win for the home side, South Africa — the situation was sufficiently febrile that The Dominion, a Wellington newspaper, wrote of the final Test as if it were the end of rugby's greatest rivalry: "Whatever the image of South Africa when the dust settles, it seems clear that the Ellis Park referee blew the whistle also on All Black-Springbok encounters as they have been known for 50 years. New Zealand has to clarify without equivocation its attitude to African minority rule and its antagonism, so often questioned overseas, to apartheid."

1976 was not the end. What followed in 1981 was one of the most unsettled periods in New Zealand history. That's a story for another time.

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59

Cricket Sport

Mike Atherton

Chief Cricket Correspondent

Tall order balancing side post-Stokes

Ben Stokes is the type of bloke you'd like to have in your side," said Mike Brearley three years before Stokes became England captain. "He's a sort of leader, no doubt occasionally for ill late at night, but also for good in the side. If you were going into the jungle, he'd be the first choice to go with you."

No doubt, Brearley was thinking a little of his own good fortune in having Ian Botham, a similarly irrepressible all-rounder, during his own captaincy years. Brearley's legend as a captain was made in the 1981 Ashes, as England beat Australia 3-1, but it was inconceivable that he could have done it without Botham's resurgence that summer, much of which, of course, was down to Brearley's empathetic management and sure touch.

Captains who have had a genuine all-rounder know how fortunate they have been; selection and balancing the side is far more straightforward with one than without. Since Botham's debut in 1977, England have been blessed in having three such — Andrew Flintoff, Botham and Stokes — who were capable of winning Tests with either bat and ball for, give or take, 35 out of those 50 years, though they were not at their peak for all that time.

Now they don't. England's selectors will announce their first post-Stokes Test squad this morning and the most important consideration will be how to balance the team in his absence. It is not straightforward, simply because there is no obvious like-for-like replacement. There is no one option — though there are plenty of different selection scenarios to compensate for his absence — who fits the bill precisely.

I remember the conundrum all too well. The period of my captaincy, 1993 to 1998, coincided with an interregnum between Botham and Flintoff and we tried numerous ways to finesse selection, most of which had their drawbacks. We tried Alec Stewart as a wicket-keeper. Stewart was a wonderful cricketer but an all-rounder who is a wicket-keeper still gives rise to a slightly unbalanced side.

If he batted in the top six, the tail felt long; if we played the extra batsman, the bowling was compromised. The problem was compounded further by Stewart's brilliance as an opening batsman, and Jack Russell's as a wicketkeeper. We were never quite sure what to do. We had some good all-rounders, Dominic Cork and Craig White chief among them, and, in due course, White became the closest of those to hold down a place in the top six and as one of four seamers.

Benedict Bermange, the statistician, ran the numbers for England's results with or without Botham, Flintoff or Stokes, and I was surprised that they were not more definitive. Since Botham's debut, England have won 39 per cent of matches with one of the three in the team and lost 36 per cent, without any of them in the team those numbers were 33 and 33.

Taking their peak years (a five-year period when their ICC rankings were highest) those numbers are more definitive. Botham's best five-year stretch brought a 37 per cent win record, with 22 per cent losses; Flintoff's best stretch produced wins 43 per cent of the time and 34 per cent losses, while the relative numbers for

Morgan, the 18-year-old Middlesex all-rounder, is a recent graduate of the England Under-19 team with the potential to make the step up to the senior side in the future, but he still has a long way to go

Stokes are 49 set against 39. The draw has become far less frequent over that time-span, which accounts for the rising percentage of both wins and losses.

In Ashes cricket, some of the most memorable wins have been inspired by these cricketers, 1981 and 2005 being the prime examples. There have been 26 Ashes series since Botham's debut in those where one of those three all-rounders played, England won eight series and lost six (two were drawn). Without any of them, eight series were lost, only two won. That is stark, although the best Ashes performance in that entire span — England's 3-1 win away from home in 2010-11 — came without an all-rounder.

I then ran the numbers for Root's first spell of captaincy, and the difference between when he had Stokes in his team and when he didn't was considerable. Root has captained England on 65 occasions, 46 of them with Stokes, 19 without. He has won 27 of those matches, and 21 of those wins came with Stokes in the team, only six without Stokes. As he prepares to begin his

second stint as England captain, Root must face up to the challenge of the absence of Stokes again.

Previously, to compensate for life without Stokes, Root's teams went for a variety of cricketers who offered all-round skills. At the start of the 2017 Ashes, Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow and Chris Woakes filled slots at six, seven and eight. Sam Curran joined the mix a year later as did Jos Buttler. The latter period coincided with Ed Smith's period as national selector. He tackled the absence of Stokes in early 2018 in his book Making Decisions when he outlined the reasons for Curran's selection in place of Stokes.

Broadly, Smith liked Curran's attitude, left-arm variety and enterprising batting. No one would argue he is a better cricketer than Stokes, but Smith reckoned Curran helped make everyone else a little better too. Before Curran's Test debut, Smith wrote: "At the very last minute, there was an attempt to change plans and (cautiously) recall an extra specialist batter instead of an all-rounder [Curran] for an all-rounder [Stokes]." He

Who can be next great all-rounder?

In time, English cricket will be hoping that a young player arrives who has the capabilities of becoming the next Botham, Flintoff or Stokes, though being tagged as such was invariably an unwelcome albatross for the generation that followed Beefy, many of whom struggled to live up to the billing.

Of all the bright young cricketers I've seen in the county game this year, the one with the most potential to become the kind of all-rounder we have been discussing is 18-year-old Seb Morgan from Middlesex. He's a long way off from being ready but, as a recent graduate of England's Under-19 team, he's one to keep an eye on.

Right now, though, he is warming the bench for MI London and has not played for a month. He joins a raft of other good young cricketers who are currently not playing at the height of the cricket season. Alongside Morgan you could add the names of Caleb Falcone (Middlesex, currently with Southern Brave); Ben Mayes (Hampshire and Manchester Super Giants) and, until he returned to action for Hampshire in the one-day cup on Wednesday, Manny Lumsden (Hampshire and Southern Brave).

It also adds to the concerns that my colleague Steve James wrote about recently, around the challenges of producing all-format players. While sitting on the bench, they are missing out on 50-over experience with their counties. If international cricket comes calling sooner rather than later, it will be another cohort asked to play 50-over cricket with little domestic experience of it. Selected for, but not playing in the Hundred is good for their bank balance; less good for their development.

doesn't say who wanted the extra batter, but, as captain, it could have been Root.

As it happens, Curran is injured right now and would not be able to get through a Test match as a bowling all-rounder; so is out of consideration for the opening Test against Pakistan. As a result, England will probably go with a batsman who can bowl, like Dan Lawrence or Will Jacks at six, and Jamie Smith at seven, thus allowing them to play four seamers still, which is generally how Tests are won and lost at Headingley.

Once fit, though, Stokes's retirement is good news for Curran, who will come back into the Test equation, buttressed by others who can offer all-round abilities, as in the early days of Smith's tenure as national selector. Stokes's absence, therefore, will be bad news for a specialist wicketkeeper, and good news for those who bat as well, like Smith; it is good news for batsmen who can bowl, like Lawrence and Jacks; good news for spinners who bat, like Rehan Ahmed and Calvin Harrison — and bad news for Shoaib Bashir.

CONTINUED FROM BACK Fleming wants Hussey on staff

T20 World Cup campaign in 2022, when he was hired to offer local expertise. The 51-year-old is the head coach of the Welsh Fire men's team in the Hundred where one of his senior players is Joe Root, who has been named as England Test captain after the shock retirement of Ben Stokes.

Welsh Fire have been approached for comment but at this stage it is understood to be initial discussions between Fleming and Hussey. It is possible that Hussey may be offered the head coach role at CSK to fill the vacancy left by Fleming, which may be a more attractive and lucrative offer than the assistant coach position with England.

A busy winter means England may want a bigger pool of assistant coaches

to cover Test and white-ball matches. Trescothuck, Carl Hopkinson and Sarah Taylor are the England assistant coaches at present, with Mike Yardy, who is the head coach of the under-19s, also working with the senior sides sometimes. Tim Southee, the former New Zealand seam bowler, and Serian Patel, a former New Zealand spinner, are part of the backroom teams as fast bowling and spin bowling coaches.

England will name their squad for the first Test against Pakistan today. It is unlikely there will be any shock inclusions, but the selectors will need to decide on how they replace Stokes. Marcus North, the national selector, Rob Key, the managing director, and Root met yesterday and took some input from Fleming and Trescothuck. Ollie Robinson, who played in only the first Test of the summer having been recalled to the side, is

expected to be selected. The leg-spinning all-rounder Rehan Ahmed will be under consideration, as will two other all-rounders who can bowl spin: Will Jacks, who played in the Ashes, and Dan Lawrence. They could bat at No 6 or No 7 and allow England to pick four seam bowlers. Of the other all-rounders Somerset's Craig Overton could be considered but Sam Curran, who bowls left-arm seam, is injured.

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60

Sport Golf

LIV claim new funding but future of top stars in doubt

Tom Kershaw

LIV Golf appears to have secured a lifeline in the form of a new investor after the Saudi Public Investment Fund confirmed that it was pulling its funding of the league.

Scott O'Neil, the LIV Golf chief executive, claimed in a press conference at Trump National Bedminster that an agreement had been signed that would "play a key role in supporting the path forward for the league's next era." He went on to claim there was "strong interest from more than a dozen additional parties to potentially serve as minority investors".

O'Neil declined to name the new investor or the additional partners, but added that the LIV 2.0 would be structured so that the players are the majority equity holders in the league and claimed the investment would underpin its future through the 2030 season if completed.

It has been mooted in recent days that LIV could file for bankruptcy because of the money owed to players — not least Jon Rahm, who signed a $30/million (now £223 million) deal in 2023. The players would in turn become creditors, with the equity being offered to them in LIV 2.0 based on the value of their outstanding contracts, along with their importance to the new venture.

O'Neil did not rule out LIV filing for bankruptcy and described the situation as "fluid" and said the board would

"consider the best options at that time". "LIV Golf has an agreement in place with a lead investor, signed by the investor and approved by the board, to anchor the transaction and play a key role in supporting the path forward for the league's next era, driven by and for the players," O'Neil said in a statement.

"We're also seeing strong interest from more than a dozen additional parties to potentially serve as minority investors, creating a multi-partner model built for long-term stability and growth.

"Notably, our next chapter will make our players the majority equity holders in LIV Golf, a first for a major global sports league, and gives the league the foundation to keep growing the game worldwide.

"We anticipate finalising terms in the coming weeks, with the goal of entering a transaction in September. In the meantime, our focus is on delivering a great week for fans and players at Bedminster and finishing the 2026 season strong."

O'Neil has desperately been sounding out potential investors since the PIP pulled the plug on the league in April after spending more than $5billion to lure the likes of Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau and Phil Mickelson from the PGA Tour with huge contracts and purses.

LIV's event in New Orleans, which was scheduled to take place in June, was cancelled as a result, and uncertainty remains over whether its $40/million season-ending team championship will

DeChambeau led a players-only meeting on Tuesday while O'Neil, inset, has been sounding out investors for some time

take place in Michigan at the end of the month. LIV has also faced legal action relating to an unpaid vendor, trademark infringement, and an IP dispute with its predecessor the Premier Golf League, while the Asian Tour, a key partner in LIV's international events and the league's pursuit of world ranking points, opted to realign with the PGA and DP World Tour in July.

If all those hurdles can be navigated, LIV 2.0 is expected to feature a scaled-back schedule, reducing the number of events from 14 to ten. Half of the tournaments will be held in the US, while the rest will be staged internationally and branded as "Team Majors". The lavish prize money — the purse for this week's event is $30/million — is also set to be reined in significantly.

The announcement followed a players-only meeting led by DeChambeau on Tuesday at Trump National

Bedminster. DeChambeau's LIV contract expires at the end of the 2026 season but he has indicated a willingness to remain part of the league's future. Rahm was non-committal when asked if he would play on LIV in 2027 at the London event last month.

When asked about DeChambeau and Rahm's future, O'Neil went off on a long tangent about Major League Baseball and how it adapted to win over younger fans. Pressed again about the duo, O'Neil remained vague and instead referenced the star power of Dean Burmester — a fine player but hardly a household name — in South Africa.

"We've been blessed with stars," O'Neil said. "I define it a little bit differently, and for those of you who have had the privilege and pleasure to travel with us around the world, you get to see it. But I don't think there was any bigger star on the planet in South Africa than

Dean Burmester. And I don't think there was any bigger star on the planet than Cam Smith when we were in Australia. I think when you have a global game and you have 57 players from 21 countries and you're playing in ten countries on five continents, how you define stars gets really interesting.

"So while I have all the time in the world for Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau, I think I'd be remiss in saying they're not only two of the biggest, best golfers on the planet, but I think they're some of the biggest stars in sports, let alone golf. I would certainly love them to come along for the ride and journey because they carry maybe more weight than anybody in the game.

"We have enough support from enough players, and we have such an interesting format and global format, I think we'll do quite well in getting the right stars for this game."

Leaked documents reveal Fifa Super League plan

CONTINUED FROM BACK

Infantino has promised the final will indeed be there instead of the Bernabéu in Madrid — Spain, Portugal and Morocco are co-hosting the tournament, with three matches taking place in South America. Infantino's opponents say any decision taken by him about the final will not be binding and can be changed by his replacement.

A Fifa spokesman denied Infantino had made such a promise, saying: "It is false and misleading to claim the Fifa president has made any promise in relation to hosting the World Cup 2030 final. A decision will be made by Fifa in due course."

This year the Spanish FA president Rafael Louzán insisted that Spain "will be the leader of the 2030 World Cup and the final of that World Cup will be here".

Infantino has also chosen Rabat to be the venue for next

year's Fifa Congress, where he had hoped to run unopposed for his fourth term as president. At the very least he will face a challenger there but leaders of Uefa, Concacaf and the Asian football confederation want him out immediately.

Meanwhile, those aides still loyal to Infantino have been trying to persuade "Fifa legends" — a group of former international players who have been paid to appear at Fifa events — to publicly support the Fifa president but so far without success. Another source told The Times:

"They would love a famous former player to come out in support of Infantino but it appears he is too toxic after the World Cup sell-off plan." Luis Figo, the former Portugal forward who has been a Uefa adviser since 2017,

Infantino says he wants to "restore confidence" in Fifa

called for Infantino to resign as president in a damning social media post. "Infantino has deduced the office that he promised to elevate," Figo said. "He has lied, deceived and tried to feather his own nest at the expense of the game he is supposed to serve. He has lost the support of his senior staff, his closest advisers, the vast majority of people who devote their lives to this sport and even, it would seem, the Fifa Peace Prize winner [Donald Trump]. It is too late to save his dignity but it is not too late to save football. He should go. Now."

Carney, the prime minister of Canada, said: "The idea that proper governance is not to disclose to your closest advisers, your chief operating officer, your fellow board members, something that you're even considering, let alone proposing — that should be fatal. I certainly don't have confidence in Mr Infantino after this point. This is not how you run any business, a small business, let alone something that is a global responsibility like football."

Meanwhile, leaked documents show that Infantino held talks with top European clubs about forming a breakaway competition that could have been called the Fifa Super League. A "term sheet", a non-binding agreement dated October 2020, spelt out how a Super League could be launched with Fifa's involvement. Fifa is referred to as "WOI" in the document, which was first reported by The Guardian and has been seen by The Times. After the launch of the European Super League in April 2021, Infantino came out against the breakaway competition but there were suspicions at the time that he had been previously involved with the clubs.

The term sheet states: "SL Founding Clubs commit to a non-closed format for the SL with transparent sporting criteria for participation of additional teams. Exact rules around access will be agreed before June 2022 in consultation with WOI and will be based on sporting criteria. The SL is open to discuss naming the competition WOI SL."

Alarm over delay of £185m of Club World Cup funds

The Fifa crisis has caused widespread alarm among smaller European clubs about their share of $250 million solidarity money promised more than a year ago from the new Club World Cup (Martyn Ziegler writes).

More than 50 clubs have contacted European Football Clubs (EFC), the representative organisation for European sides, expressing alarm that the funds have still not materialised despite Fifa's promises. Fifa told The Times the $250 million (about £185 million) remains in place and that discussions are continuing on its distribution. The money was promised to smaller professional clubs across the world as a benefit from the Club World Cup, played in the US. The tournament funds for those teams that did participate, including Chelsea and Manchester City, are understood to have been paid. The crisis has engulfed Fifa's president Gianni Infantino after the collapse of his scheme to sell off stakes in the World Cup to private investors caused further alarm.

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Football Sport

Jaissle must cure Howe hangover

WWW.TASSANWALDT.COM/DIVILITY@WEST

Martin Hardy

Matthias Jaissle was finally unveiled yesterday as the head coach of Newcastle United, signing a four-year contract.

The 38-year-old German, who has been with his new players since the weekend at a training camp in La Manga, spoke about how 'sacredibly excited' he was about the club's future, with his contract situation resolved. 'I fully and unreservedly believe in this project, the ambition and the direction the club is taking,' Jaissle said. 'There is a clear vision, strong leadership and an exceptional platform to build on.'

Jaissle won two Austrian championships with RB Salzburg and two AFC Champions League Elite titles in Saudi Arabia with Al-Ahli. However, his big day was in part overshadowed by another, largely expected, high-profile departure, with Arsenal and Newcastle finally reaching a compromised £75 million fee for the Brazilian midfielder Bruno Guimarães.

Does Guimarães heading to Arsenal after Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon have already gone mean Newcastle are in crisis?

Well, they probably should, and still yet could, be in crisis, but the possibility of something new carries with it a curiosity of what lies around the corner. First, let's deal with the sales of Guimarães, Tonali and Gordon, which follow last summer's loss of Alexander Isak to Liverpool. That's Newcastle's four best players gone in 12 months, the ones who fired the club, along with former head coach Eddie Howe, to a first domestic trophy in 70 years. There should be a bit more mourning of the loss, and the complete break-up of that team, which, with better investment, and kinder financial regulations could have kicked on.

So has this been another disastrous summer to rival the bonfire of last year?

No, because Newcastle, without a sporting director and a chief executive back then, bore the look of lottery winners on a spending spree. There is an argument raging among Newcastle fans about whether £75 million is a fair price for the club's talismanic captain in Guimarães. The context from last summer is that it is only £6 million more than Newcastle paid for Nick Woltemade and only £20 million more than they paid Brentford for Yoane Wissa and

Jaissle has plenty in his in-tray as the new Newcastle head coach meets Thiaw and Woltemade, left. Below: Steur, 18, is among several youthful arrivals at the club

the one Premier League goal he mustered last season. The consequences of the £250 million spent last summer are still being felt. Look at the fact that they had to sell Gordon in a hurry before the end of the financial year. This has been about balancing the books. The dream of competing at the top of the Premier League with Newcastle, for Isak, Tonali, Gordon and Guimarães, is over, and could be impossible for those left.

So will Jaissle need to be a miracle worker?

He will have to hit the ground running. There seems a lot of understanding of the difficulty of his position and there is genuine excitement to see what he can produce. Jack Charlton said a manager should y stay for only five years, and in terms of Howe, that might ring true. The supporters

want to see what Jaissle can do. As it stands, he has got three new outfield players — the winger Razoumana Touré, 20, midfielders Aladji Bamba, 20, and Sean Steur, 18, and two new goalkeepers in Ewen Jaouen, 20, and Lukas Hornicek, 24. The plan for months has been to build a younger, fresher squad. Give Newcastle their due, they are doing that. Jaissle, however, needs more from the rebuild to have a chance.

Why did Newcastle want him?

Newcastle sources insist the club's hierarchy are delighted to have snared a man who they believe is one of the most exciting young coaches in the world. That explains why they spent days going through reams of paperwork to reach agreement with Al-Ahli, who are deeply unhappy with the move, and why they had to pay the Saudi Pro League side £9.4 million in compensation. The timing, after they waited to see if Howe would change his mind on his desire to leave, is actually why, privately, they think it will ultimately work in their favour. It made them go hunting for a new manager, rather than go through the usual candidates who were available at the end of the season. What does Jaissleball look like? High press, full tempo and moving forward quickly. A bit like peak Howe.

Transfer-wise, what do they still need to buy?

Newcastle need a right back, and they have been linked with plenty, including Andrei Ratiu at Real Vallecano, and they need a replacement for Guimarães, with Real Sociedad's Luka Sucic a target. They could probably do with a more prolific centre forward, but thus far there are no signs of trying to offload Woltemade, Wissa or Will Osula.

Does the squad lack leadership and experience?

They have plenty of experience at the back in Dan Burn, Sven Botman and Fabian Schär. Whether they have enough pace there is another question, but the loss of Kieran Trippier, Guimarães and Tonali potentially takes away the heart of a dressing room.

How engaged are the Saudis still in the Newcastle project?

Each insistence is that they want to put more money into the club, but can't because of financial rules. An announcement on buying land for a new training ground is expected very soon.

After another summer of upheaval, what would represent success?

In all reality, getting into the top ten in year one of the reset would be success.

CONTINUED FROM BACK Arsenal agree Guimarães deal

deal, with Newcastle now ready to accept the bid.

Guimarães met the incoming Newcastle manager Matthias Jaissle, who is replacing Eddie Howe after his departure last week, at their pre-season training camp in La Manga and informed him of his desire to leave. Jaissle, 38, was officially confirmed as Newcastle's new head coach last night but the German has been with the players in La Manga since the weekend.

Newcastle have already sold Anthony Gordon (aged 25, £70 million) and Sandro Tonali (26, £100 million) this summer and have insisted they will only let players go at top value.

Guimarães, who will turn 29 in November, joined Newcastle in January 2022 from Lyon for £42 million and went on to captain the club to their first major domestic trophy since 1955 in the 2025 Carabao Cup final victory over Liverpool at Wembley.

This week, Newcastle confirmed the signing of the Czech Republic goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek from Braga for a fee believed to be £25.7 million. He is the second goalkeeper Newcastle have signed this summer and is their fifth addition overall.

Celtic manager O'Neill, 74, in hospital after 'small procedure'

Michael Grant

Scottish Football Correspondent

The Celtic manager Martin O'Neill is in hospital after undergoing what the club called 'a small procedure'.

The Northern Irishman, who is 74, will be kept in for one or two days and he is expected to return to lead the team when Celtic play Kilmarnock on Sunday. His assistants, Shaun Maloney and Mark Fotheringham, will take training in his absence. O'Neill was in charge as

usual when the Scottish Premiership champions began their defence of a fifth consecutive league title with a home win over Dundee on Monday night. O'Neill then fulfilled all his media obligations as normal after the match.

The club issued a statement shortly before 4pm yesterday afternoon. It read: 'In response to speculation, we can confirm that Martin O'Neill has undergone a small procedure in hospital.

'We would envisage Martin being released from hospital in the next day or

two and on behalf of Martin we would like to thank supporters for their kind wishes. We would ask that the privacy of Martin and his family is respected.'

Fans of Celtic and other clubs took to social media after the news emerged, wishing the veteran manager a full and speedy recovery.

O'Neill is a legendary figure in Celtic history, first for a hugely successful first spell from 2000 to 2005 and then for two periods as interim boss which saved them last season and ultimately

secured a league and Scottish Cup double. First he answered the call from the controlling shareholder Dermot Desmond when Brendan Rodgers stepped down in controversial circumstances. Then, when he left to be replaced by Wilfried Nancy, he returned again after Nancy's disastrous 33-day reign.

O'Neill's experience and calmness were pivotal as Celtic came from behind both Rangers and Hearts in the title race and snatched the league by beating Hearts on the final day of the

Premiership season. He then added the Scottish Cup to take his trophy count to nine as Celtic manager.

In June, he agreed a one-year contract with the option of a second year. Brian Wilson, the interim chairman, praised the 'leadership, inspiration and success' he brought to Celtic. Desmond said: 'Time and again Martin has shown his qualities and what he can bring to Celtic'. O'Neill, who will turn 75 next March, said it was a great privilege to continue as Celtic manager.

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62

Sport Football

A boozy Mayfair dinner and no-rules ethos: how De Zerbi lifted Tottenham

Italian coach explains to Peter Rutzler how belief in 'total freedom' saved club, and outlines his aims for new season

Roberto De Zerbi prefers to be uninhibited and it is here; in this psyche, that you can start to unpick how he helped Tottenham Hotspur to escape the resignation of their freefall last season. Players are drawn to him, beguiled by a maverick who was once a creative himself, a No 10, and that feeds into his philosophy.

"I don't love rules," he says. "I read a book where it was written that creative people don't follow any rules. I like creative players. I don't want to set any rules. Just a couple, two or three at most. I am not a policeman, not even with my children. Freedom, totally freedom. One is one. You are like me, or like a kitman, I've got the same. But every day we have to push, every day we have to deserve to stay here or to play football or to earn the money we are earning, otherwise it's not normal. We have to respect the luck we have had in our life."

And if his players break that trust? "What do you want to know, if I punch the player?" And with that the room erupts, and not for the first time. De Zerbi is compelling company, a magnetic presence who pulls you in with his quiet, gravelly voice and staccato English — supported by interventions from his long-serving and trusted translator, Enrico Venturelli — and then he snaps you out of a trance with a sharp quip. He reads you with a piercing stare and speaks with the conviction of a priest.

Many in the game preach his gospel. Pep Guardiola said he was one of the most influential coaches of the past 20 years and others, including Enzo Maresca and Francesco Farioli, cite his impact. "It is one of the few things I feel a bit embarrassed about," De Zerbi says. "I am sure about myself, always fully charged. But when I started to be a coach, I couldn't imagine ever becoming a coach in the Premier League, with Tottenham, and then the biggest coaches in the world spoke well about me, or [said] that I am a reference for them. I become shy. I am not used to that and I don't think I will ever get used to it.

"Last season when I went into the big stadiums I spoke with my assistant and said, 'We are not used to working in this kind of stadium with atmosphere'. We are lucky because we started from the shit of football."

Tottenham were in the shit, to borrow his phrase, when he took charge on the last day of March. He feared the worst after only one game and decided the best course of action would be for

his players to drown their sorrows. Tottenham had suffered a damaging 1-0 defeat by Sunderland at the Stadium of Light and the sight that greeted him in the dressing room at full-time was apocalyptic; a mess of anguish and despair.

"I didn't tell you in the press conference, but it was like this: all people were crying, lying down on the floor," he says, reflecting from the relative safety of pre-season, a few months on, in a boardroom tucked away on Tottenham's private floor of the Intercontinental hotel in Sydney. "I said, 'Have we passed away?'"

Tottenham were 18th in the table and relegation loomed. The next day, at the club's training ground and before the players returned to work, De Zerbi issued new instructions to every member of staff.

"After the Sunderland game, the people inside the training ground were sad and negative," he says. "That day I organised a meeting without players [just staff] and I said, 'The first one I see saying something negative, I send you home immediately. I don't want to see anyone sad, negative or crying. If you stay positive, I give my word, we will stay together here.' It's another crucial part, because the players live with these people. They have to feel good. Yes, they have a good salary and everything is good for them and that's important in their job, but [it's also] in their behaviour, attitude and spirit."

The cure for the players? "One big dinner in Bacchanalia in Mayfair, with alcohol," he says, to laughter. "Alcohol is a good medicine, if you enjoy it normally and seriously and not as stupid people. I believe in staying together. Then, I trans-

ferred every day my opinion about them. I think they considered themselves in that moment to be worse than people thought. There was the possibility to stay up and to win. The potential of the team was very high."

"IF I LOVE YOU AS A PLAYER, YOU'LL BECOME UNBELIEVABLE" De Zerbi signed a five-year contract upon his appointment, despite wanting a break after swimming in the caldera of Marseille. He initially resisted the pleas of Spurs.

"I spoke with Vinai [Yenkatesham, the chief executive], and with Johan Lange [sporting director], but I didn't want to come [earlier], because I suffered on my way out from Marseille," he says. But they discussed transfer targets and he jumped. He says he would not have hailed out if he had failed to save Spurs from relegation. "It was true, I couldn't live even in the Championship, I would suffer, I would pass [away]," he says. "But if you sign [for] five years, you can't leave after two months just because you play in the Championship."

This was a rescue mission of the mind, not tactical genius. De Zerbi's football has been lauded everywhere he has gone but there was no time to decorate; the house was burning down. "The most important thing about my job is the relationships I have as a man," he says. "Values, relationships, the human part of football. Football is here, in the knowledge in football, the mentality to play, press, manage the game in every stadium — away, at home, nothing changes. But in the beginning of the coach, there is a man. Without relationships I am not able to work. Without relationships you can't play good football and have a good style of play, and especially in the tough

Now he wants to construct a team that can put the past two seasons behind them. The players have been enthusiastic, relishing his insistence on forward play, and controlling games with the ball. The defender Micky van de Ven insisted they would be "more enjoyable" for people to watch. What would the players need to do to earn another night out?

"No, nothing!" he says. "I hope they organise one for themselves, because in sport, between players, between players and the coach, if you have respect, it is normal, no? If you have respect and value a person, it's much better. If you have respect, value and love — friendship, care — you become top, top, top.

"Respect is normal. 'Coach, good morning, hello.' You have respect. If I believe in you, it's much better. If I love you — between players, the coach — you become unbelievable."

This approach is something De Zerbi has pleaded from life experience.

"When I felt the relationship with the teacher as a student at school, or with

“

After Sunderland, all people were crying, lying down on the floor. I said, 'Have we passed away?'"

the coach as a player, I was able to give my best," he says. "If I didn't feel the connection, if I didn't feel he appreciated me, the teacher, or a coach, I closed my head [mind], we start a war."

LESSONS FROM THE TONY BLOOM 'UNIVERSITY'

Now he is plotting a path away from trouble for Spurs. They have spent more than £2.37 million on transfers this summer and De Zerbi wants two or three more signings. He feels he has an excellent relationship with the Spurs hierarchy. "We are working very well, it's my best connection with a board," he says. He is a coach who has had combustible

I like to think I deserve to want the top players, because now this club deserves to build a top team

moments you go on the human part. For that, this is maybe my best version [of my career] last season. Twenty per cent coach, 80 per cent the person. "I was proud and happy, but I don't feel last season was my achievement — it was the players."

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63

Sport

ROTHMANS SPORTS WEEKLY 2026 6 SEPTEMBER 6 2026 7 SEPTEMBER 6 2026

Anti-clockwise from main: De Zerbi is in his first pre-season with Spurs after guiding them to safety, with Bacchanalia in Mayfair helping with the revival. The coach told Van Hecke, one of six signings this summer: 'Now you have to join me,' after the centre back set up Rutter's goal in the 2-2 draw with Brighton last season

relationships with those upstairs in the past. 'If the owner doesn't respect me, it doesn't matter if you're an owner or not. In my life I always thought like this. Sometimes I have had bad ends to relationships, but with 80 to 90 per cent we have a great relationship.'

He says working with Tony Bloom at Brighton & Hove Albion was a 'university'. 'The money of my club, I consider my money,' he adds on the intricacies of the transfer market and selling Luka Vuskovic to Brighton. 'It's like the owner is my father, you don't want to ask your father to spend money or to lose money.'

'If we bring a player in, if we sell a player, it's one family.'

De Zerbi says he is 'like a shark' when he has a transfer target in mind, reflected in how he went to Brescia, to Sandro Tonali's home, to persuade the midfielder to sign for £100 million from Newcastle United; and unlike many other coaches, he loves navigating the transfer window. 'If the coach calls the player, you can build a special connection at the beginning, because the

First five league fixtures

Brentford (A) Sat, Aug 22 Newcastle (H) Sat, Aug 29 Nott'in Forest (A) Sat, Sep 5 Everton (H) Sat, Sep 12 Aston Villa (H) Sat, Sep 19

player knows you are the key for this transfer, and maybe this player feels he has to give you back something more.

'With Mateus Fernandes [signed for £85 million], I spoke with his parents. With JP Ivan Hecke, after the Everton game, I sent him a message. 'P*** off, you wanted to push down Tottenham when you made the assist to Georginio Rutter [he set up a 95th-minute equaliser in a crushing 2-2 draw with Brighton in April]. Now you have to join me — yes or yes, you have no choice!' After the game, in my office at Tottenham stadium, I sent a message to my daughter, and then to JP Van Hecke signed for £52 million.

De Zerbi is relishing the chance to make his mark on the Premier League.

'It's a big opportunity for me, because I deserve to stay here now, not just for my career but also for the last seven games [of last season], because in the last seven games it was not normal to accept the job in that condition,' he says.

'So, first of all, I like to think I deserve to stay here, deserve to want the top players, because now Tottenham deserves to build a top team.

'Words ... they are not clear, but the facts are clear on the table. Now we have to bring top players to become competitive, I don't know if to win, but for sure to be better than the last two seasons' results in the Premier League.

'Then, I consider the trophy the end of the journey. I can't manage the end of the journey. I can manage the journey from the beginning until the end. And now is not the moment to think of the trophy. The trophy arrives if you, in this journey, have worked well, been your best version, and the players have been able to play in the best way they can.'

Salah arrives in Turkey for talks with Trabzonspor

Northern Football Correspondent

Mohamed Salah is negotiating a lucrative free transfer to Trabzonspor and arrived in Turkey yesterday to continue discussions.

Trabzonspor publicly announced their pursuit of the former Liverpool attacker, 34, in a statement. Salah had previously been a target of Trabzonspor's Turkish Super Lag rivals Besiktas, while there had also been interest in him from the Saudi Pro League.

'Professional footballer Mohamed Salah, with whom we have begun transfer negotiations, will be at Istanbul Atatürk airport at 12pm on Wednesday,' a statement from Trabzonspor said.

'The player is scheduled to arrive in Trabzon on the same day in the evening hours. The time and other details regarding the welcome programme in Trabzon will be shared with the public through our club's official communication channels during the day.'

Salah has been searching for a club since informing Liverpool at the start of the year that he wanted to rip up the final 12 months of his contract and exit his £400,000-a-week deal.

The Egypt international claimed his relationship with Arne Slot, the head coach at the time, had broken down in a remarkable tirade when he was dropped from Liverpool's starting line-up last November/December and, despite returning to the team, his resentment at his treatment resulted in him

pushing to leave. His exit was confirmed in March and he left in May after nine seasons on Merseyside.

On the surface, a move to Turkey, and to a team whose only league title since 1983-84 came four years ago, is at odds with Salah's own belief that he was made a scapegoat for Liverpool's decline last term. He scored 12 goals but was critical of the style of play under Slot and believes that adversely impacted upon his output.

Yet with his financial package high — reports in Turkey suggest he will earn €17 million (about £14.5 million) in each of his two seasons — the number of realistic suitors appears to have been restricted to a small pool.

Meanwhile, Liverpool have broadened their search for attacking reinforcements to Paris Saint-Germain's teenage winger Ibrahim Mbaye.

Interest in the Senegal international is separate to Liverpool's long-running pursuit of his club team-mate Bradley Barcola, although PSG's £145 million valuation of Barcola is proving problematic. As a result, the Anfield club are considering a number of options with Mbaye, 18, among those being studied.

Bayer Leverkusen hope to sign Mbaye, who is valued at about €40 million (£34.3 million) to €50 million (£42.9 million). Sources in France indicated that Mbaye would be attracted to moving to Anfield and his agent, Jorge Mendes, has strong links with the club's hierarchy.

Atletico battle Inter to sign £40m Romero

Tom Allnutt

Tottenham Hotspur's Cristian Romero is set to leave the club this summer for about £40 million, with Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan battling to sign the defender.

Inter have a broad agreement with Tottenham over a deal worth that amount including add-ons, but Atletico are confident the Argentinian would rather join them and are ready to make their move. Romero, 28, is open to playing in Serie A, but earns more than £150,000 a week at Tottenham, which would be a huge investment for Inter. Romero has also long been aware of Atletico's interest and has previously said his preference would be to move to Spain if Tottenham sanctioned his exit.

Atletico will have to match Inter's offer, but if they do, the expectation is Romero would prioritise the Spanish club, where he would also have the chance to play under his fellow Argentinian and the Atletico manager, Diego Simeone. Atletico withdrew their interest in Romero last year, when Tottenham's stance was they would only consider selling for a fee in line with some of the most expensive defenders in the world.

Instead, Romero signed a new four-year contract and was handed the captaincy by the then Spurs head coach, Thomas Frank. But another turbulent season for Romero, in which he missed seven games through suspension and publicly criticised the board, has convinced all parties a departure is the best solution this summer.

'Emotional' comeback for Mudryk

Ian Whittell

The Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso admitted it was 'emotional' to welcome back Mykhailo Mudryk after a 20-month absence and successful appeal against a drugs ban in his team's 1-0 friendly defeat by Juventus in Hong Kong yesterday.

The 25-year-old Ukrainian came on in the 82nd minute against the Italian side to a rapturous welcome from supporters and team-mates alike.

'Yes, for sure, I'm really pleased for him,' said Alonso. 'It was emotional for everyone from the club to see him back, especially when I told him that before the game that was my idea, that he could play ten-15 minutes.

'He was thrilled, for sure. After such a long period, to be back on the pitch, it was a great feeling for him and a great feeling for everyone as well.'

Mudryk has not played since December 2024, having initially been banned for four years by the FA for returning an 'adverse finding' for midlonsium, only for the player to win an appeal last week.

Alonso claims no final decision has been made on where Mudryk will play this season, although Coventry City, managed by former head coach at Stamford Bridge Frank Lampard, and Chelsea's sister club Strasbourg, are known to be interested in a loan move.

There was also a Chelsea debut for striker Danny Welbeck against Juventus, with the 35-year-old playing the first half.

---

THE TIMES

1/22/04

Sport

Infantino

sorry – but will fight on

Fifa president offers Morocco 2030 World Cup final

EXCLUSIVE

Martyn Ziegler Chief Sports Reporter

Gianni Infantino is refusing to resign as Fifa's president despite widespread calls for him to quit but has apologised for "mistakes" in his plan to sell off stakes in the World Cup in a last-ditch attempt to survive.

The beleaguered Infantino, who was said by sources to have promised Morocco that it will host the 2030 World Cup final in return for its support, is digging his heels in despite Canada's prime minister, Mark Carney, saying the sell-off plan "should be fatal" for his future as Fifa president.

Infantino has been holed up in Rabat, Morocco, since the crisis broke. He has been trying to persuade countries to issue statements of endorsement but many have ignored the call. Saudi Arabia, for many years among his strongest backers and appointed as the hosts of the 2034 World Cup, have been conspicuous by their silence.

After a meeting with a number of staff members in Rabat, Infantino has written to Fifa Council members saying he wants to "restore confidence in the organisation".

The letter says: "In this context, we acknowledge mistakes were made in the process of the proposed establishment of Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE).

"It was certainly not the intention for the Fifa Council and Fifa Member Associations to feel excluded from the

process and it should have been handled differently. We acknowledge that errors were also made after the proposal was leaked to media.

"We sincerely apologise for these errors and commit to them not happening again. With this in mind, we will conduct a necessary review, and a report will be presented to the Fifa Council at its next scheduled meeting."

Infantino also issued veiled threats about criticism of Fifa.

The letter adds: "With the project withdrawn, Fifa will no longer tolerate any attacks on its integrity, good governance and due process and will take all necessary measures to protect and safeguard its name and reputation.

"There are always lessons to be learnt, and we will continue to improve our processes in light of this experience. In this instance, however, it is important to stress that, although mistakes were made, everything that was done, was done in full compliance with the Fifa regulatory framework."

Morocco has been Infantino's most loyal supporter since his election ten years ago and he rewarded the north African country by giving it co-hosting rights for the 2030 World Cup. However it has also been pushing to host the final in the new 115,000-seat Hassan II stadium in Casablanca, which will be the largest football stadium in the world when completed.

Sources have told The Times that Continued on page 60

Matthew Syed

Poor Draper a victim of meat grinders who run elite sport

Column, page 57

Mike Atherton

England will struggle for balance without Stokes

Column, page 59

Salah touches down in Turkey

Former Liverpool attacker, 34, negotiates two-year deal worth about £29 million with Trabzonspor, who finished third in Turkish league — full story, page 63

Fleming wants

Hussey on staff

Elizabeth Ammon

Mike Hussey, the former Australia batsman, could become the batting coach for England's Test team after a formal approach from the new head coach, Stephen Fleming.

The pair have worked together for several years in the Indian Premier League, first as team-mates at Chennai Super Kings before Hussey joined Fleming's coaching team at the franchise. Fleming left his job as head coach of CSK last month which opened the door for him being appointed to the England job, but he will not take over officially until the tour to South Africa in December because he has family commitments. Marcus Trescothick will be in charge for the three Tests against Pakistan which start on August 19.

Hussey served as a consultant coach with England during their successful Continued on page 59

Arsenal agree

Guimarães deal

Martin Hardy

Northern Sports Correspondent

Arsenal are on the brink of signing Bruno Guimarães from Newcastle United after the London club altered the structure of their £75 million bid.

Newcastle are ready to accept a flat £75million fee after Arsenal's previous bid included add-ons to reach that figure. The fee will be paid over 24 months, helping Newcastle with Premier League spending rules and allowing them to invest money this summer to sign a replacement for their captain.

Arsenal's first formal bid on Sunday after a summer long chase was £69million that would have potentially included £6 million in future add-ons.

That was rejected by Newcastle but The Times has learnt that fresh talks on Tuesday appear to have unlocked the Continued on page 61

Times Crossword 29,614

ACROSS

7 Turning rather old, I note details of my life? (7) 8 Idolised one way or another (7) 10 Pepper with this wine's beginning to verge on spicy (9) 11 Come of age, wanting women's company (5) 12 You are against a second liaison? (5) 13 What helps broadcast short advert round state? (5,4) 15 Abettor agreeing partially about means of execution (7) 17 Use rent for refurbishing possessions provided by landlord? (7) 18 Where one could keep flask in bag (3,6) 20 Muse ultimately make obscure covers more melancholy (5) 21 Best available door, free from choice joiner (5) 23 Supplies item to facilitate tea making during school (9) 24 Fresher greeting German outside university by noon (7) 25 Service encountering this delays court action (3,4)

DOWN

1 Drunk tattoo artist splitting parish priest's mouth (6,4) 2 Rush job (6) 3 American runs hotel in inferior novel (3,5) 4 Regularly send bit they'd prepared for publication (6) 5 Man on throne (4,4) 6 Without drinks in boozer (4) 7 Significant work, essentially embracing completely the unknown? (3,4,6) 9 Reduced number of bars in Leeds opening late surprised Dicky (13) 14 It's primarily used on chair and is blown up (3,7) 16 Full as a result of eating nothing? (8) 17 Celebrated mathematician takes to teaching (8) 19 Drinks a lot of sake first (6) 20 Concerted effort to import new pancake (6) 22 Was coach on the radio stressed? (4)

Yesterday's solution 29,613

Check today's answers by ringing 0905 757 0141 by midnight. Calls cost £1 per minute plus your telephone company's network access charge. SP: Spoke 0333 202 3390.

Newspapers

support recycling

The recycled paper content of UK newspapers in 2024 was 34.7%

---

TIMES 2

August 6

2026

I'm going to run for Labour leader

What? Not again!

How to be a Blunt Wife

— an expert guide

---

2

Caitlin Moran's

Celebrity

Watch

6

Huw Edwards

Good day, dearest Times reader. I'm afraid I kick off this week's business with news that will be difficult for all of us.

As we are all aware, in 2023 the former BBC News at Ten presenter Huw Edwards underwent an abject fall from grace. Pleading guilty to charges of receiving indecent images, Edwards was handed a suspended sentence, and the subsequent Channel 5 dramatisation of his case only compounded Edwards's reputational radioactivity.

Understandably, Edwards has been unemployed since. However, it's 2026, and if there's one thing we've learnt it's that while the internet exists, no one's career really needs to be over, so long as they're ready to be flexible. To think outside the box. Consequently, this spring Edwards began a Substack: a webpage where, as he puts it, the 'journalist, broadcaster, author', posts 'thoughts on politics, culture, mental health and criminal justice'.

To be honest, the first few posts have been very obvious in their self-pitying undertones: there have been think pieces on judgment (Edwards thinks people do too much of it!), hatred (Edwards thinks people do too much of it!) and hypocrisy (Edwards — you get the gist.)

However, this week delivered a radical development. 'For the first time in my life,' Edwards wrote on Sunday. 'I have attempted to write a poem. The poem is a personal tribute to my late father. And... it is written in Welsh.'

I'm not sure if Edwards is abreast of how little market demand there is for former newsreaders to write poems, in Welsh, about their fathers. That he did not mention the length — there are 37 verses — suggests that, in fact, he is.

Helpfully, Edwards has provided an English translation. If I can be brutal enough to reduce it to its essence, the 'sturdy peasantry' of the 'raghag nation' of Wales have been 'damned' by 'greedy, heedless farmers' and their 'tragic, pitiful respect for the Saxon', which has made them 'servile' and, seemingly, apt to take the concept of a service economy too far.

'Nor is it patriotic to pleasure the foreigner,' Edwards warns — which is, obviously, a bad sentence for him to write.

As someone with full qualifications in

armchair psychology I can supply a further translation into basic emotional subtext. In brief, the poem suggests Wales has been so traumatised by the Saxons, no wonder it produces 'penitent', 'self-destructive' sons 'crying out for love'. Who might, one day, be sex cases.

As we know, it's the hope of all first-time poets that their poetry is so good that the world murmurs, 'Why didn't you tell us before that you're a poet? That means the normal rules don't apply to you! Now you've explained it all, in 37 verses, everything's fine. Have News at Ten back!'

Alas, this has never ever happened, and Edwards's poem is not about to break that run. But it's good to know that 'blaming the Saxons' is back on the board as an excuse for poor behaviour. Adjust your notes accordingly.

3

Neil Amin-Smith

Andy Burnham's first three weeks of being prime minister have been a roaring success. His popularity has soared simply by 'popping up on social media and announcing an upbeat new policy, albeit one that is quite vague and totally uncosted'.

However, it seems that Burnham's radical reinvention of politics doesn't end there. For this week the chancellor, John Healey, appointed Neil Amin-Smith as senior special adviser to aid with the October budget. And this was notable because Amin-Smith is a) an ex-pop star who played violin in Clean Bandit and b) the first British political adviser who is genuinely good-looking.

There have been claims for various political figures being 'actually quite hot'. David Miliband, the young Margaret Thatcher, possibly even Tony Blair on a good day. Yet we can now see this was a Stockholm syndrome-Blaustuation where, starved of any real contenders, Miliband, Thatcher and Blair looked hot in comparison to, say, Nicholas Soames or Michael Foot.

Now that someone a normal person would call 'hot' is in Westminster we can admit: for more than 300 years there hasn't been one genuinely hot person in British politics. Until today. This is a new era. And it photographs very well.

2

Slipknot

The world of heavy metal is — contrary to its image — one that is largely peaceful. It seems there may be something emotionally cleansing about being in a band who make a ruddy horrible racket and shout/grow! about Satan and such.

However, it seems there have been fractious times over in the world of Slipknot, the band behind such tunes as Wait and Bleed, Death Because of Death and People + Shit.

'Kelly Osbourne's ex-fiancé Sid Wilson 'permanently kicked out of Slipknot' four months after couple split', as The Sun headlined a story about Slipknot's keyboard player having parted ways with the band.

This news was enlivened by the fact that the members of Slipknot perform in masks — meaning the photos appeared to show Osbourne standing next to a very alarmed CIPO. While I applaud The Sun for covering this dark day for metal, I cannot conceal my disappointment that it didn't headline the story 'SlipNOT'. And this is why we know western civilisation is failing.

5

Count Binface

Hot news from the wholly unnecessary Clacton by-election, where the financially complicated Nigel Farage faces a challenge for his seat by the nation's favourite sassy bin-head, Count Binface.

It's a while before voting starts, but it's notable that Binface has achieved a significant cultural marker: there is now a Count Binface drag act. Yes, C***y Binface is doing the rounds in the gay clubs, with the 'bin face' rendered in a glittery pink, accessioned with a rose-coloured cape and some 1970s Terry de Havilland heels.

In terms of soft-power cachet, this elevates Count Binface to the next level. No one is dressing up as a singing version of Farage.

Seeing such a thing would feel sinister and depressing. Shantay, you stay, C***y Binface!

4

Danny Cipriani

Although there is more wedding news at this week's No 1, we turn first to the forthcoming nuptials of the former rugby player Danny Cipriani and his wife-to-be, the American actress AnnaLynne McCord, by way of an amuse bouche.

And what an amuse our bouche is getting! Let us turn to The Mirror to fill us in: 'Danny Cipriani sets up online fundraiser and asks guests to help pay for his wedding'.

Yes, that's right! The era of the GoFundMe — usually utilised to pay for operations or a David v. Goliath legal battle — now enters a new phase where a key cast member of 90210 and the former players' player of the year are utilising it to pay for their fancy wedding!

Clicking onto the Cipriani-McCord wedding website, we found it helpfully displayed all the things the begging — I mean gifting — could go towards, including 'reception music', 'rehearsal dinner', 'wedding photography' and 'wedding venue construction'.

For those inclined to google the net worth of the Cipriani-McCord's — estimated between $8 million and $11 million — there may be some confusion over why exactly guests are being asked to stump up a communal $14k for their wedding. Particularly on discovering that McCord's engagement ring is 'a massive 15-carat emerald-cut diamond, with seven round accent diamonds on each side of a yellow-gold band' — the kind of six-figure engagement ring that suggests you could pay for your own wedding after all!

Personally, I like this vibe. It seems to reveal a controversial truth: that soon-to-be-wed couples loathe their forthcoming festivities and that every ungrateful, freeloading guest should stump up some kind of tax, merely for the pleasure of being in a marquee for six hours with a bunch of overdressed, drunken strangers. You go, Cipriani-McCord! Punish those guests! It's the only way they'll learn the true cost of love!

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3

times2

1A

Tom Holland and Zendaya

This has been a red-letter week for romantics the world over, and for the British tourism board, as news has begun to leak of a forthcoming wedding celebration — held right here, in Blighty! — for the hottest couple in Hollywood: The Odyssey and Spider-Man's Tom Holland and Zendaya.

To make things clear: Holland and Zendaya are already married. All the boring legal paperwork is done. As befits the two coolest young movie stars on the planet, Holland and Zendaya slipped away at some point and got hitched. The first the wider world knew of it was last month when Zendaya was spotted on a red carpet wearing a wedding ring.

Given the prolonged kerfuffle over Taylor Swift's wedding, which eventually brought much of Manhattan to a standstill, it's refreshing to see two famouses discreetly tootle off and get married without every showbiz podcaster having to suddenly cobble together an emergency broadcast that consists of absolutely nothing but lasts for several hours.

However, it seems the Holland/Zendaya wedding was so small and discreet there now needs to be a follow-up party so more than three people celebrate their union. And several press reports have it that it will be happening at 'palatial' Belvoir Castle in Leicestershire, owned by the 11th Duke of Rutland.

I have to say, googling Belvoir Castle has been one of my greatest pleasures of 2026 so far. The castle's history stretches back a loooooong way (this is some real 1066 shit). Its story is sprinkled with the kind of words and phrases that, sadly one just does not come across in day-to-day business. Check this: 'A Norman castle originally stood on high ground, within the wapentake of Framland.'

The wapentake of Framland! Wapentake! Framland! Who knew Framland existed? And that it had a wapentake? If anyone except David Olusoga says, 'Yes I did,' they're lying.

And, believe me, it has all been kicking off in the wapentake of Framland. 'In 1267 Robert de Ros was granted a licence to crenellate.' A licence to crenellate! The medieval James Bond film I now desperately want to see! Presumably some people in the wapentake were engaging in hooky crenellation — but de Ros wanted all his crenellating done by the book. Good man. And the ancient thrills don't end there.

'Whilst visiting Belvoir Castle in the 1840s Anna, Duchess of Bedford, found that the normal time for dinner was 8.30pm. The long afternoon had no refreshment at all and left people feeling hungry.' What did Anna, Duchess of Bedford, do? 'She found a light meal of tea — usually Darjeeling — and cakes, and sandwiches, was the perfect balance. Afternoon tea quickly become an established and convivial repast in many middle and upper-class households.'

Yes, Belvoir Castle is so old that one of its inhabitants invented snacking. Why had no one invented snacking until that time? Because everyone else was too poor! They were just starving! It took Anna, Duchess of Bedford's well-resourced genius to invent 'just having some cakes at 3pm for the hell of it'.

I can't believe I've got to the age of 51 yet have been so ignorant about the centrality of Framland in our nation's history. And, obviously, it's one that

continues, for soon in Framland a Spider-Man will get married overlooked by wholly certified crenellation before enjoying afternoon tea in the very place 'snacking on surplus foodstuffs at whatever time you fancy' was invented.

What a country this is! What a marvel our nation continues to be! Tom Holland, be proud of the history of your people! And Zendaya — since you are American, and therefore presumably still trying to explain to your friends why you're holding a party in a place pronounced 'Beaver Castle', all I can say is: welcome to the wapentake! England welcomes you!

Cate Blanchett had to have a 'hard word' with herself. Me too, Cate Hilary Rose

Personal question: do you talk to yourself? Do you ever look in the mirror and have a stern word with your reflection about something? If so, rejoice — you're in excellent company. So does the Oscar-winning actress and all-round overachiever Cate Blanchett. So too does someone whose greatest achievement is planting a geranium and who last won an award in the Brownies' me.

In an interview with Harper's Bazaar Blanchett talked about how she gets four hours' sleep a night and how she 'had a hard word' with herself about it, because four hours clearly isn't enough. She has to get up at 5am, you see, if she's going to fit in feeding the chickens, having a cold water plunge, walking the dogs and doing the school run, but she loves late nights when everyone else is in bed, and this leaves little time for sleep.

What I care about here isn't how much sleep she gets, it's that she deals with it by 'having a hard word' with herself. I honestly thought nobody except me did that any more. I assumed it had been cancelled as a concept, possibly because when I was growing up people said it was the first sign of madness. I thought these days everyone outsourced imperfections to their therapist, or swerved them altogether as they reached for their gratitude journal, so hurrah for Blanchett, who doesn't.

I have a stern word with myself most days, about most things, because God knows somebody has to, and if not me then who? I can't afford a therapist. I think gratitude journals lie somewhere on the spectrum between cringe and self-indulgence, and no doubt a therapist could tell me why.

While we wait for that insight, I offer my latest list of things about which I have hard words with myself, in the hope that

they are not signs of madness but something else entirely. Obvious and treatable OCD, for example, or a low-level eating disorder, or perhaps simply idiocy. And if you know where having a hard word with yourself turns into 'beating yourself up', do get in touch.

• I ask myself why I cut my fringe with kitchen scissors and, once, nail scissors. In spite of going to the best hairdresser money can buy, because my hair needs all the help it can get, I spend at least six months of the year with a wonky fringe.
• Why I haven't done more steps, and why literally everyone else in the whole world is apparently doing 10,000 a day except me.
• Crisps: why did I buy them? Why did God invent them?
• Why I haven't started weight training, in spite of reading thousands of words about how important it is for women my age. A Los Angeles-based friend said recently that she does it because she wants to be 'dancing in the desert when she's 100', a prospect that fills me with horror. I don't even want to go to a desert, let alone dance

in one. If I make it to 100 my aim is unlimited toast and hot Ribena by the fire. On the plus side, this seems compatible with not lifting weights.

• How I can tell myself that ordering a takeaway pizza is a treat, even though it's a treat I have every week. Closely related to: how much weight is it acceptable to gain before you do something about it? Blanchett believes that if you take responsibility for having done bad things you won't do them again, but she was talking about Brexit, not pizza.

• Why I developed a terrible evening iPad habit. My screen time report goes up and up because scrolling mindlessly on it when I get home from work seems to have replaced doing something useful, but when a

The last deep thought I had was probably about lip gloss

friend asked, 'Such as?' I drew a blank. This prompted soul-searching.

• Why, unlike Blanchett, I cannot casually reference Greek tragedy and the vengeful daughter of Agamemnon in conversation. This is partly because I didn't know that Agamemnon had a daughter, vengeful or otherwise. Mainly, though, it's because my thoughts turn more naturally to Bridgerton.
• Why Cate Blanchett thinks deeply about the dangers of AI and climate change but the last deep thought I had was in 1991 and it was probably about lip gloss. Must do better.
• Why chablis is reliably nicer on a sunny Friday night than cranberry and soda. Also, who buys those incredibly expensive non-alcoholic spirits that taste like a hedge?

Fish fingers: which side are you on?

Leaving Blanchett to AI and the future of humanity, my thoughts turn to fish fingers. Birds Eye has asked its

customers how they slice their fish finger sandwiches, and a majority, 32 per cent, turned out to be savages: they slice vertically, straight down the middle. The company helpfully provided a photograph of what a vertically sliced sandwich looks like

and the answer is horrifying. Everything clenches. Not since Liz Truss on the steps of No 10 have I seen something so obviously wrong. It is scant comfort that only 1 per cent fewer voted for horizontally, which is quite obviously the correct answer, since

that is how I cut mine. We will draw a veil over the deviants who cut theirs into triangles, while marvelling at the dexterity of the 11 per cent who don't cut at all. If Easter is about how you eat a Creme Egg, summer is about sandwiches: how do you slice yours?

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4

times2

The joy of being a 'soft hermit'

Tired of hanging out in humid pub gardens? So is Charlie Gowans

Have you recently cried off from a night at the pub with friends? Remained silent when someone in the group chat suggested buying festival tickets? Slunk out of the office to avoid after-work pints, pretended not to spot an acquaintance in the supermarket? Congratulations, you're 'soft hermiting', the latest trend to come from Gen Z.

It's a hashtag on TikTok, and according to a survey of 2,000 Gen Zers and millennials by RiseGuide (an app that targets doom-scrolling), 32 per cent had gone between one and three days without talking to another person during the past year.

Which sounds like a weekend well spent to me. Gen Z may have started the trend but this isn't new behaviour. The difference now is the hot summer weather — things used to get rained off, giving us all a break. When the sunshine stretches out for weeks there's pressure not to waste it indoors.

At school I skipped social occasions — birthday parties, bowling nights — for a year

But if no one wants to hang out, is that a bad thing?

As a millennial I am used to being out of date when it comes to Gen Z trends, but for once I truly am an early adopter. At school I earned the nickname Hermit when I skipped every social occasion — birthday parties, bowling nights — for a year. Yes, I was later prescribed antidepressants, but a few decades on and my hermiting is born of pure joy. Instead of spending them in a pub garden, the past few weeks have been passed drinking wine on my balcony, roasting a chicken then making broth with the bones, walking 30,000 steps on London's canals, clearing out my wardrobe, reading a book in the park, getting a deep-tissue massage, repainting my hallway, browsing an antique centre, visiting the Barbican. I live alone, so there was no accidental socialising. Occasionally you would have found me in a pub garden, but by myself, late-afternoon and midweek, to avoid the risk of bumping into someone I know.

I have a holiday with friends at the end of August, so I am stockpiling my social battery: so far there's not a single social plan in my calendar for the next three weeks (and I'm staying on for five solo nights after to recover). I can't recommend hermiting highly enough — although perhaps I'd recommend that you stop short of admitting to it in The Times.

Like Mrs B, I'm a Blunt

When he proposed a tilt at No 10, Andy Burnham's wife was brutally honest with him. Wish you were as frank? Here's how. By Shane Watson

Marie-France van Heel is only a couple of weeks into the job of PM's wife but so far we are very much liking her style. Wives and partners come in two broad categories, the pleasers and the plain speakers, and we already know Mrs Burnham is firmly in the latter camp — which is exactly where you would want a PM's wife to be.

Burnham told the How to Fail podcast that when he announced he was going to throw his hat in the ring for the big job his wife's response was: 'What? Not again?' Then she went on to say: 'They told you twice they don't want you. Why are you doing it again?' The pleaser in this scenario would have dug their nails into their palms, smiled brightly and said: 'Oh, darling, that's wonderful. I'm right behind you.' The plain speaker tells it like it is because they know no other way and their partner expects it — relies on it — to keep him on the straight and narrow. Mrs B has always been his bluntest critic, according to Burnham, and clearly he wouldn't have it any other way. That's also very promising.

On the same podcast Burnham recalled emerging from interviews believing that he had performed well, only to switch on his phone and find a message from his wife in capital letters that read: 'ANSWER THE F***ING QUESTION'. If you're a pleaser, this will no doubt horrify you. If you're a Blunt Wife you'll be extremely encouraged and relieved that the

It's our job to hover by the cooker, saying: 'It's burning'

prime minister has a hard-headed BW at his back, one who will make him do his best, to quote Cat Stevens's song, and who will not allow him to blindly toe the party line (that was her complaint about the interviews), or to forget he is not the Messiah, or to start to believe his own press. For this we should be grateful. Nothing against pleasers but let's just say if Mr Liz Truss had been more of a BW and less

Andy Burnham and his wife, Marie-France van Heel

of an enabler we might not be having those endless mortgage conversations with our adult children.

Meanwhile, IRL the rest of us who are proud to call ourselves BWs are busy doing our own bit to keep our menfolk on track — albeit that our job is not so important. Note: Blunt Wifery is not to be confused with Raging Wife syndrome. BWs are our husband's number one fans, which is what allows us to be unsparing with the truth, with a few notable exceptions (see below). A BW's husband must know you 100 per cent respect him, otherwise you'll be in the divorce courts by Christmas.

If you're considering switching sides and wondering how to go about it in the right spirit, this is how we roll.

Communication

Between BWs and their husbands communication is not an issue, as we've established, but it probably will be in all other areas of your husband's life. His friend is out of hospital but

he's not sure if he should ring him just yet. His nephew is getting divorced but he probably won't want to talk about it. His boss's mother died last week but she's quite a private person so... in all these scenarios the BW says: 'Just pick up the phone, you weird!' Some BWs may have to go so far as dialling for them and putting the phone down in front of them while mouthing. 'Ask about Jan! Tell him you miss him! Find out when he wants to see you.'

Cooking

All husbands and partners hate being interfered with when they have decided to cook 'something Ottolenghi' (code for using 14 ingredients and eating at 10.30pm). Blunt Wife knows that, for the sake of everyone, the cook must be challenged and it's our job to hover by the cooker murmuring. 'It's burning... that's the smell of burning... you need to turn that down,' and, 'That's not basil, it's sage,' and, 'The reason you can't zest that lemon is because it's waxed.' This

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Wife. Are you?

CRAIG HENRY MICHELLE BOSTON, EDITOR, ANDREW MILLIAMSON

is no fun and you will be accused of being a controlling pain in the arse (note: in the BW marriage there's a whole repertoire of so-called offensive language that others might find alarming, but we find therapeutic). Then (this is the mildly tricky part) when your guests have gone and he says, 'So was the food really OK?' (it tasted like charred grasshoppers) the BW must stay strong and reply something like, 'Yes... but maybe a bit too much lemon.' He knows there was too much lemon, so don't make it worse by lying. Also don't say: 'I told you to lay off the lemon but would you listen? You never listen. Poor Jerry was practically gagging.'

Getting dressed to go out In my experience, men gradually catch up with women in the getting-dressed panic stakes and then overtake us and start to torture themselves about trainer styles, and shirt in or out, and belt on or off, and the number of buttons to undo if the weather's hot.

This is a sensitive area because we appreciate that no one wants to be told they look like an Austrian dentist just before they leave the house. Then again, of course they want to be alerted if they have accidentally got themselves up like an Austrian dentist. The best policy, as ever, is bluntness but beautifully timed. You've got to catch them before they've decided they look pretty good. You need to creep up on them and say: 'Oh. I thought you were going to wear something else on top. Why don't you wear the other thing on top?' If you are met with a mildly panicked 'What's wrong with this?' go straight to 'It's less summery'. If he's looking for the full BW — and he knows the rules as well as you do — give it to him straight. 'You look like an Austrian dentist but I think it's mainly the gilet.'

Haircuts

The one area where a BW has to bite her tongue, initially, because hair is everything. Try and hook a couple of days away so you don't have to look him in the eye when he says: 'Is this OK? I went to that new place next to the office.' Ideally, avoid any contact until he's forgotten he had a haircut

You have to be brutal with their shopping habits

and then, when he's next considering a haircut, feel free to tell him that if he goes back to that place you're leaving him. Note: this is a good example of why the tough-love BW is better for their partners than the pleaser. A pleaser allows her partner to think his haircut was really great and he'll go straight back for another savaging, none the wiser.

Shopping

You have to be brutal with their shopping habits. 'Why have you ordered a 10kg bag of dog food when we own a miniature dachshund?' 'How come this is gloss paint and how did it end up being cobalt blue when we need off-white? Look at the colour.' Your mother would say, 'Aw, he's doing his best,' but you're a BW and your job is not to treat your husband like the work experience. He can do better.

Messaging

That 'answer the fing question' will surely remind BWs everywhere of all the times they've sent an urgent message to their partners. Just a handful of recent personal examples: 'Where are the fing car keys?' 'Your phone isn't on ring AGAIN?' 'I'm in the Co-op car park! I'm still in the Co-op car park! Where are you?' 'What have you done with the remote?' 'Why is my cashmere jumper in the f***ing washing machine?' I suppose if you're a pleaser you wait until they get home, pour them a nice cool drink and then... actually, just can't picture it.

Why women like me are tired of playing it cool

It's the first rule of being single — act nonchalant. But now I crave transparency. And I'm not alone, says Lucy Sarret

For the past two years of navigating the London singles market I have religiously followed the golden rule of modern courtship: under no circumstances must you show you care.

We all know the script. To be successful is to be nonchalant. You must treat a five-hour text reply window as a human right, view emotional vulnerability like a game of chicken and maintain an aura of cool detachment so profound you appear practically comatose.

After all, I grew up on the gospel of the classic 'three-day rule' — the sacred directive popularised by the 1996 comedy Swingers to wait 72 hours before calling, or texting, after a date, lest you risk looking desperate. Noughties rom-coms such as How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and He's Just Not That Into You hammered home the lesson: to show eagerness is to alienate, enthusiasm is embarrassing, and pretending you couldn't care less is the only way to make someone chase you.

But frankly, I am exhausted. And it seems I am not alone. Across social media and dating apps young adults are exhibiting a collective fatigue for 'playing it cool' and are actively reclaiming sincerity, with a massive new movement championing being explicitly 'chalant'.

To be 'chalant' is, quite plainly, the opposite of being nonchalant — proudly embracing the fact that things do matter, you do have expectations and you are unapologetically invested. It is the art of playing it warm. According to a report by the dating app Hinge, searches for the term 'chalant' skyrocketed by 217 per cent last year, with users openly filtering for matches who will chase them.

Intellectually, I crave this romantic transparency. I am tired of the duck-pond stagnation of modern dating. Yet when put into practice my ingrained conditioning presents a psychological hurdle: the moment someone is keen I panic.

I'll admit that my friends think I am quick to cut people off, and I have never once said 'I love you' first. My last boyfriend confessed that he spent the first three months of our relationship unsure if I liked him. Science suggests such nonchalance works. A 2020 study found that appearing selective rather than overly available makes us seem more desirable.

The chase is fun but it leaves me trapped in a romantic paradox: I need to know they like me before I can open up, but if they like me too quickly I distrust it and/or lose interest.

Case in point: my friends and I recently discussed a match who texted me a few hours after leaving our first date to say he'd loved meeting me and wanted to lock in a dinner the next

Lucy Sarret

My friends think I'm quick to cut people off, and I have never once said 'I love you' first

week. As any sane, well-adjusted person would find, my immediate response was a mild existential crisis. 'He seems way too keen,' I explained to my friends. 'He's obviously love-bombing me.' They simply asked: 'Do you just not like him that much, or are you trying to find an excuse?'

They had a point. As the relationship therapist and sexologist Sofie Roos tells me, 'To pretend you don't care that much even when all you want is to be with this very person is a way to keep your guard up, which to many feels less vulnerable compared to exposing your heart. However, there's a significant difference between being selective and pretending not to care when liking someone, where the latter makes you come off as emotionally unavailable.'

We complain endlessly about the emotionally unavailable people who breadcrumb us yet we penalise the sweet ones who are forthright with their feelings. We are put off if they text too much, and if they text too little. Surely there is someone out there who can test me just the right amount? (Is it really that hard?)

Reclaiming my 'chalance' means unlearning those rules. Dating with intent is scary but wasting three months in an ambiguous situation because you are both too terrified to admit you care is worse.

'To stop with the games when being into someone and instead being honest with your intentions reduces the risk for misunderstandings and makes dating more adult and stable,' Roos says. 'It's about being able to say 'I like you' without losing yourself, and to be able to take a no even if you haven't hidden your true feelings.'

So, consider this my official retirement from the nonchalant era. I care, I'm available and I book up quickly. If you want to take me out, make a reservation — and please, do not wait three days to tell me you had a nice time.

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Ah non! We moved to France but I did not expect my kids to be so French

After emigrating in 2019 Alix O'Neill wanted her children to assimilate. She didn't anticipate just how completely they'd embrace the Gallic way of life

Buuuut! Crossing his hands over his chest and tucking them underneath his armpits, my six-year-old assumes Kylian Mbappé's signature victory move. My husband, Dex, and I look on in bewilderment. How did it come to this? Neither of us has the slightest interest in football. And rooting for France in the World Cup? C'est pas possible.

It was inevitable this day would come, I suppose. Every Six Nations our boys have a hard time deciding who to support in the rugby: Ireland, where Dex and I were born and bred, or France, their adopted homeland. Often William, eight, claims neutrality to avoid offending his parents. By nature his younger brother, Sasha, is less desirous to please. One year, to punish us for denying him dessert, he announced he wanted England to win.

When we emigrated to southwest France in 2019 after a 12-year stint in London we hadn't considered that we'd end up raising French boys. There were multiple reasons for our decision to move, including Brexit fatigue and wanting a more affordable, laid-back lifestyle. Mainly, Dex and I were suckers for all things Gallic. I was born on Bastille Day and holidayed in France as a kid. Once you get a taste of public firework displays on your birthday it's hard to look back. Dex, who spent a lost summer on the Côte d'Azur during his university years, needed little persuading. The clincher was a trip to Aix-en-Provence in 2015. Downing rosé in a shady square, we sat next to a chic family, the children immaculately attired, their table manners faultless. I nudged Dex. That will be us someday.

As Gen Z say in cases of extreme hilarity, "I'm dead." Most days I'm scrubbing mud and unidentified foodstuffs off various items of clothing, while my sons view cutlery as table decoration. I don't mind. I love being a boy mum, the physicality of it. I'm constantly being climbed on and hollered at, revelling in a boisterousness that parenting à la française traditionally frowns upon.

That said, we recently made the decision to apply for French

Romantic love is ingrained in the culture. Every day I'm given an update on who's amoureux with whom

nationality. Although Sasha was born here he is not entitled to birthright citizenship until he is 18. If we naturalise the boys become French too. (France permits dual nationality, so our Irishness will remain intact.)

The reason for making it official now? Despite our best efforts — eg forcing them to watch Riverdance every St Patrick's Day to remind them of the talent of the motherland — our boys feel French at heart. Sasha has all the mannerisms of a true Turnais. At the market he'll listen to the cheesemonger grumble over pension reform and, in sympathy, sigh through puffed-up cheeks and mutter an appropriate swearword. He devotes his free time to his masculation, sculpting his baby biceps with my 3kg dumbbells. It's a display of machismo he certainly didn't inherit from his father, whose gym bag has spent more nights on the floor of pubs than in changing-room lockers.

Should I be concerned by this obsession with physical strength as a sign of masculinity? Years after MeToo sexism remains rife in France — last year a parliamentary report revealed that sexual violence, harassment and bullying are systemic in the country's entertainment industry. Another official survey detected a male backlash to the movement across French society.

Ultimately, I'm not sweating it. It's easy to get hung up on hypotheticals. True, France is less evolved when it comes to sexual politics, but I don't worry about raising the next Andrew Tate. In fact, Sasha's dedication to improving his form has inspired me to up my fitness game.

As for William, he has less earthy but equally Gallic traits. He craves beauty in the everyday and has a fondness for the melodramatic. When he's not writing stories or making comic books he's musing on the meaning of life. While his creative sensibilities may frustrate teachers back home, here the artist is still very much revered. Any time he forgets his homework or leaves the house with his T-shirt on back to front his teacher smiles indulgently and assures me all is well. He is, simply, un petit rêveur.

Although their temperaments differ, both boys are well versed in affairs of the heart. French children are fixated on relationships. How could they not be? Romantic love is ingrained in the culture. Every day I'm given an update on who is amoureux with whom. Huddled around the kitchen table, a group of six and eight-year-olds will compare notes, extolling the joys of a well-made match, commiserating with one another on a love unrequited. I went to an all-girls convent school and knew well not to bring boy troubles to my no-nonsense Northern Irish mother. In France this kind of behaviour is actively encouraged by the parents. There's a coquettishness among French girls that I haven't witnessed in my Anglophone friends' daughters, while one of the mums in William's class speaks earnestly of marriage between her child and the boy who sits beside her. Once I mooted the idea that it's a bit silly, is it not, all this romance stuff? The boys could barely hide their disdain. What is more important than love, William demanded to know.

I dunno. Sustenance? I've two budding gourmets on my hands. Though neither is particularly fond of cheese (sacré bleu) Sasha appreciates an aged Comté and has correctly identified many a secondary aroma when sniffing the local wine in his father's glass. More of a bread man, William can immediately tell an artisan baguette from a Carrefour offering. It's a far cry from the Findus Crispy Pancakes of my childhood.

One of my children's most French qualities is their approach to jeux de société. We Anglophones tend to jump straight into board games, winging it

as we go along. For the Frenchman it's all about strategy. The boys will spend an hour in deep pregame analysis, which, if you recall your Second World War history, is no guarantee of success. (The French spent so long building their elaborate Maginot Line they failed to plan for the Germans advancing through Belgium.)

To be fair to the kids, their tendency to overthink things is hardly surprising. They've been in the system from an early age. The year we emigrated Macron made school mandatory from the age of three. Rules and structure are all they've known. This, incidentally, is one of the criticisms of French parenting: that it is inflexible and intolerant, with an unhealthy focus on compliance. This year the state rail company barred children under 12 from some business-class carriages. The spread of adults-only spaces has started a culture war, with left-wing and centrist politicians demanding new legislation to ban them.

We've experienced this old-school approach to bringing up bébé. Although smacking was outlawed in 2019 it is not uncommon to see French parents raise their hand to their children. Among older generations there remains an expectation for children to rein in their natural exuberance. At a family restaurant on William's sixth birthday a woman admonished us for ruining her meal. She told me the boys and their friends (who had remained seated and well behaved) were mal élève and that she had been left with no choice but to cancel her dessert order.

At the same time we've noticed a creeping Americanisation of French

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MATTHEU KENDEL/NAME LUCA FOR THE TIMES

Alix O'Neill and her sons, William and Sasha

parenting in recent years: extravagant birthday parties, a more laissez faire attitude to discipline and an increasing reliance on junk food. I'm a source of amusement among the school mums for my refusal to let the boys have sweets or sugary drinks. Halloween has taken off in a big way. When we arrived you were lucky to find a pumpkin in the supermarkets. Now trick or treating is celebrated in every town, with local shop owners stocking up on Haribo for tiny revellers.

Whatever side of the divide you're on, la politesse is key. Forget "please" and "thank you" — bonjour and au revoir are the bedrock of French civility. Should your offspring neglect to utter these words on entering or leaving a shop they'll be dismissed as savages.

It has been a balancing act trying to fit into French life while staying true to our core family values. We've gone to great pains to assimilate into the culture. We vote in local elections, are on the PTA at school, take the boys litter-picking when the mairie requests volunteers. And yet there are occasions when I'll insist on doing things the Anglophone way.

Saying sorry when you're in the wrong (a rare occurrence over here), being effusive in my praise of the boys, not taking life too seriously. The other day Sasha recounted the time he was scolded by a woman in the boulangerie for hiding his toy spider among the croissants. "She was no craic, Mummy," he lamented. Dex and I looked at one another in relief. They may pass as French boys, but their sense of humour? That's all Irish.

Pancreatitis — how great is the risk of weight-loss medication?

A fatal incident raises questions about GLP-1 drugs. Peta Bee reports

Weight-loss drugs come with information about unpleasant gastrointestinal side-effects — nausea, constipation and vomiting — that most users consider to be worth tolerating for the bodily transformations. There are also prominent warnings about more severe potential complications, particularly pancreatitis. But as GLP-1 agonist medications have skyrocketed in popularity, so have reports of more serious illness in some of those who use them.

This week a Norfolk coroner's court heard that Caroline Savage, 73, died at home two years ago after her pharmacist advised increasing the dose of her Moanjaro (tirapatide) weight-loss medication to a maximum 10mg once she had been taking it for four months. Her cause of death was faecal peritonitis, when faecal matter leaks into the abdominal cavity, which can be a rare side-effect of pancreatic inflammation that may or may not be linked to the drugs she had been prescribed privately.

Data submitted to the UK drugs regulator and published in the BMJ last year suggested that up to January 31, 2025, there were 22 deaths from adverse reactions associated with use of GLP-1 agonists taken for weight-loss purposes. Vicky Price, president-elect of the Society for Acute Medicine, expressed concern that "patients are taking these medications without properly understanding the potential risks involved or the importance of using these as part of supported weight-loss programmes".

Duane Mellor, a registered dietician and honorary associate professor of nutrition at the University of Leicester, says that anyone considering using the drugs should ensure they have good medical support.

"It is not yet known whether serious side-effects are directly related to GLP-1 use," Mellor says. "Any change in weight, through diet or drugs, is not without side-effects, but people should make sure they are supervised when using them."

How vigilant do you need to be when upping a dose?

Doses of GLP-1 injections typically start at 0.25mg weekly, which is gradually increased over several months until a higher sustained dose of 2.4mg each week is reached. If needed, some adults with clinical obesity are offered a maximum dose increase to 7.2mg a week after a minimum of four weeks on 2.4mg. This gradual approach is critical and should always be overseen by a medical professional. "It allows prescribers to check for and manage symptoms at each stage," Mellor says. "It also means that doses are tailored for adequate individual weight loss as not everyone is the same."

Anyone prescribed GLP-1 medication on the NHS will be tracked, but those who buy weight-loss

drugs privately or online may not have the same level of support, so should proceed cautiously. Always make sure that medication purchased online is dispensed by a registered pharmacy.

How great is the risk of pancreatitis?

Acute pancreatitis, extreme inflammation of the pancreas — an organ that sits behind the stomach and aids digestion — is a rare but real risk for 0.2 to 1 per cent of people taking some GLP-1 agonist drugs.

"Rapid weight loss by any means, including extreme dieting or medication, will raise the risk of pancreatitis and gallstones," Mellor says. "It's not always a direct effect of the drugs alone, but people do need to be aware of the symptoms."

When weight is lost quickly, the liver is forced to release excess cholesterol into bile, forming gallstones that can block the pancreatic ducts. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) says symptoms include extreme pain in the stomach and back that doesn't go away.

"Gallstones tend to cause pain in the sides whereas pancreatitis radiates to the back and may cause vomiting, especially when you bend over," Mellor says. "Speak to a healthcare professional immediately if concerned."

Most people recover from the condition within about a week, but if ignored it can lead to complications including necrosis, when pancreatic tissue dies off, or even organ failure.

What about other serious side-effects?

According to the MHRA, hypoglycaemia (very low blood sugar) can occur in non-diabetic people taking the medication and more than one in ten people experience vomiting or diarrhoea, which can result in dehydration. If dehydration is severe, it raises the risk of more serious consequences such as kidney damage, "which may result in hospitalisation", the agency says. According to a recent study of nearly 150,000 people presented at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons' annual meeting, people taking weight-loss drugs may also face a significantly

higher risk of skeletal disorders, including osteoporosis and ruptured tendons, than non-users. A report in the New England Journal of Medicine expressed concern that some people could develop eating disorders with long-term use of the drugs.

"Since the drugs affect how the stomach digests food, it impacts how some nutrients are absorbed," Mellor says. "There's a risk of B12 and iron deficiency, resulting in fatigue and potential anaemia."

Are there other underlying health conditions that mean weight-loss drugs might not be a good idea?

Due to the potential links between weight-loss drugs and pancreatic inflammation, anyone with a history of pancreatitis should undergo a thorough evaluation before being prescribed the drugs, as should those with cardiovascular conditions, such as angina, gallbladder disease, compromised liver function or kidney problems.

Anyone with a personal or family history of thyroid cancer or tumours should discuss with their GP before taking the drugs and anyone with diagnosed eating disorders should not be prescribed weight-loss medication. If you take any other prescribed medication, particularly warfarin and anticoagulants, thyroid drugs or insulin, there's a risk of adverse interactions so discuss with your doctor first.

Is microdosing a better idea?

Drip-feeding smaller than recommended doses of GLP-1 injections over the course of a week is an "off-label" trend that's become popular with those wanting just enough of the drugs to sustain weight loss. There is no evidence that it's safe and it is not recommended by UK regulatory bodies or the NHS.

"As professionals we can't recommend microdosing because there are risks associated with inaccurate doses and with reusing a single-use needle each week," Mellor says. "A lot of patients do their own thing when the drug is in their hands and we can't control that, but microdosing is not without risk."

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‘Rita and I are going to make a romantic comedy together’

The Oscar-winning director Taika Waititi tells Ed Potton about working with Sam Neill, his new film and how his pop star wife changed his taste in movies

Taika Waititi is mooching at home in Auckland, dressed in a pink hoodie, sipping hot water and lemon and telling me about his teeming diary. “I think Rita and I are going to make a rom-com together,” he says. That’s his wife, the pop star Rita Ora — more on her later. He has also “been producing a new film-maker, Victor Gabriel, in LA”, referring to Gabriel’s movie The Incredible Heist of Hallelujah Jones. Then there’s Very Young Frankenstein, a TV prequel spin-off of Young Frankenstein. “That’s another new film-maker, called Mel Brooks.” Waititi says with a hint of a smile. Brooks, who directed Young Frankenstein in 1974, recently turned 100.

Waititi and Brooks met in 2020 at a lunch in Los Angeles before the Oscars, where the former was nominated for Jojo Rabbit, his comedy about a ten-year-old Hitler Youth member whose imaginary friend is Adolf Hitler, played by Waititi. The film, which the New Zealander wrote, directed and co-produced, won him the Oscar for best adapted screenplay a few days later: “Mel made a really nice speech about Jojo Rabbit and about how it was right in line with what they were trying to do with The Producers,” says Waititi, 50, referring to Brooks’s equally controversial movie about a musical called “Springtime for Hitler”. “Mel made a joke: ‘You didn’t ask me for permission to play Hitler.’”

Very Young Frankenstein, on which the two of them are executive producers, with Zach Galifianakis starring, is “really, really funny”. Waititi promises. “I’m so happy with how it turned out, because you get a bit nervous when you’re trying to take such a beloved property and bring it into the world in a new way. There’s always some charming person on the internet who’s going to be like, ‘Don’t touch it. It’s my favourite thing in the

Julian Dennison and Sam Neill in Hunt for the Wilderpeople. Right: Taika Waititi with his wife, Rita Ora

“Sam Neill named a pig after me. I checked how it was and he said, ‘Oh, he was delicious’”

Hunt for the Wilderpeople is in selected cinemas from tomorrow

world. “You’ll still have the original thing, no one’s forcing you to replace it with this.”

It’s telling that he is trusted by titans such as Brooks and Kazuo Ishiguro, the British Nobel laureate whose book Kiara and the Sun Waititi has adapted for his next film. But then he is one of the most original minds in movie-making. Smart, funny, playful and versatile, he leapt in a few years from breakout Kiwi comedies such as Flight of the Conchords and the vampire

mockumentary What We Do in the Shadows to writing and directing mega-budget Thor: Ragnarok and Thor: Love and Thunder for Marvel. His football comedy Next Goal Wins (2023) was a rare nusstep.

What links his projects is what he calls “comedy of the mundane”, a deadpan bathos that’s quintessentially Kiwi. Think of Chris Hemsworth’s Thor hanging upside down on a twisting chain but having to turn a full revolution before he can speak. “The more boring it is the more funny I find it,” Waititi says. “New Zealand is a giant suburb. We’ve got maybe three cities, and I hesitate to call them cities. A lot of your time as a kid is spent throwing stones at lampposts and dreaming up things and being goofy.”

That understated silliness runs through one of his best films, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, which is being rereleased for its tenth anniversary this month. It follows Ricky (Julian Dennison), a hyperactive foster child who is taken in by a rural couple, Hector (Sam Neill) and Bella (Rima Te Wiata). When Bella dies suddenly Ricky flees into the New Zealand bush, reluctantly followed by glowering Hector. A manhunt for them ensues. Neill, who died last month aged 78, was one of Waititi’s favourite actors. “He was probably the most famous of

DAVID FISHER/SHUTTERSTOCK ALAMY

our New Zealand actors and he was the only fit for that role,” he says. They became friends, and Waititi visited Neill’s vineyard in Central Otago, where he kept pigs. “He actually named a pig after me. I checked in on how that pig was doing and he said, ‘Oh, he was delicious.’”

“Sam was the most relaxed person on set, because he’d seen it all. When everyone was freaking out he’d just have this smirk, like, it’s all gonna be fine,” Waititi says. “New Zealand is a very toxic, patriarchal society based on machismo and sports and drinking beer. If you said you wanted to be in the arts you’d be called a poof, Sam didn’t give a shit about any of that. He knew the arts were the most important thing.”

Hunt for the Wilderpeople started off as a serious movie, Waititi says. “I thought I was going to be this really intense, dramatic film-maker. At the end of that version Hector gets shot to death by the cops and Ricky ends up still in the foster system. Luckily we didn’t make that film. It would have got into Cannes probably — anything where kids are hurt. There’s no chance Jojo Rabbit would have got into Cannes because they didn’t get shipped off to Siberia to a sex gulag.”

What he came up with instead was warmer and funnier, with much of the comedy stemming from Hector’s grumpy irritation with Ricky. Hector has shades of Neill’s Dr Grant in Jurassic Park, who professes to hate children. Kids love those scenarios in

films because there is a safety to the nastiness — they know that the character is a softie deep down, as Neill was. “There was something behind Sam’s eyes, you just knew,” Waititi says.

Growing up in Wellington and the Bay of Plenty, stern adults were the norm, he says. “There was this unspoken rule that everyone was a parent to all the kids and would keep them in line, which doesn’t happen now. American studios freak out at the idea of a grown-up being mean to a kid and I think it’s just the overcompensating guilt about being mean to the whole world.”

Waititi’s mother, an academic, met his father, an artist and biker gang leader, in prison, where she was volunteering and he was an inmate. They divorced when he was five, and his dad wasn’t around much, which coloured Waititi’s films. “I don’t know how to write a couple who are together,” he says. “I only saw it at friends’ houses growing up and it felt kind of weird. There’s a really intense focus that happens between a child and a single parent.”

Hunt for the Wilderpeople played well with children, which “reminds you not to dumb stuff down for kids”, he says. “Scrolling on the TV, I get thumbnail after thumbnail of this inane, mindless stuff.” He is proud that most of his films — even Boy (2010), which features child abandonment and abuse — can be watched by his children. Plenty of actors can’t say

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9

arts

From top: Taika Waititi and Roman Griffin Davis in Jojo Rabbit; Jenna Ortega and Natasha Lyonne in Klara and the Sun

that. "Christian Bale — it's not a great box set for a five-year-old."

Waititi has two daughters, Te Kainga o te Hinekahu, 14, and Matewa Kiritapu, 10, with Chelsea Winstanley, a New Zealander who co-produced What We Do in the Shadows and Jojo Rabbit. He and Winstanley divorced in 2018, and four years later he married Ora, to whom he had been introduced at a Hollywood barbecue by the actor Robert Pattinson. Ora proposed to Waititi. They divide their time between Auckland, London and Los Angeles.

How much does his comedy taste overlap with hers? "Rita's a bit younger than me [35], so I showed her Blackadder the other day," he says. It didn't go down as well as he had hoped. "It's like The Young Ones — the kind of thing you need to see at a certain age. She said, 'I know this is funny, I'm just finding it a little hard to catch on.''

Has Ora introduced him to anything? He looks sheepish. "I'll be honest, she's pulled me into the world of rom-coms. I was like, 'I'm not watching Sweet Home Alabama,' and I watched it and I was like, 'That's pretty satisfying.' There's a reason these things work. I'm getting older now. I like riding up on the couch, having my little snacks and watching something like that."

That cosy epiphany — and the ulterior motive of wanting to see more of his wife — has led to them developing a rom-com to star in

together. "When you're married to someone who's super-busy and you're super-busy you've gotta work out how to be together, and the only way to do that is to work together. I mean, she's in Munich right now," he says with a laugh. "So she's going to be in stuff I make and we're writing some stuff together." Ora, who played Christian Grey's sister in the Fifty Shades of Grey films and the Queen of Hearts in the Descendants franchise, is "a really funny actor", he says.

She is involved in Klara and the Sun, although in what way is hush-hush. My money is on a song. The film, out in October, tells the story of a sick girl called Josie (Mia Tharia) who is given an android companion, played by Jenna Ortega of Wednesday. Amy Adams co-stars as Josie's mother. "I never thought I'd make something that felt this meaningful," Waititi says. "It's a maturing, I suppose; of my silliness." That's down to the quality of Ishiguro's book, he says. "You're like, 'Did a kid write this?' This is so simple.' And then you realise, 'Oh no, a master wrote this. Everything is going along under the surface.''

Could he have a relationship with an artificial being? "Maybe, I know some people who are in relationships with a chat entity. It's happening and they're happy. That's part of what this film is about. Does it matter any more what your companion is? We want to hear just a handful of things every day: 'I love you. I see you. I'm here listening to your boring story about work. What did you dream about last night? And I'll see you in the morning.''

That doesn't sound too bad actually. Although living with Rita Ora probably shades it.

Climb inside a whale — and get up close with Erik the polar bear

Hull Maritime Museum reopens this weekend after a £20 million refit. It's a triumph, says Libby Purves

Climb the spiral staircase into the dome of the old Hull Dock Office, and below the sculptural Victorian

roofscape you see docks turned to gardens, artful streetscapes, a once-hardiscrabble city enjoying the backwash of being 2017 City of Culture. From an £80 million investment, a quarter (£20.4 million) fell to the redesign of this Maritime Museum so below me in dizzying profusion are new galleries by the top heritage architects Purcell, some elegant Angus Ross furniture and treasures irresistible to anybody with a feel for the sea, especially for Hull's centuries afloat.

There are immense showpieces, brutal memories and small delicate wonders. Walk in and there's a monstrous North Atlantic whale skeleton — named a "right whale" as the most profitable to pursue. Children can crawl into a bubble under it and gaze up; Darwinians will rejoice that it's one of the few whale remnants in the world that retain vestigial leg bones from times when its prehistoric ancestors walked ashore. Around it are relics of the whaling trade: a harpoon bent almost double by impact, cauldrons for melting blubber, objects from the "distant waters" trade northward, made possible when engines began. So there are Inuit crafts, and sculptures of two orphans "adopted" by a trawler (with, by the way, a note that the Inuit people now make it clear that they always looked after their own orphans, so their forebears probably didn't want any such Victorian-exoticist kidnap).

But the remains and attitudes of a wild, hard, exploratory and hunting past are real, its useful results from lamp oil to corsets and brushware on show here. Two floors up is the world's second biggest collection of scrimshaw (the largest is in Massachusetts), sailors' carving on teeth and tusks. There's one whale ear bone painted with eyelashes and lipstick, some lonely chap's reminder of his womenfolk: apparently a jutting nose-like bit made ear bones popular for turning into faces. "Scrimshandering" art is always touching, with its tiny, careful detail of ships and comrades, but there's a double poignancy in this humanisation of an ear that once channelled the song of distant fellow whales.

It's a robustly wise decision of the director Robin Diaper to dive straight into not just fishing but whaling, without apologetic modern wincing. The same applies to the enormous polar bear, caught by the whaling ship

Erik the polar bear is installed. Below: whale ear bones, painted and natural

It's one of very few whale skeletons with legs

SS Erik and borrowed long-term from Dundee museum. There was delight in Hull at news of Erik's return after a break: he's family.

In 2010 conservators found some newspapers from 1874 stuffed inside him.

Chiefly it's about humans: industrious, ingenious, brave, struggling for a living. Shudder at the vast trawl-door at the entrance: think about hauling a wet barn door aboard in a heavy sea. Apprentices aged just 11 were sent trawling, and only in the 1880s did desertion stop meaning prison.

There are other memories: of mailships and the merchant marine, and a quiet memorial room to lost seafarers of every age. There are shipbuilding models, and the Marfleet collection of dockers' tools and hooks. As a modern museum it has plenty of video, a little planetarium and a chance to steer a trawler through virtual icebergs (I hit one just to hear the crunch).

But reality dominates as it must, from narwhal tusks to a letter written by Lillian Bilocca, the "headscarf revolutionary" whose campaign after a series of tragedies in 1968 forced Harold Wilson to enforce better safety. The women who for centuries waited, tended to the men and struggled when the fishing was bad also get their due. But also, almost teasingly, nearby is an up-to-date portrait of Karolina Jabryk: Humber Pilot 1st Class and one of the few women in that dangerous big-ship trade. Oh, and in the grand old Dock Company boardroom I was casually told about an expert team of eight women who, over six weeks, lay on high platforms under the absurdly ornate ceiling to clean off a century of chaps' pipe and cigar smoke.

The museum is a joy, but it wants to avoid being a park-and-run destination; you can walk past Prince's Quay to the old Spurn Lightship, and Queen's Gardens, another dock filled in since the 1930s, is a glorious parade, streetlights echoing crane-jibs and trees as tall as mank.

Then you finally reach the North End Shipyard where, next week, a tricky engineering calculation of tides, tugs and lock-barriers will bring the arrival and dry-docking of the Arctic Corsair. It's the last of the majestic sidewinder trawlers, famous for ramming an Icelandic gunboat in the 1970s Cod Wars. School parties will love that.

Hull Maritime Museum opens on Sat

---

10

times2

Your weekday brain boost

More puzzles

Pages 14-16

Every day, Monday to Thursday, a page of extra puzzles to give your brain an extended workout

Samurai medium

Fill each grid so that every column, every row and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 to 9. Where the puzzles overlap, the rows and columns do not go beyond their usual length.

	6	9	7				4
3	2		6					8
	5			3		6
2	9	6		7
	4		3		2		6
				4		8	5	2
		4		8			9
9					7
	8				9

		5	7		4	2		9	6
							5		4
			4	6		8			7
						4	1		8
	6				8			4
	8		3	7
2				2		7	6
7				4	6		3	8

			8		1
					6	4	3	5	1
					9	3	4	5
	6	8		1	2		9		1
								2	7
		9	6		4			9
					9	1	6
	4			5			3
2		7	3
8			1		3	7
9		2
1	3		9	7		2	8

		5					4
		3						8
			7		9	5
	5	3	6		2
		9		7	3	1
					4	8	5	3
			5		3		2
	1					5	9	4
		2				6	7	8

Sakuro

Place the numbers 1 to 9 in the spaces so that the number in each circle is equal to the sum of the four surrounding spaces, and each colour total is correct

Play Mini Sudoku every day Monday-Sunday online at thetimes.com and on Live app

Codeword

Every letter in the crossword-style grid, right, is represented by a number from 1 to 26. Each letter of the alphabet appears in the grid at least once. Use the letters already provided to work out the identity of further letters. Enter letters in the main grid and the smaller reference grid until all 26 letters of the alphabet have been accounted for. Proper nouns are excluded.

Mini

Sudoku

Fill in the grid so that every column, every row and every 3x2 box contains the digits 1 to 6

Solutions In Monday's Times2

4					3
		1	6
	1			3
	4			1
		3	2
2					1

K K C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13
14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26

Sudoku difficult

		2			6			8	4
	4			3	9	6	5
		7		5		8			3
								6	2
		3		2		9			7
	1			9	4	7	2
		4			7		3	6

Killer deadly

Fill the grid so that every column, every row and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 to 9. Each set of cells joined by dotted lines must add up to the target number in its top-left corner. Within each set of cells joined by dotted lines, a digit cannot be repeated.

17			6	26					20
	22	24			19	21
12			12	15
			24		21			27
21	12			14
	9	14			20			7
									32
	10

Train Tracks

Lay tracks to enable the train to travel from village A to village B. The numbers indicate how many sections of track go in each row and column. There are only straight sections and curved sections. The track cannot cross itself.

Futoshiki

Fill the blank squares so that every row and column contains each of the numbers 1 to 5 once only. The symbols between the squares indicate whether a number is larger (>) or smaller (<) than the number next to it.

Yesterday's solutions

SAMURAI

4	3	8	9	6	1	7	2	5		6	8	4	5	9	3	7	1	2
7	9	1	2	4	5	3	8	6		3	9	1	7	2	6	8	5	4
5	6	2	8	7	3	4	9	1		2	7	5	8	1	4	6	9	3
9	8	5	1	2	4	6	3	7		1	2	9	8	7	5	4	3	8
1	2	4	7	3	6	8	5	9		8	4	6	9	3	1	5	2	7
6	7	3	5	9	8	2	1	4		5	3	7	2	4	8	9	6	1
2	4	6	3	5	9	1	7	8	9	3	6	4	5	2	1	6	7	3
8	5	7	4	1	2	9	6	3	5	2	4	7	1	8	3	5	9	2
3	1	9	6	8	7	5	4	2	1	8	7	2	6	3	4	8	2	1
						7	8	9	3	6	5	2	4	1
		12	11	26	4	4	4	17		5	26	2	16	7
6			25		19		5			26		16		16
18	11	14	16	5		13	28	8		8	16	24	26	11
19			18		20		26					24		10
25	18	22	22		12	11	28	1		9	19	19	11

SAKURO		MINI SUDOKU
1	2	3	4
3	5	7	8
6	9	7	10

TRAIN TRACKS

FUTOSHRI

2	6	1	<3	<4
1	2	<3	4	<5
4	1	5	>2	3
3	4	2	5	1
5	3	4	1	2

SUDOKU

6	2	9	3	4	7	5	8	1		3	4	6	1	8	9	2	7	5
8	7	1	9	5	2	3	4	5		2	1	5	3	6	7	8	9	4
5	4	3	8	6	1	9	2	7		8	9	7	5	4	2	6	1	3
7	1	2	6	8	3	4	9	5		6	3	2	4	9	5	7	8	1
3	9	8	5	7	4	6	1	2		7	5	4	8	2	1	3	6	9
4	6	5	1	2	9	7	3	8		9	8	1	7	3	6	5	4	2
9	3	6	7	1	8	2	5	4		5	2	8	9	7	4	1	3	6
1	5	4	2	3	6	8	7	9		1	7	9	6	5	3	4	2	8
2	8	7	4	9	5	1	6	3		4	6	3	2	1	8	9	5	7

CODEWORD

---

11

television & radio

Fried chicken is served Super Size Me-style

Ben Dowell TV review

Big Chicken Netflix ★★★★☆

Believe it or not, fried chicken bought from the more than 6,000 strip-lit outlets in the UK serving it won't provide the most nutritious meal of your week, enhance your mood or have you skipping about your day. But if you spend 28 days eating nothing but the stuff you may start to look like Mo Gilligan, the bouncy comedian reduced to a hollow-eyed, depressed, bloated, lethargic and miserable wreck. "I can't sleep because of fried (***)ng chicken," he moans.

There isn't much in Big Chicken: A Fast Food Conspiracy (Netflix) that we didn't already suspect, but the facts are

stark and shocking. Mass-produced chicken pollutes our waterways with faeces (in a year enough chicken faeces is generated in America to cover London) while polluting our guts. Globally there are more obese children than hungry children; an additive used in processed chicken is used to lubricate condoms. And if babies grew at the rate of modern "frankenchickens" they would be the size of an adult pig in two months.

While noble, a documentary-maker putting their body on the line has been done, more memorably, by Morgan Spurlock, whose Super Size Me briefly wiped the smile off Ronald McDonald's chops in 2004. But props to ebullient Gilligan for adopting this approach for the younger Netflix audience (and, I hope, my teenage daughters, who will find their dad less keen to hand over 20 quid for a quiet life when they ask for their next Popeyes or Wingstop). As Clarkson's Farm shows, the streamers are just as capable of making valuable public service films as the BBC or Channel 4.

Gilligan crams in a lot (perhaps too much), including a long jaunt to America, where he speaks to health experts and activists concerned about the welfare of people working in the mega processing factories' slaughterhouses (one worker was decapitated, and some have to wear nappies because they are not allowed

Mo Gilligan ate fried chicken for 28 days straight for the film

toilet breaks, we were told) before joining British campaigners as they set about breaking into a chicken farm in Lincolnshire. Gilligan chickens out. "I would love to but my girlfriend said no," he says with a grin that didn't massively impress me or the activists. They don't have much luck anyway.

The bland corporate statements from PR departments are familiar garnishes to a testing meal where the multiple shots of Gilligan chowing down will make you genuinely queasy. But it is still shocking to witness archive footage of an "influencer" (possibly a word even more revolting than "bargain bucket") visiting a farm that supplied KFC and gabbing on about how well the birds are treated. Hideous.

Gilligan is amiable, self-effacing and keen to learn, even when doing what he calls "proper journalism". He is also very aware, as he reminds us many times, of how important fried chicken is to the black identity; remembering many happy days spent with his friends in south London chewing the fat (and gristle).

Maybe partly because he feels conflicted, though, his film pulls its punches — no more so than at the end, when Gilligan heads a little too gleefully to a fried chicken festival with his pals and tucks in. Would it have been too much to call on us all to stop eating this rubbish?

The Guitar Story Radio 4, 9.30am

In May 1966 a voice in the crowd at the Free Trade Hall in Manchester shouted, "Judae!" at Bob Dylan, above, for daring to play an electric guitar, breaking away from the folkie purity of the acoustic. Marking this 60th anniversary, John Wilson presents a four-part look at the story of the instrument as a driver of social and cultural change. Wilson — the bass player in the band Centrist Dad, alongside the vocalist Robert Peston and the drummer Ed Balls — begins with the guitar's history, from a classical instrument in Spain used in flamenco to its adoption by American blues musicians. Clair Woodward

Times Radio

Digital, web, smart speaker, app 5.00am Tom Nunan with Early Breakfast 6.00 Kate McCann and Stig Abell with Breakfast 10.00 Ed Vaizey 1.00pm Sebastian Payne 2.00 Aasmah Mir 4.00 John Pienaar with Drive 7.00 Kait Borsay 10.00 Henry Bonsu 1.00am The Best of Times Radio

Radio 2

FM: 88-90.2 MHz 6.30am The Sara Cox Breakfast Show 9.30 Vernon Kay 12.00 Jeremy Vine 2.00pm DJ Spoony 4.00 Joel Dommett 7.00 Edith Bowman 9.00 The Country Show with Darius Rucker 10.00 The Good Groove with Melvin Odoom 12.00 Connor Phillips 3.00am Alternative Sounds of the 90s (r) 4.00 Owain Wyn Evans

Radio 3

FM: 90.2-92.4 MHz 6.30am Breakfast 9.30 Essential Classics 1.00pm Classical Live Mark Forrest introduces highlights from the Proms. BBC Proms — Rachmaninov (Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini), Ryedale Festival — Schubert (arr. Liszt) (Der Müller und der Bach & Liebesbotschaft), International Sacred Music Festival, Fribourg — Kuhnau (O bone Jesu); BBC Proms — Oliver Knussen (Flourish with Fireworks), Ryedale Festival — Chausson (Concerto for violin, piano and string quartet); and BBC Proms — Shostakovich (Symphony No. 11 in G minor, The Year 1905) 4.00 Composer of the Week: Mozart (1756-1791) Kate Molleson explores Antonio Salieri's relationship with Mozart

5.00 In Tune 7.00 Live BBC Proms 2026 The Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique & Monteverdi Choir conducted by Mark Elder in a semi-staged performance of Weber's Oberon. With Nicky Spence (Oberon) and Jennifer Davis (Nicca), Presented by Andrew McGregor, live from the Royal Albert Hall 10.00 Night Tracks 11.30 Round Midnight 12.30am Through the Night

Radio 4

FM: 92.4 FM.6 MHz 5.00am News Summary 5.04 Sideways (4/8) (r) 5.34 Shipping Forecast 5.43 Prayer for the Day 5.45 Farming Today 6.00 Today 9.00 Natalie Haynes Shards Up for the Classics Christopher Biggins and Llewelyn Morgan learn about Nero (2/7) 9.30 Choice The Guitar Story Exploring how the instrument has driven cultural change (1/4) 10.00 Woman's Hour Presented by Chloe Tilley 11.00 The Three Ages of Child Dr Guddi Singh travels across London (2/3) (r) 11.45 Tony Hawks Is Giving Nothing Away With Russell Kane and money mentor Selina Flaviu (4/5) (r) 12.04pm Scam Secrets With Shari Vahl (2/8) 12.32 Sliced Bread The scientific evidence behind a product's bold claims (6/8) 1.00 The World at One 1.45 The Bare Necessities Dan Richards learns how survival skills can help build ecological and cultural resilience (4/5)

2.00 The Archers (r) 2.15 Drama: A Portmeirion Love Affair with Life By Bethan Roberts 3.00 This Natural Life Tracey Emin introduces Martha Kearney to the wild waves of the sea in Margate (5/6) 3.27 Radio 4 Appeal (r) 3.30 Feedback 4.00 The Briefing Room David Aaronovitch discusses a story in the news 4.30 BBC Inside Science The latest scientific research 5.00 PM 6.00 Six O'Clock News 6.30 Icklewick FM Chris and Amy await the arrival of the Great Zambino (2/6) (r) 7.00 The Archers One resident faces an emergency dash and Brad is keen to help 7.15 Front Row Arts programme 8.00 At Your Own Peril Exploring the birth of modern risk management (3/5) (r) 8.15 The Media Show The latest news from the fast-changing media world (r) 9.00 Loose Ends With Fiona Allen, Olly Smith and Natalie Wildgoose (r) 9.45 The Cows Are Mad Events from 1995 (5/10) (r) 10.00 The World Tonight 10.45 Book at Bedtime: The Vicar of Wakefield By Oliver Goldsmith (4/10) 11.00 Radical 11.30 Hollywood and the Adland Five The work of Tony Scott (4/4) (r) 12.00 News and Weather 12.30am Tony Hawks Is Giving Nothing Away (4/5) (r) 12.48 Shipping Forecast 1.00 As BBC World Service

Radio 4 Extra

Digital only 8.00am Believe It! 8.30 Following Pappano 8.45 Small Island 9.00 Icklewick FM 9.30 Behind the Taverna 9.45 Daily Service 10.00 Great Lives 10.30 The Race to Dover 11.00 The Waiting Game 11.30 Who Killed Aldrich Kemp? 12.00 Capital Gains 12.30pm The Burkiss Way 1.00 Believe It! 1.30 Following Pappano 1.45 Small Island 2.00 We've Been Here Before 2.30 The Change 3.00 Berlin 4.00 Great Lives 4.30 The Race to Dover 5.00 The Waiting Game 5.30 Who Killed Aldrich Kemp? 6.00 Capital Gains 6.30 The Burkiss Way 7.00 Believe It! 7.30 Following Pappano 7.45 Small Island 8.00 We've Been Here Before 8.30 The Change 9.00 Berlin 10.00 Comedy Club: Icklewick FM 10.30 1966 and All That 11.00 The Casebook of Max and Ivan 11.30 Sophie Willan's Guide to Normality 11.45 What's the Story, Ashley Storrie?

Radio 5 Live

MW: 692, 909 5.00am Wake Up to Money 6.00 5 Live Breakfast 9.00 Nicky Campbell 11.00 Adrian Chiles 2.00pm Matt Chorley 4.00 5 Live Drive 7.00 5 Live Sport 8.00 Live Rugby League: St Helens v Hull FC (Kick-off 8.00). Commentary on the Super League match, at BrewDog Stadium 10.00 Johnny l'Anson 1.00am Edward Adoo

talkSPORT

MW: 1053, 1089 MHz 5.00am Early Breakfast 6.00 Breakfast with Shebahn Aherne 10.00 Adam Catterall & Carlton Cole 1.00pm Hawksbee and Baker

4.00 talkSPORT Drive 7.00 The Transfer Insiders 10.00 The Sports Bar 1.00am Extra Time

Talk

Digital only 6.00am Ian Collins 10.00 Julia Hartley Brewer 1.00pm Mark Dolan 4.00 Kevin O'Sullivan 7.00 Peter Cardwell 10.00 Andre Walker ft. Ash 1.00am Paul Ross

6 Music

Digital only 5.00am Chris Hawkins 7.00 Nick Grimshaw With the actor James Norton 10.00 New Music Fix 1.00pm Craig Charles 4.00 Emily Pilbeam 7.00 New Music Fix Daily 9.00 Riley & Coe 11.00 Artist in Residence: Ezra Collective 12.00 New Music Fix Playlist 1.00am New Album Fix 2.00 Jukebox 3.00 6 Music's 90s Forever 4.00 6 Music's 00s Forever

Virgin Radio

Digital only 6.30am Steve Denyer on The Chris Evans Breakfast Show with Moneybox 10.00 Emma B 2.00pm Ben Jones 6.00 Geoff Lloyd 10.00 Goldierocks 2.00am Stu Elmore

Classic FM

FM: 100-102 MHz 6.30am Classic FM Breakfast with Dan Walker 9.00 The Classic FM Hall of Fame Hour with Dan Walker 10.00 Aled Jones 1.00pm Anne-Marie Minhiel 4.00 Margherita Taylor 7.00 Relaxing Evenings with Zeb Soanes 9.00 Classic FM's Composer Carousel With Zeb Soanes 10.00 Calm Classics 1.00am Bill Overton 4.00 Early Breakfast

---

12

television

PICKS OF THE DAY

Possession Sky Atlantic/Now, 9pm/10pm

Gugu Mbatha-Raw stars in this "supernatural thriller" as Claudia, a biracial lawyer dispatched from Bristol to Jamaica. Her job there is to protect the right of Oliver (Jonny Lee Miller) to inherit his family's estate, in the face of a claim that his late father left it to the mysterious Cudjoe East (Sheldon Shepherd). Gothic tropes abound in Claudia's

first visit to Hope Hill, outside which wild partying continues through the night; and soon a second narrative emerges, set on the same plantation when a slave revolt is put down. Linking the twin storylines, Cudjoe claims to be from this faraway era, and condemned to wander through time. The script initially seems predictable, but the storytelling improves markedly once Possession unmasks itself as Sinners-like historical horror as well as modern legal parable. John Dugdale

Gugu Mbatha-Raw in Possession

The Very Best of Peter Sellers Sky Arts/Now, 9pm

In 1958 The Best of Peter Sellers was released, an album of audio spoofs of newfangled things such as pop music and TV. The Very Best of Peter Sellers was released in 1990, ten years after Sellers' death, and tried to do the same for his screen career. While it's another dazzling display of versatility, it leans heavily towards his later movies — international, in colour, and mostly overtly out to get laughs — with

clips from the Pink Panther series and even from What's New Pussycat?, a Sixties shambles. Arguably his "very best" roles were in black and white (such as Dr Strangelove), were somewhere between drama and dark comedy, and/or were in films made for British audiences, such as I'm All Right Jack and The Ladykillers. JD

Who Do You Think You Are? BBC1, 9pm

The Olympic heptathlete Katarina

BBC1

• 6.00am Breakfast
• 9.30 Animal Park (r) (AD)
• 10.15 Trace, Track, Get My Car Back (r)
• 10.45 Expert Witness (r)
• 11.15 Homes Under the Hammer
• 12.15pm Bargain Hunt (r)
• 1.00 BBC News at One; Weather
• 1.35 BBC Regional News; Weather
• 1.45 BBC News at One; Weather
• 2.00 Money for Nothing. A blacksmith tackles a rusty water tank
• 2.45 Escape to the Country. Nicki Chapman is with a young couple from Manchester who seek a home in West Yorkshire (r)
• 3.45 The Bidding Room. Dealers bid for a football game, wooden steps and a map (r)
• 4.30 The Answer Run. Jason Manford hosts the fast-paced quiz show in which three couples face a series of 50/50 questions
• 5.15 Pointless. Quiz hosted by Alexander Armstrong and Konnie Huq (r)
• 6.00 BBC News at Six; Weather
• 6.30 BBC Regional News; Weather

BBC2

• 6.15am Homes Under the Hammer (r)
• 7.15 Money for Nothing (r)
• 8.00 Sign Zone Gardeners' World (r) (AD, SL)
• 9.00 BBC News
• 1.00pm Richard Gunnar's House of Games. Sean Fletcher, Louise Minchin, Chris Washington and Kimberly Wyatt take part (r)
• 1.30 The Finish Live. Quiz hosted by Roman Kemp and Sarah Greene (r)
• 2.15 Do You Know Your Place? Annelia Rice, Shane Todd and Remi Burgz answer questions about Jedburgh (r)
• 2.45 The Hairy Bikers' Bakeation. The duo bake their way through France (r) (AD)
• 3.45 The Farmers' Country Showdown. A prize at the Mid Devon Show is vital (r)
• 4.30 Vintage Antiques Roadshow. The team visits Toronto. First shown in 2003 (r)
• 5.15 Flog III From Ickworth House near Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk (r)
• 6.00 Richard Gunnar's House of Games. Double bill. With Gethin Jones, Kate Thornton, Tiff Stevenson and Gary Wilmot (r)

ITV1

• 6.00am Good Morning Britain
• 10.00 This Morning. Featuring a mix of celebrity chat and showbusiness news
• 1.30pm ITV News; Weather
• 2.00 Dickinson's Real Deal. David Dickinson and his team are in Sheffield, where Mark Stevens meets his match, and Tracy Thackray-Howitt splashes cash (r) (AD)
• 3.00 Deal or No Deal. Stephen Mulhern hosts as a contestant tries to open the 22 red boxes in the right order, taking on the infamous Banker for the chance to win a life-changing cash prize (r) (AD)
• 4.00 Tapping Point. Ben Shephard hosts the arcade-themed quiz in which contestants drop tokens down a choice of four chutes in the hope of winning a £10,000 jackpot (r)
• 5.00 The Chase. Bradley Walsh hosts as contestants from Oldham, Essex, Gloucester and Scunthorpe hope they can take home thousands of pounds together (r)
• 6.00 Regional News; Weather
• 6.30 ITV News; Weather

Channel 4

• 6.30am The King of Queens (r) (AD)
• 7.45 Everybody Loves Raymond (r) (AD)
• 9.10 Fraser (r) (AD)
• 11.10 Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares USA (r)
• 12.05pm Channel 4 News Summary
• 12.10 Find It, Fix It, Flog It. Items in south Wales include a snooker table and a Gothic-style organ (r) (AD)
• 1.10 The Great House Giveaway. Two strangers buy a bungalow in Glossop (r)
• 2.10 Countdown. With Ade Adepitan
• 3.00 A Place in the Sun. A couple want to fulfil their long-held dream of buying a holiday home on southern Tenerife (r)
• 4.00 Saving Country Houses with Penelope Keith. At Chavemage House in the Cotswolds, work begins to rescue a delect and overgrown pond (r) (AD)
• 5.00 Château DIY. At the Château de Brives, two enormous barns are transformed (r) (AD)
• 6.00 American Pickers. Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz come across a huge 200,000-square-foot factory (r) (AD)

5

• 6.00am Milkshake!
• 9.15 Jeremy Vine
• 11.30 Storm & Alexis
• 12.45pm 5 News at Lunchtime
• 12.50 Matt Allwright
• 2.20 FILM: Evil in a Small Town (PG, TVM, 2023) When her parents go missing on a family vacation, a teenager must find them — but she may be trusting the wrong people. Thriller starring Veronica Ramirez
• 4.00 Castle. Part one of two. Beckett, Castle and the team investigate when a woman is murdered and the evidence points to the return of serial killer Jerry Tyson (r)
• 4.55 Love Nature. An initiative encouraging children to engage in outdoor play (r)
• 5.00 5 News with Dan Walker
• 6.00 Menocia: A Year in the Sun. Part one of two. Joanna Lumley narrates this profile of the Mediterranean island, and cameras focus on Menocia's capital, Mahon, which is home to the Med's largest natural harbour (r)

• 6.55 5 News Update

• 7.00 The One Show Live magazine show with Alex Jones and Roman Kemp

• 7.30 EastEnders Sheila faces mounting pressure, Priya is confronted with some hard truths, and Mark clashes with Max over Lauren (AD)

• 7.00 Escape to the Country Alistair Appleton guides a pair of budding entrepreneurs who want to escape to the Cotswolds with a generous £900,000 budget (r)

• 7.30 Tom Kerridge Cooks Italy Tom learns how farmers produce tomatoes for passata, and later heads south to cook lamb cutlets (4/6) (AD)

• 7.00 Channel 4 News

• 8.00 Renovation Rescue In West Sussex, Vogue Williams and Luke Malibott help to salvage an artist's dream of a relaxing retirement near her daughter and grandchildren, by the sea (AD)

• 7.00 Around the World in First Class with Josie Gibson Josie flies upper class to Grenada, and explores a tucked-away boutique resort called 473, a private suite of villas by the sea. Josie also takes a trip on a fully catered catamaran (2/4)

• 7.55 5 News Update

• 8.00 Fake or Fortune? The art detectives head to Somerset, where 15 unsigned prints of Lucian Freud's etching Girl with Fig Leaf have been discovered in a garage (4/6) (AD)

• 8.00 Digging for Britain Archaeological treasures in the west of Britain, including a rare medieval cemetery, a disappearing Mesolithic landscape, a mysterious iron age burial, and the ruins of a gothic masterpiece. Alice Roberts presents (3/6) (r) (AD)

• 8.00 Emmerdale Charity takes big steps, while the Dingles unite in their grief at Monty's funeral (AD)

• 8.30 Coronation Street Kit extends an ominous invitation to Gary, and Tim gets reacquainted with Richie (AD)

• 8.00 Renovation Rescue In West Sussex, Vogue Williams and Luke Malibott help to salvage an artist's dream of a relaxing retirement near her daughter and grandchildren, by the sea (AD)

• 8.00 Cornwall: A Year by the Sea At Watergate Bay, Michelin-starred chef Chris Eden and his team attempt their first beach feast of the summer. Racing against the Isles, they have just hours to transform the sand into a fine-dining restaurant (10/10)

• 9.00 Who Do You Think You Are? Katarina Johnson-Thompson travels to the Bahamas and Miami in search of her ancestry, and discovers tales of resilience and courage. Last in the series. See picks of the day (AD)

• 9.00 The Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke With the Franke family isolated, people on the outside try to find out what is happening, and the reality is worse than anyone imagined. Last in the series (AD)

• 9.50 The Fens: A Wild Year (2/3) (r) (AD)

• 9.00 The Chase Around the World The teams land in Paris to take on the Vixen and the Beast, who have set a series of quiz questions that the players must solve to find Bradley Walsh at the finish line (4/6) (AD)

• 9.00 Murder Case: The Digital Detectives How detectives used digital forensics to uncover the events of the night 19-year-old Matthew Daubly was fatally stabbed after a street fight in Ormskirk in July 2023 (AD)

• 9.00 Benidorm Is Murder A rooftop murder exposes old grudges and buried secrets at a struggling, debt-ridden comedy club. Drama starring John Hannah (2/6) (AD)

• 10.00 BBC News at Ten

• 10.30 BBC Regional News and Weather
• 10.40 Murder 24/7 The first of a two-part investigation into the 2025 murder of 54-year-old Hereford man Jamie Gawler, found in his flat having being beaten to death (5/8) (r) (AD)

• 11.40 Murder 24/7 Part two of two. Police struggle to build a case — until a bloody footprint is found, providing a breakthrough (6/8) (r) (AD)

• 10.00 Inside No 9 Detective inspector Katrina is determined to crack the case of a missing boy (3/6) (r) (AD)

• 10.30 Newsnight With Paddy O'Connell

• 11.05 FILM: Women Talking (15, 2022) In 2010, the women of an isolated religious community grapple with reconciling a brutal reality with their faith. Co-writer/director Sarah Polley's drama starring Rooney Mara, Claire Foy and Jessie Buckley

• 10.00 ITV News at Ten; Weather; followed by Regional News

• 10.45 FILM: Casino Royale (15, 2006) James Bond pursues an international criminal responsible for financing terrorist organisations across the world. Spy thriller, directed by Martin Campbell and starring Daniel Craig in his first outing as 007, with Eva Green, Mads Mikkelsen, Judi Dench and Giancarlo Giannini (AD)

• 10.00 The Body Detectives The work of an organisation dedicated to revisiting forgotten cases, beginning with the disappearance of a man off the Norfolk coast in 1984 while on a family holiday (1/3) (r) (AD)

• 11.05 Social Media Monsters Examining serious crimes where social media has played a significant role, including interviews with victims and input from experts. Beginning with the murder of 15-year-old Holly Newton, whose social-media accounts were hacked (1/10) (r) (AD)

• 10.00 Killer at the Crime Scene In a Silicon Valley home invasion, millionaire Raveesh Kumar is murdered. No forced entry leads investigators to suspect an inside job (r)

• 11.00 Murdered at First Sight Investigating the case of Jorge Rodriguez, a father of three and soon-to-be grandfather, who was shot while in his car on 4 July, 2017. He sought help from stunned passers by before dying in the hospital (2/10) (r)

• 12.40am Alan Carr's Picture Slam Game show in which contestants have to identify a board of images, with a chance of winning up to £10,000 if they know them all. Playing this time are friends from Birmingham, friends from Lancashire, and a couple from Cardiff (r) 1.30-6.00 BBC News

• 12.40am Sign Zone: Ambulance A young patient is reported to have had a seizure while out walking in a forest in Bingley, West Yorkshire — but paramedics are struggling to locate her (r) (SL) 1.40-2.40 Evolution. Chris Packham tells the story of the evolution of the bat (r) (AD, SL)

• 1.10am Shop on TV 3.00 The Summit. The group is reduced from 14 to 11 as brutal hikes and treacherous crossings prove too much for some and the Mountain's Keeper forces their hands yet again (r) (AD, SL)

• 3.50 Unwind with ITV 5.05-6.00 Deal or No Deal: Celebrity Special (r) (AD, SL)

• 12.05am Crime Scene Cleaners (r) (AD, SL)

• 1.00 Murder Case: The Digital Detectives (r) (AD, SL) 1.55 Ramsay's Hotel Hell (r) (AD, SL)

• 2.45 The Undeclared War (r) (AD, SL) 4.30 Kirstie and Phil's Love It or List It: Brilliant Builds (r) (AD, SL) 4.55 Couples Come Dine with Me (r) (SL) 5.50-6.30 Countdown (r)

• 12.05am Street Cops: Catching the Yobs A drunk (r) 1.00 Cruise TV with LovelBook (r) 2.00 GPs: Behind Closed Doors (r)

• 2.50 Castle (r) 3.40 Friends (r) 4.35 The Highland Vet (r) (SL) 5.25 Entertainment News on 5.5.35 Mio (r) (SL) 5.45-6.00 The Adventures of Paddington (r) (SL)

---

13

television

Johnson-Thompson has always felt 'stuck in between two sides'. Her father, Ricky, was from the Bahamas, and Johnson-Thompson spent the first year of her life there, before her parents separated and she moved to Liverpool. She heads to the Bahamas in search of her roots, tracing her ancestors to a tiny settlement, before her journey takes her to Miami, uncovering a succession of distant relatives who worked to better themselves and their communities. Joe Clay

Christopher Reeve: Keeping Hope in Motion

BBC4, 10.15pm

Christopher Reeve's son Matthew updated this Emmy-nominated documentary in 2007: chronicling the actor's gruelling daily rehabilitation after a 1995 riding accident that left him paralysed from the neck down. Shot over two years, the film demonstrates the powerful bond between Reeve and his wife, Dana, as well as his indomitable spirit. "I don't want to

be melodramatic," he said in 2004, a few months before his death. "But I'm 51 and the clock is ticking... I don't want to be a senior citizen before I'm cured." JC

STREAMING CHOICE

The Shards Disney+

It makes perfect sense that The Shards should begin on May 23, 1980, the same day that The Shining was released: from the very start,

this adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis's 2023 novel is out to disturb. Narrated by Igby Rigney's deadpan high-schooler Bret (yes, metafiction might be involved), it tells the queasily intriguing story of a group of privileged LA teens whose global cage is infiltrated by an upsettingly inventive serial killer called The Trawler. Also starring celebrity scions Kaia Gerber and Homer Gere. It's a slacker Beverly Hills 90210: nasty, cold and horribly compelling. Victoria Segal

FILM CHOICE

Dance with a Stranger (15, 1984) Film4, 11.40pm

Mike Newell's drama about Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be banged in Britain. Miranda Richardson plays Ellis, a former male model who manages a London drinking den, where she meets David Blakely (Rupert Everett), a playboy racing driver. They begin a relationship that leads to the ultimate crime of passion. (96min) JC

BBC4

7.00pm Great British Railway Journeys. Michael Portillo travels from Northallerton to Chester-Le-Street. Last in the series (AD) 7.30 Pubs, Ponds and Power. The Story of the Village. The history of Cromford in Derbyshire 8.00 FILM: Superman (PG, 1978) Comic-strip adventure starring Christopher Reeve (AD) 10.15 Christopher Reeve: Keeping Hope in Motion. The late actor's fight to regain his ability to breathe on his own. See picks of the day 11.15 Parkinson. With Mel Smith, Kenneth Griffith and Christopher Reeve. First broadcast in 1982 12.15am Ian Barksh's Hidden Edinburgh (AD) 1.10 Pubs, Ponds and Power. The Story of the Village 1.40 Ian Barksh's Hidden Edinburgh (AD, SL) 2.40am-3.10 Great British Railway Journeys (AD, SL)

Sky Arts

6.00am Peter and the Wolf 7.30 The Joy of Painting (AD) 9.00 Tales of the Unexpected (AD) 10.00 Alfred Hitchcock Presents 11.00 Discovering (AD) 12.00 Wonderland: From JM Barrie to JRR Tolkien 1.00pm Tales of the Unexpected (AD) 2.00 The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (b/w) 3.00 The Eighties (AD) 4.00 Discovering (AD) 5.00 Portrait Artist of the Year 2022 (AD) 6.00 Tales of the Unexpected (AD) 7.00 Voice of the Valleys 8.00 Discovering: Bruce Willis (AD) 9.00 The Very Best of Peter Sellers. A profile. See picks of the day 10.10 Spike Milligan: The Unseen Archive. Recently found film (AD) 11.45 The Directors 12.45am Garbo: Where Did You Go? 2.40 World War II & Cinema (AD) 3.40 Inside Art 4.05 Sky Arts Book Club 5.05am-6.00 Wonderland

More4

8.55am Heir Hunters 10.00 Four in a Bed 12.40pm Come Dine with Me (AD) 3.20 Four in a Bed 5.50 Car SOS. A carpenter's 1980 Ford Escort 9020XX (AD) 6.50 Car SOS. Fuzz Townshead and Tim Shaw restore a 1994 Vaushali Cavalier Turbo (AD) 7.55 Grand Designs. Kevin McCloud meets a couple constructing a black-clad private hideaway in an Essex woodland (4/6) (AD) 9.00 The Reclaimers: Made in Suffolk. Andy and Hayley spend the day at Norwich Castle (4/5) (AD) 10.00 24 Hours in A&E. Patients who have injured themselves through work or play (5/8) (AD) 11.05 24 Hours in A&E. Two trauma patients arrive by helicopter on the hospital's new letharg (6/8) (AD) 12.10am 999. On the Front Line 1.15 24 Hours in A&E (AD) 3.25am-3.55 A Place in the Sun

St Helens captain Jodie Cunningham

Live Ladies European Tour Golf Sky Sports Golf, 2pm-6 Coverage of day one of the PIF London Championship at Centurion Club in St Albans

Live Women's Super League: St Helens v Wigan Warriors Sky Sports + Sky Sports Action, Sky Sports Mix, 5pm-7.30 (Kick-off 5.15). Coverage of the match from BrewDog Stadium

Live LIV Golf TNT Sports 3, 5.30pm-11.30 Coverage of the first day of the 11th round of the season, at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in New Jersey

Live The Hundred: London Spirit Men v Mil London Men Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Cricket, 5pm-9.30 (Start from 6.30). Coverage from Lord's Cricket Ground

Live Betfred Super League: St Helens v Hull FC Sky Sports + Sky Sports Action, 7.30pm-10.15 (Kick-off 8.00). Coverage comes from BrewDog Stadium

Talking Pictures

6.00am FILM: Cotton Queen (U, 1937) (b/w) 7.40 FILM: Law and Disorder (PG, 1940) 9.10 FILM: The History of Mr Polly (U, 1949) (b/w) 11.10 FILM: The Second Woman (PG, 1951) (b/w) 1.00pm The Adventures of Sir Lancelot (b/w) 1.35 FILM: From Here to Eternity (PG, 1953) (b/w) 3.55 FILM: Odd Man Out (PG, 1947) (b/w) 6.20 Strange But True 6.55 The Brothers 8.00 Mark Gable (b/w) 8.30 The Wheeltappers and Shunters Social Club 9.20 FILM: The Horror of Frankenstein (15, 1970) Horror 11.20 The Strange Case of Sherlock Holmes and Arthur Conan Doyle 1.10am 300 Men and a Girl 1.35 Doomwatch 2.40 FILM: Paper Gallows (12, 1950) (b/w) 4.00am-5.00 Burke's Law (b/w)

Film4

11.00am Miracle on 34th Street (U, 1994) Christmas family drama remake with Richard Attenborough (AD) 1.15pm The Black Swan (PG, 1942) Swashbuckling adventure starring Tyrone Power & 200 Sign of the Pagan (U, 1954) Historical drama starring Jack Palance 4.50 All That Heaven Allows (U, 1955) Romantic drama starring Jane Wyman and Rook Hudson 6.45 The Electrical Life of Louis Wain (12, 2021) Biographical drama starring Benedict Cumberbatch (AD) 9.00 Captain Phillips (12, 2013) Fact-based thriller starring Tom Hanks and Barkhad Abdi 11.40 Dance with a Stranger (15, 1985) Fact-based drama starring Miranda Richardson. See film choice 1.45am-4.00 Our Kind of Traitor (15, 2016) Spy thriller starring Ewan McGregor and Naomie Harris

BBC3

7.00pm The Catch Up 7.05 Deadly 60. Wildlife in Namibia 7.30 Deadly 60. Africa's big cats 8.00 Sort Your Life Out with Stacey Solomon. Members of a farming family decider (2/5) (AD) 9.00 Better Date than Never. A group of people take their first steps into the dating scene (1/6) (AD) 9.30 Better Date than Never. Charles gets guidance (2/6) (AD) 10.05 Better Date than Never. Olivia is left speechless (3/6) (AD) 10.20 Better Date than Never. Liv has her wedding planned (4/6) (AD) 11.05 Better Date than Never. Liv hits the beach for a date (5/6) (AD) 11.40 Better Date than Never. Last in the series (AD) 12.10am Things You Should Have Done 1.40 Tartan Around with Lawrence Chaney 3.45am-4.00 Jobless

ITV2

6.00am Backyard Builds (SL) 6.30 Dress to Impress (AD, SL) 7.30 The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City 8.20 The Real Housewives of Orange County 9.20 The Only Way Is Essex 10.15 Dawson's Creek 11.15 Charmed 12.15pm Deal or No Deal (AD) 1.15 Supermarket Sweep 2.15 The Four USA (AD) 3.10 The Only Way Is Essex 4.10 Real Housewives of Salt Lake City 5.00 The Real Housewives of Orange County 6.00 Celebrity Catchphrase (AD) 7.00 The Four USA (AD) 8.00 The 1% Club (AD) 9.00 Kenneth Ranganathan's Parents' Evening 10.00 Changing Ends (AD) 10.35 Family Gay (AD) 11.35 American Dad! (AD) 12.35am Bob's Burgers (AD) 1.30am-2.25 Deal or No Deal (AD, SL)

ITV3

6.00am George and Mildred 7.05 Classic Emmerdale (AD) 8.10 Classic Coronation Street (AD) 9.10 Agatha Christie's Poirot (AD) 11.30 Heartbeat (AD) 1.35pm Midsomer Murders (AD) 3.35 Classic Emmerdale (AD) 4.40 Classic Coronation Street (AD) 5.50 Heartbeat. Nostalgia drama (AD) 8.00 Vira. The detective investigates the murder of a homeless young man (2/4) (AD) 10.00 Grantchester. Will and Ellie encounter a brutal murder on a trip to the cinema (3/6) (AD) 11.00 Grantchester. A young man is found dead and stark naked out on the Fens (4/6) (AD) 11.50 Trial & Retribution (6/10) 12.55am Agatha Christie's Poirot. The disappearance of a cook (AD) 2.00am-2.25 George and Mildred

Live LIV Golf TNT Sports 3, 5.30pm-11.30

Coverage of the first day of the 11th round of the season, at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in New Jersey

ITV4

6.00am Magnum, PI (AD) 8.05 Dempsey and Makepeace (AD) 9.05 Boon 10.10 The Professionals (AD) 11.20 Robin of Sherwood 12.25pm Magnum, PI (AD) 2.30 Dempsey and Makepeace (AD) 3.30 Boon 4.40 The Professionals (AD) 5.45 Minder. Vintage comedy drama (AD) 6.50 River Monsters. The Fatema Lake monster in Alaska (AD) 7.20 River Monsters. Jeremy Wade heads to Russia's remote Army River 7.50 Sharpe. The soldier finds himself facing execution for murder 10.00 The Motorbike Show. Henry Cole spends a day training with the Metropolitan Police 11.00 Black Sails. Finit returns to Nassau to retrieve the gold 12.05am Hell's Kitchen 1.00 Minder (AD, SL) 2.00am-3.00 The Professionals (AD, SL)

UKDrama

6.00am Teleshopping 7.20 The Bill 8.15 Doctors 9.25 Classic Holby City 10.45 Casualty (AD) 11.45 The Bill 12.50pm Classic EastEnders 2.00 Neighbours 3.00 Pie in the Sky 4.05 Loweys 5.20 As Time Goes By 6.00 Last of the Summer Wine 8.00 The Marlow Murder Club. A revered member of the sailing club is brutally killed (5/6) (AD) 9.00 The Marlow Murder Club. Motives stack up against the suspects, and Kit's killer sends another violent warning (6/6) (AD) 10.00 New Tricks. Investigating a fatal beating accident (7/8) (AD) 11.20 Luther. Killer Henry Madsen wakes from his coma (4/6) (AD) 12.40am Loweys. A huard of Roman coins 1.50 Sister Boniface Mysteries (AD) 2.50 Hotel Portofino (SL) 4.00am-6.00 Teleshopping

Variations

BBC1 It Ireland 11.40pm The Come I Can't Forget (r) 11.30 Murder 24/7. The first of a two-part investigation into the 2025 murder of a Hereford man (r) 12.30-1.30 Murder 24/7. Part two (r)

BBC1 Scotland 7.00pm-7.30 River City (r) 12.40am Scotland (r) 1.10 Alan Carr's Picture Slam (r) 1.55 Weather for the Week Ahead 2.00am-6.00 BBC News

BBC2 It Ireland 11.15pm Health Folk. Concert at the Mandela Hall in Belfast celebrating Ulster's shared musical roots (r) 12.30pm-1.40am FILM: Women Talking (2022) Drama

STV 1.10am-3.00 Shop on TV 3.50am-5.05 Unwind with STV

BBC Scotland

7.00pm Reporting Scotland: News at Seven 7.30 Hidden Lives (r) 8.00 Beechgrove Garden 8.30 Scotland's Greatest Scandal (r) 9.00 Granite Harbour 10.00 Scot Squad (r) 10.30 Cumming to the Cabaret! (r) 11.15 Scotland 11.45pm-12.00 Hannah Laing: Follow the Rave (r)

S4C 6.00am Cyw 10.00 Yr Whws (r) 10.05 Canu Canu a Sbor (r) 10.15 Sigildigw (r) 10.30 Eisteddfod Genedlaethol 2026 12.00 News 12.05pm Eisteddfod Genedlaethol 2026. The Osborne Roberts Memorial Prize will be presented on the Pavilion stage 2.00 News 2.05 Eisteddfod Genedlaethol 2026 7.30 News: Weather 7.00 Eisteddfod Genedlaethol 2026 10.30 Y Babell Lén 2026 11.00pm-12.05am Yr Afon. Last in the series (r)

PBS America

8.00am America the Bountiful 8.35 Conquistadors: The Rise and Fall 9.35 Pirates: Behind the Legends 10.35 Iron Curtain: Living Under Soviet Occupation 11.50 Hitler's Gold 1.00pm America the Bountiful 1.35 Conquistadors: The Rise and Fall 2.35 Hitler's Gold 3.35 Pirates: Behind the Legends 4.35 Iron Curtain: Living Under Soviet Occupation 5.50 Hitler's Gold 6.50 Conquistadors: The Rise and Fall. The growth of the colonies 7.50 Pirates: Behind the Legends 8.50 Iron Curtain: Living Under Soviet Occupation. How Moscow's grip over the Eastern Bloc remained strong after Stalin's death (3/3) 10.00 Hitler's Gold 11.00 Pirates: Behind the Legends 12.00 Iron Curtain: Living Under Soviet Occupation 1.15am-2.00 America the Bountiful

Sky Atlantic

6.00am Fish Town (r) 8.00 Billions (r) (AD) 10.20 Heated Rivalry (r) (AD) 12.30pm Homicide: Life on the Street (r) 2.30 Billions (r) (AD) 4.40 Heated Rivalry (r) (AD) 6.50 The Penguin (3/8) (r) (AD) 7.55 The Penguin. Sofia plans for a more hopeful future (4/8) (r) (AD) 9.00 Possession. New supernatural thriller starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw. See picks of the day (AD) 10.00 Possession. A lawyer travels challenges an inheritance claim. See picks of the day (AD) 11.00 The Five-Star Weekend. A storm descends (7/8) (AD) 11.45 The Five-Star Weekend. Gigi finally opens up as long-buried truths emerge. Last in series (AD) 12.45am All Her Fault (r) (AD) 1.45 True Detective: Night Country (r) (AD) 3.00 Billions (r) (AD) 5.05am-6.00 Urban Secrets (r)

Sky Docs

6.00am The 2000s (r) 7.00 Discovering: Michelle Pfeiffer (r) (AD) 8.00 The Directors (r) (AD) 9.00 100 Foot Wave (r) (AD) 10.00 The Comedy Store (r) (AD) 11.05 UFO (r) (AD) 12.00 The Man Who Stole The Scroem (r) (AD) 2.00pm FILM: Hitsville – The Making of Motown (12, 2019) The history of the Motown record label 4.00 The Directors (r) (AD) 5.00 Discovering: Michelle Pfeiffer (r) (AD) 5.55 JFK: Destiny Betrayed (r) 7.00 The Alien Autopsy Scandal. The film is released (r) (AD) 8.00 Ghislaine Maxwell: Epstein's Shadow. Documentary (r) (AD) 11.10 An American Bombing: The Road to April 19th (r) (AD) 1.10am Telemarketer, in New Jersey (r) (AD) 4.30 Premier League Legends (r) (AD) 5.00am-6.00 Discovering: Maggie Smith (r) (AD)

UK Yesterday

6.10am Abandoned Engineering (AD) 8.00 Bangers & Cash. Restoring Classics (AD) 10.00 Secret Nazi Bases 11.00 Auschwitz: The Nazis and the Final Solution 12.00 Antiques Roadshow 2.00pm Bangers & Cash (AD) 4.00 Secret Nazi Bases 5.00 Auschwitz: The Nazis and the Final Solution 6.00 Antiques Roadshow 7.00 The Green Planet (AD) 8.00 Bangers & Cash. Derek picks up a car built in Britain in the '50s for the US market (AD) 9.00 Bangers & Cash. Restoring Classics. A Volvo 144 (AD) 10.00 Bangers & Cash (AD) 11.00 Bangers & Cash (AD) 12.00 Bangers & Cash. Restoring Classics. An MD Metro (AD) 1.00am Find It, Fix It, Flog It (AD) 2.00 Abandoned Engineering (AD) 3.00am-6.10 Teleshopping

---

14

MindGames

Tetonor Tricky No 698

198	65	19	220
49	39	273	34
18	360	31	94
240	37	46	186
3	5	6	6
13	15	31

When complete, the strip below the grid can be split into eight pairs of numbers. Adding the numbers in a pair gives one of the 16 numbers in the grid. Multiplying them gives a different number in the grid. For example, a 4 and 6 in the strip could be paired to make 10 (4+6) and 24 (4x6) in the grid. Enter each sum below the corresponding number in the grid. The blanks in the strip must be deduced, bearing in mind the numbers are listed in ascending order.

The next Tetonor puzzle will appear on Tuesday

For more puzzles, including Mini Sudoku, extra Codeword, Train Tracks and Futoshiki go to page 10

Winning Move

Black to play.

This position is from Pleshkov-Bai, Hong Kong 2026.

It is usually a good thing to have a space advantage. However, when you have a large territory, you need a large army to defend it. If forces (on both sides) become depleted you may discover that your "space advantage" has become an overextended liability. This has happened here. How did Black exploit White's weaknesses?

Codeword No 5912

	21	12	20	12	13	12	3		1	18	9	8
14		17		19		19		11		12		15
10	15	13	8	5	15	18		21	15	6	12	21
13		15		15		10		10		5		16
25	9	12	21	21		26	10	16	10	21	14
9				10		16		18		12		9
12	6	11	1	13	3		21	12	10	16	12	26
12		5		10		22		13				16
	23		8	3	21	12		6	1	2	12	13
4		13		15		12		1		5		12
15	14	10	22	1		7	12	10	21	1	9	8
8		21		26		12		13		21		8
3	13	12	24		16	13	12	16	22	12	13

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13
14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26
				P								N

Every letter in this crossword-style grid is represented by a number from 1 to 26. Each letter of the alphabet appears in the grid at least once. Use the letters already provided to work out the identity of further letters. Enter letters in the main grid and the smaller reference grid until all 26 letters of the alphabet have been accounted for. Proper nouns are excluded. Yesterday's solution, right

Chadines Stuck on Codeword? To receive 4 random clues call 0901 293 6262 or text TRECODE to 64343. Calls cost £1 plus your telephone company's network access charge. Texts cost £1 plus your standard network charge. For the full solution call 0905 757 0142. If you have an old newspaper and need clues from the past 7 days, call 0905 624 0024. Calls to 0905 cost £1 per minute plus your telephone company's network access charge. SP. Spoke, 0333 202 3390 (Mon-Fri, 9am-5.30pm).

Lexica Easy No 9037 Hard No 9038

Slide the letters either horizontally or vertically back into the grid to produce a completed crossword. Letters are allowed to slide over other letters.

Train Tracks No 2937

Quintagram® No 2639

Solve all five cryptic clues using each letter underneath once only

1 City featuring in map is awful (4)

2 Short fibre unravelling (5)

3 Wolf's big mistake? (6)

4 Discussion about small herb (7)

5 US politician concerning landlord (10)

A	A	A	B	B	C	E	E
E	E	F	H	I	I	I	L
L	L	N	O	P	P	P	R
R	R	R	S	S	U	W	Y

Challenge your mind with these fiendish word and number puzzles

timesbookshop.co.uk

Try Wordhunt and Picle, our new online Quick Play puzzles at thetimes.com/puzzles and on the Live app

KenKen Difficult No 6904

2½	3-	2	10+	20×
		2-		2-
2-			6+
40×	5-			1-
	12×		60×
		2½		2½

All the digits 1 to 6 must appear in every row and column. In each thick-line "block", the target number in the top left-hand corner is calculated from the digits in all the cells in the block, using the operation indicated by the symbol.

Futoshiki No 5452

Kakuro No 4411

Fill the grid using the numbers 1 to 9 only. The numbers in each horizontal or vertical run of white squares add up to the total in the triangle to its left or above it. The same number may occur more than once in a row or column, but not within the same run of white squares.

© PCCS SA 06/2024

---

15

MindGames

times2 Crossword No 10,228

Across

1 Northeast English city (10) 7 Cincinnati's US state (4) 8 Of greatest age (6) 9 Deceleration (7) 10 Shame (8) 11 Internet connection device (5) 13 As a replacement (7) 14 Ring, call (5)

Solution to Crossword 10,227

Need help with today's puzzle? Call 0905 757 0143 to check the answers. Calls cost £1 per minute plus your telephone company's network access charge. SP: Spoke, 0333 202 3390 (Mon-Fri 9am-5.30pm).

Bridge Andrew Robson

I am a big believer that if you have a one-suited hand and an opponent pre-empts, you bid your suit — at some level. Don't make a take-out double, or bad things may happen.

Take this deal from England v Portugal in the Open series at the 57th European Bridge National Teams Championships in Riga. It appears to be a bullish 4♠, making ten tricks when declarer is unwilling to risk the club finesse.

Not against Tom Paske (West) and David Gold (East) it wasn't. Paske and Gold are best friends of many years, recently starting a bridge partnership. When not playing bridge or attending to their respective young families, Paske (who lives in Vienna) loves to go bouldering, while Gold (who lives in Watford), is a food influencer of repute (search for Eat like Gold).

For me, South hub 3♠ over 3♦. If he thinks he's a tad good, he bids 4♠. Double is no middle route — because of what may (and indeed did) happen.

Paske doubled 5♠ to increase the penalty and led a top heart (playing ace for attitude, king for count, leading the king v Four-level contracts and above). Now what?

It is some tempting to switch to his singleton diamond. Partner wins the ace gives him a ruff and 5♠ doubled is going two down.

Paske wisely resided. For if he switches to that diamond (perhaps after calling a second top heart), declarer can beat East's queen of diamonds with the ace, draw trumps then lead a club to the queen (a necessary risk when you're in Five).

17 Complete set of letters (8) 18 Wretched, base (7) 19 Take as read (6) 20 Detective's lead (4) 21 Equatorial habitat (10)

Down

1 White-petalled flower (8) 2 Advocate of nakedness (6) 3 Preserve (a right, law etc) so as to confer respect (8) 4 Generous in amount (5) 5 Plant with conspicuous red stems over winter (7) 6 Husband-to-be (6) 9 Coal receptacle (7) 11 Brush masculine pride (8) 12 Be cruel or negligent to, star item (anagram) (8) 13 New arrival (7) 15 Negotiate over price (6) 16 Slow to understand (6) 17 Evidence proving absence from a crime scene (5)

Dealer: East, Vulnerability: East-West

(1) The unfavourable vulnerability is a concern but such falls do make life difficult. Take the add -800 v a non-vulnerable game on the chin (probably, though, it'll be a pair of -800s — they'll open 3♠ next door too). (2) Unusual. Don't double a pre-empt holding a one-suiter — just bid the suit (at whatever level you deem appropriate, in this case a heavy-ish 3♠).

(3) Placing partner with the classic 441, 4 shape, 5♠ will play beautifully.

(4) "Well, here's another nice mess you've gotten me into" (except that South get himself into it).

(5) Make 'em pay. If 3♠ is two down, the double will not four trips so opposed to the pass (comparing with 4♠ undoubted one down at the other table)

Contract: 1♠: Bitkat, Opening Lead: 4♦: ←

then shed his jack of diamond on the ace of clubs — II tricks made.

Only a club switch works, severing communications: Declarer had to risk the finesse then try to cash the ace (as he couldn't get back to dummy). East rudely ruffed and that was one down. Pasktastic.

andrew.robsen@batimes.co.uk

Brain Trainer

Polygon

From these letters, make words of four or more letters, always including the central letter. Answers must be in the Concise Oxford Dictionary, excluding capitalised words, plurals, conjugated verbs (past tense etc), adverbs ending in LV, comparatives and superlatives. How you rate 15 words, average; 20, good; 24, very good; 28, excellent

Yesterday's answers

axy, arris, artist, artistry, artsy, arty, astir, rarity, rats, ratty, sari, satyr, star, star, star, starry, start, stir, strait, stray, stria, tarry, tart, tarty, trait, tray, tryst, tsar

Cell Blocks No 5795

Divide the grid into square or rectangular blocks, each containing one digit only. Every block must contain the number of cells indicated by the digit inside it.

Set Square No 4414

Enter each of the numbers from 1 to 9 in the grid, so that the six sums work. We've placed two numbers to get you started. Each sum should be calculated left to right or top to bottom.

Please note, BODMAS does not apply

Killer Gentle No 10,852

Killer Tough No 10,663

As with standard Sudoku, fill the grid so that every column, every row and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 to 9. Each set of cells joined by dotted lines must add up to the target number in its top-left corner. Within each set of cells joined by dotted lines, a digit cannot be repeated.

Cluelines Stuck on Sudoku, Killer or KenKen? Call 0901 293 6263 before midnight to receive four clues for any of today's puzzles. Calls cost £1 plus your telephone company's network access charge. SP: Spoke, 0333 202 3390 (Mon-Fri 9am-5.30pm).

Solutions

Quick Cryptic: 3372

Sudoku 17001

Sudoku 17002

Sudoku 17003

Killer 10,860

Killer 10,861

Codeword 5911

Codeword 5912

Cell Blocks 5794

Fulcolink 5451

Codeword 5913

Codeword 5914

Set Square 4413

KenKen 6903

Cryptic

KenKen 6903

Lexica 9036

Lexica 9035

Lexica 9036

Lexica 9036

Lexica 9036

Lexica 9036

Lexica 9036

Lexica 9036

Lexica 9036

Lexica 9036

Lexica 9036

Lexica 9036

Kakuro 4410

Train Tracks 2936

Lexica 9035

Lexica 9036

Today's solutions

Concise

Quintagram

1 Point

2 Olive

3 Crude

4 Vegetable

5 Essential

Godson (c) A

Scottish (c) A

Crostic (c) A

A

Ward watch

Godson (c) A

Gosham (c) A

Scottish (c) A

Crostic (c) A

A

Bert - 4.8D QD

3.2.1.1

3.2.1.1

3.2.1.1

Cryptic

Quintagram

1 Pina

2 Brad

3 Howler

4 Pardys

5 Republican

5 Republican

5 Republican

5 Republican

5 Republican

5 Republican

5 Republican

5 Republican

5 Republican

5 Republican

5 Republican

5 Republican

5 Republican

5 Republican

5 Republican

Sakuro 4813

Brain

Trainer

East 34

Medium 34

Harder 10

---

THE TIMES

06.08.26

MindGames

For extra puzzles See page 10

Word watch

David Parfitt

Graham

a An early type of telephone

b An inexperienced author

c A category of Scottish mountain

Creatic

a Characterised by originality

b Obscure in meaning c Pertaining to meat

Corbeille

a A trouser press

b A bugle call sounded at bedtime

c An elegant basket of flowers

Answers on page 15

Sudoku Mild No 17004

Fiendish No 17005

Super fiendish No 17006

	7		9			8
3	4				5	1
				3	8	7	4	5
5		1	3			4	7
4						6
					4			8
	9				3
		4					1	2
				6	7		8

		8
		2	1	4	9
			3		5	1
6	7
		9	8		3
	1						7
	3		4			7	5
	4	1			9		3
		2		7	6	4

			4		3
	8		2		3		4
							1
6				1		5
		7	9	2	5	1
		9		6			7
7
	9		1		4		2
		8		9

Fill the grid so that every column, every row and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 to 9.

The Times Daily Quiz Olav Bjortomt

1 Johan de Meij's second symphony, The Big Apple, is an ode to which US city?

2 In The Boano, what sort of arachnid is Dennis the Menace's pet Dasher?

3 Which British kitchen appliance manufacturer is named after the engineer Kenneth Wood?

4 The mischievous fairy Puck offers to "make amends" in the epilogue of which Shakespeare comedy?

5 "Wheel-well stowaways" take fatal risks to travel by what means?

6 Which tiny country is Europe's only throccracy?

7 In 1817, a grateful nation presented the Hampshire estate Stratfield Saye to which duke?

8 Take It or Leave It is a 1981 film about the formation of which London ska and pop band?

9 Which French fashion house named the Caro bag after its founder's sister Catherine?

10 Louise de Kérouaillé, Duchess of Portsmouth (1649-1734) was a French mistress of which king?

11 Which US country music star had a 2023 hit with his cover of Tracy Chapman's Fast Car?

12 The Spectator said which 2025 Sally Wainwright TV drama "sums up everything wrong with the BBC"?

13 Which founding member of Canada's Group of Seven painted North Shore, Lake Superior (1926)?

14 The Ugandan boxer Aziz Abdul is the grandson of which late dictator?

15 Which rugby and cricket venue in New Zealand is pictured?

Answers on page 15

Sakuro No 4813

For interactive puzzles visit thetimes.com

The Times Quick Cryptic No 3373 by Juji

Across

1 Secured molsle in deal (6) 4 Healthcare worker they'd said regularly gets involved in back operation (6) 8 Finally remedy hole in father's nightwear (7) 10 Renowned editor finishing new books (5) 11 Bird left Noah's vessel (4) 12 Ciphers gent uncovered beside underground chambers (8) 14 Spotted dog close to field barking at animal (9) 18 Dispatched parts competently, without thinking (8) 20 Nobleman appointed to host king (4) 22 Public square is place jazzman used now and again (5) 23 Five soldiers in gamble split up (7) 24 Clearly describe part of fish seen in Scottish river (6) 25 Ruffled young mare carrying queen (6)

Down

1 Write about boxer from mountainous land (6) 2 Hurt in martial art, almost holding on (7) 3 Name of woman rising in the morning with me (4) 5 Worker rejected untrustworthy person's support (8) 6 Lifting, say, is exercise (3-2) 7 On vacation, ordered food of dubious nature (6) 9 Some Victorians and all Edwardians in lightweight footwear (9) 13 Insect hidden in ordinary fruit (8) 15 Dull Renault hybrid (7) 16 Lightly hit adept shot to gain lead in polo (6) 17 Just married before end of financial year (6) 19 Blemish on female's neck covering (5) 21 Finished deliveries (4)

Yesterday's solution on page 15

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Extraordinary Journeys from the Mediterranean to the Far East

Sail through ancient Mediterranean waters, board legendary scenic rail routes, or immerse yourself in the vibrant traditions of Japan and the wild landscapes of Borneo. From the historic shores of Normandy to winter wonderlands in the Canadian Rockies and serene Italian lakes, these exceptional itineraries from leading travel specialists promise seamless comfort, expert guidance, and unforgettable memories.

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Tall Ship Cruises

Ephesus & Greek Islands OCEAN

RETURN FLIGHTS PLUS TRANSFERS

Step back into the golden age of sailing aboard the majestic Star Flyer. Combine luxurious surroundings with historic maritime traditions and gorgeous Greek islands. Tour Athens, visit the Parthenon and the Acropolis Museum and get to know the city at leisure. Explore the ruins of Ancient Corinth, the wealthiest city-state in the ancient Greek world, before embarking on our sea voyage.

Departures October 2026 & 2027

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Seven nights on board in your choice of luxury cabin or suite

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Exquisite dining prepared by inspired chefs, with full breakfast, buffet lunch, afternoon tea and à la carte dinner daily whilst on board (lunch excluded on shore excursions)

Five-star service from an English-speaking crew and knowledgeable local guides

Services of a Riviera Travel Tour Manager

INCLUDED EXPERIENCES:

Sightseeing programme in Athens including Acropolis, Acropolis Museum, Corinth and Cape Sounion

Guided tours in Delos, Kusadasi, Rhodes, Kos and Amorgos. Independent visits to Mykonos and Poros

Day 1 - Arrival in Athens

Arrive in Athens and and transfer to the hotel, then enjoy the rest of the day at leisure.

Day 2 - Athens

Uncover the wonders of Athens and delve into the marvels of the Acropolis and the Parthenon.

Day 3 - Ancient Corinth

Explore Ancient Corinth, see the Corinth Canal, and set sail on Star Flyer.

Day 4 - Delos & Mykonos

Enjoy the fascinating Cycladic islands of Delos and Mykonos.

Day 5 - Ephesus

Tour the ancient city of Ephesus, its famous two-storey library and enormous amphitheatre.

Day 6 - Rhodes

Discover Rhodes, the oldest inhabited medieval city in Europe.

Day 7 - Kos

Explore the popular island of Kos, visit the Asklepieion and the quaint mountain village of Zia.

Day 8 - Amorgos

Visit the enchanting Cycladic Island of Amorgos and see the Panagia Homiotiosa Monastery.

Day 9 - Poros

Wonder the enchanting streets of Poros or visit the magnificent theatre in Epidaurus.

Day 10 - Sounion

Marvel at breathtaking views of the Aegean Sea and Saronic Gulf at the Temple of Poseidon.

Day 11 - Return home

Say goodbye and start the journey home

Call now to book

0808 303 9694

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Prices are per person, based on two sharing and are correct at time of profit. Simple cabins/rooms are subject to availability of the relevant supplement. Additional entrance costs may apply. All Problems are subject to availability. Images used in conjunction with Riviera Travel. Opens/entres and subject to the receiving conditions of Riviera Tours Ltd, ABTA 14004, AFIB, 3450, AFIB, 1027440, a company wholly independent of News UK, Riviera Travel, New Manor, 520 Wetmore Road, Burton-on-Trent, DE14 5Y1. See website for full details.

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18 DAYS FROM

£7,390( ^{TM} )

per person

Exclusive free pre-night for The Times readers

Plus save up to £1,000 per person^

Japan Uncovered

August 2026 to December 2028

Immerse yourself in Japan's historical treasures and cultural wonders on this extensive tour that explores the country's most spectacular landscapes, including the iconic Mount Fuji and the Japanese Alps.

Starting in vibrant Osaka, you'll explore Japan's main island, Honshu, ending up amongst the bright lights and sky-scraping towers of capital Tokyo. En route, you'll see the very best of Japan: ancient history in Kyoto and Nara, the more recent past in Hiroshima, the beauty of the Japanese

Alps where you'll see snow monkeys and explore rural towns, gaze on the perfect cone of Mount Fuji and more. Expect plenty of traditional Japanese experiences, from a tea ceremony to washi paper making and, depending on your departure date, a sumo wrestling tournament.

When booking this tour with The Times Travel Offers, you will get an exclusive complimentary pre-tour extension including an extra hotel night with breakfast - make sure to quote TIMES-ON when booking.

What we love

The all-encompassing itinerary with an exceptional range of authentic inclusions, from delicious local cuisine to immersive experiences. You will also experience an exclusive complimentary pre-tour extension when booking through Times Travel Offers.

Scan the QR code with your camera app to view more details.

Price includes

International flights and current taxes

Domestic transportation, including bullet train to Kyoto

All accommodation throughout the tour

16 breakfasts, 14 lunches and 15 dinners

Touring with Guides and entrance fees

Exclusive pre-tour extension on any Wendy Wu tour including a hotel night with breakfast and private transfers - quote TIMES-ON when booking

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©Prices listed are based on two sharing a hotel double room. Single supplement on request. Flights on holidays booked more than 11 months in advance may be subject to supplements when airline fares are published. Special offer and subject to the booking conditions of Wendy Wu, ABTA WTPA-ATOL 6629, a company whose independent of News UK. *The offer is subject to availability and Wendy Wu Tours reserve the right to change or withdraw the offer. Discount already applied, held by September 01, 2026.

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Experience the breathtaking beauty of the Canadian Rockies on an unforgettable nine-day escorted tour, where snow-capped peaks, turquoise lakes, iconic rail journeys, and world-famous landmarks create memories to last a lifetime.

Our nine day escorted tour of the Canadian Rockies is truly magical - seeing the snow and ice bringing this spectacular landscape to life. Our escorted tour starts in Calgary, and heads straight to the

UNESCO listed Banff National Park. Here the Banff Gondola cable car ride takes you to the top of Sulphur Mountain for unrivalled views of Banff - a sight that will astound and delight. You'll also be taken on a horse-drawn sleigh

ride followed by a relaxing visit to Banff's natural hot springs. The adventure continues with a journey to Jasper National Park followed by a trip to the picture-perfect Lake Louise - a sight made all the more perfect by our hotel for that part of the trip - staying at the famous Fairmount Chateau Lake Louise Hotel, which is situated right on the shore of the lake itself.

Price includes

• Return flights from London plus overseas transportation
• Seven nights in great quality hotels plus one night in flight
• Stay in the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise
• Five breakfasts and welcome drink
• Visit Banff National Park tour
• Lake Louise fire-pit drinks
• Jasper National Park tour
• Enjoy horse-drawn sleigh ride
• Relax in Banff's hot springs
• Services of a Travelsphere holiday director

“A holiday of a lifetime. We spent a week in the Winter Wonderland Rockies in Canada landing and departing from Calgary. Visiting three fantastic but different areas, Banff, Jasper and Lake Louise, we were awestruck with the scenery, including frozen lakes and waterfalls, glaciers and the mountains themselves. Carole Taylor ★ Trustpilot

Our trusted partner

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*Discount on selected departures only and already deducted from advertised price. Prices correct at time of point and the offer can be withdrawn at any time. Prices shown are based on train occupancy of a double or twin bedded room and economy flights and includes the discount. All holidays are subject to availability. Images used in conjunction with Travelsphere. Operated by and subject to the booking conditions of Travelsphere, ABTA F6412, AT01 22216 a company wholly independent of News UK.

CALL TODAY ON 0808 258 4090 thetimes.com/ts-winterrockies QUOTE TIMES

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Experience the timeless charm of Lake Garda, where shimmering waters, elegant lakeside towns and rolling vineyards set the scene for a relaxing Italian escape. Stay at the contemporary four-star Aqualux Hotel Spa Suite & Bardolino, just moments from the lake in one of Garda's most picturesque resorts. Wander Bardolino's colourful waterfront, sample local wines, take a boat to the medieval streets of Simmione or simply soak up the spectacular mountain scenery. With daily breakfast, a welcome bottle of Prosecco and fresh fruit on arrival, this is a sophisticated lakeside retreat that perfectly balances relaxation with the best of northern Italy.

Other dates available

October 2026 from £479pp • November and December 2026 from £449pp • January, February and March 2027 from £499pp • April 2027 from £619pp • May 2027 from £669pp

Price includes

• Return flights from various UK airports
• Stay five nights at the four-star Aqualux Hotel Spa Suite & Bardolino
• Daily breakfast
• One bottle of Prosecco wine and fruit platter in room on arrival

FIVE NIGHTS FROM

£449*

per person

CALL TODAY ON

0808 231 9671

thetimes.com/td-bardolino

QUOTE TIMES

Discover the timeless beauty of Madeira, where dramatic volcanic landscapes, lush botanical gardens and sweeping Atlantic views create the perfect setting for an adults-only escape. Stay at the elegant four-star The Views Baia, perched above Funchal with panoramic views across the city and coastline. Spend your days exploring the island's charming capital, wandering colourful markets or venturing into Madeira's spectacular countryside on included guided levada walks or scenic excursions. With half-board dining, a peaceful adults-only setting and the freedom to experience one of Europe's most captivating islands, this is the perfect blend of relaxation, culture and adventure.

Other dates available

November and December 2026 from £729pp • January and February 2027 from £799pp • March 2027 from £829pp • April and May 2027 from 859pp • June 2027 from £899pp

Price includes

• Return flights from various UK airports
• Stay seven nights at the four-star The Views Baia (Adults Only)
• Daily breakfast and dinner
• Choice of two and a half-day tours or Levada walks, with transfers

SEVEN NIGHTS FROM

£729*

per person

CALL TODAY ON

0808 231 9671

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QUOTE TIMES

Experience the best of Italy by rail and sea on this unforgettable European escape. Begin with three nights in stylish Milan, where you'll enjoy a breathtaking full-day excursion through the Swiss Alps, including the world-famous Bernina Red Train journey to glamorous St. Moritz. Continue by rail to the Eternal City for an overnight stay before boarding Enchanted Princess for a seven-night full-board Mediterranean cruise. Sail to captivating ports across Italy, Greece, Croatia and Montenegro, with selected departures featuring iconic destinations such as the Amalfi Coast, Santorini and Ephesus.

Other dates available

August 2026 from £1,299pp • September 2026 from £1,899pp • October 2026 from £1,539pp • November 2026 from £1,499pp • June 2027 from £1,679pp • July 2027 from £1,689pp • August 2027 from £1,749pp • November 2027 from £1,529pp

Price includes

• Flights from London to Milan and Rome to London
• Three-night stay in Milan at a four-star hotel on bed and breakfast basis
• Swiss Alps and St. Moritz full-day tour with Bernina Red Train experience
• Train journey from Milan to Rome
• One-night stay in Rome at a four-star hotel on bed & breakfast basis
• Seven-night full board cruise onboard Enchanted Princess
• All meals and onboard entertainment
• All transfers included

11 NIGHTS FROM

£1,299*

per person

CALL TODAY ON

0808 231 9671

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QUOTE TIMES

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*Prices are correct at the time of going to print. The lead price is based on travel in various dates between August 2026 to June 2027. Prices listed are based on two adults sharing a double / twin room/culais and departing from a London airport. Single travellers and regional departures are available at a supplement. Tour is operated by Travelodeal Ltd ABTA P6297 AT01,11601, a company wholly independent of News UK.

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FIVE DAYS FROM

£999*

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The Battle of Hastings and the Bayeux Tapestry

April 25 and June 20, 2022

Step back into the world of medieval England on this fascinating tour, combining the rare opportunity to see the iconic Bayeux Tapestry on British soil with visits to the historic castles and battlefields that shaped the nation's history.

Travel back to 1066 on this exciting tour, featuring the once-in-a-lifetime chance to see the Bayeux Tapestry on British soil as it leaves Normandy for the first time in nearly a thousand years. On loan for the highly anticipated exhibition at the British Museum,

this remarkable artefact offers a true glimpse into the Norman conquest of England, with scenes brought to life in intricate detail. We also discover the very spots chronicled in the tapestry, including the ancient battlefield of the Battle of Hastings and Battle Abbey, where

William the Conqueror secured his victory and altered the course of English history thereafter. Visits to Bodiam Castle, Hever Castle and Penshurst Place continue to paint the picture of medieval England on this captivating exploration of Kent and East Sussex.

What we love

Step directly onto the soil where history turned. Standing on the quiet battlefield in Battle, East Sussex, where England's trajectory changed in a single afternoon in 1066.

Price includes

Four nights at the Donnington Manor, sevenoaks with dinner, and breakfast

Coach transfers to and from your excursions

Welcome drink

After dinner tea and coffee at the hotel

Any additional meals or refreshments to listed in the itinerary

Porterage

Entrances to all excursions and guided tours as listed in the itinerary

Services of a tour manager

CALL TODAY ON 0808 303 0896

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• Prices correct on publication and subject to operator Just Go Holidays Ltd terms and conditions; a company wholly independent of News UK. Your booking is protected by Bonded Coach Holidays & the Association of Bonded Travel Organisers Trust Ltd. Self drive to hotel, excursions are all by coach. Consult train stations -Denton Green (1 mile away) or Sommeaks (2.5 miles away). Prices are per person, based on two people sharing a room and consumed up to seven days after publication. Single supplement £320 or £340. For full details please visit Just Go Holidays website.

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GUIDED TOUR ONLY

Borneo and the Malaysian Peninsula

August 2026 to December 2027

Discover Malaysia's diverse highlights, from orangutans and rainforest trails to holy sites and exquisite street food with this guided Exodus tour.

Malaysia is a country of two halves. To the east is the island of Borneo with orangutans, jungles and rivers. To the west is the Malaysian Peninsula with a blend of cultures, religion, colonial history and modern flair. Discover the highlights of both, with a chance to spot orangutans and pygmy elephants in Borneo, before diving into culture in Kuala Lumpur, Malacca and Georgetown. We finish on the tropical beaches of Langkawi island – a scenic finale to this adventure of contrasts.

Your itinerary

Sepilok, Malaysia – Kinabatangan – Sandakan – Kuala Lumpur – Malacca – Penang – Langkawi

What's included

• Seven nights in hotels, two nights in a beach resort and four night in a resort
• 13 breakfasts, three lunches and five dinners
• Immersive itinerary with all transport (minibus, boat and domestic flights) and listed activities
• Expert tour leader to enhance your adventure
• Group arrival and departure transfers available
• Visits to the Sepilok Orangutan Sanctuary and the Sun Bear Conservation Centre
• Kuala Lumpur walking tour
• Save up to £130 per person on selected departures*
• Times+ members receive an extra £100 off*
• Visit thetimes.com/timesplus for your unique code

Call 0808 304 8719 or visit thetimes.com/th-borneomalaysia

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Terms and conditions apply. Price shown is per person, based on October 4, 2026 departure with two adults sharing, excludes flights and mandatory local taxes/resort fees payable locally (amount varies by destination), these will be included in your quote. Price correct as of July 9, 2026 and subject to change and availability. £100 off Times+ offer applicable to each Times Holidays booking made by December 31, 2026 with a minimum spend of £2,000 when quoting your unique Times+ code. Visit thetimes.com/timesplus for full terms and conditions. Exodus up to £130pp discount on selected departures only and capacity controlled. This holiday is sold by Times Holidays as an agent for Exodus Adventure Travels and protected under ABTA P8770. For full booking conditions, visit thetimes.com/holidays/terms-and-conditions.

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Bank of the Bahrain

ABTA No P8770

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SELF-GUIDED FLY-DRIVE

The castles and vineyards of northern Spain

August to October 2026

This Cox & Kings tour offers an immersive, self-drive journey through the region's striking landscapes and renowned culinary culture. Explore centuries-old wine regions in La Rioja, dine at a Michelin-starred restaurant and visit the Vivanco Museum of Wine Culture. The trip winds through historic hilltop towns like Olite, where you'll overnight in a converted 15th-century fortress. The journey concludes in the Basque Country with a pintxos food tour in coastal San Sebastian. Times+ members receive free add-on experiences: enjoy a private walking tour of Olite to explore one of Spain's best-preserved medieval towns, and a private tour of Bilbao's Guggenheim Museum.

Your itinerary

Madrid, Spain – Ribera del Duero – La Rioja (three nights) – Olite (overnight) – Hondarribia (overnight) – San Sebastian (overnight) – Bilbao (overnight)

For more information, visit thetimes.com/th-northernspain

What's included

• Return international flights
• Four- and five-star hotel accommodation
• Six breakfasts and three lunches
• Car hire for the duration of the tour
• Local guides and entrance fees where applicable
• Local English-speaking support (if required)
• Times+ member exclusives: private walking tour of Olite and private tour of Bilbao's Guggenheim Museum, plus save £100* Visit timesplus.com/northernspain for your unique code

RAIL JOURNEY WITH FLIGHTS

Andalusia by rail

August to October 2026

Experience the rich cultural tapestry of southern Spain on an effortless rail journey through Andalusia. Travelling by high-speed AVE train, you will explore the region's three historic gems: Seville, the vibrant capital; Cordoba, famed for its magnificent Mezquita; and Granada, guardian of the legendary Alhambra. The experience is complemented by stays in four-star hotels or atmospheric, historic Hospes properties, handpicked by Cox & Kings. Plus, Times+ members receive free add-on experiences. Enjoy a boutique olive oil tasting, a guided tour of Alhambra Palace, and a relaxing visit to the hammam baths, including a massage.

Your itinerary

Seville, Spain (two nights) – Cordoba (two nights) – Granada (two nights)

For more information,

visit thetimes.com/th-andalusiabyrail

What's included

• Return international flights
• Four-star hotel accommodation with breakfast
• Private chauffeur-driven vehicle overseas transfers
• Local guides and entrance fees where applicable
• Local English speaking support (if required)
• Times+ member exclusives: private olive oil tasting, private Alhambra Palace tour and Hamman Bath visit with massage, plus save £100* Visit timesplus.com/andalusiabyrail for your unique code

Seven days

from £2,195pp*

Exclusive Times+ experiences

Tailor-make by customising your stops and length of stay

Call 0808 304 8719 or visit thetimes.com/holidays

TIMES Holidays

Terms and conditions apply. Prices shown are per person, based on two adults sharing, correct as of June 9, 2026 and subject to change and availability. The 'Castles and Vineyards of Northern Spain' offer based on October 26, 2026 and doesn't include locally payable parking fees (estimated at £150). The 'Andalusia by Rail' offer based on October 26, 2026 and includes all non optional taxes/fees/changes known at time of publication. £100 off Times+ offer applicable to each Times Holidays booking made by December 31, 2026 with a minimum spend of £2,000 when quoting your unique Times+ code. Visit thetimes.com/timesplus for full terms and conditions. Offers and bookings are subject to availability, see supplier website for full T&CS. These flight-inclusive holidays are sold and payments accepted by Times Holidays as an agent Cox and Kings Ltd, ATOI, 2844 and financially protected by the ATOI scheme. An ATOI Certificate will be issued on payment. For full booking conditions, visit thetimes.com/holidays/terms-and-conditions. For more information about financial protection and the ATOI Certificate go to c.a.u.co.uk.

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