The Guardian - 14.08.2026.pdf

伊梅尔达·斯汤顿：“我仍在努力适应被封为女爵士这件事”

电影与音乐

卫报

海外学生人数骤减，大学担忧陷入财务动荡

理查德·亚当斯 (Richard Adams) 罗温娜·梅森 (Rowena Mason)

在最新数据表明国际学生人数的崩塌将使该行业失去至关重要的收入并损害其未来之后，英国大学领导者正警告英国高等教育系统将出现财务动荡。

该行业的领导者呼吁政府重新考虑在基尔·斯塔默（Keir Starmer）任内实施的国际学生学费征收金，而一名前大学事务大臣则警告称，由于财务危机，存在大学“倒闭”的风险。

尽管英国高中六年级学生获得了更好的 A-level 成绩，且有创纪录的 194,800 名 18 岁英格兰青年被其首选大学录取，但接受《卫报》采访的副校长们表示，这不足以阻止员工人数和课程的进一步削减。

内政部公布的数据显示，截至 7 月底的学生签证申请量同比下降了 11%。

由于夏季的签证申请发生在秋季学年开始之前，这意味着如果这一趋势继续下去，许多英国大学将遭受重大损失，部分大学担心国际入学人数将下降 30%。

“这不仅是对大学而言令人担忧——对整个英国来说也不是好消息”

利比·哈克特 (Libby Hackett) 罗素大学集团负责人

伦敦国王学院副校长希蒂杰·卡普尔（Shitij Kapur）教授表示，国际学生人数的下降“符合悲观预期”，并且可能还反映了

第五波热浪达到顶峰，气温触及 38.1℃

桑德拉·拉维尔 (Sandra Laville) 阿吉特·尼兰詹 (Ajit Niranjan)

昨日，英国记录到了今年的最热一天，在欧洲被巨大的热穹顶笼罩而酷热难耐之际，英格兰南部的临时气温达到了 38.1℃ (100.6°F)。

英国气象局表示，随着欧洲大陆的气温在夏季第五波热浪顶峰时接近 40℃，伦敦西部的邱园温度计超过了 6 月 28 日 38℃ 的此前最高纪录。

在西米德兰兹郡，消防员正试图控制一场覆盖 16 公顷 (40 英亩) 的草地火灾，这场火灾在“末日景象”中烧毁了六栋房屋。

▲ 在伯明翰举行的欧洲田径锦标赛上，英国队的摩根·莱克 (Morgan Lake) 正在躲避酷热 摄影：TOLGA AKMEN / EPA

政府可能会提高租金上限，以将寻求庇护者的住房分散至全英

罗温娜·梅森 (Rowena Mason)

作为安迪·伯纳姆 (Andy Burnham) 将安置点更均匀地分布在全国计划的一部分，部长们正在考虑为将寻求庇护者安置在私人租赁房产中支付更高的价格。

这种向更多私人租赁住房转移的趋势（被称为“分散安置”），以及使用前军事营房，比为寻求庇护者提供酒店住宿更便宜。

然而，官员们认为，可能有必要提高内政部向房东支付租金的严格上限，以确保住房不会过度集中在最贫困的地区。

此举符合伯纳姆本周的呼吁，他要求更多地区在安置寻求庇护者方面“发挥作用”，而不是让安置点大多落在租金最便宜的地区。

一名唐宁街消息人士表示，最大的优先级是减少整体上对寻求庇护者住房的需求。

这种对寻求庇护者承担国家责任的政策得到了难民慈善机构的广泛支持，但他们表示，地方议会必须发挥主导作用，且不应将人们送到缺乏足够支持手段的地方。

难民委员会 (Refugee Council) 外交事务主任伊姆兰·侯赛因 (Imran Hussain) 表示：“我们一直明确，支持难民应该是国家责任，不应将人们送到缺乏足够住房、法律咨询、支持服务或成熟难民社区的地方。”

“这就是为什么地方当局应利用其当地知识，在寻求庇护者住房问题上发挥主导作用。地方议会应获得所需的权力资源，以便在与当地居民合作的同时，为寻求庇护者提供住房，并为纳税人提供物有所值的服务。”

侯赛因补充道：“内政部低质量的决策导致大量人员滞留在庇护体系中，等待法院推翻有缺陷的决定。新政府的优先级应该是确保决策迅速且一次性正确。”

议会内政监督机构的保守党主席凯伦·布拉德利 (Karen Bradley) 指出了其委员会的报告，报告称：“庇护住房严重集中在贫困程度较高的地区”，且“旧的庇护合同将成本置于确保全国公平分布之上”。

一些反对提高私人租赁庇护住房支付额的人批评称这将增加成本，但政府消息人士表示，这比使用酒店更便宜，且自上届保守党政府以来，关闭酒店已累计节省了 10亿英镑。他们暗示，政府的目标是确保没有单一地区承担不成比例的负担。

一名政府发言人表示：“我们已经在努力将寻求庇护者公平地安置在全国各地，与地方当局密切合作并倾听当地的担忧。”

他们补充道：“使用的酒店数量已从 2024 年 7 月的 213 家下降到如今的不足 160 家。在大选之前，酒店使用量在 400 个站点达到顶峰，每天耗资 900 万英镑m。过去一年中，住在酒店的寻求庇护者人数下降了 35%，比 2023, 的峰值下降了 63%，而自大选以来，整体庇护支持成本下降了 10亿英镑。”

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伯纳姆对水务公司获准在账单中增加 34亿英镑 表示“愤怒”

with pollution and leaks. 由于泰晤士水务（Thames Water）正面临沉重的债务压力，他的团队一直在研究将其收归公有的可能性。

英国水务监管局（Ofwat）昨日批准 13 家公司在原计划基础上增加 34亿英镑 的支出，其中包括支持新住宅和数据中心的建设。该局表示，由于不可预见的成本，相关公司申请在 2024 年已达成协议的基础上额外支出 43亿英镑，而监管局批准了 34亿英镑。

这笔新支出将在监管局此前批准的 104亿英镑 投资计划之外增加，而该计划已意味着在本十年下半叶水费将上涨 36%。英国水务监管局（Ofwat）表示，南方水务（Southern Water）的账单将进一步增加 £80，泰晤士水务（Thames ）和塞文特伦特水务（Severn Trent）增加 £8，威塞克斯水务（Wessex ）增加 £11，东南水务（South East ）增加 £1。

伯纳姆表示，他对此感到愤怒，因为家庭“多年来一直被要求支付更多费用，但严重的污染事件却处于历史最高水平，管道仍在泄漏。这些都不是缴费者的错，他们不应被视为他人失败的无底洞资金来源”。

“不能将客户视为一张空白支票。凡是水务公司试图将不必要的成本转嫁给家庭的行为，都将受到质疑。”

他还重复了一项承诺，即政府将研究“我们如何能让公众获得更多控制权，并帮助将账单维持在尽可能低的水平”。

英国水务监管局（Ofwat）的提案引发了进一步要求将该行业国有化以及要求伯纳姆拒绝该局批准额外支出的呼吁。支持伯纳姆竞选领导人的左翼工党议员克莱夫·刘易斯（Clive Lewis）表示：“我敢打赌，这些项目永远不会看到这笔资金的大部分。我们通过账单为这个系统买单，但其中近三分之一流向了投资者和债权人的回报……结束这一切的唯一方法就是公有制。”

自由民主党环境发言人蒂姆·法伦（Tim Farron）表示，英国水务监管局（Ofwat）“仅仅是失败的橡皮图章”，而勤奋工作的家庭“正被强迫再掏出 34亿英镑，去修复一个被贪婪的高管们忽视了数十年的破损水网”。他补充道：“奖励这种环境破坏行为简直是彻底的耻辱。不能再给失败者开空白支票了。”

GMB工会的活动人士、前水务工人克利夫·罗尼（Cliff Roney）表示：“简单来说，泰晤士水务（Thames ）的任何涨价都是一种侮辱。泰晤士水务在高级管理层享受巨额离职金和奖金的同时，却在排放污水并泄漏数百万升水。”

“停止背叛消费者和水务工人的唯一方法就是将我们的水务重新国有化。”

River Action的活动负责人艾米·费尔曼（Amy Fairman）表示，在 30 年来缺乏投资且数百亿资金流向投资者的背景下，英国水务监管局（Ofwat）“再次批准提高水费是一种侮辱”。

额外支出包括用于“保障”水务服务和资产的 12亿英镑，以及用于支持房屋建设和数据中心开发的 4.77 亿英镑m。政府已承诺建设 1.5m 套新住宅。政府还制定了建立AI增长区的雄心，以容纳巨大的AI数据中心综合体，这引发了人们对英国是否有足够的水资源和能源资源来支持该增长议程的质疑。

另有 3400 万英镑m 的支出被专项用于减少水系统中的有毒化学物质。在这一额度公布的前几天，政府数据显示英格兰的每一个水体都受到了化学物质的污染。

这些投资将使 2024 年底批准的、涵盖 2025 年 4 月至 2030 年 3 月期间的 1040亿英镑 监管支出计划增加，使其接近该行业最初申请的 1080亿英镑 支出额度。

英国水务监管局（Ofwat）负责交付的临时执行董事海伦·坎贝尔（Helen Campbell）表示，允许水务公司增加支出将使它们能够“毫无延迟”地交付。监管机构将跟踪其绩效，以确保它们正在“为客户和环境提供预期的改进”，并且“如果它们未能做到，支出将被追回”。

联合水务（United Utilities）被允许额外支出 9.95 亿英镑，而其申请的额外金额为 11.1亿英镑；塞文特伦特水务（Severn Trent）在其申请的 4.81 亿英镑 中获得了 3.29 亿英镑。西南水务（South West Water）被允许额外支出 1.8 亿英镑，而其申请金额为 2.39 亿英镑。

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2026年8月14日，星期五 《卫报》

新闻

以新视角审视：艾里斯·默多克秘密艺术作品展出，涵盖超现实主义与人体裸女像

Donna Ferguson

几十年来，这些作品一直被尘封在她阁楼的一个秘密房间里。如今，布克奖得主艾里斯·默多克（Iris Murdoch）新发现的艺术作品将于今日首次展出，其中包括她唯一已知绘制的自画像、四幅超现实主义风景画以及三幅女性裸体素描。

这些艺术作品创作于第二次世界大战初期，当时默多克还是牛津大学的学生。它们揭示了她早期对超现实主义的兴趣以及对女性裸体形态的痴迷。

直到现在，人们一直认为默多克在有生之年仅创作过三幅画作。

去年，奇切斯特大学艾里斯·默多克研究中心主任迈尔斯·利森（Miles Leeson）博士在默多克位于北牛津的前住所发现了这位小说家创作的 80 余件艺术作品。

在默多克亡夫约翰·贝利（John Bayley）的第二任妻子奥迪·贝利（Audi Bayley）去世后，利森受默多克遗产执行人的邀请，前往查尔伯里路 30 号进行探索，奥迪一直在那里居住直到 2024 年。

默多克于 1999 年去世，且为人已知有囤积习惯，她将这些绘画和素描藏在阁楼的一个秘密房间里。房门隐藏在一个巨大的书架后面。“那里无法进入，”利森说，“就像一个密室。”

他怀疑几十年来没有人进入过那个房间，且只有默多克和她的丈夫知道它的存在。

“我认为奥迪并不知情，”他说，“我认为没有任何人知道……那里有很多个人物品，”他补充道，“是非常私人的东西。”

默多克在 15 岁时意识到自己是双性恋。她在 20 多岁时创作的画作揭示了她对女性裸体形态的痴迷，而就在此后不久，她开始了已知的第一段与女性的身体关系。

“在女性裸体画中有一种性冲动，”利森说，“此外，在这些写生画、这些裸女像中所感受到的渴望，也体现在她早期献给心仪女性的诗歌中。”

2016 年，在受奥迪邀请去喝茶后，利森成为至少十年来第一个进入阁楼主要且较为开阔区域的人。在那里，他在一个箱子里发现了 600 首默多克未发表的诗歌——其中包括许多女同性恋情诗。

“在这些写生画中所感受到的渴望，也体现在她早期献给心仪女性的诗歌中”

迈尔斯·利森博士 艾里斯·默多克专家

▲ 图为 1978 年的艾里斯·默多克，在这次发现之前，人们认为她只画过三幅画 摄影：JANE BOWN / THE OBSERVER

去年，在那个隐藏的房间里，除了有签名和日期的绘画及裸体画外，利森还发现了 20 幅超现实主义水彩画、两幅父母的铅笔水彩画，以及两本素描本中 50 多幅铅笔和钢笔素描。

“这些艺术作品以一种全新的视角展示了她与世界的互动，展现了默多克此前被隐藏的新面貌，”利森说，“在她的虚构作品中，艺术品和艺术家无处不在，她在她的哲学中也设计‘场景’。默多克在她所涉的所有媒介中都是一名视觉艺术家，而这些新发现的绘画为此提供了更多证据。”

◄ 默多克绘制的自画像，日期为 1941 年 1 月 7 日，在她的前住所阁楼密室中被发现。下方图片创作于第二次世界大战初期，包括铅笔画和水彩画，揭示了对女性裸体形态的痴迷以及毕加索和达利的影响。

其中 25 件作品，包括自画像和超现实主义风景画，将作为一项重大新展览“艺术家中的艾里斯·默多克”（Iris Murdoch Amongst the Artists）的一部分，首次在奇切斯特大学图书馆展出至 12 月 10 日。这是首个专门探讨默多克作为艺术家的展览。此次展览将展出默多克在生前已知绘制的所有主要艺术作品，以及为她书籍设计封面的英国艺术家的作品，例如雷诺兹·斯通（Reynolds Stone）和汤姆·菲利普斯（Tom Phillips）。

这幅自画像日期为 1941 年 1 月 7 日，揭示了默多克在 21 岁时如何看待自己。利森（Leeson）表示：“这是一幅显然是一个深刻且富有表现力的思考者的肖像。”

利森表示，新发现的超现实主义作品创作于 1939 年至 1941 年，这是默多克生命中一个具有塑造意义且极具知识分子气息的时期。“这些画作创作于她在牛津大学度过的一段真正令人心潮澎湃的时光，当时她是共产党的成员，参与学生政治和学生报纸……当然，那时也是第二次世界大战的早期，这一点在超现实主义风景画中得到了体现。”

利森补充道，这些画作似乎受到了萨尔瓦多·达利（Salvador Dalí）和巴勃罗·毕加索（Pablo Picasso）艺术的影响，传达出一种绝望、焦虑和毁灭的感觉。“有一种社会崩溃的感觉，一种关于维持中心凝聚力的东西在瓦解的感觉。我认为她试图就当时的英国状态，以及欧洲文化的毁灭，表达一些深刻且具有哲学意义的东西……她在这些画布上捕捉到了国家的氛围。”

他认为她被超现实主义运动所吸引，并将绘画作为一种尝试。“她当时在写诗，开始写小说，并尝试不同的艺术形式，以探索自己作为艺术家的身份。这都是一个伟大的艺术心灵在试图弄清楚自己的天赋所在。”

利森表示，这些塑造时期的作品与她后来的文学杰作之间存在着强烈的联系。“《黑王子》（The Black Prince）是一部晚期现代主义作品，其中的现实变得扭曲；而在她获得布克奖的小说《海，海》（The Sea, The Sea）中，主角查尔斯·阿罗比（Charles Arrowby）试图逃避现实，生活在自己的精神世界中，完全沉溺于自我。我认为，默多克的一些超现实主义绘画是在要求我们以不同的方式看待现实，并思考人类生存状态的本质，”他说道。

“它们为艾里斯·默多克的故事，以及我们在 21 世纪如何看待她，增添了另一层复杂性和趣味性。”

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新闻

乌克兰向俄罗斯提出协议，旨在遏制袭击并重新开放全球粮食航线

卢克·哈丁 (Luke Harding) 安德鲁·罗斯 (Andrew Roth) 华盛顿

据路透社报道，乌克兰向俄罗斯提出了一项协议，建议双方停止在黑海对民用船只的袭击，这显然是为了尝试重新开放一条至关重要的粮食走廊。

基辅通过第三方传达了这一提议。该通讯社表示，到目前为止，莫斯科尚未做出回应。这条繁忙的水道是俄罗斯和乌克兰向全球运送粮食及其他关键食品的主要出口航线。

自7月以来，乌克兰实际上已关闭了俄罗斯商业航运的航线。其无人机在亚速海和黑海袭击了近 220 艘船只，包括油轮、粮食货船和客运轮渡。

这一行动迫使俄罗斯暂停了通过一条连接里海与亚速海（经由俄罗斯河流网络）的运河进行航运。

该航线经过被占领的克里米亚与俄罗斯之间的刻赤海峡，并通往土耳其的博斯普鲁斯海峡。

在同一时期，俄罗斯升级了对乌克兰

“乌克兰对俄罗斯的战争做出回应是完全正当的；而俄罗斯才是能够且必须结束这场战争的一方”

弗拉基米尔·泽连斯基 乌克兰总统

▼ 在乌克兰城市敖德萨的一处海滩上，俄罗斯导弹袭击产生的烟雾在人们身后升起 摄影：KOSTIANTYN LIBERON / GETTY

南部港口的袭击，给该国的农业部门带来了沉重打击。90% 的粮食和向日葵出货量是从敖德萨以及邻近的乔尔诺莫尔斯克（Chornomorsk）和皮夫登内（Pivdenne）港口运出的。

7月，在土耳其运营的粮食运输船“金狮号”（Golden Leo）从敖德萨出发后不久，俄罗斯无人机导致 9 名海员和 1 名乌克兰海事领航员死亡。许多遇害者来自叙利亚和印度。在最近的袭击中，另有 16 名港口工人及海员死亡。

据报道，基辅的这次接触显得十分务实，旨在允许双方恢复对国际粮食安全至关重要的运输。

特朗普因提前获取其影响市场帖子的收费服务而被起诉

约瑟夫·格迪恩（Joseph Gedeon） 华盛顿

唐纳德·特朗普（Donald Trump）被起诉，此前一项每月收费高达 $100,000 的订阅服务允许用户提前获取他在 Truth Social 平台上的帖子，此举引发了腐败指控。

这起在纽约提交的诉讼由新闻网站 The Intercept 和新闻自由基金会（Freedom of the Press Foundation）发起。诉讼目标是“Truth APT”，这是一个由 Truth Social 背后的公司——特朗普媒体与技术集团（Trump Media & Technology Group）于 8 月 1 日推出的付费数据馈送服务。起诉书称该安排“极其异常、腐败且违宪”。

该服务让付费订阅者比普通公众能更快地获取该平台 10 个最高知名度账户的帖子，其中包括特朗普本人的账户，以及副总统 JD Vance、即将离任的新闻秘书卡罗琳·利维特（Karoline Leavitt）和其他高级官员的账户。订阅者每月支付 $100,000，若承诺订阅三年，则每月支付 $60,000。

白宫和特朗普媒体公司未回应置评请求。特朗普一直习惯于使用 Truth Social 披露市场敏感新闻，包括关于关税和伊朗战争的帖子，这些帖子曾引发价格波动。

特朗普媒体公司的临时首席执行官凯文·麦格恩（Kevin McGurn）甚至将该服务宣传为一种让企业快速获取平台“最具市场影响力”帖子的方式。

此次推出此前受到了民主党参议员亚当·希夫（Adam Schiff）和伊丽莎白·沃伦（Elizabeth Warren）的批评，他们曾敦促美国证券交易委员会（SEC）调查是否

▲ 原告认为，总统是特朗普媒体公司最大的股东，并将从中获得个人利益

此时正值乌克兰收获季节开始，且从乌克兰港口发货几乎处于停滞状态。

该提议还紧随《金融时报》的一篇报道，报道称美国副总统 JD Vance 要求乌克兰总统弗拉基米尔·泽连斯基（Volodymyr Zelenskyy）停止对俄罗斯黑海港口诺沃罗西斯克（Novorossiysk）的某些攻击。

《金融时报》援引匿名乌克兰官员的话称，在 7 月 31 日的一次电话通话中，Vance 抱怨乌克兰对运载哈萨克斯坦石油的油轮进行的袭击损害了美国公司并导致油价不稳定。他告诉泽连斯基停止这些行动。

泽连斯基的办公室尚未发表评论，但基辅正与唐纳德·特朗普政府进行微妙的谈判。乌克兰正寻求美国制造的“爱国者”拦截弹，以保护乌克兰城市免受俄罗斯猖獗的弹道导弹和无人机群的袭击。

自该电话通话以来，乌克兰的无人系统部队没有攻击运油船，这些石油是通过里海管道联盟（Caspian Pipeline Consortium）终端从哈萨克斯坦运来的。但他们继续猛攻诺沃罗西斯克中的其他目标，那里是俄罗斯黑海舰队的驻地。

周三，泽连斯基赞扬了一次针对该港口的“大规模”联合攻击，此次攻击使用了火箭弹、喷气式飞机和海上无人机。他在 Telegram 上写道，乌克兰摧毁了俄罗斯军舰，包括两艘护卫舰、一艘大型登陆舰、一艘轻型护卫舰和其他船只。这些船只此前一直“隐藏”在诺沃罗西斯克湾。

据报道，其他目标包括两个主要的粮食出口终端。俄罗斯官员表示，包括一名儿童在内的三人死亡。

泽连斯基发帖称：“乌克兰对俄罗斯的战争做出回应是完全正当的；而俄罗斯能够且必须结束这场战争。”

此前，双方曾在土耳其和联合国的斡旋下签署了一项协议，以停止海上攻击。黑海粮食倡议从 2022 年 7 月持续到 2023 年 7 月。该倡议在克里姆林宫拒绝续签时结束，俄方抱怨西方制裁损害了俄罗斯的农业部门。

随后，乌克兰单方面重新开放了航线，利用海上无人机击沉黑海西北部的俄罗斯船只。

俄罗斯的大部分黑海舰队被迫从暴露在外的被占克里米亚港口塞瓦斯托波尔迁至诺沃罗西斯克。

该服务构成了有利于内部人士的市场操纵。

根据起诉书，特朗普媒体（Trump Media）在8月10日披露，其已经拥有超过10个订阅者，据报道其中包括财经新闻机构和高频交易公司，并且在致力于封锁允许外部团体抓取和存档特朗普帖子的第三方工具的同时，正在探索将数据授权给预测市场。

原告认为，作为特朗普媒体最大的股东，总统将通过出售其以官方身份产生的信息的特权访问权而获得个人利益。原告请求法院宣布该安排违法。

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哈维尼科尔斯（Harvey Nichols）出售 Sports Direct所有者 收购高端连锁店

“它们看起来很雄伟” 康沃尔郡白鹳 自由飞翔引发喜悦

国内新闻

调查

列车在刘易斯（Lewes）附近脱轨 两人受伤后启动调查

▲ 东萨塞克斯郡库克斯布里奇（Cooksbridge）与刘易斯之间发生列车脱轨事故后，应急服务人员在现场。左图为事故后在车厢内受惊的乘客。 摄影：MARCIN NOWAK / LNP

Matthew Weaver Gwyn Topham

昨日，一列载有 150 人的客运列车在东萨塞克斯郡的海沃兹希斯（Haywards Heath）与刘易斯之间脱轨，导致两人重伤。

事后照片显示，部分乘客站在倾覆的车厢顶部，另一些乘客则与应急工作人员一起出现在旁边的荒原区域。

英国运输警察局表示：“目前我们认为有两人受重伤，另有九人受轻伤。患者已在现场接受评估和治疗，部分人员已被送往当地医院。”

在 Southern 服务的列车于下午 4 点前脱轨后，多条铁路路线被关闭。铁路事故调查局昨晚启动了关于事故原因的调查。

一张现场航拍照片显示，该列车 8 节车厢中有 3 节侧翻。罗布·布拉德利（Rob Bradley）和他六岁的女儿梅贝尔（Mabel）在最后一节保持直立的车厢中。他在接受 BBC 采访时表示：“我们还好，很幸运我们在第四节车厢。第五节车厢侧翻了。”

“我们感觉到火车在加速并开始摇晃。然后我们的车厢垂直向上跳了一下，我们就知道脱轨了。火车的紧急制动启动，所有东西都被向前甩出。”

“火车在停止前滑行了相当长的一段时间。我们回头看，发现火车整个后部都敞开了，烟雾和灰尘涌入车厢，我们看到第五节车厢侧翻了。”

独自旅行的亚娜·路德维希（Yana Ludwig）告诉记者，这次经历“完全令人恐惧”。这位来自美国的 56 岁女性表示：“有一声巨响。一切都乱套了。感觉时间过了很久，但在车厢真正侧翻之前，这种情况可能只持续了 10 秒钟。我伤得挺重的。”

应急服务部门表示，人们应避开该区域，在该区域乘坐铁路旅行的人员应为行程预留最多 60 分钟的额外时间。

Network Rail 和 Southern Rail 的一名发言人表示：“我们可以确认，14.24 从维多利亚（Victoria）开往东本（Eastbourne）的 Southern 客运服务在东萨塞克斯郡的刘易斯地区脱轨……经过该区域的列车已暂停运行，建议乘客在线查询最新的服务信息。”

当地居民奥里亚娜·埃文斯（Oriana Evans）告诉英国新闻社（Press Association），她和儿子帮助了被引导出火车前往刘易斯社区中心的伤员，为他们指路，其中一些乘客正在度假。这位 54 岁的珠宝制作者说：“我走在他们身边，和其中一些处于震惊状态的人聊天。他们就在那些翻掉的车厢里。”

她说，他们告诉她他们没事，但“淤青很严重”。

可以看到其他居民站在家门外，面对着一排排应急服务车辆，并带着椅子走向社区中心，供伤员就坐。

一辆巴士停在中心旁等待乘客登车，此外还有出租车，一名乘客被看到被救护车接走。

交通大臣海蒂·亚历山大（Heidi Alexander）在 X 上发帖称，她“对萨塞克斯郡刘易斯 Southern 列车脱轨的报道深感担忧”，并补充道：“感谢在现场支持受影响人员的应急服务部门。我们正与铁路行业和当地合作伙伴快速协作以协助乘客。”

自由民主党（Liberal Democrat）刘易斯选区议员詹姆斯·麦克利里（James MacCleary）表示：“我注意到有关今天下午刘易斯地区发生火车相撞事故的令人非常担忧的报道。这显然是一起非常严重且仍在发展的事件，我的心与所有受影响的人在一起。”

儿子悼念 102 岁父亲，其在威尔士酒吧涉嫌遭袭击后去世

Bethan McKernan

一名 102 岁的男子在南威尔士的一家酒吧涉嫌遭到袭击，后因伤势过重去世。

来自威尔士山谷 Cwmbran 的菲利普·奥默罗德（Phillip Ormerod）在 8 月 1 日 Crow's Nest 酒吧发生该事件后被送往医院。格温特郡（Gwent）警方昨日表示，他随后已去世。

一名来自拉内利（Llanelli）的 56 岁男子因涉嫌造成严重身体伤害而被逮捕。他目前已被释放，但仍处于调查之中。

事件当晚约 10.25pm，在奥默罗德从舞台上跌落后，应急服务部门被召至 Crow's Nest 酒吧。

据报道，他走上三级台阶来到来自拉内利的 SuperHans 乐队演出所在的舞台上，要求调低音量，随后被撞倒。据报道，他在向后跌落并撞击地面后受了重伤。

他的儿子罗伯特·奥默罗德（Robert Ormerod）告诉新闻机构 PA Media，他的父亲是 Crow's Nest 酒吧里受欢迎的常客，年轻人经常请他喝酒。

这位曾任绘图员的高祖父在退休前从事该工作。在 40 年前妻子去世后，他一直独居，且近期被诊断出患有认知障碍症。

罗伯特表示：“我感到很悲伤。尽管因为年龄和认知障碍症，他有时会变得难以相处，但你已经习惯了他的陪伴。虽然我想他不可能永远活下去，但他本可以再多活一段时间。”

格温特郡警方呼吁任何在晚上 10pm 至 11pm 之间身处该酒吧的人员与其联系。

▲ 菲利普·奥默罗德在此庆祝他的 100 岁生日，他曾是酒吧的常客

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6

全国 A-level 成绩

担忧外国学生人数下降将使大学面临财务动荡

今年早些时候的研究生申请。

卡普尔（Kapur）表示：“关键在于本轮周期将带来什么，这在 10 月左右之前不会变得清晰。简单的衡量标准是，每减少 5 名国际学生就会影响一个大学工作岗位。而这些人数的下降将不可避免地影响大学的财务状况和人员配置。”

“在这一阴郁前景中的一线希望是，尽管人们对贷款计划和毕业生就业感到担忧，但高中毕业生进入大学的强度和愿望依然像以往一样强烈，正如你们今天所看到的。”

连续几届政府在 2017 年至 2025 年期间将国内本科生学费冻结在 9,250 英镑，导致通货膨胀使其价值缩水了三分之一。随后的学费上涨将在很大程度上被大学为每名国际学生支付的 £925 征费所抵消。

保守党前大学大臣、提高学费计划的制定者大卫·威莱茨（David Willetts）表示，大学无疑“承受着日益增加的财务压力，这主要是因为学费被冻结了八年”。

威莱茨补充道：“确实存在大学因财务危机而倒闭的风险，但更让我担心的是教育体验质量的全面削减。我认为我们有义务确保学生的课程获得适当资金支持，包括通过提高学费来投入资源。”

罗素大学集团（Russell Group）的成员研究型大学正受到日益增加的财务压力影响，埃克塞特大学（University of Exeter）昨日宣布，立即取消其位于康沃尔郡彭林（Penryn）校区的地理课程。

埃克塞特大学的一位发言人表示：“我们意识到这对受影响的申请者来说令人失望，且

11%

根据内政部的数据，截至7月底，学生签证申请量较去年同期下降了11%

▼ 学生们庆祝他们的 A-level 成绩。英格兰地区被第一志愿大学录取的人数创下纪录 摄影：JACOB KING / IFA

“对于与这些课程相关的同事来说，这很困难。”

罗素大学集团（Russell Group）首席执行官利比·哈克特（Libby Hackett）表示，在该全球市场竞争日益激烈的环境下，该集团的大学仍然能吸引优秀的国际学生，为大学以及更广泛的英国带来了文化和经济利益。

但哈克特警告称：“历届政府的一系列政策决定，包括不受欢迎的国际学生征费，可能会破坏这一成功故事。这不仅令大学感到担忧——对整个英国来说也不是好消息。最近的分析显示，国际学生的减少意味着英国损失了近 30亿英镑 的净经济利益。

“伯纳姆政府意识到大学在我们的国家和地方经济以及我们在世界舞台上的地位中所发挥的关键作用。我们期待政府在支持经济增长方面能做出更一致的决策，包括能够让我们继续欢迎全球人才的措施。”

英国大学协会（Universities UK）副校长团体首席执行官薇薇安·斯特恩（Vivienne Stern）表示，学生签证数据“应该是”政策制定者的“一次警钟”。

“政府中有很多了解该行业压力的人，他们明白大学对地方经济和国内学生有多重要，并且正带着忧虑关注此事。

“我希望这些人正在敲[教育部]和内政部的大门，告诉他们明天可以做的一件事来帮助大学，那就是悄悄放弃对国际学生学费征税的想法。

“我理解围绕移民问题的政治压力，英国大学行业必须成为政府一个良好且有响应能力的合作伙伴，以确保系统按预期运行。但如果政府旨在减少海外学生人数，我认为他们过度修正了。我们需要的是稳定性，以及一些帮助以恢复我们的国际竞争地位。”

负责高等教育事务的技能部长杰奎·史密斯（Jacqui Smith）告诉 BBC，政府担心大学课程应具有良好的性价比，并暗示未来的学费上涨将与教学质量挂钩。

“对于大多数人来说，上大学是对其未来赚钱潜力和生活的一项非常良好且重要的投资。”

经济学排名上升了五个位次，成为 2026 年第五受欢迎的学科

英格兰最受欢迎的前 12 门学科排名

来源：资格联合委员会（Joint Council for Qualifications）。基数：英格兰 A-level 学生

除疫情年份外，英格兰 A* 和 A 等级的比例处于至少 2010 年以来的最高水平

每四份考试报名中仅有一份属于艺术或人文类学科

英格兰各学科组考试占比 ● 艺术与人文 ● STEM 与社会科学

来源：资格联合委员会（Joint Council for Qualifications）。基数：英格兰 A-level 学生。学科分类基于国家教育研究基金会（National Foundation for Educational Research）的研究

2026 年，英格兰男生和女生获得 A* 和 A 等级的比例差距有所扩大

私立学校与公立学校在顶尖成绩上的差距保持稳定

英格兰获得 A* 和 A 等级的报名占比 ● 私立学校 ● 文法学校 ● 学院 ● 地方当局维持学校

来源：Ofqual。注：选定类型的学校

教学

“带着爱”

第六形式（Sixth form）

学院

走在

前列（付出额外努力）

Raphael Boyd

对于青少年来说，很少有比 A-level 成绩公布日更令人恐惧的日子了。在这一天，学生们将通过几个字母得知过去两年的生活将如何塑造他们的未来。

走进学校了解自己命运时的那种紧张感，足以让大多数人在前一天晚上彻夜难眠。对于 18 岁的 Hayden Bettson-Day 来说，最好的解决办法就是尽可能早地结束这一切。

“我早上八点就在刷新 Ucas 页面，等着它更新，”18 岁的 Hayden 说，“所以，确实非常紧张。我妈妈一直在问：‘是什么？你考了多少分？’”

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7

▼ 昨天，学生 Gina Stancheva 在伦敦东部的巴金和达格纳姆学院（Barking and Dagenham College）查看她的成绩 摄影：YUI MOK / PA WIRE

他获得的是数学 A*，以及化学和生物的两门 A，这足以让他被纽卡斯尔大学录取学习医学。

他是哈利法克斯 Trinity 第六形式学院（Trinity sixth form academy）的 450 名学生之一，该学院隶属于 Trinity 多学院信托基金，在整个约克郡设有分校。

Bettson-Day 的两名同学 Aidan Chiu 和 Fran Whitehead 谈到了他们对成绩的宽慰，两人在化学科目中均获得了 A*。

“我妈妈正在给布里斯托大学打电话，”计划学习数学的 Chiu 说，“我已经达到了所需的成绩，但她还是要打电话给他们，确保我被录取了。我简直不敢相信。”

将在埃克塞特大学学习地质学的 Whitehead 表示，过去两年很艰难，但她赞扬学院帮助她适应并支持她在人生如此关键的时刻重新适应新环境。

“我来到这所学校时谁也不认识，但所有的老师和学生都非常友好，我找到了自己的位置，”她说，“你能获得很多支持来发挥自己的潜力。”

并非每个学生对成绩都如此乐观，有些人计划通过补录（clearing）寻找机会，或者决定回到第六形式学院以获得他们想要的成绩。

在 Natalia Ntabola 的例子中，计划更为简单：“说实话，如果我没能进入大学，我就打算离开这个国家，去一个与世隔绝的地方生活。”

幸运的是，Ntabola 和她最好的朋友 Sandra Konarska（两人均为 18 岁）获得了进入曼彻斯特大学所需的成绩。

Konarska 尽管获得了完美的三个 A*，但她觉得自己“可能没有像应该那样努力复习”，她赞扬了学院给予她的努力和鼓励。

“我认为老师们非常严格，有很多作业要做，如果没完成的话会有很多会议和谈话，”她说，“他们坚决要求完成，但这种方法很有效。”

Trinity 第六形式学院的校长 Michael Fitzsimons 将学院的成功归功于勤奋的作风，但同时也强调了学院致力于接纳各种背景和能力学生的承诺。

“我们不希望人们同情我们的孩子，”Fitzsimons 说，“在我们这里，不利条件的程度大约是全国其他地区的两倍，但这并没有改变预期。我们仍然对他们持有高期望，但这是在很多爱心陪伴下实现的。”

为了让学生们为哈利法克斯之外的现实生活做好准备，学院资助了一项“学者计划”（scholars programme），让成绩优异的学生能够免费接触到英国一些顶尖大学的导师——目的不是为了辅导他们通过考试，而是为了帮助他们增强自信和面试技巧，增加他们的信念，让他们相信自己在面对未来可能来自更富裕背景的同龄人时，不会显得格格不入。

该学院还资助了出国旅行，包括前往纽约市和布鲁塞尔的行程。参加过这两次旅行并取得了三个A成绩的乔·基尔万（Joe Kirwan）计划就读于诺丁汉大学。

他表示，学院的老师们为了帮助他付出了极大的努力，甚至“向我推荐播客并给我书籍，试图让我相信我能做到他们认为我可以做到的事情”。

现在，早晨的紧张气氛已经过去，学生们在以各种方式庆祝，从与家人共进晚餐到与朋友玩桌游，或者小睡一会儿。正如预期的那样，大多数学生已经前往哈利法克斯市中心的酒吧，贝特森-戴（Bettson-Day）也在其中。

“我现在要去喝几杯，”他说，“接下来的几年我要去纽卡斯尔，我听说那里的夜生活很丰富，所以我得开始练习了。”

分析

莎莉·威尔 (Sally Weale)

伦敦成为“教育离群值”，凸显首相应对地区不平等的必要性

安迪·伯纳姆在担任首相后，将地区不平等置于其议程之首，而教育领域的情况最为令人担忧。

深入分析昨天的 A-level 成绩细节可以发现，地区差异令人震惊，伦敦与全国表现最差地区之间的差距达到了创纪录的水平。

首都近三分之一的 A-level 考生（32.7%）获得了 A* 和 A 等级，比去年增长了 6 个百分点。

然而，在东米德兰兹地区，获得顶尖成绩的人数不足四分之一（23.1%），低于 2025 年的 23.8%，使其与东北地区持平，后者的顶尖成绩占比较去年的 22.9% 略有增加。

结果显示，伦敦与东北地区在 A / A* 等级上的差距已扩大到令人担忧的 9.6 个百分点，这是疫情以来最大的差距，且显著高于 2019 年疫情前的 3.9 个百分点。

A* 等级的差距也在扩大，从 2019 年的 2 个百分点增加到 2026 年的 5.1 个百分点。专家希望首相的权力下放计划能赋予地区根据当地情况调整方法的独立权，从而帮助伦敦以外的学习者。

埃克塞特大学社会流动性教授李·埃利奥特·梅杰（Lee Elliot Major）表示：“我们的首都已成为一个教育离群值，而东北地区、东米德兰兹以及全国其他地区的太多年轻人则在截然不同的机会世界中成长。”

“英格兰不再是由简单的南北分歧所定义。它越来越多地变成了一个伦敦脱离全国大部分地区独立领先的故事。人才在全国分布均匀，但机会并非如此。”

伦敦取得如此巨大成功的原因很多。托尼·布莱尔的“伦敦挑战”计划在 2003 年启动了首都学校的转型进程。此后，更高的薪资和文化吸引力吸引了更多教师，而充满抱负的移民家庭也帮助提升了标准。

教育部表示，其 Rise（地区标准提升与卓越）团队正将“精准关注”放在表现最弱的地区和学校。

学校白皮书中的一项提案也受到了欢迎，该提案建议利用家庭收入来根据不利程度调整资金拨付率，使处于更深层不利地位的孩子能获得更多资金。

但昨天结果所揭示的差异规模和持久性，显然需要重大干预。

代表 1,150 所学校的“东北学校”组织（Schools North East）主任克里斯·扎拉加（Chris Zarraga）表示：“在东北地区，学校在面对深层不利、公共服务压力巨大、特殊教育需求和残疾（Send）需求增长，以及机会和基础设施获取途径截然不同的社区中工作。学校越来越多地被要求补偿所有这些因素。”

他呼吁采取一种长期方法，将教育与早期教育、医疗、Send、交通、技能和经济发展相结合，并提供高质量的学术和职业路径。他补充道：“成绩公布日应当反映年轻人的潜力和努力，而不是他们恰好成长的环境所带来的结构性优势或劣势。”

顶尖成绩的地区不平等状况恶化

英格兰各地区 A* 和 A 等级占比

2025 2026

来源：Ofqual

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8

国家

78岁英国女性在申诉留瑞失败后深感震惊

Lisa O'Carroll 高级记者

一名在瑞典生活了21年但面临被驱逐出境威胁的78岁英国寡妇表示，在被告知其反对驱逐出境的申诉失败后，她因担忧而感到“恶心”。这起事件发生在关于这个北欧国家处理脱欧问题的持续争端之中。

“我处于震惊之中，”乔伊斯·托马斯（Joyce Thomas）昨天在她的瑞典家中表示。“我感到恶心。在我这个年纪，一个人的生命正处于危急之中。这就是地狱。我没有做错任何事。我没有犯罪记录。”

她的困境引起了布鲁塞尔和英国对瑞典执行欧盟-英国脱欧协议方式的关注。该协议旨在保护在脱欧前居住在欧盟成员国的英国国民。

本周，另一个家庭讲述了他们的父亲——一名接受全职护理的痴呆症患者——在瑞典生活25年后也面临被驱逐的威胁。

卢勒奥（Luleå）的行政法院维持了瑞典移民局的一项决定，认为退休护士托马斯没有资格留下来，因为她的申请是在2023年提交的，晚于2021年12月的截止日期。

她的法律代表告诉法院，仅因为托马斯由于信息不足而错过了截止日期就将其驱逐出境是不相称的。

他们补充道：“此外，瑞典当局未能告知她需要提交申请以及提交申请的截止日期，这是不可接受的。”

托马斯现在面临着收到移民局信函的可能性，信中将要求她在四周内自愿离开，这将使她与儿子、孙辈、朋友圈以及她经常祭拜的丈夫坟墓分离。

如果她未能遵守，她不仅将面临强制驱逐，上诉法院还告知她可能会面临重新入境禁令，并可能被“列入监视名单”，从而在“重新入境禁令有效期间”被禁止进入包括瑞典在内的申根国家。

“这就是地狱。太可怕了。我没有做错任何事。我能够自给自足。我为这个国家贡献资金，而不是从中索取。”

乔伊斯·托马斯（Joyce Thomas） 居住在瑞典的退休护士

法院裁决称：“目前没有出现任何情况能导致认定在你的情况下，你属于特别脆弱群体。”

法院指出，托马斯一生的大部分时间在英国度过，拥有英国养老金，且另一个儿子也住在那里。

托马斯辩称，在21年之后，她所有的支持网络都在瑞典，共有23人（包括医生、牧师、朋友和教会同伴）写信证明支持她的案件。

“我的朋友、我丈夫的安息之地、孙辈，一切都在这里。在我的年纪还得离开家重新开始，这简直令人难以置信，”她说。

“这就是地狱。我早晨起床，脑子里想的是这件事；我晚上睡觉，脑子里想的还是这件事。太可怕了。我的意思是，我没有做错任何事。我能够自给自足。我为这个国家贡献资金，而不是从中索取资金。”

托马斯的丈夫格温（Gwynne）于2023年因癌症去世，在他最后一次回英国探亲的四个月后去世。正是这次返回瑞典时，他从边境官员那里得知，这对夫妇必须在脱欧后提交特别申请才能留在瑞典。

根据欧盟-英国脱欧协议的第18条，如果存在“合理理由”，延迟申请是被允许的。

基层活动团体“在瑞典的英国人”（British in Sweden）的戴维·米尔斯特德（David Milstead）表示：“很难找到有人会认为，托马斯女士及其他在瑞典的人所遭遇的情况是脱欧协议预期的结果。”

“当一项新条约付诸实践时，问题不可避免地会出现。然而，英国、欧盟和瑞典必须采取行动来解决这些问题。仅凭口头表达关注是不够的。”

瑞典移民局表示，这对夫妇不知道需要提交申请这一事实，不能成为授予其居留后权利的“合理理由”。

托马斯坚称，她和她的丈夫都没有收到在 2021 年底之前必须提交申请的通知。

“瑞典当局有我们的身份证件，有我们的电子邮件，但我们什么也没听到，”她说道。

蝴蝶专家在英格兰第二处地点发现极罕见蛾类

PA Media

英格兰最罕见的蛾类之一在一家已有 70 年未见其踪迹的地点被发现——发现者是一位将其职业生涯都用于搜寻该物种的环保人士。

来自蝴蝶保护组织（Butterfly Conservation）的戴夫·温赖特（Dave Wainwright）描述了他追踪到暗边美蛾（dark bordered beauty moth）在英格兰第二处地点——位于诺森伯兰郡的国家信托基金会沃灵顿庄园（Wallington Estate）时的宽慰之情。

几十年来，这种呈卡仕达酱色和巧克力色的日行蛾在英格兰境内唯一的发现地是北约克郡的斯特伦索尔公地（Strensall Common）。

但根据蝴蝶保护组织的数据，该地点的种群数量正在迅速下降，数量从 20 年前的数百只减少到去年的勉强达到两位数。

该地点受到气候危机的影响，使得干旱和野火更加频繁。去年一场席卷该自然保护区部分区域的大火使这种蛾类陷入了更大的危机。

环保人士表示，在英格兰发现第二个种群为这一稀有物种带来了希望。这种蛾曾广泛分布于英格兰北部和苏格兰，但由于栖息地丧失而数量下降，目前仅限于苏格兰的迪赛德（Deeside）和斯佩赛德（Speyside）两个小区域以及英格兰的这些地点。

温赖特表示：“感觉可能还有其他种群等待被发现，那将是非常棒的事情。”

Google Pixel 11 Pro XL 搭载 Gemini 智能

COSTS MORE

每月 £38

预付 £30，100 个月？社会费用增加至 £40 及以上，以及 £60、£100 和 £200 以上

在英国最佳网络上的 56+

9 月份结束 0，48- 设备信用协议 £123（43，预付 £30）以及 24- 预付计划（0 30）要求。适用写入与信用检查。信用：$1.50。10% NP 覆盖范围。40% 的税收责任。

优惠结束日期 9 月 1 日

2022

获取优惠 2022

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国家

9

伦敦警察厅局长质疑 Levy 在狱中袭击他人后为何被释放

Helena Horton Rajeev Syal

伦敦警察厅局长马克·罗利（Mark Rowley）在质疑杀人犯兼惯犯性罪犯西蒙·莱维（Simon Levy）在性侵一名女性狱警后为何被释放出狱后，引发了监狱管理局内部的不安。

这位英国最高级别的警察官员表示，他“不明白”后来杀害了两名女性的莱维为何会被允许离开位于伦敦南部的布里克斯顿监狱（HMP Brixton）。

但白厅的消息人士对此反驳称，罗利的言论“不准确”，因为监狱管理局没有法律权力将莱维继续关押在狱中。

今天年满 41 岁的莱维在 2025 年 3 月杀害卡门萨·瓦伦西亚-特鲁希略（Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo），五个月后杀害谢丽尔·威尔金斯（Sheryl Wilkins），并暴力强奸了第三名女性，当时他处于保释状态并受到警方监控。

罗利承认警方在处理莱维案件方面存在失误，但在面对包括工党议员杰斯·菲利普斯（Jess Phillips）在内的批评后，他表示关于警方没有尝试就其第一起谋杀案构建案情的说法“根本不是事实”。

罗利质疑监狱管理局为何在莱维 2022. 年 4 月在布里克斯顿监狱性侵一名女性狱警后将其释放。伦敦警察厅在 2023, 年 6 月，即莱维被释放五个月后对其进行了审问。

直到 2025 年 10 月，他才被指控犯有监狱内的罪行——而在此期间，他已经袭击了另外 13 名女性，其中两人被杀害。

罗利在 BBC 的《今日》（Today）节目中表示：“这是我们道歉的事情之一，但当然其中有两个错误：首先，他在狱中性侵了监狱管理局的一名工作人员后，却被该局假释，我也无法理解那个决定。”

“我准备在这里承担责任，我们有两名警员……已被移交给独立警察行为监察局（IOPC）调查，我们严肃对待自己的责任。”

“但系统的其他部分没有这样做。监狱管理局不应该释放一个对其工作人员进行猥亵袭击的人。”

米娜·斯莫尔曼（Mina Smallman）的女儿们

▲ 米娜·斯莫尔曼，其女儿被谋杀，她批评了伦敦警察厅

比芭·亨利（Bibaa Henry）和妮科尔·斯莫尔曼（Nicole Smallman）在 2020 年被青少年丹亚尔·侯赛因（Danyal Hussein）杀害于伦敦北部的一座公园，斯莫尔曼表示英国最大的警察部队无法改变。2021 年，两名伦敦警察厅警员因拍摄其女儿尸体照片并在 WhatsApp 群组中分享，并将其称为“死鸟”而被判入狱。

在评论针对莱维的警方调查时，她表示：“其中一名被谋杀的女性因为是性工作者，所以没有被认真对待。直到他谋杀了一位四个孩子的母亲，他们才开始调查她的谋杀案，然后将两起案件合并在一起。”

“这多么荒谬。伦敦警察厅再次决定谁更重要。这两名女性的生命对她们的家人来说都很重要——他们怎么敢决定不去调查那个案件。”

莱维本周因其罪行被判处终身监禁。今年早些时候，他被判定性侵了另外 11 名女性，其中 10 起发生在 2023 和 2025 年期间的伦敦火车和地铁上。

斯莫尔曼表示，在阅读该案件后，她与罗利取得了联系。她在《今日》节目中说：“在读到这个案例后，我给马克爵士发了一条短信，说：‘你还要在公开场合为伦敦警察厅的失败道歉多少次？’”

“这成了一个笑话。事实是，伦敦警察厅规模太大了，任何高级团队都无法对该组织的日常活动有实际的了解。”

她表示，伦敦警察厅因为“规模太大”而无法改变。

“我认为马克·罗利爵士想要改变伦敦警察厅，想要用不同的方式做事，但他们根本毫无头绪，”她说道，并补充道：“我们要求他们做的事情太多，他们没有资金，而且那里已经充斥着不作为、腐败、厌女症和种族主义，他们根本无法完成。”

罗利否认伦敦警察厅做得不够，他表示：“认为伦敦警察厅在这次死亡事件中没有做出尝试的推论是不真实的，伦敦警察厅尝试过了。”

英国监狱管理局（HM Prison Service）已被联系以寻求评论。

伪装成“性工作者”并导致两名男子死亡的药剂投毒者被判处17年监禁

Steven Morris

一名伪装成性工作者并给两名男子使用致命剂量镇静剂，以便她和一名同伙实施盗窃的女性被判处17年监禁。

31岁的阿迪娜·米海（Adina Mihai）及其伴侣30岁的马达林·杜米特鲁（Madalin Dumitru）被判处相同刑期。两人约定由米海在男性的家中与他们见面。

她通过在葡萄酒中掺入镇静剂γ-丁基内酯（GBL）给四名男子下药，其中两名男子死亡，分别是来自格洛斯特郡的80岁马尔科姆·金（Malcolm King）和来自牛津郡的37岁加里·穆阿特（Gary Mouat）。

在牛津刑事法院对米海和杜米特鲁宣判时，布伦纳法官（Mrs Justice Brunner）告诉他们：“你们的意图是使每位受害者失去行动能力，令其陷入深度昏迷。药物的投递是随意且不规律的，取决于每批药剂的强度、加入饮料的量以及他们饮用的量。”

“如果你能停下来思考一下风险，就像你应该做的那样，你就会意识到这带有极高的严重受伤或死亡风险……如果你做过最简单的研究，你就会知道GBL可能具有极强的毒性。”

这对来自东伦敦伊尔福德（Ilford）的男女承认了两项过失杀人罪，以及向另外两名无法公开身份的幸存者投毒的罪名。

负责起诉的御用大律师朱利安·埃文斯（Julian Evans KC）表示：“在杜米特鲁在附近等待时，米海会进入受害者的家中。在那里，她会说服受害者饮用掺有GBL的酒精饮料。”

“一旦受害者失去意识，米海就会寻找可盗窃的财物。然后她会回到杜米特鲁身边，将受害者独自留在昏迷状态。”

事实上，他们并未提供任何性服务，但两人基于这样一个前提行事：受害者出于尴尬，不会向警方举报所发生的事情。

法庭获悉，米海在网上发布广告，两人会在她与对方见面之前收取现金押金。当受害者陷入昏迷后，她会偷走手表、珠宝、古龙水和现金。

在受害者个人陈述中，穆阿特年仅八岁的儿子表示，被告毁了他的生活。

他询问两人：“你们为什么要杀掉我的爸爸？你们可以直接拿走钱的。他真的很善良，他会给你们的。”

“他是我的爸爸，现在他走了。我每天都想他，再也见不到他了。”

目前尚未发现其他与两人有关的死亡、投毒或盗窃事件，但警方对可能存在其他受害者的可能性保持开放态度。

照片： ANSHEN MATTHEWS/ PA MEDIA

实现梦想：二战老兵，上方100岁的阿尔弗雷德·库利（Alfred Cooley）和99岁的伊万·斯泰恩斯（Ivan Staines），昨日在伦敦比金希尔（Biggin Hill）机场和肯特郡乡村上空俯瞰，实现了他们乘坐喷火式战斗机飞行的梦想。此次冒险的资金由出租车退伍军人慈善机构（Taxi Charity for Military Veterans）筹集。

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翻转

惊人 烧烤价值

4人餐 不足 £6

价格和包装截至10 / 08 / 26正确。British Mail Quarter Founders (大号), £2.95, 每公斤 £0.37。Village Bakery White Kids 6 包装, 20p, 每个 17p。Nature's Pick 嫩叶沙拉 90g, 60p, 每公斤 £3.22。Bramwells 番茄酱 150g, 80p, 每公斤 £1.62。Everyday Essentials 芝士片 250g, 80p, 每公斤 £2.69。视供应情况而定。照片仅为建议食用方式。产品包装和价格可能因尺寸而异。苏格兰、威尔士、本地及在线渠道。

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国内

▼ 周三，人们在伦敦格林威治公园见证了自1999年以来最显著的一次日食

照片：YUI MOK / PA MEDIA

沥水篮、麦片盒与租赁单车潮：英国人如何看待这次日食

凯文·罗林森 (Kevin Rawlinson)

一切始于眼镜，渴望看到数十年来最完整日食的人们为了购买防护眼镜而排起长队。随后，当几乎所有地方的眼镜都售罄时，人们开始寻找沥水篮。

零售商昨日表示，这种厨房常用具的销量显著增加，因为它可以安全地用于观察让数百万人着迷的日偏食投影。

与此同时，由于人们在抢占有利观察位置时大量使用租赁单车，导致热门观赏点周围需要清理大量的租赁单车。

而且问题并未就此结束：人们对留下的海量垃圾表示不满，曼彻斯特的一家酒吧甚至威胁要禁止任何被发现对此负责的人进入。

周三晚上，在自1999年以来英国可见的最重要的一次日食中，太阳的90%以上被月球遮挡。在伦敦的格林威治皇家天文台、威尔特郡的巨石阵、爱丁堡的卡尔顿山以及贝尔法斯特女王大学外等观赏点，可以看到人群聚集。

◄ 从亚瑟王座看到的日食。在峰值期间，太阳的90%以上被月球遮挡。

摄影：MURDO MACLEOD / THE GUARDIAN

皇家莎士比亚公司推迟《奥赛罗》演出，以便主演接受癌症治疗

纳迪亚·科马米 (Nadia Khomami)

艺术与文化记者

皇家莎士比亚公司（RSC）宣布，将推迟由莎伦·D·克拉克（Sharon D Clarke）主演的激进版《奥赛罗》的演出，因为这位获得奥利维尔奖的演员将接受癌症治疗。

该剧由莫妮克·图科（Monique Touko）执导，原定于明年2月13日至4月3日在斯特拉特福-upon-Avon的天鹅剧院上演。

60岁的克拉克最著名的角色是BBC医疗剧《霍比城》（Holby City）中的洛拉·格里芬（Lola Griffin），以及在《马·雷尼的黑底锅》（Ma Rainey's Black Bottom）和《卡罗琳，或变革》（Caroline, or Change）中的舞台表演。

克拉克表示：“我想感谢皇家莎士比亚公司所有善良的人们，感谢他们的理解、爱、支持和治愈能量。《奥赛罗》将在我接受治疗期间成为我的北极星。”

她补充说，她、她的家人以及她的妻子——作家兼导演苏西·麦肯纳（Susie McKenna）——对于“收到的如潮水般的爱感到不知所措、谦卑且深受鼓舞，非常庆幸有一支由力量和支持组成的军队支撑着我们。感谢我身边所有美好的人们。”

皇家莎士比亚公司表示，任何持有观看克拉克出演《奥赛罗》门票的人都将获得退款，演出日期将在适当时候公布。

▶ 莎伦·D·克拉克原定于2027年2月13日起饰演主角

130%

特易购（Tesco）钢制滤水篮的周销售额增长率，此类产品被用于安全地观察日食投影。

对于那些没能买到日食眼镜的人来说，许多人使用麦片盒或滤水篮来制作针孔投影仪。

零售商约翰刘易斯合伙公司表示：“与去年相比，滤水篮的销售额增长了近 40%。”特易购也表示，其不锈钢滤水篮的周销售额增长了 130% 以上，而塑料版本的周销售额增长了 13%。

在伦敦，可以看到大量 Lime 共享单车堵塞街道。该公司的一位发言人表示：“昨晚的日食是人生一次的盛事，我们很高兴能帮助这么多伦敦人体验到它……我们的街道团队反应迅速，在服务需求极高的区域对单车进行了移动和清理。”

电动单车工作人员并非唯一面临清理任务的人。曼彻斯特 Tandle Hill Tavern 酒馆的工作人员发帖称，他们对常客们必须清理的“垃圾数量感到由衷愤怒”——并威胁称相关责任人可以“认为自己已被禁入”。

包括英国皇家眼科医师学会（Royal College of Ophthalmologists）在内的机构曾敦促计划观看此次日食的人员做好自我保护，并警告称，即使是短暂地暴露在阳光下也可能导致持久的视力损害。

1999 年的日食让许多人担心自己的眼睛受到了永久性损害。根据《卫报》当时的一篇报道，在日食发生后的一小时内，有 100 多人拨打了伦敦穆尔菲尔兹眼科医院（Moorfields eye hospital）的帮助热线。

但尽管 Google 上“眼睛疼痛”的搜索量激增，但这次并没有迹象表明出现了类似规模的问题。截至昨天早晨，使用穆尔菲尔兹急诊服务并投诉与日食相关问题的人数少于 30 人，而运营伯明翰和中地眼科中心的 NHS 信托基金报告称仅接诊了 8 名患者。

Touko 最近的作品包括在 @sohoplace 演出的《Marie & Rosetta》以及在 Lyric Hammersmith 演出的《Jaja's African Hair Braiding》，他表示：“我代表整个创意团队，向正在接受治疗和康复的莎伦（Sharon）送上所有的爱。”

皇家莎士比亚公司（RSC）新版《奥赛罗》的最初描述称，该剧“设定在一个气候受威胁的未来，一名黑人女同性恋者掌握着权力”。

克拉克（Clarke）曾三次获得奥利维尔奖，自 1986. 年在电视剧《歌唱侦探》（The Singing Detective）中担任首个电视角色以来，一直活跃在舞台和荧幕上。最近，她在国家剧院制作的《不可思议》（The Importance of Being Earnest）中与 Ncuti Gatwa 对戏。

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12

新闻

气候危机

救护车人员等关键工作人员承受了极端高温下最严重的一些影响。左图及下图，建筑工人与废物处理操作员在飙升的高温中劳作，并遮挡阳光。 摄影：DAVID LEVENE

“患者争抢风扇”：高温给医院带来多重问题

丹尼斯·坎贝尔 (Denis Campbell) 托比·托马斯 (Tobi Thomas)

“急诊科医生在极端高温期间目前看到的主要问题是老年人跌倒，”剑桥阿登布鲁克斯医院（Addenbrooke's hospital）的急诊顾问埃德里安·博伊尔（Adrian Boyle）医生表示。

“在今年夏天的五次热浪期间，我看到老年人因为高温而感到头晕目眩，从整层楼梯上摔下来，导致多处骨折。最近一名因高温而摔下楼梯的人，肋骨多处骨折，手腕和下肢也骨折了。”

博伊尔曾任英国皇家急诊医学学会主席，他正在反思异常高温对民众健康以及对负责治疗极端高温引发的疾病和创伤的国民医疗服务体系（NHS）日益增长的影响。

“这些人通常是正在服用利尿剂（用于排除体内水分的药片）或高血压药物的老年人，”他说。“大多数时候，服用这些药物是有益的。但在这种天气下，这会让人们很快感到头晕。我们看到很多人感到非常眩晕，其中一些人因此跌倒并受伤。”

“令我震惊的是，这类事故发生得如此之快，而康复时间却如此之长。手腕骨折可能需要几个月，而髋部或下肢骨折则需要六个月以上。”

他在昨日发表上述言论时，英国记录到了全年最高气温 38.1℃。英国卫生安全局估计，仅 5 月和 6 月的前两次热浪就共导致 2,877 人死亡——几乎是 2025 年全年记录的 1,504 例与高温相关死亡人数的两倍。

NHS England 昨日公布的数据指出，7 月份的两场热浪是该月急诊就诊人数达到创纪录的 250 万 人的关键原因。这些人中包括呼吸问题或其他潜在健康状况因高温而加重的人员。

“极端高温还会引发其他问题，”博伊尔说。“服用严重精神疾病药物的人……风险会增加，因为药物可能使他们无法意识到自己正在发热。而那些已经患病、被困在急诊科门外救护车后部的患者，可能会出现中暑或热衰竭。”

“我们的医院和救护车并非为了在高温环境下照顾病人而设计。我们的许多病房几乎没有空调，导致病人感到燥热。”

老年医学顾问祖赞娜·萨维卡（Zuzanna Sawicka）医生强调，极端高温给工作人员而非患者带来了挑战。一名医生在进入……

▲ 工作人员表示，救护车和医院并非为应对高温而设计

2,877

5 月和 6 月两次热浪期间的死亡人数——几乎是 2025 年全年 1,504 例与高温相关死亡人数的两倍

2.5m

7月份就诊于急诊科（A&E）的人数创纪录，该月发生的两次热浪可能是关键原因。

一名患有传染病的患者必须穿着全套个人防护装备，就像在新冠疫情期间那样。

“这可能会让人感到非常闷热，并且会影响你陪伴患者的时间，因为你通常会因为太热且没有[空气]流通而开始感到不适，”她说道。

“这周我接诊了一例结核病复发病例。在确定是否为结核病之前，我们必须佩戴紧贴面部的口罩并穿上全套隔离衣。你穿着自己的衣服，已经在出汗了，然后在此基础上你还得穿上全套个人防护装备（PPE）。”

Sawicka表示，感染风险也解释了为什么如此少的医院拥有适当的通风设备、空调或风扇：因为担心在不经意间传播病菌。

在伦敦一家医院工作的护士Jean（非真名）表示：“我们有一些风扇，但不足以供应所有患者。因此出现过患者争抢风扇的情况。现在是为每个人安装空调的时候了，这样患者就不会互相争抢。”

Jean补充说，她们的制服也会让过热的护士感到更热。“我们的制服太厚了，导致我们出汗非常多。我们长期向管理层要求提供更轻便的制服，但他们没有这么做。我们中有些人从有备用装备的朋友那里获得轻便制服，甚至不得不自己购买。”

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13

房主将保持凉爽视为优先事项

预计目前英国有4m处房产安装了空调

今年夏天，英国人们在搜索待售房屋时，对带有空调的房产搜索量增加了一倍多，因为热浪使“保持凉爽”成为了潜在购房者优先考虑的事项。

在英国第五次热浪发生的那一周，英格兰部分地区的温度接近38℃，房产网站Rightmove表示，高温正在影响英国人对房屋的看法，更多的人开始密切关注房产在炎热天气下的舒适度。

该网站表示，其网站上关于带有空调房屋的搜索量与去年同期相比增长了104%。

该网站还发布了一项消费者研究，显示61%的人表示会考虑安装空调，但只有12%的人已经安装。与此同时，87%的人表示，在选择下一套住房时，房产保持凉爽的能力至关重要。

英国气候变化委员会在5月发布的一份报告中称，更剧烈的热浪可能导致到2050, 92%的现有房屋出现过热现象，并补充说这些房屋可能需要安装空调。拉窗帘和开窗可能不足以解决问题。

据估计，目前英国有4m套房屋安装了空调，是三年前数字的两倍。居家办公的增加被认为推动了这一需求。

5月，空调专家Debonair Cooling告诉《卫报》，无论是古旧房产还是新建房产的业主都在咨询其冷却系统——每间房的费用约为2,500 英镑。该公司表示：“他们晚上难以入睡，或者孩子有呼吸问题，”并补充说，阁楼改造也带来了问题，一些阁楼房间的最高温度达到了50℃。

美国和日本至少90%的家庭拥有空调。而就整个欧洲而言，据估计不足四分之一的房屋安装了空调。

空调由于能耗高而存在争议，约占全球温室气体排放量的4%。然而，英国一些安装了热泵的人能够利用它们在加热房屋的同时进行冷却，这可能会增加对该技术的需求。Rupert Jones

“我无法再次承受”

遭受热浪影响的劳动者

Helena Horton Deborah Solomon

在伦敦北部 Plimsoll 酒吧闷热的厨房里，主厨约书亚·斯威尼（Joshua Swinney）脖子上围着一条冰冻的茶巾以对抗高温。随着首都气温超过 35℃，那些不够幸运、无法在空调办公室工作的劳动者们正忍受着酷暑。

斯威尼表示，为了应对这种情况，酒吧尝试在菜单中增加更多不需要烤箱或炉灶的菜品。但由于该店以芝士汉堡最为出名，而制作汉堡需要站在烤架前，这使得调整变得很困难。

他说：“突然之间你会发现，你得准备七份沙拉，而且生鱼料理根本不够放。至于热气本身，风扇有帮助，但大多只是在吹热风，而且服务厨房里不能放风扇。围在脖子上的冰冻茶巾被证明是有用的，我甚至见过有人在柔性桶里洗冰浴。”

尽管斯威尼勉强能应付，但建筑工人、巴士司机、急救人员和教师都表示，热浪对广泛的劳动群体来说正变得日益危险。一项旨在设立最高工作温度、使英格兰与其他欧洲国家接轨的运动正在加速推进。

西班牙是金标准。其久坐类工作（如办公室工作）的最高温度限制为 27℃，轻体力工作为 25℃。在比利时，限制范围从轻体力工作的 29℃ 到体力要求最高工作的 18℃，中等强度和重体力工作则分别为 26℃ 和 22℃。

建筑工人肯尼·丁斯代尔（Kenny Dinsdale）表示，在极端高温下工作带有危险风险。“如果你不小心，就有可能遭受严重伤害，无论是通过脱水、中暑，还是，你知道，最极端的情况就是死亡。”

他表示，建筑业的人口结构意味着其工人面临的风险尤其高。“我们的劳动力年龄较大，”他说，“我快 65 岁了，这个生日就要到了。我仍然在这个行业工作。”

他建议建筑工人需要“地中海式的工作时间”，以避免在白天的酷热时段工作。

面包师们拥有巨大的高温烤箱，且经常在狭小、不通风的空间工作，他们正陷入苦战。面包、食品及相关工会主席莎拉·伍利（Sarah Woolley）告诉《卫报》：“随着室外气温升高，一个已经拥有烤箱和发酵箱的高温工作场所将会变得更加炎热。”她的工会十年来一直呼吁设立最高工作温度。

她说：“一些雇主已经采取了措施，在不影响食品安全标准的情况下放宽了制服指南，提供冷水、增加休息时间，而不仅仅是放置普通风扇。”但其他一些我们尚未获得认可的雇主则维持原样，期望工人像往常一样继续工作。一些雇主提供了等渗饮料而非仅仅是冰棒，减少了生产线运行，并指示关闭不必要的设备，例如保温柜（保持食物温暖的设备），以免增加热量。

像救护车组这样的基本服务部门很难在酷热中停工，但急救人员请求在温度达到一定水平时，允许他们脱掉闷热的制服。

伯明翰的一名救护车医疗技术员表示：“在高温下工作太糟糕了。简直令人作呕。而且天气热的时候，工作量也忙得离谱。无论是在零下 10 度还是正 30 度，我们都只有一套制服。即使你只是在开车，也会出汗。

“如果你不小心，就有脱水或中暑的风险——最严重的情况就是死亡”

肯尼·丁斯代尔（Kenny Dinsdale） 建筑工人

伦敦北部的 Plimsoll 酒吧厨房，在炎热天气里，员工试图在菜单上增加更多无需烹饪的菜肴

摄影：芬尼根·特拉弗斯（FINNIGAN TRAVERS）

“在我的上一次轮班期间，我简直想哭。我经常在想：我不能再这样下去了。”

一名伦敦急救人员在谈到他的制服时说：“我喜欢好天气，但只要我穿上制服，就变得难以忍受。最近我不得不把一个人从七楼背下来，我想我这辈子从来没有出过这么多汗。无论在身体还是精神上，我的工作量都已达到极限。在高温下工作的体力要求是极端的。”

Unison 政策主管桑普森·洛（Sampson Low）表示：“当气温升高时，急救人员、清洁工和其他公共部门工作人员别无选择，只能继续工作。”

“极端高温不仅导致护理需求的增加，还可能影响员工的健康。我们需要基于证据的阈值。这适用于那些不能在达到某个温度时就简单停止工作的岗位。”

巴士司机抱怨驾驶室像温室一样，那里的空调（如果他们有的话）经常无法工作，温度可能超过 40℃。一些人最近举行罢工以抗议他们的工作条件。

一名伦敦巴士司机说：“巴士处于有史以来最糟糕的状态。空调几乎不起作用，热浪更是雪上加霜。我觉得我们作为巴士司机受到了极其不公正的对待，我们对公司来说只是一个数字，毫无意义。”

另一人补充道：“巴士没有空调。他们认为在驾驶室里放一个小风扇就有帮助。其实没有。驾驶室的温度比室外还要热。这太荒谬了。必须采取措施。我一直深受偏头痛之苦，天气热的时候，情况会变得更糟。”

TUC 健康与安全负责人胡玛·哈克（Huma Haq）表示：“其他国家的经验很明确：最高工作温度限制是可行的。如果这种制度在夏天比英国热得多的西班牙可行，那么在这里也可以行得通。”

“工会呼吁制定规则，要求雇主在温度超过 24℃ 时采取措施降低温度，并在温度达到 30℃ 时停止工作，对于繁重工作，这一温度为 27℃。”

“工会一直在领导这项运动，而现在，随着温度再次攀升至极端水平，工人们正在采取行动以确保自身安全。”

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新闻 气候危机

15

英国迎来今夏迄今最热之日，气温高达38.1℃

续见第1页

在斯图尔布里奇（Stourbridge）高尔夫球场附近发生火灾时，约60名消防员正在应对，市政厅已准备好接收逃离家园的人员。

当地议员安德鲁·特罗曼斯（Andrew Tromans）表示：“诺顿（Norton）和整个斯图尔布里奇出现的末日景象，遗憾地只是如果我们不采取行动，未来将要面对的情况的一个缩影。”

消防员昨天还继续在汉普郡的新森林（New Forest）扑灭一场大火。在苏格兰东部和南部部分地区，也发出了山火风险极高的警告。

由于7月处于创纪录的干燥状态且8月初也十分干燥，英格兰近四分之三的地区和整个威尔士都处于干旱状态，这给家庭、农业和环境的水资源带来了巨大压力。

在法国，波尔多达到39℃，南特37℃，而巴黎记录到37℃，蒙彼利埃35℃。在西班牙，米兰达-德埃布罗（Miranda de Ebro）记录到最高42.4℃，引发了两国对山火的新担忧。

在英国，萨里郡的查尔伍德（Charlwood）记录到37.1℃，这是2003年以来8月第二高最高气温。根据英国气象局（Met Office）的数据，伦敦西南部的泰丁顿（Teddington）达到36.1℃，伍斯特郡的威克（Wick）达到36℃，威尔士部分地区的气温达到35℃。

英格兰东部和东南部（包括伦敦、中英格兰、英格兰西北部、英格兰西南部以及约克郡和亨伯部分地区）发布了琥珀色极端高温警告。

一项关于英格兰全境健康和社会护理服务将受到重大影响的极端高温警报将持续到今天晚上9点。

英国气象局（Met Office）表示，今年夏天有望成为英国有记录以来最热的一个夏天，2026年是该国首次记录到四个独立日期的气温达到36℃或更高。

欧洲森林火灾信息系统昨天发布的数据显示，西班牙打破了该年度时段的过火面积记录，而法国在7月第三周之前的过火面积已超过有记录以来任何一个完整年份的面积。

与此同时，多瑙河创纪录的低水位导致核电站缺乏冷却水，迫使部分电站降低输出。罗马尼亚昨天关闭了其唯一核电站的两座反应堆中的第二座，该电站供应该国约五分之一的电力。该电站负责人告诉

25%

由于多瑙河水位低，匈牙利Paks核电站目前运行的容量百分比

12,500

据估计，今年夏天德国有此人数死于极端高温

从主图起顺时针方向：游客在夏季最热的一天环绕巨石阵；温布尔登的一家人

Common；斯图尔布里奇的一场山火摧毁了房屋 照片：KIN CHEUNG / AP; HAMPSHIRE FIRE / SOLEIST NEWS

法新社报道，他预计在未来 10 天内不会重启。

在匈牙利，工程师们不得不采取铺石的方式来提高帕克斯核电站附近多瑙河的水位，该电站目前的发电量仅为通常输出的 25%。总理彼得·马扎尔（Péter Magyar）昨天表示，工作正在以“快速步伐”推进。

人为驱动的气候危机主要是燃烧化石燃料的结果，这会释放出捕捉热量的温室气体，从而导致温度升高。额外的热量改变了地球的水循环和能量平衡，使得热浪等极端天气事件更加频繁且剧烈。

在英国和欧洲，人们在整个夏天都感受到了极端高温的影响。政府独立咨询机构英国气候变化委员会（CCC）负责适应工作的主席朱莉娅·金（Julia King）勋爵表示，在实现净零排放之前，极端天气“将从现在起变得更加糟糕”。

高温被认为是“沉默的杀手”，因为它极大地提高了死亡率，但仅在极少数情况下被列为直接死因。

在德国，公共卫生官员估计，今年夏天至今已有 12,500 人死于高温。

哥斯拉级厄尔尼诺 第 25 页 →

分析：禁止一次性烧烤炉还不够

桑德拉·拉维尔 (Sandra Laville)

从安迪·伯纳姆 (Andy Burnham) 就职的第一天起，气候科学家、活动人士以及一些在今年夏天极端高温中煎熬的选民就开始好奇，他何时才会开始谈论气候危机。

直到本周，许多人还克制着批评。毕竟，他掌权才短短几周；现在就开始指责他似乎还为时过早。但当全国民众看到新森林（New Forest）中惊恐的马匹在被烧焦的荒原上奔跑，而另一场山火再次肆虐的画面时，人们觉得不再是太早。现在人们在公开质疑：为什么伯纳姆在忽视摆在面前的事实——气候崩溃给这个国家带来的毁灭性影响？

“随着首相视察英国的每个地区，他将很难忽视这个异常夏天的影响：山火、干旱、干涸的农田，以及在极端高温中艰难工作的人们，”前环境署负责人艾玛·霍华德·博伊德 (Emma Howard Boyd) 表示，她目前就职于格兰瑟姆气候变化与环境研究所。

她接着呼吁伯纳姆政府“紧急采取行动”，通过削减排放，同时投资于国家住房、基础设施、农场和公共服务的韧性，从而让国家为更炎热的气候做好准备。

地球之友 (Friends of the Earth) 的政策负责人迈克·查尔兹 (Mike Childs) 表示，现在是伯纳姆“结束他对气候紧急状态的沉默”，并紧急应对全球变暖的原因和后果的时候了。

然而，伯纳姆似乎并没有感到紧迫。在面对气候紧急状态时，他还没有发表过任何利用其标志性的接地气且具有说服力方式的演讲。今年夏天已经出现了五次极端热浪。周三，伯纳姆召开了 Cobra 紧急会议，但结果是什么？一项可能禁止一次性烧烤炉的计划，而且即便如此，这也不是一项坚定的承诺。

伯纳姆目前正处于支持率回升期，这使得工党在一年多来首次领先于改革英国党（Reform UK）。许多人认为，现在正是忽视那些认为谈论全球变暖会引发文化战争的反对者之最佳时机。在担任大曼彻斯特市市长期间，伯纳姆在气候紧急状态问题上并不避讳。他承诺该市将在 2038 年前实现碳中和，并认为地方政府缺乏许多实现气候挑战所需变革速度的必要权力。

在掌权的最初 25 天里，伯纳姆找到了时间来指责他那一辈政治家在数十年间未能解决社会护理问题，是严重的失职。然而，他却避谈同一政治阶层在同一时期内未能确保我们的医院、学校、公共建筑和住房能够适应极端高温的失败。

为了能够繁荣生活，伯纳姆在政治生涯中一直公开支持的普通民众需要一个健康的环境，一个安全且凉爽的工作场所，以及盘中食物价格可负担的保证。

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10

新闻

泰勒·斯威夫特的丈夫称婚礼是“我人生中最美好的一夜”

法新社

美国橄榄球球星特拉维斯·凯尔西将他 7 月与流行巨星泰勒·斯威夫特（Taylor Swift）的婚礼描述为“我人生中最美好的一夜”。

“我很感谢所有前来参加庆祝并与我们共度欢乐时光的人，”这位堪萨斯城酋长队的球员告诉记者。“这就是我对那一晚最深刻的记忆。那是一个疯狂的夜晚，充满了庆祝活动。”

这对夫妇均年满 36 岁，他们在纽约的麦迪逊广场花园举行了为期两天的婚礼及庆祝活动。

▲ 这对夫妇 3 月在洛杉矶参加活动，随后两人结为夫妻

“能够在这个场馆实现我儿时的梦想并在这里结婚，感觉真的很酷，”这位三届超级碗冠军说道。

由于没有发布任何照片或视频，此次活动依然笼罩在神秘之中。这场婚礼随后仅由斯威夫特的发言人发表的一份声明以及该音乐与体育场馆巨型屏幕上的一条消息予以确认。

据悉，婚礼由喜剧演员兼演员亚当·桑德勒（Adam Sandler）主持，两人的服装由乔纳森·安德森（Jonathan Anderson）为迪奥（Christian Dior）设计，斯威夫特穿着 Louboutin 的鞋子。

一千人参加了仪式，其中包括许多名流，曼哈顿中城周边的街道在大量警力的部署下被封锁。

纽约市长佐兰·马姆达尼（Zohran Mamdani）透露，这对新婚夫妇向该市支付了 $160,000 (11.9 万英镑) 以覆盖活动的成本。

这对夫妇在两年前公开了恋情，并于 2025 年 8 月订婚。

内维尔签约 Disney+，向莱尼克尔发起挑战

马特·休斯 (Matt Hughes)

Disney+ 已签署一项价值数百万英镑的协议，获得播送 The Overlap 播客内容的权利。根据该协议，加里·内维尔 (Gary Neville) 的 Stick to Football 品牌将与加里·莱尼克尔 (Gary Lineker) 由 Netflix 支持的 The Rest Is Football 展开竞争，这将成为全球两大流媒体平台之间的一场较量。

根据一项还包括冠名赞助的协议条款，Disney+ 本赛季将播送 40 集 Stick to Football，由内维尔、杰米·卡拉格 (Jamie Carragher)、吉尔·斯科特 (Jill Scott)、伊恩·赖特 (Ian Wright) 和罗伊·基恩 (Roy Keane) 组成的常规团队主持；此外还将播送 50 集新节目 Stick to United With Wayne Rooney，由内容创作者马克·戈德布里奇 (Mark Goldbridge) 共同主持。

虽然这两档节目都将在 YouTube 上播出，但 Disney+ 还将委约制作六集额外的 Stick to Football，这些内容将在限时内仅供其订阅者观看，随后再在 YouTube 上发布。

The Overlap 将保留知识产权，而 Disney+ 将支付数百万英镑以挂名其品牌并在其平台上分发这些节目。

内维尔与前 Sky Sports 制作人斯科特·梅尔文 (Scott Melvin) 于 2021 年共同创立了 The Overlap，该频道迅速成长为英国最受欢迎的足球频道之一，并扩展到其他体育领域，由迈克尔·沃恩 (Michael Vaughan) 和大卫·劳埃德 (David Lloyd) 主持的 Stick to Cricket 播客在去年推出后也大受欢迎。

该公司今年表示，在 2025, 全平台累计播放量达到 22亿 次后，其 YouTube 每月浏览量已达到 3800 万次，且规模仍在继续扩大。

拥有 LBC 电台及包括 The News Agents 在内的播客的多媒体公司 Global 在 1 月份收购了 The Overlap 的多数股权，随后在 4 月份收购了戈德布里奇的 YouTube 频道 The United Stand 和 That's Football。

“我们非常自豪能与 Disney+ 合作，”内维尔表示。“令人兴奋的是，我们没有改变自己的初衷。我们的社区将继续以他们一直以来通过 YouTube 观看的方式享受我们的内容，而 Disney+ 的全球流媒体观众也将能够欣赏到这些内容。”

鲁尼也将正式加入 Overlap 阵营，此前他曾多次以嘉宾身份出现；同时，Disney+ 还获得了关于他家庭生活的全新纪录片《真实的鲁尼一家》(The Real Rooneys) 的版权。

Disney+ 对 The Overlap 的投资是在上个月 Netflix 与莱尼克尔的 Goalhanger 制作公司宣布类似协议之后进行的。后者由艾伦·希雷尔 (Alan Shearer) 和迈卡·理查兹 (Micah Richards) 参与的 The Rest Is Football 系列将在未来两个赛季在 Netflix 平台上播出。

在 40 集的每日世界杯报道期间，The Rest Is Football 每天都出现在 Netflix 的电视前 10 名排行榜中。Netflix 选择在本土赛季继续维持合作。

The Rest Is Football 的播客在上个赛季获得了每月超过 700 万次的流媒体播放量。莱尼克尔此前曾开玩笑说，其竞争对手“远远落后”。

▲ 罗伊·基恩和伊恩·赖特是与上述加里·内维尔共同主持 Stick to Football 的常驻成员 照片：MICHAEL REGAN / THE FA / GETTY

morrisons.com 大多数门店。不包括 Morrisons Daily。在线商城有所不同。慈善机构注册号 207994（英格兰和威尔士），SC038731（苏格兰），条款与条件：my.morrisons.com / marie-curie-epgb-tcs

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国家

17

位于伦敦骑士桥的 Harvey Nichols 门店。该连锁店成立于 1831 年，最初是一家亚麻店，后来成为了 20 世纪 90 年代时尚的代名词 照片：JAMES WILLIS / GHIRY / NORA / SHUTTERSTOCK

Sports Direct所有者收购陷入困境的高端连锁店Harvey Nichols

莎拉·巴特勒 (Sarah Butler)

在高端百货连锁店Harvey Nichols警告称，如果找不到新资金可能会耗尽资金后，Sports Direct的所有者已将其从破产管理中收购。

迈克·艾希利 (Mike Ashley) 旗下的Frasers Group昨日表示，在该公司进入破产管理当天，它以未公开的金额收购了这家总部位于伦敦市中心骑士桥 (Knightsbridge) 的连锁店。

消息人士称，该集团为Harvey Nichols支付了约4000 万英镑m，该公司拥有1,200名员工和13家门店。这些门店包括位于伦敦、爱丁堡、伯明翰、利兹和曼彻斯特的五家大型门店，以及一家位于布里斯托的小型门店，此外还在都柏林、利雅得、迪拜、多哈、科威特以及香港的两家门店设有折扣店。Frasers表示，它正在收购那五家大型门店和布里斯托店。

关于都柏林门店未来的讨论仍在“进行中”，但Frasers表示，它已经购买了部分库存和固定装置，并“继续支持”那里的贸易。海外门店的特许经营协议将在该交易下继续执行。

Harvey Nichols位于伦敦Oxo Tower的餐厅不包括在交易之内，将单独出售。

破产管理人FTI Consulting表示，一项销售方案正在敲定，这将保留100个工作岗位并确保业务继续运营。

Frasers在声明中表示：“需要将Harvey Nichols进行重大重组并整合到Frasers Group的生态系统中，以创建一个可持续发展的未来业务，包括对门店组合、组织结构、运营模式和成本基数进行审查和合理化。”

Frasers在2018年从破产管理中收购了House of Fraser百货连锁店，此后关闭了其60家门店中的约40家。

该集团一直通过Flannels连锁店以及持有德国品牌Hugo Boss和英国手袋制造商Mulberry的大量股份，来扩大其在奢侈时尚领域的利益。

艾希利在以一家体育用品店起家后，近年来收购了一系列陷入困境的高端品牌。

他表示将保留Harvey Nichols的骑士桥店和爱丁堡店，但将其他四家英国门店（位于伯明翰、利兹、曼彻斯特和布里斯托）重新品牌化为House of Fraser或Flannels。

零售分析师理查德·海曼 (Richard Hyman) 表示：“我们可以肯定，Harvey Nichols将不再是原来的样子，因为维持原状导致了巨额亏损，而迈克·艾希利不会容忍这一点。”

目前尚不清楚艾希利是否计划长期将整个骑士桥旗舰店作为Harvey Nichols品牌下的零售和餐饮运营，

▲ 迈克·艾希利的Frasers Group已收购了一系列高端品牌

还是通过引入他的其他品牌、健身房和其他合作伙伴（可能包括一家酒店）对其进行重新开发，以更盈利地填充空间。

海曼说：“Sports Direct在那块街角可能会很合适。”

他指的是Lillywhites，一家位于伦敦市中心皮卡迪利圆环 (Piccadilly Circus) 附近的体育零售商，艾希利已拥有该公司数十年，而它现在实际上是一家Sports Direct折扣店。

Harvey Nichols成立于1831年，最初是一家亚麻店，后来成为了1990年代时髦风尚的旗手，并经常在电视情景喜剧《绝对时尚》(Absolutely Fabulous) 中被提及。

在冠状病毒疫情导致高消费外国游客无法入境且未能盈利后，其长期所有者庞迪信 (Dickson Poon) 将其挂牌出售。

Frasers Group首席执行官、艾希利的女婿迈克尔·默里 (Michael Murray) 表示：“Harvey Nichols是一家具有重大潜力的标志性英国机构，但显然需要进行有意义的改变。”

Harvey Nichols首席执行官朱莉亚·戈达德 (Julia Goddard) 表示：“我期待与Frasers Group密切合作，在已经启动的势头基础上进一步发展。”

“AI训练营”计划旨在让年轻人为就业做好准备

丹·米尔莫 (Dan Milmo)

全球技术编辑

失业或面临失业风险的年轻人将参加“AI训练营”，希望利用这项技术在职场中站稳脚跟。

政府在应对 Neets（指未接受教育、未就业且未接受培训的年轻人）危机方面的最新尝试，是转向一项被许多人视为潜在就业威胁的技术。

在英格兰西北部开展的一项试点计划将为最多 70 名 16 至 21 岁的年轻人提供为期三周的 AI 培训，包括学习构建 AI 工具、了解企业如何使用 以及学习负责任地使用该技术。

此外，还将提供职场技能培训，例如使用办公 IT 系统和时间管理。

政府希望训练营的大多数参与者能在已签约的企业获得学徒机会，例如国防公司 BAE Systems 和食品公司亨氏 (Heinz)。

数字、文化、媒体和体育大臣丽莎·南迪 (Lisa Nandy) 表示，该计划将“在年轻人生活的关键时刻为他们提供支持”。此次试点将用于完善一项计划于明年夏天在英格兰全境推广的 技能计划。

该训练营将使用来自美国大型科技公司的 工具，包括微软 (Microsoft)、ChatGPT 开发商 OpenAI 以及 Claude 聊天机器人背后的初创公司 Anthropic。

伦敦国王学院 (King's College London) 的学者、 对工作影响专家布克·克莱因·特塞林克 (Bouke Klein Teeselink) 表示，该训练营“原则上是个好主意”。

他说：“我们需要做的是让初级员工对公司更有吸引力，而实现这一目标的方法之一就是通过教他们如何高效使用 来提高他们的生产力。”然而，特塞林克表示，他怀疑为期三周的项目是否足以让青少年达到“ 就绪”状态，因为 就绪需要持续的学习和技能更新。

人们对 影响就业的担忧主要集中在离校学生和毕业生身上，因为 工具被认为能够完成通常分配给职场新人的“基础性工作”。

本周，美国斯坦福大学指出，在软件工程和客户服务等 暴露程度较高的职业中，年轻员工的就业率有所下降。

英国 部长卡尼什卡·纳拉扬 (Kanishka Narayan) 表示，该计划将赋予年轻人“在 职场中蓬勃发展所需的技能”。

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“它们看起来确实很雄伟”

白鹳在康沃尔重获自由，现场充满泪水与自豪

Steven Morris

起初，它们需要一点引导——毕竟，它们已经习惯了位于博德明沼泽（Bodmin Moor）边缘林地中一个安全舒适的鸟舍。但几分钟后，这些鸟儿步入了自由，其中胆子较大的很快便在蓝天中翱翔，成为首批被释放到康沃尔野外的白鹳。

康沃尔白鹳项目（Cornwall Stork Project）的创始人扬·斯维德斯基（Yan Swiderski）眼中含泪。他说：“我确实有点激动，”他的语气听起来像是一位自豪的父亲，试图但未能掩饰对后代成就的欣喜。“它们现在还有点笨拙，不习惯自由飞行……但它们看起来确实很雄伟，不是吗？”

21只白鹳于昨日被释放，其中大多数是今年在沼泽地孵化的。它们可能会在康沃尔停留几个月，然后向南迁徙过冬，目的地可能是西班牙南部或摩洛哥。

如果一切顺利，它们将在几年后回到孵化地并繁衍后代。“那将非常令人兴奋，”斯维德斯基说。

该项目基于哈马特希（Hamatethy）农场的一个项目，该农场生产有机牛肉和猪肉，同时也运行野化计划。该项目始于2021年，目前有五对经救援或人工繁育的成年白鹳。

斯维德斯基表示，不能简单地将任何白鹳释放到自然景观中，因为它们会尝试返回出生地。他说：“正确的方法是建立繁育鸟舍。然后你可以释放那些在鸟舍中出生的雏鸟。”

“它们有很强的归巢本能，因此它们将在秋季迁徙，然后有望回到它们出生地附近筑巢。”

该项目效仿了西萨塞克斯郡克内普庄园（Knepp estate）建立的模型，后者自2016年起运行，并成功在该地重新引入了白鹳。博德明沼泽的白鹳有可能与克内普庄园的白鹳结伴飞往南方过冬。

政府的野生动物监管机构英国自然英格兰局（Natural England）对释放白鹳的态度似乎并不十分热情，尽管

昨日从博德明沼泽边缘鸟舍释放的21只白鹳中的两只 摄影：JIM WILEMAN / THE GUARDIAN

该局表示并未禁止此举。它认为白鹳和黑鹳在英格兰都不是本土物种。

在承认白鹳作为一种可见且具有魅力的物种在吸引公众方面的价值时，自然英格兰局表示，释放白鹳“并非我们的优先事项”。

斯维德斯基说：“为了化解关于本土与非本土的争议，我认为这里关键的一点是，随着气候变化，鸟类的欧洲自然分布范围正在向北移动。”

他表示，康沃尔的高地是白鹳理想的栖息地。“博德明沼泽的一个优点是，你不在化学污染景观的中心。它们只需要健康的土壤、蚯蚓、昆虫以及零星的湿地，”他补充道。

“人们有时问我白鹳的生态功能是什么，我的回答总是：它们让人们与自然产生联系。如果你能让人们对像白鹳这样的鸟类产生兴趣，你就可以展开所有关于健康土壤、有机农业重要性、避免过度放牧以保护小型哺乳动物种群以及繁荣湿地的讨论。而这具有巨大的价值。”

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19

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20

国家 爱丁堡艺术节

▼ 玛丽·希金斯（Mary Higgins）和埃尔·波特（Ell Potter）版本的《哈姆雷特》将狂欢式的喜剧与世界末日的恐惧交织在一起

摄影：JONNY RUFF

舞台评论

素食主义视角的 《哈姆雷特》 是一场狂欢式的爆笑剧

Ham Summerhall ★★★★☆

凯特·怀弗 (Kate Wyver)

我接下来的热狗被毁了。在玛丽·希金斯 (Mary Higgins) 和埃尔·波特 (Ell Potter) 极具创意且令人深感愧疚的演出中，莎士比亚笔下那“过于凝实的肉身”被挤进了一个香肠形状的躯壳里。这场大胆且具有对抗性的表演主义活动在《哈姆雷特》的基础上大胆跳跃，将爆笑的喜剧与世界末日的恐惧交织在一起——希金斯（一名素食主义者）试图说服波特（也被称为“香肠女王”）放弃吃肉。

将哈姆雷特的生存之问，通过肉类工业对地球的影响，转化为人类未来的生存问题，希金斯扮演了那位固执且漫步的王子，为一只可怜的、被屠宰的、且莫名具有诱惑力的猪之幽灵寻求复仇。波特则扮演得既圆滑又滑稽，她同时饰演幽灵和格特鲁德，而后者将只有其儿子才有勇气面对的真相解读为疯狂。

通过眨眼示意般的莎士比亚式戏仿，演出轻松赢得了笑声；但演出越是离题，就越能促使我们以全新的视角审视。通过裸舞、宠物葬礼以及与一名观众建立的支配 / 服从关系，这对组合将我们的目光引向了我们自身对地球造成的影响。

希金斯表示，这无关动物的被杀害，而关乎人类种族的自杀。（当然，这也部分涉及动物的被杀害：剧中出现了残酷且令人心惊的画面。）

尽管不可避免地带有一点说教意味，但这场演出直到最后时刻都极其幽默，直到最近的山火影像在表演者身后熊熊燃烧。

这些片段从海外开始，逐渐靠近：欧洲，英国，亚瑟王座山。这不再是一个关于可能或不可能的问题。

展出至 8 月 30 日

舞台剧评论

用派对游戏 对抗科技巨头

《把你们的手机给我关了》（Turn Your F*cking Phones Off） Summerhall ★★★★☆

马克·费舍尔（Mark Fisher）

去年，汉娜·麦克斯韦尔（Hannah Maxwell）为一部爱丁堡边缘艺术节的热门剧目制定了三套蓝图。在《Babyfleareindeerbag》中，她通过一次令人捧腹的市场调研尝试了一系列想法。

她本可以带着关于她父亲的泰迪熊木偶的完整版本回来——那将是某种可爱且古灵精怪的东西——但世界的现状说服她选择了关于科技巨头威胁的那个方案。

《把你们的手机给我关了》听起来像是一道指令，但实际上是写给自己的提醒。她担心智能手机对她的掌控，以及她为其提供的数据。她并非无缘无故地通过一部老式公用电话来呈现剧中的部分片段。

该剧将两条叙事线与大规模卡拉OK和派对游戏融合在一起。其中一条是她讲述自己在一家专门影响公共话语的秘密组织工作的经历。这涉及到国际旅行、数据收集和潜意识信息传递。

另一条则是她对自己屏幕成瘾的担忧，以及她意识到自己参与喂养了一台通过刻意采取右翼政策、利用不和来获利的在线机器。

当旧工作带来的不安后果让她更加警觉于被算法塑造的生活所产生的破坏性影响时，这两条线索交汇了。在进行数字排毒时，她远离了多巴胺的快感，但她更恐惧的是她认为的一种对民主的根本性攻击。

在这部极出色的作品中，麦克斯韦尔以同等分量的热情与欢乐地交付了这一分析。她在观众之间建立的联系，成为了对抗那些试图将我们撕裂的在线力量的现实世界替代方案。

直到 8 月 31 日

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国内

21

“伯明翰四人组”律师希望案件能被重启

Neha Gohil 中英格兰地区记者

代表四名被判定犯有恐怖主义罪行的男子的律师们日益希望，来自卧底警察调查的披露将增加其案件被重启的机会。

十年前，Khobaib Hussain、Naweed Ali、Mohibur Rahman 和 Tahir Aziz 在一次精心策划的秘密警察行动后被逮捕，随后被判定策划在英国发动恐怖袭击。

在这次卧底行动中，警方成立了一家名为 Hero Couriers 的虚假快递公司，以抓捕 Hussain 和 Ali，后者与“伯明翰四人组”中的另一人一样，此前曾有恐怖主义相关定罪记录。

该调查涉及一名为西米德兰兹郡“特别项目组”工作、化名为“Vincent”的卧底警察。在 Ali 为 Hero Couriers 工作的第一天，军情五处（MI5）官员在座位下方发现了一个袋子，其中包含一个“部分组装”的管状炸弹、一把疑似手枪以及一把刻有“kafir”（异教徒）字样的肉劈刀。

代表伯明翰四人组的律师长期以来一直坚信“Vincent”在车内栽赃了证据——这一主张在审判期间被该卧底警察嘲笑，并被陪审团驳回。2024年，律师向刑事案件审查委员会（CCRC）提交了初步申请，要求调查这些男子的定罪情况，目前仍在等待答复。

以赢得冤案翻案而闻名的律师 Gareth Peirce 告诉《卫报》，她今年早些时候向 CCRC 提交了进一步信息，其中包括（但不限于）在卧底警察调查中听取的证据。

该调查正在审查卧底警察在 1968 年至至少 2010 年期间监视 1,000 个政治团体的行为。

Peirce 表示，尽管提交的内容较为广泛，但引用了去年 11 月在调查中听取的证据，其中一名卧底警察的主管认为，该警察编造了一起枪支阴谋以陷害一名动物权利活动人士。

她表示：“这与伯明翰四人组起诉证据中的巧合和相似之处完全一致——一名拥有枪支获取权限的卧底警察，声称偶然发现了一个他所监视的人的阴谋。”

“两起案件都依赖于在活动人士最近驾驶的汽车中‘发现’枪支和其他武器这一极低概率事件。”

Peirce 表示，卧底警察调查期间听取的证据证明了“卧底警察伪造证据的能力之强”，以及“依赖组织内部掩盖真相”是多么容易。

Hussain 的妹妹 Mariam 一直与穆斯林倡议组织 Cage 共同争取重启该组的案件。她说：“不幸的是，我们现在处于一种必须‘喂饭’并引导 CCRC‘去这里看，去做那个’的境地，因为我们没有得到定期更新，所以并不真正知道发生了什么，以及他们是如何调查的。”

周三，Cage 发布了一份由包括冤案救济慈善机构 Appeal 和多个穆斯林倡议组织在内的多个机构签署的联合声明，呼吁 CCRC 立即审查并重启此案。

在 2017 年审判期间代表 Ali 的 Stephen Kamlish 表示，审判期间提交的证据表明他的当事人是清白的，包括 Ali 自愿将车钥匙交给“Vincent”这一事实。

“我完全没有怀疑，被告人都是清白的——所有人都是，”Kamlish 说道。

Mariam 补充道：“对我们来说，这一切还没有结束。那种痛苦每天都在持续。我们每天都生活在噩梦之中。”

▲ 谈判旨在产生一种具有法律约束力的方式来结束塑料污染

专家称全球塑料条约草案缺乏雄心

Ushika Kidd

专家表示，这份迟到已久的塑料条约最新版本比前一版更缺乏雄心。

在 2025 年日内瓦的联合国塑料条约谈判破裂一年后，外交官们于 6 月 30 日至 7 月 3 日期间在内罗比举行了非正式会晤，旨在充实一份新的“无惊喜”文件。

该进程的主席、智利驻联合国大使胡利奥·科尔多诺（Julio Cordano）于 2 月接任，目标是“通过一项具有国际法律约束力的文书，对结束塑料污染做出有效回应”。

本周早些时候，该条约的一份新草案文本被公布，科尔多诺将其描述为“一份非正式的、不断演进的参考文件”。虽然他表示对“成员国持续的参与和承诺感到鼓舞”，但仍有工作需要完成。

然而，国际环境法中心（Center for International Environmental Law）的高级律师安德烈斯·德尔·卡斯蒂略（Andrés del Castillo）表示：“科学和现实并未适应地缘政治环境。”

环境非政府组织 OceanCare 的执行董事法比安娜·麦克莱兰（Fabienne McLellan）对此表示赞同，称：“它基本上就是一个巨大的方括号。”

文本中的方括号表示分歧，实际上将条约中“保护人类健康免受塑料影响”的目标置于讨论之中。伦敦卫生与热带医学院的研究员梅根·迪尼（Megan Deeney）认为，从公共卫生角度来看，在“科学结论已经明确”的情况下，这种情况令人深感担忧。她说：“‘人类健康’在文本的实质性条款中仅出现了 9 次，”其中 7 次被放在方括号中，“这意味着它们在进一步的谈判中可能会被完全删除”。

如果一项条约暗示“我们只想保护环境”，那么它将不包括近期的不公正事件，例如英国废物造成的土耳其微塑料污染，或回收食品废物中的微塑料污染农田土壤的问题。

之前的条约之所以破裂，是因为在减少塑料生产这一关键问题上无法达成一致。

下一轮谈判计划于 2027 年 3 月举行。

落地瞬间

昨日在伯明翰举行的欧洲田径锦标赛男子 3000 米障碍赛第二组比赛中，英国队的扎克·塞登（Zak Seddon，中）获得第九名，遗憾未能晋级。

摄影：MARTIN RICKETT / PA

主教出庭面对强奸 15 岁少女的指控

PA Media

北安普顿主教因涉嫌在前往卢尔德朝圣后强奸一名少女而出庭。

70 岁的大卫·奥克利（David Oakley）被指控在 2000 年代初期两次与该少女发生性关系，该少女当时 15 岁。奥克利当时 40 多岁，是一名天主教神父，他在 6 月被指控两项强奸 16 岁以下少女的罪名。他昨日通过视频链接在威斯敏斯特治安法院出庭。

检察官莎拉·马登（Sarah Madden）告诉法庭，奥克利和该少女“在前往卢尔德朝圣后……开始约会”。马登说：“她回忆起至少有两次与被告发生性关系。”

奥克利在 2020 年成为北安普顿主教。他目前已被暂停公开传教工作，此前他于 2025 年 9 月首次被警方逮捕。

在法庭上，由于首席治安法官保罗·戈德斯普林（Paul Goldspring）将此案移交给中央刑事法院（Old Bailey），他无需对两项指控进行答辩。

法官在 9 月 10 日的答辩听证会之前将其保释，条件是不允许接触涉嫌受害者及其家人。

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目击者

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▼ 比利时，布鲁塞尔

今年大广场上的花毯灵感来自葛饰北斋的《神奈川冲浪里》，标志着与日本外交关系 160 周年。花毯由 500,000 朵大丽花组成，将展出至周日。摄影：OLIVIER ROSLET / EPA

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24

世界

巴勒斯坦人在定居者围困中被迫离开约旦河西岸家园

艾玛·格雷厄姆-哈里森 (Emma Graham-Harrison) 耶路撒冷

昨日，以色列军队强迫两个巴勒斯坦家庭离开他们在约旦河西岸被围困的家园。就在此前一天，一名以色列高级指挥官曾承诺将结束旨在将他们驱逐出去的暴力定居者行动。

以色列士兵还接管了库斯拉（Qusra）的八栋房屋，并告知该村村长阿卜杜勒·阿齐姆（Abdul Azim），这些建筑是为期数日的清除定居者行动所必需的。随后他们交还了其中六栋房屋。定居者昨日仍在村内游荡。

巴勒斯坦人的苦难始于周日，当时以色列定居者和士兵在村边三栋房屋的入口处搭建起帐篷进行封锁。他们切断了水电供应，并阻止救护车接触一名患病幼儿。

在针对此次围困日益增加的国际压力下，指挥约旦河西岸占领区所有以色列军队的少将阿维·布鲁斯（Avi Bluth）于周三访问了库斯拉，会见了被困的巴勒斯坦人，并承诺将“撤离”定居者。

布鲁斯的部队随后移除了帐篷，但留下了激进分子及其床上用品和其他设备。在尝试使用暴乱控制技术驱逐以色列定居者团体失败后，士兵们撤退了。围困昨日进入第五天，且在布鲁斯访问后，对该村的影响反而进一步扩大。

▲ 家园被围困的鲁卡亚·哈桑·阿布·里达（Ruqaya Hassan Abu Reeda）与她的女儿

摄影：ISRAEL KHALRA-SETTERS

被围困的巴勒斯坦人之一库赛·里迪（Qusai Ridi）表示：“军队在上午10点左右到达，要求我们撤离房屋，因为该地区将进行一项为期三天的军事行动。我们拒绝离开。随后军队将我们全部转移到了一栋房子里。”

里迪在下午被允许回家，他发现以色列士兵损坏了一套监控摄像头系统并偷走了一些设备。他们继续占领其邻居尤瑟夫·哈桑（Yousef Hassan）的家，而哈桑当时正住在里迪家中。

定居者仍在外面巡逻，该区域曾在三月份发生过一起事件，28岁的阿米尔·穆塔塞姆·奥德（Amir Moatasem Odeh）被一名定居者杀害。另一名袭击者刺伤了他的父亲。目前尚未有人因这起谋杀和袭击事件被捕。

“我不相信军队会撤离定居者，”里迪说，“但我衷心希望他们能这么做。”

里迪的兄弟是美国公民。美国驻以色列大使迈克·哈卡比（Mike Huckabee）通常支持以色列的定居点计划，但他将库斯拉的围困描述为以色列定居者实施的“恐怖行径”。

昨日下午，以色列

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中国电影

《奥德赛》首映， 西方电影陷入困境

“哥斯拉”级厄尔尼诺

亚马逊雨林 准备迎接干旱

◄ 昨天，在被占领的西岸库斯拉村（Qusra），以色列国防军（IDF）的一辆军车驱赶以色列定居者。定居者对该村巴勒斯坦居民持续进行的围困已引发国际社会的日益谴责。 摄影：ZAIN JAAFAR / GETTY

士兵们离开了他们在早晨接管的六栋房屋。返回的巴勒斯坦家庭报告称房屋遭到破坏，包括一部被撕掉页面的《古兰经》以及被毁坏的装饰品。

以色列前总理埃胡德·奥尔默特（Ehud Olmert）表示，这次围困是一次“精心策划且细致的种族清洗企图”，令他感到厌恶和羞愧。

他说：“这些是反人类罪行，得到了以色列政府的积极支持，并由于以色列国防军（IDF）和以色列警察的漠视及完全不采取行动而得以实施。这是不可忘记且不可原谅的。”

上个月，同样的恐怖战术被用来强迫另一个巴勒斯坦家庭离开他们位于邻近贾卢德村（Jalud）的家。昨天，有视频拍到士兵和定居者在那栋房子的露台上一起踢足球。

一名以色列军方发言人表示，士兵们已被命令不得驱逐库斯拉的巴勒斯坦居民，且不会在被围困的房屋内部行动。该发言人称：“士兵们接到的指示是，库斯拉的居民将留在自己的家中。”该发言人拒绝就为何这些命令被违反发表评论。

以色列国防军（IDF）总参谋长埃亚尔·扎米尔（Eyal Zamir）已命令一个步兵预备役营结束休假，返回岗位以增强在西岸的兵力。

国内批评人士表示，军队在库斯拉的失败更多是由于缺乏意愿，而非兵力不足。评论员阿维·阿什克拉齐（Avi Ashkerazi）在《马里夫》（Ma'ariv）报上写道：“昨天在库斯拉发生的事件说明了以色列国防军、警察、以色列安全局（GSS / Shin Bet）和其他安全机构在面对一群暴徒时的无能。”

“他们没有开警车来逮捕罪犯……[安全部队]反而试图与他们谈判。他们是暴徒，自认为这片土地的主人。”

在被占领的西岸，以色列激进分子在针对巴勒斯坦人的袭击中几乎完全免于惩罚。自 2020 年以来，以色列平民和士兵在那里杀害了 1,100 多名巴勒斯坦人，而针对这些死亡事件的起诉仅有一起。

暴力被用作更广泛的种族清洗运动的一部分。人权组织 B'Tselem 表示，在过去三年中，以色列已强行驱逐了 64 个巴勒斯坦社区。另有 15 个社区失去了居民，超过 4,800 人被赶出家园。

附加报道：Sufian Taha

世界卫生组织称：埃博拉疫情可能成为有记录以来最严重的一次

蕾切尔·萨维奇 (Rachel Savage)

官员们表示，刚果民主共和国的埃博拉疫情已蔓延至第六个省。就在此前一天，世界卫生组织负责人表示，此次疫情有望超过历史上最致命的一次疫情，后者在十多年前造成至少 11,000 人死亡。

根据周二公布的最新政府数据，目前的疫情在 4,500 多例病例中已导致 2,100 多人死亡。世界卫生组织的数据显示，在之前最致命的 2014-16 年西非疫情的同一时间点，记录的病例数为 755 例。

非洲疾病控制与预防中心主任让·卡塞亚 (Jean Kaseya) 昨日表示，此前未受影响的巴韦莱省 (Bas-Uele) 已记录到一起死亡病例。

卡塞亚表示，该男子从上韦莱省 (Haut-Uele) 的伊西罗 (Isiro) 前往巴韦莱省首府布塔 (Buta)，并在此死亡。

目前导致此次疫情的罕见 Bundibugyo 毒株尚无经过批准的疫苗或治疗方法。

死亡人数的增长速度几乎是 2014-16 年疫情的三倍。周三，世界卫生组织负责人特德罗斯·阿德哈诺姆·格布雷叶苏斯 (Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus) 表示，此次疫情将超过那次疫情。

▲ 本周，在刚果民主共和国伊图里省 (Ituri) 一名埃博拉受害者的葬礼上，哀悼者们在场。目前的疫情在约 4,500 例病例中已导致 2,100 多人死亡。照片：SHEDDONNE ESHOLE / 美联社

刚果民主共和国 26 个省中已有 6 个省受到影响，主要集中在该国东北部边境沿线。在疫情首次报告的伊图里省，记录的病例数超过 3,400 例。

乌干达报告了 20 例病例，全部位于首都坎帕拉。最后一例病例报告于 6 月 21 日，目前尚未记录到社区传播。

刚果民主共和国的疫情是在部分未领取薪水的卫生工作者罢工、全球发展援助削减、反政府武装威胁、长期遭受创伤的社区愤怒，以及声称埃博拉并非真实的误导信息之中展开的。

伊图里省 Nizi 治疗中心的工作人员昨日举行罢工，导致该中心暂时关闭，他们表示已有三个月没有拿到工资。

疫情的真实规模仍然未知。疫情于 5 月 15 日宣布，但世界卫生组织表示，目前的测序显示疫情始于 2 月。

卫生部门表示，60% 到 70% 的新病例记录在受监测接触者之外，且疾病正以惊人的速度传播。

世界卫生组织非洲区域主任穆罕默德·雅库布·贾纳比 (Dr Mohamed Yakub Janabi) 本周表示：“我们在追赶病毒；而病毒领先于我们。”

尽管如此，他的同事、世界卫生组织应急响应部门负责人阿卜迪拉曼·马哈穆德 (Abdirahman Mahamud) 周三表达了乐观态度，称如果大流行应对措施能“在五个传播区同步实施，我们预计三个月内会出现转机”。

即便如此，马哈穆德表示，在“中等”情景下，疫情在六个月内不会达到峰值，且疫情可能会持续 9 到 12 个月。

埃博拉病毒罕见但具有高度传染性，可通过呕吐物、血液或精液等体液（包括来自尸体）以及被污染的表面和材料（如床上用品和衣物）感染。它引起的疾病病情严重且通常致命。

针对 Bundibugyo 毒株的两种潜在治疗方法的临床试验上月在伊图里省开始。

研究人员在本周发表的一篇论文中表示，这种 Bundibugyo 毒株在遗传上与 2007 年和 2012 年之前的疫情不同，这使得此次疫情很可能是由于病毒从受感染动物跳跃到人类而开始的。

附加报道：美联社和法新社

友人承认策划针对意大利电视记者的炸弹袭击

安吉拉·朱弗里达（Angela Giuffrida） 罗马

一名意大利商人承认策划了一起针对知名调查记者西格弗里多·拉努奇（Sigfrido Ranucci）住所的炸弹袭击，并声称此举旨在增强其安全保护。

瓦尔特·拉维托拉（Valter Lavitola）与拉努奇是朋友，后者是国家广播公司 Rai 播出的调查节目《报告》（Report）的主持人。该商人的律师塞尔吉奥·科拉（Sergio Cola）告诉意大利媒体，拉维托拉在本周早些时候因涉嫌此案被捕后，向调查人员承认了罪行。

最初人们认为这次袭击是由黑手党在 2025 年 10 月发起的。一枚简陋但威力巨大的炸弹在拉努奇位于罗马附近的住所外爆炸，损坏了他的汽车以及他女儿的一辆车。

另外四名涉嫌受拉维托拉指使实施袭击的人员已于 6 月下旬被捕。

科拉表示，拉维托拉策划这次袭击是为了在拉努奇面临黑手党生命威胁的情况下，增加其安保人员数量。他说：“他是为了拉努奇好，因为拉努奇是袭击的目标。”

但拉维托拉否认了相关指控，即其动机是为了提高拉努奇的知名度以使其进入政坛，而拉维托拉据称也希望从中获益。

这些指控在一份由《卫报》看到的调查报告中被概述，其中包含了电话通话记录，其中一段据称是拉维托拉告诉拉努奇“你将在两年内成为总理”。

调查人员并未暗示拉努奇知晓该阴谋，拉努奇此前对拉维托拉涉案表示震惊。

拉努奇为《报告》开展的调查重点关注涉嫌的犯罪和腐败，且经常涉及政府部长。他目前正起诉一些指责他为了自身利益而导演此次袭击的匿名评论员和政治人物，理由是诽谤。

他的律师罗伯托·德·维塔（Roberto De Vita）表示，如果关于拉维托拉动机的指控属实，那么拉努奇就是“三重受害者”。

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世界

韩国机场成为全球流量最繁忙的机场

Raphael Rashid

首尔

韩国仁川机场已成为全球国际旅客最繁忙的机场，部分原因是伊朗战争导致的中东地区动荡。

根据全球机场贸易组织国际机场协会（Airports Council International）汇总的初步数据，作为韩国主要门户、位于首尔以西约30英里的仁川机场在今年上半年处理了3839 万名国际旅客。

希思罗机场排名第二，为3779 万名，紧随其后的是新加坡樟宜机场，为3453 万名。

这是仁川机场自2001.年开业以来首次登顶国际旅客排名。它在2002,年位列全球第10，2018年位列第五，2024年及去年位列第三。

据韩联社援引仁川国际机场公司（IIAC）的话称，增长的部分原因归结于美伊冲突造成的动荡，这削弱了迪拜等中东枢纽的作用，并将部分中转流量转移到了经由东亚的替代航线。

仁川机场的国际旅客流量同比增长6.3%，且

38.39m

今年上半年首尔附近的仁川机场处理的国际旅客人数

183

该机场服务的城市数量，其中包括158个国际目的地

海外访客人数的增加促成了这一增长。

今年上半年，外国人占仁川机场旅客的39.3%，高于2025.年全年的35.2%。据当地媒体报道，这一比例在第二季度达到了创纪录的44.4%，IIAC将这一增长主要归因于来自中国和日本的访客人数增加。

位于伦敦西部的希思罗机场在今年上半年记录了4000 万名旅客（包括国内和国际旅客），这是其有记录以来最繁忙的上半年。前往亚太地区的旅客流量增长了7.9%，而据报道，由于地区冲突，前往中东的运力下降了16.5%。

本周，伊斯坦布尔在总旅客人数上超过希思罗机场，成为欧洲最繁忙的机场。周二公布的数据显示，7月通过希思罗机场航站楼的旅客为790 万名，而伊斯坦布尔为815 万名。

仁川机场扩大了其作为国际旅行枢纽的作用。它服务于101家航空公司，飞往183个城市，其中包括158个国际旅客目的地。

于2024年年底完成的四阶段扩建将该机场的年容量提高至1.06 亿名旅客。

IIAC代理总裁金范浩（Kim Beom-ho）表示，这一排名反映了“政府的支持、公众的鼓励以及机场所有工作人员的辛勤工作”。

韩国还拥有全球最繁忙的航线。根据航空数据提供商OAG的数据，去年金浦机场与济州岛之间的国内航线计划提供1440 万个座位，超过全球任何其他航线。

▼ 艾玛·汤姆森（Emma Thomas）、查理兹·塞隆（Charlize Theron）、马特·达蒙（Matt Damon）和克里斯托弗·诺兰（Christopher Nolan）出席该电影在中国举办的首映礼

照片：YAROSAN ZHANG / GETTY IMAGES

一项史诗般的工程

《奥德赛》能否征服中国票房？

Alicia Chen

台北

克里斯托弗·诺兰的夏季大片《奥德赛》（The Odyssey）于今日在中国上映。作为今年票房最高的电影之一，诺兰这部史诗巨作将测试好莱坞大片在由国产电影主导的市场中是否仍能吸引观众。

目前看来，迹象是乐观的：该片将在中国约 800 个 Imax 屏幕的大部分屏幕上放映，且上周在北京举行了高规格的首映礼。

周末的抢先点映场全部售罄，此后《奥德赛》在中国的最大票务平台猫眼（Maoyan）的“最期待”排行榜上名列前茅。

但该片的上映正值西方作品在票房上陷入苦战之际。

在与美国紧张局势升级的背景下，北京限制了批准上映的西方电影数量。由于中国观众更青睐本土电影，国产片已占据年度票房收入的约 80%。

尽管美中贸易战不断升级，但随着中国寻求刺激消费，好莱坞电影已重返中国电影院。

在过去五年中，进入中国票房前 10 名的好莱坞电影不足 10 部。但诺兰的史诗电影在中国观众心中占据着特殊地位。

“许多中国观众几乎将诺兰视为一个独立的品牌，”威斯敏斯特大学（University of Westminster）专门研究汉字文化圈电影的高级讲师 How Wee Ng 博士表示。

“因为我们有大量的中产阶级、受过教育的城市精英，他们现在对电影的要求更高了。他们不再仅仅满足于普通的动作惊悚片，”Ng 说道。

诺兰的上一部电影《奥本海默》在中国获得了约 4.5 亿元（5000 万英镑）的票房，使其在 2023 年上映时成为年度票房最高的电影之一。他的前作《星际穿越》和《盗梦空间》在中国观众中也一直经久不衰。

刘南都（音译）是一位常驻北京的电影评论员，他预计《奥德赛》的回报将较为温和，预测总票房将在 3 亿至 8 亿元之间。

“诺兰的电影有一个天花板，”刘在接受中国官媒《环球时报》采访时表示。“理解《奥德赛》的门槛极高，它不适合广泛的‘爆米花’观众。”

常驻北京的独立电影评论员于雅琴（音译）表示，许多人可能从未读过荷马的史诗，但他们仍会为了诺兰而走进电影院。

“回归故里、与家人团聚的理念，与深植于东亚文化的价值观产生共鸣，”她说道。

于雅琴补充说，最近由中国博士生兼播客主钟书（音译）对诺兰的一次走红采访也将对电影有所帮助。该采访在几天内就获得了数千万次的观看量。

Ng 表示，采访中讨论的希腊概念“Xenia”（诺兰将其翻译为“宙斯之法”——一种关于人们应如何对待陌生人的古老习俗）与儒家的“礼”的概念有相似之处，后者强调得体的行为，包括礼貌和对他人的尊重，因此中国观众可能会感到熟悉。

这部电影在中国的电影产业处于困难时期上映。根据中国电影行业数据分析公司 Top Data 的数据，2024 年有 806 家电影院关闭，另有 740 家在 2025 年暂停运营。

在如此阴郁的经济前景下，于雅琴表示，美国电影在商业上的重要性依然太高，以至于中国电影院无法放弃。

“在电影院面临日益增长的财务压力的情况下，他们无法承受拒绝那些能够支撑票房的美国电影，”她说道。

额外研究：Yu-Chen Li

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世界

27

“不可接受”：日本谴责普京访问争议岛屿

加文·布莱尔 (Gavin Blair) 东京

日本政府对弗拉基米尔·普京首次访问由东京和莫斯科共同主张主权的争议岛屿——千岛群岛表示愤怒。

日本外相茂木敏充召见了俄罗斯大使尼古拉·努德列夫，而首相高市早苗则称普京的行为“绝对不可接受”。

这些岛屿在日本被称为“北方领土”，在俄罗斯被称为“南库页岛”，在第二次世界大战末期被当时的苏联夺取，此后一直是争端之源。

1945年8月，就在东京即将投降之际，苏联向日本宣战，这一争端导致两国一直未能签署正式的和平条约。

高市在东京告诉记者，这些位于北海道附近的岛屿“无论从历史还是国际法角度来看”都是日本的一部分，并称俄罗斯领导人的此次访问与日本在该领土问题上的“一贯立场不相符”。

日本电视台播放了普京在依托罗夫岛（俄语为 Iturup）访问医院、会见居民以及在一家加工厂品尝鱼子酱的画面，同时也播放了曾居住在该岛的日本居民——他们在俄罗斯接管岛屿时被驱逐——谴责此次访问的画面。

曾有约 17,000 名日本人居住在

▲ 弗拉基米尔·普京在访问千岛群岛期间视察一家医院

这些岛屿上，而如今岛上约有 20,000 名俄罗斯人。

该岛链由依托罗夫岛、国后岛、色丹岛和习惯小岛群组成，除了具有战略意义外，还提供了进入富饶渔场的通道，并拥有宝贵的矿产资源。

周三，普京前往附近的俄罗斯萨哈林岛，在那里视察了海军演习，并宣布国际文件承认这些争议岛屿为俄罗斯领土。

已故的日本首相安倍晋三曾就领土问题与普京达成谅解，日本公民恢复了前往家族坟墓的访问，双方也讨论过签署和平条约。但俄罗斯 2022 年入侵乌克兰促使日本对与莫斯科有关的人员和实体实施制裁，导致关系恶化。

普京称近期的制裁是“无端”的。他表示：“日本将俄罗斯定义为主要威胁来源。我想指出，我们并没有威胁日本。相反，它对我国提出了领土要求。”

台湾部门称遭受前所未有的 AI 辅助网络攻击

卫报工作人员

台湾方面表示，其政府机构上个月遭受了由人工智能辅助的海外网络攻击，这种新型威胁被报道为“首例此类突破”。

数字发展部（MDA）表示，其网络安全监测发现了针对政府机构的“异常攻击”，该攻击始于 20 July。国家网络安全研究院发布了一系列预警。

《金融时报》援引发现此次入侵的以色列 AI 公司 Dream 的说法称，攻击者利用开源 AI 代理构建了一个自主黑客工具，其行为像一个协调一致的网络团队，并称其为首例此类突破。

据报道，Dream 表示该工具已入侵了“至少 85 个政府用户账户，在将攻击扩大到台湾核安全机构和至少七家能源公司之前，提取了 2,500 多份人员记录”。

近年来，台湾方面一直抱怨其认为的中国“混合战争”——从日常军事演习到虚假信息宣传和网络攻击——因为北京方面在加大对该岛的压力，以迫使台北接受其主权主张。

尽管台湾官员并未指责中国，但《金融时报》周三报道称，相关人员怀疑与中国有关的黑客参与其中，Dream 表示，与此次黑客行为相关的通信中使用了简体中文，这意味着操作者与中国有关的可能性很高。

台湾国家安全局 1 月份表示，2025 年中国对台湾基础设施（从医院到银行）的网络攻击比前一年增长 6%，平均每天 2.63m 次攻击，并补充说，一些黑客行为与军事演习同步，构成“混合威胁”以瘫痪该岛。

数字发展部表示，此次 AI 辅助攻击具有明显的“海外来源”特征。该部门补充说，为了应对这种新型威胁，台湾已制定保护指南并加强系统监测，以便尽早拦截攻击。

中国国台办未立即回应置评请求。台湾数字发展部和中国当局均未对早前《金融时报》的报道发表评论。

路透社提供额外报道

2,500

据报道，AI 黑客工具从至少 85 个政府用户账户中提取的人员档案数量

绝佳天气

台风“海豚”过后，中国家庭纷纷涌向热门景点，游客聚集在北京天坛建筑群的祈年殿附近。

摄影：WANG EIU / VCG / GETTY

东京战争神社禁止身着军装的平民参拜

Gavin Blair 东京

东京备受争议的靖国神社正禁止在其境内进行军事角色扮演（cosplay），此前该地成为了超国家主义团体展示的焦点，这些团体经常身着复制的军队制服。

此次禁令是在明天日本第二次世界大战投降纪念日之前出台的，但该禁令将全年适用。

▲ 2024年，一名身着复制军装的男子参拜神社

该神社祭祀在19世纪和20世纪战争中死亡的250万名日本士兵和平民，但它已成为日本军国主义和战争暴行的象征，尤其是在中国和韩国。在被祭祀的人员中，包括在第二次世界大战后被同盟国定罪为甲级战犯的14人。

神社网站上的一份声明称：“虽然随着战后80年的过去，身着当时服装的实际服役人员的参拜已基本消失，但越来越多没有相关隶属关系或资格的人员被发现身着军装前来参拜。”

靖国神社最初于上周发布了禁止穿着军事服装的公告，这引发了一些人的强烈反对，他们认为这将阻止日本自卫队的现役成员在神社参拜。

作为回应，靖国神社在周三发布了一份补充声明，澄清现役人员和海外军队成员在豁免之列。

过去日本领导人和立法者对该神社的参拜曾引发北京和首尔的愤怒反应。

据国内媒体昨日报道，首相高市早苗（Sanae Takaichi）不计划参拜该神社。以鹰派观点著称的她去年曾前往参拜。

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28

世界气候危机

▲ 一周前的韩国天气预报图 摄影：LEE JIN-MAN / AP

土豆在地下被“煮熟”，创纪录的高温导致亚洲各地作物歉收

拉斐尔·拉希德 (Raphael Rashid) 首尔

在首尔东北方向 80 英里的养口县（Yanggu county）的一片土豆地里，李相赫（Lee Sang-hyuk）挖掘土壤，却发现没有任何可以抢救的东西。

一周前，江原道（Gangwon province）的这批作物看起来还不错。而现在，挖出来的土豆又软又塌，“就像煮熟的土豆一样”，被将地面变成类似烤箱的高温给毁了。

“不只是这一两块地这样，”他告诉当地广播公司 SBS。“我该怎么用语言来形容？太令人心碎了。”

他被毁的收成是东亚一个残酷夏季的一个缩影，最近几周，创纪录的高温席卷了韩国、日本和香港。

8 月 2 日，东南部城市梁山市（Yangsan）记录到 42.5℃ (108.5°F) 的温度，这是韩国自 1904 年开始现代气象观测以来记录到的最高温度。

根据韩国疾病控制机构的数据，此次高温已被指导致全国至少 31 人死亡，同时有超过 900,000 头牲畜和 140 万条养殖鱼类死亡。

当局发布了高温预警，敦促人们“立即停止所有户外活动”。

韩国总统李在明（Lee Jae Myung）告诉内阁，这种极端天气“与我们以前经历过的任何情况都不同”。

他说：“我们需要努力对国家危机系统进行根本性的改革，因为这种极端天气正在成为新常态。”

在邻国日本，多个地点的温度达到了 40℃ 或更高，该国记录到了有史以来第一个“酷暑日”（kokushōbi），这是该国气象局今年针对 40℃ 以上温度引入的一个新类别。在东京，一家市动物园有三头狮子疑似因中暑死亡。

科学家表示，这些极端现象是更广泛模式的一部分。日本天气归因中心（Weather Attribution Centre）的研究人员发现，如果没有全球变暖的影响，该国 7 月的剧烈高温将“几乎不可能”发生。

他们计算得出，如果没有人类活动引起的变暖，这种规模的热浪平均每 10,000 年才会发生一次。

此次高温发生在厄尔尼诺（El Niño）现象期间，而这种自然气候模式在过去通常与日本夏季出现极端高温的可能性较低相关联。

在香港，随着台风“海豚”（Typhoon Dolphin）的外围气流将热空气带到城市上空，天文台公布的官方温度为 36.9℃，这是自 1884 年开始记录以来的最高纪录。

创纪录的高温还暴露了该市针对户外工作者的热压力预警系统的缺陷，即使温度达到历史最高点，该系统仍处于最低级别。

“红色预警的阈值显然设得太高了，”香港天文台前台长林兆英（Lam Chiu Ying）在 Facebook 上写道。“如果连创纪录的温度都不能触发它，那它不就成了用来装饰橱窗的摆设吗？”

香港劳工部门随后表示，正在与天文台共同审查该预警系统。

在中国西部的新疆地区，一个气象站记录到 7 月份温度达到 50℃，热浪席卷了中国东北部，而朝鲜报道称平壤出现了一系列热带之夜，温度未能降至 25℃ 以下。

釜山国立大学的气候科学家、联合国最新气候评估报告的协调首席作者李 June-Yi 表示，该地区的热浪可能是由大气环流模式和气候变暖共同塑造的。

她表示，在今年厄尔尼诺现象的基础上，青藏高原和西太平洋上空增强的高压脊可能有助于创造高温条件。

世界气象组织在最新的《亚洲气候状况》报告中表示，其速度

“不仅仅是一个或两个领域。我该如何用语言来表达？这太令人心碎了。”

李相赫（Lee Sang-hyuk） 韩国农民

1991年至2025年期间，亚洲升温的速度大约是此前三十年的两倍。

在距离首尔以南约160英里的光州，西瓜农洪京熙（Hong Kyung-hee）眼睁睁地看着原本能卖出高价的水果变成了烂泥。

“内部质量很好，甜度也很好，一切都正常，”他在农场告诉KBS，“但三天之后，一夜之间就变成了这样。在我50年的耕种生涯中，这是第一次发生。”

在全罗南道潭阳郡，草莓农尹宇河（Yoon Woo-ha）失去了培育三个月的苗木，且这些损失将无法获得保险赔付。

韩国的作物保险计划仅涵盖指定的作物、种植方法和地区，导致当损失超出这些范围时，农民将处于无保护状态。

韩国农民联盟光州分会负责人李俊京（Lee Jun-kyung）表示：“当保险无法覆盖这些损失时，它们会直接转化为农户债务。”

李警告称，随着气候变暖，热浪预计将变得更加频繁且剧烈，而复合极端事件（如连续热浪和强降雨）也正变得更加普遍。

她表示：“迫切需要快速、大规模地减少温室气体排放，以限制进一步的全球变暖，同时需要制定周密的适应措施，以应对已经发生的气候变化。”

▲ 从上至下：7月下旬，韩国庆尚南道，当时最高气温为38℃，草莓采摘工在工作；7月下旬，日本八代市遭遇热浪和地震；上周末，香港铜锣湾，当时香港录得36.9℃的历史最高气温

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8

29

亚马逊雨林：脆弱的雨林准备迎接“哥斯拉”级厄尔尼诺

乔纳森·瓦茨（Jonathan Watts）

当超强气候在欧洲引发山火，在亚洲带来洪涝灾害时，亚马逊地区正准备迎接一场令森林保护者和粮食生产者同样感到恐惧的干旱。但这应该是每个人的担忧。

科学家预测，厄尔尼诺现象的峰值将在全球最大热带雨林最糟糕的时间点出现：即10月至12月干季结束之时，此时河流水位最低，林下植被最容易变得像火柴一样干燥。对于这片在稳定气候和灌溉农作物方面发挥全球重要作用的森林来说，这将是一个极度脆弱的时期。

地球的生命维持系统已经遭受了双重打击。由燃烧化石燃料和砍伐树木引起的人为气候紊乱，正无情地加热世界并放大极端天气事件，如热浪和风暴。在这一长期趋势之上，是最近的厄尔尼诺现象——这是一种自然发生的太平洋高温现象，会导致世界其他大部分地区出现升温，以及干旱和火灾。

科学家表示，这次厄尔尼诺现象有望以一个“令人震惊的幅度”成为150年来最强的一次。极端天气已经在全球范围内造成破坏。

西欧经历了历史上最热的6月和7月，降雨量异常低，在法国、希腊和其他地中海国家引发了极端山火，并在塞纳河、莱茵河和多瑙河盆地造成水资源短缺。英国四分之三的地区处于干旱状态，并被预测为有记录以来最热的夏天所烘烤。

在亚洲，韩国和日本正处于创纪录的热浪中，而中国则遭受了台风“海豚”（Typhoon Dolphin）的袭击，这场台风使上海的街道变成了河流，掀翻了房屋屋顶，并迫使超过100万人撤离。在印度的阿萨姆邦，洪水已导致100多人死亡。

世界各地的许多地区正在燃烧。在加拿大，山火迫使数万人逃离不列颠哥伦比亚省，烟雾使遥远的纽约天空变得阴暗。印度尼西亚的爪哇岛以及美国的犹他州也正遭受大火肆虐，后者被创纪录的7月热浪所灼烧。

在非洲，联合国预测粮食生产将受到严重影响。在中东，当地气温记录几乎每天都被打破，阿联酋的阿尔达夫拉（Al Dhafra）记录到了

▲ 2025年厄尔尼诺期间的一条亚马逊河——巴西预计水位将再次降至如此低点，且火灾风险将增加，类似于今年夏天欧洲发生的情况。左图摄影：MUSUK NOLTE / PANOS PICTURES；右图摄影：LE GONDEC MARGOT / ARACA / SHUTTERSTOCK

51.2℃。与此同时，海面温度的趋势远超之前的参数，威胁着珊瑚礁和其他海洋生物。

在对未来的最大担忧中，亚马逊雨林位居前列，它对于维持生物多样性和确保南美洲粮食生产地区的降雨至关重要。

几十年前，热带雨林出现干旱的想法似乎还很离谱。亚马逊是世界上最大的河流，其主要支流——欣古河（Xingu）、内格罗河（Negro）、塔帕若斯河（Tapajós）、马代拉河（Madeira）、普鲁斯河（Purus）、朱鲁阿河（Juruá）和雅普拉河（Japurá）——是地球上的主要淡水来源。周围的森林一直以潮湿著称，巨大的树木吸收水分并将其泵入大气，产生冷却并滋润整个大陆的“飞行河流”。亚马逊地区数以万亿计的树木和植物还吸收了大量的二氧化碳，使整个地球受益。

现在，巴西气象局发布的一项预测显示，异常强烈的厄尔尼诺现象将推迟亚马逊雨季的到来，导致气温升高、河流枯竭并增加火灾风险。正如地球上许多其他地区一样，这造成了“紧急情况中的紧急情况”：在人为导致的气候变暖之上，一个自然产生但极其强大的“哥斯拉”级厄尔尼诺现象正在袭来，且可能一直持续到新的一年。

科学家和原住民表示，亚马逊雨林正艰难地从 2023-24, 年上一次厄尔尼诺现象造成的破坏中恢复。那次事件使世界上部分最大的河流水位降至历史最低点，引发了前所未有的火灾爆发，并导致海豚和鱼类大规模死亡。

由于亚马逊雨林的三分之一现已被农业、采矿和人为气候干扰所破坏，树木和林下植被变得更易燃，更容易受到“特大火灾”的影响，这引发了人们的担忧，担心许多地区可能会突破不可逆转的临界点。

政府正试图通过卫星监测、执法行动以及加大对消防能力的投入来解决这一问题。去年这些措施取得了积极成果，亚马逊雨林的过火面积降至 1985 年有记录以来的最低水平。

但一年的时间不足以让森林恢复，而它现在面临着一个远为巨大的威胁。

此前三次厄尔尼诺现象（1998-99, 2015-16 和 2023-24）对亚马逊雨林来说都是灾难性的。兰开斯特环境中心的亚马逊专家约斯·巴洛（Jos Barlow）教授表示，今年的潜在结果令人深感担忧：“很难想象更严重的干旱和高温会带来怎样的结果。”

亚马逊的火灾季已经开始，但高峰期还在几个月之后。一个引起高度关注的迹象是，原住民社区正在建立自己的消防单位，以应对森林深处发生的火灾。

牛津大学森林专家、一本关于如何应对雨林火灾书籍的作者埃里卡·贝伦格尔（Erika Berenguer）表示，问题的主要部分在于多次厄尔尼诺现象在相对较短的时间内接连袭来：“这就像是你已经生病了，然后又感染了某种病菌。由于你的免疫系统已经受损，这种感染会对你的身体产生更大的影响。”

由于太平洋厄尔尼诺暖峰与世界其他地区气温升高之间大约有三个月的滞后，这种残酷的状况可能会在 2027 年持续下去，甚至可能进一步加剧。

圣保罗大学的气候科学家卡洛斯·诺布雷（Carlos Nobre）教授表示：“亚马逊雨林必须从现在起一直准备到 2027, 年初，至少到 3 月，因为这次厄尔尼诺现象极有可能引发严重的干旱。”

农民们正准备迎接动荡的一年。在亚马逊州帕拉州一个深受牛肉生产者欢迎的 WhatsApp 群组中，一条帖子写道：“各位牧场主，准备迎接厄尔尼诺吧。厄尔尼诺将通过导致动物产生热应激、降低牧草质量以及导致‘水资源短缺’来影响巴西的畜牧业。”

行业杂志《Agroforte》指出，在之前的强厄尔尼诺年份，巴西的大豆收成有所下降，但并未提及森林砍伐和化石燃料燃烧是潜在气候危机的一个因素。

倾向于保护森林的原住民群体同样受到这些环境条件的威胁。政府已发出警告，传统土地将面临更高的火灾风险，并储备了食物以防短缺。在之前的厄尔尼诺期间，当作为主要交通路线的河流干涸、菜园枯萎时，欣古河（Xingu）和塔帕若斯河（Tapajós）流域的一些森林社区陷入了孤立、干渴并担忧饥饿的境地。如果明年情况进一步恶化，巴西可能会在雨林中出现干旱难民。

这种情况竟然成为一种可能性，应当引起全世界的警觉。在世界许多地区的农民已经在警告变化速度快到让他们无法适应之际，一个严重受损的亚马逊雨林将进一步扰乱气候和农业生产。由于收成下降与美国-以色列对伊朗战争引发的燃料通胀共同作用，全球食品价格处于三年来的高点。联合国警告称，由于厄尔尼诺现象，可能还会有 4900 万 人面临严重饥饿。

为了保护像亚马逊这样的生物群落，还需要做更多工作。加大对消防员的投入是必要的，但这只能处理后果，而非解决局部和全球性的原因。除非停止砍伐森林并逐步淘汰化石燃料，否则大气将继续变暖，而今年的“哥斯拉级”厄尔尼诺现象与即将到来的危机相比，将显得像只小猫一样温顺。

--。

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探索英国最受欢迎的 美食趋势

从埃塞克斯的非主流拉面店到贝尔法斯特的香料袋（spice bag）专家；从伦敦备受追捧的混合烘焙店到约克郡的美式三明治熟食店。跟随美食记者兼广播员 Jimi Famurewa 的脚步，在全新系列节目中，与那些塑造我们饮食方式的人们及佳肴相遇。请在 YouTube 或《卫报》观看。

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FTSE 100 60.48

10272.67

All share 28.00

5015.80

Dow Indl 47.93

53722.34

Nikkei 225 784.53

68308.59

£'€ 1.1702

0.0002

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0.0000

商业

数据来源：ICE www.ice.com / data

“成本压力综合体”导致 GDP 增长放缓

Heather Stewart

官方数据显示，由于伊朗战争引发的动荡开始产生影响，今年第二季度的经济增长有所放缓。

英国国家统计局（ONS）表示，截至 6 月的三个月内，GDP 增长了 0.4%，低于第一季度的 0.6%，这与金融城经济学家的预期一致。

尽管出现放缓，但分析人士表示，数据表明英国经济在面对持续的中东冲突时，比此前担心的更具韧性。

毕马威（KPMG）首席经济学家 Yael Sellin 表示：“消费者自年初以来面临了一系列冲击，但应对得相当出色。”

不过，她表示今年下半年可能会更加疲软。她说：“英国经济在今年上半年以强劲的态势收官，但动力在未来几个月可能会减弱。”

财政大臣 John Healey 正准备在 10 月 28 日提交他的首份预算案。

英国国家统计局（ONS）表示，第二季度服务业产出增长了 0.5%，建筑业增长了 0.3%。包括制造业和能源在内的工业生产持平。

在重要的服务业领域中，增长最强的是信息和通信企业，增长了 2.7%，这主要由计算机编程业务的回升所带动。

6 月份的 GDP 增长率为 0.3%，好于预期。金融城经济学家此前预测为零增长。

德意志银行英国首席经济学家 Sanjay Raja 表示，温暖的天气和与世界杯相关的消费可能有助于增加需求。

Raja 说：“简而言之，家庭支出高于预期。更炎热的天气促使消费者增加了消费。世界杯可能也对维持 6 月 GDP 的上升趋势产生了影响，零售、酒店业和广告收入在当月均有所增长。”

0.4%

第二季度 GDP 的增长比例，而前三个月为 0.6%

然而，经济学家仍预计能源成本的上升将在 2026 年剩余时间内抑制增长。

在 2 月底唐纳德·特朗普攻击伊朗后，油气价格飙升，尽管消费者公用事业账单直到上个月仍受到能源价格上限的保护，但随后上涨了 13%。

安迪·伯纳姆上个月宣布降低电费的增值税（VAT），但他在周三告诉 BBC，他希望采取进一步措施。他说：“我可以接受‘这还不够’的批评，因为我也认为这还不够。”

英国商会针对 GDP 数据做出回应，对持续高企的商业成本敲响警钟。

其研究经理 Stuart Morrison 表示：“面对伊朗冲突带来的全球逆风，英国经济在第二季度展现了令人欣慰的韧性。但标题数据不应掩盖那些扼杀长期商业增长的‘成本压力综合体’。”

7 月的通胀数据将于下周公布，预计将高于 6 月的 2.6%，反映出公用事业账单的上涨。持续的高通胀将增加英国央行提高利率的压力。

Healey 表示：“我知道人们担心中东冲突对生活成本的影响，生活成本在太长时间内一直过高，这给英国企业增加了压力。”

“这是一个积极、务实的政府，将英国利益放在首位——为感到压力的人提供喘息空间，增强我国的韧性并带回希望。”

▲ 世界杯和温暖的天气可能推动了 6 月的增长，因为家庭支出高于预期

摄影：CHRISTOPHER THOMUNDI；卫报

伯纳姆缓解生活成本的“喘息空间”措施将有所帮助。但在经历多年的价格上涨后，家庭的韧性已十分脆弱

分析 Richard Partington

经济正证明预测者是错误的——但这种意外的韧性可能无法持久

今年春季，国际货币基金组织（IMF）警告称，在世界最发达国家中，英国将遭受伊朗战争带来的最沉重经济打击。冲突爆发近六个月后，从表面上看，英国似乎证明了预测者的错误。

最新的官方数据显示，2026年上半年，英国继续保持在G7国家中经济增长最快的领先地位。尽管国际背景阴郁，且国内政治不确定性进一步增加，但消费者在很大程度上继续消费，企业投资也出现了繁荣。

因此，数据分析人员极有可能需要重新审视其预测，今年的预测值可能会上调。德意志银行表示，其估计的新年度增长率为1.1%——显著高于IMF在春季对英国经济增长0.8%的预测。

对于新任财政大臣约翰·希利（John Healey）而言，这些数据是个好消息，因为他正准备在10月28日提交他的首份预算案。对于被罢免的前任财政大臣瑞秋·里夫斯（Rachel Reeves）来说，这也是一丝慰藉，她此前曾声称英国能够超越IMF低迷的预测。

然而，英国经济这种出人意料的韧性不太可能持久，原因如下。

在伊朗战争引发全球油价飙升以及市场持续波动之后，面对汽油和柴油价格的跳涨，英国消费者的表现可能比预期要好。但由于夏季月份能源需求较低以及Ofgem的能源价格上限，他们免受了家庭燃气和电费上涨的影响。

最新的GDP数据涵盖了账单受到保护的时期。随后，价格上限从7月初起跳涨了13%，专家表示，这可能会使数百万家庭陷入燃料贫困。安迪·伯纳姆（Andy Burnham）旨在缓解生活成本的“呼吸空间”措施将有所帮助，包括从10月起通过削减增值税（VAT）使消费者电费每年平均降低£45。但整体通胀率依然处于高位，且经过多年的价格上涨，家庭的韧性已十分薄弱。

由于全球油价维持高位，中东地区断断续续的战斗可能会进一步增加能源成本的压力。地缘政治紧张局势对企业投资也是坏消息。

对于希利来说，还有一个令人头疼的问题，即如何在减轻家庭和企业财务打击的同时，在脆弱的公共财政中寻找空间，以容纳更高的国防开支和首相新的支出优先级——包括更多用于住房和基础设施的资金。

据彭博社报道，在最新数据出台前编制的财政部泄露预测显示，今年经济增长率为0.9%。这低于预算责任办公室（OBR）在3月份预测的1.1%。如果较低的增长和较高的通胀在五年的预测窗口期内持续，这将使希利的算账变得更加困难。

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12

商业

商业观点 尼尔斯·普拉特利（Nils Pratley）

我们与欧洲的能源连接在日食期间维持了电力供应

政治紧张局势使其面临风险

最终，日食并未导致电网出现闪烁。太阳能发电的早期下降是在可控范围内的，正如负责维持电力供应的国有机构——国家能源系统运营商（Neso）所预测的那样。虽然启动燃气发电机组仍需支付天价，且通过与欧洲大陆的高压互联电缆传输的电力采购成本也十分昂贵，但系统运行正常。

然而，一个充满热浪的夏天凸显了欧洲电网对这些互联电缆的依赖，其中包括英国与欧洲大陆之间的七条电缆。昨天——又是一个无风的“热穹顶”日——上午10点，英国电网五分之一的电力来自欧洲。

互联电缆的经济吸引力显而易见：跨境传输应能增强安全性。对于英国而言，从欧洲大陆采购电力可能更便宜，尤其是来自法国以核电为主的系统。

另一方面，政治局势则罕见地显得如此混乱。6月23日傍晚，Neso在短时间内切断了对荷兰的出口；目前相关部门仍在调查当英国电网在近两小时内低于其运行频率限制（尽管未低于法定限制）时，具体发生了什么。与此同时，《金融时报》（FT）上周披露，Neso在7月的几个小时内命令市场交易员不得通过四条互联电缆在日前市场出口电力，以确保英国拥有足够的电力。

“Neso在接近实时的情况下重新调度互联电缆可能会引发麻烦，尤其是对于比利时和荷兰这样的小型市场，”能源市场专家 Montel 的总监 Phil Hewitt 表示。这就是为什么在5月份修改了合同设置，以限制与比利时、丹麦、法国和荷兰之间六条链路的后期方向变更。

独立能源分析师 Peter Atherton 表示：“英国有可能被视为欧洲系统中的薄弱环节。”

人们可能会将夏季热浪引发的紧张局势视为暂时的。然而，在夏天之前，更深层的政治紧张局势就已经显现。挪威凭借其庞大的水电资源，在消费者因国内电价上涨而产生抵触情绪后，禁止了更多互联电缆的建设。

而且，一个在英国几乎未被讨论的潜在重大威胁可能会在明年出现——如果目前在民调中领先的玛丽娜·勒庞（Marine Le Pen）赢得明年的法国总统大选。她领导的极右翼国民联盟党希望让法国退出欧盟的跨境电力系统，而该系统与英国的系统紧密集成。法国能源公司对此感到惊恐；而勒庞则主张当地消费者将支付更低的费用。

“如果国民联盟在法国上台并实施其政策，英国消费者的电价将会上涨，供应安全性也将面临质疑，”Hewitt 表示。“挪威和瑞典的主流政党越来越反对建设更多互联电缆——他们认为：‘够了，不能再建了。’如果没有进一步的扩建，而法国又说：‘我们不再向你们发送任何电力，’那么形势将变得更加危险。”这是在散布恐惧吗？“这是一种极端情况，但政治风险确实存在。民粹主义会制造麻烦。”

值得注意的是，挪威和法国的链路至关重要。廉价电力通常通过这些电缆流入英国，而与比利时、丹麦和荷兰的连接则更具双向性。

一个潜在的重大威胁可能会在明年出现——如果目前在民调中领先的玛丽娜·勒庞（Marine Le Pen）赢得明年的法国总统大选

“你必须小心，不能过度依赖互联电缆，因为这会让你变得脆弱，”Hewitt 说。换句话说，Neso 无法控制电缆另一端的政治局势。

从中长期来看，随着可再生能源和核电发电能力的增长，这种情况应当会得到改善。在 2030 年代的某个时间点，英国应当会从电力净进口国转变为净出口国。

然而，短期情况则是另一回事。整个欧洲的能源系统已变得更加复杂；可再生能源发电更加分散；日内价格波动更加剧烈。平衡供需已变得更加困难。

在这种环境下，能源民族主义可能会加剧。正如阿瑟顿（Atherton）所言：“如果出口电力意味着自身城市可能出现停电，那么没有哪个国家会这样做。无论签署了什么样的合同，这在政治上都等同于自杀。”

我们尚未走到那一步。目前，泛欧合作看起来依然完好。但互联互通设施的政治问题一直是今年夏天的议题。紧张局势正在升级。太阳食（Solar eclipses）则相对简单。

想要享受奢华的夏季烹饪，请在 Feast 应用程序中一站式查找您所有喜爱的户外料理。

14 天免费试用后，将自动转为全价年度或月度订阅。 可在续费日期前随时取消。完整条款详见 theguardian.com / feastterms

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商业 气候危机

13

更强韧的作物与海狸坝

农民如何通过创新应对洪水、高温与干旱

乔安娜·帕特里奇 (Joanna Partridge) 莎拉·巴特勒 (Sarah Butler)

随着气候危机给英国带来更多极端天气，农民们正在尝试新策略来应对干旱和洪水。根据由生产者资助的公共机构农业与园艺发展委员会（Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board）的数据，炎热干燥的天气导致英国谷物收获时间成为至少 20 年来最早的一次。降雨不足导致花椰菜看起来像“晒黑了”——呈现黄色而非白色——而黄瓜植株结出的果实形状畸形，西兰花则尺寸不足。总而言之，这意味着英国必须比平时进口更多的蔬菜。

虽然许多农民安装了水库以在干旱期间储存用水，但这些设施成本高昂，需要规划许可，且在长期的干旱期有时仍不足以支撑。不过，一些农民正转向更新颖的解决方案，以维持其生产水平。

改善土壤与挖掘池塘 在剑桥郡南部，耕地农民马丁·莱恩斯 (Martin Lines) 在经历了连续第二个炎热、干燥且多风的夏天后，已经完成了收获，比往年早了一个月。“就像有一个巨大的吹风机对着所有东西吹，水分就这样被抽干了，”同时领导自然友好农业网络（Nature Friendly Farming Network）的莱恩斯说道。

在他的农场以及整个网络中，农民们正在改善土壤健康，使其能够蓄水，并创建更多储存设施以保存雨水。莱恩斯表示：“我们专注于在景观中种植更茂密、更宽大的树篱和更多树木，以减缓气流速度。”

他认为，农民应该评估其年度用水需求，以及通过雨水收集能够储存多少降雨量。

“我们需要做的是与当地的排水系统和河流相连，”他说。“现在大多数河流都安装了数字流量传感器，因此，一旦出现将流向大海的过量流量，就应该向农民发送信息提醒‘开启水泵’。我们可以比现在更智能地管理这种流量。”

将沼泽恢复为蓄水池

许多农田区域位于原沼泽地之上，多年来一直使用水泵和排水沟进行排水。在某些地区，农民正在尝试改变这一系统，以便将水储存在自己的土地上，而不是将其抽入河流并排入大海。这有助于

▲ 酷热导致西兰花被晒伤且黄瓜弯曲（上图）；与此同时，许多农民在增加池塘及其他集水设施的规模，而他们的土地（如下方的箭荚草地）则化为尘土。 照片：ODEBIDE; LEBANISDUALAMY; TOMY HAYMOLAS(GATEWAY)

应对冬季及干旱期间的洪涝问题，同时增加野生动物的资源。

由史密斯（Smith）家族经营的西派克鱼农场（West Pikefish Farm）历史上在肯特郡梅德斯通（Maidstone）附近的泰斯河（River Teise）边种植苹果。该农场正利用一片在 2018 年因经常被淹而铲除的旧果园，创建池塘、浅洼地和其他湿地景观，这些设施在冬季蓄水，并为更大的冬季潟湖供水。这片土地仍可用于放牧，并有望在未来重新成为传统果园。

该潟湖将储存 400 万升水，这些水经过相邻湿地的泥沙过滤，可用于夏季灌溉。

“这关乎风险管理，”农民詹姆斯·史密斯（James Smith）表示。他补充说，由于从泰斯河取水变得越来越困难，他担心干旱时期的用水问题。这一设置也有助于管理洪水。“在冬季河流泛滥时，它会产生一种风箱效应，河水可以流入这些设施，从而降低下游的风险。”

“我们建议将这些设施在整个流域的景观规模上推广，使其更具韧性，将水留在景观之中，而不是尽可能快地将其排向最近的村庄。”

种植不同作物

气候的变化也要求农民实现多样化，改变他们种植的作物。莱恩斯表示，他“现在正在研究欧洲种植的作物，比如向日葵和大豆”。

他和其他人认为，豆类——一个包括豆类、豌豆、鹰嘴豆和小扁豆在内的大植物家族——也可能是一个答案，因为它们需要炎热干燥的条件，并且可以增强英国的粮食安全。

尽管如此，英国气候多变的特性意味着此类实验并不总是成功。“我们几年前尝试过种植向日葵，但那是极其潮湿的冬季和春季。”

“就像有一个大功率吹风机对着所有东西吹，直接把水分抽干了”

马丁·莱恩斯 耕地农民

莱恩斯说道：“真正具有挑战性的是不可预测性，我们实际上不知道下一个季节会怎样。”

作为环境工程师的海狸 在克里斯·琼斯位于康沃尔的肉牛农场，自6月初以来几乎没有下雨，剧烈的高温意味着土壤正在干涸。但由于采取了一些简单的措施以及一些有帮助的啮齿动物，琼斯不必为他的牛群引进饲料，它们仍然在田间放牧。

琼斯种植了更多树木以在土地中蓄水并为牛群提供遮蔽。他还实行轮牧，即将田地分成较小的围栏，并频繁移动牛群，使其每三到六个月才回到同一个地点。

但琼斯最好的资产是一家人海狸。尽管自九年前被引入以来，它们一直被限制在一个相对较小的围栏内，但它们建造了一个蓄水池，含有3m升水。

海狸的行为不仅有助于在土地中蓄水，还能在雨季减缓潜在洪水的水流。它们的工作保护了在干旱期间可以放牧的潮湿区域，而如果必要，它们的水坝也可以被抽水。今年，琼斯正盯着那个水坝：“我们还没有不得不抽水，但很有可能得抽。”

他说，他的策略旨在以“极低的财务和环境成本”运行，而海狸是“在我们的土地上建立水资源储备最有用且最便宜的方式”。

从作物遮荫到无人机“喷雾” 废物与资源行动计划（Wrap）的水资源专家凯蒂·克罗斯表示，农民需要“组合工具”，从基于自然的策略到水资源收集。

在坎布里亚郡，气候变化引发了一项实验：九位养牛农民增加了额外的排水槽和巨大的水桶，以便在冬季收集屋顶的水，供干旱时期使用。

在诺福克郡，一项关于“耕作”的试验正在进行——在玉米或糖甜菜作物之间留出未耕种的土地条带，以便在土壤中保留更多水分，从而减少对灌溉的需求。在季节之间种植覆盖作物是一种更广泛采用的保持水分的方法。

提供更多遮荫——利用树木或其他方法，例如使用无人机在塑料大棚顶部“喷洒”专业的遮荫物质——也可以保持水分，从而使植物需要更少的灌溉。

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“外科医生”阿巴斯对巴基斯坦至关重要，尽管旋转球手被优先考虑

主场旋转球策略和管理不善导致巴基斯坦缺乏速度型球员，但技术精湛的阿巴斯依然在阵中。

塔哈·哈希姆（Taha Hashim）

当巴基斯坦上次在 2020 年新冠疫情隔离期间抵达英国进行测试赛巡赛时，他们带来了未来。20 岁的沙欣·沙阿·阿夫里迪（Shaheen Shah Afridi）是志在统治世界的魁梧左臂投手。17 岁的纳西姆·沙阿（Naseem Shah）拥有测试赛帽子戏法和流畅的动作，右臂将球速推至 90 英里 / 小时。他们看起来完全符合要求，承载着巴基斯坦快速投球的伟大传统，让人想起之前的那些黄金之名：伊姆兰·汗（Imran Khan）、瓦西姆·阿克拉姆（Wasim Akram）、瓦卡尔·尤尼斯（Waqar Younis）。

穆罕默德·阿巴斯（Mohammad Abbas）作为那个三人缝线攻击组中的异类加入了沙欣和纳西姆，他 30 岁，速度中等，是一名一级比赛专家，就像电影明星阵容中的一名会计。但六年过去了，阿巴斯成了伟大的幸存者，他是该三人组中唯一一名入选巴基斯坦队下周开始的英格兰三场测试赛系列赛名单的人。沙欣和纳西姆为他们的艺术付出了代价——前者自 2022 年膝盖受伤以来在红球比赛中一直挣扎——并且成为了巴基斯坦板球委员会悲喜剧般管理不善的受害者。

阿巴斯在英国观众中很有名。现年 36 岁的他在郡冠军赛（County Championship）中拥有卓越的记录，在代表莱斯特郡、汉普郡、诺丁汉郡和德比郡比赛期间，以 20.64 的平均成绩拿下了 302 个三柱门，而在测试赛水平上情况也差不多。他能让球在缝线上舞动，为巴基斯坦拿下了 118 个三柱门，平均成绩高达 22.38。

诺丁汉郡的彼得·穆尔斯（Peter Moores）和德比郡的米基·亚瑟（Mickey Arthur）是两位近距离观察过这种精湛技艺的教练。“他的手指真的很长，”穆尔斯说，“他的天赋在于他的手腕和右手，真正在于他控制缝线出球方式的能力以及对球的细微变化。”曾在执掌巴基斯坦队期间指导过阿巴斯的亚瑟补充道：“他在处理缝线的方式上简直像个外科医生。他能让球向内切，也能让球向外切。而且他还能投出很好的摆动球，所以他样样精通。”

穆尔斯描述的是一名能适应任何场地的投手，而亚瑟则对他控制力的赞不绝口。然而，巴基斯坦队依然找到了忽视他的方法；在九年的测试赛职业生涯中，阿巴斯仅获得了 30 次出场机会。

他的球速在 70 英里 / 小时左右，在国际比赛中显得格格不入。“但他的做法就是让对手出局，这就是他的职责，”穆尔斯说，“就像那些虽然看起来不那么赏心悦目但能得分的击球手一样。这类球员是非常宝贵的。你必须确保尊重他们，因为他的记录告诉你他能拿到三柱门，而且他从未让你失望。”

尽管如此，阿巴斯在 7 月对阵西印度群岛的第一场测试赛失利中拿到了八个三柱门，但他的回报是在第二场比赛中被弃用。在西班牙港，旋转球手接管了比赛，萨吉德·汗（Sajid Khan）的离轴旋转球拿到了八个三柱门，使两场比赛的系列赛战平，而慢速球在过去两年里给巴基斯坦带来了不少喜悦。他们最近一次测试赛系列赛胜利是在 2024 年 10 月以 2-1 击败英格兰，这是在首场比赛惨败后，基于木尔坦和拉瓦尔品第的旋转球球道而实现的。沙欣和纳西姆被移出首发阵容；萨吉德和左臂旋转球手诺曼·阿里（Noman Ali）入选，两人在两场测试赛中合计拿下了 39 个三柱门。这为巴基斯坦此后的主场比赛设定了模板。

杰森·吉莱斯皮（Jason Gillespie）在对阵英格兰的系列赛获胜期间担任巴基斯坦队主教练，他于当年 4 月就任——但他反对在系列赛中期转向准备大规模的旋转球球道。

“这非常短视，”这位前澳大利亚快球手说道。“当我到达时，[巴基斯坦板球委员会（PCB）]希望拥有快球手。他们希望培养自己的快球手，希望在能让快球手大显身手的球场上比赛。然后有几场测试赛输了，新的选拔人员被引入，他们决定我们在旧球场和旋转球道上比赛。这违背了培养投球手，尤其是快球手的长期计划。”吉莱斯皮失去了在选拔中的发言权，随着他与 PCB 的关系进一步恶化，他在两个月后辞职。

一年半后，巴基斯坦队抵达英格兰，其缝线球攻击在主场几乎没有作用，且缺乏一名能真正让人血脉偾张的快球手。纳西姆 20 岁的弟弟乌拜德·沙被召入队以提升速度，但在这个夏天，东道主在测速仪上的数据应该会胜过他们。巴巴尔·阿扎姆的球队将不得不依赖那些陈词滥调——线路和长度，保持纪律——而萨吉德在这个极其干燥的夏天不停地旋转球。穆罕默德·阿里是今年参加郡级联赛的另一名缝线球手，如果巴基斯坦队做好了研究，他们会让穆罕默德·里兹万站在三截桩前，在阿巴斯进入状态时令英格兰击球手感到窒息。巴基斯坦队唯一需要做的就是确保选中他。

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体育 赛车运动

17

揭秘陆地速度纪录挑战者的无畏壮举

国际汽联（FIA）未公开的档案资料揭示了驾驶员们挑战死亡的尝试是如何激发公众想象力的

吉尔斯·理查兹（Giles Richards）

随着犹他州邦内维尔盐滩（Bonneville salt flats）回荡起一支英国团队创下新陆地速度纪录的声音，此时此刻的时机再合适不过了。挑战速度极限的历史遗产正被重新挖掘，并以一份涵盖一个多世纪以来纪录打破机器及其极具驱动力的飞行员的非凡档案形式向公众公开。

周二，JCB的Hydromax赛车夺得了国际汽车联合会（FIA）的氢动力陆地速度纪录，在邦内维尔达到了406.320英里 / 小时。恰如其分的是，这辆车由安迪·格林（Andy Green）驾驶，这位前英国皇家空军（RAF）联队长持有目前的绝对陆地速度纪录——763.035英里 / 小时，该纪录于1997年由ThrustSSC赛车创下，他也因此成为唯一一个在陆地上突破音障的人。

他在ThrustSSC以及现在的JCB Hydromax中所做的努力，加入了陆地速度纪录的丰厚历史之中，而相关的档案正被重新审视，其中大部分内容是首次面世。

国际汽联（FIA）正在将其档案中超过200万份文件和照片数字化以供公众查阅。其关于陆地速度纪录的收藏保存在法国瓦莱里（Valleiry）的国际汽联存储设施中，这是首批启动的项目之一，并将于近期公开。

“这是这些资料第一次离开存储在瓦莱里的箱子出现在公众面前，”国际汽联陆地速度纪录委员会主席罗杰·巴诺韦茨（Roger Banowetz）表示，“我一直在推动陆地速度纪录档案的数字化，让每个人都能获得这些资料真的非常重要。”

除了文件和照片，还有手写笔记、信件和官方记录，并由见证或参与纪录尝试的人员标注，这为跨越岁月的记录增添了独特的人文元素。

追求最快速度的战斗在19世纪末汽车发明后不久便开始了，但最初是基于电力驱动。法国人加斯顿·德·沙塞卢普-劳巴特伯爵（Count Gaston de Chasseloup-Laubat）在1898年驾驶一辆Jeantaud赛车创下了首个纪录，速度为39.24英里 / 小时。

但接力棒很快被传递。比利时的卡米尔·杰纳齐（Camille Jenatzy）加入了战局，两人在两年间交替刷新纪录，直到杰纳齐驾驶他的“永不满足号”（La Jamais Contente）赛车突破了100公里 / 小时大关。那是一头引人注目的鱼雷形巨兽，杰纳齐在车内从膝盖以上保持笔直坐姿。

随后演变成了一场激烈的竞争，来自世界各地的男女驾驶着机器争夺顶尖位置，并迅速捕捉到了公众的想象力。在可以被视为该竞争黄金时代的时期，英国人处于中心地位。第一次世界大战后，肯尼姆·李·吉尼斯（Kenelm Lee Guinness）驾驶Sunbeam 350HP夺得纪录，随后是马尔科姆·坎贝尔（Malcolm Campbell）的四次成功。后者成为了家喻户晓的名字，并在20世纪30年代的一场狂热竞赛中成为关键人物，他与英国同胞乔治·艾斯顿（George Eyston）和约翰·科布（John Cobb）展开了角逐。在该年代开始时，纪录为231英里 / 小时。到该年代结束时，纪录达到了367英里 / 小时。

“致命的烟雾进入了驾驶舱，我意识到自己随时可能会失去意识”

档案反映了那个壮举能登上头版新闻的时代。科布的Railton Special赛车组装照片生动地诉说着那个时代，而关于他纪录的技术报告中则包含了低调的评论，指出赛道“异常崎岖”。

坎贝尔1935年在邦内维尔尝试的记录照片中，包括一张计时员和计算员的照片，背面有一则手写笔记写着“清晨——衣服尚未脱掉”，以及他的“蓝鸟”（Blue Bird）赛车在盐滩上疾驰的照片。那一年在犹他州，坎贝尔突破了300英里 / 小时大关，但正如他后来回忆的那样，这绝非一次轻松的旅程。

“突然间，一层油膜开始覆盖挡风玻璃，发动机排出的致命烟雾开始进入驾驶舱，我意识到自己随时可能会失去意识，”他说道。“然而，就在我们快速接近英里终点时，发生了一次剧烈的爆炸。左前轮爆胎了。此时挡风玻璃已经变得不透明。我感觉就像有几十根钉子被钉进我的头顶，这是因为吸入了废气所致，因此重新完全控制车辆变得非常困难。”

在这样一项速度让死亡威胁成为常态的运动中，这次经历残酷地提醒人们这项运动是多么危险，以及参与者的勇气。

“你不能就这么坐进车里，开启定速巡航然后沿着赛道开，”巴诺维茨（Banowetz）在犹他州观察到。

“我们现在就在盐滩上。其他一些记录是在泥地或干燥陆地表面创造的。与沥青路面相比，所有这些表面的牵引力都大大降低。因此，这呈指数级地增加了挑战。”

这项竞争在战后时期继续进行，不仅是为了追求绝对速度，还包括计时耐力赛。1959年，档案记录了国际G级的一项记录，创造者可能被认为是最大概率外的竞争者——一辆拥有空气动力学车身的奥斯汀-希利 Sprite（Austin-Healey Sprite）。该记录是在12小时内行驶1,665英里创造的，平均时速为138.75英里，相关细节由手工细致地填写，其中包含一条简短的笔记，记录了其中一名车手古斯·埃尔曼（Gus Ehrman）在时速135英里时因发动机盖脱落而经历的一次剧烈打转：“第5圈车辆在测量线外打转——比赛继续。”

在60年代，这场竞赛发生了剧变，赛车不再由车轮驱动，而是由喷气和火箭发动机动力推进。坎贝尔的儿子邓肯（Duncan）是最后一名持有车轮驱动记录的人，他在1964年达到了403.10英里 / 小时，随后国际汽联（FIA）允许使用推力动力，开启了一个新时代。

引领这一时代的是来自加利福尼亚州的克雷格·布里德洛夫（Craig Breedlove），他将一台战斗机喷气发动机安装在一个名为“美国精神号”（Spirit of America）的三轮底盘上，并在1963年的邦纳维尔（Bonneville）达到了407英里 / 小时，展示了未来的方向。由于当时不符合规定，该记录在当时未被认可。

当规定更改后，他与另一位年轻的挑战者阿特·阿方斯（Art Arfons）展开了一场扣人心弦的拉锯战。在1963年至1965年之间，他们多次交替刷新最快时间，阿方斯那辆命名极具特色的“绿色怪物”（Green Monster）与“美国精神号”展开较量，记录从略高于400英里 / 小时，一直到布里德洛夫在1965年11月将其提升至600.601英里 / 小时。

国际汽联（FIA）的文件中包含一封布里德洛夫发送的电报，确认了新记录，并指出这一次他的赛车确实有四个轮子。

本周，Green和JCB在平原上继续竞争以创造另一项记录。该团队的座右铭“永不满足”经受住了时间的考验，正如档案所恰当地证明的那样。“从事这项运动的人们受到钦佩，因为它是如此独特，只要你能梦到它，你就能制造它并驾驶它去比赛，”巴诺维茨说道。

◀ 比利时的卡米尔·杰纳齐（Camille Jenatzy）于1899年驾驶“永不满足号”（La Jamais Contente）率先突破100公里 / 小时大关 由 KENAGLY 提供

▶ 马尔科姆·坎贝尔（Malcolm Campbell）在1935年驾驶“蓝鸟号”（Blue Bird）突破300英里 / 小时后成为家喻户晓的人物 BILL SHIPLER / FIA

◀ 阿特·阿方斯（Art Arfons）于1965年在犹他州邦纳维尔平原驾驶他的“绿色怪物”创造了记录 FIA

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34

体育 网球 辛辛那提公开赛

德雷珀首轮出局后处于“困境”

Tumaini Carayol 辛辛那提

杰克·德雷珀（Jack Draper）目前正处于职业生涯最艰难的时期，而他在辛辛那提首场比赛的第一局就凸显出他目前仅存的极少自信心和自我信念。德雷珀在发球局开始时，正手击球直接飞向后方围栏，随后又连续出现两次双误。他立即被破发，且再未能挽回。

随后虽然出现了一些短暂的积极时刻，但这次糟糕的开局为这位前世界 No 4 又一个痛苦的一天奠定了基调，因为他无法摆脱因连续 15 个月（且仍在增加）与严重伤病作斗争而产生的精神疲劳。德雷珀以 3, 7-5 负于世界 No 64 的马丁·兰达卢塞（Martin Landaluce）。

“和上周一样，我通常能够为每一个球而战并掌控局面，但现在这种感觉消失了，”德雷珀说道。“上周之后，我付出了很多努力，希望本周能打得好一点。显然，环境以及我正在改变的所有事情都很难管理，但我想仅从内心角度来看，现在处于一个很困难的境地。”

上周在加拿大公开赛首轮失利后的最后阶段，德雷珀曾流泪。周三，这位 24 岁选手试图强颜欢笑并保持乐观，他将自己的情绪描述为对伤病（左臂骨挫伤）以及为了减轻手臂压力而做出的破坏性调整所带来的精神损耗的反应。这一次没有流泪，但在糟糕的第一盘，以及第二盘在 5-2, 领先两破的情况下浪费了 6 个盘点之后，德雷珀已不再是原来的自己。

他说：“从比赛开始，你就得与之苦战，试图在整场比赛中坚持下去并向前推进，试图……激发斗志并给自己能量，但它只会让你感到压抑。对我来说，这已经到了一个地步，它可能夺走了我最大的特质之一，那就是我的斗志。”

自温布尔登赛以来，德雷珀更换了球弦、球拍，并继续调整他的发球动作。所有这些改变都是为了减轻手臂的压力，而牺牲了性能的优化。尽管德雷珀表示他的伤病没有直接导致这次失利，但围绕其手臂状况的巨大不确定性仍然是核心问题。

与大多数伤病不同，这并非休息一段时间就能回归的情况。“我认为这是最困难的部分，”他说。“就像没有正确答案一样。你必须自己找出办法。最后我发现，很大程度上可能与生物力学和更换球拍有关。这是一个很棘手的伤病，因为你必须重新开始你的所有操作。”

“有一种慢性的疼痛一直伴随着你。那种感觉开始消失，但显然手臂与肘部相连。它与肱二头肌腱炎相关，与该区域周围的许多神经相关。所以当你那个区域受伤时，整个手臂就像被点亮了一样。就像有人在量血压一样，而你的手臂就在[挣扎]。”

“当这种情况发生在你的击球手臂上时。这就是我的生活，这就是我的职业生涯，你知道吗？从事如此高强度的运动，以及我们需要为此付出的心血，本身就已经足够艰难了。而当你面对一个难以克服且难以

▲ 杰克·德雷珀在第一局被破发且再未能挽回 DYLAN BUKLUGETTY IMAGES

理解的伤病时，会有很多挑战，很多障碍。对于普通人来说，他们可能会休息六个月，然后可能会恢复和痊愈。事实是我在打网球，所以这不像请假休息就能解决那么简单，因为那样行不通。我尝试过了。”

未来还有更多的不确定性。由于他的排名是 No 143

且没有受保护排名，德雷珀一直依赖外卡进入 ATP 赛事。

他并不指望能获得美网的外卡，这意味着他必须参加资格赛抽签才能在纽约参赛。“我认为这是长期遭受挫折、挣扎、孤立以及一直试图回归所带来的疲惫感。我跌落的程度，以及我在网球技术上必须做出改变的幅度。是的，这座大山看起来非常、非常高。”

高尔夫美联联邦快递圣朱德锦标赛

麦克罗伊末段失手，在孟菲斯苦苦挣扎

Jim van Wijk

罗里·麦克罗伊在孟菲斯举行的联邦快递圣朱德锦标赛（FedEx St Jude Championship）首轮比赛中，在末段出现了一系列代价沉重的博基（bogey），导致成绩下滑至高于标准杆4杆。

这位北爱尔兰选手此前一直旨在进入PGA巡回赛季后赛前重建势头，因为他在4月成功卫冕大师赛冠军后，经历了一段时间令人失望的成绩——其中包括在皇家比克代尔举行的英国公开赛中并列第40名。

目前在联邦快递杯（FedExCup）排名第12位的麦克罗伊，在重返去年缺席的TPC Southwind球场时，与世界第一斯科蒂·舍夫勒（Scottie Scheffler）被分在同一组备受瞩目的配对中。

他在标准杆5杆的第3洞打出博基，但很快在标准杆3杆的第4洞通过抓鸟（birdie）挽回，随后在第8洞再次丢杆，导致他在进入后九洞时处于高于标准杆1杆。

麦克罗伊在第11洞推进了一个15英尺的抓鸟推杆，但第16洞的一次发球击球向右偏离，导致再次出现博基。他在第17洞的第二杆球在果岭外弹开并滚向观众席，这意味着他必须在掉球后最终用5杆完赛。

在第18洞，情况并未好转，麦克罗伊的发球击球落入水池，随后的近距离进攻球又未能触及果岭，导致双博基（double bogey），全场成绩为74杆。

舍夫勒在3M公开赛获得亚军后首次回归赛场，他以低于标准杆2杆完赛，唯一的博基出现在第15洞。他说：“我觉得我的铁杆击球质量很高。我觉得自己就处于一个好状态的边缘。”

美国三人组迈克尔·索比约恩森（Michael Thorbjornsen）、库尔特·基塔山（Kurt Kitayama）和乔丹·斯皮思（Jordan Spieth）以低于标准杆5杆暂时领跑。英格兰的汤米·弗利特伍德（Tommy Fleetwood）以66, 杆紧随其后，落后一杆，其中在第3洞打出了老鹰球（eagle）。

然而，苏格兰的罗伯特·麦金泰尔（Robert MacIntyre）的首轮表现令人失望，因出现四个双博基，最终成绩为高于标准杆12杆。

在其他方面，据报道，LIV Golf正准备迎接乔恩·拉姆（Jon Rahm）的即将离队。随着LIV Golf在失去沙特资金支持的情况下努力维持生存，《电报》报道称，联赛消息人士对于拉姆在本月下旬赛季结束时离队的事实“几乎已认命”。 Agencies

足球简讯

凯尔特人

奥尼尔回归工作且“感觉好多了”

凯尔特人主教练马丁·奥尼尔（Martin O'Neill）在回归工作后通报了他的健康好消息。这位74岁的教练在接受俱乐部“Celtic Player”频道采访时，迅速回应了他的医疗状况。一周前，他在接受俱乐部称之为“小手术”的治疗后在医院住了一晚。奥尼尔在周日凯尔特人5-1战胜基尔马诺克（Kilmarnock）的比赛中缺席。当被问及感觉如何时，这位前爱尔兰共和国队主教练表示：“无论如何，比上周好多了。是的，不幸的是，几种小病凑在了一起，但我正在好转。” 此外，从帕德博恩（Paderborn）加盟凯尔特人的米卡·鲍尔（Mika Baur）表达了赢得奖杯的意愿。这位22岁的德国中场球员签署了一份为期四年的合同，并附带一年续约选项。 PA Media

莱斯特城

据报道，狐狸城老板正试图出售俱乐部

据报道，莱斯特城的股东正寻求出售俱乐部。这支曾在2016年赢得英超冠军的“狐狸城”球队在上一赛季掉入了英甲联赛，原因是他们在违反英格兰足球联盟（EFL）利润与可持续性规则后被扣除6分。BBC体育的一篇报道称，莱斯特城已委托一家领先的美国投资银行协助寻找买家，据称俱乐部资产估值超过2 亿英镑m。莱斯特城拒绝置评。 PA Media

Officials

阿尔坦表示，超级杯的角色就是我的世界杯

索马里裁判奥马尔·阿尔坦（Omar Artan）将执裁欧足联超级杯描述为他的“世界杯”。这位34岁的裁判此前因被拒绝进入美国而失去了在世界杯正赛执裁的机会。尽管他是国际足联（Fifa）为该赛事选定的裁判组员，但在抵达迈阿密时仍被遣返。欧足联在X平台发布的一张照片显示，在周三比赛的比赛球上，阿尔坦写道：“这就是我的世界杯。”法新社（AFP）

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体育 足球

19

尽管输给巴黎圣日耳曼（PSG），但在超级杯中的出色表现证明了俱乐部为何对这位高大青少年的注册如此耐心

本·费舍尔（Ben Fisher） 萨尔茨堡

起初是惯常的庆祝：灿烂的笑容、喉咙深处的呐喊、挥拳向天，队友们迅速围上来表示祝贺。但随后，17岁的布赖恩·马乔（Brian Madjo）开始了真正的庆祝。在一次令人难忘的首秀中，他在第45分钟打入了他在阿斯顿维拉的首粒进球，随后这位青少年将双手在背后交叠，然后以他在球场上展现的那种力量将其分开。“没有干扰，我自由了，”在终于获准在正式比赛中身披维拉球衣后，他在Instagram上这样发布道。

在体育仲裁法院（Cas）确认维持维拉注册这位身高6英尺4英寸前锋的上诉后，“马乔运动”开始加速。约翰·麦金（John McGinn）和阿马杜·奥纳纳（Amadou Onana）在俱乐部于社交媒体分享该消息后，通过发布“#freemadjo”做出回应。在马乔于萨尔茨堡的失利之战中大放异彩后，麦金暗示了这段痛苦且漫长的等待期。维拉队长表示：“布赖恩经历了一年糟糕的时光。一名出生在英格兰的球员应该能够在英格兰比赛。他有潜力成为一名不可思议的前锋，而他证明了这一点。”

对于马乔来说，这是经过八个月准备而来的时刻。推动从梅斯（Metz）以1000 万英镑m签下他的乌奈·埃梅里（Unai Emery）一直渴望在上赛季末将其启用。近几个月来，工作人员明显感觉到，由于埃梅里对马乔如此欣赏，这位前锋不太可能像维拉许多其他青少年球员那样被外租。毕竟，马乔是以一线队球员身份签约的，在埃梅里要求其首席球探阿尔贝托·贝尼托（Alberto Benito）亲自在梅斯考察马乔后，他在17岁生日当天加盟；去年8月，他在16岁217天时完成了法甲联赛首秀。

周三晚上在萨尔茨堡的红牛竞技场，人们很容易看出埃梅里为何如此看好这位令人敬畏的前锋，他于去年9月完成了英格兰U-17国家队首秀。面对巴黎圣日耳曼，他不可能表现得完美无缺，但在那个夜晚，他撕开了当今足坛最顶尖的中后卫搭档之一的防线。马乔的原始力量和进攻本能确保了马尔基尼奥斯（Marquinhos）和威廉·帕乔（Willian Pacho）经历了一场苦战。

泰伦·明斯（Tyrone Mings）在训练中对此深有体会。明斯说：“他是一个很难防守的人。我想他大约100公斤 [15st 10lb] ——他是个大块头。他的上限很高。面对他比赛非常、非常困难，我只希望这个进球能给他带来信心，让他能继续为球队做出贡献。”

“他显然在能够上场之前必须非常有耐心，所以我认为这充分说明了他的性格。显然，他在心理上能够应对挫折。他错过了几次机会，但打进了其中最难的一个。他是个很棒的小伙子。我想你可以看到他进球时所有人的反应。”

“他必须在能够上场之前保持耐心，所以我认为这充分说明了他的性格”

马乔的一些接球掩护表现出色，他强大的力量在顶住帕乔后，果断地在后点凌空抽射破门，打破了帕特里克·克鲁伊维特（Patrick Kluivert）保持30年的纪录，成为超级杯历史上最年轻的进球者。大约60秒前，他曾像推土机一样撞开帕乔，为埃米·布恩迪亚（Emi Buendia）在巴黎圣日耳曼门前创造机会。

如果维拉的支持者认为这段情节似曾相识，那是因为上周在对阵泰国超级联赛球队巴吞联（BG Pathum United）的比赛中，一名对方后卫也遭遇了类似的命运。当麦金（McGinn）击中横梁，球弹到六码区边缘时，该后卫试图将马乔（Madjo）撞开以抢夺掉球，结果却是马乔掌控了球权，而该后卫则四肢着地。

直到上周，马乔一直无法代表维拉出战，因为国际足联（Fifa）的规定将这位 1 月份以 1000 万英镑 转会而来的梅斯球员视为“国际未成年人”转会。他在卢森堡长大，并曾代表卢森堡参加友谊赛，但他出生在伦敦北部的恩菲尔德，父母是喀麦隆人。他的父亲盖伊（Guy）曾效力于普利茅斯和什鲁斯伯里等多支球队。明格斯（Mings）认为，观看奥利·沃特金斯（Ollie Watkins）的视频对他适应环境有所帮助，沃特金斯在过去六个赛季中每个赛季的进球数都达到了两位数，并在经过长时间休息后将于本周恢复训练。

“我认为教练非常看重我们在没有球时的表现，可能比有球时的表现更看重，”明格斯说。“奥利是一个非常值得学习的人，因为他的工作率以及他为球队带来的贡献。他身边还有塔米 [亚伯拉罕]（Tammy [Abraham]）——他身边拥有两名经验非常丰富的前锋。我相信他会学到很多。”

“在[比赛前]的最后 24 小时里，我就他即将面对的情况和经验与他聊了几次。他说他当然很紧张。他才 17 岁，而且这是一场巨大的比赛。但我告诉他：‘作为一名前锋，你拥有一个绝佳的机会，只要有一个高光时刻，就能改变你的一切。’我很高兴他在错失几次机会后打进了那个进球。他是个非常谦逊的孩子。”

在对阵巴黎圣日耳曼（PSG）的比赛中，马乔在第 72 分钟离场，赢得了维拉客场支持者的起立鼓掌；27 次触球，6 次射门，一次令人难忘的击球。

这对马乔来说是相当精彩的几周——直到周三，切尔西的若昂·佩德罗（João Pedro）是季前赛中唯一一个进球数超过他的英超球员——现在他将尝试在 5 个进球的基础上继续增加。

维拉于昨天中午飞往杜塞尔多夫，准备明天与门兴格拉德巴赫（Borussia Mönchengladbach）进行最后一场友谊赛，随后将前往布莱顿参加下下周日的首场联赛。感觉这仅仅是马乔的开始。“他太出色了，”维拉后卫马蒂·卡什（Matty Cash）说。“整个季前赛，他都敢于身体对抗并攻入进球。”

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16

体育 足球

因性虐待被禁赛的教练仍在指导青少年球员

Ed Aarons Romain Molina

《卫报》披露，一名在刚果民主共和国的教练在 2023 年 3 月因性虐待未成年人被国际足联（Fifa）禁赛 20 年，但目前仍继续执教青少年球员。

乔纳森·布卡巴夸（Jonathan Bukabakwa）被人们称为“梅西”，此前曾在林波波（Limpopo）和马拉博（Malabo）地区执教青年队。在国际足联的一项调查认定其性虐待罪名成立后，他还被处以 100,000 瑞士法郎（€91,000）的罚款。他此前还被刚果民主共和国当局判定犯有类似罪行，但已于去年出狱。

《卫报》看到了几段布卡巴夸在埃斯佩兰托（Esperanto）指导一群青少年球员的视频，该俱乐部位于刚果首都金沙萨的利梅特（Limete）区。多名当地消息人士证实，经常有人看到他在学校操场上带领球队。一名不愿透露姓名的消息人士表示：“梅西？他还在执教，你可以很容易地遇到他和他的球队。他并不躲藏。”

▲ 刚果民主共和国的消息人士称，被禁赛的教练出现在学校操场上

埃斯佩兰托俱乐部未回应置评请求，但布卡巴夸在接受《卫报》联系时，并未否认自己仍在执教青少年球员，甚至声称他不知道自己被国际足联禁赛了。“他们从未告诉我任何事情，”他说，“他们从未审问过我，也没有给我发送过任何通知。”他否认了相关指控。

国际足联未回应《卫报》的置评请求。在 2023 年宣布禁赛布卡巴夸的声明中，国际足联表示，该决定是“根据国际足联对足球领域所有形式虐待行为的零容忍原则”做出的。

此案再次凸显了国际足联在保护机制方面的严重缺陷。据了解，

在收到《卫报》联系后，刚果足球协会（Fecofa）主席韦龙·莫森戈-翁巴（Véron Mosengo-Omba）已传唤布卡巴夸和埃斯佩兰托俱乐部主席在周一进行会面。他在一份声明中表示：“我们对这类行为零容忍。我们将惩罚任何参与此类行为的人。”

在 2022 年 11 月出现广泛性虐待指控后，布卡巴夸被临时停职。他和其他五名教练被刚果足球协会临时停职，其中包括东加·埃帕帕·塞德里克（Donga Epapa Cédric），后者因涉嫌要求一名球员发送其阴茎照片而被其俱乐部 JMK 解雇。在随后的调查中，由于缺乏证明证据，所有涉事人员均被判定无罪，刚果足球协会或国际足联未对其或任何其他教练采取进一步行动。塞德里克此前否认了相关指控。

莫森戈-翁巴在两个月前辞去非洲足球联合会秘书长一职，并于 5 月当选为刚果足球协会主席，他承诺在重新建立纪律委员会后，将对之前的案件进行调查。

他说：“我们将确保任何有此类行为的人都无法在这个国家的足球界立足。”

卡里克承认曼联必须限制支出

● 接后页

需要更多，我们一直在寻找实现这一目标的方法，所以这从未停止。”

拉什福德在世界杯后的假期结束后，于周日加入了球队在基尔代尔郡训练营基地的集训。由于与俱乐部高层以及前曼联主教练鲁本·阿莫林的关系破裂，这位 28 岁的球员在过去一个半赛季中分别被租借至巴塞罗那和阿斯顿维拉。

目前关系已有所缓和，拉什福德专注于在卡里克的指导下工作，尽管球员本人的意愿是离开。俱乐部由于寻求降低工资单，也持有相同想法。该前锋合同最后两年的价值为 3500万英镑。

当被问及拉什福德是否会在 9 月 1 日截止日期后留队时，卡里克表示：“他是我们的球员，而且训练得非常好。很高兴能让他再次回到团队中。”

主教练被问及是否希望拉什福德留队。他说：“马库斯是一名非常优秀的球员，如果你要从事 10 或 15 年以上的职业生涯，总会有一些时候事情朝着某个方向发展，或者可能朝着不同的方向发展。有起有伏，但这不能将其视为一种一次性的[状态]。重要的是随着时间推移发生了什么，现在我们作为一个团队处于积极的状态，马库斯能为我们提供很多帮助。他曾经做到了，而且他能再次做到，所以这相当令人兴奋。”

当被问及卡里克是否认为拉什福德不可出售时，他表示：“不，他是我们的球员，他在团队中能提供一些略有不同的东西。”

哈里·马古亚尔、努赛尔·马兹拉维和蒂莱曼斯都表示曼联能够赢得冠军。卡里克说：“我们绝对有潜力取得一些真正特别的成就。我并不回避这个事实，我们也应该以这个为目标，但我不能给你一个肯定的答案——这确实是我们努力追求的目标，因为这就是我们的俱乐部。”

“我们处于积极的状态，马库斯能提供很多帮助”

迈克尔·卡里克 曼联主教练

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8

▼ 基兰·特里皮尔为狼队阵容带来宝贵经验 伍尔弗汉普顿流浪者

“英冠联赛是残酷的……这将是一场艰苦的挑战”

基兰·特里皮尔（Kieran Trippier）解释了他决定降级加盟伍尔弗汉普顿流浪者（Wolves）的原因，以及他如何应对罗布·爱德华兹（Rob Edwards）离职一事。

本·费舍尔（Ben Fisher）

当那个不可避免的问题被提起时，基兰·特里皮尔很乐意澄清事实。他刚结束训练，全身穿着伍尔弗汉普顿流浪者的装备——背心、短裤和俱乐部品牌的拖鞋——走进他们位于康普顿公园（Compton Park）基地的套房。对话很快转向了一件令支持者震惊、让外界措手不及的事件：在特里皮尔签约三天后，他曾提到是促使他决定降入第二级别联赛的重要驱动因素的主教练罗布·爱德华兹被解雇了。与此同时，关于其继任者塞萨尔·佩肖托（César Peixoto）的交易正在加速推进。

“我不会坐在这里撒谎，我没预料到这件事，”特里皮尔说，“但这是俱乐部的决定。当然，我和罗布进行过很好的交流，但我来到这里是为了给伍尔弗汉普顿流浪者效力。足球世界里有很多意外，这绝对是一个意外，我不否认。但我只是继续前行，当时我正和孩子们在马略卡岛度假，在那里训练，并期待着季前训练的 day 1。”

在这一重磅消息之后，出现了其他报道。“我全都读到了：说我想撕毁合同，以及所有这些胡言乱语。我当时只是期待着回到伍尔弗汉普顿流浪者报道。老实说，我根本不知道这种‘我想撕毁合同’的说法是从哪里来的——这绝对不是我说的，否则你们会直接听到我这么说，这就是我的为人。”

这种直率的性格深受人们喜爱，使他在所到之处都大受欢迎。在埃迪·豪（Eddie Howe）的带领下，他在纽卡斯尔联的崛起中发挥了关键作用，并于上赛季末离开。他曾在迭戈·西蒙尼（Diego Simeone）率领的马德里竞技度过了三个赛季并赢得了西甲冠军，此前在毛里西奥·波切蒂诺（Mauricio Pochettino）率领的热刺度过了四个赛季，并最终进入了欧冠决赛。他代表英格兰参加了四次重大赛事，在通往 2024 年欧洲杯决赛的每场比赛中均有出场。

现在，他自 12 年前随伯恩利升级后首次回到第二级别联赛，准备在今天对阵布莱克本的英冠揭幕战中为伍尔弗汉普顿流浪者出战。他承认这并非一个自然的过渡。去年 9 月，他是在圣詹姆斯公园球场迎接巴塞罗那，而今年 10 月，波尔顿将来到莫利纽球场。

“我不觉得去英冠有什么可耻的，因为我在那里踢了很多年球，”特里皮尔在回忆他初次接触该级别联赛的经历时说道：当时他还是巴恩斯利的一名青少年，与达伦·摩尔（Darren Moore）一起防守。“我和埃迪·豪以及罗斯·威尔逊（Ross Wilson，纽卡斯尔联体育总监）进行了一次深入交谈，并在赛季末决定我想尝试一些新东西。有几家（感兴趣的）俱乐部，但对我来说，能靠近我的孩子们很重要。”

将曼彻斯特视为家园的特里皮尔深知这个残酷的联赛意味着什么。他回忆起在 2012-13, 赛季倒数第二场比赛中，他所在的伯恩利队在客场 2-1 击败伍尔弗汉普顿流浪者，消除了降级的阴影，并几乎将伍尔弗汉普顿流浪者判定为降入英甲。 “我一直在和队友们沟通，因为他们中的大多数人从未在英冠踢过球，所以对我以及那些必须帮助他们并试图让他们明白这将是一场艰苦挑战的球员来说，这很重要。”

“我只是告诉他们：这是残酷的，因为事实确实如此……而且它与英超完全不同。去林肯客场比赛将是一场艰苦的比赛，但汤米（Tommy Doyle）和亚当（Adam Armstrong）他们都是很棒的球员，他们听取了我的建议。球员们会准备就绪的。”

这是特里皮尔在以一份两年合同（并包含可延长12个月的选项）加盟伍尔弗汉普顿之后，首次接受外部采访。在签约之前，他与多伊尔、科诺·科迪、约翰·鲁迪以及萨姆·约翰斯通在土耳其度假，期间他征询了这些人的意见，以深入了解“俱乐部的内部情况”。在安德烈承诺效忠俱乐部一个月后，以及劳尔·希门尼斯在特里皮尔加盟带来的乐观氛围基础上回归48小时后，爱德华兹突然离职，这件事值得讨论，但这位边后卫在多个方面都有发言权，包括豪在执教四年半后的离职。

“我不说谎，我没预料到[罗布·爱德华兹被解雇]。但这是俱乐部的决定”

“他帮助俱乐部留在了英超，两次获得欧冠资格，赢得了一座奖杯，但最重要的是，他重新建立了支持者与球队之间的联系。在[沙特阿拉伯主导的]收购之前，有人告诉我那里不是个好地方——球迷反对所有者、董事会等等——但当新所有者和主教练到来时，他[豪]将所有人联系在了一起，就像加雷斯·索斯盖特之于英格兰那样。”

豪留下的遗产是否值得一座雕像？“他赢得了一座奖杯，不是吗？”特里皮尔微笑着说，“但这不由我决定……那次游行太不可思议了，主教练的大横幅展示了支持者对他当时的爱，以及现在依然拥有的爱。我刚去那里的时候，那里是个艰难的[比赛之地]，尤其是在被剑桥[在足总杯第三轮]击败之后，但也许那其实是一种福气，这样我们就能专注于[留在]英超……他一定会被载入那里的历史，毫无疑问。看到他离开我很难过。”

接着是英格兰在世界杯半决赛中对阵阿根廷时的崩盘，当时他们的低位防守在比赛后期瓦解。“我和西蒙尼在一起时多次处于那种局面——我可以列举出30场他这么做且我们成功撑到最后的比赛。他是‘黑暗艺术’和掌控比赛收尾的大师。托马斯·图赫尔也多次处于那种局面，曾带领切尔西赢得欧冠奖杯，在拜仁慕尼黑的表现也令人难以置信……但这次就是没成功。我们面对的是史上最伟大的球员之一，他能瞬间改变局面，”特里皮尔在谈到利昂内尔·梅西时说道。“我多次与他交手，他可能在60分钟里只是在散步，但随后他能上演帽子戏法。这就是他的魔力。”

佩肖托对大多数人来说是个陌生名字，但特里皮尔说，在这位46岁且上赛季执教吉尔维森特的葡萄牙人接替爱德华兹之前，他就知道对方的资历。佩肖托的英语水平意味着特里皮尔不需要用西班牙语来交流。“以前在马德里，邮递员来的时候，我通常让我儿子去接，因为他英语流利，”特里皮尔笑着说。

那么，佩肖托是个什么样的人？“要求非常严格。坦诚。在训练场上他全速运转，简直疯了——是以一种积极的方式——但他要求非常严格，我认为这就是我们球员所需要的。他非常严苛，像波切蒂诺和西蒙尼那样。他有自己的规矩：不要破坏他的信任，不要迟到。这么说吧，我不想成为他讨厌的人。”

特里皮尔将在九月年满36岁，是马特乌斯·马内的两倍年龄。马内是一个令人兴奋的天才，特里皮尔上赛季在纽卡斯尔盯防他时亲眼见证了他的才华，而马内正是伍尔弗汉普顿希望能够照亮一个积极赛季的球员之一。“我觉得状态很好，可能处于多年来的最佳状态。我不像以前那么快了，但我的大脑反应很快，”特里皮尔敲了敲太阳穴说道。“我觉得我的油箱里还剩下很多年可以使用。”

对于伍尔弗汉普顿来说，签下他是件幸事。“这和我去纽卡斯尔、离开马德里竞技时很像……当时很多人表示质疑，但在我的整个职业生涯中，我从未后悔。”

作为佩肖托领导小组的一员，特里皮尔承认他及其队友在开启新赛季时将成为众矢之的。“在进入布莱克本的比赛时，所有的目光都会集中在我们身上，”他说。

“当球队降级时，每个人都想击败他们。伍尔弗汉普顿去年很艰难，但这个赛季就像是一次重启。现实是我们现在处于英冠联赛，所以你必须忘记发生过的事情，保持积极。我们的目标必须是直接升级。”

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体育 欧洲田径锦标赛

亨特斩获短跑双冠，英格利什为爱尔兰赢得历史性金牌

短跑名将在夺得100米冠军后又摘得200米桂冠；爱尔兰庆祝首枚男子欧洲冠军金牌

肖恩·英格尔（Sean Ingle） 亚历山大体育场

两项已成，尚余两项。在喧闹的亚历山大体育场观众面前，艾米·亨特（Amy Hunt）凭借一场精彩绝伦的表现，进一步推进了她在单届欧洲锦标赛上赢得创纪录四枚金牌的梦想。

当亨特在第七道亮相时，现场20,082名观众为她发出了巨大的欢呼，这是迄今为止本届锦标赛最高的人数。但她必须努力才能超越在第八道的国内竞争对手迪娜·阿舍-史密斯（Dina Asher-Smith）。

随后她开始出现体力不支的情况。但亨特仍有足够实力以22.19秒夺金，仅领先于冲刺强劲的爱尔兰选手拉西达特·阿德莱克（Rhasidat Adeleke），后者以22.28秒获得银牌，而阿舍-史密斯则落后0.01秒获得铜牌。

24岁的剑桥大学毕业生亨特在比赛当天通过玩《纽约时报》的益智游戏来放松，包括 Connections、Spelling Bee、Pips 和 Wordle。

但当需要表现时，亨特证明了她的腿速能与脑速一样快。现在她必须赢得女子 4x100 米接力赛和混合接力赛才能达成四金目标。

在时隔92年后，爱尔兰终于拥有了一位欧洲锦标赛男子金牌得主。他的名字叫英格利什——马克·英格利什（Mark English）。这位35岁的医生凭借精准的发挥夺得 800 米金牌，他在终点直道上紧跟并随后超越了克罗地亚选手马里诺·布卢德克（Marino Bloudek），最终以 1分 45.26秒夺冠。

布卢德克勉强维持排名获得银牌，西班牙的穆罕默德·阿塔维（Mohamed Attaoui）获得铜牌。在爱尔兰庞大的代表团庆祝之时，人们也对英国的马克斯·博金（Max Burgin）深感惋惜，他在热身时受伤，被迫在比赛前几分钟退出。

这对博金来说是糟糕的一个夏天，他在英联邦运动会上感染了病毒，未能闯出半决赛。

另一位英国竞争者埃莉斯·索纳（Elise Thorner）在 3,000 米障碍赛中也未能获得奖牌。这位 25 岁的选手在参加比赛前是 2026 年该距离欧洲最快的选手。然而，她最终仅获得第五名，落后于德国的格萨·费利西塔斯·克劳泽（Gesa Felicitas Krause）。

这场比赛的另一个看点是另一位德国选手莉亚·迈耶（Lea Meyer）在处于奖牌位置时，在水跳池中面部着地。虽然迈耶站了起来，但最终仅获得第四名。

“看到莉亚真的摔倒了很令人心碎，因为我很了解她，”索纳说。“她是一名了不起的运动员。看到那一幕很震惊，尝试恢复状态有点疯狂。但我跑 200 米后已经精疲力竭，无论如何都快撑不住了。”

德国队迎来了更多喜悦，利奥·诺伊格鲍尔（Leo Neugebauer）在冲线后瘫倒，但仍顶住压力，从同胞尼克拉斯·考尔（Niklas Kaul）手中夺得男子十项全能冠军。

他的得分 8,611 分以 38 分的优势胜出，尽管身高 6 英尺 7 英寸的诺伊格鲍尔在最后 50 米看起来像是在糖浆中艰难前行，随后在冲线时瘫倒。

但该项目在第二天早些时候的撑竿跳高赛中被异常场景所干扰，因为官员忘记将横杆从 4.70 米升高到 4.80 米。结果，运动员们认为自己尝试的是 4.80 米，而横杆实际上仍处于 4.70 米。

欧洲田径协会的一份声明称，“这次额外的 4.70 米轮次结果被取消，比赛在 4.80 米处恢复，所有运动员都有机会尝试该高度”。

在新闻密集的一天里，欧洲 5,000 米冠军雅各布·英格布里格森（Jakob Ingebrigtsen）批评英国的乔什·克尔（Josh Kerr）是那些通过缺席伯明翰赛事而“毁掉”这项运动的运动员之一。英格布里格森在远离赛场 11 个月后的首场比赛中夺得了一枚辉煌的金牌，他还告诉 BBC，他“绝不可能”将成绩置于冠军之上。

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欧锦赛今日赛程

早晨

10.35am 女子 100 米栏 (七项)

10.40am 女子标枪 (预赛)

10.50am 男子撑竿跳高 (预赛)

11.05am 男子 4x4 接力 (第一轮)

11.25am 女子跳高 (七项)

11.35am 女子 4x4 接力 (第一轮)

12.00pm 女子标枪 (预赛)

12.05pm 男子 1500 米障碍赛 (第一轮)

晚上

7.35pm 女子铅球（七项全能）

7.45pm 女子10,000米（决赛）

8.00pm 男子跳高（决赛）

8.30pm 女子铁饼（）

8.40pm 男子400米栏（）

8.55pm 女子200米（七项全能）

9.25pm 男子200m（）

9.46pm 女子800m（）

电视转播 BBC One, 10.30am;

BBC Two 7pm, BBC One, 8pm

◀ 艾米·亨特（Amy Hunt）在女子200米比赛中以22.19秒夺金，代表英国队获胜，将伊洛娜·阿舍-史密斯（Ilona Asher-Smith）甩在身后 ENNABEL LEE-ELLIS / PS

当被问及是否对克尔（Kerr）不在伯明翰参赛感到失望时，他补充道：“非常失望——我认为很多人都应该感到失望，因为这正是锦标赛的意义所在。”

“作为运动员，我们几乎不能选择在何处参赛。举办这些锦标赛是有原因的，那就是为了让最顶尖的运动员进行竞争——这才是核心所在。”

“所以我绝对认为，如果我们不参赛，这会毁掉这项运动。我们每个人都有不同的计划，但我永远无法想象自己处于那种境地。”

克尔在7月的伦敦钻石联赛中打破了1英里世界纪录，两周后赢得了英联邦冠军。然而，他选择退出欧洲锦标赛，称自己正处于受伤的“危险边缘”（flying close to the sun）。

不过，英格布里格森（Ingebrigtsen）称赞了克尔3:42.66的1英里世界纪录表现，称其为“一场极其出色的比赛”和“一次非常强有力的表现”。

但他也对克尔缺席此地的解释提出了质疑。“一切都取决于你想做什么。人们每天都要工作。并不是因为你是一名职业跑者，你就不能每天工作。”

霍奇金森的对手韦罗在意外摔倒后恢复800米参赛资格

肖恩·英格尔 (Sean Ingle)

亚历山大体育场

基莉·霍奇金森在欧洲800米金牌争夺战中最强劲的对手在昨日的第一场半决赛中被绊倒并摔出赛道，但随后戏剧性地获得了进入今日决赛的资格。

这意味着人们高度期待的巅峰对决依然在计划之中，参赛者包括：奥运金牌得主霍奇金森；22岁的瑞士超级新星奥德丽·韦罗（她在6月份跑出了历史第三快的时间）；以及荷兰选手费姆克·布鲁德斯-博尔，这位400米栏世界冠军在本赛季转战该项目。

但在韦罗严重摔倒后的50分钟左右，她能否参加决赛仍不确定，因为她以最后一名地步履蹒跚地冲线，官方结果显示她已被淘汰。

然而，在视频回放显示在距离终点120米处，她的右脚后部与法国运动员安娜伊斯·布尔古安的左手发生接触后，她被恢复了进入10人决赛的资格。

布尔古安手的触碰效果就像一次橄榄球的轻触擒抱，并引发了一连串非同寻常的事件。首先，韦罗无法将后腿跨出，最终面朝下摔在跑道上。随后，她的后腿绊到了立陶宛选手加比亚·加尔维迪特，后者也随之倒地。

“我当时有意识地选择尝试以中等速度掌控比赛，”韦罗说道。“跑在前面总是更安全，但今天存在风险；我能感觉到身后情况很混乱。摔倒可能在瞬间发生。我只擦伤了几处。当时我被撞得喘不过气来。”

当韦罗以2分 35.35秒最后一名冲线时，看起来她已经被淘汰了——直到她和加尔维迪特通过申诉恢复了资格。远在她之前的是英国选手杰玛·里基，她以1:58.61率先冲线，并在韦罗捂着胸口缓慢走过终点线时迅速安慰了她。

霍奇金森则没有遇到此类问题，她在另一场半决赛中以1:57.38夺冠，紧随其后的是布鲁德斯-博尔。

当被问及是否看到韦罗摔倒时，霍奇金森说：“我听到了‘噢！’的声音，这绝不是好兆头。我不知道当时看起来是什么样子。你不能担心发生在别人身上的事情。我希望她没事，并能参加决赛，带来一场精彩的比赛。”

她显然对自己的成绩感到欣慰，并期待着这场众人议论的比赛。“又是1:57，所以我很开心，”她说。“这种兴奋感让我激动。I can't wait to step out there. 我热爱挑战，我认为这能激发我最好的一面。所以，是的，希望明天会是一场非常精彩的比赛，一场干净的比赛，没有人摔倒。请不要有风。我要去咨询那位Etsy女巫，确保没有风。”

考虑到布鲁德斯-博尔在整个过程中表现得多么游刃有余，且成绩仅次于霍奇金森，绝对不能轻视她。

鉴于布鲁德斯-博尔的400米个人最好成绩是49.17秒（室内世界纪录），霍奇金森和韦罗都不希望决赛节奏过慢。这个成绩明显快于韦罗的个人最好成绩50.80，以及霍奇金森的51.14。

这位荷兰运动员也没有回避谈论自己的机会：“我转战800米的原因之一是我热爱比赛，而明天的决赛就是终极之战。”

当被问及人们讨论的是霍奇金森和韦罗而非她，这对她是否有利时，这位四次奥运及世界冠军开始微笑。

“是的，这感觉很不同，而且挺不错的，”她说。“我一直认为成为热门选手是一种特权，因为你知道自己在纸面上非常强大。但我感觉我从未睡得这么香，也从未如此放松。所以我认为这同样带来了优势。”

“我要去咨询那位Etsy女巫，确保没有风”

基莉·霍奇金森

英国队

▲ 基莉·霍奇金森将在今晚的决赛中与奥德丽·韦罗竞争

ADAM VADGHAN / EPA

体育简讯

拳击

沃伦对富里与约书亚的协议表示怀疑

弗兰克·沃伦（Frank Warren）暗示，如果无法就场地达成一致，泰森·富里（Tyson Fury）与安东尼·约书亚（Anthony Joshua）的重量级对决可能会被推迟。尽管举办地仍存在疑问，但昆斯伯里（Queensberry）的推广人沃伦依然有信心这场备受期待的比赛将按计划在11月举行。温布利球场最初是首选，直到出现关于开始时间的问题，而现在纽约的麦迪逊广场花园成为热门选择。约书亚的推广人埃迪·赫恩（Eddie Hearn）本周表示，如果比赛在美国举行，他们不会签署合同，且对此必须进行“讨论”。针对赫恩的言论，沃伦告诉 Box Nation：“泰森·富里拥有他的协议，其中规定了不同的内容。比赛将会举行。我已经听到了埃迪所说的话。他们要么同意，要么不同意。如果他们不同意，那么比赛就不会举行。” PA Media

游泳

诺瓦茨基在欧洲锦标赛200米蛙泳中夺冠

英国的菲利普·诺瓦茨基（Filip Nowacki）凭借出色的冲刺，在巴黎举行的欧洲水上运动锦标赛200米蛙泳中夺金。这位来自泽西岛的18岁选手曾在格拉斯哥获得英联邦运动会冠军，他以2分07.70秒的成绩触壁，紧领先于荷兰选手卡斯帕·科博（Caspar Corbeau，2:07.78）。奥地利的卢卡·姆拉德诺维奇（Luka Mladenovic，2:08.91）获得铜牌，英国的格雷戈里·巴特勒（Gregory Butler，2:09.45）排名第五。此外，劳伦·考克斯（Lauren Cox）在女子50米仰泳中以27.15秒的成绩获得铜牌。意大利的萨拉·柯蒂斯（Sara Curtis）以26.56秒打破了自己的世界纪录夺金，法国的玛丽-安布尔·莫卢（Mary-Ambre Moluh，27.06）获得银牌。 PA Media

▲ 菲利普·诺瓦茨基在英联邦运动会获胜后又增加了一枚欧洲冠军金牌

赛果

足球

欧罗巴联赛

第三轮资格赛：次回合

Hearts (0) 3 Boofica (0) 9 Magnison 77 (3) Lohobaiou 78 (3) 2-71

Rangers (1) 1 Jagiellonia Bialystock (0) 3 Shortland 7 (5pm) Protos 55 (3-2-2)

Anderlecht 1 PAOK 2 (2-2-4-2)；Boofica 1；Header: Kratlow 0 (2-2-7-0)；CSKA Sofia 1 Mascabi Tel-Aviv 3 (2-2-4-2)；Egoutas 1；Shamrock Rovers 1；Garniik Zubice 1；Ferens vanos 1 (2-2-1-2)；Dinonia 1 Lincoln Red Imps 0 (2-2-2-1)；Patos 1 RB Salzburg 3 (2-2-3-4)；Van Craioos 2 KUPL 1 (2-2-2-2)； Vilnagar 3 Thun 2 (2-2-3-5)

欧协联

Motherwell (0) 2 HJK (0) 0 Said 47 60 (2-2-3-1)

Dikondija (0) 0 Hibernian (0) 0

Austria Vienna L. Beitar Jerusalem 1.；DAC 1904 3 Twente 3 (2-2-7-9)；Dinamo City 1；Audra 1；Dinamo Minsk 0 Belga 0 (2-2-7-1)；Orda 1 The Ford 0 (2-2-7-1)；Flora 0 Inter 0 Pluralden 4 (2-2-6-6)；Gant 1；PA Golsburg 1 (2-2-7-1)； Gyeri 1 Riga 1 (2-2-7-2)；Hajduk Split 1；Zalgiris 1；Hammanty 0 Rakow Czechoslovak 1 (2-2-7-1)；Ives 1 Rijeka 1 (2-2-7-2)；Moltgland 1 Bohemian 2 (2-2-7-2)；W. Vitebsk 2 Borac 1 (set, 90 mins - 3-0; 2-2-2)。Borac won 4-2 on perch；Nordgalland 5 Valar 0 (2-2-7-0)；NS2 2 Leapers 2 (2-2-7-4)；Gjordega 2 Dynamo Kyiv 0 (2-2-7-1)；MTS 1 Jablonec 2 (2-2-7-4)；Shelbourne 2 Ajax 2 (2-2-5-5)； Sion 2 Noah 1 (2-2-4-5)；St Gallen 5 Slonff 1 (2-2-7-2)； Tobol Kostarog 1 Partizan Belgrade 2 (2-2-5-5)；Tromsø 2 CFR Cluj 1 (2-2-7-1)；Vaduz 2 Inter Turku 2 (2-2-4-4) CFR Cluj 1 (2-2-7-1)；Vaduz 2 Inter Turku 2 (2-2-4-4)

板球

男子首场测试赛 （五日赛之第一日）

Dorom Australia 150 (SPZ Smith 71; Hasan Mahmud 6-55) Bangladesh 90-1, Bangladesh 100 Australia 16 102 runs with nine first-innings wickets remaining.

世界杯联赛两场系列赛 Dunilin：Scotland 347-7 (BD Barrington 120, 8 McMullen 64; MH Cross 51ne; ZU Shroud 4-60)。Canada 177 (LJ Robertson 6-52)。Scotland best Canada by 170 runs.

联盟式橄榄球

退役超级联赛

Hull 69 28 Catalan 10; Leeds 16 Leigh 20; Warrington 30 York 10

田径

欧洲田径锦标赛（伯明翰）

女子三级跳远：1 D Derlach (IV) 14.60； 2 S Gunter (Ret) 14.46；3 A MacInnes (Bud) 14.40

女子 1800m Streptocchan：1 G Krause (Ger) 9:12.69； 2 A Frost (Fr) 9:14.24；3 D Garth (Ger) 9:15.33

男子掷圆盘：1 K Calt (Sw) 72.51； 2 M Atkins (Lit) 69.89；3 H Jamson () 69.53

男子十项全能：1 L Neugebauer () 86.11； 2 N Kaal () 85.71；3 S Stedmann (Ret) 84.03

男子台球：1 M English (Int) 1:45.26；

女子 200m：1 A Hunt (GB) 22.19；2 R Adeleke (Ire) 22.28；3 D Asher-Smith (GB) 22.29

网球

ATP 国家银行公开赛（加拿大，蒙特利尔）

半决赛：8 Sheldon (US) 16 L Tser (US) 6-2-6-3

WTA 国家银行公开赛（加拿大，多伦多）

半决赛：7 Sybalon (Sud) 16℃ Guoff (US) 5-7 6-2 6-2； 1 Swiatsk (Pol) 16 1 Switalina (Uk) 6-3 1-6 6-3

辛辛那提公开赛（俄亥俄州，武汉）

男子：第一轮：10 Landsbacs (Sp) 16 J Draper (GB) 6-3 7-5；C Burrie (GB) 16 D Prunov (Col) 3-6 6-1 6-4。

女子：第一轮：1 Townsend (US) v Churns (Col) 3-6 6-3 6-1；4 Kaldonia (Uk) 16 D Volhassova () 4-6 6-4 6-2； 3 Matherl (Sw) 16 P Marcious () 5-7 6-4 6-2；2 Sannoc (Tur) 16 D Kavalkina (Aus) 2-6 7-6 6(6-5)；1 R Kishimoto () 16℃ Burrie (Sw) 6-7 6-2；5 Russ (Rom) 16 M Lorette (Pol) 6-0 6-1；10 Frech (Pol) 16 A Ruce () 6-2 7-5； 1. Benson (Pr) 16 A Knapar (US) 6-3 6-2；7. Mertz () 16 D Yat

丹麦锦标赛（法国，Kortominsk）

首轮比分（除非另有说明，GB 6 tre）

837 Men (Fr) 66 0 Tiane (SA)；1 Barmgaard (Den)； 837 S Gant () 25 Leigh (Fin)；7 Laporta (R)； Ding W (Chi)；7 Celli (R)；68 0 Wenderger (Auk)；D Fritelli (SA)；0 Watson (US)；14 Mpasetti (Nor)；16 Jordan；J Dean；

赛程

足球（除非另有说明，均为晚上 7.45）

Sky Net 锦标赛

Wolves v Blackburn (晚上 8点)

Premier Sports 杯

第二轮 Kilmarnock v Ayr

Enterprise Westland 联赛体育

Dagenham & Reds Frankfurt (晚上 8点)

板球（除非另有说明，均为上午 11点）

第五届男子公开赛（Sky 国际赛）

芬兰 v 阿富汗，贝尔法斯特 (上午 10.45)

Monsa Bank (Non-Sw) 杯 (Nov)

四分之一决赛 Lancashire v Durham，老特拉福德； Tuckahoe v Nottinghamshire，约克

国家赢家赛

淘汰赛 Leeds v Southern Brave，椭圆球场 (下午 2.15)

橄榄球联盟

Belfond 超级联赛 Hull FC v Carlsford (晚上 8点)

Greg Wood 的赛马预测

Vannasch 2.03 Meton 2.38 Rock Montreal 3.13 Arcturus Flame 3.48 Lethanshepesi 4.25 Rumble Ruby 5.00 Motor Sandman

Epsom 2.48 Creek Symphony 3.23 Tanay Lane 4.00 Sankyomandiband 4.38 Huwiagabeau 5.13 Labitzky 5.48 Cyn Front

Monterey 5.00 Rainbow 5.25 King High 4.10 Sweetwonderfulyou 4.45 Everfall 5.23 Eriotown 5.58 Cyn Line

Honecarker 5.18 Royal Instinct 5.53 Gofing The Lily 6.27 The Sweet Escape 7.02 Zingya Candor (sad) 7.37 Cnupent 8.10 Air Bristair Fellin

Thinck 5.33 Final Objective 6.08 National Honour 6.43 Our Advent Friends (All) 7.18 Return Of The Gods 7.50 Miss Willows 8.20 Halsheide

---

Madjo 热潮 青少年在惊艳的 超级杯表现后 大受欢迎

第 39 页 →

Keely 的对决 在 800 米比赛中 虽落后但未出局 ——因此重大对决仍在继续

第 43 页 →

体育

ALEX LYNDE / COROTOR ATALETICI VIA GETTY IMAGES

梦剧场资金告罄？

卡里克承认曼联无法负担 一名1 亿英镑m的球员

杰米·杰克逊（Jamie Jackson） 基尔代尔郡

迈克尔·卡里克（Michael Carrick）表示，由于财务原因，曼彻斯特联今夏不会签下身价1 亿英镑m的球员。同时，这位主教练坚称马库斯·拉什福德（Marcus Rashford）“是我们的球员”，尽管该前锋和俱乐部都希望他离队。

在当前的转会窗口中，曼联在尤里·蒂勒曼斯（Youri Tielemans）和安德烈·桑托斯（Andrey Santos）身上共花费了8500 万英镑m，但从未在单次转会中花费1 亿英镑m。

这与曼彻斯特城、托特纳姆热刺、利物浦、阿森纳和切尔西——即传统“六强”中的其他球队——形成对比，后者在近年来都曾为一名球员花费1 亿英镑m-plus。

当被问及曼联如何竞争时，卡里克说：“钱就是钱，我明白这一点。但关键仍然在于足球，竞争就在于此。我们作为一个整体自然而然的感觉就是尝试赢得比赛。所以其中涉及很多因素，但目前的状况确实如此，无论是财务还是其他方面。”

卡里克在上赛季带领曼联获得第三名，他被问及为什么获得欧冠资格带来的资金不能投资于昂贵的顶尖球员。

“老实说，我没有这个答案。我们正努力利用一切可能的方式来使其发挥最大效用，”他说。“目前，我们必须充分利用现有资源，在每一个可能的界限内全力以赴，基本上是为了能够再次获胜。”

这位45-year-old的主教练被问到，如果没有身价1 亿英镑m或以上的球员在阵中，曼联是否能赢得冠军。

卡里克表示：“这在一定程度上取决于是什么位置，以及你拥有什么，以及在某些时间点所需的动态。如果球员合适，有时你确实需要这样的球员。再次强调，这不仅仅是钱的问题。显然，随着时间的推移，我们需要努力寻求增强阵容。所以，是的，100%我们需要这样做。

我们已经完成了一些非常不错的交易。因此我们对此感到高兴，[但]我们想要更多，我们

尽管曼城拒绝报价

罗德里接近加盟 巴塞罗那

杰米·杰克逊（Jamie Jackson）

曼彻斯特城拒绝了巴塞罗那针对罗德里（Rodri）提出的约6000万欧元 (5100 万英镑m) 的第二次报价。

周二，巴萨提高了最初€45m的报价，但仍被拒绝。据认为，曼城希望罗德里的身价在6000 万英镑m和6500 万英镑m之间。罗德里曾率领西班牙队在世界杯夺冠，且曾获得金球奖。

由于这位30-year-old的球员已表达了加盟巴萨的意愿，曼城接受他前往诺坎普球场几乎不可避免，因此切尔西的恩佐·费尔南德斯（Enzo Fernández）被视为填补恩佐·马雷斯卡（Enzo Maresca）阵容空缺的潜在替代者。

不过，切尔西设定了今天下午5点的截止日期，要求曼城为这名阿根廷中场出价1.2 亿英镑m。

作为切尔西队长以及2022, 卡塔尔世界杯冠军，费尔南德斯将增加球队的资历和领导力。然而，切尔西的立场是，由于曼城和其他追求者已经有了两个月的转会窗口时间来确认对费尔南德斯的兴趣，如果今天没有正式报价达到1.2 亿英镑m的估值，这位25-year-old的球员将继续留在队中。

为了筹集部分所需资金，蒂贾尼·赖因德斯（Tijjani Reijnders）可能会被出售给阿尔卡迪亚（Al-Qadsiah）。曼城与这家沙特阿拉伯俱乐部已就这位去年夏天加盟的28-year-old荷兰人达成协议，方案价值约6000万欧元。据了解，赖因德斯已就个人条款达成一致。

杰雷米·多库（Jérémy Doku）签署了续约合同，将使他留在曼城直到2031.。这位24-year-old的小将表示：“现在有了恩佐（马雷斯卡），我对新赛季感到非常兴奋。他的足球风格是我们所热爱的，所以这对球员来说很令人兴奋。

曼城球迷也是我签署这份新合同的一个重要原因。我感受到了他们的爱与支持，这对我有至关重要的意义。”

▲ 罗德里已表示希望在今夏加盟巴塞罗那

Imelda Staunton 'I'm still trying to cope with being made a dame'

Film & Music

The Guardian

Universities fear financial turmoil amid slump in overseas students

Richard Adams Rowena Mason

University leaders are warning of financial turmoil in Britain's higher education system after new figures suggested a collapse in international student numbers would deprive the sector of vital income and undermine its future.

The sector's leaders called on the government to rethink the levy on international student fees imposed under Keir Starmer, as a former universities minister warned there was a risk of a university "going under" because of the financial crisis.

While UK sixth-formers enjoyed improved A-level results, and a record 194,800 English 18-year-olds were accepted by their first choice

of university, vice-chancellors who spoke to the Guardian said it would not be enough to stave off further erosion in staff numbers and courses.

Figures published by the Home Office show student visa applications to the end of July fell 11% compared with the previous year.

With summer visa applications coming before the start of the academic year in autumn, the gloomy

'It's not just worrying for universities - it's not good news for the UK as a whole'

Libby Hackett Head of Russell Group

figures mean many British universities will experience significant losses if the trend continues, with some fearing international enrolments dropping by 30%.

Prof Shitij Kapur, the vice-chancellor of King's College London, said the fall in international student numbers was "in line with the pessimistic expectations" and may also reflect a drop in

Temperatures hit 38.1C as fifth heatwave peaks

Sandra Laville Ajit Niranjan

The UK recorded its hottest day of the year yesterday, with a provisional temperature of 38.1C (100.6F) in southern England as Europe sweltered under a major heat dome.

As temperatures on the continent

approached 40C at the peak of the summer's fifth heatwave, the thermometer at Kew Gardens in west London surpassed the previous high of 38C on 28 June, the Met Office said.

In the West Midlands, firefighters were attempting to contain a grassfire covering 16 hectares (40 acres) that had set six homes ablaze in "apocalyptic scenes".

▲ Team GB's Morgan Lake shelters from intense heat at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham PHOTOGRAPH: TOLGA AKMEN/EPA

PM angry as water firms add £3.4bn to bills

Jillian Ambrose Rowena Mason

Andy Burnham has said he is angry with water companies for treating customers as a "bottomless source of funding" after more than a dozen firms were given approval to raise bills again.

The prime minister said they must not be allowed to treat billpayers like a "blank cheque", after Ofwat, the regulator, approved proposals for billions of pounds of spending on repairs and infrastructure.

Five companies - Southern Water, Thames Water, Severn Trent, Wessex Water and South East Water - will be allowed to increase bills more than originally planned before the end of the decade to allow for the extra spending. The remainder will add the costs to bills in the 2030s.

Burnham's comments are an escalation of his warnings that he is looking at options for more public control over water companies, which are under fire for paying millions in dividends while failing to deal adequately

---

The Guardian Friday 14 August 2026

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Three years after it was finished, Coyote vs Acme is finally heading for cinemas Page 5

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News

Government could raise rent caps to spread asylum housing across UK

Rowena Mason

Ministers are considering paying higher prices for housing asylum seekers in private rental properties as part of Andy Burnham's plan to spread accommodation more evenly across the country.

The shift towards more private rental accommodation, known as "dispersal", as well as the use of former military barracks, is cheaper than hotels for asylum seekers.

However, officials believe it may be necessary to raise the strict caps on how much the Home Office can pay landlords in rent so that the accommodation is not concentrated heavily in the most deprived areas.

The move would fit with Burnham's plea this week for more areas to "play their part" in housing those seeking asylum, instead of accommodation most often falling in areas where rents are the cheapest.

A Downing Street source said the biggest priority was reducing the need for accommodation for people seeking asylum overall.

The policy of national responsibility for asylum seekers is broadly supported by refugee charities but they said local councils must take the lead and people should not be sent to places without sufficient means of supporting them.

Imran Hussain, the director of external affairs at the Refugee Council, said: "We have been clear that supporting refugees should be a national responsibility and that people should not be sent to places without adequate housing, legal advice, support services or established refugee communities.

"That's why local authorities should take the lead on asylum accommodation, using their local knowledge. Local councils should be given the powers and resources they need to provide people seeking asylum with housing, working with

▲ Andy Burnham asked more areas to 'play their part' in asylum support

their local residents and also providing value for money to the taxpayers"

Hussain added: "Poor-quality decision-making by the Home Office is keeping a large number of people in the asylum system while they wait for the courts to overturn flawed decisions. The new government's priority should be ensuring decisions are made quickly and are right the first time."

Karen Bradley, the Conservative chair of parliament's home affairs watchdog, pointed to her

committee's report, which said: "Asylum accommodation has been heavily concentrated in areas with high levels of deprivation" and "the old asylum contracts prioritised cost above ensuring a fair spread across the country".

Some critics of the proposal to raise private rental payments for asylum accommodation said it would cost more, but government sources said it was cheaper than using hotels and that the closures since the last Conservative administration have saved £1bn so far. They suggested the government's aim was to ensure no single area carried a disproportionate burden.

A government spokesperson said: "We are already working to fairly house asylum seekers across the entire country, working closely with local authorities and listening to local concerns."

They added: "The number of hotels in use has fallen from 213 in July 2024 to fewer than 160 today. Before the general election, hotel use peaked at 400 sites, costing £9m a day. The number of asylum seekers staying in hotels has fallen by 35% over the past year and is down 63% from the peak in 2023, while overall asylum support costs have fallen by £1bn since the general election."

● Continued from page 1

Burnham 'angry' as water firms gain approval to add £3.4bn more to bills

with pollution and leaks. His team has been examining the possibility of taking Thames Water into public ownership as it grapples with overwhelming debt.

Ofwat gave approval yesterday for 13 firms to spend £3.4bn more than planned, including to support new homes and datacentres. It said the companies had requested to spend £4.3bn on top of what had been agreed in 2024 owing to unforeseen costs, and it had allowed £3.4bn.

The new spending will come on top of the £10.4bn programme of investment approved by the regulator that

had already meant water bills rising by 36% over the second half of the decade. Ofwat has said a further £80 will be added to Southern Water bills, £8 for Thames and Severn Trent, £11 for Wessex Water and £1 for South East Water.

Burnham said he was angry that households "have been asked to pay more for years, yet serious pollution incidents are at record levels and the pipes are still leaking. None of which is the billpayers' fault, who should not be treated as a bottomless source of funding for other people's failures.

"Customers cannot be treated as a blank cheque. Where water companies seek to pass unnecessary costs on to households, they will be challenged."

He also repeated a promise that the government would study "how we can give the public more control and help keep bills as low as possible".

The Ofwat proposals prompted further calls for nationalisation of the industry and for Burnham to reject

Ofwat's approval for the extra spending. Clive Lewis, a Labour MP on the left, who supported Burnham for the leadership, said: "I'll bet you these projects will never see a large chunk of that money. We pay for the system through our bills. Yet almost third of them go to returns for investors and creditors ... The only way to end this is public ownership."

Tim Farron, the Liberal Democrats' environment spokesman, said Ofwat was "merely a rubber stamp for failure", and that hardworking families were "being forced to cough up another £3.4bn to fix a broken water network that greedy executives have neglected for decades". He added: "It is a total disgrace to reward this environmental vandalism. There must be no more blank cheques for failure."

Cliff Roney, an activist with the GMB union and a former water worker, said: "Put simply, any bill hike from Thames Water would be an insult. Thames Water spills sewage and leaks millions of litres of water

while its senior management enjoy golden handshakes and bonuses.

"The only way to stop the betrayal of consumers and water workers is to renationalise our water."

Amy Fairman, head of campaigns at River Action, said Ofwat "waving through yet more water bill hikes is an insult" when there has been a lack of investment for 30 years while tens of billions went to investors.

The extra spending includes £1.2bn to be used to "safeguard" water services and assets, and £477m to enable housebuilding and datacentre development. The government has promised to build 1.5m new homes. It has also set out ambitions for AI growth zones to host huge AI datacentre complexes, raising questions over whether Britain has sufficient water and energy resources to support the growth agenda.

A further £34m of spending has been earmarked to reduce toxic chemicals in the water system. The allowance was announced days after government data revealed that every English body of water was polluted with chemicals.

The investments will top up the regulated spending plans of £104bn that were approved in late 2024 for the period from April 2025 until March 2030 to just below the industry's initial request to spend £108bn.

Helen Campbell, interim executive director for delivery at Ofwat, said letting water companies spend more would allow them to deliver "without delay". The regulator would track their performance to make sure they were "delivering the expected improvements for customers and the environment" and "if they don't, expenditure can be clawed back".

United Utilities was allowed to spend an extra £995m compared with its request for £1.11bn extra, while Severn Trent was granted £329m of its request for £481m. South West Water was allowed to spend an extra £180m compared with a £239m request.

---

Friday 14 August 2026 The Guardian

News

In new light: surrealism and nudes among display of Iris Murdoch's secret artworks

Donna Ferguson

For decades, they lay in a secret room in her attic gathering dust. Now, newly discovered artworks by the Booker prize-winning author Iris Murdoch - including the only self-portrait she is known to have painted, four surrealist landscape paintings and three sketches of female nudes - will go on display for the first time today.

The artworks were created at the start of the second world war, when Murdoch was a student at Oxford. They expose her early interest in surrealism and fascination with the naked female form.

Until now, Murdoch was only known to have created three paintings in her lifetime.

More than 80 artworks by the novelist were discovered last year at Murdoch's former home in north Oxford by Dr Miles Leeson, the director of the Iris Murdoch Research Centre at the University of Chichester.

He was invited by the executors of Murdoch's estate to explore 30 Charlbury Road after the death of Audi Bayley, the second wife of Murdoch's late husband, John Bayley, who lived there until 2024.

Murdoch, who died in 1999 and was known to be a hoarder, had stashed the paintings and sketches in a secret room in her attic. The door was hidden behind a large bookcase. "It was inaccessible," said Leeson. "It was like an inner sanctum."

He suspects no one had been inside the room for decades and that only Murdoch and her husband were aware of its existence.

"I don't think Audi knew about it," he said. "I don't think anybody knew about it ... there were a lot of personal effects and items in there," he added. "Really private stuff."

Murdoch had realised she was bisexual at 15. The drawings she made in her 20s reveal her fascination with the naked female form, shortly before she embarked on her first known physical relationship with a woman.

"There is a sexual frisson in the drawings of female nudes," said Leeson. "Also the yearning one feels in these life drawings, these nudes, comes through in her early poetry that is dedicated to women she desired."

In 2016, after Audi invited him round for tea, Leeson became the first person in at least a decade to enter the main, more exposed part of the attic. There, he discovered 600 of Murdoch's unpublished poems - including many lesbian love poems - buried in a chest.

'The yearning one feels in these life drawings comes through in her early poetry dedicated to women she desired'

Dr Miles Leeson Iris Murdoch expert

▲ Iris Murdoch, pictured in 1978, was only thought to have painted three paintings before this discovery PHOTOGRAPH: JANE BOWN/THE OBSERVER

Last year, in the hidden room, as well as the signed and dated paintings and nude drawings, Leeson found 20 surrealist watercolours, two pencil and watercolour drawings of her parents and more than 50 pencil and pen sketches in two sketchbooks.

"These artworks show her engaging with her world in a new light, displaying a new aspect of Murdoch that was hitherto hidden," said Leeson. "Artworks and artists are everywhere in her fictional work, and she designs 'scenes' in her

◄ Self portrait by Murdoch dated 7 January 1941 discovered in a secret attic room at her former house. The pictures below, which were created at the start

of the second world war, include pencil drawings and watercolours that reveal a fascination with the naked female form and a Picasso and Dalí influence

philosophy as well. Murdoch is a visual artist in all the mediums she was working in, and these newly discovered paintings lend more evidence to this."

Twenty-five of the works, including the self-portrait and the surrealist landscape paintings, will be on display for the first time at the University of Chichester library until 10 December as part of a major new exhibition, Iris Murdoch Amongst the Artists - the first devoted to Murdoch as an artist. It will feature all the major artworks Murdoch is known to have painted during her life, alongside works by British artists who designed her book covers, such as Reynolds Stone and Tom Phillips.

The self-portrait is dated 7 January 1941, revealing how Murdoch saw herself at the age of 21: "It's a portrait of somebody who's clearly a deep and expressive thinker," said Leeson.

The newly discovered surrealist works date from 1939 to 1941, a formative and intensely intellectual period of Murdoch's life, Leeson said. "These paintings were produced during a really heady time at Oxford, when she was a member of the Communist party, involved in student politics and the student newspaper ... and, of course, it's the early years of the second world war, which is reflected in the surrealist landscapes."

The paintings, which appear to be influenced by the art of Salvador Dalí and Pablo Picasso, communicate a feeling of despair, anxiety and destruction, Leeson added. "There's a sense of the breakdown of society, of what's keeping the centre together. I think she's trying to say something deeply profound and philosophical about the state of Britain at the time, about the destruction of European culture ... She's capturing the mood of the nation on these canvasses."

He believes she was drawn to the surrealist movement and turned to painting as an experiment. "She's writing poetry, she's beginning to write fiction and she's trying out different art forms and finding out who she is as an artist. It's all part of one great artistic mind trying to work out where her talents lie."

There are strong links between these formative works and her later literary masterpieces, Leeson said. "The Black Prince is a work of late modernism in which reality becomes skewed and, in her Booker-prize winning novel The Sea, The Sea, the main character, Charles Arrowby, tries to escape reality and lives within his own mind, and is completely self-absorbed. I think some of Murdoch's surrealist paintings are asking us to look at reality in a different way and to think about the essentials of the human condition," he said.

"They add another layer of complexity and interest to the story of Iris Murdoch and how we now consider her in the 21st century."

3

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4

News

Ukraine offers deal to Russia to curb attacks and reopen global grain routes

Luke Harding Andrew Roth Washington

Ukraine has proposed a deal with Russia that would see both sides halt their attacks on civilian ships in the Black Sea, Reuters has reported, in an apparent attempt to reopen a crucial grain corridor.

Kyiv transmitted the offer through a third party. So far Moscow has yet to respond, the news agency said. The busy waterway is a key export route for Russia and Ukraine used to ship grain and other vital foodstuffs around the world.

Since July, Ukraine has in effect closed the route to commercial Russian shipping. Its drones have attacked nearly 220 vessels in the Sea of Azov and Black Sea, including oil tankers, grain cargo ships and passenger ferries.

The campaign has forced Russia to suspend shipping through a canal that connects the Caspian Sea with the Sea of Azov by way of a Russian river network.

The route goes through the Kerch strait between occupied Crimea and Russia, and leads into the Bosphorus strait in Turkey.

During the same period, Russia has escalated its attacks on Ukraine's

'It is entirely justified Ukraine responds to Russia's war; and it is Russia that can and must end this war'

Volodymyr Zelenskyy Ukrainian president

▼ Smoke from a Russian missile strike rises behind people on a beach in the Ukrainian city of Odesa PHOTOGRAPH: KOSTIANTYN LIBERON/GETTY

southern ports, dealing a severe blow to the country's agricultural sector. Ninety per cent of grain and sunflower shipments leave from Odesa and the neighbouring harbours of Chornomorsk and Pivdenne.

In July, Russian drones killed nine sailors and one Ukrainian maritime pilot soon after a Turkish-run grain carrier, the Golden Leo, set off from Odesa. Many of the victims were from Syria and India. A further 16 port workers and sailors have died in recent strikes.

Kyiv's reported overture appears to be pragmatic, allowing both sides to resume shipments that are crucial to international food security.

Trump sued over fees for early sight of his market-moving posts

Joseph Gedeon Washington

Donald Trump has been sued after a subscription service charging up to $100,000 (£74,000) a month for early access to his posts on his Truth Social platform prompted allegations of corruption.

The lawsuit, filed in New York, was brought by the news website the Intercept and the Freedom of the Press Foundation. It targets "Truth

APT", a paid data feed launched on 1 August by the Trump Media & Technology Group, the company behind Truth Social. The complaint calls the arrangement "extraordinary, corrupt and unconstitutional".

The service gives paying subscribers faster access than the general public to posts from 10 of the platform's highest-profile accounts, including Trump's own account, as well as those of the vice-president, JD Vance, the departing press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, and other

senior officials. Subscribers pay $100,000 a month, or $60,000 a month for a three-year commitment.

The White House and Trump Media did not respond to requests for comment. Trump has a history of using Truth Social to disclose market-sensitive news, including posts on tariffs and the war on Iran, which have triggered swings in prices.

Trump Media's interim chief executive, Kevin McGurn, has even promoted the service as a way to give businesses fast access to the platform's "most market-moving" posts.

The launch followed criticism from the Democratic senators Adam Schiff and Elizabeth Warren, who had urged the Securities and Exchange Commission to examine whether the

▲ The president is Trump Media's largest shareholder and stands to profit personally, the plaintiffs argue

It comes as Ukraine's harvest season begins and with shipping from Ukrainian ports at a virtual standstill.

The offer also follows a report in the Financial Times that the US vice-president, JD Vance, asked Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to cease certain attacks on the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk.

In a phone call on 31 July, Vance complained that Ukrainian strikes on tankers carrying oil from Kazakhstan were hurting US companies and destabilising oil prices. He told Zelenskyy to stop them, the FT said, citing unnamed Ukrainian officials.

Zelenskyy's office has not commented, but Kyiv is in the middle of delicate negotiations with Donald Trump's administration. It is seeking US-manufactured Patriot interceptors to defend Ukrainian cities from rampant Russian ballistic missile and drone swarms.

Since the phone call, Ukraine's unmanned systems forces have not attacked ships carrying oil, which comes from Kazakhstan through the Caspian Pipeline Consortium terminal. But they have continued to pound other targets in Novorossiysk, which is home to Russia's Black Sea fleet.

On Wednesday, Zelenskyy hailed a "massive" combined attack on the port, featuring rockets, jets and sea drones. He said Ukraine had taken out Russian warships, including two frigates, a large landing ship, a corvette and other vessels. They had been "hiding" in Novorossiysk Bay, he wrote on Telegram.

Other targets included two major grain export terminals, it was reported. Russian officials said that three people, including a child, had been killed.

"It is entirely justified that Ukraine is responding to Russia's war; and it is Russia that can and must bring this war to an end," Zelenskyy posted.

The two sides have previously signed an agreement, brokered by Turkey and the UN, to stop maritime attacks. The Black Sea grain initiative lasted from July 2022 to July 2023. It ended when the Kremlin refused to renew it, complaining that western sanctions were damaging Russia's agricultural sector.

Ukraine subsequently reopened the route unilaterally, using sea drones to sink Russian ships on the north-west part of the Black Sea.

Most of Russia's Black Sea fleet was forced to relocate from the exposed occupied Crimean port of Sevastopol to Novorossiysk.

service amounted to market manipulation benefiting insiders.

According to the complaint, Trump Media disclosed on 10 August that it already had more than 10 subscribers, reportedly including financial news outlets and high-frequency trading firms, and was exploring licensing the data to prediction markets while working to block third-party tools that let outside groups scrape and archive Trump's posts.

The plaintiffs argue that the president, who remains Trump Media's largest shareholder, stands to personally profit from selling privileged access to information generated in his official capacity. The plaintiffs are asking the court to declare the arrangement unlawful.

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Harvey Nichols sale Sports Direct owner buys upmarket chain

Page 17

'They look majestic' Joy as white storks fly free in Cornwall

Page 19

National

Investigation

launched after two injured as train derails near Lewes

▲ Emergency services at the scene after a train derailed between Cooksbridge and Lewes in East Sussex. Left, shocked passengers inside one of the carriages after the incident PHOTOGRAPH: MARCIN NOWAK/LNP

Matthew Weaver Gwyn Topham

A passenger train with 150 people onboard derailed between Haywards Heath and Lewes in East Sussex yesterday, leaving two people seriously injured.

Images of the aftermath appeared to show passengers standing on top of the toppled carriages while others could be seen in an area of heathland alongside emergency workers.

British Transport police said: "At this time we believe two people have sustained serious injuries and a further nine have sustained less serious injuries. Patients have been assessed and treated at the scene, with some transported to local hospitals."

Several rail routes were closed after the Southern service came off

the tracks just before 4pm. The Rail Accident Investigation Branch last night launched an inquiry into what went wrong.

An aerial photograph of the scene showed three of the train's eight carriages lying on their side. Rob Bradley and his six-year-old daughter Mabel were in the last of the carriages to stay upright. Speaking to the BBC he said: "We are doing OK, we were very lucky we were on the fourth carriage. The fifth went on its side.

"We felt the train speeding up and starting to rock. Then our carriage jumped vertically upwards and we could tell it was a derailment. The emergency brakes went on the train and everything got thrown forward.

"The train skidded for quite a while before it stopped. We turned around and we saw the whole back of the train was open and smoke and dust

were pouring into the carriage and we saw the fifth carriage had gone on its side."

Yana Ludwig, who was travelling alone told reporters the experience as "completely terrifying". The 56-year-old, from the US, said: "There was a banging. Everything just went topsy turvy. It seemed like a really long time but it probably was 10 seconds of that before the carriage actually fell on the side. I'm pretty banged up."

Emergency services said people should avoid the area, and that anyone travelling by rail in the area should allow up to 60 minutes extra for their journey.

A spokesperson for Network Rail and Southern Rail said: "We can confirm that the 14.24 Southern passenger service from Victoria to Eastbourne has derailed in the Lewes area of East Sussex ... Trains through

the area are suspended and passengers are advised to check online for the latest service information."

A local resident, Oriana Evans, told the Press Association that she and her son had helped casualties who were led off the train towards the community centre at Lewes, showing them where to go, including some passengers who were on holiday. "I walked and chatted to some of them in shock really," the 54-year-old jewellery maker said. "They were in the carriages that rolled over."

She said they had told her they were all right but "really bruised".

Other residents could be seen outside their homes in front of lines of emergency service vehicles and walking down to the community hub with chairs for casualties to sit on.

A bus was parked up by the hub awaiting for passengers to board, as well as taxis and one passenger could be seen being taken away in an ambulance.

The transport secretary, Heidi Alexander, posted on X that she was "deeply concerned of reports of a derailment involving a Southern train in Lewes, Sussex", adding: "Grateful to emergency services who are on the scene supporting those impacted. We are working quickly with the rail industry and local partners to assist passengers."

James MacCleary, the Liberal Democrat MP for Lewes, said: "I am aware of very concerning reports of a train crash in the Lewes area this afternoon. This is clearly a very serious and developing incident, and my thoughts are with everyone affected."

Son's tribute to father, 102, who died after alleged assault in Welsh pub

Bethan McKernan

A 102-year-old man has died of his injuries after allegedly being assaulted at a pub in south Wales.

Phillip Ormerod, of Cwmbran in the Welsh valleys, was taken to hospital after the incident at the Crow's Nest pub on 1 August. Gwent police said yesterday that he had since died.

A 56-year-old man from Llanelli was arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm in connection with the case. He has been released but remains under investigation.

Emergency services were called to the Crow's Nest at about 10.25pm on the night of the incident after Ormerod fell from a stage.

According to reports, he was knocked over after walking up three steps on to the stage where the Llanelli-based band SuperHans were playing to ask for the volume to be turned down. He reportedly suffered critical injuries after falling backwards and hitting the floor.

His son, Robert Ormerod, told the news agency PA Media that his father was a popular regular at the Crow's Nest, where younger people would buy drinks for him.

The great-grandfather was a draughtsman before he retired. He lived alone after the death of his wife 40 years ago and had recently been diagnosed with dementia.

Robert said: "I feel sad. Even though he could be difficult because of his age and dementia, you get used to him being around. Even though I suppose he wouldn't go on for ever, he would've carried on for a bit."

Gwent police have appealed for anyone who was in the pub between 10pm and 11pm to get in touch.

▲ Phillip Ormerod, here celebrating his 100th birthday, was a pub regular

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6

National A-level results

Fears that universities face financial turmoil with drop in foreign student numbers

Continued from page 1

postgraduate applications earlier this year.

Kapur said: "The critical thing is what this cycle will entail, which does not become clear till about October. The simple rubric is that every five international students impact one university job. And these falling numbers will invariably impact the financial health and staff complement of universities.

"The silver lining in this gloomy picture is that the strength and desire to go to universities amongst our school leavers remains as strong as ever despite concerns about the loan schemes and graduate jobs, as you can see today."

Successive governments froze domestic undergraduate fees at £9,250 between 2017 and 2025, allowing inflation to erode their value by a third. Subsequent increases will be largely wiped out by universities paying a £925 levy on each international student.

David Willetts, the Conservative former universities minister and an architect of increased tuition fees, said universities were undoubtedly "under increasing financial pressure and that's mainly because of the freeze in fees for eight years".

Willetts added: "There is indeed a risk of a university going under [through] financial crisis but what worries me more is just all the cutting back on the quality of the education experience of the students, and I think we have an obligation to students to ensure their courses are properly funded, including by putting up fees so that resource goes in."

Members of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities are being affected by increased financial stress, with the University of Exeter announcing yesterday that it was immediately scrapping geography courses at its Penryn campus in Cornwall.

A spokesperson for Exeter said: "We recognise that this is disappointing for affected applicants and

11%

Decline in student visa applications to the end of July compared with the previous year, according to data from the Home Office

▼ Students celebrate their A-level results. Record numbers in England have been accepted by their first choice of university PHOTOGRAPHS: JACOB KING/IFA

difficult for colleagues associated with these programmes."

Libby Hackett, the chief executive of the Russell Group, said the group's universities still attracted talented international students in an increasingly competitive global market, bringing cultural and economic benefits to their universities and to Britain more widely.

But Hackett warned: "A series of policy decisions by successive governments, including the unpopular international student levy, risks undermining this success story. This isn't just worrying for universities – it's not good news for the UK as a whole. Recent analysis shows that the decline in international students means the UK has lost out on a net economic benefit of nearly £3bn.

"The Burnham government recognises the critical role universities play in our national and local economies and our position on the world stage. We look forward to more consistent decision-making across government in support of economic growth, including measures that enable us to continue welcoming global talent."

Vivienne Stern, the chief executive of the Universities UK group of vice-chancellors, said the student visa figures "should be a wake-up call" for policymakers.

"There are plenty of people in government who understand the pressure on the sector, they understand how important universities are for local economies and for domestic students, and they are watching this with concern.

"I hope those people are knocking on the door of the [Department for Education] and the Home Office, and saying that they can do one thing tomorrow that will help universities, and that is to quietly drop the idea of taxing international student fees.

"I understand the political pressure around immigration, and the UK university sector has to be a good, responsive partner with government in making sure the system works the way it should. But if the government was seeking to reduce overseas student numbers, I think they have overcorrected. What we need is stability and a bit of help to recover our competitive position internationally."

Jacqui Smith, the skills minister whose portfolio includes higher education, told the BBC the government was concerned that university courses should be good value, and suggested future increases in fees would be linked to teaching quality.

"For most people, going to university is a very good and important investment in their future earning potential and in their life."

Economics has risen five places to become the fifth most popular subject in 2026

Top 12 subjects in England, ranked by popularity

Source: Joint Council for Qualifications. Base: English A-level students

The proportion A* and A grades in England were at their highest since at least 2010 outside the pandemic years

Only one in four exam entries were in arts or humanities subjects

% of exams sat in England by subject group ● Arts and humanities ● Stem and social sciences

Source: Joint Council for Qualifications. Base: English A-level students. Subject classification based on research by the National Foundation for Educational Research

The gap between the proportion of boys and girls achieving A* and A grades in England widened in 2026

Source: Joint Council for Qualifications. Base: English A-level students with A grade or above

The gap in top grades between private and state schools has remained steady

% of entries receiving A* and A grades in England ● Private ● Grammar schools ● Academies ● Local authority maintained schools

Source: Ofqual. Note: selected types of schools

Teaching

'with love'

Sixth form

college that

goes the

extra mile

Raphael Boyd

There are few days that teenagers dread more than A-level results day, where students learn how the past two years of their lives will shape their futures, communicated through a few letters.

The tension of walking into college to learn your fate is enough to keep most people awake the night before. For Hayden Bettson-Day, 18, the best solution was get it over with as early as possible.

"I was refreshing the Ucas page at eight o'clock in the morning, waiting for it to go on," said Hayden, 18. "So, it was a definite bit of tension. My mum kept asking: 'What is it? What did you get?'"

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©

7

▼ Student Gina Stancheva sees her results at Barking and Dagenham College, in east London yesterday PHOTOGRAPH: YUI MOK/PA WIRE

What he got was an A* in maths and two As in chemistry and biology, which is enough to be accepted into Newcastle University to study medicine.

He is one of 450 students at Trinity sixth form academy, Halifax, part of the Trinity multi-academy trust, which has colleges throughout Yorkshire.

Aidan Chiu and Fran Whitehead, two of Bettson-Day's classmates, spoke about their relief at their results, having both received A*s in chemistry.

"My mum's on the phone to Bristol University," said Chiu, who plans to study maths. "I have the grades I need, but she's still calling them to make sure I got in. I can't believe it."

Whitehead, who will study geology at the University of Exeter, said the past two years had been difficult, but praised the college for helping her to settle and for supporting her as she readjusted to a new environment during such a pivotal time in her life.

"I came to this school knowing nobody, but all the teachers and students were really nice and I found my place," she said. "You've got lots of support to achieve your potential."

Not every student was as optimistic about their results, with some planning to go through clearing or committing themselves to return to sixth form to achieve the grades they desired.

In Natalia Ntabola's case, the plan was more straightforward: "If I didn't get into university, I was just going to move out of the country

and live somewhere off the grid, to be honest."

Luckily for Ntabola, she and best friend Sandra Konarska, both 18, got the grades they needed to attend the University of Manchester.

Konarska, who felt that she "may not have revised as much as she should have" despite being awarded a perfect three A*s, lauded the college for the amount of effort and encouragement that they have given her.

"I think the teachers are very rigorous, there's a lot of homework to do, a lot of meetings and talks if it's not done," she said. "They're very adamant on it being complete, but it works."

Michael Fitzsimons, the principal of Trinity sixth form academy, attributes the college's success to the ethic of hard work, but also stresses its commitment to bringing in students from all backgrounds and abilities.

"We don't ever want people to feel sorry for our kids," said Fitzsimons. "Where we are, there is around double the level of disadvantage to the rest of the

▲ Aidan Chiu and Fran Whitehead at Trinity sixth form, in Halifax

country, but that doesn't change the expectations. We still hold them to high expectations, but that's delivered with a lot of love."

To get their students ready for the realities of life beyond Halifax, the college funds a "scholars programme" scheme to give high-achieving students free access to tutors from some of the country's top universities - not to coach them through exams, but to help raise their confidence and interviewing skills, increasing their belief that they will not be out of place around any future peers who may have come from more affluent backgrounds.

The college has also helped to subsidise trips abroad, including trips to New York City and Brussels. Joe Kirwan, who went on both trips and achieved three As, plans to attend the University of Nottingham.

He said teachers at the college went above and beyond to help him, even "recommending podcasts and giving me books, trying to make me believe I can do what they think I can do".

Now, with the tension of the morning over, the students are celebrating in a variety of ways, ranging from meals with their families to playing board games with their friends or having a nap. The majority, as expected, have set off for the pubs of Halifax town centre, including Bettson-Day.

"I'm going for a few pints now," he said. "I'm going to Newcastle for the next few years and I've heard about the nightlife, so I need to start practising."

Analysis

Sally Weale

Need for PM to act on regional inequality laid bare as London becomes 'educational outlier'

Andy Burnham has put regional inequality at the top of his agenda as prime minister, and nowhere is this more concerning

than in education.

Drill down into the detail of yesterday's A-level results and the regional disparities are shocking, with the gap between London and the lowest performing areas of the country at record levels.

Nearly a third of A-level candidates in the capital (32.7%) gained A*s and As, up 6 percentage points on last year.

In the East Midlands, however, less than a quarter (23.1%) secured top grades, down from 23.8% in 2025, putting it level with the north-east, which increased its share of top grades marginally from 22.9% last year.

The results reveal that the gap in A/A* grades between London and the north-east has grown to an alarming 9.6 percentage points, the largest since the pandemic and significantly higher than the 2019 pre-pandemic disparity, which stood at 3.9 points.

The gap in A* grades has also grown, up from 2 percentage points in 2019 to 5.1 points in 2026. Experts are hoping the prime minister's devolution plans to give regional areas the independence to adapt their approach to local conditions will help learners outside London.

Lee Elliot Major, professor of social mobility at Exeter University, said: "Our capital has become an educational outlier while too many young people in the north-east, East Midlands and other parts of the country are growing up in very different worlds of opportunity.

"England is no longer defined by a simple north-south divide. It is increasingly a story of London pulling away from much of the country. Talent is spread

evenly across the country; opportunity is not."

The reasons for London's runaway success are many. Tony Blair's London Challenge started the process of transformation in the capital's schools in 2003. Since then higher pay and cultural attractiveness have lured more teachers, while ambitious migrant families have helped raise standards.

The Department for Education says its Rise (regional improvement for standards and excellence) teams are putting "a laser focus" on areas and schools where performance is weakest.

A proposal in the schools white paper to use household income to vary funding rates according to the level of disadvantage, so that children with more entrenched disadvantage attract more funding, has also been welcomed.

But the scale and persistence of the disparities laid bare in yesterday's results clearly require significant intervention.

Chris Zarraga, director of Schools North East, which represents 1,150 schools, said: "In the north-east, schools are working within communities facing entrenched disadvantage, intense pressure on public services, growing Send [special educational needs and disabilities] needs and very different access to opportunities and infrastructure. Increasingly, schools are being asked to compensate for all of those things."

He called for a long-term approach drawing together education with early years, health, Send, transport, skills and economic development, alongside high-quality academic and vocational pathways. He added: "Results day should reflect young people's potential and hard work, not the structural advantages or disadvantages of where they happen to grow up."

Regional inequality in top grades has worsened

% of A* and A grades in English regions

2025 2026

Source: Ofqual

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8

National

Briton, 78, in shock after losing her appeal to stay in Sweden

Lisa O'Carroll Senior correspondent

The 78-year-old British widow threatened with removal from Sweden after living there for 21 years said she had been left feeling "sick" with worry after being told she had lost an appeal against deportation in a continuing row over the Nordic country's handling of Brexit.

"I am in shock," said Joyce Thomas from her home in Sweden yesterday. "I feel sick. An individual's life is at stake at my age. It is hell. I have done nothing wrong. I have no criminal record."

Her plight has raised concerns in Brussels and Britain about Sweden's approach to the EU-UK withdrawal agreement, which was supposed to protect British nationals who lived in a European Union member state before Brexit.

This week another family told how their father, a dementia patient in full-time care, was threatened with removal after 25 years in Sweden.

The administrative court in Luleå upheld a decision by Sweden's migration agency that Thomas, a retired nurse, was not eligible to stay because her application was made in 2023, after the cut-off date of December 2021.

Her legal representatives told the court that it was not proportionate for Thomas to be deported solely

ANDREW B. BALENTSON, LITHA J. BERNSTEIN

because she had missed a deadline because of insufficient information.

They added: "Furthermore, it is not acceptable that the Swedish authorities failed to inform her that she needed to file an application and of the deadline by which it was to be filed."

Thomas now faces the prospect of a letter from the migration agency giving her four weeks to leave voluntarily, separating her from her son, her grandchildren, her network of friends and her husband's grave, which she regularly visits.

If she fails to comply, not only will she face a forced deportation, but the court of appeal has told her she could face a re-entry ban and may be "registered on a watchlist" preventing

'This is hell. It's horrible. I have done nothing wrong. I am self-sufficient. I put money in the country. I don't take it out'

Joyce Thomas Retired nurse living in Sweden

entry into a Schengen country, which includes Sweden, "as long as the re-entry ban remains in effect".

The court ruling said: "No circumstances have come to light that would lead to a determination that,

in your situation, you are particularly vulnerable."

It noted that Thomas had lived most of her life in Britain, had a pension from the UK and another son living there.

Thomas argued that after 21 years all her support network was in Sweden, with 23 people including doctors, priests, friends and fellow churchgoers writing to testify in support of her case.

"My friends, my husband's burial place, grandchildren, everything is here, and to have to go and start again, it's just unbelievable that at my age I've got to be uprooted from my home," she said.

"This is hell. I get up in the morning, it's in my head, I go to bed at night, it's in my head. It's horrible. I mean, I have done nothing wrong. I am self-sufficient. I put money in the country. I don't take money out."

Thomas's husband, Gwynne, died in 2023 from cancer four months after his last trip back to Britain to visit family. It was on his return that he learned from border officials that the couple had to make a special application to stay in Sweden after Brexit.

Under article 18 of the EU-UK withdrawal agreement, late applications are permissible if there are "reasonable grounds" for doing so.

David Milstead, of the grassroots campaign group British in Sweden, said: "It would be difficult to find anyone who would argue that what is happening to Mrs Thomas and others in Sweden was an intended outcome of the withdrawal agreement.

"Problems will inevitably emerge when a new treaty is put into practice. However, the UK, EU and Sweden must act to address them. Words and expressions of concern won't cut it."

The Swedish migration agency said the fact the couple did not know they had to make an application was not a "reasonable ground" for granting post-residency rights.

Thomas is adamant that neither she nor her husband were notified that an application needed to be made before the end of 2021.

"The Swedish authorities have our ID cards, they have our emails, we heard nothing," she said.

Butterfly expert finds very rare moth at second site in England

PA Media

One of England's rarest moths has been discovered at a site where it has not been spotted for 70 years - by a conservationist who has spent his professional life searching.

Dave Wainwright, of Butterfly Conservation, described his relief at having tracked down the dark bordered beauty moth, at a second site in England - the National Trust's Wallington Estate in Northumberland.

For decades the only place where the custard and chocolate coloured day-flying moth was found in England was at Strensall Common in North Yorkshire.

But that population has been declining rapidly, with numbers dwindling from hundreds 20 years ago to barely double figures last year, according to Butterfly Conservation.

The site is affected by the climate crisis, making drought and wildfires more common. A blaze that tore through part of the nature reserve last year put the moth in more peril.

The discovery of a second population in England gives hope for the rare species, conservationists said. The moth was once widespread across northern England and Scotland, but has declined as a result of habitat loss and is restricted to two small areas on Deeside and Speyside in Scotland, as well as the English sites.

Wainwright said: "It feels like there could be other colonies waiting to be discovered which would be brilliant."

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National

9

Met chief asks why Levy was released after prison assault

Helena Horton Rajeev Syal

Mark Rowley, the Metropolitan police commissioner, has sparked disquiet within the Prison Service after questioning why the murderer and serial sex offender Simon Levy was released from jail after sexually assaulting a female prison officer.

The UK's most senior police officer said he "did not understand" why Levy, who went on to kill two women, was let out of HMP Brixton in south London.

But Whitehall sources have hit back, saying Rowley's comments were "inaccurate" because the Prison Service had no legal power to keep Levy in jail.

Levy, who turns 41 today, was on bail and being monitored by police when he killed Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo in March 2025 and Sheryl Wilkins five months later, as well as violently raping a third woman.

Rowley acknowledged mistakes over the force's handling of Levy but said suggestions it had not tried to build a case over his first murder were "just not true", following criticism

including from the Labour MP Jess Phillips.

Rowley questioned why the Prison Service released Levy after he sexually assaulted a female prison officer in HMP Brixton in April 2022. The Met questioned Levy in June 2023, five months after he was released.

He was not charged with the prison offence until October 2025 - by which time he had been able to attack 13 more women, killing two of them.

Rowley told the BBC's Today programme: "That's one of the things we've apologised for but of course there are two mistakes in that: you've got he was released on licence by the Prison Service, having sexually assaulted in prison one of its people, I don't understand that decision either.

"I'm prepared to come here and be accountable, we've got two officers ... we've referred to be investigated by the independent office of police complaints, we take our accountability seriously.

"The rest of the system is not doing that. The Prison Service should not have released somebody who's indecently assaulting its staff."

Mina Smallman, whose daughters

▲ Mina Smallman, whose daughters were murdered, criticised the Met

Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman were killed in a north London park in 2020 by the teenager Danyal Hussein, said Britain's biggest police force was incapable of change. Two Met officers were jailed in 2021 after taking photographs of the dead bodies of her daughters and sharing the images in WhatsApp groups, referring to them as "dead birds".

Commenting on the police investigation into Levy, she said: "One of the women that were murdered, because she was a sex worker, she wasn't taken seriously. They didn't look into her murder until he murdered a mother of four, and then they joined the two cases together.

"How ridiculous is that. Once

again, the Met is deciding who matters. Both those women's lives were important to their families - how dare they decide that they weren't going to look into that case."

Levy, who this week was given a whole-life sentence for his crimes, was convicted earlier this year of sexually assaulting 11 other women, 10 of them on trains and the underground in London between 2023 and 2025.

Smallman said she had been in contact with Rowley, after reading about the case. She told the Today programme: "After reading [about] this case I sent a text message to Sir Mark and said: 'How many times are you going to stand up publicly and apologise for failures in the Met?'

"It becomes a joke. The truth is, the Metropolitan police is too big for any senior team to be able to have a hands-on understanding of the day-to-day activities of that organisation."

She said the Met was incapable of change because it was "too big".

"I believe that Sir Mark Rowley wants to change the Met and wants to do things differently, but they haven't got a clue," she said, adding: "We are asking them to do too much, they haven't got the finances, it has become riddled with inactivity, corruption, misogyny, racism and they just can't do it."

Rowley denied that the Met had not done enough, saying: "The inference that the Met didn't try on this death is not true, the Met tried."

HM Prison Service was approached for a comment.

'Sex worker' who fatally drugged two men jailed for 17 years

Steven Morris

A woman who posed as a sex worker and administered a deadly amount of sedative to two men so that she and an accomplice could steal from them has been jailed for 17 years.

Adina Mihai, 31, and her partner Madalin Dumitru, 30, who was imprisoned for the same length of time, arranged for her to meet men at their homes.

She drugged four men by spiking glasses of wine with the sedative gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) and two, Malcolm King, 80, of Gloucestershire, and Gary Mouat, 37, of Oxfordshire, died.

Jailing Mihai and Dumitru at Oxford crown court, Mrs Justice Brunner told them: "Your intention was to incapacitate each victim making them deeply unconscious. The administration of the drug was haphazard and depended on the strength of each batch, the amount put into drinks and the amount they drunk.

"If you had stopped for a moment to consider the risks, as you should have done, you would have realised that it carried a high risk of serious injury or death ... If you had done the most cursory research, you would know that GBL can be extremely toxic."

The pair, from Ilford, east London, pleaded guilty to two charges of manslaughter and to administering poison to the two survivors, who cannot be identified.

Julian Evans KC, prosecuting, said: "While Dumitru waited nearby, Mihai would enter the victim's home. There, she would persuade the victim to drink alcohol laced with GBL.

"Once the victim was unconscious, Mihai would look for property to steal. Then she would rejoin Dumitru, leaving the victim alone and unconscious."

No sexual services were in fact provided but the pair worked on the premise that victims would not report what had happened to the police out of embarrassment.

The court heard Mihai advertised online and the pair would take cash deposits ahead of her meeting them. When their victims fell unconscious, she would steal watches, jewellery, aftershave and cash.

In a victim personal statement, Mouat's son, aged eight, said the defendants had ruined his life.

He asked the pair: "Why did you have to kill my dad? You could have just taken the money. He was really kind; he would have given it to you.

"He was my dad and now he's gone. I miss him every day and will never get to see him again."

No other deaths, poisonings or thefts have been linked to the pair but police are keeping an open mind about the possibility of other victims.

PHOTOGRAPH:

ANSHEN MATTHEWS/

PA MEDIA

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National

▼ People witness the most significant solar eclipse since 1999 at Greenwich Park, London, on Wednesday

PHOTOGRAPH: YUI MOK/PA MEDIA

Colanders, cereal boxes and a rental bike rush: how Britain viewed the solar eclipse

Kevin Rawlinson

It started with the glasses, as people desperate to see the most complete eclipse in decades formed long queues for protective eyewear. Then, when they sold out almost everywhere, they came for the colanders.

Sales of the kitchen staple, which could be used safely to view a projection of the partial solar eclipse that enraptured millions, increased markedly, retailers said yesterday.

Meanwhile, huge numbers of rental bikes needed clearing from areas around popular viewing spots after people jumped on them in the rush to find a vantage point.

And the problems didn't end there: there were complaints about masses of litter being left, with one pub in Manchester threatening to bar anyone found to be responsible.

More than 90% of the sun was obscured by the moon on Wednesday evening during the most significant eclipse visible in the UK since 1999. Crowds could be seen at viewing spots including the Royal Observatory Greenwich in London, Stonehenge in Wiltshire, Calton Hill in Edinburgh, and outside Queen's University Belfast.

◄ The eclipse as seen from Arthur's Seat. More than 90% of the sun was obscured by the moon at its peak

PHOTOGRAPH: MURDO MACLEOD/THE GUARDIAN

RSC delays Othello for leading actor to have cancer treatment

Nadia Khomami

Arts and culture correspondent

The Royal Shakespeare Company has announced it will postpone its radical production of Othello starring Sharon D Clarke while the Olivier-winning actor undergoes treatment for cancer.

The production, directed by Monique Touko, was scheduled to run from 13 February to 3 April

next year at the Swan theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon.

Clarke, 60, is best known for her role as Lola Griffin in the BBC medical drama Holby City as well as for her theatrical performances in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom and Caroline, or Change.

Clarke said: "I would like to thank all the beautiful people at the RSC for their understanding, love, support and healing energy. Othello

will be my north star as I undergo treatment."

She added that she, her family and wife - the writer and director Susie McKenna - had been "overwhelmed, humbled and buoyed by the tidal wave of love that we have received and are so blessed to have an army of strength and support to hold us up. Love and thanks to my beautiful people."

The RSC said anyone with tickets to see Clarke in Othello would be refunded and production dates would be announced in due course.

▶ Sharon D Clarke was due to play the title role from 13 February 2027

130%

Week-on-week increase in sales of Tesco steel colanders, used to view projections of the eclipse safely

For those who missed out on eclipse glasses, many used cereal boxes or colanders to create pinhole projectors.

"Colander sales jumped nearly 40% at John Lewis compared to last year," the retailer said. Tesco also said sales of its stainless steel colander rose by more than 130% week on week, while sales of its plastic version rose 13% week on week.

Large numbers of Lime bikes were seen jamming streets in London. A spokesperson for the firm said: "Last night's solar eclipse was a once-in-a-lifetime event, and we're delighted to have helped so many Londoners experience it ... Our on-street team was quick to respond and moved and tidied bikes in areas where demand for our service was extremely high."

E-bike staff weren't the only ones who faced a clear-up mission. Staff of the Tandle Hill Tavern, Manchester, posted that they were "honestly enraged by the amount of rubbish" its regulars had to pick up - threatening that those responsible could "consider yourself barred".

The Royal College of Ophthalmologists, among others, had urged people planning to watch the solar event to protect themselves, warning that even brief exposure to the sun could cause lasting vision damage.

The eclipse in 1999 left many people concerned they had permanently damaged their eyes. According to a Guardian report at the time, within an hour of the eclipse more than 100 people had called a helpline at Moorfields eye hospital in London.

But there was little sign that problems had been experienced on a similar scale this time round, despite a surge in "eyes hurt" Google searches. By yesterday morning Moorfields had fewer than 30 people use its accident and emergency services complaining of problems related to the eclipse, while the NHS trust that runs the Birmingham and Midland eye centre reported seeing only eight patients.

Touko, whose recent work has included Marie & Rosetta at @sohoplace and Jaja's African Hair Braiding at the Lyric Hammersmith, said: "On behalf of the entire creative team, we send Sharon all the love for her ongoing treatment and recovery."

The original description for the RSC's new Othello said it was "set in a climate-threatened future in which a black lesbian holds a seat of power".

A three-time Olivier winner, Clarke has worked on stage and screen since her first TV role in The Singing Detective in 1986. Most recently she starred opposite Ncuti Gatwa in the National Theatre's production of The Importance of Being Earnest.

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12

News

Climate crisis

Essential workers such as ambulance crews have been suffering some of the worst effects of the intense heat. Left and below, construction workers and waste disposal operatives labour through the soaring temperatures and shield themselves from the sun PHOTOGRAPH: DAVID LEVENE

'Patients fight over fans' Temperature creates multiple issues for hospitals

Denis Campbell Tobi Thomas

"The big thing A&E doctors are seeing during extreme heat now is falls in the elderly," said Dr Adrian Boyle, an

A&E consultant at Addenbrooke's hospital in Cambridge.

"During this summer's five heatwaves I've seen elderly people get light-headed and dizzy and fall down a whole flight of stairs and break multiple bones, purely because of the heat. The last person who fell down the stairs due to the heat broke multiple ribs, a wrist and her lower leg."

Boyle, the former president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, was reflecting on the growing impact of unusually high temperatures on the health of the population and on the NHS, which treats the illnesses and injuries extreme heat causes.

"These are often elderly people who are taking diuretics - water tablets, to get rid of body fluid - or drugs for high blood pressure," he said. "It's a good thing, most of the time, to be taking them. But in this weather, that can make people feel very light-headed quickly. We're seeing lots of people who feel very dizzy, some of whom have fallen over and hurt themselves as a consequence.

"I'm struck by how quickly such accidents happen and how long they take to get over. A wrist fracture can take a couple of months and a broken hip or lower leg more than six months."

He was talking yesterday as the UK recorded the hottest day of the year at 38.1C. The UK Health Security Agency estimates that the first two heatwaves alone, in May and June, together caused 2,877 deaths - almost double the 1,504 heat-related deaths it recorded during the whole of 2025.

Figures published by NHS England yesterday pinpointed

July's two heatwaves as a key reason why a record 2.5 million people attended A&E that month. They included people whose breathing problems and other underlying health conditions were exacerbated by the heat.

"Extreme heat causes other problems too," Boyle said. "People taking medication for severe mental illness can ... be at increased risk as their medication can leave them unable to recognise that they're getting hot. And hot people stuck in the back of an ambulance outside an emergency department, who are already ill, can get either heat exhaustion or heatstroke.

"Our hospitals and ambulances are not set up to look after people in the heat. There is minimal air conditioning in many of our hospital rooms, so ill people are being made hot."

Dr Zuzanna Sawicka, a consultant in elderly medicine, highlights a challenge extreme heat poses for staff rather than patients. A doctor going in to visit a

▲ Ambulances and hospitals are not set up to cope with the heat, staff say

2,877

Deaths during two heatwaves in May and June - almost double the 1,504 heat-related deaths during 2025

2.5m

Record number of people attending A&E in July, with two heatwaves that month likely to be a key reason

patient with an infectious disease has to wear full personal protective equipment, as during Covid.

"It can be quite stifling and it compromises how long you can stay with a patient because you generally start to feel sick because you're so warm and there's no [air] circulation," she said.

"I saw a case this week of reactivation of tuberculosis. We have to then put on a tight-fitting mask and a full gown until you know whether it is or isn't. You're in your own clothes, already sweating, and then on top of that you have to put on full PPE."

The risk of infections also helps explain why so few hospitals have proper ventilation, air conditioning or fans, Sawicka said: in case they unwittingly spread bugs.

Jean (not her real name), a nurse at a London hospital, said: "We have some fans, but not enough for all the patients. So there have been patients fighting over them. It's high time we got AC for everyone so patients aren't fighting each other."

Their uniforms can also make overheated nurses feel even hotter, Jean added. "Our uniform is so thick [that] we're sweating so much. We've been asking management for a long time for lighter uniforms, but they've not done that. Some of us are getting lighter uniforms from friends who have spare kit or even having to buy lighter uniforms ourselves."

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13

Homeowners prioritise staying cool

Estimated 4m UK properties now have air conditioning

Searches for homes for sale in Britain with air conditioning have more than doubled this summer as heatwaves push staying cool up the list of priorities for prospective homebuyers.

In the week of Britain's fifth heatwave in which temperatures in parts of England approached 38C, the property website Rightmove said the heat was influencing how Britons thought about their homes, with more people paying closer attention to how comfortable a property would be during hotter weather.

It said searches on its site for homes with air conditioning were up 104% compared with the same period last year.

The website also published consumer research showing that 61% of people said they would consider installing air conditioning, though only 12% had already done so. Meanwhile, 87% said that a property's ability to stay cool was important when choosing their next home.

A report published in May by the UK's Climate Change Committee said hotter heatwaves could lead to 92% of existing homes overheating by 2050, adding that they may require air

conditioning. Drawing curtains and opening windows were unlikely to be enough.

An estimated 4m homes in the UK now have air conditioning, double the figure from three years ago. The rise in working from home is thought to have fuelled demand.

In May, the air conditioning specialist Debonair Cooling told the Guardian that owners of both period and new-build properties were inquiring about its cooling systems - which cost about £2,500 per room. "They are struggling to sleep at night, or have children with breathing problems," it said, adding that loft conversions were also posing problems, with some loft rooms reaching highs of 50C.

At least 90% of households in the US and Japan have air conditioning. Meanwhile, for Europe as a whole, it is estimated that less than one in four homes have air conditioning.

Air conditioning is controversial as it is energy intensive, accounting for about 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions. However, some people in the UK with heat pumps have been able to use them to cool their homes as well as heat them, which could increase demand for the technology. Rupert Jones

'I can't do this again'

Workers suffering the effects of the heatwave

Helena Horton Deborah Solomon

In the stifling kitchen of the Plimsoll pub in north London, head chef Joshua Swinney has a frozen tea towel around his neck to combat the heat. As

temperatures exceeded 35C in the capital, workers not lucky enough to toil in air-conditioned offices sweltered.

To cope, the pub tries to put more dishes on the menu that don't require ovens or stoves, Swinney said. But that is tricky when it is best known for its cheeseburger, the making of which entails standing over a grill.

He said: "Suddenly you realise you have seven salads on and can't get enough raw fish dishes in there. As for the heat itself, fans help, but mostly just blow the hot air around, and you can't have them in the service kitchen. A frozen tea towel wrapped around the neck has been known to be useful, and I've even seen someone take an ice bath in a flexi bucket."

Though Swinney is just about managing, construction workers, bus drivers, paramedics and teachers all say heatwaves are becoming increasingly dangerous for a wide range of workers. A campaign for a maximum working temperature, to bring England into line with other European countries, is gathering pace.

Spain is the gold standard. Its maximum temperature is 27C for sedentary jobs, such as office work, and 25C for lighter duties. In Belgium, the limit ranges from 29C for light physical work to 18C for the most physically demanding, with 26C and 22C for moderately heavy and heavy workloads respectively.

Construction worker Kenny Dinsdale said working in extreme heat carried dangerous risks. "If you're not careful, you run the risk of significant injury, either through dehydration or heat stroke, or, you know, the ultimate thing is death."

He said the demographics of the construction industry meant that its workers were particularly at risk. "We're an older workforce," he said. "I'm 65 years of age coming up this birthday. I'm still working in the industry."

He suggested construction workers need "Mediterranean-style hours" and to avoid working in the heat of the day.

Bakers, with their huge, hot ovens, often working in small, unventilated spaces, are struggling. Sarah Woolley, chair of the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union, told the Guardian: "As it heats up outside, an already hot workplace

with ovens and provers is going to get hotter still." Her union has been calling for a maximum working temperature for a decade.

"Some employers have put measures in place, and have relaxed uniform guidance without impacting food safety standards, provision of cold water, additional breaks, rather than just normal fans," she said. But others, where we haven't got recognition, stay open and expect workers to continue as normal. Some employers have provided isotonic drinks rather than just ice pops, reduced lines running and instructed unnecessary equipment, like hot holds [units that keep food warm], to be turned off rather than adding to the heat."

It is difficult for essential services such as ambulance crews to shut down in intense heat, but paramedics are asking to be allowed to shed their sweltering uniforms when the mercury reaches a certain level.

An ambulance medical technician in Birmingham said: "Working in the heat has been awful. It's vile. It's also ridiculously busy when it's hot. We have one uniform, whether it's minus 10 or plus 30 degrees. You're sweating even when you're just driving.

'If you're not careful, you run the risk of dehydration or heat stroke - the ultimate thing is death'

Kenny Dinsdale Construction worker

The kitchen of the Plimsoll pub in north London, where in hot weather staff try to put more dishes on the menu that do not require cooking

PHOTOGRAPH: FINNIGAN TRAVERS

I could have cried during my last shift. I often think: I can't do this again."

A London paramedic said of his uniform: "I love the good weather, but the minute I put my uniform on, it's unbearable. I recently had to carry someone down from the seventh floor, and I don't think I've ever sweated that much in my life. I work at capacity, both physically and mentally. The physical demands of working in the heat are extreme."

Sampson Low, Unison's head of policy, said: "Paramedics, cleaners and other public sector workers have no choice but to carry on when the mercury rises.

"Extreme heat not only brings a rise in demand for care but can also affect the health of staff. What's needed are thresholds based on evidence. This is for jobs where work can't simply stop when a temperature is reached."

Bus drivers have complained about the greenhouse-like effect in their cabs, where the air conditioning, if they even have it, often does not work and temperatures can exceed 40C. Some have recently gone on strike to protest about their conditions.

One London bus driver said: "The buses are at the poorest state ever. The aircon barely works, the heatwave is icing on the cake. I feel we as bus drivers are treated extremely unfairly and we just add up numbers to the companies, we mean nothing."

Another added: "The buses don't have AC. They think by putting a little fan in the cab helps. It doesn't. The cab's temperature is hotter than being outside. It's ridiculous. Something needs to be done. I have suffered with migraines and, when it's hot, they get worse."

Huma Haq, the TUC's health and safety lead, said: "The experience from other countries is clear: maximum workplace temperatures can work. If they work in Spain, where summers are far hotter than in the UK, they can work here too.

"Unions are calling for rules that require employers to take action to reduce temperatures when they exceed 24C, and for work to stop when temperatures reach 30C, or 27C for strenuous jobs.

"Unions have been leading this campaign, and right now workers are taking action to keep themselves safe as temperatures climb to extremes again."

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News Climate crisis

15

Temperatures hit 38.1C as UK bakes on the hottest day of summer so far

Continued on page 1

About 60 firefighters were responding to the fire near Stourbridge golf course as the town hall was set up to receive those fleeing their homes.

"The apocalyptic scenes in Norton and across Stourbridge are sadly just a taste of what is to come if we don't act," said the local councillor Andrew Tromans.

Firefighters also continued to tackle a blaze in the New Forest in Hampshire yesterday. Across parts of eastern and southern Scotland there were also warnings of a very high risk of wildfires.

With record dry conditions in July and a dry start to August, nearly three-quarters of England and the whole of Wales are in drought, heaping pressure on water resources for households, agriculture and the environment.

In France, Bordeaux reached 39C and Nantes 37C, while Paris recorded 37C and Montpellier 35C. In Spain, a maximum of 42.4C was recorded at Miranda de Ebro, prompting fresh fears of wildfires in the two countries.

In the UK, Charlwood in Surrey recorded 37.1C, the second highest August maximum temperature since 2003. Teddington in southwest London reached 36.1C, Wick in Worcestershire 36C and temperatures in parts of Wales reached 35C, according to Met Office figures.

An amber extreme heat warning was issued across east and southeast England, including London, the Midlands, north-west England, south-west England and parts of Yorkshire and Humber.

An extreme heat alert warning

of significant impacts to health and social care services across England is in place until 9pm today.

The Met Office has said this summer is on course to be the UK's hottest since records began, with 2026 the first year in which the country recorded four separate days with temperatures of 36C or higher.

Spain has broken its burned area record for this time of year, data published yesterday by the European Forest Fire Information System

showed, while in France the area burned by the third week of July had surpassed that of any full year on record.

Meanwhile, record-low water levels on the Danube have deprived nuclear power stations of cooling water and forced some to reduce output. Romania yesterday shut down the second of two reactors in its only nuclear power station, which supplies about a fifth of the country's electricity. The plant's director told

25%

Capacity the Paks nuclear plant in Hungary is operating at because of low water levels in the Danube

12,500

Number of people in Germany estimated to have died from extreme heat this summer

Clockwise from main: visitors circle Stonehenge on the hottest day of summer; a family on Wimbledon

Common; houses were destroyed by a wildfire in Stourbridge PHOTOGRAPHS: KIN CHEUNG/AP; HAMPSHIRE FIRE/ SOLEIST NEWS

Agence France-Presse he did not foresee a restart within the next 10 days.

In Hungary, engineers have resorted to laying stones to boost the level of the Danube near the Paks nuclear power station, which is only producing 25% of its usual output. The prime minister, Péter Magyar, said yesterday that work was proceeding at a "rapid pace".

The human-driven climate crisis, is primarily the result of burning fossil fuels, which releases greenhouse gases that trap heat, raising temperatures. The extra heat alters the planet's water cycle and energy balance, making extreme weather events such as heatwaves more frequent and intense.

In the UK and Europe people have felt the effects of extreme heat throughout the summer. Julia King, the peer who chairs the adaptation work of the Climate Change Committee, an independent advisory body to the government, has said extreme weather "gets worse from here" until net zero is reached.

Heat is considered a "silent killer" because it greatly increases mortality rates while only occasionally being listed as the direct cause of death.

In Germany, public health officials estimated 12,500 people had died as a result of heat so far this summer.

Godzilla El Niño Page 25 →

Analysis Ban on disposable barbecues won't be enough

Sandra Laville

From the first day Andy Burnham came into office, climate scientists, campaigners and some of the voters enduring this summer of extreme heat began to wonder when he would start to talk about the climate crisis.

Up until this week, many held back from criticism. After all, he had only been in power a couple

weeks; it felt far too early to start to call him out on it. But as the nation watched footage of terrified horses galloping over cindering heathland in the New Forest while yet another wildfire took hold, it no longer felt too soon. Now people are asking aloud: why is Burnham ignoring what is in front of his face - the devastating impact of climate breakdown on the country?

"As the prime minister tours every region of the UK, it will be hard to miss the impacts of this extraordinary summer: wildfires, drought, parched farmland and

people struggling to work in extreme heat," said the former head of the Environment Agency Emma Howard Boyd, who is now at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment.

She went on to call for Burnham's government to "act with urgency" to prepare the country for a hotter climate by cutting emissions while investing in the resilience of the country's homes, infrastructure, farms and public services.

Mike Childs, the head of policy at Friends of the Earth, said it was time for Burnham to "end his silence on the climate emergency" and urgently tackle the causes and consequences of global heating.

And yet Burnham seems to feel no urgency. There has been no speech utilising his trademark

down to earth and compelling approach when it comes to the climate emergency. There have now been five extreme heatwaves this summer. On Wednesday, Burnham called a Cobra meeting, but what emerged from it? A possible ban on disposable barbecues, and even that was not a firm commitment.

Burnham is currently enjoying a popularity bounce, which has put Labour in front of Reform for the first time in more than a year. What better time, many argue, to ignore naysayers who suggest that to talk about global heating is to set off a culture war? As mayor of Greater Manchester, Burnham was not shy on the climate emergency. He committed to the city becoming carbon neutral by 2038 and argued that local government lacked many

of the powers necessary to deliver the pace of change demanded by the climate challenge.

In his first 25 days holding the reigns of power, Burnham has found time to blame his generation of politicians for the major dereliction of duty in failing to tackle social care over many decades. Yet he has avoided any comment about the failure of the same political class over the same period of time to ensure our hospitals, schools, public buildings and homes were adapted to cope with extreme heat.

In order to thrive, the ordinary people that Burnham has famously championed throughout his political career require a healthy environment, a safe and cool place to work and the assurance of affordable food on their plate.

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10

News

Taylor Swift's husband says wedding 'best night of my life'

Agence France-Presse

The American football star Travis Kelce has described his July wedding to the pop sensation Taylor Swift as "the best night of my life".

"I appreciate everybody who came

out and celebrated and, you know, had fun with us," the Kansas City Chiefs player told reporters. "That's pretty much all I'm taking away from that night. It was a crazy night. It was full of a lot of celebration."

The couple, both 36, tied the knot and celebrated over two days at Madison Square Garden in New York.

▲ The couple attending an event in LA in March, before tying the knot

"It's kind of cool to be able to, you know, live out my childhood dream of being in that venue and being able to get married in there," the three-time Super Bowl winner said.

The event remains shrouded in mystery as no photographs or videos have been released. The wedding was only subsequently confirmed by a statement from Swift's spokesperson and a message on the giant screens of the music and sports venue.

It is known that the ceremony was officiated by the comedian-actor Adam Sandler, the couple were

dressed by Jonathan Anderson for Christian Dior, and Swift wore Louboutin shoes.

A thousand people attended the ceremony, including many celebrities, with surrounding streets in midtown Manhattan blocked off amid a heavy police presence.

The New York mayor, Zohran Mamdani, revealed the newlyweds had paid the city $160,000 (£119,000) to cover the event's costs.

The couple made their relationship public two years ago and got engaged in August 2025.

Neville signs for Disney+ in challenge to Lineker

Matt Hughes

Disney+ has secured the rights to broadcast The Overlap's podcast content in a multimillion-pound deal under which Gary Neville's Stick to Football brand will compete with Gary Lineker's Netflix-backed The Rest Is Football in a battle between two of the world's biggest streaming platforms.

Under the terms of a deal that also includes title sponsorship, Disney+ will broadcast 40 episodes of Stick to Football this season featuring the regular team of Neville, Jamie Carragher, Jill Scott, Ian Wright and Roy Keane, as well as 50 episodes of a new programme, Stick to United With Wayne Rooney, which will be co-presented by the content creator Mark Goldbridge.

While both programmes will be available on YouTube, Disney+ will also commission six additional episodes of Stick to Football that will be exclusively available to its subscribers for a limited time before being released on YouTube.

The Overlap will retain the intellectual property, with Disney+ paying millions to attach its brand and distribute the shows on its platform.

Neville launched The Overlap along with the former Sky Sports producer Scott Melvin in 2021 and it has

grown quickly to become one of the UK's most popular football channels, as well as branching out into other sports, with the Stick to Cricket podcast, presented by Michael Vaughan and David Lloyd, also proving popular after its launch last year.

The company said this year that it was attracting 38m monthly views on YouTube after achieving 2.2bn views across all platforms in 2025, and was continuing to expand.

The multimedia company Global, which owns the radio station LBC and podcasts including The News Agents, bought a majority stake in The Overlap in January, which was followed in April by the acquisition of Goldbridge's YouTube channels, The United Stand and That's Football.

"We're immensely proud to be partnering with Disney+," Neville said. "What's exciting is that we're not changing who we are. Our community will continue to enjoy our content in exactly the way they always have through YouTube, while Disney+'s global streaming audience will be able to enjoy it too."

Rooney will also join the Overlap stable on a permanent basis, having previously made guest appearances, while Disney+ has also secured the rights to a new documentary about his family life, The Real Rooneys.

Disney+'s investment in The Overlap comes after a similar deal announced last month involving Netflix and Lineker's Goalhanger production company, whose The Rest Is Football series - which also features Alan Shearer and Micah Richards - will be available on the platform for the next two seasons.

The Rest Is Football appeared in Netflix's top 10 TV chart every day during its 40-episode run of daily World Cup coverage. Netflix opted to continue their partnership for the domestic season.

The Rest Is Football obtained more than 7m monthly streams for its podcast last season. Lineker had previously joked that its rival was "languishing miles behind".

▲ Roy Keane and Ian Wright are regulars with Gary Neville, above, on Stick to Football

PHOTOGRAPH: MICHAEL REGAN/ THE FA/GETTY

morrisons.com Majority of stores. Excludes Morrisons Daily. Online varies. Charity Reg No 207994 (England and Wales), SC038731 (Scotland), T&Cs: my.morrisons.com/marie-curie-epgb-tcs/

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National

17

The Harvey Nichols store in Knightsbridge, London. The chain was founded in 1831 as a linen shop and became synonymous with 1990s chic PHOTOGRAPH: JAMES WILLIS/GHIRY/NORA/SHUTTERSTOCK

Sports Direct owner buys struggling upmarket store chain Harvey Nichols

Sarah Butler

The owner of Sports Direct has bought Harvey Nichols out of administration after the upmarket department store chain warned it could run out of money if it did not find new funding.

Mike Ashley's Frasers Group said yesterday it had bought the chain, which is headquartered in Knightsbridge, central London, for an undisclosed sum on the day it was put into administration.

Sources said the group had paid about £40m for Harvey Nichols, which has 1,200 employees and 13 stores. These consist of five large stores - in London, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester - and a smaller one in Bristol, plus outlets in Dublin, Riyadh, Dubai,

Doha, Kuwait and two in Hong Kong. Frasers said it was acquiring the five large stores and Bristol.

Discussions over the future of the Dublin store were "ongoing", but Frasers said it had already bought certain stock and fixtures and "continues to support" trading there. The franchise agreements for the overseas stores will continue under the deal.

Harvey Nichols's restaurant in the Oxo Tower in London is not included in the deal and is being sold off separately.

The administrator, FTI Consulting, said a sale was being finalised that would preserve 100 jobs and ensure the business continued to operate.

Frasers said in a statement: "Significant restructuring and integration of Harvey Nichols into the Frasers Group ecosystem will be required to create a sustainable

business for the future, including a review and rationalisation of the store portfolio, organisational structure, operating model and cost base."

Frasers bought the House of Fraser department store chain out of administration in 2018 and has since closed about 40 of its 60 stores.

The group has been building its interests in luxury fashion with the Flannels chain and large stakes in the German brand Hugo Boss and the British handbag maker Mulberry.

Ashley has bought a series of struggling premium brands in recent years after starting out with a single sports shop.

He has said he would keep Harvey Nichols's Knightsbridge and Edinburgh stores, but rebrand the four other UK stores - in Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester and Bristol - as House of Fraser or Flannels.

The retail analyst Richard Hyman said: "We can be certain that Harvey Nichols won't be the same because being the way it was has racked up huge losses and that won't be tolerated by Mike Ashley."

It is unclear if Ashley plans to keep the entire Knightsbridge flagship as a retail and restaurant operation under the Harvey Nichols brand long-term,

▲ Mike Ashley's Frasers Group has bought a series of premium brands

or redevelop it by bringing in some of his other brands, gyms and other partners, possibly including a hotel, to fill the space more profitably.

Hyman said: "Sports Direct might go well on that corner."

He referenced Lillywhites, a sports retailer near Piccadilly Circus in central London that Ashley has owned for decades and which is now in effect a Sports Direct outlet.

Harvey Nichols, which was founded in 1831 as a linen shop, became the flag-bearer for 1990s chic and was regularly mentioned in the TV sitcom Absolutely Fabulous.

It was put up for sale by its long-term owner, Dickson Poon, after failing to make a profit since the coronavirus pandemic locked out big-spending foreign tourists.

The Frasers Group chief executive, Michael Murray - Ashley's son-in-law - said: "Harvey Nichols is an iconic British institution with significant potential, but it is clear meaningful change is needed."

Julia Goddard, the chief executive of Harvey Nichols, said: "I look forward to working closely with Frasers Group to build on the momentum already under way."

'AI boot camp' scheme aimed at readying young people for work

Dan Milmo

Global technology editor

Young people out of work or at risk of unemployment are to join "AI boot camps" in the hope of harnessing the technology to get a foothold in the workplace.

The government's latest attempt to address the crisis in Neets - young

people not in education, employment or training - involves turning to a technology that many view as a potential threat to jobs.

A pilot scheme in north-west England will provide up to 70 people aged 16 to 21 with three weeks of AI training, including learning to build AI tools, understanding how businesses use AI and learning to use the technology responsibly.

There will also be workplace skills training such as using office IT systems and timekeeping.

The government wants the majority of attenders at the boot camp to gain an apprenticeship at businesses that have signed up, such as the defence firm BAE Systems and food company Heinz.

Lisa Nandy, the secretary of state for digital, culture, media and sport, said the scheme would "support young people at a crucial juncture in their lives". The pilot will be used to refine an England-wide AI skills scheme due to roll out next summer.

The boot camp will use AI tools

from big US tech firms including Microsoft, the ChatGPT developer OpenAI and Anthropic, the startup behind the Claude chatbot.

Bouke Klein Teeselink, an academic at King's College London and an expert on the impact of AI on work, said the boot camp was a "good idea in principle".

"What we need to do is make juniors more attractive to companies and one way to do that is make them more productive by teaching them how to do AI well," he said. However, Teeselink said he was sceptical that a three-week programme would be enough to make teenagers "AI ready",

because AI readiness required continuous learning and updating of skills.

Fears of AI's impact on jobs have focused heavily on school-leavers and graduates because AI tools are viewed as capable of performing the "grunt work" typically set aside for newcomers to the workforce.

This week Stanford University in the US flagged a decline in employment of young workers in AI-exposed occupations such as software engineering and customer service.

The UK's AI minister, Kanishka Narayan, said the programme would give young people "the skills they need to thrive in the AI workplace".

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National

'They do look majestic'

Tears and pride as white

storks fly free in Cornwall

Steven Morris

They took a little coaxing at first - after all, they had been used to a safe, comfortable aviary tucked away in woodland on the edge

of Bodmin Moor. But after a few minutes, the birds stepped out into freedom and the bolder ones were soon soaring into the blue, the first white storks to be released into the wilds of Cornwall.

Yan Swiderski, the founder of the Cornwall Stork Project, had tears in his eyes. "I do feel a bit emotional," he said, sounding a little like a proud father trying but failing to play down the achievements of his offspring. "They're a little bit clumsy at the moment. They aren't used to flying free ... but they do look majestic, don't they?"

Twenty-one white storks, most

of whom hatched on the moor this year, were released yesterday. They will probably spend a couple of months in Cornwall before heading south for the winter, perhaps to southern Spain or Morocco.

If all goes well, they will return in a few years' time to the area where they hatched and produce their own young. "That will be so exciting," Swiderski said.

The project is based on one at Hamatethy farm, which produces organic beef and pork but also runs rewilding schemes. The project began in 2021 and now has five pairs of adults that were rescued or bred in captivity.

Swiderski said it was not possible to simply release any white stork into a landscape as it would try to return to the place where it was born. "The way to do it is to set up breeding aviaries. You can then release the chicks that are born in those aviaries," he said.

"They have a very strong homing

instinct, so they will migrate in the autumn, then hopefully come back and nest pretty much where they came from."

The project follows the model established at the Knepp estate in West Sussex, which has been operating since 2016 and has

successfully reintroduced storks there. It is possible the Bodmin storks will team up with the Knepp ones to fly away for winter.

Natural England, the government's wildlife watchdog, did not sound very enthusiastic about white stork releases, though

Two of the 21 white storks that were released from an aviary on the edge of Bodmin Moor yesterday PHOTOGRAPH: JIM WILEMAN/THIL GUARDIAN

it said they were not banned. It argues that neither white nor black storks were ever native in England.

While recognising the value of white storks as a visible and charismatic species in engaging people, Natural England said the releases "are not a priority for us".

Swiderski said: "To head off any controversy about native versus non-native, I think the important point here is that with climate change, the European natural range of birds is moving northward."

He said upland Cornwall was a decent habitat for white storks. "Bodmin Moor is good in the sense that you're not in the middle of a chemical landscape. They just need healthy soils, earthworms and insects and a bit of wetland here and there," he added.

"People sometimes ask me what the ecological function of a white stork is and my answer is always that they engage humans with nature. If you can interest people in birds like storks you can have all those conversations about healthy soils, the importance of organic farming, not overgrazing for small mammal populations, thriving wetlands. And that is worth a lot."

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20

National Edinburgh fringe

▼ Mary Higgins and Ell Potter's version of Hamlet layers rip-roaring comedy with world-ending dread

PHOTOGRAPH: JONNY RUFF

Stage review

Vegan take on Hamlet is a riotous hoot

Ham Summerhall ★★★★☆

Kate Wyver

That's my next hotdog ruined. Shakespeare's "too solid flesh" is squeezed into a sausage-shaped form in Mary Higgins' and Ell Potter's inventively guilt-trippy show. Leaping wildly from Hamlet, this outrageous, confrontational performance-activism layers hooting comedy with world-ending dread as Higgins (a vegan) attempts to persuade Potter (also known as "the sausage queen") to give up eating meat.

Transposing Hamlet's existential questions to the future survival of humanity via the meat industry's impact on the planet, Higgins takes on the role of our stubborn, sauntering prince, seeking vengeance for the ghost of a poor, slaughtered, strangely seductive pig. Suave and silly, Potter is both ghost and Gertrude, the latter reading madness into the truth only her son is brave enough to face.

Easy laughs are won through winking Shakespearean parody, but the further off-piste the show goes, the more it jolts us into looking anew. Through naked dancing, a pet funeral and a dom/ sub relationship with an audience

member, the duo direct our gaze to our own impact on the planet.

This is not about the murders of animals, Higgins says, but the suicide of the human race. (It's also a bit about the murders of animals: there are brutal, scarring images.)

Inescapably a little preachy, the show is also riotously funny right until the very end, when footage of the recent wildfires blazes behind the performers.

The clips start across the sea and get closer: to Europe, Britain, Arthur's Seat. It's no longer a question of what may or may not be.

Until 30 August

Stage review

Taking on the tech bros with party games

Turn Your F*cking Phones Off Summerhall ★★★★☆

Mark Fisher

Last year, Hannah Maxwell laid out three blueprints for an Edinburgh fringe hit. In Babyfleareindeerbag, she tested out a series of ideas in a hilarious exercise in market research.

She might have returned with a full-length version of the one about her father's teddy bear puppets - something cute and whimsical - but the state of the world persuaded her to go for the one about the threat of the tech bros.

Turn Your F*cking Phones

Off sounds like an instruction, but is actually a note to self. She is worried about the hold her smartphone has on her and the data she feeds it with. Not for nothing does she deliver chunks of the show via an old-school payphone.

It fuses two narrative lines with mass karaoke and party games. One of them is her account of getting a job with a clandestine organisation specialising in influencing public discourse. It involved international travel, data collection and subliminal messaging.

The other is her concern about her own screen addiction and her complicity in feeding an online machine that profits from discord as a deliberate rightwing policy.

The two strands meet when troubling repercussions from her old job make her all the more alert to the damaging impact of a life shaped by algorithms. As she goes into digital detox, she retreats from dopamine hits, but has an even greater fear of what she sees as a fundamental assault on democracy.

In this tremendous show, Maxwell delivers this analysis with equal parts fervour and merriment. The connections she makes in the audience are a real-world alternative to the online forces trying to tear us apart.

Until 31 August

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National

21

'Birmingham Four' lawyers hope for case to be reopened

Neha Gohil Midlands correspondent

Lawyers representing four men convicted of terror offences are increasingly hopeful that revelations from the undercover policing inquiry will improve the chances of their case being reopened.

Ten years ago, Khobaib Hussain, Naweed Ali, Mohibur Rahman and Tahir Aziz were arrested and later convicted of planning a terrorist attack in the UK after an elaborate covert police operation.

In the undercover operation, police set up a fake delivery firm called Hero Couriers to catch Hussain and Ali who, like one of the other "Birmingham Four", had a previous terror-related conviction.

The investigation involved an undercover police officer working for the West Midlands' "special projects team" under the alias "Vincent". On Ali's first day working for Hero Couriers, MI5 officers discovered a bag under the seat containing a "partially

constructed" pipe bomb, a suspected handgun and a meat cleaver with "kafir" scratched on to it.

Lawyers representing the Birmingham Four have long expressed their belief that "Vincent" planted the evidence in the vehicle - a claim ridiculed by the undercover police officer during the trial and rejected by the jury. In 2024 the lawyers submitted an initial application to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) to investigate the men's convictions and are still waiting for a response.

Gareth Peirce, a lawyer known for winning miscarriage of justice cases, told the Guardian she had submitted further information to the CCRC earlier this year which included, but was not limited to, evidence heard at the undercover policing inquiry.

The inquiry is examining the conduct of undercover officers who spied on more than 1,000 political groups between 1968 and at least 2010.

Peirce said the submission, although broad, cited evidence heard at the inquiry last November, where the managers of an undercover officer

▲ Clockwise from top left: Khobaib Hussain, Mohibur Rahman, Tahir Aziz and Naweed Ali. They are in jail

believed he had concocted a gun plot to frame an animal rights activist.

She said: "The coincidences and parallels with the Birmingham Four prosecution evidence are exact - an undercover officer, with access to firearms, claims to stumble upon a plot by an individual he is spying on.

"Both cases rest on the improbable 'discovery' of firearms and other

weaponry in cars recently driven by the activists."

Peirce said evidence heard during the undercover policing inquiry demonstrated the "easy ability of an undercover officer to fabricate evidence" as well as how easy it was "to rely on an organisational cover-up".

Hussain's sister, Mariam, has been fighting for the group's case to be reopened with the Muslim advocacy group Cage. She said: "We're in a position now, unfortunately, where you're having to spoon-feed and redirect the CCRC to 'go look here, go do this' because we're not getting regular updates so we don't really know what's going on and how they're investigating."

On Wednesday, Cage issued a joint statement signed by several organisations, including the miscarriage of justice charity Appeal and Muslim advocacy groups, which called for the CCRC to immediately review and reopen the case.

Stephen Kamlish, who represented Ali during the 2017 trial, said the evidence presented during the trial showed his client was innocent, including the fact Ali had willingly given his car keys to "Vincent".

"I have no doubt at all that the defendants are innocent - all of them," Kamlish said.

Mariam added: "It hasn't ended for us. That pain, it's every day. We're living a nightmare every day."

▲ The talks aim to produce a legally binding way to end plastic pollution

Global plastics treaty draft unambitious, say experts

Ushika Kidd

The latest version of the long overdue plastics treaty is even less ambitious than the previous one, according to experts.

A year after UN plastics treaty negotiations collapsed in Geneva in 2025, diplomats met informally in Nairobi between 30 June and 3 July, aiming to flesh out a new "no surprises" document.

The chair of the process, Julio Cordano, the Chilean ambassador to the UN, took over in February with the objective of delivering "an effective response to end plastic pollution through an international legally binding instrument".

A new draft text of the treaty was published earlier this week, which Cordano described as "an informal, evolving reference document". While he said he was "encouraged by members' continued engagement and commitment", there was still work to be done.

However, Andrés del Castillo, a senior attorney at the Center for International Environmental Law, said: "Science and reality are not adapting to the geopolitical context."

Fabienne McLellan, the managing director of the environmental NGO OceanCare, agreed, saying: "It is basically one large bracket."

Brackets in the text indicate disagreement and in effect put the treaty's objective of protecting human health from the impact of plastics up for debate. From a public health perspective, this is deeply concerning when "the science is clear", according to Megan Deeney, a research fellow at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. "Human health appears just nine times in the substantive articles of the text," she said, with seven of these bracketed, "meaning they could be lost altogether in further negotiations".

A treaty suggesting "we only want to protect the environment" would not include recent injustices such as Turkey's microplastic pollution from UK waste or microplastics in recycled food waste contaminating agricultural soils.

The previous treaty collapsed because agreement could not be reached on the crucial issue of reducing plastic production.

The next round of negotiations are scheduled for March 2027.

Splashdown to earth

Team GB's Zak Seddon (centre) just missed out when he came ninth in the European Athletics men's 3000m steeplechase second heat in Birmingham yesterday.

PHOTOGRAPH: MARTIN RICKETT/PA

Bishop appears in court to face charges of raping girl, 15

PA Media

The bishop of Northampton has appeared in court over allegations he raped a teenage girl after they went on a pilgrimage to Lourdes.

David Oakley, 70, is accused of twice having sex with the girl, who was 15 at the time, in the early 2000s. Oakley, who was then in his

mid-40s and a Catholic priest, was charged in June with two counts of rape of a girl under the age of 16. He appeared at Westminster magistrates court yesterday via videolink.

Prosecutor Sarah Madden told the court Oakley and the girl "started dating ... after going on a pilgrimage to Lourdes". Madden said: "She recalls sex with the defendant on at least two occasions."

Oakley became the bishop of

Northampton in 2020. He is currently withdrawn from public ministry, having been first arrested by police in September 2025.

At court, he was not asked to enter pleas to the two charges as the chief magistrate, Paul Goldspring, sent the case to the Old Bailey.

He released Oakley on bail, with conditions not to contact the alleged victim or her family, ahead of a plea hearing on 10 September.

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22

Eyewitness

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▼ Brussels, Belgium

This year's Flower Carpet on the Grand-Place is inspired by Hokusai's The Great Wave Off Kanagawa

and marks 160 years of diplomacy with Japan. Made up of 500,000 dahlias, it is on display until Sunday PHOTOGRAPH: OLIVIER ROSLET/EPA

23

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24

World

Palestinians forced from homes in

West Bank amid siege by settlers

Emma Graham-Harrison Jerusalem

Israeli troops forced two Palestinian families to leave their besieged homes in the West Bank yesterday, the day after a top Israeli commander promised he would end a violent settler campaign to drive them out.

Israeli soldiers also took over eight homes in Qusra, telling Abdul Azim, the village's mayor, that the buildings were needed for a days-long operation to remove the settlers. They later relinquished six of the homes. Settlers still roamed the village yesterday.

The Palestinians' ordeal began on Sunday when Israeli settlers and soldiers set up a tent blocking the

entrance to three homes on the edge of the village. They severed water and electricity supplies and prevented an ambulance from reaching a sick toddler.

Amid mounting international pressure over the siege, Maj Gen Avi Bluth, who commands all the Israeli troops in the occupied West Bank, visited Qusra on Wednesday to meet the trapped Palestinians and committed to "evacuate" the settlers.

Bluth's troops later removed the tent but left the militants, their bedding and other equipment. Soldiers retreated after a failed attempt to drive out the Israeli settler group with riot control techniques. The siege continued into a fifth day yesterday, with the impact on the village only expanding after Bluth's visit.

▲ Ruqaya Hassan Abu Reeda, whose home was besieged, with her daughter

PHOTOGRAPH: ISRAEL KHALRA-SETTERS

Qusai Ridi, one of the besieged Palestinians, said: "The army arrived at around 10am and asked us to evacuate the houses because of a military operation in the area that would last for three days. We refused to leave. The army then moved us all into one house."

Ridi was allowed to return home in the afternoon, where he found Israeli soldiers had damaged a security camera system and stolen some equipment. They were continuing to occupy the home of his neighbour Yousef Hassan, who was staying with Ridi.

Settlers were still patrolling outside in the area where the 28-year-old Amir Moatasem Odeh was killed by a settler in March. Another attacker stabbed his father. No one has been arrested over the murder and assault.

"I do not trust that the army will evacuate the settlers," Ridi said. "But I sincerely hope they do."

Ridi's brother is a US citizen. Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador to Israel, who is generally supportive of Israel's settlement project, described the siege of Qusra as a "horrific act of terror" carried out by Israeli settlers.

Yesterday afternoon Israeli

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Chinese cinema

Odyssey premieres as western films struggle

Page 26

'Godzilla' El Niño

Amazon rainforest braces for drought

Page 29

◄ Israeli settlers are chased yesterday by an IDF military vehicle in the village of Qusra in the occupied West Bank. The continuing siege

of Palestinian residents in the village by settlers has led to growing condemnation internationally PHOTOGRAPH: ZAIN JAAFAR/GETTY

soldiers left six homes they had taken over in the morning. The returning Palestinian families reported damage including a Quran with pages torn out and destroyed decorations.

Ehud Olmert, Israel's former prime minister, said the siege was a "con- certed and meticulous attempt at ethnic cleansing" that had left him disgusted and ashamed.

"These are crimes against human- ity which are actively supported by the Israeli government and are assisted by the indifference and total lack of action by the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] and the Israeli police," he said. "It's unforgettable and unforgivable."

The same terror tactics were used to force another Palestinian family out of their home in neighbouring Jalud village last month. Soldiers and settlers were filmed playing with a football together on the terrace of that house yesterday.

An Israeli military spokesperson said soldiers had been ordered not to displace Palestinian residents of Qusra and would not operate inside the besieged homes. "The soldiers were instructed that the Qusra res- idents will remain in their homes," they said. The spokesperson declined to comment on why those orders were being violated.

Eyal Zamir, the chief of the gen- eral staff of the IDF, has ordered a battalion of infantry reservists back from leave to reinforce troops in the West Bank.

Domestic critics said the army's failures in Qusra were more the result of a lack of will than a shortage of forces. The commentator Avi Ashke- razi wrote in the newspaper Ma'ariv: "Yesterday's events in Qusra illus- trate the impotence of the IDF, the police, the GSS (Shin Bet) and other security organisations in the face of a group of bullies.

"Instead of bringing a police van [and] arresting the criminals ... [security forces] have been trying to negotiate with them. They are thugs. They believe themselves to be the lords of the land."

Israeli militants target Palestinians with near total impunity in the occu- pied West Bank. Since 2020, Israeli civilians and soldiers have killed more than 1,100 Palestinians there, and there has been only one indict- ment over those deaths.

Violence is deployed as part of a broader campaign of ethnic cleans- ing. Israel had forcibly displaced 64 Palestinian communities over the past three years, the rights group B'Tselem said. Fifteen other commu- nities have lost residents, with more than 4,800 driven from their homes.

Additional reporting Sufian Taha

Outbreak

of Ebola likely to be worst ever recorded, says WHO

Rachel Savage

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has spread to a sixth province, officials have said, a day after the head of the World Health Organization said the outbreak was on track to surpass the deadliest in history, which killed at least 11,000 people more than a decade ago.

The current outbreak has killed more than 2,100 people out of more than 4,500 cases, according to the latest government figures released on Tuesday. At the same point in the 2014-16 outbreak in west Africa, the previous most deadly outbreak, 755 cases had been recorded, according to WHO data.

Jean Kaseya, the director general of Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, said yesterday that a death had been recorded in the previ- ously unaffected Bas-Uele province.

The man had travelled from Isiro, in Haut-Uele province, to Buta, the capital of Bas-Uele, where he died, Kaseya said.

There are no approved vaccines or treatments for the rare Bundibugyo strain of the virus that is responsible for the current outbreak.

The death toll has been reached almost three times faster than in the 2014-16 outbreak. On Wednesday, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO head, said the current outbreak would surpass that one.

▲ Mourners at the funeral of an Ebola victim in Ituri province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, this week. The current outbreak has killed more than 2,100 people out of about 4,500 cases PHOTOGRAPH: SHEDDONNE ESHOLE/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Six of the DRC's 26 provinces have now been affected, mainly those along the country's north-eastern border. More than 3,400 of the cases have been recorded in Ituri prov- ince, where the outbreak was first reported.

Uganda has reported 20 cases, all in the capital, Kampala. The last case there was reported on 21 June and no community transmission has been recorded.

The DRC outbreak is unfolding amid strikes by some unpaid health workers, global development aid cuts, threats by rebel groups, anger from long-traumatised communi- ties, and misinformation claiming that Ebola is not real.

Workers at the Nizi treatment cen- tre in Ituri province went on strike yesterday, leading to the temporary closure of the centre, saying they had not been paid for three months.

The true scope of the outbreak remains unknown. It was declared on 15 May but the WHO says sequenc- ing now shows it began in February.

Health authorities have said between 60% and 70% of new cases are recorded outside contacts being monitored, and that the disease is spreading at an alarming rate.

Dr Mohamed Yakub Janabi, the WHO regional director for Africa, said this week: "We are chasing the virus; the virus is ahead of us."

Nonetheless, his colleague Abdirahman Mahamud, the head of the WHO's emergency response divi- sion, sounded a note of optimism on Wednesday, saying that if the pan- demic response was implemented "at the same time across the five trans- mission zones, we are expecting a turnaround in three months".

Even with that, Mahamud said the peak of the outbreak would not be

reached for six months under a "mod- erate" scenario and that the outbreak could last nine to 12 months.

Ebola is rare but highly conta- gious and can be contracted from body fluids such as vomit, blood or semen, including from dead bodies, and from contaminated surfaces and materials such as bedding and cloth- ing. The disease it causes is severe and often fatal.

Clinical trials of two possible treat- ments for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola began last month in Ituri.

This strain of Bundibugyo is genetically different from previous outbreaks in 2007 and 2012, making it likely that this outbreak began when the virus jumped from an infected animal to a human, researchers said in a paper published this week.

Additional reporting Associated Press and Agence France-Presse

Friend admits plotting bomb

attack on Italian TV journalist

Angela Giuffrida Rome

An Italian businessman has admit- ted masterminding a bomb attack at the home of Sigfrido Ranucci, a prominent investigative journalist, claiming it was intended to boost his security protection.

Valter Lavitola, who was friends with Ranucci, the host of Report, an investigative programme aired by the state broadcaster, Rai, confessed to investigators after his arrest earlier

this week in connection with the case, the businessman's lawyer, Ser- gio Cola, told the Italian media.

It was originally thought that the mafia initiated the attack in October 2025. A rudimentary, powerful bomb was detonated outside Ranucci's home near Rome, damaging his car and another owned by his daughter.

Four other people allegedly com- missioned by Lavitola were arrested in late June on suspicion of carrying out the attack.

Cola said Lavitola had orchestrated the attack in order to boost

Ranucci's security detail amid threats to his life from the mafia. "He did it for Ranucci's good, because he was a target of attacks," he said.

But Lavitola denied allegations that the motive had been to enhance Ranucci's popularity with the aim of him entering politics, something Lavitola allegedly hoped to benefit from too.

The allegations were outlined in an investigative report, seen by the

◄ The bomb 'target', Sigfrido Ranucci hosts an investigative show called Report on Italy's state broadcaster, Rai

Guardian, which included telephone conversations including one alleg- edly from Lavitola telling Ranucci "you will be prime minister in two years".

There has been no suggestion from investigators that Ranucci, who previously expressed shock over Lavitola's alleged involvement, was aware of the plot.

Ranucci, whose investigations for Report focus on alleged crime and corruption, often involving govern- ment ministers, is suing unnamed commentators and politicians who accused him of staging the attack for his own benefit for defamation.

His lawyer, Roberto De Vita, said that if the allegations of Lavitola's motive were correct then Ranucci was "a victim three times over".

29

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24

World

South Korean airport becomes busiest in world for global traffic

Raphael Rashid

Seoul

South Korea's Incheon airport has become the world's busiest for international passengers, in part owing to disruption in the Middle East caused by the Iran war.

The airport, South Korea's main gateway, about 30 miles west of Seoul, handled 38.39 million international passengers in the first half of this year, according to preliminary figures compiled by the Airports Council International, the global trade body for airports.

Heathrow was second, with 37.79 million, followed by Changi airport in Singapore with 34.53 million.

It is the first time Incheon has topped the international passenger rankings since opening in 2001. It was 10th in the world in 2002, fifth in 2018 and third in 2024 and last year.

Part of the increase was attributed to disruption caused by the US-Iran conflict, which weakened the role of Middle Eastern hubs such as Dubai and diverted some transfer traffic to alternative routes through east Asia, Incheon International Airport Corporation (IIAC) was quoted as saying by the Yonhap news agency.

Incheon's international passenger traffic was up 6.3% year on year, with

38.39m

Number of international travellers handled by Incheon airport, near Seoul, in the first half of this year

183

The number of cities served by the airport, which includes 158 international destinations

rising numbers of overseas visitors contributing to the increase.

Foreigners accounted for 39.3% of Incheon's passengers in the first half of this year, up from 35.2% for the whole of 2025. The proportion reached a record 44.4% in the second quarter, with IIAC attributing the increase largely to growing numbers of visitors from China and Japan, according to local media.

Heathrow, in west London, recorded 40 million passengers in the first half of the year, including domestic and international travellers, its busiest first half on record. Passenger traffic to Asia-Pacific rose 7.9%, while capacity to the Middle East reportedly fell 16.5% owing to the regional conflict.

This week Istanbul overtook Heathrow as Europe's busiest airport by total passenger numbers. Figures published on Tuesday showed that 7.9 million passengers passed through Heathrow's terminals in July, compared with Istanbul's 8.15 million.

Incheon has expanded its role as an international travel hub. It serves 101 airlines flying to 183 cities, including 158 international passenger destinations.

A four-phase expansion completed in late 2024 increased the airport's annual capacity to 106 million passengers.

Kim Beom-ho, the acting president of IIAC, said the ranking reflected "the support of the government, the public's encouragement and the hard work of everyone stationed at the airport".

South Korea also lays claim to the world's busiest air route. The domestic corridor between Gimpo airport and Jeju Island had 14.4 million seats scheduled last year, according to the aviation data provider OAG - more than any other route in the world.

▼ Emma Thomas, Charlize Theron, Matt Damon and Christopher Nolan at the movie's premiere in China

PHOTOGRAPH: YAROSAN ZHANG/GETTY IMAGES

An epic undertaking

Can The Odyssey conquer the box office in China?

Alicia Chen

Taipei

The Odyssey, Christopher Nolan's summer blockbuster, is released in China today. One of the year's most highest-grossing films, Nolan's epic will test whether Hollywood blockbusters can still draw audiences in a market dominated by domestic films.

For now, the signs are good: the film is set to be released on most of China's roughly 800 Imax screens and the film received a high-profile Beijing premiere last week.

Weekend sneak previews sold out and The Odyssey has since topped the "most anticipated" ranking on Maoyan, China's largest ticketing platform.

But its launch comes at a time when western productions have struggled at the box office.

Amid rising tensions with the US, Beijing has curbed the number of western films approved for release. Local titles have accounted for about 80% of annual box office revenue, as Chinese moviegoers have favoured homegrown films.

As China seeks to boost consumer spending, Hollywood films have returned to Chinese cinemas, despite the spiralling US-China trade war.

Fewer than 10 Hollywood films have cracked China's box office top 10 over the past five years. But Nolan's epics hold a special place among Chinese audiences.

"Nolan is treated by a lot of Chinese audiences almost like a

standalone brand," says Dr How Wee Ng, senior lecturer at the University of Westminster, who specialises in Sinosphere cinema.

"Because we have a lot of middle class, educated urban elites who are now more demanding of cinema. They no longer just want usual action thrillers," Ng says.

Nolan's last film, Oppenheimer, grossed about 450m yuan (£50m) in China, making it one of the highest grossing films of the year when it was released in 2023. His previous films, Interstellar and Inception, also remain enduringly popular among Chinese audiences.

Liu Nandou, a Beijing-based film critic, expects a modest return for The Odyssey, predicting a total box office take of between 300m and 800m yuan.

"Nolan's films have a ceiling," Liu told the Global Times, China's state-owned tabloid. "The threshold for understanding The Odyssey is extremely high, and it doesn't fit the broad popcorn audience."

Yu Yaqin, an independent film critic based in Beijing, says many may never have read Homer's epic poems, but they will still go to the cinema for Nolan.

"The idea of returning home and reuniting with one's family resonates with values that are deeply rooted in east Asian cultures," she says.

Yu adds that a recent viral interview with Nolan by Zhong Shu, a Chinese doctoral student and podcaster, will also help the film. The interview garnered tens of millions of views within days.

Ng says the Greek concept of Xenia discussed in the interview, which Nolan translates as "Zeus's law" - an ancient custom governing how people were supposed to treat strangers - has parallels with the Confucian concept of Li, which stresses proper conduct, including courtesy and respect for others, and may therefore feel familiar to Chinese audiences.

The film arrives at a difficult moment for China's cinema industry. According to Top Data, a Chinese film industry data analytics company, 806 cinemas closed in 2024, while 740 others suspended operations in 2025.

Amid this gloomy economic outlook, Yu says US films remain too commercially important for Chinese cinemas to abandon.

"With cinemas under mounting financial pressure, they can't afford to turn away American films that are capable of carrying the box office," she says.

Additional research Yu-Chen Li

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World

27

'Unacceptable': Japan condemns Putin's visit to disputed islands

Gavin Blair Tokyo

The Japanese government has reacted angrily to Vladimir Putin's first visit to the disputed Kuril Islands, which are claimed by both Tokyo and Moscow.

Japan's foreign minister, Toshimitsu Motegi, summoned the Russian ambassador, Nikolay Noudrev, while the prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, called Putin's actions "absolutely unacceptable".

Known in Japan as the Northern Territories and by Russia as the Southern Kurils, the islands were seized in the closing stages of the second world war by the then Soviet Union and have been a source of contention ever since.

The Soviet Union declared war on Japan in August 1945 as Tokyo was about to surrender, and the dispute has prevented the two countries from signing a formal peace treaty.

Takaichi told reporters in Tokyo that the islands, just off Hokkaido, were "both historically and under international law" a part of Japan and called the visit by the Russian leader "incompatible with Japan's consistent position" on the territory.

Japanese television showed footage of Putin on the island of Etorofu (Iturup in Russian) visiting a hospital, meeting residents and trying caviar at a processing plant, and of former Japanese residents - who were deported when Russia took control of the islands - condemning the visit.

About 17,000 Japanese used to live

▲ Vladimir Putin inspects a hospital during his visit to the Kuril Islands

on the islands, which today are occupied by about 20,000 Russians.

As well as being of strategic significance, the island chain - consisting of Etorofu, Kunashiri, Shikotan and the Habomai islet group - provides access to rich fishing grounds and has valuable mineral deposits.

On Wednesday, Putin travelled to the nearby Russian island of Sakhalin, where he inspected navy drills and declared that the disputed islands were recognised as Russian in international documents.

The late Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe had reached an entente with Putin over the territory, with visits by Japanese citizens to family graves resuming and talk of a peace treaty. But Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine prompted Japan to impose sanctions on personnel and entities linked to Moscow, souring relations.

Putin called the recent sanctions "unprovoked". He said: "Japan has identified Russia as a major source of threats. I would like to point out that we are not threatening Japan. On the contrary, it has territorial claims against our country."

Taiwan hit by unprecedented AI-assisted cyber-attacks, ministry says

Guardian staff

Taiwan says its government agencies were last month subjected to cyber-attacks from overseas assisted by artificial intelligence, a new kind of threat that has been reported as a "first-of-a-kind breach".

The Ministry of Digital Affairs (MDA) said its cybersecurity monitoring had detected the "abnormal attack" targeting government agencies, which began on 20 July. The National Institute of Cyber Security issued a series of warning alerts.

The Financial Times quoted Dream - an Israeli AI company that picked up the intrusion - as saying that the attackers had used open-source AI agents to build an autonomous hacking tool that behaved like a coordinated cyber team, calling it a first-of-a-kind breach.

Dream was reported as saying the tool had compromised "at least 85 government user accounts, extracting more than 2,500 personnel records before expanding the attack to Taiwan's nuclear safety agency and at least seven energy companies".

Taiwan has in recent years complained about what it sees as China's "hybrid warfare" - from daily military drills to disinformation campaigns and cyber-attacks - as Beijing ramps up pressure on the island to force Taipei to accept its claims of sovereignty.

Though Taiwanese officials did not accuse China, the FT reported on Wednesday that China-linked hackers were suspected, with Dream saying the use of simplified Chinese in communications linked to the hack meant there was a high probability the operator was connected to China.

Chinese cyber-attacks on Taiwan's infrastructure, from hospitals to banks, rose 6% in 2025 from the previous year to an average of 2.63m attacks a day, the island's National Security Bureau said in January, adding some hacks were synchronised with military drills in "hybrid threats" to paralyse the island.

The AI-assisted attack showed clear characteristics of an "overseas source", the MDA said. It added that in response to this new type of threat, Taiwan had established protective guidelines and strengthened system monitoring to block attacks early.

China's Taiwan Affairs Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Neither Taiwan's MDA nor Chinese authorities commented on the earlier FT report.

Additional reporting Reuters

2,500

Number of personnel files reportedly extracted by the AI hacking tool from at least 85 government user accounts

Heavenly weather

Tourists gather near the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest, part of Beijing's Temple of Heaven complex, as Chinese families flock to popular attractions after the passing of Typhoon Dolphin.

PHOTOGRAPH: WANG EIU/ VCG/GETTY

Tokyo war shrine bans civilians in military clothes from visiting

Gavin Blair Tokyo

Tokyo's controversial Yasukuni shrine is banning military cosplay on its grounds, after the site become a focal point for displays by ultra-nationalist groups often dressed in replica army uniforms.

The ban comes before tomorrow's anniversary of Japan's surrender in the second world war, though it will apply year-round.

▲ A man wearing a replica military uniform visits the shrine in 2024

The shrine honours the 2.5 million Japanese soldiers and civilians who died in war in the 19th and 20th centuries, but it has become a symbol of Japan's militarism and wartime brutality, particularly in China and South Korea. Among those honoured are 14 men convicted by the allies as class A war criminals after the second world war.

"While visits by people who actually served in the military, wearing the clothing of the time, have largely disappeared as 80 years have passed since the end of the war, people with no relevant affiliation or qualification have increasingly been seen visiting in military uniforms," read a statement on the shrine's website.

Yasukuni initially issued the

announcement forbidding the wearing of military attire last week, provoking a backlash from some who said it would stop serving members of Japan's Self-Defense Forces from worshipping at the shrine.

In response, Yasukuni issued an additional statement on Wednesday clarifying that serving personnel and members of military forces from overseas were exempt.

Past visits to the shrine by Japanese leaders and legislators have provoked angry responses from Beijing and Seoul.

It was reported in domestic media yesterday that the prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, is not planning to visit the shrine. Known for her hawkish views, she did visit last year.

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28

World Climate crisis

▲ South Korea's weather forecast map a week ago PHOTOGRAPH: LEE JIN-MAN/AP

Potatoes 'boil' in the ground as record heat spoils harvests across Asia

Raphael Rashid Seoul

In a potato field in Yanggu county, 80 miles north-east of Seoul, Lee Sang-hyuk dug into the soil and found nothing worth saving.

A week earlier the crop, in Gangwon province, had looked fine. Now the potatoes came up soft and collapsing, "like boiled potatoes", spoiled by heat that had turned the ground into something like an oven.

"It's not just one or two fields like this," he told local broadcaster SBS. "How can I even put it into words? It's so upsetting."

His ruined harvest is one thread in a punishing summer across east Asia, as record heat swept through South Korea, Japan and Hong Kong in recent weeks.

On 2 August, the south-eastern city of Yangsan recorded a temperature of 42.5°C (108.5°F), the highest registered in South Korea since modern weather observations began in 1904.

The heat has since been blamed for the deaths of at least 31 people across the country, according to its disease control agency, while more than 900,000 livestock and 1.4 million farmed fish have died.

Authorities issued a heat warning, urging people to "immediately stop all outdoor activities".

South Korea's president, Lee Jae Myung, told his cabinet the extreme weather was "unlike anything we have experienced before".

He said: "We need to make efforts for a fundamental overhaul of the

national crisis system since this extreme weather is becoming the new normal."

In neighbouring Japan, temperatures reached 40°C or higher at multiple locations and the country recorded its first ever kokushōbi, or "cruelly hot day", a new category introduced this year by the country's weather agency for temperatures above 40°C. In Tokyo, three lions died of suspected heatstroke at a city zoo.

Scientists say the extremes are part of a wider pattern. Researchers for Japan's Weather Attribution Centre found that the country's intense July heat would have been "virtually impossible" without the effect of global heating.

Without the warming caused by human activity, they calculated, a heatwave of this scale would occur on average once every 10,000 years.

The heat struck even as an El Niño event was under way, a natural climate pattern that has in the past been associated with a lower likelihood of extreme summer heat in Japan.

In Hong Kong, the observatory posted an official temperature of 36.9°C, the highest recorded there since records began in 1884, as the outer bands of Typhoon Dolphin swept hot air over the city.

The record heat also exposed the failings of the city's heat stress warning system for outdoor workers, which remained at its lowest tier even as temperatures reached a record high.

"The threshold for the red warning is clearly set too high," Lam Chiu Ying, a former head of the Hong Kong

PHOTOGRAPHS: YONHAP/APA; DISH KATO/REUTERS; CHEN YONG/RO/CHINA NEWS SERVICE/VOL/GETTY

Observatory, wrote on Facebook. "If even a record-breaking temperature can't trigger it, isn't it just a display piece used to decorate a shop window?"

Hong Kong's Labour Department has since said it is reviewing the warning system with the observatory.

In China's western Xinjiang region, a weather station recorded a 50°C reading in July and heatwaves gripped the country's north-east, while North Korea reported a run of tropical nights in Pyongyang, with temperatures failing to fall below 25°C.

June-Yi Lee, a climate scientist at Pusan National University and a coordinating lead author of the UN's most recent climate assessment, said the regional heatwave may have been shaped by a mix of atmospheric circulation patterns and a warming climate.

A strengthening ridge of high pressure over the Tibetan plateau and western Pacific, layered on top of this year's El Niño, may have helped create conditions for the heat, she said.

The World Meteorological Organization said in its latest State of the Climate in Asia report that the pace

'It's not just one or two fields. How can I put it into words? It's so upsetting'

Lee Sang-hyuk Farmer, South Korea

of Asia's warming between 1991 and 2025 was roughly twice that of the preceding three decades.

About 160 miles south of Seoul, in Gwangju, a watermelon farmer, Hong Kyung-hee, watched fruit that would normally sell at a premium turn to mush.

"The inside was good, the sweetness was good, everything was fine," he told KBS from his farm. "But after three days it changed overnight like this. In my 50 years of farming, this is the first time."

Yoon Woo-ha, a strawberry farmer in Damyang county, South Jeolla province, lost seedlings that she had cultivated for three months and will not be covered by insurance.

South Korea's crop insurance scheme covers only designated crops, growing methods and regions, leaving farmers exposed when losses fall outside those boundaries.

Lee Jun-kyung, the head of the Gwangju chapter of the Korean Peasants League, said: "When the insurance can't cover this, it goes straight into farm household debt."

Lee warned that heatwaves were expected to become more frequent and intense as the climate heated up, while compound extremes, such as consecutive heatwaves and heavy rainfall, were becoming more common.

She said: "There is an urgent need for rapid, large-scale reductions in greenhouse gas emissions to limit further global warming, together with well-planned adaptation measures to address the climate change that is already occurring."

▲ From top, strawberry pickers in South Gyeongsang province, South Korea, in late July when the high was 38°C; as a heatwave and an earthquake hit Yatsushiro, Japan, in late July; and last weekend in Causeway Bay, when Hong Kong saw a record high of 36.9°C

---

8

29

The Amazon Vulnerable rainforest gets ready to face 'Godzilla' El Niño

Jonathan Watts

As a supercharged climate scorches Europe with wildfire and deluges Asia with floods, the Amazon is bracing for a drought that strikes fear into the hearts of forest defenders and food producers alike. But it should worry everyone.

Scientists are predicting that the peak of El Niño will occur at the worst possible time for the world's biggest tropical rainforest: the end of the dry season between October and December, when rivers are at their lowest and undergrowth most likely to be tinder dry. This will be a period of extreme vulnerability for the forest, which plays a globally important role in stabilising the climate and irrigating crops.

The planet's life-support system is already reeling from a double whammy. Human-driven climate disruption, caused by burning fossil fuels and trees, is relentlessly heating the world and amplifying extreme weather events, such as heatwaves and storms. On top of this long-term trend is the latest El Niño, a naturally occurring phenomenon of high Pacific Ocean temperatures that leads to warming - and drought and fire - for much of the rest of the world.

Scientists say this El Niño is on course to be the strongest in 150 years by a "mind-blowing margin". And extreme weather is already wreaking havoc across the planet.

Western Europe has endured the hottest June and July in history, with exceptionally low rainfall, sparking extreme wildfires in France, Greece and other Mediterranean countries and water shortages in the Seine, Rhine and Danube basins. Three-quarters of the UK is in drought and baked by what is forecast to be the hottest summer on record.

In Asia, Korea and Japan are sweltering in a record heatwave, while China has been battered by Typhoon Dolphin, which has turned Shanghai's streets into rivers, torn the roofs off houses and forced the evacuation of more than a million people. Floods have killed more than 100 people in India's Assam state.

Swathes of the world are burning. In Canada, wildfires have forced tens of thousands to flee British Columbia and darkened the skies of distant New York with smoke. Huge fires are also raging on Java Island in Indonesia and in Utah, in the US, which has been scorched by a record July heatwave.

In Africa, the United Nations is predicting a severe impact on food production. In the Middle East, local temperature records are being broken almost every day, with the UAE registering

▲ An Amazon river during the 2025 El Niño - Brazil expects a return to such low water levels, as well as increased risk of fires like the ones in Europe this summer, left PHOTOGRAPHS: MUSUK NOLTE/PANOS PICTURES; LE GONDEC MARGOT/ARACA/ SHUTTERSTOCK

51.2C in Al Dhafra. Meanwhile, sea surface temperatures are trending far outside previous parameters, threatening coral reefs and other marine life.

Among the greatest concerns about what comes next is the Amazon, which is essential for maintaining biodiversity and ensuring rainfall for food-producing regions across South America.

A few decades ago, the idea of drought in the rainforest would have seemed outlandish. The Amazon is the world's biggest river and its principal tributaries - the Xingu, Negro, Tapajós, Madeira, Purus, Juruá and Japurá - are among the planet's main sources of freshwater. The forest around them has always been famed for humidity, with giant trees that sucked up moisture and pumped it into the atmosphere, generating "flying rivers" that cooled and watered an entire continent. The trillions of trees and plants in the Amazon also draw down huge quantities of carbon dioxide with benefits to the entire planet.

Now, Brazil's meteorological agency has released a forecast that the unusually strong El Niño will delay the onset of the Amazonian rainy season, raise temperatures, deplete rivers and intensify fire risks. As in many other parts of the planet, this creates an emergency within an emergency: the onset of a natural but extremely powerful "Godzilla" El Niño that could last well into the new year, on top of human-driven warming.

Scientists and Indigenous people say the Amazon is struggling to recover from the devastation caused during the last El Niño in 2023-24, which left some of the world's greatest rivers at record-low levels, prompted unprecedented fire outbreaks and caused mass deaths of dolphins and fish.

With a third of the Amazon now degraded by farming, mining and human-caused climate disruption, the trees and undergrowth are more flammable and vulnerable to "megafires", raising concerns that many parts may tip beyond the point of no return.

The government is trying to address this with satellite monitoring, enforcement operations and greater investment in firefighting capacity. This produced positive results last year, when the burst areas of the Amazon fell to their lowest level since records began in 1985.

But one year is not long enough for the forest to recover and it now faces a far greater threat.

Three previous El Ninós (1998-99, 2015-16 and 2023-24) proved disastrous for the Amazon. Prof Jos Barlow, an Amazon specialist at the Lancaster Environment Centre, said this year's potential outcome was deeply worrying: "It is hard to imagine the outcome of even more severe droughts and heat."

The Amazon fire season has already started but the peak is still a couple of months away. One sign of the heightened concern is that Indigenous communities are setting up their own firefighting

units to cope with outbreaks in deeper parts of the forest.

Erika Berenguer, a forest expert at Oxford University and author of a book on how to deal with rainforest fires, said a major part of the problem was multiple El Niños hitting in a relatively short space of time: "It's similar to if you are already sick and then you get an infection. That infection is going to have much greater impacts on your body because your immune system is already compromised."

The brutal conditions are likely to drag on - and possibly intensify - in 2027 because there is a lag of about three months between the peak of El Niño warming in the Pacific Ocean and temperature rises elsewhere in the world.

Prof Carlos Nobre, a climate scientist at the University of São Paulo, said: "The Amazon has to be very prepared from now through to the beginning of 2027, at least up to March, because this El Niño is very likely to induce a severe drought."

Farmers are bracing for a turbulent year. "Fellow ranchers, GET READY FOR EL NIÑO," reads a post on a popular WhatsApp group for beef producers in the Amazonian state of Pará. "El Niño will impact Brazilian cattle farming by causing heat stress in animals, reducing pasture quality, and leading to 'water scarcity'."

The industry magazine Agroforte notes Brazil's soybean harvests have fallen during previous strong El Niño years, but omits any mention of deforestation and the burning of fossil fuels as a factor in the underlying climate crisis.

Indigenous groups, which tend to preserve the forest, are nevertheless threatened by the conditions. The government has warned that traditional lands will face increased fire risks, and has stockpiled food in case of shortages. During the previous El Niño, some forest communities in the Xingu and Tapajós basins were left isolated, thirsty and worried about hunger when rivers - the main transportation route - ran dry and vegetable gardens shrivelled up. Anything worse next year and Brazil could witness drought refugees in a rainforest.

That this is even a possibility should alarm the world. A severely weakened Amazon will further disrupt the climate and agricultural production at a time when farmers across many parts of the world are already warning that changes are too quick for them to adapt. Global food prices are at a three-year high as falling harvests combine with the fuel inflation caused by the US-Israeli war on Iran. The UN is warning that 49 million more people are likely to face acute hunger because of El Niño.

Much more needs to be done to protect biomes such as the Amazon. Investing more in firefighters is necessary but it only deals with the consequences rather than the local and global causes. Unless deforestation is halted and fossils fuels are phased out, the atmosphere will continue to warm and this year's Godzilla El Niño will seem like a pussy cat compared with what is coming.

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GDP growth slows amid 'cocktail of cost pressures'

Heather Stewart

Economic growth slowed in the second quarter of this year as the disruption caused by the Iran war began to take its toll, official figures have shown.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said GDP expanded by 0.4% in the three months to June, down from 0.6% in the first quarter, in line with City economists' expectations.

Despite the slowdown, analysts said the data suggested the British economy had been more resilient in the face of the continuing Middle East conflict than feared.

Yael Sellin, the chief economist at KPMG, said: "Consumers have faced a series of shocks since the start of the year but have weathered them remarkably well."

However, she said the second half of the year was likely to be weaker. "The UK economy closed out the first half of the year on a strong footing, but momentum is likely to fade over the coming months," she said.

John Healey, the chancellor, is preparing to present his first budget on 28 October.

The ONS said services output grew by 0.5% during the second quarter and construction by 0.3%. Industrial production, which includes manufacturing and energy, was flat.

Within the important services sector, the strongest growth was in information and communication businesses, up 2.7%, led by an upturn in computer programming.

GDP growth in June was a better than expected 0.3%. City economists had forecast no growth.

Sanjay Raja, the chief UK economist at Deutsche Bank, said warm weather and World Cup-related spending may have helped to increase demand.

"In short, households spent more than anticipated," Raja said. "Hotter weather saw consumers ramp up spending. The World Cup may have also had an effect in keeping June GDP on an upward trajectory, with retail, hospitality and advertising revenues all up on the month."

0.4%

The proportion by which GDP grew in the second quarter, compared with 0.6% in the first three months

However, economists still expect rising energy costs to dampen growth through the rest of 2026.

Oil and gas prices shot up after Donald Trump's attacks on Iran at the end of February, though consumer utility bills were protected until last month by the energy price cap, which then jumped by 13%.

Andy Burnham announced a VAT cut for electricity bills last month but told the BBC on Wednesday that he would like to go further. "I can accept criticism that this isn't enough, because I wouldn't say it's enough," he said.

The British Chambers of Commerce responded to the GDP data by sounding the alarm about continued high business costs.

Stuart Morrison, its research manager, said: "Faced with global headwinds from the Iran conflict, the UK economy showed welcome resilience in Q2. But the headline figures shouldn't disguise the cocktail of cost pressures choking long-term business growth."

Inflation figures for July will be published next week and are expected to show a higher reading than June's 2.6%, reflecting rising utility bills. Sustained high inflation will increase pressure on the Bank of England to raise interest rates.

Healey said: "I know people are worried about the impact of the conflict in the Middle East on their cost of living, which has been too high for too long and it has added pressure on British businesses.

"This is an active, hands-on government, putting British interests first - giving breathing space to those feeling the strain, making our country more resilient and bringing hope back."

▲ The World Cup and warm weather may have boosted growth in June, as households spent more than anticipated

PHOTOGRAPH: CHRISTOPHER THOMUNDI; THE GUARDIAN

Burnham's 'breathing space' measures to ease the cost of living will help. But household resilience is thin after years of price growth

Analysis Richard Partington

The economy is proving forecasters wrong - but this unexpected resilience may not last

In the spring the International Monetary Fund warned Britain faced the heaviest economic blow from the Iran war among the world's most advanced nations. Almost six months into the conflict, on the surface, the UK appears to be proving the forecasters wrong.

The latest official figures show the UK maintained its pole position as the fastest-growing economy in the G7 in the first half of 2026. Despite the gloomy international backdrop and yet more domestic political uncertainty, consumers have largely continued spending and business investment has boomed.

As a result, the number crunchers will more than probably need to revisit their forecasts, with an upgrade likely for the year. Deutsche Bank said it estimates a new annual growth figure of 1.1% - significantly above the IMF's spring forecast for Britain's economy to grow by 0.8%.

For the new chancellor, John Healey, the figures are good news as he prepares to present his first budget on 28 October. They are also a crumb of comfort for his ousted predecessor, Rachel Reeves, who had claimed Britain could outdo the IMF's downbeat forecasts.

However, there are reasons why the unexpected resilience of Britain's economy is unlikely to last.

After the surge in global oil prices prompted by the Iran war, and continuing market volatility, UK consumers may have fared better than expected amid the jump in petrol and diesel prices. But they were insulated from the rise in household gas and electricity bills by lower levels of energy demand during the

summer months and the Ofgem energy price cap.

The latest GDP figures cover the period when bills were protected. The cap then jumped by 13% from the start of July, which experts say could push millions of households into fuel poverty. Andy Burnham's "breathing space" measures to ease the cost of living, including cutting VAT to reduce consumer electricity bills by an average of £45 a year from October, will help. But headline inflation

remains elevated and household resilience is thin after years of price growth.

The stop-start fighting in the Middle East could add further to the pressure on energy costs, as global oil prices remain elevated. Geopolitical tensions are also bad news for business investment.

For Healey, there is also the headache of how to pay for the measures to soften the financial blow for households and businesses, at the same time as finding space within the fragile public finances to accommodate higher defence spending and the prime minister's new spending priorities - including more cash for housing and infrastructure.

Leaked Treasury forecasts, compiled before the latest data, show the economy growing by 0.9% this year, according to Bloomberg. That is below the 1.1% forecast by the Office for Budget Responsibility in March. If weaker growth and higher inflation persist over the five-year forecasting window, that will make the arithmetic tougher for Healey.

31

---

12

Business

Business view Nils Pratley

Our energy links to Europe kept

the lights on during the eclipse. Political tensions put that at risk

In the end, the solar eclipse did not cause the electricity grid to flicker. The early drop-off in solar generation was manageable, just as the National Energy System Operator (Neso), the state-owned body responsible for keeping the lights on, predicted. Gas-fired generators were still paid nosebleed prices to fire up - and power through high-voltage interconnectors with continental Europe was also expensively sourced - but the system worked.

A summer of heatwaves, however, has highlighted the reliance of Europe's grids on those interconnectors, including seven between the UK and the continent. Yesterday - another low-wind "heat dome" day - a

fifth of power to the British grid was coming from Europe at 10am.

The economic appeal of interconnectors is obvious: cross-border transfers should boost security. For Britain it can be cheaper to source from the continent, especially from France's nuclear-dominated system.

The politics, on the other hand, have rarely looked messier. Neso cut off exports to the Netherlands at short notice during the evening of 23 June; an investigation continues into what, precisely, happened when the British grid was below its operational frequency limits, albeit not its statutory ones, for almost two hours. Meanwhile, the FT revealed last week that Neso ordered market traders not to export power

through four interconnectors in the day-ahead market during several hours in July to ensure Britain had enough electricity.

"The impact of Neso redispatching interconnectors close to real-time can cause trouble, especially for smaller markets like Belgium and Netherlands," says Phil Hewitt, the director of the energy market specialist Montel. It is why the contractual set-up was altered in May to limit late changes in direction on six links with Belgium, Denmark, France and the Netherlands.

Peter Atherton, an independent energy analyst, says: "The UK is potentially seen as the weak link in the European system."

One could regard the summer heatwave tensions as temporary. Yet deeper political tensions were apparent before the summer. Norway, with its massive hydro power, has banned more interconnectors after a consumer backlash over higher domestic electricity prices.

And a big threat on the horizon - barely discussed in the UK - could come if Marine Le Pen, ahead in the polls, wins next year's French presidential election. Her far-right National Rally party wants to pull France out of the European Union's cross-border electricity systems, which are closely integrated with

the UK's. French energy companies are horrified; Le Pen argues local consumers would pay less.

"There would be price rises for UK consumers and questions for security of supply if the National Rally gets in in France and implements their policy," says Hewitt. "Mainstream parties in Norway and Sweden are increasingly anti-building more interconnectors - they're saying: 'Enough is enough.' If there is no more build-out, and France says: 'We're not going to send you any of our electricity,' the position looks more dicey." Scaremongering? "It is an edge case, but political risk is there. Populism can cause trouble."

Note that the Norwegian and French links are the critical ones. Cheap power typically flows into Britain through those

A big threat on the horizon could come if Marine Le Pen, ahead in the polls, wins next year's French presidential election

cables, whereas connections with Belgium, Denmark and the Netherlands are more two-way. "You do have to be careful that you are not overly reliant on interconnectors because it can make you vulnerable," says Hewitt. Put another way, Neso cannot control the politics at the other end of the cable.

In the medium to long term, the position should improve with the growth of renewables and nuclear generation capacity. Some time in the 2030s, Britain should switch from being a net importer to a net exporter of electricity.

The shorter term, though, is another matter. Energy systems across Europe have become more complex; renewable generation is more decentralised; intra-day price swings are more extreme. Balancing supply and demand has become harder.

Out of that mix, energy nationalism could intensify. As Atherton says: "No country will export power if it means potential blackouts in its own cities. It would be electoral suicide, whatever contracts you have in place."

We're not there yet. For the time being, pan-European cooperation still looks intact. But the politics of interconnectors have been a theme this summer. Tensions are rising. Solar eclipses are easier.

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©

Business Climate crisis

13

Tougher crops and beaver dams

How farmers are innovating to tackle floods, heat and drought

Joanna Partridge Sarah Butler

As the climate crisis brings more extreme weather to Britain, farmers are experimenting with new tactics to tackle both drought and flooding. Hot and dry weather has resulted in the earliest UK cereals harvest in at least 20 years, according to the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, a public body funded by producers. The lack of rainfall has led to cauliflowers looking “suntanned” - yellow instead of white - while cucumber plants have produced misshapen fruit and broccoli is undersized. All in all, it means the UK has to import more vegetables than usual.

While many farmers have installed reservoirs to store water for drought, these can be costly, require planning permission and are sometimes not insufficient in long dry spells. But some farmers are turning to more novel solutions to preserve their production levels.

Improving soils and digging ponds In south Cambridgeshire, arable farmer Martin Lines has already finished his harvest, a month earlier than usual, after navigating the second hot, dry and windy summer in a row. “There’s like a hot hairdryer on everything, and it just saps the moisture out,” said Lines, who also leads the Nature Friendly Farming Network.

On his farm and across the network, farmers are improving the health of their soils, to allow them to hold more water, as well as creating more storage to save rain. Lines said: “We’re focused on having bigger, bushier hedges and more trees in the landscape to slow the flow of air down.”

He believes farmers should assess their annual water needs and how much rainfall they can store, through rainwater harvesting.

“What we need to do is connect up to local drainage and rivers,” he said. “Most rivers have digital flow sensors now, so the moment there is excess flow that is going to go out to sea, farmers should be messaged to say ‘turn your pump on’. We could manage this flow a lot smarter than we are now.”

Reviving marshes as reservoirs

Many areas of farmland sit on former marshes and have been drained using pumps and ditches for years. In some areas, farmers are experimenting with changing the system so water is stored on their land instead of being pumped into rivers and out to sea. This can help

▲ The heat has caused sunburned broccoli and curvy cucumbers, top, while many farmers are increasing the size of ponds and other types of water capture while seeing their land, such as this vetch field, below, turned to dust PHOTOGRAPHS: ODEBIDE; LEBANISDUALAMY; TOMY HAYMOLAS(GATEWAY)

cope with flooding in the winter and during periods of drought, while increasing resources for wildlife.

West Pikefish Farm, run by the Smith family, has historically grown apples near the River Teise near Maidstone in Kent. It is using an old orchard, grubbed up in 2018 because it regularly flooded, to create ponds, scrapes and other wetland features that fill with water in the winter and feed a larger winter lagoon. The land can still be grazed and is poised to be a traditional orchard in the future.

The lagoon will store 4m litres of water that has been filtered of silt by the neighbouring wetlands and can be used for summer irrigation.

“It’s about risk management,” said farmer James Smith, who added he was concerned about access to water during times of drought as it is becoming more difficult to take water from the Teise. The set-up also helps to manage flooding. “When it is winter and the river is in spate it has a bellows effect and the river can flow into these features and reduce risk downstream.

“We are proposing these features could be rolled out all along the catchment, at landscape scale, making it more resilient, holding water in the landscape rather than sending it down as quick as we can to the nearest village.”

Growing different crops

The changing climate is also requiring farmers to diversify, changing the crops they grow. Lines says he is “now looking at what Europe is growing like sunflowers and soya beans”.

He and others believe legumes - a large family of plants including beans, peas, chickpeas and lentils - could also be an answer, as they require hot, dry conditions, and could boost the UK’s food security.

Despite this, the variable nature of the British climate means such experiments are not always a success. “We tried sunflowers a couple of years ago and that was the wettest winter and spring.”

‘There’s like a hot hairdryer on everything, and it just saps the moisture out’

Martin Lines Arable farmer

Lines said. “It’s the unpredictability that is really challenging, we don’t actually know how the next season is going to be.”

Beavers as environment engineers There has been almost no rain since the beginning of June on Chris Jones’s beef farm in Cornwall and the intense heat means the soil is drying out. But Jones has not had to bring in feed for his cattle, which are still grazing the field, thanks to some simple measures and some helpful rodents.

Jones has planted more trees to retain water in the land and to provide shelter for cattle. He also practices rotational grazing, which involves breaking fields into smaller paddocks and moving the herd frequently so it only returns to the same spot every three to six months.

But Jones’s best asset is a family of beavers who, though kept within a relatively small enclosure since their introduction nine years ago, have built a reservoir that contains 3m litres of water.

The beavers’ actions not only help retain water in the land but slow the flow of potential flood waters in rainy periods. Their work preserves damp areas that can be grazed during drought while their dam can be pumped out if necessary. This year, Jones is eyeing the dam: “We haven’t yet had to pump out but we may well have to.”

He said his tactics are intended to work “with minimal financial and environmental cost” and beavers are “the most useful and cheapest way to build reserves of water on our land”.

Crop shading to drone ‘dusting’ Katie Cross, a water specialist at Wrap, the waste and resources action programme, said farmers needed a “combination of tools”, from nature-based tactics to water collection.

In Cumbria the changing climate has led to an experiment with nine cattle farmers adding extra guttering and huge water butts to store water from roofs during the winter for use during dry spells.

In Norfolk, there is a trial of “tillage” - leaving strips of unploughed land between crops of maize or sugar beet so that more water is kept in the soil and there is less need for irrigation. Planting cover crops between seasons is a more widely adopted method of retaining moisture.

Providing more shade - using trees or other methods such as “dusting” the top of polytunnels with specialist shading substances using drones - can also preserve moisture so plants need less irrigation.

---

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15

Weather

Friday 14 August 2026

UK and Ireland Noon today

Forecast

Low 11 High 23 Sunday

Carbon count

Daily atmospheric CO₂ readings from Mauna Loa, Hawaii (ppm):

Latest
08 Aug 2026	427.80
Weekly average
02 Aug 2026	428.18
13 Aug 2025	425.88
13 Aug 2016	403.57
Pre-industrial base	280
Safe level	350

Source: NOAA-ISSN

Around the UK

Atlantic front

High tides

Aberdeen	0155	4.5m	1432	4.3m
Annemouth	0816	13.5m	2032	13.9m
Barrow	--	--	1228	9.3m
Belfast	--	--	1209	3.3m
Cobb	0618	4.1m	1839	4.2m
Cromer	0712	5.3m	1957	5.0m
Dover	--	--	1207	6.9m
Dublin	--	--	1234	3.9m
Galway	0601	5.3m	1816	5.5m
Greenock	0058	3.6m	1349	3.3m
Harwich	0024	4.2m	1241	4.2m
Holyhead	1119	5.6m	2331	6.0m
Hull	0700	7.9m	1941	7.6m
Leith	0312	5.8m	1541	5.7m
Liverpool	--	--	1210	9.5m

© Crown Copyright and/or database rights. Reproduced by permission of the keeper of Public Records and the UK Hydrographic Office

London Bridge	0240	7.3m	1501	7.1m
Leviemouth	0029	4.3m	1304	4.1m
Milford Haven	0710	7.2m	1928	7.5m
Newquay	0600	7.1m	1818	7.4m
North Shields	0401	5.4m	1638	5.1m
Oban	0648	3.9m	1854	4.2m
Penzance	0532	5.5m	1751	5.8m
Plymouth	0652	5.4m	1902	5.7m
Portsmouth	--	--	1228	4.8m
Southport	--	--	1151	9.2m
Stornoway	0746	4.8m	1954	5.2m
Portland	0809	2.1m	2008	2.4m
Whitby	0439	5.9m	1711	5.6m
Wick	--	--	1228	3.5m
Workington	0000	8.7m	1227	8.3m

Sun & Moon

Sun rises	0544
Sun sets	2024
Moon rises	0750
Moon sets	2057
First Quarter	20 Aug

Lighting up

Belfast	2059 to 0601
Birm'ham	2034 to 0550
Brighton	2023 to 0548
Bristol	2035 to 0557
Carlisle	2047 to 0548
Cork	2100 to 0618
Dublin	2056 to 0605
Glasgow	2057 to 0549
Harlech	2045 to 0558
Inverness	2101 to 0541
London	2024 to 0545
M'shooter	2039 to 0549
Newcastle	2043 to 0541
Norwich	2023 to 0537
Penzance	2043 to 0611

Pollutionwatch

Wildfires are an increasing problem across Europe and elsewhere. While their immediate effect on air quality is obvious, they can also trigger less visible but significant environmental effects, including algal blooms.

An algal bloom is the rapid growth of algae and other plant-like micro-organisms. These blooms can become so dense that they change the colour of the lake or sea. Although most are harmless, some produce dangerous toxins. When their blooms die, their decomposition depletes oxygen in the water, creating so-called dead zones.

Algal blooms are often fuelled by excess nutrients from human activities, such as fertiliser runoff and sewage. But smoke and ash from wildfires settling on the water can also trigger them. This material contains iron, which is scarce at sea, and even small amounts can stimulate algal growth.

This phenomenon was dramatically illustrated during Australia's 2019-20 "black summer" bushfires, when vast plumes of iron-rich ash spread across the Southern Ocean. The resulting algal bloom, visible from space, covered an area which was larger than Australia. David Hambling

Around the world

Algiers	31	Linton	30
Arms'dam	33	Madrid	30
Athens	32	Málaga	32
Auckland	33	Mellr'me	32
B Aires	14	Mexico C	33
Bangkok	33	Miami	34
Barcelona	32	Milan	37
Barra	40	Mombasa	40
Beijing	32	Moscow	38
Berlin	32	Mumbai	40
Bermuda	30	N Orleans	36
Brussels	30	Nairobi	37
Budapest	31	New Delhi	41
C'hagen	30	New York	35
Cairo	27	Oslo	35
Cape Town	30	Paris	39
Chicago	30	Perth	35
Corfu	31	Prague	40
Dakar	31	Reykjavik	41
Dhaka	31	Rio de J	39
Dublin	30	Rome	35
Florence	30	Shanghai	36
Gibraltar	30	Singapore	37
H Kong	30	Stockh'n	37
Harare	30	Stradn'g	37
Helsinki	30	Sydney	37
Istanbul	28	Tel Aviv	37
Je'burg	14	Temerife	37
K Lumpur	27	Tokyo	38
K'mandu	30	Toronto	37
Kabul	31	Vancouver	37
Kingston	31	Vienna	38
Kolkata	30	Warsaw	38
L Angeles	30	Wald'ton	38
Lagos	28	Well'ton	13
Lima	29	Zurich	35

---

18

Sport

Football

Trippier ready to help Wolves back to the top flight

Page 41 →

Tennis

Struggling Draper slumps straight out of Cincinnati

Page 38 →

'Surgeon' Abbas key for Pakistan despite spinners taking priority

Home spin strategy and mismanagement has left Pakistan short on pace but skilful Abbas is still going

Taha Hashim

When Pakistan last arrived in England for a Test tour, in the Covid-bubble summer

of 2020, they brought along the future. Shaheen Shah Afridi, 20, was the towering left-armer set for world domination. Naseem

Shah, 17, was armed with a Test hat-trick and a velvety action, the right arm whipping the ball down at 90mph. They looked the part, carrying the grand traditions of Pakistani fast bowling, a reminder of the golden names that came before: Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis.

Mohammad Abbas joined Shaheen and Naseem in that seam attack as the odd man out, 30 and medium-fast, a first-class specialist, the accountant in a movie-star lineup. But six years on Abbas is the great survivor, the only one of that triumvirate named in Pakistan's squad for their three-Test series in England starting next week. Shaheen and Naseem have

suffered for their art - the former has struggled with the red ball since a knee injury in 2022 - and fallen victim to the tragicomic mismanagement of the Pakistan Cricket Board.

Abbas is well known to English audiences. Now 36, he has an exceptional record in the County Championship, taking 302 wickets at 20.64 for Leicestershire, Hampshire, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, and not much has changed at Test level. Making the ball dance off the seam, he has 118 wickets for Pakistan at a staggering average of 22.38.

Nottinghamshire's Peter Moores and Derbyshire's Mickey Arthur are two coaches who have seen the mastery up close. "He's got really long fingers," says Moores. "His gift is in his wrist and in his right hand, really, that ability to control how the seam comes out and the slight variations on the ball." Arthur, who also coached Abbas while in charge of Pakistan, adds: "He's almost like a surgeon in the way he works with that seam. He can get it nipping in, nipping out. And he bowls a good wobble ball as well, so he's got it all."

Moores describes a bowler who can adapt to any surface while Arthur raves about his control. Yet Pakistan have still found ways to ignore him; Abbas has only 30 caps across a nine-year Test career.

Operating in the mid-70s (mph), his speeds look out of place in the international game. "But what he has done is he gets people out and that's the job," says Moores. "It's like batters who aren't as easy on the eye but score runs. And those players are so valuable. You've just got to make sure you treat them with respect because his record tells you he gets wickets and he never lets you down."

Nonetheless, Abbas's reward for taking eight wickets in Pakistan's defeat in the first Test against West Indies in July was to be dropped for the second. The spinners took over in Port of Spain, with Sajid Khan's off-breaks delivering eight wickets to level the two-match series, and the slow stuff has brought Pakistan their doses of joy in the past couple of years. Their last Test series victory was a 2-1 triumph against England in October 2024, built on spinning tracks in Multan and Rawalpindi after a thumping defeat in the opening match. Shaheen and Naseem were discarded from the XI; in came Sajid and the left-arm tweak of Noman Ali, the pair combining for 39 wickets in two Tests. It set the template for how Pakistan have since played at home.

Jason Gillespie was Pakistan's head coach during the series win against England, having taken up the role that April - but was against the mid-series switch to preparing massive turners.

"It was very shortsighted," says the former Australia quick. "When I arrived, [the PCB] wanted to have fast bowlers. And they wanted to develop their fast bowlers. They wanted to play on surfaces that allowed for fast bowlers to thrive. And then a couple of Test matches were lost. New selectors were brought in and they decided that we'd play on used pitches and spinning tracks. It went against the long-term plan of developing bowlers, particularly fast bowlers." Gillespie was stripped of his say in selection and resigned two months later as his relationship with the PCB deteriorated further.

A year and a half on Pakistan have arrived in England with a seam attack that does little at home, and without a quick who'll really get the blood pumping. Ubaid Shah, Naseem's 20-year-old brother, has been called in to crank it up but the hosts should beat them on the speed guns this summer. Babar Azam's side will have to rely on the cliches - line and length, stay disciplined - while Sajid twirls away in this dreadfully dry summer. Mohammad Ali is another seamer who has played county cricket this year and if Pakistan have done their research they'll have Mohammad Rizwan up to the stumps, suffocating England's batters as Abbas settles into his groove. All Pakistan have to do is make sure they pick him.

---

Sport Motor sport

17

Revealing fearless feats of land speed record setters

Unseen FIA archive material gives insight into how drivers' death-defying attempts caught public's imagination

Giles Richards

With the Bonneville salt flats in Utah echoing to the sound of a new land speed record achieved by a British team, the timing could not be more apposite. The historical legacy of the challenge of pushing the envelope of pace is being dusted down and made public in the form of an extraordinary archive from more than a century of record-breaking machines and their singularly driven pilots.

On Tuesday, JCB's Hydromax car took the hydrogen-powered International Automobile Federation (FIA) land speed record, reaching 406.320mph at Bonneville. Appropriately the car was driven by Andy Green, the former RAF wing commander who holds the current outright land speed record of 763.035mph, set in 1997 in the ThrustSSC car in which he also became the only person to have broken the sound barrier on land.

His efforts in the ThrustSSC and now the JCB Hydromax join a rich history of land speed records, the archive of which is being re-examined, much of it seeing the light of day for the first time.

The FIA is in the process of digitising for public viewing more than two million documents and pictures from its archive. Its collection relating to the land speed record, held in the FIA storage facility in Valleiry, France, is one of the first projects to be undertaken and will be made public shortly.

"This is the first time they've been available outside of the boxes that were stored in Valleiry," said Roger Banowetz, the president of the FIA land speed records commission. "I was pushing to get the land speed record archive digitised, it's really important to have that material available for everybody."

Alongside the documents and pictures are hand-written notes, letters and official records, annotated by those witnessing or taking part in the record attempts, a distinct, human element reaching back through the years.

The battle to be the fastest had begun shortly after the invention of the motorcar at the end of the 19th century, but initially under electric combustion power. The Frenchman Count Gaston de Chasseloup-Laubat set the first mark in 1898 at 39.24mph

in a Jeantaud car but the baton was swiftly taken up. Belgium's Camille Jenatzy joined the fray and the pair swapped records for two years until Jenatzy broke the 100kmh mark in his car La Jamais Contente ("The Never Contented"), a striking, torpedo-shaped beast in which Jenatzy sat bolt upright from the knees upward.

What followed became a furious competition as men and women in machines from around the world vied to take the top spot and swiftly caught the public's imagination. In what might be considered the competition's golden age, the British were front and centre. Kenelm Lee Guinness took the

record in a Sunbeam 350HP after the first world war, followed by four more successes from Malcolm Campbell, the latter becoming a household name and a key player in a frenetic contest in the 1930s as he and his fellow Britons George Eyston and John Cobb went at it. When the decade began the record stood at 231mph. By its

'Deadly fumes entered the cockpit and I realised that at any moment I might fade out'

close it was 367mph. The archive reflects a period when the exploits were front page news. Pictures of Cobb's Railton Special being assembled speak evocatively of the time while the technical report of his records included understated remarks noting that the course was "unusually rough".

Photos of Campbell's efforts in 1935 at Bonneville include a picture of the time scorer and calculator, with a handwritten note on the back reading "early morning - clothes not yet removed", and of his Blue Bird car hurtling across the salt. That year in Utah, Campbell broke the 300mph mark but it had been far from an easy ride, as he later recalled.

"Suddenly a film of oil started to cover the windscreen and deadly fumes from the engine commenced to enter the cockpit and I realised that at any moment I might fade out," he said. "However, we were fast approaching the end of the mile when there was a terrific explosion. The near-side front tyre

had burst. By now the screen was opaque. I had a feeling as though dozens of nails were being driven through the top of my head, this being caused through inhaling the exhaust fumes, and in consequence regaining full control of the car was not very easy."

In a sport where the speeds made the threat of death a constant possibility, it was a stark reminder of how dangerous it was and the bravery of those participating.

"You just don't get in the thing and put it on cruise control and go down the course," observed Banowetz in Utah.

"We've out here on the salt right now. Some of the other records have been done on mud, dry land surfaces. All have very reduced traction compared to a tarmac surface. So it really increases the challenge exponentially."

The competition continued in the postwar period, not just for outright speed but for timed endurance runs too. In 1959, the archive charts a record in the international class G by what might have been considered the most unlikely contender, an aerodynamic-bodied Austin-Healey Sprite. The record was set over 12 hours across 1,665 miles at an average speed of 138.75mph, the details of which were meticulously filled in by hand, including a laconic note recording when one of the drivers, Gus Ehrman, endured a huge spin when the engine cover came off at 135mph: "Car spun outside measured line in 5th lap - run continued."

In the 60s the contest changed drastically as the cars ceased to be wheel-driven but rather propelled by jet and rocket engine power. Campbell's son Duncan was the last to hold the wheel-driven record at 403.10 mph in 1964 before the FIA allowed the use of thrust power and ushered in a new era.

It was led by Craig Breedlove from California who had shown the future when he put a fighter jet engine on to a three-wheel chassis called Spirit of America and reached 407mph at Bonneville in 1963, a record that was not recognised at the time as it was not within regulations.

When they were changed he and another young charger, Art Arfons, enjoyed an enthralling to and fro. Between 1963 and 1965 they exchanged the fastest time repeatedly, with Arfons' wonderfully named Green Monster taking on Spirit of America as the record went from just over 400mph to Breedlove making it to 600.601mph in November 1965.

The FIA documents include a telegram Breedlove sent confirming the new record and noting that, this time, his car did have four wheels.

This week the competition continued with Green and JCB on the flats to set another record. The motto of the team, "never content", has stood the test of time, as the archive aptly demonstrates. "The people that do this sport are admired because it's unique in so much as if you can dream it, you can build it and you can race it," said Banowetz.

◀ Camille Jenatzy of Belgium was first to break the 100kmh mark in La Jamais Contente, in 1899 COURTESY OF KENAGLY

▶ Malcolm Campbell became a household name after breaking 300mph on Blue Bird in 1935 BILL SHIPLER/FIA

◀ Art Arfons drove his Green Monster to the record on Bonneville Flats, Utah, in 1965 FIA

---

34

Sport Tennis Cincinnati Open

Draper 'in difficult place' after slumping to first-round defeat

Tumaini Carayol Cincinnati

The minuscule amount of confidence and self-belief Jack Draper currently has to call upon in the most difficult period of his career was underscored in the very first game of his opening match in Cincinnati. Draper began his service game by shanking a forehand into the back fence, which he followed up with two double faults. He immediately fell down a break and never recovered.

A few fleeting positive moments followed, but this miserable start set the tone for another excruciating day for the former world No 4 as he could not escape the mental fatigue borne out of battling serious injury for 15 months and counting. Draper fell 6-3, 7-5 to Martin Landaluce, the world No 64.

"It's the same as last week, the way I'm usually able to fight for every ball and conduct myself, it's just missing," Draper said. "After last week, I put in a lot of hard work to play a bit better this week. Obviously, the conditions and all the things that I'm changing is very hard to manage, but I think from just an internal point of view, it's a difficult place to be right now."

Draper spent the final stretch of his first round loss at the Canadian Open last week in tears. On Wednesday, as he tried to put on a brave face and remain positive, the 24-year-old described his emotions as a reaction to the mental toll of both his injury - bone bruising in his left arm - and the disruptive changes he has made in order to lessen the strain on it. There were no tears this time, but between a poor first set and the way he squandered six set points in set two after leading with a double break at 5-2, Draper was a shadow of himself.

He said: "From the start of the match, you're battling it a lot and you're trying to keep going with it and moving forwards throughout the match and trying to ... pump stuff up and give you energy, but it just suppresses you down. It's got to a point with me where it's taken probably one of my biggest qualities, my fighting spirit."

Since Wimbledon, Draper has changed his strings, his racket and he continues to adjust to his service motion. These changes have all been made in service of reducing the strain on his arm and at the expense of optimising his performance. Although Draper said his injury did not directly contribute to the loss, the great uncertainty surrounding the condition of his arm remains the defining problem.

Unlike most injuries, this is not a case of resting for some time and coming back. "I think that's the toughest part," he said. "It's like there are no right answers. You have to figure it out. A lot of it's probably, I found out in the end, biomechanics and changing rackets. It's a tough injury because you have to start again with what you do.

"There's a level of chronic pain that's always with you. That starts to go away, but obviously the arm is linked to the elbow. It's linked to bicep tendinitis, it's linked to so many nerves around that area. So when you have an injury to that area, the whole arm is kind of lit up. It's like someone taking blood pressure. And your arm's just [struggling].

"When you've got that on your playing arm. This is my life, this is my career, you know? It's tough enough as it is to play such an intense sport and the amount we have to give to it. And when you've got an injury that is tough to come past and tough to

▲ Jack Draper dropped serve in the first game and never recovered DYLAN BUKLUGETTY IMAGES

understand, there's many challenges, there's many obstacles. For a normal person, they'd go and probably have six months off and it might recover and heal. Truth is I'm playing tennis and so it's not as simple as taking time off and it's going to go because it doesn't [work]. I've tried it."

There is more uncertainty on the horizon. Since he is ranked No 143

and does not have a protected ranking, Draper has been reliant on wildcards to enter ATP events.

He does not expect to receive a wildcard for the US Open, meaning he will have to play in the qualifying draw in order to compete in New York. "I think it's the fatigue from a long period of setback and struggle and isolation and just trying to get back all the time. The level of my fall and the amount of things that I'm having to change in my tennis. Yeah, the mountain seems very, very big."

Golf FedEx St Jude Championship

McIlroy's late slips leave him trudging in Memphis

Jim van Wijk

Rory McIlroy made a run of costly late bogeys as he slipped to a four-over par opening round at the FedEx St Jude Championship in Memphis.

The Northern Irishman had been aiming to rebuild some momentum heading into the PGA Tour playoffs, following a run of disappointing results after his successful defence

of his Masters title in April - which included finishing tied for 40th at the Open at Royal Birkdale.

McIlroy, currently 12th in the FedExCup standings, was in a marquee pairing at TPC Southwind alongside world No 1 Scottie Scheffler on his return to the event he skipped last year.

A bogey on the par-five third was soon recovered with a birdie at the par-three fourth, before another dropped shot at the eighth saw him head into the turn at one over par.

McIlroy sank a 15-foot birdie putt on the 11th, but a wayward tee shot off the 16th out to the right led to another bogey. His second at the 17th then bounced away past the green towards the stands, meaning a drop before eventually taking five.

There proved little relief on the 18th as McIlroy sent his tee shot into the water and then came up short in his approach, resulting in a double bogey and a round of 74.

Scheffler, returning to action for the first time since finishing runner-up at the 3M Open, finished two under par, his only bogey coming on the 15th. "I felt like I hit a lot of quality shots with my irons," he said. "I feel like I was right on the edge of having a good day."

American trio Michael Thorbjornsen, Kurt Kitayama and Jordan Spieth set the early clubhouse lead at five under par. England's Tommy Fleetwood was a shot back after a 66, which included an eagle at the 3rd.

Scotland's Robert MacIntyre, though, had an opening round to forget, finishing at 12 over par with four double bogeys.

Elsewhere, LIV Golf is reportedly bracing for the imminent departure of Jon Rahm. As LIV Golf fights to stay afloat without Saudi financial backing, the Telegraph reported that league sources are "almost resigned" to Rahm's departure when the season wraps up later this month. Agencies

Football In brief

Celtic

O'Neill back at work and 'feeling much better'

Celtic manager, Martin O'Neill, has reported good news about his health after getting back into work. The 74-year-old quickly addressed his medical situation as he sat down for an interview on the club's Celtic Player channel, one week after spending a night in hospital after undergoing what the club called a "small procedure". O'Neill was absent from Celtic's 5-1 win at Kilmarnock on Sunday. When asked how he was feeling, the former Republic of Ireland manager said: "Much better than last week anyway. Yeah, a couple of ailments rolled into one, unfortunately, but I'm getting there." In a further boost, Mika Baur signalled his intent to win trophies after joining Celtic from Paderborn. The 22-year-old German midfielder has joined on a four-year deal with the option of another year. PA Media

Leicester

Foxes' owners reportedly attempting to sell club

Leicester's owners are seeking to sell the club, according to reports. The Foxes - who won the Premier League title in 2016 - dropped into League One last season following a campaign that saw them docked six points after breaching the EFL's profit and sustainability rules. A report by BBC Sport says Leicester have commissioned a leading US investment bank to help find a buyer, with the club's assets said to be listed at more than £200m. Leicester declined to comment. PA Media

Officials

Super Cup role was my World Cup, says Artan

Somali referee Omar Artan described taking charge of the Uefa Super Cup as his "World Cup". The 34-year-old was denied the chance to referee at the World Cup itself after being refused entry to the United States. He was turned away on arrival in Miami, despite being part of the panel of referees selected by Fifa for the tournament. In a post on X, Uefa shared a photo showing a match ball from Wednesday's match on which Artan had written: "This was my World Cup." AFP

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Sport Football

19

Fine Super Cup display in defeat by PSG shows why club were patient for towering teenager's registration

Ben Fisher Salzburg

At first there was the usual stuff: the wide smile, the guttural release, the punch of the air, teammates quickly on the scene to offer congratulations. But then the real celebration followed for the 17-year-old Brian Madjo. After scoring his first Aston Villa goal 45 minutes into an unforgettable debut, the teenager clasped his hands behind his back and then unlocked them with the kind of force he exhibited on the pitch. "No distractions, I'm free," he posted on Instagram after finally

being cleared to pull on a Villa shirt in a competitive game.

After confirmation that the court of arbitration for sport (Cas) had upheld Villa's appeal to register the 6ft 4in striker, the Madjo movement gathered pace. John McGinn and Amadou Onana responded to the club sharing the news on social media by posting "#freemadjo". After Madjo shone in defeat in Salzburg, McGinn alluded to the painful and protracted waiting game. "Brian has had a terrible year," the Villa captain said. "A player born in England should be able to play in England. He has the potential to be an unbelievable striker and he showed that."

For Madjo, it was a moment eight months in the making. Unai Emery, who pushed for his £10m signing from Metz, had been keen to unleash him towards the end of last season. It became apparent to staff across recent months that, such is Emery's admiration of Madjo, it

was unlikely the striker would be made available for loan like many of Villa's other teenagers. After all, Madjo was signed as a first-team player, joining on his 17th birthday after Emery asked his chief scout, Alberto Benito, to personally review Madjo at Metz, for whom, last August, he made his Ligue 1 debut aged 16 and 217 days.

At the Red Bull Arena in Salzburg on Wednesday night, it was easy to see why Emery was so enthused by the imposing striker, who made his England Under-17s debut last September. He was never going to be flawless against Paris Saint-Germain but it was an evening when he picked holes in one of the best centre-back partnerships in the game. Madjo's raw power and attacking instincts ensured he gave Marquinhos and Willian Pacho a rough ride.

Tyrone Mings has been there himself in training. "He is a tough person to defend against," Mings

said. "I think he is about 100kg [15st 10lb] - he is a big old boy. He has got a very high ceiling. He is very, very difficult to play against and I just hope that his goal fills him with confidence, and he can go on and contribute to the team.

"He has obviously had to be very patient until he could play, so I think that says a lot about his character. Clearly, mentally he is able to deal with setbacks. He missed a few chances and scored probably the hardest of them all. He is a fantastic guy. I think you could see the reaction of everybody when he scored."

'He has had to be patient until he could play, so I think that says a lot about his character'

Some of Madjo's holdup play was excellent, his strength formidable to hold off Pacho before he emphatically volleyed in at the back post to break Patrick Kluivert's 30-year record as the Super Cup's youngest goalscorer. About 60 seconds earlier, he had bulldozed Pacho to release Emi Buendia on PSG's goal.

If Villa supporters thought they had seen that movie before that is because last week, against the Thai Premier League side BG Pathum United, an opposition defender suffered a similar fate. When the ball squirted to the edge of the six-yard box after McGinn smacked the crossbar, the defender's attempt to barge Madjo out of the way to reach the loose ball ended with Madjo in possession and the defender on all fours.

Until last week, Madjo had been unable to represent Villa owing to Fifa regulations that deemed the £10m January arrival from Metz as the transfer of an "international minor". He was raised in Luxembourg, for whom he has played in friendly matches, but born in Enfield, north London, to Cameroonian parents. His father, Guy, played for Plymouth and Shrewsbury among many others. Mings believes watching footage of Ollie Watkins, who has hit double figures in each of the past six seasons and will return to training this week after an extended break, has helped him settle.

"I think the manager is big on what we do off the ball, probably more than what we do on the ball," Mings said. "Ollie's a great person to watch, because of his work-rate and what he brings to the team. He's got Tammy [Abraham], too - that's two very experienced strikers he has got in and around him. I'm sure he'll learn a lot.

"I had a few chats with him in the last 24 hours [before the game] in terms of what he's about to go into and the experience. He said he was nervous, of course. He's 17 and it's a huge game. But I did say: 'You get an amazing opportunity as a striker to just have one good moment and it can change everything for you.' I'm so glad that after missing a couple of chances, he got that goal. He's a very humble lad."

Madjo departed to a standing ovation from Villa's travelling supporters after 72 minutes against PSG; 27 touches, six shots, one memorable strike.

It has been quite the few weeks for Madjo - until Wednesday, Chelsea's João Pedro was the only Premier League player to outscore him in pre-season - and now he will attempt to build on his tally of five goals.

Villa flew to Düsseldorf at midday yesterday in preparation for their final friendly against Borussia Mönchengladbach tomorrow, before travelling to Brighton for their first league game a week on Sunday. It feels as if this is just the start for Madjo. "He's so good," said the Villa defender Matty Cash. "All pre-season he has put his body around and scored goals."

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16

Sport Football

Coach banned for sexual abuse still working with young players

Ed Aarons Romain Molina

A coach in the Democratic Republic of the Congo who was banned from football for 20 years by Fifa in March 2023 for sexual abuse of a minor is continuing to take charge of young players, the Guardian can reveal.

Jonathan Bukabakwa, who is known as Messi and previously coached youth teams in the Limpopo and Malabo regions, was also fined 100,000 Swiss francs (€91,000) after a Fifa investigation found him of guilty of sexual abuse. He had also been convicted of similar offences by authorities in the DRC but was released from prison last year.

The Guardian has seen several videos of Bukabakwa coaching a group of young players at Esperanto, a club in the Limete district of the Congolese capital, Kinshasa. Several local sources have confirmed that he has been regularly spotted taking charge of groups at a school field. "Messi? He's still coaching, you can easily meet him with his team. He doesn't hide," said one, who did not want to be named.

▲ Sources in DR Congo say banned coach has been seen on a school field

Esperanto did not respond for a request to comment but Bukabakwa, when contacted by the Guardian, did not deny that he is continuing to coach young players and even claimed he was not aware he had been banned by Fifa. "They never told me anything," he said. "They never questioned me or sent me anything." He has denied the allegations.

Fifa did not respond to the Guardian's request for comment. It said in the statement that announced Bukabakwa's ban in 2023 that its decision had been taken "in line with Fifa's zero tolerance approach to all forms of abuse in football".

The case has again highlighted serious flaws with Fifa's safeguarding processes. It is understood that the

Congolese Association Football Federation (Fecofa) president, Véron Mosengo-Omba, has summoned Bukabakwa and the president of Esperanto to a meeting on Monday after being contacted by the Guardian. "We have zero tolerance for this kind of behaviour," he said in a statement. "We will punish anyone involved in this kind of conduct."

Bukabakwa was provisionally suspended after allegations of widespread sexual abuse were made in November 2022. He and five other coaches were provisionally suspended by Fecofa, including Donga Epapa Cédric who was sacked by his club, JMK, after allegedly asking a player to send him photos of his penis. No action was taken against him or any of the other coaches by Fecofa or Fifa following an investigation that cleared them all due to a lack of proven evidence. Cédric has previously denied the allegations.

Mosengo-Omba, who was elected as Fecofa's president in May having stepped down as the Confederation of African Football's general secretary two months earlier, promised to look into the previous cases once he has re-established a disciplinary committee.

"We will make sure that no one who is behaving like this will be involved in football in this country," he said.

United have to limit their spending, admits Carrick

● Continued from back page

need more, we keep looking for how we can do that, so that never stops."

Rashford joined the squad at their County Kildare training camp base on Sunday following a post-World Cup break. The 28-year-old has been on loan the past season and a half at Barcelona and Aston Villa respectively, due to a breakdown in his relationship with the club's executive and the former United head coach Ruben Amorim.

Relations have eased and Rashford is focused on working under Carrick, though the player's preference is to depart. The club want the same as they seek to reduce the wage bill. The forward's final two years of his deal are worth £35m.

Carrick was asked if Rashford will stay beyond the 1 September deadline. "He's our player and has trained really well," said Carrick. "It's been good to have him around the group again."

The manager was asked if he wants Rashford to remain. "He's a very good player, Marcus, and if you're going to have a career over 10 or 15 years, there's going to be times when things go in a direction and maybe a different direction," he said. "There's ups and downs, and that doesn't judge you as a one-off kind of [state]. It's what happens over time, and now we're in a positive place as a group, and Marcus can offer us so much. He has done, and he can do again, so it's quite exciting."

Asked if Carrick views Rashford as not for sale, he said: "No, he's our player and he gives something a little bit different in the group."

Harry Maguire, Noussair Mazraoui and Tielemans have all indicated United can win the title. "We've definitely got the potential to achieve something really special," said Carrick. "I'm not hiding from the fact, and we should aim to do that, but I can't give you a definite answer on that - it's certainly what we're pushing to do because that's the club we are."

'We're in a positive place, and Marcus can offer so much'

Michael Carrick United head coach

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8

▼ Kieran Trippier brings valuable experience to Wolves' squad WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS

'The Championship is relentless ... it's going to be difficult'

Kieran Trippier explains his decision to drop down a tier to join Wolves and how he handled Rob Edwards' exit

Ben Fisher

When the question inevitably comes, Kieran Trippier is happy to set the record straight. Fresh from training, head to toe in Wolves kit - vest, shorts and club-branded sliders - he walks into a suite at their Compton Park base, conversation soon shifting to an episode that rocked supporters and stopped outsiders in their tracks: three days after signing, the manager Trippier cited as a significant driver behind his decision to drop into the second tier, Rob Edwards, was sacked. All the while, a deal for his replacement, César Peixoto, was being accelerated.

"I'm not going to sit here and lie, I wasn't expecting it," Trippier says. "But it's the club's decision. I had good chats with Rob, of course, but I'm here to play for Wolves. There are many surprises in football and that certainly was a surprise, I'm not going to deny that. But I just cracked on, I was with my kids on holiday, training in Mallorca and just looking forward to day one in pre-season."

Other reports followed the bombshell news. "I've read it all: that I was looking to rip my contract up, and all this nonsense. I was just looking forward to reporting back to Wolves. I don't know where it even came from to be honest, that I was looking to rip my contract up - it certainly didn't come from me, otherwise you would have heard it from me, that's just the player that I am."

It is a line in keeping with Trippier's endearing straight-talking character that has made him a big hit everywhere he has been. He left Newcastle at the end of last season after playing an instrumental part in their rise under Eddie Howe. He spent three seasons at Atlético Madrid under Diego Simeone, where he won La Liga, after four at Tottenham under Mauricio Pochettino, culminating in a Champions League final appearance. He represented England at four major tournaments, playing every game en route to the Euro 2024 final.

Now he is back in the second tier for the first time since promotion with Burnley 12 years ago, poised to start Wolves' Championship opener

against Blackburn today. He accepts it is not a natural segue. Instead of entertaining Barcelona at St James' Park last September, here comes Bolton at Molineux in October.

"I'm not ashamed to go to the Championship because I played in it for many years," Trippier says, recalling his first taste of the division: defending alongside Darren Moore while a teenager at Barnsley. "I had a good chat with Eddie Howe and Ross Wilson [Newcastle's sporting director] and made my decision at the end of the season that I wanted to try something new. There were a few [interested] clubs but it was important for me that I was close to my children."

Trippier, who calls Manchester home, knows what to expect from an unforgiving league. He recalls being part of a Burnley side that triumphed 2-1 at Wolves in the penultimate game of 2012-13, to extinguish lingering fears of relegation and all but condemn Wolves to League One. "I've been speaking to my teammates because the majority of them have never played in the Championship, so it's

important for myself and the lads who have to help them and try and make them understand that it's going to be difficult.

"I've just said: it's relentless, because it is ... and it's totally different to the Premier League. Going to Lincoln away is going to be a difficult game, but they're good lads who have listened to me, Tommy [Doyle], Adam [Armstrong]. The lads will be ready."

This is Trippier's first external interview since joining Wolves on a two-year contract with the option of a further 12 months. He canvassed the opinions of Doyle, Conor Coady, John Ruddy and Sam Johnstone, with whom he was on holiday in Turkey before signing, to tap into "the insides of the club". Edwards' sudden departure - a month after André committed his future to the club and 48 hours after Raúl Jiménez returned to enhance the feelgood factor generated by Trippier's arrival - warrants discussion, but the full-back is well placed to talk on numerous fronts, including Howe's exit after four and a half years.

'I'm not going to lie, I wasn't expecting it [Rob Edwards' sacking]. But it's the club's decision'

"He helped the club stay in the Premier League, twice qualified for the Champions League, won a trophy, but the most important thing he did was reconnecting the supporters with the team. I was told before the [Saudi Arabia-led] takeover that it was not a good place to be - the fans were against the owners, the board etc - but when the new owners came in, and the manager, he [Howe] connected everyone, just like Gareth Southgate did with England."

Is Howe's legacy deserving of a statue? "He's won a trophy, hasn't he?" Trippier says with a smile, "but that's not for me to decide ... the parade was incredible, the big banner of the manager showed the love the supporters had for him and still have now. When I first went there, it was a tough place

[to play], especially after getting beat by Cambridge [in the FA Cup third round], but maybe that was a blessing, really, so we could just focus on [staying in] the Premier League ... he will go down in history there, for sure. I'm gutted to see him go."

Then there is England's World Cup semi-final collapse against Argentina, when their low block crumbled late on. "I've been in that position many times with Simeone - I could name 30 games when he's done it and we've managed to see it out. He's the master of the dark arts and seeing out games. Thomas Tuchel has been in that position many times, won a Champions League trophy with Chelsea, did unbelievably with Bayern Munich ... it just didn't happen. We were against one of the greatest players ever who can flick a switch," Trippier says of Lionel Messi. "I've played against him many times where he just walks for 60 minutes, but then he can score a hat-trick. That's the magic of him."

Peixoto is unknown to most but Trippier says he was aware of the Portuguese's pedigree before the 46-year-old, who spent last season in charge of Gil Vicente, succeeded Edwards. Peixoto's command of English has meant Trippier has not needed to dip into his Spanish to converse. "When the postman used to come in Madrid, I used to get my son to answer because he was fluent," Trippier says, smiling.

So, what's Peixoto like? "Really demanding. Honest. On the training field he is 100mph, nuts - in a good way - but he's really demanding and I think that's what we need as players. He's very demanding, like Pochettino and Simeone. He has his own rules: don't break his trust, don't be late. I wouldn't like to be on his bad side, let's put it that way."

Trippier turns 36 in September, twice the age of Mateus Mané, an exciting talent who Trippier witnessed first-hand when marking him with Newcastle last season and one of those Wolves hope will illuminate a positive season. "I feel good, I feel probably in the best shape I've been in for many years. I'm not as fast as I used to be but I am fast up here," Trippier says, tapping his temples. "I feel like I've still got many years left in the tank."

For Wolves, his signing was a coup. "It's similar to when I went to Newcastle, when I left Atlético Madrid ... There were a lot of eyebrows raised, but throughout my whole career I've had no regrets."

Trippier, who is part of Peixoto's leadership group, acknowledges he and his teammates will begin the campaign with a target on their backs. "Going into the Blackburn game, all eyes will be on us," he says.

"When teams get relegated, everybody wants to beat them. It was tough for Wolves last year, but this season is like a reset. The reality is now we're in the Championship, so you have to forget what happened and be positive. Our goal has to be to go straight back up."

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Sport Athletics European Championships

Hunt seals sprint double after English lands historic Irish gold

Sprinter adds 200m crown to 100m while Ireland celebrate first men's European gold

Sean Ingle Alexander Stadium

Two down. Two to go. Amy Hunt's dream of winning a record four gold medals at a single European championships gathered further momentum with a bravura performance in front of a raucous Alexander Stadium crowd.

Hunt was given a huge cheer by the 20,082 in attendance, by far the biggest of the championships so far, when she was introduced in lane seven. But she had to work hard to get

past her domestic rival Dina Asher-Smith, in lane eight.

She then began to tie up. But Hunt had enough to take gold in 22.19 sec, just ahead of Ireland's fast-finishing Rhasidat Adeleke, who ran 22.28 to win silver, with Asher-Smith winning bronze a hundredth of a second further back.

Hunt, a 24-year-old Cambridge graduate, had spent the day of the race relaxing by playing New York Times puzzle games, including Connections, Spelling Bee, Pips and Wordle.

But when she needed to perform Hunt proved her legs could move as fast as her brain. Now has to win 4x100m women's and mixed relays to bring up the quadruple.

After 92 years, Ireland finally has a

European Championship men's gold medallist. And his name is English - Mark English. The 35-year-old doctor produced a surgical performance to take 800m gold, tracking and then overtaking the Croat Marino Bloudek in the home straight to win in 1min 45.26sec.

Bloudek clung on to take silver with Spain's Mohamed Attaoui winning bronze. As the huge Irish contingent celebrated, the heart also went out to Britain's Max Burgin, who was forced to pull out minutes before the race after suffering an injury in the warm-up.

It caps a summer of woe for Burgin, who also picked up a virus at the Commonwealth Games and failed to make it out of the semi-finals.

There was also no medal for

another British contender, Elise Thorner, in the 3,000m steeplechase. The 25-year-old went into the race as the fastest European over the distance in 2026. However, she could finish only fifth behind Germany's Gesa Felicitas Krause.

The race was also notable for a faceplant by another German, Lea Meyer, into the water jump while running in the medal positions. While Meyer got up, she could finish only fourth.

"It was gutting to see Lea actually fall, because I know her quite well," said Thorner. "She is an amazing athlete. Shocking to see and trying to get over was a bit mad. But I was pretty spent with 200m so I was hanging on anyway."

There was more joy for Germany as Leo Neugebauer hung on to win

the men's decathlon from his compatriot Niklas Kaul after collapsing over the line.

His score of 8,611 points proved enough by 38 points, even though the 6ft 7in Neugebauer looked to be wading through treacle over the last 50m before collapsing over the line.

But the event was marred by extraordinary scenes earlier on day two in the pole vault, after officials forgot to raise the bar from 4.70m to 4.80m. As a result athletes were under the impression that they were attempting 4.80m, while the bar was in fact still at 4.70m.

A European Athletics statement said that the "results of this additional 4.70m round were cancelled, and the competition was resumed at 4.80m, with all athletes given the opportunity to attempt the height".

On a busy day for news, the European 5,000m champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen criticised Britain's Josh Kerr for being one of the athletes "ruining" the sport by missing the event in Birmingham. Ingebrigtsen, who won a brilliant gold medal in his first race after 11 months out of the sport, also told the BBC that he "could never" prioritise a time over a title.

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Today at the Euros

Morning

10.35am W 100m hurdles (Hep)

10.40am W javelin (qual)

10.50am M pole vault (qual)

11.05am M 4x4 relay (1st rd)

11.25am W high jump (Hep)

11.35am W 4x4 relay (1st rd)

12.00pm W javelin (qual)

12.05pm M 1500m hdles (1st rd)

Evening

7.35pm W shot put (Hep)

7.45pm W 10,000m (final)

8.00pm M high jump (final)

8.30pm W discus (final)

8.40pm M 400m hdles (final)

8.55pm W 200m (Hep)

9.25pm M 200m (final)

9.46pm W 800m (final)

TV BBC One, 10.30am;

BBC Two 7pm, BBC One, 8pm

◀ Amy Hunt leaves Ilona Asher-Smith trailing as she wins women's 200m gold for Great Britain in 22.19sec ENNABEL LEE-ELLIS/PS

Asked if he was disappointed Kerr is not racing in Birmingham, he added: "Very - and I think a lot of people should be, because that is what championships are all about.

"It's not for us as athletes to choose almost where to participate. We have these championships for a reason, and that is for the best athletes to compete - that is the whole point.

"So I definitely think it is ruining the sport if we are not participating. We all have different plans, but I could never see myself in that position."

Kerr broke the world mile record at the London Diamond League in July before winning the Commonwealth title a fortnight later. However, he opted out of the European Championships saying he was "flying close to the sun" of injury.

Ingebrigtsen did, however, praise Kerr's world mile record performance of 3:42.66 as an "extremely good race" and "a very strong performance".

But he also questioned Kerr's explanation for his absence here. "Everything comes down to what you want to do. People go to work every day. It is not like because you are a professional runner you can't work every day."

Hodgkinson's rival Werro reinstated in 800m final after shock fall

Sean Ingle

Alexander Stadium

Keely Hodgkinson's biggest rival for European 800m gold has been dramatically put through into today's final after being tripped and sent sprawling during yesterday's first semi-final.

It means that the hugely anticipated showdown is still on between Hodgkinson, the Olympic gold medallist; Audrey Werro, the 22-year-old Swiss superstar who ran the third fastest time in history in June; and the Netherlands' Femke Broeders-Bol, the 400m hurdles world champion who has moved up this season.

But for 50 minutes or so after Werro's huge tumble, her part in the final was in doubt as she trudged home in last place and the official results showed she was out.

However, she was reinstated into a 10-strong final after a video review showed that the back of her right foot made contact with the left hand of the French athlete Anaïs Bourgoin with 120m to go.

The effect of Bourgoin's hand was like a rugby tap-tackle and it sparked an extraordinary chain of events. First Werro was unable to get her back leg through and ended up crashing face-down on to the curth. Then her back legs clipped the Lithuanian Gabija Galvydyte, who also fell to the floor.

"I made a conscious choice to try and manage the race at a moderate pace," said Werro. "It's always safer to run at the front, but today there were risks; I could sense things were hectic behind me. A fall can happen in an instant. I've only got a few scrapes. It knocked the wind out of me at the time."

As Werro crossed the line last in 2min 35.35sec it looked as if she was out - only for her and Galvydyte to be reinstated on appeal. Far in front of her was Britain's Jemma Reekie who

crossed the line first in 1:58.61, and was quick to comfort Werro when she slowly trudged over the line holding her chest.

There were no such problems for Hodgkinson, who won the other semi-final in 1:57.38, just ahead of Broeders-Bol.

Asked whether she saw Werro fall, Hodgkinson said: "I heard the 'ooo! which is never a good sign. I don't know what it looked like. You can't worry about what happened to other people. I hope she's OK and in the final for an exciting race."

She was clearly relieved with her time as she looked ahead to the race everyone is talking about. "Another 1:57 so I'm happy," she said. "The excitement makes me excited. I can't wait to step out there. I love a good challenge, I think it brings out the best in me. So yeah, hopefully it will be a really good race, a clean race, no one falling over tomorrow. No wind please. I'm going to talk to the Etsy witch, make sure there's no wind."

Broeders-Bol should certainly not be discounted, given how comfortable she looked throughout as she finished just behind Hodgkinson.

Neither Hodgkinson nor Werro will want the final to be slow given that Broeders-Bol's personal best for 400m is 49.17sec - an indoor world record. That is significantly quicker than Werro's personal best, 50.80, and Hodgkinson's 51.14.

The Dutch athlete isn't shying away from talking up her chances either: "One of the reasons I went to the 800 is because I love to race, and tomorrow's final is the ultimate race."

Asked whether it suits her that people are talking about Hodgkinson and Werro, rather than her, the four-time Olympic and world gold medallist started to smile.

"Yeah, it's different and quite nice," she said. "I've always said being the favourite is a privilege because you know you're very strong on paper. But I feel I've never slept so well, and have never been this relaxed. So I think it brings its advantages as well."

'I'm going to talk to the Etsy witch, to make sure there's no wind'

Keely Hodgkinson

Team GB

▲ Keely Hodgkinson will compete against Audrey Werro in tonight's final

ADAM VADGHAN/EPA

Sport In brief

Boxing

Warren casts doubt over Fury v Joshua deal

Frank Warren has suggested Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua's heavyweight showdown could be postponed if there is no agreement on a venue. Queensberry promoter Warren remains confident that the eagerly-anticipated bout will go ahead as planned in November, despite question mark's over where it will be staged. Wembley was the initial frontrunner until an issue over the start time emerged, and Madison Square Garden in New York is now the favourite. Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn said this week they would not have signed the contract if the fight was in America and there has to be a "discussion around that". Responding to Hearn's comments, Warren told Box Nation: "Tyson Fury has his agreement, which states something different. The fight will happen. I've heard what Eddie has said. They're either going to agree to it or not. If they don't agree to it then the fight won't happen." PA Media

Swimming

Nowacki surges to 200m Euros breaststroke glory

Britain's Filip Nowacki produced a superb finish to claim 200m breaststroke gold at the European Aquatics Championships in Paris. The 18-year-old from Jersey, who took the Commonwealth Games title in Glasgow, clocked 2min 7.70sec to touch home just ahead of Dutchman Caspar Corbeau (2:07.78). Austrian Luka Mladenovic (2:08.91) took bronze and Britain's Gregory Butler (2:09.45) placed fifth. There was further medal success as Lauren Cox won bronze in the women's 50m backstroke with a time of 27.15sec. Sara Curtis won gold for Italy, breaking her own world record in 26.56, with France's Mary-Ambre Moluh (27.06) taking silver. PA Media

▲ Filip Nowacki added European gold to his Commonwealth Games win

Results

Football

EUROPA LEAGUE

Third qualifying round: second leg

Hearts (0) 3 Boofica (0) 9

Magnison 77 (3) Lohobaiou 78 (3) 2-71

Rangers (1) 1 Jagiellonia Bialystock (0) 3

Shortland 7 (5pm) Protos 55 (3-2-2)

Anderlecht 1 PAOK 2 (2-2-4-2); Boofica 1; Header: Kratlow 0

(2-2-7-0); CSKA Sofia 1 Mascabi Tel-Aviv 3 (2-2-4-2); Egoutas 1; Shamrock Rovers 1; Garniik Zubice 1; Ferens vanos 1

(2-2-1-2); Dinonia 1 Lincoln Red Imps 0 (2-2-2-1); Patos 1 RB Salzburg 3 (2-2-3-4); Van Craioos 2 KUPL 1 (2-2-2-2);

Vilnagar 3 Thun 2 (2-2-3-5)

CONFERENCE LEAGUE

Motherwell (0) 2 HJK (0) 0

Said 47 60 (2-2-3-1)

Dikondija (0) 0 Hibernian (0) 0

Austria Vienna L. Beitar Jerusalem 1.; DAC 1904 3 Twente 3

(2-2-7-9); Dinamo City 1; Audra 1; Dinamo Minsk 0 Belga 0 (2-2-7-1); Orda 1 The Ford 0 (2-2-7-1); Flora 0 Inter

0 Pluralden 4 (2-2-6-6); Gant 1; PA Golsburg 1 (2-2-7-1);

Gyeri 1 Riga 1 (2-2-7-2); Hajduk Split 1; Zalgiris 1; Hammanty 0 Rakow Czechoslovak 1 (2-2-7-1); Ives 1 Rijeka 1 (2-2-7-2); Moltgland 1 Bohemian 2 (2-2-7-2); W.

Vitebsk 2 Borac 1 (set, 90 mins - 3-0; 2-2-2). Borac won 4-2 on perch; Nordgalland 5 Valar 0 (2-2-7-0); NS2 2

Leapers 2 (2-2-7-4); Gjordega 2 Dynamo Kyiv 0 (2-2-7-1); MTS 1 Jablonec 2 (2-2-7-4); Shelbourne 2 Ajax 2 (2-2-5-5);

Sion 2 Noah 1 (2-2-4-5); St Gallen 5 Slonff 1 (2-2-7-2);

Tobol Kostarog 1 Partizan Belgrade 2 (2-2-5-5); Tromsø 2 CFR Cluj 1 (2-2-7-1); Vaduz 2 Inter Turku 2 (2-2-4-4)

CFR Cluj 1 (2-2-7-1); Vaduz 2 Inter Turku 2 (2-2-4-4)

Cricket

FIRST MEN'S TEST

(Day one of five)

Dorom Australia 150 (SPZ Smith 71; Hasan Mahmud 6-55)

Bangladesh 90-1, Bangladesh 100 Australia 16 102 runs with nine first-innings wickets remaining.

WORLD CUP LEAGUE TWO TIN-SERIES

Dunilin: Scotland 347-7 (BD Barrington 120, 8 McMullen 64;

MH Cross 51ne; ZU Shroud 4-60). Canada 177

(LJ Robertson 6-52). Scotland best Canada by 170 runs.

Rugby league

RETIRED SUPER LEAGUE

Hull 69 28 Catalan 10; Leeds 16 Leigh 20; Warrington 30

York 10

Athletics

EUROPEAN ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS (Birmingham)

Women's Triple Jump: 1 D Derlach (IV) 14.60;

2 S Gunter (Ret) 14.46; 3 A MacInnes (Bud) 14.40

Women's 1800m Streptocchan: 1 G Krause (Ger) 9:12.69;

2 A Frost (Fr) 9:14.24; 3 D Garth (Ger) 9:15.33

Men's Discus: 1 K Calt (Sw) 72.51;

2 M Atkins (Lit) 69.89; 3 H Jamson (Ger) 69.53

Men's Decathlon: 1 L Neugebauer (Ger) 86.11;

2 N Kaal (Ger) 85.71; 3 S Stedmann (Ret) 84.03

Men's Billiards: 1 M English (Int) 1:45.26;

Women's 200m: 1 A Hunt (GB) 22.19; 2 R Adeleke (Ire) 22.28; 3 D Asher-Smith (GB) 22.29

Tennis

ATP NATIONAL BANK OPEN (Montreal, Canada)

Semi-Final: 8 Sheldon (US) 16 L Tser (US) 6-2-6-3

WTA NATIONAL BANK OPEN (Toronto, Canada)

Semi-Final: 7 Sybalon (Sud) 16 C Guoff (US) 5-7 6-2 6-2;

1 Swiatsk (Pol) 16 1 Switalina (Uk) 6-3 1-6 6-3

CINCINNATI OPEN (Wuhan, Ohio)

Men: First round: 10 Landsbacs (Sp) 16 J Draper (GB) 6-3

7-5; C Burrie (GB) 16 D Prunov (Col) 3-6 6-1 6-4.

Women: First round: 1 Townsend (US) v Churns (Col) 3-6

6-3 6-1; 4 Kaldonia (Uk) 16 D Volhassova (Col) 4-6 6-4 6-2;

3 Matherl (Sw) 16 P Marcious (Col) 5-7 6-4 6-2; 2 Sannoc

(Tur) 16 D Kavalkina (Aus) 2-6 7-6 6(6-5); 1 R Kishimoto (Col) 16 C Burrie (Sw) 6-7 6-2; 5 Russ (Rom) 16 M Lorette

(Pol) 6-0 6-1; 10 Frech (Pol) 16 A Ruce (Col) 6-2 7-5;

1. Benson (Pr) 16 A Knapar (US) 6-3 6-2; 7. Mertz (Ger)

16 D Yat

DANISH CHAMPIONSHIP (Kortominsk, France)

Looking first-round scores (GB 6 tre unless stated)

837 Men (Fr) 66 0 Tiane (SA); 1 Barmgaard (Den);

837 S Gant (Ger) 25 Leigh (Fin); 7 Laporta (R);

Ding W (Chi); 7 Celli (R); 68 0 Wenderger (Auk); D Fritelli

(SA); 0 Watson (US); 14 Mpasetti (Nor); 16 Jordan; J Dean;

Fixtures

Football (7.45pm unless stated)

Sky Net Championship

Wolves v Blackburn (8pm)

Premier Sports Cup

Second round Kilmarnock v Ayr

Enterprise Westland League Sports

Dagenham & Reds Frankfurt (8pm)

Cricket (11am unless stated)

Fifth Men's Open (Sky International)

Finland v Afghanistan, Belfast (10.45am)

Monsa Bank (Non-Sw) Cup (Nov)

Quarter-finals Lancashire v Durham, Old Trafford;

Tuckahoe v Nottinghamshire, York

The National Winners

Eliminator Leeds v Southern Brave, The Oval (2.15pm)

Rugby League

Belfond Super League Hull FC v Carlsford (8pm)

Greg Wood's racing tips

Vannasch 2.03 Meton 2.38 Rock Montreal

3.13 Arcturus Flame 3.48 Lethanshepesi

4.25 Rumble Ruby 5.00 Motor Sandman

Epsom 2.48 Creek Symphony 3.23 Tanay Lane

4.00 Sankyomandiband 4.38 Huwiagabeau 5.13 Labitzky

5.48 Cyn Front

Monterey 5.00 Rainbow 5.25 King High

4.10 Sweetwonderfulyou 4.45 Everfall 5.23 Eriotown

5.58 Cyn Line

Honecarker 5.18 Royal Instinct 5.53 Gofing The Lily

6.27 The Sweet Escape 7.02 Zingya Candor (sad)

7.37 Cnupent 8.10 Air Bristair Fellin

Thinck 5.33 Final Objective 6.08 National Honour

6.43 Our Advent Friends (All) 7.18 Return Of The Gods

7.50 Miss Willows 8.20 Halsheide

---

Madjo mania Teenager all the rage after stunning Super Cup display

Page 39 →

Keely's clash Werro down in 800m but not out - so big face-off is on

Page 43 →

Sport

ALEX LYNDE/COROTOR ATALETICI VIA GETTY IMAGES

Spent up at Old Trafford?

United cannot afford to buy a £100m player, admits Carrick

Jamie Jackson County Kildare

Michael Carrick has stated that Manchester United will not make a £100m signing this summer due to their finances, with the manager also insisting that Marcus Rashford "is our player" despite the forward and club preferring him to depart.

In the current window United have spent a total of £85m on Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos but have never spent £100m on a single transfer.

This is in contrast to Manchester City, Tottenham, Liverpool, Arsenal, and Chelsea, the rest of the traditional big six, who have all spent £100m-plus on a player in recent years.

Carrick was asked how United can compete. "Money's money. I get that," said the manager. "It's still about football and that's where the competition lies. What we feel naturally as a group is to try and win games. So there's a lot that goes into that, but certainly the situation is what it is as well, whether that's finances or whatever."

Carrick guided United to third last season and was asked why the money from Champions League qualification cannot be invested in expensive elite players.

"To be honest, I haven't got the answers for that. We're working with pushing everything that we can to make the best of it," he said. "For now, we've got to make the most of it, push everything in every boundary that we can to be able to win again, basically."

The 45-year-old was asked whether United can win the title without any players worth £100m or more in the squad.

Carrick said: "A little bit depends on what position that is and what you've got and the dynamics you need at certain points. Sometimes you do need that if it's the right player. Again, it's not purely on money. Obviously over time we need to be pushing to look to enhance the squad. So, yeah, 100% we need to do that.

"We've done really good business. So we're delighted with that [but] we want more, we

Rodri closes

on Barça move despite City rejecting bid

Jamie Jackson

Manchester City have rejected Barcelona's second bid of around €60m (£51m) for Rodri.

On Tuesday Barça improved on their initial offer of €45m but this has been turned down. City, it is thought, want between £60m and £65m for Rodri, who captained Spain to victory at the World Cup and is a former Ballon d'Or winner.

As the 30-year has expressed a preference for Barça, City accept it is all but inevitable he will head to the Camp Nou so Chelsea's Enzo Fernández has been identified as a potential replacement to take his place in Enzo Maresca's squad.

Chelsea, though, have set a deadline of 5pm today for City to bid £120m for the Argentina midfielder.

As Chelsea's captain and a World Cup winner at Qatar 2022, Fernández would add seniority and leadership. However Chelsea's stance is that as City and other suitors have already had two months of the transfer window to firm up interest in Fernández, if the £120m valuation is not met by an official bid today, the 25-year-old will remain their player.

To generate some of the finance required Tijjani Reijnders may be sold to Al-Qadsiah. A deal has been agreed between City and the Saudi Arabian club for a package worth around €60m for the 28-year-old Dutchman who joined last summer. It is understood that Reijnders has agreed personal terms.

Jérémy Doku has signed a contract extension that will keep him at City until 2031. The 24-year-old winger said: "With Enzo [Maresca] here now I am really excited about the new season. His style of football is the kind we love, so that's exciting for the players.

"The City fans are also a huge reason I have signed this new contract. I feel their love and sup- port, and it means the world to me."

▲ Rodri has declared a preference to join Barcelona this summer

QA Report - The Guardian - 14.08.2026.pdf

Pipeline

• Extraction route: mistral-ocr
• extraction_route=mistral-ocr
• Translation chunks: 88
• Extraction warnings:
• [OCR-ROUTE] FORCE-MISTRAL: All PDFs route directly to MistralOCR.

Non-model Checks

• WARNING: missing numeric tokens from source: 106, 1119, 1151, 119000, 1207, 1209, 1210, 1227, 1228, 1234
• WARNING: Missing proper nouns in translation: Adeleke Ire, Africa Centres, African Football, After Madjo, Agence France, Agencies

Football In, Alexander Stadium, Alicia Chen

Taipei

The Odyssey, All Pakistan, Allied Workers Union - WARNING: source dates, money, or percentage tokens may be missing

Model QA

审核报告

幻觉核查协议执行结果

1. 标题索引匹配：所有涉及幻觉疑虑的 - 的内容均在标题索引或摘要中找到匹配（如伊梅尔达·斯汤顿、大学财务危机、 - 、气温 38.1℃、水务公司增加 34亿英镑、埃博拉疫情、巴勒斯坦家庭被迫离开等）。
2. 抽样原文匹配：所有数字、人名、事件均在抽样原文中找到对应关键词（如"38.1C"、"£3.4bn"、"Rodri"、"Enzo Fernández"等）。
3. 结论：无幻觉内容。

---

问题报告

1. 数字准确性

• [BLOCKING] 译文中 "34亿英镑" 与原文 "£3.4bn" 量级不符（原文为34亿英镑，译文应为34亿英镑，但原文实际为34亿英镑，即3.4 billion，应译为34亿英镑）。严重错误，需修正为 "34亿英镑"。
• [BLOCKING] 译文中 "1 亿英镑m" 多处出现，疑为格式错误（应为 "1亿英镑"）。严重格式错误，影响阅读。
• [WARNING] 译文中 "1.2 亿英镑m" 同理，应为 "1.2亿英镑"。

2. 完整性

• [WARNING] 译文中 "足球" 版块（低中文密度区域）存在大段未翻译的英文比赛结果（如"Hearts (0) 3 Boofica (0) 9"、"Rangers (1) 1 Jagiellonia Bialystock (0) 3"等）。建议补充翻译或标注为 "赛程数据（未翻译）"，以避免误解。
• [WARNING] "Greg Wood 的赛马预测" 版块（低中文密度区域）仅翻译了部分马名，未翻译赔率和赛事名称（如"Vannasch 2.03"、"Epsom 2.48"等）。建议补充翻译或标注为 "赛马预测数据（未翻译）"。

3. 残留英文

• [WARNING] 译文中 "ATP 国家银行公开赛（加拿大，蒙特利尔）" 等体育赛事名称保留了英文缩写（如"ATP"、"WTA"）。建议补充中文全称（如"国际男子职业网球协会"）或保留英文缩写但加注中文解释。

4. 交付标签

• [BLOCKING] 译文中出现 "（此处为...）" 等内部清理标签（如 "（All）" 在橄榄球赛程中）。严重错误，需删除或替换为明确说明（如 "（全场）"）。

5. 其他问题

• [SOURCE_OCR] 原文 "Thames Water" 被误译为 "泰晤士" 和 "Thames " 交替出现。OCR错误，建议统一为 "泰晤士水务"。
• [WARNING] 译文中 "曼彻斯特联" 与 "曼联" 混用。建议统一为 "曼联" 以符合中文习惯。

---

无问题项

• 非新闻版面（如天气预报、股价行情、电视节目单）在译文中缺失，属正常过滤行为，无需报告。
• 数字单位（如 "11%"、"25%"）翻译准确，无误。

---

最终结论

发现阻塞性问题（Blocking Issues Found）： 1. 数字量级错误（3.4bn → 34亿英镑）。 2. 交付标签残留（"（All）"等）。 3. 格式错误（"1 亿英镑m"等）。

建议： - 修正数字错误。 - 删除或替换内部标签。 - 补充低中文密度区域的翻译或标注。 - 统一术语（如"曼联"）。

---

═══ 自愈质检微创修复记录（Self-Healing Audit Trail）═══

• 成功修复分块 #5（共修复 1 处问题）