Support for women’s football review has meant a lot – now let’s make an impact | Karen Carney

Government backing was a relief and a joy after so much hard work but we need to keep pushing to make real changeWhat a week it has been for women’s football with the announcement that the government has backed the review I chaired and the endorsement …

Government backing was a relief and a joy after so much hard work but we need to keep pushing to make real change

What a week it has been for women’s football with the announcement that the government has backed the review I chaired and the endorsement of NewCo to take control of the Super League and Championship. It is a fantastic start but there is plenty of work to be done.

The women’s football review has my name on it, so understandably it means a lot to me. It took a lot of hard work from an incredibly talented team who are eager to make sure the sport progresses and that is something I must thank them for.

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‘Dark thoughts’: how Ruth Perry’s resolve fell apart after Ofsted visit

Experienced Reading headteacher suffered rapid psychological decline after stressful inspectors’ visit Ruth Perry was the headteacher of one of Reading’s most popular primary schools for 13 years, the same school that she had attended as a child. Staff…

Experienced Reading headteacher suffered rapid psychological decline after stressful inspectors’ visit

Ruth Perry was the headteacher of one of Reading’s most popular primary schools for 13 years, the same school that she had attended as a child. Staff and colleagues described her as a rock: talented, capable and compassionate. Her GP testified that she had no mental health issues over the previous 30 years.

But it took just two hours of an Ofsted inspection on the morning of 15 November last year to dissolve Ruth Perry’s professionalism and ability, and turn her into a shaking, tearful wreck, barely able to speak. People who had worked alongside her for a decade said they had never seen her so upset.

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‘We failed the city of Boston’: how a racist manhunt led to chaos in 1989

An HBO docuseries follows the story of a white man who killed his wife but blamed a Black man, and the reckoning that follows“My wife’s been shot. I’ve been shot.”On 23 October 1989 Charles “Chuck” Stuart, who was white, called 911 to report that he an…

An HBO docuseries follows the story of a white man who killed his wife but blamed a Black man, and the reckoning that follows

“My wife’s been shot. I’ve been shot.”

On 23 October 1989 Charles “Chuck” Stuart, who was white, called 911 to report that he and his pregnant wife, Carol, had been carjacked and shot by a Black man in Boston’s Mission Hill neighbourhood. Carol died that night. Their baby died days after being born. Stuart survived and garnered nationwide sympathy.

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Washington faces showdown over fresh UN resolution for Gaza ceasefire

US may feel impelled to protect Israel with veto again as UAE prepares security council motionIsrael-Hamas war – live updatesThe Biden administration faces a showdown at the UN security council in the next 48 hours at which it may feel impelled to use …

US may feel impelled to protect Israel with veto again as UAE prepares security council motion

The Biden administration faces a showdown at the UN security council in the next 48 hours at which it may feel impelled to use its veto to protect Israel by rejecting calls for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza.

The United Arab Emirates, the Arab country on the 15-strong security council, said it would table a resolution on Thursday for debate on Friday after the UN secretary general, António Guterres, and most Islamic states called for a humanitarian ceasefire.

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Nottingham Forest hunt for possible Cooper successor with Lopetegui on list

Cooper expected to take charge of Forest at Wolves on SaturdayOwner has grave concerns after heavy defeat at FulhamSteve Cooper is expected to take charge of Nottingham Forest’s match at Wolves on Saturday as the club’s hierarchy continue to explore po…

  • Cooper expected to take charge of Forest at Wolves on Saturday
  • Owner has grave concerns after heavy defeat at Fulham

Steve Cooper is expected to take charge of Nottingham Forest’s match at Wolves on Saturday as the club’s hierarchy continue to explore possible successors, with Julen Lopetegui among the managers on their radar.

Cooper’s position is extremely precarious after Wednesday’s humiliating 5-0 loss at Fulham, a fourth straight defeat. Cooper said he was “embarrassed” to receive the almost universal backing of the away supporters who sang the Welshman’s name at full-time.

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TransPennine Express cancelled more than one in eight trains over summer

Regulator says figures show much of Britain’s railway is ‘still not delivering reliable journeys’Business live – latest updatesTransPennine Express cancelled more than one in eight trains over the summer, according to figures that show much of Britain’…

Regulator says figures show much of Britain’s railway is ‘still not delivering reliable journeys’

TransPennine Express cancelled more than one in eight trains over the summer, according to figures that show much of Britain’s railway is “still not delivering reliable journeys”.

Nationally, fewer than seven in 10 trains ran on time and 3.5% of trains were cancelled on the day between 1 July and 30 September, which was slightly better than the same period last year, figures from the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) showed.

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Champions Cup kicks off with usual suspects on top but plenty to relish | Robert Kitson

La Rochelle, Leinster and Toulouse are the trio to beat but with Europe’s best colliding there are some intriguing possibilitiesOne of the criticisms of the modern Champions Cup is that the exhilaration of the knockout stages is less widespread in the …

La Rochelle, Leinster and Toulouse are the trio to beat but with Europe’s best colliding there are some intriguing possibilities

One of the criticisms of the modern Champions Cup is that the exhilaration of the knockout stages is less widespread in the earlier rounds. Even the organisers seem to be keen to improve the ratio, with the heavyweight duo of La Rochelle and Leinster poised to collide on this season’s opening weekend. The two sides who have contested both the last two finals are also now being asked to set the early pace.

It is sending an unsubtle message to the rest of the field. What was once the Heineken Cup – now recast under the banner of Investec – becomes a less attractive proposition if just two or three sides are capable of winning it. France have also claimed the last three titles in a row, with La Rochelle’s back-to-back titles preceded by Toulouse’s victory over the same opponents.

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Any attempt to run Gaza like the West Bank will fail – and Hamas will benefit | Tahani Mustafa

The next administration is more likely to appear by default than by design, something that doesn’t bode well for PalestiniansTwo months into the military campaign against Hamas, and there is still little clarity about Israel’s endgame or the future for…

The next administration is more likely to appear by default than by design, something that doesn’t bode well for Palestinians

Two months into the military campaign against Hamas, and there is still little clarity about Israel’s endgame or the future for Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank living under occupation. The status quo was irrevocably broken on 7 October. But Hamas, which has ruled Gaza for 16 years, is likely to survive in some form despite Israel’s stated aim to wipe it off the map. Its survival as a political entity will have far-reaching implications for all in Israel and the Palestinian territories.

It is unclear to what extent Israel’s intensive bombardment of the Gaza Strip and its ground operations in the north have undermined Hamas’s operational ability. Though the militants have suffered some losses, Hamas still has considerable capacities ensconced in its bunkers and tunnels underneath Gaza from which to attack Israeli ground forces or launch rockets. As Israel resumes operations in the south, the extent of the damage it has been able to inflict on the tunnel system in the north remains unclear. But even if Israel succeeds in eliminating Hamas’s military wing and tunnel infrastructure, Hamas as a resistance movement will probably endure in Gaza and elsewhere for as long as Israel’s occupation continues.

Tahani Mustafa is the senior Palestine analyst at the International Crisis Group

Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.

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Christmas is a time for traditions. If yours is a nativity pizza, who am I to judge? | Jay Rayner

We may want tradition to be mystical and ancient but in truth it’s exactly what we say it is – be that Baileys, beef rendang or turkey and all the trimmingsIn early November, the nice woman at the checkout of my local Sainsbury’s pointed out a nearby s…

We may want tradition to be mystical and ancient but in truth it’s exactly what we say it is – be that Baileys, beef rendang or turkey and all the trimmings

In early November, the nice woman at the checkout of my local Sainsbury’s pointed out a nearby stack of Baileys. “Just £10 a bottle,” she said, with a cheery wink. “Proper bargain.” I smiled thinly. She clearly had no idea what sort of a person I am. Baileys? In November? Don’t be so disgusting. Baileys is for Christmas. The annual bottle comes into my house on 20 December and not a day earlier. Because Christmas is a time for traditions, and the pre-Christmas bottle of Baileys is one of mine. I am stone-cold certain it is exactly what the Baby Jesus would have wanted. Why? Because I say so.

The word “tradition” is solid and reassuring; the things that word refers to are often rather less so. To mix our cultural references, the point is best made by Tevye in the opening song to Fiddler on the Roof. “You may ask, how did this tradition start?” he says, having introduced the audience to his fellow villagers. “I’ll tell you – I don’t know. But it’s a tradition.” Indeed it is.

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Galtier racism trial raises questions for Brailsford, Ineos and Manchester United

Coach denies race and religious discrimination charges in episode at Nice that puts focus on judgment of would-be United part-ownersAs recently as May this year Christophe Galtier was coaching Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé and celebrating a Ligue 1 ti…

Coach denies race and religious discrimination charges in episode at Nice that puts focus on judgment of would-be United part-owners

As recently as May this year Christophe Galtier was coaching Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé and celebrating a Ligue 1 title triumph with Paris Saint-Germain. On 15 December he will stand trial in a French court on criminal charges of race and religious discrimination – offences committed, it is alleged, while he was manager of Nice between June 2021 and July 2022, charges Galtier denies.

This is real-world criminal justice, not football’s soft-soap version. If found guilty Galtier could face up to three years in prison. The stakes are vertiginously high in other ways too, at a trial that promises a dark night of the soul for French football and France itself, at a time of deeply fractured domestic politics.

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