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England captain Heather Knight has told her team-mates that World Cup success is “written” for them ahead of their final clash with Australia on Sunday, according to spinner Charlie Dean. Knight’s team opened the tournament – and their title defence – with three consecutive losses, but a fifth straight victory saw them reach a second successive final. Having been on the brink of exiting the tournament, England fought back in […]

Criminal and civil investigations have been launched into the decision by P&O Ferries to sack nearly 800 workers. The company was widely criticised for making the seafarers redundant without notice on March 17. Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said the Insolvency Service has started “formal criminal and civil investigations”. The Insolvency Service said: “Following its inquiries, the Insolvency Service has commenced formal criminal and civil investigations into the circumstances surrounding the […]

Gary Ballance is poised to miss the start of Yorkshire’s county campaign as he prioritises his mental health, according to the club’s interim managing director of cricket Darren Gough. Ballance, who featured in 23 Tests for England between 2014 and 2017, came under enormous scrutiny last November as he confessed to using racist language towards former Yorkshire team-mate Azeem Rafiq. While Ballance was suspended indefinitely from England selection as part […]

The first fines issued by police investigating Whitehall parties held during lockdown have reportedly started arriving. The fixed penalty notices are thought to relate to one of the earliest events under investigation – a leaving do held in the Cabinet Office on June 18 2020 to mark the departure of a private secretary. The £50 fines are said to have been delivered by email and issued to junior civil servants. […]

Boris Johnson has dramatically dropped plans for the Government to ban so-called LGBT conversion therapy, it has been confirmed. A leaked Downing Street briefing paper seen by ITV News said “the PM has agreed we should not move forward with legislation” to outlaw the practice. In response, a Government spokesman said they had decided to look at how existing law could be applied more effectively as well as “other non-legislative […]

Lewis Hamilton has revealed he is “struggling mentally and emotionally” and said it is a “constant effort to keep going”. The seven-time Formula One world champion, who finished 10th at last Sunday’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, made the admission via a post on his Instagram story on Thursday. “It has been such a tough year already with everything that is happening around us,” said the 37-year-old. “Hard some days to […]

Rangers have pulled out of the contentious Sydney Super Cup clash with Celtic after claiming the organisers were “unwilling to fulfil their commitments” to the Ibrox club. Fans of both Glasgow giants had protested against their clubs’ decision to sign up to play a friendly in Australia during the break in domestic football for the World Cup. Rangers have now announced they will not take part – three days before […]

The Electric Palace Cinema in Harwich, Essex, was built in 1911 One of the UK’s oldest cinemas is to reopen to the public following a two-year restoration project. The Electric Palace Cinema in Harwich, Essex, was built in 1911, just two years after the introduction of the Cinematograph Act (1909). The Grade II* listed venue has been on the Heritage at Risk Register since 2019 and more than £1.5 million […]

That's according to researchers at the University of Warwick Subsidising fresh fruit and vegetables would increase the amount consumers eat by as much as 15%, according to a study. Fixed costs in the supply chain play a significantly larger role in the prices of fruit and vegetables than in those of other foods, increasing the price by at least 40%, researchers at the University of Warwick found. The higher prices […]