The Guardian - 11.08.2026.pdf

混乱时代如何理解？读诗吧

夏洛特·希金斯 于《期刊》

卫报

消防员就“前所未有”的夏季火灾激增发出警报

卡罗琳·戴维斯 马修·皮尔斯 皮帕·尼尔

消防员面临的压力不断增加，消防旅联会警告称，由于英国正面临“前所未有的危险且多变的夏季野火”，而英国即将迎来今夏第五波热浪。

当局宣布英格兰约四分之三地区（71.3%）目前处于干旱状态之际，消防旅联会总书记史蒂夫·赖特表示，英国如今面临的不可预测的环境挑战意味着，拥有足够装备精良的消防员以“应对这些威胁”已成为“国家优先事项”。

逾120名消防员仍在汉普郡新森林国家公园扑救一场始于周日的“毁灭性”火灾。

诺丁汉郡消防救援服务周日宣布进入重大事件状态，因曼斯菲尔德附近林地的两场大火对当地资源造成严重压力。

据《卫报》看到的一份内部简报，今夏伦敦消防局（LFB）接到的紧急呼叫增加了近三分之一，消防员在首都应对野火和洪水激增。

该文件警告称，极端天气使该局面临日益加剧的压力，并预测由于气候危机，这一趋势将持续。在4月1日至7月9日期间，该局共接到75,652次紧急呼叫——比前五年平均水平高出31%——而事件数量上升了近四分之一，达到42,943起。

简报称，在此期间，伦敦消防员应对了392起野火，以及68起水上救援，反复出现的高温天气和强雷暴使该局资源承受巨大压力。

气候崩溃与全球多地野火频率增加、燃烧面积扩大有关。英国正在经历的所谓“火灾浪潮”是该国有史以来最广泛的一次，湿润的冬季与持续热浪的组合加剧了这一情况。

---

地震袭击哥伦比亚 全国宣布进入灾难状态 逾100人遇难 多人被困倒塌建筑

第4页 →

昨日，救援人员和居民在卡利市的废墟中搜寻 照片：圣地亚哥·萨尔达里亚加 / 美联社

班克斯因监视记者面临压力

丹尼尔·博菲 首席记者

商人兼英国改革党捐赠者阿伦·班克斯面临要求其说明对记者监视规模的呼声，这一行为被行业机构称为“对我们民主的攻击”。

代表地区和全国媒体的新闻媒体协会（NMA）在班克斯周末似乎承认雇用私人调查人员监视《星期日泰晤士报》记者后提出担忧。

这一在《新政治家》首先报道的披露引发了担忧，即其他调查英国改革党和奈杰尔·法拉奇资金问题的记者——包括《卫报》记者——可能已成为目标。

班克斯在周末被问及是否委托调查人员监视《卫报》记者时表示，他“对《卫报》并不真正感兴趣”，但拒绝进一步置评。

近几个月来，《卫报》与《星期日泰晤士报》已披露一系列报道，揭示资金如何——

PC哈珀凶手必须获释，唐宁街十号被告知

拉吉夫·赛亚尔 内政事务编辑

安迪·伯纳姆被警告称，若修改囚犯提前释放计划的条款，以将PC安德鲁·哈珀的凶手继续关押，将在下次大选前迫使再次出现一波提前释放潮。

狱政部门官员已告知唐宁街十号，若增加例外条款，使被判过失杀人罪的囚犯（如杰西·科尔和阿尔伯特·鲍尔斯）继续服刑，则需在18个月内再次实施提前释放。

狱政长官表示，首相上周决定将强奸犯和严重儿童性犯罪者排除在提前释放范围之外，将迫使数以千计的刑期需紧急重新计算，并可能导致部分囚犯被错误提前释放。

昨日，唐宁街十号表示，首相已“竭力推动能采取的更多措施”，但无法将“一两名罪犯”排除在提前释放范围之外，因为针对紧急工作者的过失杀人罪并非独立罪名。相反，若要阻止这些囚犯提前获释，则需……

---

《卫报》2026年8月11日 星期二

2026年8月11日内页导读

每日四大版块

新闻与体育

被体制击垮

一位母亲的自杀揭示众多护理者面临的绝望境遇 第18页

观点

观点与思想

首相巡视全国， 资金会随之而来吗？ 彼得·赫瑟林顿 第1页

生活与艺术

特写与访谈

环保不易

结识这位免费清理花园的人—— 为陌生人生活带来光明 第4页

订阅《卫报》和《观察家报》

最高可享36%优惠

访问theguardian.com/paper-subs

天气

第32页

简易填字游戏

《生活与艺术》版末

漫画

《观点》版，第4页

复杂填字游戏

《观点》版末

联系方式

如缺失版面，请填写表格： theguardian.com/missingsections 或致电0800 839 100

各部门联系方式，请拨打《卫报》总机： 020 3353 3000

读者编辑（如需更正等），请拨打020 3353 4736 留言或发送电子邮件至： guardian.madsen@theguardian.com

投稿信件请发送至： guardian.letters@theguardian.com

报纸 支持 回收 www.newspapers.com

卫报新闻与媒体公司，伦敦N1 9GU约克大道90号，电话：(020) 3313 2000，传真：(020) 7637 2114。 曼彻斯特办公地址：百夫长大厦，道恩盖特129号，曼彻斯特M1 3WR。 电话销售：(020) 7611 9000。 《卫报》列出的查询网站链接并不代表认可，亦不保证其真实性或准确性。 过期报纸销售及提供由《历史报纸》负责。 Historic-newspapers.co.uk/old-newspapers/guardian。 出版商：卫报新闻与媒体公司，伦敦N1 9GU约克大道90号，及曼彻斯特百夫长大厦，道恩盖特129号，曼彻斯特M1 3WR。 印刷商：Newspintlers（Broxbourne）有限公司，大剑桥路，梅特兰十字，EN8 8DY； Reach Oldham有限公司，霍洛伍德大道，查德顿，奥尔德姆OX9 8EP； Discovery Print，邓迪Kingsway East 80号，DE4 8SL； 爱尔兰时报印刷厂，都柏林IA，Citywest商业园，Kingswood路4000号。 2026年8月11日 星期二，第15,3921期。在英国印刷管理局注册为报纸（ISSN 0261-3077）。 安全消息摘要：RopEx® R8n6a 4dL6Q9 2W2；rzCEN k5nRAo vmk6u pHUA

新闻

周末起火的布莱瑙格温特埃布韦尔附近山火。 英国各地火灾频发，引发对培训更多消防员应对威胁的呼吁 摄影：ONIN5

消防员就“前所未有”的高温火灾激增发出警报

进一步加剧了风险。近几周，包括萨福克郡邓尼奇希思、怀特岛的黑登沃伦、朗达山谷的拉姆沃姆诺以及凯恩戈姆斯国家公园在内的多地均发生大规模火灾。

昨日召开会议的国家干旱小组表示，目前英格兰有71.3%的地区正经历“骤发性干旱”，这种干旱因降雨量极低和气温升高的共同作用而迅速形成。

英格兰约三分之二地区（约合4500万人口）处于干旱状态，超过2700万人目前受到用水限制。

该小组警告称，全国所有地区的水资源均面临压力，对农业、公共供水、航运和环境造成的影响日益加剧。

该小组主席托尼·格雷林表示：“干旱状况正在恶化，并将持续加剧，直至出现大量且持续的降雨。我们知道炎热干燥的天气正对农业造成实质性影响，并将对环境产生长期影响。”

他呼吁民众减少用水，“以确保现有水储备能够持续”。

唐宁街10号表示，干旱状况正对“全国各地的社区、农民和企业造成重大影响”，并补充道：“我们的气候正在变化，干旱变得更加普遍。”

首相发言人表示，政府正专注于“应对当前挑战和长期韧性建设”，包括通过国家干旱小组“保护水资源供应并最大限度减少环境破坏”。

伦敦消防局（LFB）负责指挥和调度的副助理专员乔安妮·史密斯表示，该局已应对“数千起紧急呼叫”和“数百起野火，以及水上救援和其他重大事件”，并补充称：“我们已从2022年夏季等以往事件中吸取经验，并加强了对消防员和指挥官的培训，提升其在野火中的战术意识。

“我们已投资购置新设备并开展培训，以帮助应对野火，并将持续改进，确保做好准备。”

赖特表示，消防员“因今夏前所未有的危险且多变的野火而面临额外压力”，并呼吁“增加资金、改善装备获取渠道及提升国家韧性”，以应对不断上升的需求。“我们的国家正面临不可预测的环境挑战，必须将确保拥有足够装备精良的消防员应对这些威胁作为国家优先事项，”他说道。

赖特此前曾表示，消防队伍因人员削减而承受压力——英国的消防员人数较2010年减少了1.2万人。

在汉普郡，数百人被迫弃车步行，原因是周日A31公路靠近林伍德的一辆货车起火引发的野火蔓延至附近的新森林荒地，影响面积相当于140个足球场。

当地出动了26辆消防车和4辆水罐车，至周一已缩减至10辆消防车和13辆越野车。汉普郡消防救援部门昨日表示：“现场有超过120名消防员在高温和艰苦地形中奋战，以防止火势进一步蔓延。”

东米德兰兹、英格兰东部、约克郡和亨伯、伦敦、西北部、东南部、西南部和西米德兰兹已发布琥珀色高温健康警报，东北部则发布黄色高温健康警报，警报时间从今日上午9时至周五晚9时。

英国气象局表示，本周初气温相对较低，预计部分地区气温将升至36℃，高温将在周四达到峰值。英格兰和威尔士经历了自1836年以来最干旱的7月，英格兰19个郡全月无降雨。

南英格兰也创下了有记录以来最热的7月，而威尔士则与历史最高纪录持平，英国和英格兰的7月气温则为有记录以来第二高，英国气象局的数据显示。

伦敦市长发言人表示：“极端高温正给我们的紧急服务部门带来巨大挑战，需求量大幅上升。”他补充称，市长已提供“创纪录的资金”，以确保伦敦消防局（LFB）装备更精良，并改进培训。

其他报道：阿莱莎·阿杜

新闻目击者 第20-21页 →

英格兰71.3%地区陷入干旱，第五波热浪来袭

皮帕·内尔

环境记者

英格兰71.3%地区现已进入干旱状态，欧洲大部分地区正准备迎接今夏第五波由气候危机引发的热浪。

英格兰又有四个地区被正式宣布进入干旱状态：东米德兰兹、林肯郡和北安普敦郡、肯特和东萨塞克斯，以及索伦特和南唐斯。

这些地区加入了上月已进入干旱状态的七个地区：东英吉利、赫特福德郡和伦敦、泰晤士河谷、汉普郡和怀特岛、德文和康沃尔、西米德兰兹，以及威塞克斯（覆盖多塞特、萨默塞特、威尔特郡和南格洛斯特郡）。

农民报告称今年收割时间为20年来最早，但产量下降，水库水位已降至69%——比往年同期低11.6%。

约克郡和英格兰东北部已与坎布里亚、兰开夏、大曼彻斯特、默西赛德和柴郡一同进入持续干燥天气状态——这是干旱前的阶段——这意味着英格兰全境已无一地区被视为正常状态。

这种“闪电干旱”因降雨极少和气温升高迅速发展，导致2700万人面临用水限制。

英国皇家气象学会首席执行官利兹·本特利教授表示，这是“一个严峻的提醒，气候变化不仅仅关乎气温上升——它正使干旱发展得更快、影响更严重。过去五年出现了三次干旱，我们正看到气候变化影响日益加剧。我们需要适应更频繁的极端高温和干旱，同时采取行动减少推动这些变化的排放。”

南方水务公司已申请两项干旱令。第一项是为了在河流水位低时维持从泰斯特河的正常取水量，第二项是禁止非必要用水。两项申请均在政府审议中。东南水务公司上周表示其供水区域的水源“极度紧张”，并警告客户若需求不降，可能面临断供。

干旱公告发布之际，英格兰正准备迎来今夏第五波热浪，部分地区气温可能超过36℃（96.8°F）。今年英格兰已有34天出现30℃或以上高温，包括7月连续13天。

河流、水库和地下水水位持续下降，目前22%的河流被归类为“异常低水位”。

英国生态与水文中心水科学主任格伦·沃茨表示，英格兰和威尔士的河流流量正接近或低于1976年创下的历史最低纪录。

欧洲多地也在准备迎接新一波热浪。法国国家气象局昨日表示，东南部气温可能达到35℃，并将向全国扩散，而意大利和克罗地亚沿海地区已出现极端高温。斯洛伐克、奥地利和匈牙利近日也创下了高温纪录。

补充报道 安德鲁·格雷戈里

---

2026年8月11日 星期二 卫报

新闻

▼ 一只边境牧羊犬躺在核磁共振扫描仪中，参与一项测量犬类大脑活动的研究

照片：LAURA V CUAYA

宠物侦探：研究发现狗能分辨人类恐惧、愤怒或悲伤的面部表情

尼古拉·戴维斯

科学记者

虽然人类会密切关注自己的宠物，但一项研究显示，宠物也在密切关注着我们——狗的大脑能够区分人类不同类型的负面表情。

研究人员发现，接受大脑活动监测的狗不仅能区分快乐的面孔与其他表情，还能将恐惧的面孔与愤怒或悲伤的面孔区分开来。

劳拉·夸亚博士表示：“这是首次证明狗的大脑能够区分同一情感效价（正面或负面特征）下的不同情绪。”

夸亚及维也纳大学的同事们在《iScience》期刊上撰文描述了他们与宠物狗的合作，这些狗经过训练后能在清醒且不受束缚的状态下静卧于核磁共振扫描仪内。

在第一项实验中，8只狗被展示了五组快乐面孔和五组中性面孔。每组包含四张狗不熟悉的人类照片，但性别与其主要照顾者相同。每只狗重复进行了五次实验。

结果显示，与中性面孔相比，当狗看到快乐面孔时，大脑特定区域的活动有所增加。

夸亚表示，这些区域与更高级的视觉处理、社交处理和奖励处理相关——这表明狗正在经历某种积极的感受。

该研究的第一作者劳尔·埃尔南德斯·佩雷斯博士表示，这一结果引发了另一个问题：

“我们不知道这些区域是仅与快乐面孔相关，还是与情感面孔整体相关。”

随后，研究团队对12只狗进行了第二项核磁共振实验。每只狗被展示了新的不熟悉男性和女性人类面孔，这次包含四种不同表情：快乐、悲伤、恐惧和愤怒。

研究人员使用机器学习分析了第一项实验中确定的相同大脑区域的活动，结果显示这些动物能够将快乐面孔与每种负面表情区分开来。

“狗被塑造为理解人类行为”

布里奇特·沃勒教授

社会行为专家

• 但无法区分不同类型的不悦表情。

然而，当分析整个犬类大脑的活动时，研究人员发现可以区分悲伤与恐惧的面部表情，以及愤怒与恐惧的面部表情——但无法区分愤怒与悲伤的表情。

埃尔南德斯表示，不同的负面表情可能会在狗身上引发不同的反应，因为它们代表不同类型的威胁。

库亚亚表示，之前的行为研究已证明狗能够区分某些人类面部表情，但这些研究往往只同时测试两种表情，一种积极，一种消极。

研究作者指出，如果两种表情都是负面或都是正面，狗可能更难区分人类的面部表情，并且可能需要额外的信息——如肢体语言——来区分愤怒和悲伤。

该研究存在局限性，包括样本量较小；大多数受试犬为边境牧羊犬，且所有受试犬均健康且无行为问题。

库亚亚表示，这项研究可能具有实际意义：例如，在训练狗时表达快乐可能有助于学习过程。

布里奇特·沃勒是诺丁汉特伦特大学的进化与社会行为教授，未参与该研究，她称这项工作为“迷人”，并表示它展示了“狗如何通过驯化被塑造以理解人类行为”。

“微笑是人类最常用的面部表情，对我们的社交互动至关重要，因此狗发展出区分微笑与其他面部动作的特殊能力是合理的，”她说，“它们似乎无法区分其他表情，这也说得通，因为这些表情在人类社交互动中较少出现。”

精灵与安全：新电缆为避开多比“墓地”改道

海伦娜·霍顿

《哈利·波特》的粉丝迫使一条连接英国与爱尔兰的新造4.3 亿英镑万电缆改道，原因是他们抱怨原计划会亵渎虚构精灵多比的“墓地”。

在电影《哈利·波特与死亡圣器》中，该角色被安葬在威尔士彭布罗克郡的弗雷什沃特西海滩（Freshwater West beach）。

▲ 威尔士弗雷什沃特西海滩上写有“此处长眠多比”的鹅卵石

尽管国家信托基金会（National Trust）因该海滩为生态敏感区域而要求粉丝不要前往，但《哈利·波特》系列的粉丝仍会前来放置写有“此处长眠多比”的石头。

耗资4.3 亿英镑万的“绿色连接”（Greenlink）互联电缆原计划穿过这处“墓地”，该电缆连接英国国家电网与爱尔兰。据项目经理西蒙·勒德拉姆（Simon Ludlam）在《能源革命》播客中透露，这条长达125英里（200公里）的电缆将在弗雷什沃特西海滩地下铺设，通往韦克斯福德郡。

在BBC采访中，勒德拉姆指出了电缆的地下铺设位置。粉丝们在采访播出几周后得知了这一计划。“我们拍完了，我回到伦敦，然后节目播出了。之后我们接到了数百个电话，我是说，数百个电话。”

勒德拉姆表示他不知道多比是谁，对公司收到的电话感到困惑，一位同事告诉他：“显然我们要直接穿过多比的墓地。”

该公司随后请规划师寻找新路线，以避开这处所谓的墓地。

“很多人对此感到高兴，项目现在正在推进，多比也很开心，”勒德拉姆补充道。

---

新闻 哥伦比亚

哥伦比亚西部发生7.4级地震，逾100人死亡

汤姆·菲利普斯 托马斯·格雷厄姆 波哥大报道

哥伦比亚西部发生强烈地震，造成逾100人死亡，多座主要城市的建筑物倒塌或严重受损，许多受害者被困在废墟之下。

美国和哥伦比亚地质调查局报告称，这场7.4级地震于当地时间昨日上午7:34发生，震中位于西部的乔科省，震源深度为66英里。

地震还波及邻国委内瑞拉，该国仍在从6月24日的致命双重地震中恢复。

哥伦比亚新任总统阿韦拉多·德拉·埃斯普列利亚表示，至少有111人死亡，87人受伤。他还表示，已有61座建筑物倒塌。

总统宣布进入紧急状态，以加快地震救援资金的拨付，并表示将前往灾区视察，该地区以乔科省的农村地区为中心。

他在当地时间中午左右从首都波哥大发表全国讲话时表示：“国家政府已全面调动所有资源，以保护生命、援助受灾社区并提供所需的一切援助。首要任务是营救被困在废墟下的人员。”

死亡人数昨日仍在上升，但当地官员确认，在里萨拉尔达省已有至少42人死亡，该省的重灾城市佩雷拉受灾严重。

在哥伦比亚第三大城市卡利所在的考卡山谷省，死亡人数更多。该省省长表示，遇难者中至少有3名儿童。

当局还确认了卡尔达斯省和安蒂奥基亚省的死亡人数。全国各地还有更多人员受伤。

地震使该国西部的佩雷拉、基布多、卡利和马尼萨莱斯等城市遭到严重破坏。居民和搜救队员不顾余震的危险，在倒塌的建筑废墟中搜寻幸存者。

哥伦比亚内政部长表示，全国有超过20个市镇受灾。

马尼萨莱斯市市长豪尔赫·爱德华多·罗哈斯·希拉尔多表示，该市至少有12座建筑物和20栋民宅部分或完全倒塌。

地震导致马尼萨莱斯备受喜爱的教堂——玫瑰圣母主教座堂的一座塔楼倒塌。

在社交媒体发布的视频中，希拉尔多呼吁居民对余震“保持高度警惕”。“暂时不要返回建筑物内。我知道这不容易，但至少在室外待一段时间，因为可能会有余震，”他说道。

社交媒体上的视频显示，人们在卡利一家四层酒店的废墟中搜寻受害者，以及一名女子在马尼萨莱斯一座建筑物倒塌时奔跑逃生。

64岁的卡利出租车司机豪尔赫·蒙卡约表示，他看到建筑物倒塌时整个城市尘土飞扬。居民和救援人员正在废墟中搜寻幸存者。

“我的整个房子都在晃动。我从未经历过如此强烈的地震，”他说道，“我们感谢上帝让我们活了下来。”

卡利市市长亚历杭德罗·埃德尔表示，该市至少有20座建筑物倒塌，部分人员被困其中。

“目前，我们正在努力绘制灾情地图，首先是为了保护生命，其次是为了推进任何可能必要的救援行动，”他呼吁市民保持冷静。

他还提醒居民检查建筑物的结构损坏情况。“如果感到不安全，如果看到非常大的裂缝，请立即离开建筑物，”他说道。

乔科省省长努比亚·卡罗琳娜·科尔多瓦表示，该省首府基布多有人员受伤，建筑物严重受损。

法新社报道称，波哥大的民众在感受到震感后，仍穿着睡衣冲上街头。

“地震非常非常强烈，”一位名叫瓦莱里娅·皮多（Valeria Pido）的29岁内容创作者在首都表示，当地仅记录到轻微损失。

航空管理部门称，佩雷拉、马尼萨莱斯、基布多、卡塔戈、亚美尼亚和布埃纳文图拉的机场均遭到破坏。

在佩雷拉，当地媒体发布的照片和视频显示，机场天花板碎片落在正在避难并尖叫的旅客身上，人们惊慌失措地穿过废墟。

佩雷拉市长毛里西奥·萨拉萨尔·佩拉埃斯（Mauricio Salazar Peláez）告诉当地电台，许多人被困在“大量倒塌的建筑物”下。

哥伦比亚地质部门表示，昨日的地震是“过去十年来哥伦比亚记录到的最高震级地震”，并称随后发生了两次2.8级和4.8级的余震。

美国国务卿马尔科·卢比奥（Marco Rubio）表示，特朗普政府——已全力支持哥伦比亚新任右翼总统——正“密切关注”事态发展，并随时准备提供援助。

上周末，美国国务院宣布特朗普政府计划向德拉埃斯普列亚政府提供10亿加元（7.5亿英镑）的安全援助。

48岁的德拉埃斯普列亚在6月的决选中获胜，承诺打击武装组织、将国家规模缩减多达40%，并重振石油和天然气行业。

昨天，包括墨西哥、巴西、厄瓜多尔、萨尔瓦多在内的美洲多国领导人纷纷发来慰问。以色列也表示愿意提供援助。

联合国副发言人法尔汉·哈克（Farhan Haq）表示：“我们随时准备提供必要帮助。”

哥伦比亚地震震中附近的太平洋地区位于“环太平洋火山地震带”上，这是环绕太平洋的地震断层带，全球大多数地震发生于此。

在哥伦比亚中部和西部，被称为“temblores”的小型地震很常见，但6.0级以上的地震较为罕见。1999年，亚美尼亚市附近发生的6.2级地震造成超过1,100人死亡。

哥伦比亚地震发生数周前，委内瑞拉刚遭受双重地震袭击，北部海岸受灾严重，造成超过6,000人死亡。

▲ 从上至下：哥伦比亚马尼萨莱斯一栋倒塌的建筑；该市大教堂的一座塔楼在昨日的地震中坍塌；居民在第三大城市卡利挖掘幸存者

照片来源：GIOVANNY GALVEZ / APOGETTY，JOHN JAIRO BONILLA / AP，JUAN PABLO / ARRELAEZ / REUTERS

补充报道 路透社、法新社及美联社

--。

“书籍塑造了我”

奥巴马新播客探讨伟大读物

视而不见

争抢抢手的日食观测镜

国内新闻

登场表演

Revel Puck马戏团 在《翅膀争夺大混战》中演出—— 该节目被描述为“恐惧的庆典”—— 于昨日在爱丁堡艺穗节 Underbelly马戏中心的 草地（Meadows）场地上演。

照片来源： IANE BARLOW / PA

[...OMITTED...]

载有破纪录230人的超级橡皮艇横渡英吉利海峡

黛安·泰勒

一艘载有破纪录230人的橡皮艇于昨日凌晨抵达英国，此前已成功横渡英吉利海峡。

这清楚表明，法国北部的人口走私者正在调整其商业模式，并升级其所谓的“出租船”策略，以躲避英法两国当局的执法。

这一事态发展可能对首相和内政大臣造成打击。安迪·伯纳姆誓言要“毫不松懈”并“重新掌控局势”，而沙巴娜·马哈茂德则表示政府正在“严厉打击”小船偷渡。

法国当局表示，在上周发生一起载有173人的超级橡皮艇因发动机起火倾覆的事件之前，自1月1日以来已有9艘超级橡皮艇横渡英吉利海峡。

尽管今年同期横渡人数较去年同期下降了40%以上，但人口走私者越来越多地使用更大型船只——从而减少整体发船频率——这一趋势表明，他们已迅速适应了法国警方在法国北部海滩加强执法的措施。

英国政府已与德国达成协议，加大对传统橡皮艇和发动机的“上游”查缴力度。

去年8月，据报有106人乘坐一艘橡皮艇横渡英吉利海峡，9月则有125人。超级橡皮艇的出现与2025年7月英法“一来一往”协议的宣布时间相吻合，该协议规定，一名通过小船从法国抵达英国的人可被遣返，以换取另一名合法进入英国申请庇护的人。

今年7月12日，一艘载有128人的超级橡皮艇抵达英国，

随后在7月23日，另一艘载有165人的超级橡皮艇也成功抵达。8月4日，一艘载有173人的橡皮艇因发动机起火倾覆。据信船上所有人均已获救。

根据协助英吉利海峡偷渡者的非政府组织称，超级橡皮艇的使用对生命构成的风险甚至比小型船只更大，后者近期平均每艘载客50至60人。自2018年小船偷渡开始以来，每艘橡皮艇通常仅搭载少数几人。

尽管今年已出现多个“绿色日”（即恶劣天气使走私者无法发船），但非政府组织表示，许多人仍在法国北部等待时机横渡英吉利海峡。

其中包括一些在“一来一往”协议下被遣返回法国、希望再次抵达英国的人。

为难民提供紧急援助的“关爱加来”（Cares4Calais）组织法律援助负责人汉娜·马伍德表示：“威慑手段无法阻止人们寻求安全，只会将他们推向更大的危险和剥削。我们曾与一些被遣返回法国的人合作，他们面临暴力、剥削和不安全的环境，别无选择，只能再次冒险踏上危险的旅程。

“政客们不断承诺另一项强硬政策将解决问题，但证据不断证明他们是错误的。如果政府真想阻止危险旅程，就必须停止重复失败的噱头，并开辟安全的庇护申请渠道。当人们有安全的方式获得保护时，就不必冒生命危险去寻求它。”

内政部表示：“这一最新事件表明，这些犯罪团伙在组织偷渡时采用了鲁莽而危险的策略，他们不断将更多人塞进不适航的船只，继续将生命置于险境。

“我们正在取得进展，今年小船偷渡人数有所下降，7月份的记录人数为2020年以来最低。但我们必须进一步采取行动，因此我们与法国签署了一项按成效付费的协议，将在法国海滩部署的人员增加40%。”

《盐之路》主演打破沉默

就原著素材争议发声

PA通讯社

《盐之路》主演吉莉安·安德森和杰森·艾萨克首次就影片相关争议发声。

该片改编自雷纳·温（Raynor Winn）2018年的回忆录，去年在英国上映，讲述了她与丈夫莫斯（Moth）在失去家园后徒步西南海岸步道的故事。

回忆录还记录了莫斯被诊断出神经系统疾病的经历。然而，《观察家报》去年报道称，温可能歪曲了导致夫妇失去家园的事件，且专家对莫斯患有皮质基底节变性（CBD）的诊断存疑。报道还披露，夫妇的法律姓名实为萨莉和蒂莫西·沃克。

安德森在接受《广播时报》采访时表示，有关回忆录内容造假的报道“令人沮丧”。

她说：“我希望观众能将这部电影视为独立的作品，与真相或争议保持距离。”

上周，在《克默德谈电影》播客节目中，饰演莫斯的艾萨克表示，他支持在美国宣传影片的决定（影片将于下月在美国上映），因为这是一部“美丽的电影”，“其中许多内容仍然完全真实”。《盐之路》中，夫妇因一笔糟糕的商业投资而失去房屋。

但《观察家报》报道称，夫妇失去家园的真正原因是温被指控从雇主处盗窃数千英镑。

报道还称，其采访的医学专家对莫斯患有CBD持怀疑态度，理由是他缺乏急性症状，且似乎能逆转病情。

2025年7月，温在Instagram上发布了写给蒂莫西·沃克的诊所信件，称这些信件证明“他多年来一直接受CBD / S的治疗”。

她写道：“过去几天是我生命中最艰难的时刻。有人指控莫斯编造病情，令我们心碎。”

她在个人网站的声明中称，这篇文章“极度不公、极具误导性，试图系统性地拆解我的生活”。

出版商企鹅出版社表示，其“已完成所有必要的出版前尽职调查”。

---

国家政治

首相被敦促勿将哈珀杀手排除在提前释放计划外

若科尔和鲍尔斯被排除在提前释放计划外，所有过失杀人罪犯的释放都将受到影响。

政府计划从10月起的10个月内提前释放5,000名囚犯，以腾出监狱空间。哈珀的杀手定于1月获释。

伯纳姆面临要求将科尔和鲍尔斯排除在该计划外的呼声。一份要求干预的请愿书已获得近900,000个签名。

尽管监狱管理局表示担忧且缺乏明显的解决方案，唐宁街10号的一位消息人士称，首相仍在“极力推动”寻找方法，将哈珀的杀手继续关押。

首相上周表示，他已“竭尽所能”，将1,000名强奸犯、儿童性虐待者和诱骗者排除在提前释放计划外，这使得未来10个月内可腾出的监狱空间从6,000个减少至500个。阻止科尔和鲍尔斯提前释放可能意味着至少推迟500名其他过失杀人罪犯的释放，一位白厅消息人士表示。

“监狱系统的人员对再次豁免的前景感到恐惧，”他们表示，“他们已告知首相，如果将过失杀人案件排除在外，将不得不在大选前再次启动提前释放计划。” [...OMITTED...]

首相的选择有限

为什么安德鲁·哈珀的杀手有资格获释？

根据政府通过《量刑法》解决监狱过度拥挤的计划，服刑四年或以上的某些严重暴力或性犯罪囚犯将有资格在服刑期过半时获释，而非此前的三分之二时间。这将适用于哈珀的两名杀手阿尔伯特·鲍尔斯和杰西·科尔，他们于2020年因过失杀人被判处13年监禁。主要犯罪者亨利·朗被判处16年监禁，将不适用提前释放。

在公众强烈抗议后，伯纳姆将强奸犯、儿童性虐待者和诱骗者排除在提前释放计划之外，并将该计划推迟一个月至10月实施，但被定罪过失杀人的罪犯并未被排除在外。

《2022年警察、犯罪、量刑和法院法》为在职应急人员过失杀人罪的罪犯引入了强制性终身监禁，但与惯例一致，该法不溯及既往。

为什么伯纳姆没有将过失杀人罪犯排除在外？ 首相最初表示希望在监狱释放计划的豁免范围上“走得更远”，但称“若不导致监狱系统达到容量极限并崩溃，这是不可能的”。

目前约有950人因过失杀人罪在狱中服刑。尽管并非所有人都符合提前释放条件，且不会同时获释，但根据官方预测，若不实施提前释放，监狱系统将在11月前满员，每个监狱空间都至关重要。

他是否改变了主意？

伯纳姆表示，由于需要腾出监狱空间，无法再增加更多豁免，但对鲍尔斯和科尔的愤怒似乎促使他重新考虑。

然而，伯纳姆的选择有限，目前讨论的焦点集中在两种可能性上。第一种是阻止所有过失杀人罪犯提前释放。第二种是豁免杀害紧急救援人员的凶手。Haroon Siddique 报道

安德鲁和利西·哈珀。他的两名凶手阿尔伯特·鲍尔斯和杰西·科尔可能提前释放，引发了公众的强烈抗议 照片：MARK LORD

他表示，部长们已被警告，提前释放计划的延误意味着部分囚犯可能在错误的时间被释放。

“我们已向司法部（MoJ）官员表达了对政府在最后一刻修改《量刑法》实施细节导致的错误释放增加和非法羁押风险的担忧，”他说。“官员们向我们保证，部长们已被告知风险环境有所增加。”

伯纳姆的变更将要求每所监狱重新评估受影响的每一名囚犯的刑期。这可能意味着在员工休假期间，短时间内重新计算数千份刑期，惠特利表示。

“这些临时变更发生在许多专门负责计算刑期并已按原定期限完成工作的员工正在休假、享受应得休息的时候。由于这是一个时间紧迫且手动操作的过程，涉及可能厚达数英寸的纸质档案，因此出错风险会增加，”他补充道。

部长们被告知，如果他们试图仅为科尔和鲍尔斯设立豁免，而不对其他过失杀人罪犯采取同样措施，可能会面临法律挑战。曾在2016年前担任监狱首席监察官长达六年的尼克·哈德威克表示，他对政府可能为迎合公众愤怒而制定豁免的提议感到不安。

“我对哈珀警员的遭遇感到震惊，”他说。“但我们必须谨慎对待这一原则。政客决定特定罪犯的命运，这让我们感到不安。这需要经过仔细的辩论。不应由政客来决定个人在监狱中服刑的时间。”

司法部官员表示，如果放弃该计划，监狱可能在11月就没有空余床位。

当被问及部长们是否接受现状时，伯纳姆的发言人昨日表示：“从首相的言论中可以看出，他远未接受现状，正如他上周所写的那样，他希望采取更进一步的行动。他一直在努力推动能做的更多，现在的重点是长期修复监狱系统，以避免再次出现这种监狱危机，确保此类情况永不再发生。”

当被进一步追问首相是否承认已无能为力时，这位官员表示：“他理解公众希望他采取更多行动，他也希望采取更多行动，但在更广泛的问题上……监狱将没有空间，警方将停止逮捕，将无法关押已定罪的罪犯，这将使公共安全面临难以估量的风险。”

博彩和电子烟商店

市议会将有权阻止商业街开设新店

阿莱莎·阿杜 亚历山德拉·托平

根据安迪·伯纳姆宣布的新计划，市议会将获得权力，阻止博彩店和电子烟店接管商业街。

地方当局将能够拒绝新的博彩店和成人游戏中心，而电子烟店将需要规划许可，这些计划可能从明年初开始实施。

伯纳姆承诺废除《2005年博彩法》中的“意在许可”规则，该规则要求市议会在申请符合许可要求时基本上必须批准新的博彩场所。

这可能标志着与基尔·斯塔默推行的改革的重大转变，后者在4月赋予了市议会更多考虑该地区已有博彩场所数量的能力，但未废除“意在许可规则”。

作为大曼彻斯特市市长，伯纳姆曾在1月与近300名其他政界人士和活动人士一道，呼吁斯塔默废除该规则。

伯纳姆表示，社区应对其商业街拥有更多控制权，因为传统商店、酒吧和其他服务已逐渐消失。

这一举措符合伯纳姆试图在其总理任期最初几周推行民众在日常生活中能看到的切实变化的努力。

唐宁街10号的一位消息人士表示，政府决心打击电子烟店和博彩店，因为它们是商业街衰落最明显的标志之一，当地民众对此深感担忧。关于新措施的快速咨询将持续6周，目标是在2027年初实施这些措施。“当地民众将能真正决定这些店铺是否应该开设，从而对商业街的面貌拥有真正的话语权，”该消息人士表示。

此举是在研究表明，除非工党解决英国商业街衰落问题，否则将在下次大选中“被不满浪潮冲垮”之后推出的。

领导南安普顿大学研究的威尔·詹宁斯教授称这一政策是“重要的第一步”。他表示，随着英国近三分之一的零售销售现在在线上进行，显然这一政策“并不能解决所有问题”。“但它正在回应一个真正影响人们对当地环境看法的关切领域。”

目前，电子烟店与商店、咖啡馆甚至银行属于同一规划类别，这意味着它们无需新的规划申请即可开业。部长们将就将其纳入独立规划类别进行咨询，以便市议会能够逐一审查每项新申请，并拒绝他们认为不合适的申请。

政府还在考虑收紧电子烟店的定义，以防止有人声称开设的是以销售电子烟为主要功能的便利店，并制定具体规定，禁止此类店铺在学校附近开设。安吉拉·雷纳表示，此举解决了几十年来积累的问题。“这就是为什么我们要赋予地方领导人拒绝不适合商业街的事物的权力，并提供工具让他们自行解决问题，”这位社区事务大臣表示。

詹宁斯表示，政府还需要解决商业街物业所有权结构不透明的问题，因为一些业主“对其物业是否有商店并不十分在意”。

电子烟店的增长分布并不均衡，来自Health Equity North的研究显示，最贫困社区的电子烟店数量是最富裕地区的三倍。

伯纳姆表示，经过数十年的衰落，英国的商业街已变得“面目全非”。“电子烟店、博彩店和不良经营者的涌现，取代了人们迫切需要的商店、服务和社区空间。

“这绝对不行。我说过我们将改善英国的商业街，而这正是我们正在开始做的。”

这些措施被视为英国商业街更广泛美化进程的“第一步”，威斯敏斯特将为商业街店面的设计和外观设定更明确的期望。

地方领导人将被鼓励参考理想商业街的蓝图，并获提供最佳实践案例及如何改善其所在主要购物区面貌的指导。

与此同时，安迪

其他降低生活成本的方法

安迪·伯纳姆宣布禁止虚假折扣，并简化取消不需要的订阅流程，以期改善英国消费者的生活。从长远来看，这些变化可能不会像提高养老金强制缴费比例或限制租金那样对你的财富产生重大影响，但它们将消除一些日常烦恼。以下是他还可以解决的六个问题：

禁止门票预订费 得益于去年出台的消费者保护法，购买音乐会或演出等活动的门票时，隐藏费用已不如从前普遍。但即使这些费用更加透明，也并不意味着它们更容易被接受。

在过去，你可以选择去售票处购票，或选择邮寄或电子邮件方式获取门票，因此可能有理由收取一些附加费用以覆盖主办方的不同成本。但当没有选择余地时，这些费用就让人难以接受。零售商不会收取“交易”或“订单处理费”，为什么门票还能被额外收取这些费用？

停止在能源账单有结余时提高直接扣款金额 你通过直接扣款支付能源账单，并谨慎用量，因此在冬季结束时账户有结余——但供应商却告知你要将每月支付金额提高£50。当然，价格上限上调可能意味着你需要增加支付金额，但如果你已经有结余，为什么还要多付钱？

根据监管机构Ofgem的数据，截至3月的一年中，供应商共持有客户£3.2bn的资金，平均每户结余£135。然而，一些使用固定费率且结余较多的家庭仍被告知供应商要提高其直接扣款金额。是的，你可以拒绝，但责任落在了消费者身上。可以禁止供应商在价格变化之外提高直接扣款金额，或在客户结余达到一定比例时禁止提高扣款。

遏制隐蔽的“缩水式通胀” 我们都知道物价一直在上涨，有时花同样的钱买到更小的包装反而更划算，而不是被迫支付更多。但当这种缩水行为隐蔽时，对消费者就不利了。

在法国和奥地利，有规定旨在让购物者更明显地意识到自己花同样的钱（有时甚至更多）却买到更少的商品。要求在产品上标注“新包装规格”的简单信息，至少能提醒消费者注意变化，让他们做出知情选择。

强制企业在主页上公布电话号码 你遇到了问题，想要解决——却发现找不到联系电话。有些通信公司的网站上甚至没有“联系我们”的链接，而能源公司则让你四处寻找联系方式。

《卫报》财经版读者反映的一个常见问题是，当出现问题时，很难找到人帮忙。显然，一旦公布了电话号码，就需要有人接听电话并提供连贯的解决方案，因此这只是解决问题的第一步——但至少消费者不会觉得企业在刻意躲避他们。

推进改善停车计划 为电动汽车充电被罚款、本不该发出的欠费通知、尝试付款时APP出错导致的费用……《卫报》财经版收到读者反映的这些问题，以及更多在进入停车场时遇到的麻烦。政府曾承诺解决这些问题：多年前就制定了行业规范，但未能实施，去年9月结束的新一轮咨询也未见成效。原本计划推出一个全国性APP，整合所有不同停车公司的APP，但最终被淡化。

为司机提前实施并执行既定的行为准则，确保他们不会因未实际违规的停车行为而收到罚单，这将为《卫报·财经》的读者来信栏目腾出可喜的空间。

让保险公司在首次报价时给出最优惠价格 在改善续保流程方面已取得诸多进展。保险公司理应向现有客户提供与新客户同等优惠的价格，续保信函也会告知你去年的支付金额，以便你了解费用是否上涨。然而，每年的“续保舞步”仍在持续：如果你不主动致电保险公司质疑涨价、货比三家或以退保相威胁，最终可能会支付超出必要的费用。希拉里·奥斯本

---

国内

数百万家庭可能面临紧急短时停电，电网规则调整

吉莉安·安布罗斯

根据帮助电力系统运营商在能源供应不足时避免大规模停电的新规则，数百万家庭可能会在短时间内接到停电通知。

这些变化将于本周生效，将使英国国家能源系统运营商（Neso）在电力供应短缺时更容易要求实施轮流停电。

这也是Neso首次能够在无需紧急政府授权的情况下，通过大规模停电来稳定电网。

英国的系统运营商可能会要求在指定区域内的足够多的家庭和企业断电，以将每个区块的用电量削减超过五分之一，且仅需提前八小时通知，从而在全国范围内实施长达三小时的轮流停电，以防止整个电力系统崩溃的风险。

这些对电网规则（涵盖全国输电系统的技术规则）的修改已于上月底悄然获得行业监管机构批准。仅仅几周前，Neso控制室的举报人还指控高层领导试图掩盖热浪期间的停电风险。

Neso的一位发言人表示，这一“最后手段的应急措施”仅会在“最极端且不太可能发生的情况下”使用，“且在所有其他可用选项均已耗尽后，以保护更广泛的电力系统”。

停电将作为防止电力系统崩溃导致更严重、不可控后果的最后一道防线，如去年夏天西班牙和葡萄牙发生的情况。在最坏情况下，可能需要五到七天才能完全恢复供电。

新规则弥合了Neso现有权力与政府更广泛的紧急权力之间的差距。Neso现有权力允许其要求短时停电，影响每个区域最多五分之一的用电需求，这一权力自20世纪70年代矿工罢工以来从未被使用过；而政府的紧急权力则是为长期电力中断设计的，可启动影响90%电力用户的轮流停电。

在提交给监管机构的提案中，Neso表示，新措施可以“比政府的紧急法规更灵活、更快速地启动”，并将用于“更短的持续时间”。这可能意味着停电最长可达三小时，并将在全国范围内轮流实施，以限制对家庭和企业的影响，同时系统运营商的控制室应对短期供应紧张。

与此同时，包括医院、水处理厂和具有国家安全利益的场所在内的受保护场所将免于任何计划内的停电。

政府的电力供应紧急法规从未被启用，只能由能源大臣下令实施。该法规将启动影响90%电力用户的轮流停电，以应对长期中断——例如高压电力进口电缆的大规模故障。

天然气和电力市场办公室（Ofgem）表示，这些权力“不适合短时通知使用”，但新协议可以为能源系统运营商提供一个范围相似的工具，且能够“尽快启动”，以应对即使是短暂的供应紧张——例如特别寒冷的冬夜。

这一规则变化凸显了电力系统面临的日益增长的风险，即短期电力系统失衡可能更难以提前预测，而非大规模、长期的停电或中断。

一系列其他措施也可用于帮助系统应对电力短缺，包括断开大型工业用户的电力供应。

财政部失职与员工自杀事件有关，死因裁判官认定

海伦娜·霍顿

死因裁判官发现，财政部在克洛伊·莫法特（Chloe Moffat）——一名在面临纪律处分后自杀的私人助理——的死亡事件中“实质性地起到了推动作用”。

调查这名26岁女性死亡事件的死因裁判官安娜·克劳福德（Anna Crawford）还发现，公务员系统在处理纪律程序时存在缺陷，可能导致未来发生类似死亡事件。她表示将向公务员系统负责人、财政部以及咨询、调解与仲裁服务机构（Acas）发送一份《预防未来死亡报告》。

在财政部的纪律处分过程中，萨里死因裁判法庭获悉，尽管莫法特不太可能被解雇，但她并未得到工作安全的保证，且在会议中不被允许有自己选择的第三方在场。她的工作职责被临时调整，且无法再查看其经理的日程安排。尽管该会议被描述为“非正式”，但上述措施仍被执行。

这一过程让她“深受打击”，并确信自己已失去工作。会议次日早晨，莫法特自杀身亡。

死因裁判官认定，莫法特在去年5月19日会议前“看起来状态良好且快乐”，此前也未发现其心理健康存在问题。她表示：“我确信，指控带来的震惊和痛苦，以及认为自己将失去工作的想法，导致了她的精神状态。”

财政部的人力资源政策与Acas指南一致，规定严重不当行为指控必须通过正式程序处理。死因裁判官称，这样做是为了确保当事人“不被剥夺权利”，如在会议中有第三方在场、提前五天收到通知，以及被告知若指控属实可能产生的后果。

克劳福德发现，由于已决定限制莫法特的角色和职责，这些指控“需要正式程序”处理。

克劳福德表示：“我认定该会议不符合[财政部]政策”，该政策“未对此类非正式会议作出规定”。

负责财政部全球事务的主管在死因裁判听证会上表示，她未提前通知莫法特开会，是因为“不想让克洛伊为此担忧”。她还告诉法庭，当莫法特含泪询问是否会失去工作时，她回复称无法预测任何潜在调查的结果。

在听证会早些时候，当被问及是否会采取不同做法时，莫法特的直属经理告诉法庭：“不，我认为在当时的信息和建议下，我们已经尽力而为了。”

但死因裁判官认定，莫法特因处理方式被剥夺了保障措施，且对失去工作的担忧“实质性地导致了她的精神状态”。

财政部此前表示正在审查其纪律处分程序。死因裁判官称：“这并未让我安心。我认为仍存在未来发生死亡的风险。”

克洛伊的母亲安妮·莫法特（Anne Moffat）表示：“克洛伊是一个聪明、有爱心且才华横溢的年轻女性，她热爱家人、朋友和工作。在死因研讯中听到的证据进一步强化了我们的信念，即对克洛伊的指控不过是职场闲言碎语。”

► 26岁的克洛伊·莫法特在纪律处分程序后次日自杀。她“深受打击”，并确信自己已失去工作 照片：安妮·莫法特

“她被吓坏了，感到孤立无援，并确信自己的职业生涯已被毁掉”

——克洛伊的母亲 安妮·莫法特

“她在面对同事匿名提出的指控时，受到了完全缺乏同理心的对待。我们仍然认为英国财政部未能履行对克洛伊的关怀义务。在她需要支持、安慰和公平对待的时候，她却被遗弃，感到恐惧、孤立，并确信自己的职业生涯和声誉已被毁掉。”

莫法特表示，家人可能会采取进一步行动：“我们将继续缅怀她，并寻求必要的改变，以确保其他家庭不再遭受类似的损失。”

英国财政部发言人回应：“我们仍在为失去克洛伊这位同事和朋友而哀悼。我们的思念与她的家人和朋友同在。我们极为重视验尸官的关切，并认识到迅速行动的重要性。我们正在仔细考虑调查结果。

“我们已改进了指导方针、支持和福祉安排，但认识到必须继续采取行动，防止此类事件再次发生。”

好心人组织（Samaritans）24小时免费热线：116 123

---

国内

9

巴拉克·奥巴马将主持播客讨论影响他的书籍

埃拉·克里默

巴拉克·奥巴马将主持一档播客，讨论那些“深刻影响了他世界观”的书籍，从托妮·莫里森的《所罗门之歌》到约翰·勒卡雷的《锅匠、裁缝、士兵、间谍》。

这档名为《与巴拉克·奥巴马共读名著》（A Great Book with Barack Obama）的播客将于24日在Audible平台上线。

在由亚马逊旗下公司与奥巴马夫妇的制作公司Higher Ground合作制作的六集节目中，这位美国前总统将与一位嘉宾讨论他精选的每一部作品。

奥巴马还选入了詹姆斯·鲍德温的《下一次将是烈火》、科马克·麦卡锡的《所有美丽的马》、玛丽莲·罗宾逊的《基列家书》以及罗伯特·佩恩·沃伦的《国王的人马》。

“优秀的书籍总是帮助我认清自己是谁，以及我所相信的东西，”奥巴马说，“这档节目中选入的六本书伴随了我一生，每一本都能教会我们关于人类经历的某些道理。

“在这个播客中，我邀请了一些朋友来探讨这些作品为何引起共鸣，它们如何塑造我们对自身和彼此的理解，以及为何文学在当下比以往任何时候都更为重要。我希望听众能因此受到启发，去发现或重新发现那些改变他们看待自己和世界方式的书籍。”

Audible尚未公布播客的嘉宾名单。

奥巴马多年来一直公开分享他喜爱的书籍，发布暑期阅读清单和年度书单回顾。今年7月底发布的暑期书单包括泰亚里·琼斯的《血缘》、乔治·桑德斯的《守夜》、伊丽莎白·斯特劳特的《我们从未说出口的话》、本·勒纳的《誊写》以及科尔森·怀特黑德的《酷机器》。

虽然他的书单回顾通常以近年出版的书籍为主，但此次播客的所有入选作品均出版于20世纪，唯一例外是罗宾逊的小说《基列家书》，该书于2004年出版。罗宾逊与奥巴马在后者邀请她到白宫共进晚餐后开始通信，2012年奥巴马还为她颁发了国家人文奖章。

国王的人马

罗伯特·佩恩·沃伦

班克斯面临要求披露其监视记者细节的呼声

接上页

这些资金被提供给改革英国党及法拉奇个人的捐赠者和富有的赞助人。

新闻媒体协会（NMA）首席执行官西奥·班伯表示，试图通过强硬手段阻止新闻调查的行为有可能被常态化。

他说：“雇用私家侦探试图阻止记者对公众人物进行合法调查，这是对我们民主的攻击。遗憾的是，恐吓和滥用地方及全国记者的行为越来越多地被用作限制监督和转移公众关注的武器。这种情况绝不能被常态化。

“部长们必须警醒这一对我们民主的威胁，并采取更多措施保护支撑我们民主生活方式的独立新闻业。”

据《新政治家》报道，班克斯指示其曾拥有的一家私人调查公司Precision Risk and Intelligence调查《星期日泰晤士报》“洞察”调查团队编辑加布里埃尔·波格伦德。在回应质询时，班克斯告诉该杂志：“我们认为《星期日泰晤士报》使用了被黑客入侵的信息，这是我们感兴趣的领域。我们确实有一个拥有先进能力的调查部门。”

《星期日泰晤士报》强烈否认了班克斯的说法。

当《新政治家》直接询问班克斯是否曾支付调查人员调查波格伦德时，班克斯回应道：“以剑为生者，亦将死于剑。”

“审查指数”（Index on Censorship）首席执行官杰米玛·斯坦菲尔德表示，班克斯应对其监视记者的程度保持公开和透明。

她说：“我真的、真的希望这不会发生在其他记者身上。但我担心会发生，因为加布里埃尔并不是唯一一个对改革英国党提出正确问题的人。这些手段通常被用来阻止提问，阻止问责，这可能会对我们的民主结构造成极大的损害。”

改革英国党否认知晓班克斯涉嫌使用调查人员的行为。改革英国党董事会成员、前英国独立党新闻主管高文·托勒表示，他对这一事态发展感到不安，但记者获取私人信息的来源也存在合理的质疑。

他说：“就个人而言，我不喜欢这样。但在当前情况下，如何才能提出可能得到答案的问题……

“班克斯的问题在于，对于他可能与[国家犯罪局和记者]勾结的情况，实际上一直保持沉默……我们不提出质疑才是荒谬的。那么，如何才能提出质疑？”

前保守党文化、媒体和体育大臣尼基·摩根表示，这种侵犯新闻自由的行为“与开放的民主不相容”。

她说：“调查记者只能是为了对言论自由产生寒蝉效应。”

自由民主党内阁办公室发言人丽莎·斯马特表示：“雇用私家侦探针对仅仅履行职责的记者，是逃避问责的绝望之举。任何使用或纵容这些手段的人都表现出对自由新闻的蔑视，不应参与英国公共生活。”

据报道，曾协助运营亲脱欧运动组织“脱欧欧盟”（Leave.EU）的班克斯，此前曾在欧盟公投前雇用其所称的“前军情五处和特种空勤团”人员监视政治对手。

旅社员工将钥匙交给施暴者后，女子遭袭击

海伦娜·霍顿

Travelodge 连锁酒店的员工将一名女子的房间钥匙交给了对她实施家暴的施暴者，后者随后对她进行了人身攻击。

这名不愿透露姓名的女子告诉 BBC，她入住伦敦一家 Travelodge 分店是为了躲避该男子，但对方尾随而至，并从前台员工处获得了钥匙。

她表示，施暴者踹开房门，对她进行了殴打，并试图抢走她的手机。Travelodge 称此类事件“非常罕见”，并表示顾客安全是首要任务。

该连锁酒店因在未事先征得女性同意的情况下，将女性房间的钥匙交给男性而受到批评。

这名家暴受害者告诉 BBC，她于 2025 年 10 月入住伦敦的这家酒店，是为了“远离恐惧，度过一个夜晚”，此前一段时间的虐待让她“感到恐惧和筋疲力尽”。

她表示，施暴者“告诉前台接待员，他的女友在楼上癫痫发作。他问我住在哪个房间，在几楼。”

随后，他被递上一把钥匙，并被指引到她的房间。她说：“我简直不敢相信。我原以为这是他绝对无法到达的地方，他却不知怎的找到了。我吓得恶心。”

议员此前曾致信 Travelodge，要求其审查关于女性安全的政策。

在另一起事件中，一名男子于 2022 年在梅登黑德的一家 Travelodge 酒店谎称自己是一名入住女性的男友，并从员工处获得了她的房间钥匙卡。员工在未与该女子核实的情况下将钥匙卡交给了他，随后他对该女子实施了性侵。受害者事后获得了她形容为“侮辱性”的 30 英镑退款。该男子于今年 2 月被判处七年以上有期徒刑。

Travelodge 发言人表示，公司今年委托保罗·格里尼 KC 进行了一项独立审查，“以审查我们的房间进入安全政策和升级程序”，并已“采取措施加强房间进入安全政策”。

他们补充道：“我们对顾客经历的巨大痛苦深表歉意，并为事件的处理方式道歉。顾客的安全和保障——过去是，现在仍然是——我们的首要任务。任何未经授权的人进入客人房间的情况都令人极为担忧，且……这种情况本不应发生——当时我们的房间进入安全政策未被正确执行。”

在英国，如需家暴援助，请拨打全国家暴求助热线 0808 2000 247，或访问 womensaid.org.uk。

---

10

全国

▼ 乔伊斯·托马斯被指被瑞典驱逐，无法与儿子和孙辈团聚，称经历“可怕” 照片：HELENA KARLSSON / NWT

78岁英国老妇在瑞典生活21年后被勒令离境

丽莎·奥卡罗尔 高级记者

一名在瑞典生活了21年的英国寡妇因当局称其脱欧后的居留申请提交过晚，正在抗争被驱逐出境。

78岁的乔伊斯·托马斯（Joyce Thomas）是自脱欧以来被瑞典勒令离境的2,500名英国人之一。活动人士和英国外交、联邦与发展事务部（FCDO）表示，瑞典当局的做法出奇严厉。2023年，瑞典曾威胁要驱逐一名在养老院生活、患有痴呆症的英国女性，而她不久后便去世。

托马斯是一名退休护士，在丈夫去世三年后的2021年11月被给予四周时间离开瑞典，这一决定令她极度痛苦。

丈夫去世后，她带着自己的狗搬到了哈马勒（Hammarö）的一间公寓，靠近儿子、孙辈以及丈夫的墓地。

“在我这个年纪，在一个国家生活了这么久，却被赶出去，而且我完全没有做错任何事，这简直难以置信。”托马斯说，“我没有犯罪记录，没有驾驶违规，什么都没有。而且我一直靠自己的经济能力生活。我只是觉得没有人真正调查过这件事。我的意思是，如果换作是他们的家人或母亲，他们也不希望看到这种情况。”

她强忍泪水说道：“我已经不年轻了，想到要来回奔波去看望儿子、孙辈，还要来这里祭拜丈夫的墓地……坐下来细想这一切，实在太可怕了。”

她的丈夫格温（Gwynne）于2021年因癌症去世。2022年，他们在从英国返回瑞典途中，在布莱顿看望次子时，才得知脱欧后本应正式申请在瑞典的居留权。

▲ 托马斯与已故丈夫格温，他三年前去世

托马斯说，丈夫一直非常关注与在瑞典的英国人相关的新闻，并负责处理家中的所有行政事务。她确信，如果丈夫知道需要申请，他一定会提交申请。

虽然根据英国与欧盟的脱欧协议，迟交申请是允许的，但托马斯的申请在2024年被拒绝，原因是她无法证明迟交的合理理由。

随后，她根据瑞典国家移民法提出的居留申请也被拒绝。在公益律师的帮助下，她目前正将案件上诉至更高一级法院。

“格温去世时是最糟糕的时刻，”她说，“我们结婚55年，他是我最好的朋友，这些年来对我意味着一切。但你知道，他的去世是一个终结。而这（被驱逐）简直是无法忍受的煎熬。太可怕了。我已经不年轻了。我已经从一栋房子搬到了公寓——现在又要开始搬家，再找一个地方？等我安顿下来，恐怕早就不在人世了。”

霍夫和波茨莱德（Hove and Portslade）选区的议员彼得·凯尔（Peter Kyle）表示，这一案件“令人深感担忧”。他补充道：“虽然瑞典的移民决定由瑞典当局负责，但我始终认为，在脱欧前行使自由迁徙权的英国公民的权利应得到公平和富有同情心的对待。”

他敦促瑞典重新审视托马斯的案件。“我希望当局能仔细考虑托马斯女士的所有情况，包括她在瑞典长期居住的历史、家庭关系以及人道主义因素。”

FCDO也对托马斯的遭遇及瑞典自脱欧以来对在该国生活的英国人的严厉态度表示关切。

数据显示，瑞典是欧盟成员国中因脱欧相关原因驱逐英国人最多的国家。根据欧盟统计局（Eurostat）的数据，自2021年脱欧以来，已有2,500名英国公民被瑞典勒令离境，占欧盟27个成员国发出的驱逐令总数的三分之一。

英国外交、联邦及发展事务部（FCDO）表示：“我们定期就瑞典对公民权利的保护问题向瑞典当局及负责监督欧盟成员国公民权利事务实施和适用的欧盟委员会提出关切。”

《欧盟-英国退出协议》第18条允许基于合理理由逾期申请。但英国政府消息人士称，他们认为瑞典采取的做法“比其他国家严格得多”，导致“在实际操作中，个人的合理理由不太可能被接受”。

根据欧盟委员会的数据，在瑞典提交的14,200份“脱欧”后居留身份申请中，近4,000份被拒。相比之下，保加利亚的申请人数约为16,000人，仅拒绝了5人；比利时的申请人数为13,000人，拒绝了605人。

FCDO称，瑞典的拒绝率为27.5%，是其他任何成员国的三倍，也远高于欧盟3%至4%的平均水平。

瑞典移民局（Migrationsverket）表示：“在特殊情况下，仍可递交逾期申请。申请人必须书面说明未能在规定期限内申请的原因。仅声称个人不了解申请要求，本身不被视为充分解释。”

《退出协议》还要求在剥夺居留权的决定中遵循“比例原则”。

支持托马斯一家的医生兼朋友菲利克斯·安德勒（Felix Andler）表示：“我们很难看出这里的比例原则何在：仅仅因为错过了填写表格的截止日期，且未收到任何通知，一个人的生活就可能被彻底颠覆。”

三星

Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra 商务版

Galaxy AI

分屏视图 提升生产力

Knox 安全保障

部分 AI 功能需登录三星账户。

开启商务新标准

现已登陆 EE 网络 以旧换新最高可节省 £580

更适合商务

技术条款适用。优惠适用于符合条件的服务。活动于 2026 年 9 月 1 日开始

---

国内

11

2024 年 4 月 8 日，纽约民众使用护目镜观看日全食 摄影：JOHN LAMPARSKI / GETTY

日食前夕，护目镜抢购潮

Steven Morris

英国各地正掀起一场疯狂的抢购潮，寻找适合观看明天日偏食的护目镜。

实体店的日食眼镜已售罄，网购顾客即使找到货源，也被告知可能要等到本周末才能到货。换句话说，这些眼镜足够等到下一次英国可比拟的日食——2081 年——但对明天的观赏毫无帮助。

格林尼治皇家天文台表示已注意到眼镜短缺。发言人称：“由于订单量空前，我们的日食眼镜已在线上和线下门店售罄。”

普通太阳镜不安全，过去几周消费专家一直建议使用专用眼镜。

但若尝试在亚马逊购买一盒 Lunt 日食眼镜（£14.99），会弹出令人沮丧的提示：“免费配送，8 月 13 日（周四）到货”。

Robert Dyas 商店原本提供 Bresser 日食眼镜，售价 £2.99，但其网站显示“缺货”。

来自肯特郡汤布里奇的艾玛描述了为自己和三位亲戚寻找眼镜的经历：“到处都卖光了。”她表示。

当她致电当地眼镜店时，对方态度冷淡。

“他们听起来很生气。我说：‘我打电话问问你们是否有日食……’对方打断说没有，然后就挂断了。”艾玛最终从一位朋友那里拿到一副眼镜，这位朋友的母亲有先见之明，提前买了一盒。“如果再找不到，我们只能共用一副了。”她说。

Neill Sanders 是“Go Stargazing”创始人兼“国际天文学家无国界”英国协调员，他表示并非眼镜短缺，而是人们没有提前规划。

他说：“我接到大量电话、短信和邮件，问：‘你有眼镜吗？’大家突然意识到周三需要眼镜。”

Sanders 表示已从美国进口了 300,000 副日食眼镜。

过去几周，他以折扣价向天文俱乐部和社区团体发放了 100,000 副，但现在已来不及发放剩余的大部分眼镜。

另一位经销商表示：“我们有充足库存，问题在于大家都拖到最后一刻才下单，而我们的打包人手有限。”

格林尼治皇家天文台天文学家 Jake Foster 表示：“如果没有日食眼镜，仍可通过间接方式观看日食。

“任何带有小圆孔的家用物品，如漏勺，甚至一张扎有小孔的纸，都能将日食的影像投射到平面上。

“切勿直视太阳，而应观看投射出的影子。你应该能在影子中看到日食的形状。”

1999 年日全食后，英国皇家眼科学院报告了约 70 例因观看日食导致视力问题的病例。

英国卫生安全局和皇家学院已在其网站上发布了关于安全眼镜类型及其他观测方法的详细建议。

英国民众被呼吁在天空变暗时减少用电

吉莉安·安布罗斯

英国最大的家庭能源供应商正呼吁客户在日食期间减少用电。

Octopus Energy 已敦促家庭避免在明晚 6 点至 8 点之间使用洗衣机和洗碗机，届时月球预计将遮挡英国部分地区高达 95% 的阳光。

预计此次日食将导致英国当天最后一批太阳能发电中断，而今年第五波热浪可能会增加空调、风扇和制冷系统的用电需求。

作为回报，该供应商将为在日食期间避免不必要用电的客户提供下周末一小时的免费电力。此优惠面向参与 Octopus "节电时段" 计划的客户，该计划鼓励家庭在可再生能源充足时多用电，或在风能和太阳能不足时减少用电，以获得奖励。

Octopus 认为，如果有足够多的家庭在日食期间短暂推迟用电，可能会减少英国电力系统运营商启动额外燃气电站以弥补太阳能损失的需求。

负责运营英国电力系统的国家能源系统运营商（Neso）表示，已"提前一年多"规划应对日食影响，称这将是"今年我们控制室面临的最不寻常的夜晚之一"。

Neso 预计，由于数百万人外出观看日食后回家做饭、打扫和看电视，傍晚用电高峰将比平时更晚出现。

6 月的热浪迫使 Neso 首次在夏季发布电力供应预警通知。

月影 日食期间阳光遮挡情况及安全观测指南

明晚，数百万欧洲人将目睹这一天文奇观：日食。落日余晖将在西欧大部分地区几乎完全消失，包括英国、法国、比利时、瑞士和意大利北部。

什么是日食？

日食发生时，月球从地球和太阳之间经过，月球在地球上投下阴影。

观测者看到日全食时，太阳光被月球完全遮挡——这意味着他们位于月球阴影的本影区；而日偏食则是太阳光仅部分被遮挡，意味着观测者位于月球阴影的半影区。

观测者看到日全食、日偏食还是完全看不到日食，取决于其所在位置。"只有位于阴影正中心才能看到日全食，而这一区域在地球表面相当狭窄，" 兰开夏大学天体物理学高级讲师梅根·阿戈博士表示。

明天的日食有多罕见？

英国上一次可见此类天象发生在 1999 年，

当时德文郡和康沃尔郡部分地区位于全食带内。

虽然英国明天仅能观测到日偏食，但专家们仍对此兴奋不已，并指出英国下一次可见的类似事件将在 2081 年出现。

日食何时发生？

对于在西班牙全食带内观看日食的人来说，根据地点不同，日食将在当地时间晚上 8 点 26 分至 8 点 33 分达到高峰，此时日落在即。

在英国，格林尼治皇家天文台计算出，伦敦地区的观测者将在下午 6 点 17 分看到日偏食开始，

在晚上 7 点 13 分达到最大值，并于晚上 8 点 06 分结束。格林尼治皇家天文台的天文学家卡丽丝·赫伯特（Dr Carys Herbert）表示，康沃尔地区的观测者将看到约 96% 的日面被遮挡，苏格兰西部为 93%，伦敦则为 92%。

▲ 2015 年 3 月 20 日，在牛津郡观测到的日偏食

如何安全观看日食？专家强调，切勿用肉眼直视太阳，也不可依赖太阳镜，否则可能造成永久性眼部损伤。他们建议购买专用的日食观测眼镜。

“如果没有日食眼镜，可以使用漏勺或其他物品制作针孔投影仪，”赫伯特说。这是一种间接观看日食的方法——切勿透过漏勺直视太阳，而应将光线投射到卡片或纸上。

---

12

新闻 水

房东遭愤怒指责

数百名居民 20 六个月来 无法获得 正常 供水

Nimra Shahid Damien Gayle

伦敦东部一处住宅区的数百名居民已有 超过六个月无法获得正常自来水供应， 而他们的房东却迟迟未采取行动解决问题。

在塔村区，居民们的水龙头已干涸多时， 被迫使用瓶装水。该地区的开发可能导致 供水不足。

德文斯路住宅区的数百户家庭——其房东 为住房协会Poplar Harca——无法正常做饭、 清洁、洗漱，甚至无法冲厕所。

面对本周可能到来的第五波热浪，居民们 表示他们仍不清楚水为何突然停供—— 尽管有人怀疑是附近新建住宅项目所致。

!

“看到我的选民陷入这种境地，我感到震惊，” 该地区工党议员Uma Kumaran表示。 “用水权是基本权利，但德文斯路住宅区的 居民却长期被剥夺了这一权利。

“在破纪录的热浪期间，房东未能履行其 最基本的职责之一，这是严重的失职。

“我已多次敦促Poplar Harca采取紧急行动， 承担全部责任，并为所有楼宇制定明确且 迅速的维修时间表。居民理应获得紧急且 永久的解决方案。”

Poplar Harca承认“水压可能会波动”， 但否认供水曾完全中断。

居民表示，他们去年夏天就开始遭遇 供水不足。到12月，问题已蔓延至 at least nine blocks。

在《卫报》看到的与居民往来信件中， Poplar Harca最初声称问题出在供水商。 该住房协会称泰晤士水务公司提供的 “水流压力低于往年”。

但与此同时，Poplar Harca也在告知 其他居民，需要进行“广泛工程”以在 其楼内新建泵房，提高水压。房东表示， 这些工程需等待一个名为“第20条”的 正式程序完成，以确定业主应承担的 费用比例。

与英国各地的社会住房楼宇类似， 部分公寓已由居民通过“购买权”购买。 当计划进行重大工程时，自由持有人 必须进行咨询，以确定业主应分担的 费用。

Poplar Harca认为无需法官采取紧急措施， 但《卫报》采访的一位房产律师表示 情况可能并非如此。

莫尔·巴洛律师事务所高级律师Clair Phillips表示： “在工程紧急的情况下，如长期停水， 通常会期望房东立即开展必要工程， 随后向一级裁判庭申请[紧急]免除 20 咨询要求。”

在此期间，Poplar Harca告知居民—— 包括家庭和被归类为弱势群体的居民—— 可前往Poplar浴场使用公共淋浴设施， 或报销Mile End休闲中心的日间通行证费用。

许多居民是有幼儿的父母，或是老年人 或残障人士，他们认为这并非可接受的 解决方案。

---

8 13

“这里是发达国家”：无法清洁、做饭或冲厕的家庭

伦敦东区的圣诞节。 比阿特丽斯·阿桑特（Beatrice Asante）将一袋土豆倒入厨房水槽，打开水龙头。没有水。她反复开关水龙头，依然没有水。现在该怎么办？

阿桑特冲到唯一还在营业的当地便利店，买了几大瓶塑料瓶装水。她想，这些水足够做晚饭，也能撑到水龙头恢复供水。

七个月后，当英国部分地区准备迎接第五波热浪时，阿桑特仍然无法依赖自来水。

她是塔村区德文斯路住宅区（Devons Road estate）数百户住房协会公寓住户中的一员，这些住户已被断水长达一年，供水时有时无。直到现在，在经历了数月的拖延后，房东才开始着手解决这一问题。

很难想象我们对自来水的依赖有多深——直到它被切断。受影响的九栋楼的居民无法正常洗漱、清洁家居或做饭。每天有很长一段时间，他们甚至无法冲厕所。

拉吉娅·贝古姆（Rajia Begum）和贾丝明·贝古姆（Jasmine Begum）是两位在伦敦东区养育家庭的母亲。今年，她们都面临着供水不稳定的问题。

她们通常只能在半夜才有自来水。

“我们做任何事都得在凌晨一点之后，”拉吉娅说，“我们睡不着。[相反]，我们做饭、洗衣、上厕所，什么都做。”

今年7月，她有三天完全没有水。她的房东波普拉·哈卡（Poplar Harca）送来了三瓶5升的水。但冲一次厕所就需要5升水，15升水根本不够维持一个家庭的日常需求。“我们没法清洁，”她说，“家里一团糟。没有水，怎么可能做到呢？”

在没有稳定供水的情况下抚养孩子，面临着特殊的困难。

拉吉娅说，她的两个女儿拒绝在家里上厕所，因为不知道什么时候能冲水。结果，她们的健康状况变差了。

这些住宅区的许多居民生活贫困，或有残障。

对许多人来说，英语是他们的第二甚至第三语言。他们是这座城市中最边缘化的人群。

但令人震惊的是，如此多的人长期断水却迟迟未得到解决。

拉兹娜·贝古姆（Razna Begum）多次尝试拨打波普拉·哈卡的电话后，房东第一次来送水时，只是来检查她的水龙头是否打开了。

“我们没有撒谎，我们能做什么让水龙头出水？过去八个月我们一直没有水，”她说。

这位64岁的老人与患有严重湿疹的小儿子和丈夫阿卜杜勒·海（Abdul Hai）一起住在德文斯路住宅区。她的丈夫6月份中风，目前卧床不起。拉兹娜认为，由于八个多月没有水带来的压力，他右侧身体无法动弹。他的上门护理人员建议他保持水分充足。

“我们给塔村区市长发了邮件，但没有人回复。他们保持沉默，”她补充道，“这里是发达国家，却没有水。”

塔村区议会的一位发言人表示：“虽然这些建筑内的供水服务交付和维护是房东波普拉·哈卡的责任，但议会和市长办公室正与他们合作，推动居民关切的问题，了解修复工作的进展，并确保提供适当的支持安排，包括为弱势居民提供支持和在需要时提供瓶装水。”

作为房东，Poplar Harca 有义务为水龙头断水的租户提供用水。居民表示，他们经常需要在电话线上等待一个多小时，在周末或上个月前所未有的热浪期间，往往根本无法接通。

即使接通电话，每户配送的水量也仅限于15升，无论家中有多少人居住。一些居民表示，他们直到上周才收到首次配送——距离缺水问题开始已过去八个多月。

居民怀疑他们的水被转移到了社区内的新开发项目。许多居民的缺水问题始于去年秋天，大约在Poplar Harca的商业住宅项目Stroudley Walk竣工之际。

水务工程师对缺水原因看法不一。Kent Group Services的保罗·肯特表示，泰晤士水务公司的“基础设施仍然陈旧，部分管网已有数十年甚至上百年历史，东伦敦大量新住宅开发导致系统泄漏严重。泰晤士水务不得不降低水压以确保供应。”

Under Pressure Plumbing London的燃气和管道工程师戴尔·约瑟夫与《卫报》一同走访了部分受影响的楼宇。他表示，泰晤士水务已承诺履行其提供足够水压的责任，因此确保每户水龙头正常出水是房东的职责。

Poplar Harca近期告知部分居民，预计将在8月5日至9月8日期间修复六栋楼的问题。其中三栋楼的维修工作要到8月27日才开始。这意味着部分居民将面临长达一年的供水不足。

泰晤士水务发言人表示，在调查多起投诉后，他们认为水压偏低“主要是由于该地区大规模新开发，以及部分客户内部管道问题所致”。他们称：“我们正在研究对该区域进行重新规划，以提高水压应对局部开发增加的需求。这需要大量测试，任何计划目前仍处于非常初期的阶段。”

社区组织Acorn的组织者萨达夫·穆斯维曾协助部分居民

“这是房东最基本职责的严重失职”

Uma Kumaran

当地议员

与居民共同投诉时表示：“这起丑闻的规模简直无法用言语形容。我从事社区组织工作多年，见过很多事情，但从未见过这样的情况。”

Poplar Harca 发言人表示：“居民仍在持续用水，尽管水压可能会波动，有时可能无法满足部分家庭的需求。

“自去年12月发现问题以来，我们立即与泰晤士水务公司合作调查原因，对方确认受影响建筑的水压仍高于英国水务监管局（Ofwat）担保标准计划规定的最低水平。

“永久解决方案需要在受影响建筑内安装新的水泵系统。虽然我们希望尽快推进，但由于供水仍然可用（尽管存在临时中断），我们无需采取紧急措施安装水泵。因此，我们遵循了法定的第20条咨询程序，在大型工程开展前需与租户进行协商。”

他们补充道：“我们理解居民希望问题能更快解决。我们的重点一直是为受影响居民提供支持......同时在法定程序和技术工作允许的范围内尽快推进永久解决方案。”

泰晤士水务

公司向财务总监支付“站不住脚”的100万英镑

Jasper Jolly

泰晤士水务公司在濒临政府接管的情况下，仍向其财务总监支付了100万英镑签约费，此举被环境部称为“不可接受”。

这家公用事业公司在上周由其董事长阿德里安·蒙塔古致环境、食品和农村事务特别委员会议员的信中披露了这一支付行为。

泰晤士水务是至少八家因持续环境违规行为而被禁止发放绩效奖金的水务公司之一。该公司为伦敦及泰晤士河谷地区1600万客户提供服务，已濒临破产超过两年。

安迪·伯纳姆此前曾表示，政府应接管泰晤士水务，以注销数十亿英镑的债务。然而，实际上控制泰晤士水务的债权人已花费数月时间协商，若监管机构能放宽未来罚款，他们将正式接管公司。债权人已向政府提供“黄金股”作为最后努力，以避免债务被注销。

然而，公司仍在向高管支付数百万英镑，此举

停水导致度假村关闭

由于当地停水，Chessington World of Adventures 度假村主题公园昨日被迫关闭。

这家位于萨里的景点表示，正与泰晤士水务及当地合作伙伴密切合作，以支持“安全及时的解决方案”。

受影响的游客被告知，门票将自动延期至未来日期有效。

泰晤士水务发言人表示：“我们对Chessington地区目前停水的客户以及因今日停水而影响Chessington World of Adventures 度假村行程的游客表示歉意。我们的专家团队已在现场，并确定Leatherhead路有一处主水管爆裂。修复工作正在进行中。” Caroline Davies

410万英镑

泰晤士水务在截至2026年3月的财政年度向高管支付的总奖金金额

可能会进一步加强外界对政府通过特别行政管理制度正式接管的呼声。

英国环境、食品和农村事务部的一位发言人表示：“一家表现最差的水务公司在本应专注于提升业绩和重建公众信任之际，却向高管发放巨额款项，这是无法接受的。”

“我们已禁止向造成污染的水务公司高管发放奖金，并期望各公司遵守规则的字面和精神。我们期待[行业监管机构]Ofwat的审查结果，该审查将评估是否以及如何加强这些规则。”

向史蒂夫·巴克支付的款项于上月完成，此前泰晤士水务就其义务寻求了法律意见。这笔款项来自去年与债权人达成的30亿英镑紧急债务一揽子计划。这笔资金旨在维持泰晤士水务的运营，同时其试图与债权人协商更长期的接管方案。

“河流行动”组织的活动负责人艾米·费尔曼表示：“泰晤士水务债务高达200亿英镑，濒临财务崩溃，其所在地区的河流被污水淹没，每天有5.71亿升水流失。然而，在超过四分之一的泰晤士水务客户水费用于偿还债务的情况下，仍有100万英镑用于首席财务官的入职奖金。”

“与此同时，一线员工日夜奋战，勉力维持这家濒临倒闭的公司运转。这种做法无可辩解。应将泰晤士水务置于特别行政管理之下，重建其服务客户和清理河流的功能，而不是奖励失败。”

向巴克支付的款项最初由天空新闻报道，原定于2025年4月支付，当时他刚从西南水务的母公司Pennon集团加入泰晤士水务。

这笔款项将在巴克截至3月31日的财政年度总薪酬基础上额外支付。该总薪酬包括59.1 万英镑的基本工资，以及2.5 万英镑的酌情支付款项，“以支持其任命并促进其及时入职，同时承认其招聘过程中产生的成本”。然而，这笔额外的100万英镑款项并未在上月发布的年度报告中详细说明。

巴克的基本工资也于4月提高至63 万英镑。首席执行官克里斯·韦斯顿截至3月31日的年度总薪酬则上升至120万英镑。

泰晤士水务上月披露，已向高管支付了410万英镑的奖金。

泰晤士水务及其债权人集团拒绝置评。环境委员会已被联系置评。

---

14

国内

伯格敦促保守党领袖撤销向前新纳粹分子提供职位的决定

阿莱莎·阿杜

卢西亚娜·伯格敦促凯米·巴德诺克“倾听受害者的声音”，并撤销其任命一名前新纳粹分子担任国家顾问职位的决定。

约书亚·博内希尔-佩因（Joshua Bonehill-Paine）于2015年因在计划举行的新纳粹集会前在网上发布反犹太主义材料被判入狱三年多。2016年，他因针对时任议员伯格的种族加重骚扰行为被判有罪。他还是极右翼组织“英国国家抵抗运动”的创始人兼领导人。

这位工党贵族表示，九年多过去，她仍受其罪行影响，并质疑巴德诺克及保守党在任命其担任该党文化与融合委员会职务时进行了何种安全审查。

伯格在X平台上发文问道：“我是否应预期在议会大院与他当面相遇？”

巴德诺克的发言人表示，博内希尔-佩因不会持有议会通行证，也不会进入议会大院。

此前，保守党领袖在《泰晤士报》上发表长文为博内希尔-佩因辩护，称对其是否适合在萨默塞特担任议员的质疑是“一场围攻”。

博内希尔-佩因原定以保守党候选人身份参选，但在巴德诺克向其提供顾问职位后，他于上周宣布退出明年的地方选举。巴德诺克表示：“人们需要明白，在我的领导下，保守党如今是个人责任与法治秩序的政党。这意味着坚持追究后果，保护公众，尤其是受害者。

“我们需要减少双重标准，提高整个体系的标准，因为这一体系屡屡未能保护公众。我们应有足够的坚定，即使在政治上不便时也坚持信念；有足够的智慧，认可改过自新；有足够的一致性，对友对敌一视同仁。”

伯格表示，她于周六深夜看到这篇文章并“试图忽略它”，但在巴德诺克周一分享该文后，这位利物浦韦弗特里前议员指责其未充分考虑博内希尔-佩因的受害者。

“巴德诺克在文中仅顺带提及‘受害者’，”伯格写道，“受害者众多，而我是其中之一。巴德诺克是否阅读过法官的判决词？在法庭上，我们听到了无法出庭作证的受害者的影响陈述，他的行为毁了他们的生活。”

“他的顾问任命……可能使他进入威斯敏斯特。我是否应预期在议会大院与他当面相遇？”她补充道，“巴德诺克现在倾听受害者的声音并撤销决定还为时不晚。”

巴德诺克的发言人表示，博内希尔-佩因已服刑期满，完成了内政部Prevent课程，并进入学校教授反犹太主义和极端主义的应对方法。但该党未回答关于其任命进行了何种安全审查，或巴德诺克为何未与伯格联系的问题。

博内希尔-佩因针对伯格的辱骂包括称其为“啮齿动物”和“邪恶的敛财者”。他还因袭击警察和入室盗窃警察局被定罪，并于2014年因一起反伊斯兰骗局导致莱斯特一家酒吧业主收到死亡威胁而被判恶意通信罪。

伯格就安全保障问题向巴德诺克提出质疑：“巴德诺克的文章称她希望保护公众和受害者，但她和保守党进行了哪些安全审查？”

如果巴德诺克或她的团队曾与她联系，伯格表示：“我会说，我认为这个人成为凯米团队的一员并不是‘强硬政治’。我认为这是错误的政治。”

她补充道：“我完全支持改造。但一个被定罪的新纳粹厌女罪犯，在定罪后不到十年内，不适合担任公职。他也不应被赋予一个更接近权力核心的国家顾问角色。”

▼ 露西·哈里森与母亲简·科茨的合影，摄于2024年12月，数日后她在得克萨斯州被父亲枪杀

英国女子在得克萨斯被父亲枪杀 母亲呼吁重启调查

英格兰北部编辑

英国外交大臣埃德·米利班德（Ed Miliband）被敦促向美国当局施压，要求重新调查一名在得克萨斯枪杀英国女儿的男子。

来自柴郡沃灵顿的露西·哈里森（Lucy Harrison），23岁，于2025年1月10日在探望父亲时被枪杀，当时距离她乘飞机返回英国仅一天。

其父克里斯·哈里森（Kris Harrison）承认当时持有手枪，但至今未被逮捕。

得克萨斯州大陪审团去年裁定不予起诉这名来自利物浦的电信高管，露西的家人称此前的警方调查“严重不足”。

今年早些时候，柴郡资深验尸官裁定露西系非法被杀，哈里森的行为构成严重过失杀人罪。

露西的母亲简·科茨（Jane Coates）昨日致信米利班德，敦促其根据验尸官的结论，促请美国当局重新调查其前夫。

她在信中写道：“我理解英国政府无法干预美国司法系统，也无法指示美国检方采取特定行动。

“然而，外交部可以通过适当的外交渠道

!

▲ 执法记录仪画面显示，来自利物浦的克里斯·哈里森告诉警方是他开枪射杀了女儿露西。他至今未被逮捕

引起对验尸官结论的关注，提出原调查存在的严重问题，并要求相关美国当局重新审查此案。”

包括前司法大臣罗伯特·巴克兰（Robert Buckland）在内的多名英国政界人士也在敦促米利班德介入。

哈里森是一名电信高管，在露西遇害前两年从同事处购买了一把价值$500（£370）的手枪。21岁以上枪支持有者在得克萨斯州——美国枪支管制最宽松的州之一——无需接受培训或获得许可证。

柴郡的死因研讯听证会获悉，露西曾向朋友表达过对两个年幼弟妹与格洛克9毫米半自动手枪同处一室的担忧。

听证会还获悉，在枪击发生前数小时，两人曾因唐纳德·特朗普发生争执，但露西的家人表示这并非她被枪杀的原因。

尽管一名警官闻到哈里森呼气中有酒精味，但他并未接受酒精测试。根据提交给英国死因研讯的报告，一名得克萨斯州骑警在警方讯问中向哈里森解释，“只有扣动扳机，枪才会击发”。“克里斯回应说‘好的’”，报告记录道。然而，当局称无法逮捕哈里森，因无法证明其有杀人意图。

沃灵顿南选区工党议员萨拉·霍尔（Sarah Hall）表示，外交部还应解释为何露西遇害后，英国政府未能向其家人提供“充分支持”。

科茨在致米利班德的信中写道：“我还必须表达对前政府回应的失望。他们没有采取任何有意义的行动帮助我们寻求正义。

“安迪·伯纳姆领导的新政府成立后，我们重新燃起了希望。我们被首相坚定的态度和强调采取行动、解决问题的决心所打动。我们真诚希望这种态度能延伸到露西的案件中。”

英国外交部发言人表示：“我们仍然对简及其家人遭受的悲剧深表哀悼，并将始终从类似案件中吸取教训，以改进未来向其他家庭提供的领事支持。”

---

[...OMITTED...]

GB News 因嘉宾在节目中将骄傲游行与恋童癖相关联而遭调查

迈克尔·萨维奇 媒体编辑

GB News 因一名嘉宾在节目中似乎将骄傲游行与兽交和恋童癖相关联，目前正接受媒体监管机构的调查。

据信，这些言论创下了 单个节目投诉数量的新纪录，超过 12,000 人对嘉宾卡罗琳·法罗的评论表示担忧。

发声反对的包括绿党领袖扎克·波兰斯基和《鲁保罗变装皇后秀 UK》前参赛者比米尼。

法罗自称天主教评论员，同时是极端保守倡导组织 CitizenGO 的活动经理。她在上月伦敦骄傲游行后的讨论中发表了上述言论。

在《亚历克斯·阿姆斯特朗今夜秀》节目中，法罗表示，这场游行“不是关于同性恋权利”，而是“已经变成了庆祝所有非异性恋的性取向”。

她称这包括“一些非常怪异和不健康的癖好和怪癖，比如毛茸族、兽交，甚至是所谓的‘未成年人吸引者’——他们自称未成年人吸引者，也就是恋童癖”。

此言论促使波兰斯基和比米尼联名发表公开信，呼吁 Ofcom 处理这种“危险”的虚假信息。

Ofcom 确认正在就该节目是否违反广播标准展开调查。相关规定指出，“可能引起冒犯的内容必须有上下文正当性”。

该期节目（包括上述言论）已从 YouTube 上移除。

节目主持人阿姆斯特朗当时对这些评论进行了一定反驳，称：“绝大多数参加骄傲游行的人都是出于正当理由。”他表示：“我认为游行中并没有充斥恋童癖或其他一切，我确信存在不法分子。”

他在之后的节目中进一步表示：“上周嘉宾的言论将同性恋骄傲游行与恋童癖庆祝相混淆。这是一个古老的同性恋陈词滥调，多年来一直被用来妖魔化和诽谤同性恋群体。

“嘉宾的这些言论在讨论中毫无立足之地。”

绿党副领袖雷切尔·米尔沃德对 Ofcom 决定展开调查表示欢迎。

“暗示同性恋群体对儿童构成某种特殊威胁是毫无根据、不负责任且极具危害性的，”她说。

“ 是一家受监管的广播机构，广播机构理应达到基本的专业标准。这应包括不利用其平台传播关于边缘群体的仇恨谎言。”

被要求置评。当时，该机构在声明中表示：“这些言论是在一场直播辩论中由一位嘉宾表达的个人观点，不代表 的立场或编辑立场。任何观看这场辩论的人都会注意到，其他两位嘉宾对这些言论进行了强有力且反复的质疑。”

此前已因另一档节目中的类似言论受到 Ofcom 批评。去年，Ofcom 认定该频道违反了广播规则，因主持人乔希·豪伊表示教会“完全接纳 LGBTQ+ 人士”将“包括恋童癖者”。

当时， 因已播出道歉而未受处罚。

舞台评论

尖锐机智的女性视角社会喜剧

凯茜 特拉弗斯剧院 ★★★★☆

马克·费舍尔

这是一出出色的喜剧：她以充沛的活力和掌控力表演，对大量荒谬内容采取直截了当的态度

▶ 奥尔加·科赫在其作品《胖汤姆·克鲁斯》中全力以赴，涉及兄弟会文化，并提出“少女在情感智力上比任何男人都更成熟”的观点。

照片：安德鲁·金伯

爱丁堡喜剧评论

这位快嘴喜剧演员从妙语连珠到旋转自如

奥尔加·科赫：肥胖版汤姆·克鲁斯

普莱桑斯庭院

★★★★☆

布莱恩·洛根

从一开始，《肥胖版汤姆·克鲁斯》这场演出就显得有话要说。不仅仅是舞台上的屏幕和时尚家具，上面投射着美国法律案件的细节。还有主持人奥尔加·科赫那种自信满满的气场：她像是带着使命感全力以赴。那么，这场新演出的主旨是什么？它声称要讲述一个并非科赫本人的故事。那么，它想表达的是：男性的自尊问题很可笑，而且“少女比任何男人都更具情感智慧”。

嗯，我当时这么想。直到后来，科赫才揭示她其实是在玩“声东击西”的把戏。不过首先，故事本身讲述了年轻的科赫从学校高年级学生——向单恋对象复仇——到美国大学生的历程。在这里，她被兄弟会文化所吸引：先是参加了一场她不情愿参与的入会仪式，后来又在一场婚礼上与一位男士（我们这部剧的同名主人公）结交，这位男士怀念着自己兄弟会的过去。其间穿插着几起现实世界中性别平等诉讼的简报，这些诉讼指控并证明了对男性的不公平歧视。

人们不禁要问，科赫到底想干什么？可以肯定的是，她的喜剧表演堪称一流：她以饱满的热情和掌控力，用一种对无稽之谈毫不妥协的态度，在舞台上旋转，庆祝着每一个犀利的讽刺。而且她的俏皮话也十分精炼！

而她更宏大的创作意图，则在结尾处揭晓：《肥胖版汤姆·克鲁斯》的命运表明，男性的脆弱可能并不是那么可笑。这个观点值得认同，尽管我发现这个结局略显生硬和刻意。但这依然是一场来自爱丁堡边缘艺术节最可靠的大容量喜剧之一。

演出持续至30 August

艾莉德·洛恩凭借《穆尔克罗夫特》一剧首次亮相剧作家舞台，这部以男性为中心的精彩喜剧灵感来自她父亲的业余足球队。如今，她将创作视角提升了一代，写出了一部以女性为中心的家庭喜剧，灵感来自她的祖母。

正是这位长辈坚持要求由伊莲·C·史密斯饰演剧中的主角——标题中的凯茜，这个决定如此精准，仿佛她本该成为一名选角导演。很难想象还有哪位演员能更好地诠释洛恩笔下这位新近丧偶的工人阶级女性，她的悲伤正逐渐演变为抑郁。她以久经沙场的精准度，将洛恩那些尖酸刻薄的笑话演绎得淋漓尽致。

她既不渴求观众的喜爱，也不在乎舞台上其他人的感受。她会毫不顾忌地表达自己的不适。她那尖刻的言辞和世故的冷嘲热讽层层递进，直到我们看到隐藏在背后的脆弱灵魂。她觉得自己撑不到圣诞节。

故事背景是凯茜与丈夫汤米共同生活50年后，汤米葬礼的后续。剧情以这种场合特有的黑色幽默开场。任何关于死亡的提及都会让一个人发笑，另一个人潸然泪下。

作为一部社会喜剧，它观察敏锐，但戏剧张力略显不足。唯一的悬念在于，在和事佬汤米缺席的情况下，这个家庭的和睦关系能否维系，而凯茜和弗洛是否能化解母女间的冲突似乎并不那么重要。新生命的诞生和圣诞节的圆满结局为全剧画上了动人的句号，但即使有大量笑点，它所涵盖的情感层面依然有限。

演出持续至30 August

---

16

国内

警方调查威德科姆案嫌疑人是否与法拉奇入室盗窃案有关联

维克拉姆·多德 警务与犯罪事务记者

警方正在调查被控谋杀安·威德科姆的约书亚·克里（Joshua Kerry）是否与一起发生在奈杰尔·法拉奇前伦敦住所的入室盗窃未遂案有关联。

在反恐警察展开调查后，来自罗瑟勒姆的28岁男子克里被控于上月谋杀这位英国改革党（Reform UK）和保守党前政客，威德科姆的遗体在其德文郡住所被发现。

伦敦反恐警务（CTP）周五表示，正在重新调查2025年4月发生在法拉奇当时居住地址的一起事件。

负责调查威德科姆谋杀案的东南英格兰反恐警务（CTP South East）目前也在调查这起2025年的事件，该事件最初被记录为入室盗窃案。其他消息来源则将其描述为纵火未遂案。

《卫报》了解到，警探正在研究从案发现场提取的指纹，以及该地区闭路电视和视频门铃等设备拍摄的录像。他们还检查了现场是否使用了助燃剂，如打火机油。

周五，伦敦反恐警务表示已就初步调查向警方监督机构进行了自我举报。

CTP在声明中表示：“作为由东南英格兰反恐警务主导的安·威德科姆谋杀案持续调查的一部分，警员已重新启动对去年报案的一起事件的调查。

▲ 奈杰尔·法拉奇昨日接受记者采访：下图为被发现遇害的安·威德科姆；左图为被控谋杀她的约书亚·克里 照片：RASHI KECATI ALLIM / GETTY

“2025年4月，伦敦大都会警察接到报案，称大伦敦地区某地址发生入室盗窃未遂案。

“大都会警察在伦敦反恐警务的协助下展开了调查。当时未有人被捕，调查随后被暂时结案，等待任何新的调查线索。

“在重新启动入室盗窃未遂案调查后，伦敦反恐警务发现了一条在当时未被发现和跟进的调查线索，这条线索可能具有相关性。

“因此，为确保对初步调查的支持得到全面审查，伦敦反恐警务今日（2026年8月7日，周五）已向独立警察行为监察局（IOPC）进行了强制行为举报。”

法拉奇昨日表示：“安的遇害是一个巨大的悲剧，英国安全部门终于开始认真对待改革党政客和重要人物的安全问题，这实在是太迟了。”

这位英国改革党领袖表示，他现在对反恐警察有信心，并称他们没有试图掩盖任何事情。

对于CTP决定向IOPC进行自我举报，他说道：“他们这样做的事实表明，他们没有试图掩盖，也没有试图忽视。我必须说，我见过劳伦斯·泰勒（CTP负责人），我确实对他抱有极大的信心。”

威德科姆的遗体于7月9日上午11点40分在其位于海托谷（Haytor Vale）的住所被救护人员发现，身上有“严重伤害”。法庭获悉，这位78岁的老人头部被锤子击打21次后身亡。

目前，她的谋杀案尚未被定性为恐怖主义事件。东南英格兰反恐警务接手此案调查，是因为存在其遇害可能出于政治动机的可能性。

CTP的调查仍在继续。

暂停订阅...

零售价最高可享7折优惠

订阅《卫报》，灵活选择。

外出度假？轻松暂停订阅。只需登录并标记您不需要报纸的日期，订阅费用将暂停支付——每年最多可暂停五周。

节省高达 31% 的零售价 订阅《卫报》即可享受优惠 扫描二维码或访问 theguardian.com / newspapersubscription

...随时可暂停配送

周六

盛宴

周六

《卫报》

所示节省金额为相对于零售价的每月节省额。仅限英国 18 岁及以上新订户。每年最多可暂停配送或取阅 5 周。完整套餐详情、配送区域及参与门店请参见官网。订阅条款及细则详见 theguardian.com / subscription / terms

---

新闻

17

◀ 丹尼尔·基纳汉（后排右）离开都柏林刑事法院。上图为基纳汉被关押的波特劳伊斯监狱。下图为都柏林市政厅的通缉海报，最下方为基纳汉出庭时的素描 照片来源：MARK MARLON（PA）；NIALI CARSON（PA）；MIKE O'DONNELL

“所谓的健身房……可能比普通住宅的储物间大不了多少” ——《爱尔兰时报》消息人士

从迪拜到牢房：基纳汉生活方式的巨大转变

[[图片略]]

罗里·卡罗尔

爱尔兰记者

这听起来像是监狱版的五星级待遇：私人健身房和图书馆、每日户外放风、楼层内无其他囚犯。

然而，丹尼尔·基纳汉昨日在波特劳伊斯监狱度过的第一个完整日子，标志着他与在阿拉伯联合酋长国奢华生活的巨大转变。

这位被指控为基纳汉有组织犯罪集团头目的男子每天被关押在牢房内约20小时，不再掌管据称价值数亿欧元的帝国，唯一的消费渠道只剩监狱小卖部。

事实证明，这些设施不过是微不足道的安慰——一台跑步机、一些自由重量训练器材和有限的阅读材料。"所谓的健身房和图书馆根本算不上什么，"一位消息人士告诉《爱尔兰时报》。"健身房可能比普通住宅的储物间大不了多少。"

这就是49岁的基纳汉未来数月——如果被定罪，可能是数十年——所面临的现实。这位都柏林人在法律上仍然无罪，但其周日被引渡标志着爱尔兰政府和全球执法机构的胜利。

基纳汉被指控为一个控制着欧洲约三分之一可卡因供应的卡特尔头目，同时涉足枪支走私和敲诈勒索等犯罪副业。然而，在迪拜的近十年间，他似乎对这些指控免疫，并通过其拳击管理公司MTK Global安排冠军赛事，在体育界成为颇具影响力的人物。

这一局面在美方悬赏高达500万美元（370 万英镑）以获取能导致其逮捕或定罪的信息后发生改变。美国财政部表示，基纳汉集团曾与爱尔兰和西班牙的另一犯罪团伙发生帮派火并，"导致多起谋杀"。

美国的悬赏帮助爱尔兰去年与阿联酋达成引渡条约，为基纳汉今年4月在迪拜被捕铺平了道路。

在引渡阻挠失败后，基纳汉于周日乘坐爱尔兰政府专机抵达凯斯门特机场，随后被带至都柏林市中心的刑事法院，并被指控组织犯罪。

警员享受驾驶被查扣的370 万英镑m法拉利

马修·韦弗

一名警员有机会在伦敦梅菲尔区驾驶一辆敞篷限量版法拉利，这辆车是在打击无保险车辆和危险驾驶行动中被查扣的。

这辆在迪拜注册的超级跑车价值370 万英镑m，进入英国仅一天后即被警方查扣，原因是驾驶者持有临时驾照且未购买保险。

警方没有将这辆跑车装上用于此类查扣的平板拖车，而是由一名戴着墨镜的伦敦警察厅警员将其开往扣押场。

现场画面显示，该警员驾驶着法拉利Monza SP2——这款车仅由意大利制造商生产了499辆——在梅菲尔区和大理石拱门附近行驶，由包括空载的平板拖车在内的警车护送。

此次行动是与机动车保险局（MIB）合作开展的，周末共查扣了90辆车，总价值超过800 万英镑m，重点打击海德公园、肯辛顿和切尔西地区的无保险驾驶者以及反社会和危险驾驶行为。

伦敦警察厅表示，这是该行动5年历史中查扣车辆数量和价值最高的一次。

其中15辆车是根据新赋予的权力被查扣的，警方可直接没收涉及反社会行为的车辆，而非仅发出警告。

MIB首席执行官安格斯·伊顿表示：“此类行动表明，无论驾驶者选择的车辆价值如何，规则适用于所有驾车者。

“我们敦促所有驾车者检查自己是否购买了保险，并确保保险适用于自身、车辆及出行类型。”

此次行动还涉及一名男子因涉嫌处理赃物和洗钱被捕，警方在他身上发现了19张他人名下的银行卡和超过800 万英镑的现金。

另一名因无保险驾驶被拦截的男子涉嫌持有毒品意图贩卖被捕；第三名男子因使用可能引起骚扰、恐慌和不安的言行被捕；第四名男子则因涉嫌移民违法被捕。

一名法官告诉三名法官之一，保释申请必须向高等法院提出，囚犯表现得很冷静。“我想我们知道我不会获得保释，但还是谢谢您，”他说道。

听证会上的观察者注意到，身穿黑色连帽衫、黑色运动裤和白色运动鞋的基纳汉看起来比照片中微笑、更显年轻的形象要苍老。他面色苍白，反映出自4月以来的监禁生活。

人群排列在部分路线旁观看，他被警车（而非最初预期的防弹囚车）送往距离都柏林50英里外的波特劳伊斯高安全级别监狱，该监狱曾关押过共和派准军事人员，现关押毒品团伙成员及其他严重罪行的定罪者。

基纳汉是A区一层楼的唯一囚犯，该层通常关押8名囚犯。在放风时，院子上方有防止违禁品投入的铁丝网，他将独自一人。他将在8点享用早餐，12.享用午餐，4.享用晚餐，并拥有一个小卖部账户，可从监狱商店购买个人用品。

视频通话将使他能与在迪拜的妻儿保持联系。与亲自探访的访客之间将用玻璃隔板隔开。基纳汉计划于10月5日返回非陪审团法庭。

---

18

新闻

被体制击垮

一位母亲的自杀揭示照护者的绝望

乔希·哈利迪

在去世前两天，玛蒂尔达·戴维斯在 Facebook 上发出了呼吁。她分享了一项研究，发现超过 40% 的父母照护者曾考虑过自杀，并呼吁英国破碎的社会护理体系需要“更多的认知、行动和改变”。“这些话表达了我无法说出口的心声，”她写道。

玛蒂尔达（家人和朋友称她为蒂莉）多年来一直在争取支持，而密切观察这一体系的人和依赖它的人常说，这个体系正变得越来越混乱、支离破碎且难以驾驭。

她 3 岁的儿子裘德（化名）有严重残疾。她是一位“绝对鼓舞人心”的母亲，在照顾裘德 35 岁的妹妹莉莉（同样为化名）的同时，还要兼顾裘德的治疗、理疗、医院和两所学校的预约，以及沉重的经济和行政负担。

她珍惜与孩子们共度的每一刻。“蒂莉比我认识的任何人都更有爱心，”她 35 岁的姐姐乔治娜·戴维斯说，“这是她生活的全部意义。”

去年 10 月 3 日，玛蒂尔达，36, 在西米德兰兹郡斯特拉特福德镇的家中浴室内被发现死亡。

她在自杀前一天曾表示，自己因责任而“筋疲力尽”，并对即将离婚的前景感到“焦虑到无法动弹”。卫报决定不公开其分居丈夫的姓名。

在安迪·伯纳姆承诺对社会护理进行一代人以来最大的改革后，专家表示，玛蒂尔达的死表明照护者正被一个“破碎”的体系“逼到崩溃边缘”。

“英格兰的卫生和社会护理服务正在让残障儿童失望，而他们的父母则被迫独自承担后果，”家庭照护者研究专家西沃恩·奥德怀尔博士说。

“首相在演讲中承认，没有支持，无偿照护者可能会崩溃。但‘崩溃’意味着什么？对玛蒂尔达来说，这意味着自杀身亡，意味着在服务未能充分理解照护角色和婚姻困境的影响下，孤独而痛苦地死去，意味着抛下她在这个世界上最爱的孩子。

“这种崩溃永远无法弥补，但完全可以避免。如果政府真的想阻止其他照护者崩溃，仅仅发表动情的演讲是不够的。需要的是实实在在的行动。”

“我不会在这里待太久” 今年早些时候在玛蒂尔达的死因研讯中出示的证据，包括全科医生记录和她向专业人士的披露，展现了一个在生命最后几周被压力吞噬的女性。

去年 8 月，她告诉全科医生，她担心自己“在日益紧张、充满焦虑和担忧的家庭环境中，作为父母照护者应对日常需求的情绪能力”。

“我的绝对重心是确保[裘德和莉莉]免受家中动荡和不安的影响，”她说。

自裘德出生后不久病危以来，玛蒂尔达一直在与心理健康问题作斗争。但在去世前两天，她在一段语音留言中告诉朋友，自己正处于“轻微的绝望深渊”。“我已经支离破碎，努力在孩子面前保持镇定，但独自应对[裘德]的情况让我身心俱疲，”她说，“我真的快撑不住了。我已经完全垮了。我身体里已经没有力气了。”

玛蒂尔达放弃了艺术教师的工作，全职照顾裘德。社工们

[...OMITTED...]

玛蒂尔达（Matilda）在去世前四年几乎没有接受过家庭护理评估——这种评估由专业人员评估他们可能需要的支持。他们原定于下周前来进行更新计划的访问。

10月2日，玛蒂尔达告诉她的离婚律师，这种担忧“令人难以承受”。“我的赚钱能力基本为零，而且将长期如此，”她说。

她表示，日常生活中充斥着“预约、康复、行政事务、电子邮件、电话、交通 / 通勤”，随着朱迪（Jude）的学业和健康需求在未来几年变得更加复杂，这些事务也会变得更加繁重。

随着婚姻即将结束，玛蒂尔达说她“对家庭的未来感到极度恐惧”，因为她为了全职照顾朱迪牺牲了多年的收入。“房产中介不会接受我这个没有收入的单身住户，而我绝对没有其他合适的地方可去，”她在去世前一天告诉验尸官。她说自己感到“经济上陷入困境”，有时“身心俱疲”。

那天早上，她的丈夫致电社工部门，表示担心玛蒂尔达的心理健康。他说她当天早上曾表达过自杀念头，说：“我不会在这里太久了，到时候你们都得自己照顾自己。”

社工有义务在24小时内对福利问题采取行动，于第二天（周五）下午2点到访玛蒂尔达家中。

在验尸庭上分享的会面记录详细描述了社工到达时玛蒂尔达“明显情绪低落、泪流满面”，并“对这次访问表达了极大的焦虑”。

验尸官德博拉·塞维尔（Deborah Sewell）指出，玛蒂尔达提到了“来自关系冲突、经济压力和持续离婚诉讼带来的情绪和心理压力”。

玛蒂尔达告诉社工，那天早上她在孩子面前“因情绪沮丧而撞到了门”。在会面结束前，社工建议她丈夫那周末照顾孩子，而玛蒂尔达则去父母家住。

她不太愿意离开，因为她已经表达过对朱迪无法离开她的担忧。社工于下午2点30分离开时，玛蒂尔达“看起来平静”，会面记录显示“没有任何自杀意念的迹象”。几分钟后，她去世了。

在3月的验尸庭上，社工承认他们没有询问玛蒂尔达是否有自杀念头，尽管他们知道她处于极度痛苦中。她也没有被引导至危机干预机构。

那天到访的两名社工均未接受过预防自杀培训。当被告知最佳做法是直接询问有自杀念头的人是否有自杀计划时，其中一名社工说：“嗯，我没有接受过这方面的培训。”

当被问及是否担心玛蒂尔达前一天说的“不会在这里太久了”——她丈夫将其解释为自杀念头——时，这名社工补充道：“显然她说这话令人担忧，但她没有使用‘自杀’这个词。”

验尸官塞维尔于4月发布了一份罕见的《预防未来死亡报告》，要求沃里克郡议会（Warwickshire council）为600名员工强制实施预防自杀培训。

沃里克郡议会表示：“我们向家属及所有受此悲剧影响的人致以最深切的慰问。在玛蒂尔达去世及随后的验尸庭之后，我们已为所有社工加强了预防自杀培训，以帮助员工识别何时父母和照护者需要额外支持，并协助他们获得帮助。

此外，所有参与此案的机构将参与一项审查，仔细调查导致玛蒂尔达死亡的所有情况。审查的目的将是

◀ 玛蒂尔达珍惜与孩子们共度的每一刻，但她的儿子有严重残疾，她多年来一直在争取支持

提出改进服务和支持的建议。”

“爱无法缓解巨大的压力”

在2024年发表的一项研究中——玛蒂尔达在去世前两天曾分享过这份研究——伯明翰大学发现，42%的照护父母曾有过自杀念头，这一比例远高于普通人群。

领导该研究的奥德怀尔（O'Dwyer）表示，照护重度残障儿童的父母长期面临极端压力，而“贫困、家庭暴力或社会孤立等其他因素会进一步加剧这种压力”。

她指出，社工往往对父母应对照护重度需求儿童的压力能力抱有“过度的职业乐观”，尤其是当他们看到一位充满爱心的母亲时，会认为她绝不会将自残念头付诸行动，因为她深爱自己的孩子。

“但爱孩子并不意味着不会被逼到自杀的边缘，”奥德怀尔说，“在一个支离破碎的体系中照护残障儿童，爱无法缓解这种巨大的压力。”

一家为残障儿童家庭提供支持的慈善机构“Contact”表示，父母往往在陷入危机后才能获得帮助，且不得不“为基本支持而抗争”。

该机构首席执行官安娜·伯德（Anna Bird）表示，照护父母正“受到来自各方的挤压——生活成本危机、服务削减，以及一个日益混乱、碎片化且难以驾驭的支持体系”。

在朱迪就读的伯明翰小学花园里，人们种下了两棵苹果树和一株玫瑰，以纪念玛蒂尔达。二十英里外的斯特拉特福德，她在家庭俱乐部的朋友们筹款设立了一张长椅，上面刻有她的名字和“好心人组织”自杀求助热线的号码。

戴维斯形容姐姐是“一位无比尽责的母亲”，她耗尽积蓄，每周驱车数百英里为朱迪争取所需的支持。

“她告诉我，为了朱迪，她不得不拼命争取想要和需要的东西，”戴维斯说，并补充称玛蒂尔达经常提到“为了获得他迫切需要的资源，不得不持续抗争是多么令人筋疲力尽”。

玛蒂尔达的朋友、幼儿园园长弗朗西斯卡·罗伯茨（Francesca Roberts）表示，她一直对玛蒂尔达的能力感到敬佩，后者“为了获得适当的照护和支持，做出了任何父母都不该承受的付出”。

“她深爱自己的孩子，将全部身心都奉献给了他们，”她说。罗伯茨还称玛蒂尔达是“她所认识的最有爱心、最尽责、最无私的人之一”，“她就是每个人梦寐以求的那种‘村落’般的存在。”

“好心人组织”自杀预防慈善机构提供免费求助热线：116 123，或发送电子邮件至 jo@samaritans.org

◀ 太空探索技术公司（SpaceX）的巨型火箭“星舰”在得克萨斯州进行试飞。该公司正在全球寻找新的发射场地 照片：ERIC GAYLAP

太空探索技术公司拟在侵蚀严重的美国海岸线建火箭发射场引发强烈反对

奥利弗·米尔曼

埃隆·马斯克的太空探索技术公司（SpaceX）计划在路易斯安那州迅速侵蚀的海岸线上建造一个大型火箭发射场，此举在当地反对者中引发强烈反对，他们担心这将严重破坏该地区脆弱的生态系统。

据报道，SpaceX 接管路易斯安那州弗米利恩教区约13万英亩沿海土地的协议即将敲定，这将允许该公司增加发射次数，包括其新型星舰（Starship）巨型火箭。SpaceX还计划在太空部署人工智能数据中心，尽管一些专家对此表示怀疑，但该公司已提交监管文件，拟建造多达一百万个此类设施的星座。

与路易斯安那州共和党领导层达成的协议将使SpaceX能够在长达18英里的皮肯岛（Pecan Island）上建设设施。该岛地势低洼，仅有数百名居民，位于拉斐特市以南。

这片土地此前通过与石油公司埃克森美孚的法律和解移交，后者被指控通过在该地区的活动加剧土地流失和污染。埃克森美孚称针对其的诉讼“毫无依据”。

SpaceX和路易斯安那州州长杰夫·兰德里（Jeff Landry）均未证实火箭发射场的计划，但该太空公司此前曾在马斯克旗下的另一家公司X上发文称，数以千计的星舰发射“需要从多个不同地点发射的能力，因此我们一直在探索未来在国内外扩展星舰运营的可行地点”。

新太空港的规模将数倍于华盛顿特区，这一前景令皮肯岛的一些反对者感到震惊。昨日，一个网站上线，旨在动员反对SpaceX计划，其组织者警告称，这一庞大的新设施将危及一个关键的候鸟栖息地。

数亿只鸟类，包括雪雁、高鸣鹤和40%的北美水禽，将皮肯岛作为其沿密西西比候鸟迁徙路线（鸟类在北美和南美之间季节性迁徙的重要通道）的关键中转站。

“我们与石油和天然气行业共存了100多年，我们并不反对工业，但我们从未发射过高辛烷值的火箭，”路易斯安那州居民盖布·吉芬（Gabe Giffin）说，他创建了这一新网站。“我也觉得太空很酷。但许多鸟类需要这个地区，我们需要为这类项目建立适当的流程。”

吉芬和其他批评者对联邦和州政府绕过《清洁空气法》《清洁水法》和《濒危物种法》等法律要求批准此类项目的做法表示担忧。

作为全球首富，马斯克是共和党的主要捐赠者，并在去年应唐纳德·特朗普的要求对联邦政府进行了未经选举的重组。

“他们为了火箭，要把我的家园变成荒凉的废土，却抛弃了所有规则？”长期居住在皮肯岛的教师布鲁克·布鲁萨德（Brooke Broussard）说。

“我担心皮肯岛本已脆弱的水文状况及其湿地，以及居民的生活质量。这里的人们渴望平静，而非人群和交通拥堵。这将开创一个先例，允许肮脏的商业行为逃避任何问责。”

布鲁萨德表示，一些当地人确实看到了SpaceX带来的就业和投资机会，甚至认为这可能在一定程度上抵御海平面上升的威胁。

皮肯岛位于墨西哥湾海岸，是路易斯安那州正在迅速侵蚀的海岸线的一部分，大约每100分钟就流失相当于一个足球场大小的土地。

---

这种快速的土地流失是由气候危机导致的海平面上升以及该州海岸线的沉降共同造成的。科学家预测，到 2050 年，路易斯安那州将面临约 2 英尺的海平面上升，这一情景将威胁新奥尔良，并淹没佩坎岛的几乎所有区域，包括岛上的建筑。

“有人说太空探索技术公司会在这里填海造地，拯救我们，但我交谈过的大多数人都反对这一切，”布鲁萨尔说。

“佩坎岛上都是特朗普的支持者，但人们并不赞成这个项目。我们可能注定要完蛋，因为风暴越来越多。但我的观点是，我们应该被允许平静地离开。那些不顾危险继续留在那里的人理应得到更好的对待。”

太空探索技术公司和兰德里的办公室均未回应置评请求。

---

20

目击者

---

21

◄ 英国迎来今夏第五波热浪之际，昨日拍摄的一组照片（顺时针从左上起）：彼得伯勒附近霍姆沼泽的火灾；新森林靠近灵伍德的荒野火灾；韦茅斯干涸的田野；伦敦东部万斯泰德的霍洛池塘；周六起火的布莱瑙格温特兰格尼德水库上空的烟迹；以及白金汉郡拉德内奇娱乐场

照片来源：特里·哈里斯；安德鲁·马修斯 / PA；ENPS：亨利·尼科尔斯 / GETTY；SWNS：乔纳森·布拉迪 / PA

---

22

国际

▲ 昨日俄罗斯空袭乌克兰扎波罗热一处住宅楼后的现场 照片：达莉娅·纳扎罗娃 / GETTY

乌克兰深入俄罗斯境内袭击炼油厂，至少13人死亡

卢克·哈丁

乌克兰对俄罗斯境内深处的一座工业城市发动无人机袭击，造成至少13人死亡。当地市长表示，此举是基辅加大对远离前线目标实施远程打击行动的一部分。

基辅方面称，此次袭击的目标是位于下卡姆斯克市的塔涅科炼油厂，该市距离乌克兰边境约750英里。网上流传的画面显示，炼油厂上空升起浓烟。

乌克兰总参谋部表示，此次空袭是旨在削弱“俄罗斯侵略者军事潜力”行动的一部分。

俄罗斯调查人员称，该市的民用和工业设施遭到袭击。鞑靼斯坦共和国首脑鲁斯塔姆·明尼哈诺夫表示，一架乌克兰无人机击中了一处宿舍，造成9人死亡。他发布的图片显示一栋严重受损的建筑。

如死亡人数得到证实，此次袭击将成为自2022年俄乌全面战争爆发以来，乌克兰对俄罗斯领土发动的最致命袭击之一，凸显基辅打击范围的不断扩大。

乌兹别克斯坦领事馆表示，遇难者中有7人为乌兹别克斯坦公民，他们死于一起“可怕的事件”。明尼哈诺夫宣布哀悼日，俄罗斯检察官已以涉嫌“恐怖主义”展开刑事调查。

当地视频画面显示，乌克兰无人机在该市天际线上空盘旋，低空飞越灰色的苏式公寓楼群。在下卡姆斯克郊外树木茂密的工业区上空，可见两股黑色浓烟升起。

该地是俄罗斯最大、技术最先进的炼油厂之一——塔涅科炼油厂的所在地，由鞑靼石油公司（Tatneft）所有。此外，这里还设有一家生产橡胶和石化产品的工厂。乌克兰曾于6月对该地区发动过空袭。

周日，弗拉基米尔·泽连斯基在讲话中表示，针对克里姆林宫及其战争机器的“远程制裁”将持续进行。近几个月来，乌克兰无人机对俄罗斯石油出口行业造成严重破坏，甚至袭击了距离前线1,550英里的西伯利亚炼油厂。

俄罗斯西伯利亚秋明州州长表示，

“每一次俄罗斯的袭击都将迎来我们的回应……俄罗斯的战争将越来越多地在其本土感受到”

——乌克兰总统弗拉基米尔·泽连斯基

昨日，数架乌克兰无人机坠落在一处工业设施，紧急部门正在处理火灾。

俄罗斯版“亚马逊”——Wildberries的多个仓库以及亚速海和黑海的油轮也曾遭到袭击。乌克兰的长期目标是逐步扼制俄罗斯经济，使莫斯科无法继续为战争提供资金。

泽连斯基称乌克兰的远程轰炸行动“完全正当”。他在社交媒体上表示：“每一次俄罗斯对乌克兰城镇的袭击都将迎来我们的回应。俄罗斯的战争将越来越多地在其本土感受到……这场战争持续的唯一原因是俄罗斯不愿结束战争。”

俄罗斯国防部称，已拦截了456架在俄罗斯领土及2014年吞并的克里米亚上空飞行的乌克兰无人机。乌克兰方面表示，其正以比俄方更快的速度摧毁对手的防空系统，从而开辟可利用的空中走廊或“通道”。

一夜之间，乌克兰武装部队袭击了乌东被占领的顿涅茨克和卢甘斯克地区的装备仓库和维修部队。俄罗斯任命的当地官员称，乌克兰袭击摧毁了东南部扎波罗热地区的电力设施，导致该地区昨日大面积停电。俄罗斯黑海沿岸地区官员在Telegram上表示，新罗西斯克（一座重要出口港）和度假胜地格连吉克部分地区也出现停电。

有未经证实的报道称，俄罗斯的弹道导弹发射系统在俄罗斯境内、距离边境不远的地方被摧毁。

据引用乌克兰军方消息的 Telegram 频道称，被攻击的高价值军事资产位于俄罗斯西部的库尔斯克州和布良斯克州。这两个地区都被用于向基辅发射“伊斯坎德尔”导弹和“锆石”高超音速导弹。

与此同时，乌克兰检察官表示，周日的一次俄罗斯炮击造成五人死亡。

---

※

图派克·夏库尔

审判在说唱歌手去世30年后开始

台风海豚

破纪录降雨将上海变成“海洋”

▲ 周日晚上，俄罗斯对乌克兰敖德萨发动袭击时，一栋公寓楼成为目标。左图：俄罗斯下卡姆斯克Taneco炼油厂冒出浓烟；最左图：顿涅茨克一栋被乌克兰无人机击中的建筑

照片来源：UNIONFORMS / SHUTTERSTOCK / AFFIDETTY

哈尔科夫郊外的一个村庄。乌克兰当局表示，楚胡伊夫区布哈伊夫卡遭“敌方打击”后，数栋房屋被夷为平地。

此外，瑞典安全局昨日表示，已瓦解一起俄罗斯间谍行动，该行动试图影响瑞典的决策并抹黑这个北欧国家及其欧盟和北约盟友。

该行动由俄罗斯对外情报局（SVR）策划和指挥，涉及三名享有外交豁免权的工作人员，瑞典安全局在一份声明中表示。

“这一行动与我们所看到的俄罗斯威胁模式一致，”一位发言人表示。

“我们能够监控这些涉案人员会面时的情况，包括他们说了什么、布置了什么任务。”

“他们已不在瑞典，我们成功瓦解了这一行动，”他补充道。

路透社补充报道

德国

机场无人机炸弹系俄罗斯所为 - 美国专家

德博拉·科尔 柏林报道

美国情报专家认为，上周德国机场遭无人机袭击事件系俄罗斯所为，美国媒体报道称，而柏林方面对可能的幕后黑手仍保持沉默。

内政部长亚历山大·多布林特将这一事件——一架携带塑胶炸药Semtex的四轴无人机在莱比锡机场被发现于一架乌克兰货机旁——称为“专业混合威胁情景”的一部分，由装备精良的外国行为体实施。但德国政府官员尚未对莫斯科提出具体指控。

然而，《华尔街日报》援引熟悉该事件情报报告的美国官员的话称，这架无人机可能属于俄罗斯政府。

CNN报道称，华盛顿方面已得出结论，该无人机来自俄罗斯秘密机构，援引一位欧洲美国国防官员的话称，无人机上发现的爆炸物表明其来自军工制造商。

德国官员表示，这架无人机成功绕过莱比锡机场的防御系统。仅在一名警觉的机场巴士司机运送深夜乘客时发现并报告后，无人机才被制止，此时距其突破机场安保已过去约四小时，避免了一场可能造成多人伤亡的事件。

同一晚，一架DHL货机因无人机被发现而被迫中止在该机场的降落，随后在爬升过程中与不明物体在空中相撞。该飞机最终在其他地点安全着陆，仅受轻微损伤。

调查人员现认为，该飞机撞上了当晚飞行的第二架敌对无人机。

德国小报《图片报》昨日报道称，当局在现场发现的DNA痕迹与2024年7月通过DHL邮寄并在莱比锡机场爆炸的燃烧弹样本匹配。

五名涉嫌参与一系列邮寄燃烧装置的男子正在立陶宛受审，上周法庭上披露，原定成为燃烧弹目标的飞机因延误而避免了在飞行中起火。立陶宛检方指控这些嫌疑人受雇于俄罗斯情报部门。

拒绝加沙协议：内塔尼亚胡的冒险之举

艾玛·格雷厄姆-哈里森 耶路撒冷报道

本雅明·内塔尼亚胡公开拒绝一项由美国支持的加沙协议，此举在以色列国内引发质疑，因有报道称他此前数日还在亲自敲定军事撤离的细节。

这位以色列总理正努力平衡来自国内和国际盟友在加沙政策上互不相容的要求。

支持内塔尼亚胡联合政府的以色列极右翼政客希望加强对加沙的军事打击，并在该地区建立定居点。

与此同时，为以色列提供关键外交和军事支持的唐纳德·特朗普希望推动达成一项永久性解决方案，并将加沙的控制权交还给巴勒斯坦人，由他创建并主持的"和平委员会"从中斡旋。

距以色列大选仅剩两个多月，内塔尼亚胡似乎选择公开安抚那些已经投入竞选活动的国内盟友。

周日，他拒绝了一项包含15点内容的加沙新计划，该计划要求哈马斯承诺放弃武器，满足以色列的一项关键要求。他抵制美国要求在未获得以色列同意的情况下结束在加沙、黎巴嫩和伊朗的战争。

此番言论令以色列军方指挥官感到意外。以色列第12频道报道称，他们此前几天还在与内塔尼亚胡及以色列总参谋长埃亚勒·扎米尔讨论该计划的实施。

"我们今天才从媒体上得知此事，"该电视频道援引一名国防官员的话说，"在迄今举行的会议上，总理本人曾亲自同意这项计划，并同意从拉法的几个地点撤军。"

报道称，这些会议讨论了加沙南部三个试点区域的精确边界，这些区域可能由一支尚未组建的国际部队接管以色列军队的职责，以及两支部队之间的交接安排。

内塔尼亚胡对"和平委员会"计划的公开抨击似乎是对美国目标的特别针对性拒绝，因为该计划发布不久前，美国中央司令部司令布拉德·库珀上将刚刚到访。

以色列媒体报道称，库珀此行是为了亲自传达特朗普政府希望以色列结束在加沙、黎巴嫩和伊朗的战争的信息。"美国向以色列国防军传达的信息是朝着关闭所有三个战区的方向发展，"一名以色列高级军官告诉第13频道。

违抗以色列所需的美国军事援助来源——以薄脸皮和无法容忍异议著称的特朗普——是一场冒险的赌博。

但内塔尼亚胡在国内外政治操作上有着长期大胆的记录，即使面对明显的权力不对等也毫不畏惧。据报道，比尔·克林顿在1996年首次会见他后曾说："这里他妈的谁才是超级大国？"

▲ 本雅明·内塔尼亚胡公开拒绝了唐纳德·特朗普"和平委员会"提出的15点加沙和平协议 图片来源：CHIP SOMODEVILLA / GETTY

2024年5月，美国总统乔·拜登宣布了一项由以色列支持的加沙停火和人质释放计划，但内塔尼亚胡随后与该提议保持距离，并最终予以拒绝。

目前，华盛顿方面似乎基本上对内塔尼亚胡的言论不以为意，将其视为竞选策略，或许是受到以色列军方决定的鼓舞，这些决定显示出对特朗普意愿的高度重视。

上周，内塔尼亚胡通过提高授权攻击的门槛，减少了以色列对加沙的空袭规模。除非以色列部队面临"迫在眉睫的危险"，否则定点清除行动现在必须由总参谋长批准，而非地区指挥官。

这也不是他第一次屈从于美国压力，约束那些得到极右翼盟友热情支持的战争。他最近限制了在黎巴嫩的攻势，并在去年应特朗普要求，命令原本飞往伊朗的战斗机掉头返回。

内塔尼亚胡将强硬的国内言论与在加沙地面采取的某些和解举措相结合，可能为自己赢得了一些时间，但美国的耐心可能不会持续到10月下旬的选举日。

特朗普也在权衡自己的选举考量，因为美国将在以色列投票一周后举行中期选举。

《国土报》指出，内塔尼亚胡上月访问白宫时的低调表现，与这位一贯以国际政治家形象和与美国总统的密切关系为竞选资本的领导人形成鲜明对比。

此次访问未发表联合声明，而以色列总理相互冲突的政治优先事项所造成的紧张局势日益明显。《国土报》评论道：“当你试图同时抛接太多球时，就会开始掉球。”

和平委员会高级特使尼古拉·姆拉德诺夫拒绝就内塔尼亚胡拒绝一项历时数月敲定的协议发表评论。他在接受以色列媒体采访时仅表示，“讨论仍在继续”。

在特朗普去年10月斡旋了一份名义上的停火协议后，加沙的巴勒斯坦人已在致命的不确定状态中度过了近一年。特朗普称该协议将停止战斗并为重建铺平道路。

内塔尼亚胡的办公室否认了有关他讨论了加沙详细撤军计划的报道。

23

---

24

世界

前黑帮头目被控谋杀图帕克·夏库尔案开始陪审团遴选

路透社

一名前黑帮头目被控策划三十年前图帕克·夏库尔驾车枪击案，其谋杀案审判的陪审团遴选工作昨日启动——这起罪案已成为嘻哈历史上的一个标志性时刻。

杜安·“Kefle D”·戴维斯（Duane “Kefle D” Davis）在内华达州克拉克县被控一项使用致命武器谋杀罪，他已表示不认罪。

现年63岁的戴维斯被指控于1996年在拉斯维加斯大道附近的驾车枪击案中，率领一群人杀害了夏库尔——这位说唱界最具商业成功和影响力的艺术家之一。

这位25岁艺术家的遇害加剧了“匪帮说唱”黄金时代弥漫于嘻哈文化及其歌词中的暴力形象，并助长了那个时代臭名昭著的东西海岸说唱宿怨。

警方在2023年逮捕戴维斯后表示，他长期以来一直是嫌疑人，但调查人员此前缺乏足够的可采纳证据对其提起指控，直到他开始在一系列公开言论中自证其罪。

该案由法官卡莉·基尔尼（Carli Kierny）审理，预计将在拉斯维加斯市中心法院进行为期最多六周的审判。审判可能会传唤“死亡之屋唱片”（Death Row Records）联合创始人马里恩·“苏格”·奈特（Marion “Suge” Knight）作证，这位前说唱大亨当时与夏库尔同行，后者遇害当晚，奈特目前正因一起无关的故意杀人罪服刑28年。

▲ 现年63岁的杜安·“Kefle D”·戴维斯据称在其回忆录中承认参与了夏库尔的谋杀

当局将戴维斯描述为一场仓促复仇计划的“发号施令者”，该计划意在报复其侄子于1996年9月7日晚在拉斯维加斯米高梅大酒店赌场内遭夏库尔及其随行人员殴打一事。

据称，这场殴打源于洛杉矶地区两个帮派之间的敌意——戴维斯自称是其中南区康普顿帮（South Side Compton Crips）的头目，而莫布·皮鲁帮（Mob Piru）据警方称与奈特及“死亡之屋唱片”有关联。他们当时在城里观看迈克·泰森与布鲁斯·塞尔登之间的世界重量级拳王争霸赛。

戴维斯据称在争吵后获得了枪支，并将其交给了乘坐在白色凯迪拉克后座的另外两名男子，当时他们正四处寻找奈特和夏库尔的车辆。

当戴维斯等人追上目标车辆时，枪声响起。夏库尔被击中四枪，

▲ 图帕克·夏库尔遇害时年仅25岁，是匪帮说唱界最著名的艺术家之一 摄影：ELI REED / COLUMBIA / ROBAL / SHUTTERSTOCK

六天后在医院不治身亡。当时驾车的奈特头部被弹片擦伤，仅受轻伤。

这起谋杀案的调查一度陷入僵局，但警方表示，2018年戴维斯对媒体发表的言论重新激活了此案。据警方称，戴维斯在采访及其2019年出版的回忆录《康普顿街头传奇》（Compton Street Legend）中表示，他当时坐在凯迪拉克的前排乘客座位上，并将枪支递给了坐在后座的两人之一。

但无论是戴维斯的陈述还是当局的说法，均未明确指出

据信开枪射击夏库尔的人。与戴维斯同乘凯迪拉克的另外三名男子均已死亡。

根据内华达州法律，即使戴维斯未亲自扣动扳机，只要参与了犯罪，仍可被控谋杀罪。

戴维斯在书中写道，他长期以来一直被视为夏库尔和另一位说唱歌手克里斯托弗·华莱士（艺名“声名狼藉先生B.I.G.”）谋杀案的嫌疑人，后者于1997年3月在洛杉矶遭枪杀。

华莱士的遇害至今未破，但长期以来一直有传言称，他是为数月前夏库尔遇害而遭到报复性枪杀。

“它摧毁了我”：ICE绝食抗议者讲述强制喂食经历

何塞·奥利维雷斯（José Olivares） 纽约报道

一名在美国移民拘留期间绝食抗议长达八个月并被强制喂食的库尔德男子首次公开讲述了这一经历，描述了这一过程对他身心造成的严重伤害。

现已被驱逐出境并定居加拿大的电影制作人兼活动人士加巴尔·乔利（Gabar Choli）表示，在其庇护申请被拒后遭美国移民与海关执法局（ICE）拘留期间，他经常每天两次被迫接受强制喂食。

“它彻底摧毁了我，精神上摧毁了我，”乔利在接受《卫报》独家专访时说，“到了某个时候，我决定给自己的身体写一封道歉信。”

《卫报》调查发现，ICE官员于2025年5月下旬至今年1月将乔利驱逐出境期间，在得克萨斯州洛斯弗雷斯诺斯的波特伊莎贝尔联邦拘留中心对其进行了强制喂食。乔利发起绝食抗议，以反对该拘留设施的条件，并推动其移民案件得到解决。

他描述了警卫团队如何在ICE医护人员强行将喂食管插入其鼻腔、沿食道向下并将营养液泵入胃部时对其实施身体约束。

▲ 库尔德电影制作人加巴尔·乔利在ICE得克萨斯拘留期间被强制喂食长达八个月 照片：COLE BURSTON / 《卫报》

“我一直很尊重他们。我只是告诉他们，我是在抗议人道待遇，仅此而已，”乔利说，“但他们决心要摧毁我。”

美国国土安全部（DHS，ICE的上级机构）的消息人士告诉《卫报》，在2025年1月至2026年8月4日期间，ICE共为18名绝食抗议者申请了法院强制医疗处置令。

联邦法院记录（包括ICE医生和官员的陈述）证实乔利曾被强制喂食。结合医学和法律专家的采访，以及对乔利本人的电话采访，这一秘密程序的大部分细节得以揭露。他的案例可能是迄今为止ICE拘留中记录时间最长的强制喂食案例。

乔利于2022年抵达华盛顿州布莱恩市。此前他居住在温哥华，为建立独立的库尔德斯坦国家开展宣传活动，并从他认为被伊朗占领的地区来到加拿大。

他表示，由于在加拿大期间因活动受到死亡威胁，他向美国申请了庇护，并在案件审理期间持工作许可证居住在洛杉矶。但在2025年2月25日——唐纳德·特朗普重返白宫后的一个月——他在ICE例行报到时被捕，因庇护申请失败。

他在加利福尼亚州拘留期间开始绝食抗议，后被转移至得克萨斯州。DHS和ICE随后向联邦法官申请紧急法院令，要求对其强制喂食。

“我没有自杀倾向，”乔利在写给监督其案件的联邦法官的信中表示，“我只是将绝食作为唯一可用的抗议手段，反对虐待和不人道待遇。”

DHS和ICE在法庭记录中称，强制喂食乔利是出于其健康考虑，但同时表示其长期绝食对拘留中心的“安全和良好秩序”构成“严重威胁”。他们还指控乔利试图通过绝食“操纵移民系统”。

在首次强制喂食过程中，他回忆起ICE雇用的一名护士“用力过猛地插入喂食管”，导致“他的鼻子内部被撕裂”。

“每次喂食后，他们会把我关进单独囚室，我只能不断咳血，并吞下喉咙里的血液，”他说。由于其大部分法庭记录被封存，《卫报》无法核实乔利陈述中的部分细节。

他在这场长达八个月的磨难中始终没有法律代理。法庭记录显示，Choli遭受了伤害和医疗并发症，包括鼻窦肿胀、食道损伤和胃部问题。

哥伦比亚大学医学中心助理医学教授钱内尔·迪亚兹（Dr Chanelle Diaz）曾审查过其他被拘留者的案例，她表示：“这根本不是医疗护理——这是酷刑。”

美国国土安全部（DHS）和移民及海关执法局（ICE）未回应有关Choli案的具体问题。一名DHS发言人称：“任何非自愿的医疗处置均依法进行，并由合格的医疗专业人员指导。”

---

©

World

25

“我们的海岸是我们的宝藏” 佛罗里达计划建立海洋生物保护自然廊道

理查德·拉斯科姆

迈阿密

从濒临消失的海牛到白化的珊瑚礁，再到被飓风摧毁的牡蛎床，佛罗里达州的海洋生物可能面临着比美国任何其他州都更为严峻的气候相关挑战。

如今，野生动物管理部门正尝试借鉴一套在陆地上已被证明行之有效的方案，以应对这些多样化的问题。

佛罗里达州鱼类和野生动物保护委员会（FWC）及其慈善机构——佛罗里达鱼类和野生动物基金会（FWFF）宣布将建立一个雄心勃勃的“海岸廊道”，即一系列相互连接的海洋项目和改善措施，旨在保护和滋养脆弱的海洋生物。

这一计划在很大程度上复制了该州的野生动物廊道项目。该项目于2021年启动，占地700万公顷（1800万英亩），为罕见或濒危的陆生物种（包括鸟类、爬行动物、美洲豹和熊）提供了一个安全、连贯的栖息地，覆盖佛罗里达州大部分地区。

海岸廊道项目包括栖息地修复、渔业增强以及改善公众进入和海岸韧性等措施，沿佛罗里达州大西洋和墨西哥湾海岸建立一个由人工礁石、牡蛎床、海草和红树林组成的连通网络，为海洋生物提供繁衍生息的空间。

“我们的目标是保护并连接所有这些对鱼类和野生动物至关重要的栖息地，”FWC前负责人、现任FWFF执行主任尼克·怀利表示。“大家都看到野生动物廊道倡议取得了多大的成功，它凝聚了所有人的力量。野生物种需要这些跨越全州的迁徙通道和廊道，

但它同时也凸显了私人土地所有者如何与联邦、州和县的公共土地相互配合，以及所有这些如何协同运作。

“我们的董事会成员深受启发，他们审视我们的海岸、渔业和沿海社区，从海滩、河口，一直到更深的海域。”

海岸廊道的设计不仅旨在保护佛罗里达珍贵的海洋遗产，还意在守护其海域的经济财富。基金会表示，仅休闲垂钓每年就能为该州带来$14亿美元（£10.4亿英镑）的收入，并创造120,000个就业岗位。此外，人工礁石的建设和维护每年还能带来$3.1亿美元的收入和39,000个就业机会。

此外，每年有超过200万来自外州的垂钓者造访佛罗里达，他们租用包船，并为酒店和餐厅注入大量资金。

“我们的海岸是我们的宝藏，”怀利说。“但我们此前并未将其视为一个环绕整个海岸线的连通廊道。这

▲ 一头海牛——佛罗里达州著名的海洋哺乳动物，在佛罗里达中西部的水晶河；左图为基韦斯特的珊瑚礁

照片来源：ALL CANADA PHOTOS / ALAMY；JOSEPH FREZION

$14

休闲垂钓每年为佛罗里达州经济贡献的金额（单位：亿美元），创造120,000个就业岗位

39,000

该州通过建造和维护人工礁石创造的就业岗位数量，如同沿海野生动物走廊的姊妹项目，展示了如何将河口与海草滩连接至深海。

佛罗里达鱼类和野生动物保护委员会（FWC）与佛罗里达鱼类和野生动物基金会（FWFF）的领导人正与地方政府、科学家、保护组织及沿海社区合作。其中一项早期项目是与科利尔县合作，在距离墨西哥湾海岸约13英里处建造一个大型新人工礁石。

拥有数十年人工礁石研究经验的海洋生物学家、同时担任沿海走廊项目主任的迈克·诺伯格表示，一系列预制混凝土结构（高度在2.5至4.5米之间，即8至15英尺）将被沉入海底，模拟天然礁石以吸引鱼类。

“人工礁石有诸多益处，”他说，“它能减轻天然礁石的压力，而天然礁石显然面临许多挑战，尤其是在佛罗里达南部。同时，它还能在原本不存在栖息地的区域创造栖息地。

“在部分沿海水域，海底大多是沙地，天然礁石并不丰富，尤其是在墨西哥湾北部或佛罗里达东北部。因此，这对生态系统和休闲活动都是双赢，无论是钓鱼、潜水，还是出海观光和娱乐。”

诺伯格表示，战略性礁石部署是第一年的优先事项，其他项目正在该州西北部的奥卡卢萨县和北部大西洋沿岸的杜瓦尔县展开。他称，未来计划还包括探索沿海修复项目，以应对海滩侵蚀、红树林流失（红树林能抵御风暴潮）以及维持濒危物种（如海牛赖以生存的海草）食物储备减少等问题。

“我们正在寻找各种牡蛎床修复机会，以及如何将其纳入这一连通栖息地网络和‘活岸线’项目。这非常重要，不仅能从社区角度提高沿海韧性，”诺伯格说。

“它还能为幼鱼和成鱼提供栖息地，使它们在进入近海前能在河口区停留。因此，这确实提供了将近岸与近海栖息地连接起来的机会，并将其作为海洋资源管理的工具。”

对威利而言，沿海走廊的建立代表了他数十年佛罗里达野生动物保护生涯的巅峰。“在这一项目上，我看到的兴奋和机遇比以往任何项目都多，”他说，“正如我们在野生动物走廊项目中所见，它将为佛罗里达赋予更深刻、更丰富的身份认同，提升居民和游客对该州的价值认知。”

西西里海域发现载有酒罐的2,100年前罗马沉船

洛伦佐·通多

巴勒莫

一艘载有约500个双耳陶罐、已有2,100年历史的罗马沉船在西西里马扎拉-德尔瓦洛海岸3英里处被发现。

意大利文化遗产警察——宪兵队在渔民举报后，在潜水员和水下摄像机的协助下对沉船展开了调查。该

▲ 沉船现场发现约500个双耳陶罐

船只在约46米（151英尺）深的海底被发现，船上载有数百个双耳陶罐——一种古代用于运输酒类的双耳窄颈陶罐。

这艘长约21米、宽6米的沉船被意大利文化部长亚历山德罗·朱利（Alessandro Giuli）称为“近年来最重要的水下考古发现之一”。

朱利表示，这艘沉船提供了“我们历史的珍贵片段”，并进一步证明了地中海作为“文明交汇点”的贸易路线和交流。

潜水员贾科莫·德莫拉和伊戈尔·比苏利描述了他们发现沉船的经过。

“能见度不是最好……我靠近了些。我的心跳都停了。在我下方是一大片双耳陶罐，”德莫拉在Instagram上发布的发现视频中说道。

“毫无疑问，这是我一生中最不可思议的发现，”他说，“很难描述在近20个世纪后，成为首批再次见到那里的人类之一的感受。”

大部分货物由Dressel 1A型双耳陶罐组成，这种陶罐广泛用于运输葡萄酒，对考古学家尤为珍贵，因为它们有助于重建公元前2世纪至1世纪期间连接意大利与地中海其他地区的商业网络。未来几个月，西西里海洋文物管理局预计将在该遗址开展新一阶段的科学记录和研究工作。

考古学家将力求更精确地确定沉船的年代、货物的来源和目的地，以及现存物质的状况，同时制定措施保护这一被官方称为“具有特殊考古意义”的遗址。

补充报道

法新社（Agence France-Presse）

---

26

世界

“曾有一部法律，仅仅因为我的身份就能判我入狱10年”

埃里卡·卡斯特利亚诺斯 活动家

1995年被诊断出艾滋病毒时，伯利兹出生和长大的埃里卡·卡斯特利亚诺斯被告知只剩6个月生命

照片：GATE

“活到50岁就是一个成功的故事” 在拉丁美洲与艾滋病和跨性别恐惧共存

约翰·穆森泽 里约热内卢

埃里卡·卡斯特利亚诺斯（Erika Castellanos）已经超越了她所称的拉丁美洲最残酷的统计数据之一。该地区跨性别女性的预期寿命估计为35岁。“我今年50岁。许多跨性别女性在很年轻时就被杀害，要么是因为艾滋病，要么是因为跨性别恐惧，所以活到50岁就是一个成功的故事，”她说。

1995年，卡斯特利亚诺斯被诊断出感染艾滋病毒时，医生预言她只剩六个月的生命。多年来，她目睹艾滋病肆虐她的社区，而有效的治疗对大多数低收入国家的人来说遥不可及。

回顾过去30年，在伯利兹出生和长大的卡斯特利亚诺斯表示，医学上的突破是非凡的。她于2000年开始接受治疗，使用的是医院收到的捐赠药物。

“确诊时，我们只能接受任何送来的药物。大部分药物是来自欧洲和美国的捐赠。科学已经取得了长足进步。每次我们都离治愈更近，离疫苗更近，”她说。

20世纪90年代初，她从伯利兹搬到邻国墨西哥，以更开放的跨性别女性身份生活，通过性工作维生，并在墨西哥南部的一家艾滋病临终关怀医院做志愿者。

“（在临终关怀医院）我们几乎一无所有。我们的会议零食是我母亲付钱买的。那是一个治疗选择极其有限的时代。我们照顾的是濒临死亡的人。我们提供安慰，因为除此之外我们无能为力。”

卡斯特利亚诺斯对医院的恐惧几乎与对艾滋病的恐惧相当，她从不知道医护人员是会尊重她，还是会羞辱她。“当时存在很多污名。（医院工作人员）会对我说：‘你得艾滋病是因为你选择了这种生活。’但我得艾滋病不是因为我选择了什么；我得艾滋病是因为没有一个系统让我能保护自己。我被迫进入带有风险的境地。没有人会选择这种生活，”她说。

“我经历了30多年的承诺、突破和葬礼。我见证了医学将艾滋病从死刑变成一种可控的健康状况。但我也目睹了我的朋友们在药物存在的情况下死去。科学没有辜负我的朋友们。政治辜负了他们。”

如今，卡斯特利亚诺斯生活在荷兰，领导全球跨性别平等行动组织（Gate），这是一个倡导跨性别和性别多样化人群权利的组织，她的工作重点是改善医疗服务的可及性、推进人权并支持社区组织。

“个人经历激励我为治疗而战，并创造空间让艾滋病毒感染者能发出声音，”她在上月于里约热内卢举行的2026年艾滋病大会上表示。

她表示，在伯利兹长大时，将像她这样的人定为犯罪的法律让她时刻生活在恐惧中。“我年轻时，有一项法律可能仅仅因为我的身份就将我判处10年监禁。你想对医生说实话，因为你想得到最好的治疗，但你也害怕说实话会让你陷入危险。”

她说，这种恐惧今天仍然困扰着许多跨性别者，尤其是在非洲，刑事定罪现象正在增加。

她的担忧在联合国艾滋病规划署执行主任温妮·比亚尼马（Winnie Byanyima）的报告《联合国艾滋病规划署全球艾滋病更新》中得到了呼应，该报告记录了包括性权利和生殖权利在内的人权全球性倒退。2026年，168个国家将性工作定为犯罪，66个国家将同性性行为定为犯罪，14个国家将跨性别者定为犯罪。

“在将艾滋病毒感染者和最易感染艾滋病毒的人群定为犯罪的同时，无法终结艾滋病，”比亚尼马说。“当人们害怕被捕、暴力或歧视时，他们会远离艾滋病服务。人权不是艾滋病应对的附属品——它们是其成功的关键。”

卡斯特利亚诺斯警告称，近期国际资金削减——包括美国国际开发署（USAID）和总统防治艾滋病紧急救援计划（Pepfar）的缩减——可能使数十年的进展出现逆转，迫使社区重回治疗选择有限、诊所不堪重负、社区组织被迫填补医疗缺口的时代。

报告指出，除非全球团结得以恢复、不平等问题得到解决，否则到2030年终结艾滋病作为公共卫生威胁的努力将面临风险。

卡斯特利亚诺斯希望领导人们记住，艾滋病应对最终关乎的是人，而非政治。“如果有人不理解我的生活，这没关系。他们不必认同我，只需尊重我的人性。”

警方对抗议就业考试的印度青年使用警棍

佩内洛普·麦克雷 德里

昨天，在印度最贫困的邦之一，数千名年轻人与警方发生冲突，持续数周的抗议活动因政府招聘考试中涉嫌存在违规行为而升级，演变为向邦立法机构的游行。

警方发射高压水炮并挥舞警棍，试图阻止挥舞旗帜的示威者翻越路障，涌向位于贾坎德邦首府兰契的邦议会大楼。

部分抗议者在水柱浇湿人群时以跳舞和欢呼回应。

此次骚乱发生在几周前，自称为“蟑螂”运动的抗议活动使印度人民党（BJP）领导的中央政府面临巨大压力，并迫使教育部长因全国医学入学考试试卷泄露而辞职。

当地媒体报道称，贾坎德邦的冲突中有抗议者和警察受伤，但未公布官方数字。“警棍驱散手段野蛮。我们是在和平抗议，”一名抗议者皮尤什·库马尔·索尼（Piyush Kumar Soni）告诉印度报业托拉斯。

示威者要求印度最高调查机构中央调查局（CBI）进行调查，称只有独立调查才能彻查政府招聘考试中涉嫌的违规行为。

他们指责当局未能防止包括试卷泄露和作弊在内的违规行为，称这些行为剥夺了年轻求职者公平竞争的机会。

贾坎德邦长期面临高失业率问题，而提供工作保障、医疗和养老金福利的公务员及其他公共部门职位竞争激烈。

政府招聘考试通常吸引数十万申请者，许多年轻人花费数年时间备考。在最近一次招聘中，近640,000人申请仅2,025个职位。

由反对党国大党结盟的地方政党领导的邦政府已试图通过对话缓解危机。官员表示，抗议者的大部分要求已被接受，并愿意继续谈判。

国大党领袖拉胡尔·甘地（Rahul Gandhi）谴责使用武力。“学生有和平抗议的权利，只有对话才能带来解决方案，”他说道。

这场风波已导致多名高层下台。贾坎德邦公共服务委员会前主席因涉嫌考试违规被捕，另有三名委员会成员辞职。

印度近三分之二的人口年龄在35岁以下。官方数据显示，去年失业率降至9.9%，但阿齐姆·普莱姆基大学的一项研究发现，15至25岁的毕业生中近40%处于失业状态。

---

全球

27

“上海变成海洋”：台风“海豚”淹没中国东部沿海

西班牙警告日食观赏人潮恐加剧山火风险

斯蒂芬·伯根 塔拉戈纳

西班牙当局警告称，当数十万人涌向山区和海滩以更好地观赏明天的日全食时，火灾风险将大幅上升。

“植被异常干燥，最微小的火星或疏忽都可能引发毁灭性的森林火灾，”环境部长萨拉·阿赫森在视察该国南部最新火灾发生地涅夫拉时表示。

持续高温和降雨稀少已为近几周在西班牙多地肆虐的火灾创造了理想条件，包括首都马德里以西的一场大火。

警方估计明天将增加1.5m次汽车出行，并担心一旦农村地区发生火灾，交通可能会阻碍紧急车辆的通行。禁止在硬路肩或干燥植被附近停车，同时禁止烧烤和燃放烟花。

作为预防措施，巴伦西亚大区已关闭其自然公园，并禁止在乡村小径上行走。

昨日，国家气象局（Aemet）表示，今年7月是自1961年有记录以来西班牙大陆最炎热的月份之一。上月也是西班牙大陆有记录以来最干旱的7月，仅降雨4.3mm——仅为该时节正常降水量的26%。

医院已做好准备，应对可能因未佩戴护目镜而导致的眼部损伤。此前全国已免费发放日食观测专用眼镜，但消费者协会Facua认定6个品牌的眼镜不安全，已将其下架。

费尔南德斯-维加眼科研究所所长赫苏斯·梅拉约·略韦斯警告称，直视太阳可能造成不可逆的损伤，并建议民众在日食前、中、后均应佩戴护目镜。

此次日全食将横穿西班牙，最佳观测地带为从大西洋西北部的拉科鲁尼亚到地中海马略卡岛的约120英里宽的区域。沿途的小城镇和村庄住宿，以及当地爱好者设立的临时观测点，数月前已被预订一空。

美国国家航空航天局（NASA）在西班牙西北部一个名为比利亚利瓦多的小村庄的教堂旁安装了4台高倍望远镜，将向超过1000万观众直播日食。

NASA在历时近一年的选址后，最终选择了这个村庄。该村曾被废弃数十年，后被改造为度假目的地。

!

!

▲ 中国浙江省温州市一条道路被洪水淹没，车辆受困。上图为一名行人在上海市中心黄浦区冒雨前行，左图为杭州南部一处避难所，供风暴中撤离的民众使用 照片：VCG / GETTY；WANG XIANG / KINHUA / AP；PENG / PENG / VCG / GETTY

与2023年的台风“杜苏芮”相比，后者在穿越中国后，曾在东南部福建省造成破坏，并给北京带来创纪录的降雨。

中央电视台（CCTV）称，随着风暴云团与北方较冷空气相遇，北京、天津和河北需做好准备，迎接周四前的强降雨。

在中国南部沿海，香港周日气温达36.9℃，香港天文台表示，这是自1884年有记录以来的最高温。

风暴风险预测机构“热带风暴风险”（Tropical Storm Risk）表示，预计2026年西北太平洋台风季将成为有记录以来最活跃的台风季之一，将出现28个热带风暴、20个台风和13个强台风。

该机构称，持续强劲的厄尔尼诺现象、今年以来的高活跃度以及西北太平洋盆地较弱的信风是本次台风季强度的主要原因。

“几乎下了一整夜的雨。这是我第一次经历台风带来的如此不便，如此大范围的洪水。”

侯丽娜 上海销售人员

北京已准备好于今晨启动洪水控制应对措施。

预计北京将从今日起至周四经历“强降雨”，当局警告称，该市及周边山区可能出现山洪和山体滑坡。

据央视报道，台风在登陆前行进了6,000公里（3,728英里），其生命周期是典型台风的三倍，并携带超大云系覆盖中国东部。

“海豚”台风的影响正在——

---

莱斯特大学

你的未来。

你的选择。

通过“补录”掌控 你的下一步

每个本科学位 都包含100小时 雇主指导的实践性 工作学习。了解更多信息， 获取支持、建议和 指导，请访问我们的补录中心。

le.ac.uk / clearing

---

©

富时100指数 38.59

10862.50

综合指数 21.25

5855.29

道琼斯工业平均指数 94.38

53942.35

日经225指数 1363.51

66920.22

英镑 / 欧元 1.1704

+0.0030

英镑 / 美元 1.3520

+0.0032

商业

数据来源：ICE www.ice.com / data

约翰·刘易斯高管在“极其艰难”的交易环境下辞职

贾斯珀·乔利

约翰·刘易斯合伙公司的常务董事在掌管这家英国百货连锁店不到三年后辞职，因公司面临“极其艰难”的交易环境。

约翰·刘易斯在昨日的声明中表示，彼得·鲁伊斯（Peter Ruis）将离开公司，“追求新的项目”。

他将由约翰·刘易斯合伙公司（该公司还运营着维特罗斯超市连锁）的非执行董事威尔·克南（Will Kernan）接替。克南在声明中表示，约翰·刘易斯仍有“巨大的增长空间”。

约翰·刘易斯的董事长杰森·塔里（Jason Tarry）上周在接受公司内部杂志采访时警告称，交易环境“极其艰难”。

约翰·刘易斯在3月对经济前景充满信心，在基础利润增长后首次向69,000名员工（公司称其为“合伙人”）发放了四年来的首个年度奖金。员工共享了3500万英镑的奖金池，相当于每人多一周的工资。

然而，美以对伊朗的战争导致油价飙升，推高了通胀。这给消费者带来了压力，也增加了零售商的成本。

塔里在采访中表示：“我们必须调整，应对一个甚至在六个月前、更不用说几年前都未曾预料到的近期未来。”

鲁伊斯于2024年初重返约翰·刘易斯，此前曾领导过Jigsaw和Anthropologie等零售商。在之前的九年任期中，鲁伊斯曾担任约翰·刘易斯的采购和品牌总监。

他监督了公司在新冠疫情期间关闭16家门店后剩余的36家约翰·刘易斯百货商店的投资，并在去年11月告诉《卫报》，他正在考虑扩张。

鲁伊斯将留任至9月6日。克南自2023年起担任非执行董事，将于9月中旬接任，届时零售商正为圣诞旺季做准备。约翰·刘易斯已开始寻找新的非执行董事。

克南此前曾担任River Island、The White Company和自行车零售商Wiggle的首席执行官，并在New Look工作了13年。

鲁伊斯表示：“经过近三年的大量投资和现代化改造，公司现在处于更加稳固的基础上。我为我们取得的成就感到无比自豪，未来还有更多发展空间。”

克南表示：“在合伙公司董事会任职三年来，我对约翰·刘易斯的业务有了清晰的了解，并对合伙制的价值观和员工所有制模式深表赞赏。我们拥有巨大的增长空间，我期待领导团队确保约翰·刘易斯继续成为全国最受信赖和喜爱的零售商。”

塔里表示：“彼得出色地完成了工作，将被所有合伙人所怀念。他为约翰·刘易斯的转型注入了活力和速度。”

哈维·尼克斯表示需救助协议以避免倒闭

贾斯珀·乔利

哈维·尼克斯警告称，若无新投资，这家总部位于骑士桥的百货连锁店将无法撑过一年，而竞购者正在对其虎视眈眈。

这家零售商的香港东主迪克森·潘于6月将其挂牌出售，迈克·阿什利的弗雷泽集团有意以约4000万英镑收购。

修正后： 这家零售商的香港东主迪克森·潘于6月将其挂牌出售，迈克·阿什利的弗雷泽集团有意以约4000万英镑（4000 万英镑m）收购。

哈维·尼克斯曾吸引戴安娜王妃等知名顾客光顾。但面对其他购物目的地日益激烈的竞争，以及在线零售的崛起，它一直难以适应。

根据上周末公布的财报，该公司自新冠疫情导致大手笔消费的外国游客无法入境以来，一直未能实现盈利。截至2025年3月29日的财年，公司在冲销内部贷款后税后亏损达1.05亿英镑。

董事会警告称，公司已不具备持续经营能力，因其资金将在未来一年内耗尽，且尚未达成任何新融资协议。

财报显示，公司已收到“多份”收购要约，并希望在未来一年内完成交易。

富时100零售商Next此前曾有意接手该业务，但近期报道称其已撤回兴趣。

这使得阿什利——Sports Direct零售帝国创始人——成为领先竞购者之一。阿什利是弗雷泽集团的控股股东，他于周五对《金融时报》表示，哈维·尼克斯正陷入“死亡螺旋”，扭转局面将是“一项巨大挑战”。

阿什利从一家体育用品店起家，此后收购了一系列陷入困境的高端品牌。他表示将保留骑士桥和爱丁堡门店，但将其他门店重新品牌化为弗雷泽集团旗下的House of Fraser或Flannels。

哈维·尼克斯创立于1831年，最初为一家亚麻布店。其位于骑士桥的百货总部于1889年开业。

潘主导了伦敦以外的扩张，1996年在利兹开设分店。该连锁店在伯明翰、布里斯托、都柏林、爱丁堡和曼彻斯特均设有门店，并经营一系列餐厅。在英国以外，其在利雅得、迪拜、香港和科威特设有门店。

潘已于5月卸任董事。哈维·尼克斯现由朱莉娅·戈达德领导，她于2024年从亚历山大·麦昆加入。

从流行音乐到烈酒

碧昂丝在法国集团LVMH出售其股份后，全面接管了SirDavis威士忌品牌。该品牌最初由这位美国歌手与LVMH的葡萄酒和烈酒部门合资创立。

消费者信心达21个月新高 世界杯与新首相带动

菲利普·伊曼

根据一项研究，7月消费者信心达到近两年来的最高水平，这表明世界杯决赛阶段以及更多人在英国度假推动了夏季消费。6月中东冲突的停火以及安迪·伯纳姆出任新首相，也在经历了长期高度不确定性后提振了消费者信心。

巴克莱银行一项长期开展的月度消费者支出调查显示，在7月受访者中，有30%对英国经济的强劲程度感到有信心——这是21个月以来的最高水平，较6月提高了6个百分点。

巴克莱银行表示，消费者卡支出同比增长2%，而6月的增幅为1.9%。

该银行称，研究显示人们对工作稳定性的信心增强，有更多余地进行非必需品消费，可自由支配支出增长了1.6%。其中最大的受益者是酒吧，其交易量增长了10%，“得益于英格兰队在世界杯上的表现”。据估计，男子足球锦标赛为英国酒吧带来了1.5 亿英镑的额外销售额。

得益于《玩具总动员5》和《奥德赛》的热映，电影院的卡支出增长了2.6%。

与其他调查一致，该报告发现，接连的热浪抑制了机票支出，转而青睐国内度假，推动英国住宿支出增长了2.6%。

巴克莱银行表示，对欧洲经济的信心也上升了6个百分点，达到35%。

29

---

30

商业

商业观点

尼尔斯·普拉特利

是的，水务公司正在规避奖金规则。

部长们究竟在期待什么？

任何关注过 2008 年金融危机后对银行家奖金所谓“严控”的人，在水务公司高管成为奖金部门的新一轮抨击目标时，都能预见到会发生什么。我们将看到“水床效应”再次上演：当你在薪酬的某一领域（如绩效相关部分）施压时，另一领域往往会膨胀。

当年，银行通过“角色津贴”——即工资补贴——来“补偿”高管因欧盟对奖金设限而受到的影响。没有高管会因放弃获得天文数字（但不保证）的奖金，转而获得较小（但仍然丰厚）的固定工资增长而感到真正的不便。有些人甚至更青睐这种更确定的收入。

在水务领域，工党政府于 2024 年上台时承诺“在污染水务高管清理污染之前，禁止向其发放奖金”。但 2025 年《水务（特别措施）法》的缺陷从一开始就显而易见。尽管监管机构 Ofwat 被赋予权力阻止环境和财务表现最差的公司发放绩效奖金，但它无法正式干预其他形式的支付。

于是——毫不意外——工资增长、津贴发放，尤其是留任奖金开始激增。在英格兰和威尔士各公司上月公布年度报告后，本报发现，首席执行官和首席财务官的整体报酬总额同比增长了 1.5%，达到 2530 万英镑。这是连续第二年出现“奖金禁令”反而导致全行业整体薪酬上涨的情况。

泰晤士水务通常能让局面更加混乱，其年度报告后的最新消息是：首席财务官史蒂夫·巴克在截至 3 月的财年中领取了 59.1 万英镑 薪酬，并在 7 月底获得了一笔延迟发放的 100 万英镑签约费。至于一年前因政治风波而“暂停”的其他高管留任奖金，该公司已“签订了 14 份协议”以“解决任何潜在索赔责任”。

政府对此表示震惊，或假装震惊。“当公司本应专注于提升业绩和重建公众信任时，表现最差的水务公司之一却向高管发放巨额款项，这是不可接受的，”环境部发言人表示。

然而，人们不禁要问：

▲ 政府批评泰晤士水务向其首席财务官支付 100 万英镑费用

如果部长们指望薪酬委员会遵循其改革的“精神”，那他们未免太天真了

部长们究竟在期待什么？高管薪酬过高固然容易达成共识，但政客们天真地认为禁止奖金不会催生其他变通手段，实在是幼稚。

总体而言，水务公司采用的留任手段往往缺乏透明度——甚至厚颜无耻，这一点值得补充。Ofwat 临时执行董事海伦·坎贝尔上月批评称，当薪酬委员会的决定“给人以规避规定的印象”时，会损害客户的信任，她的观点显然是正确的。

但政府为这种行为敞开了大门。如果部长们指望薪酬委员会遵循其改革的“精神”，那他们未免太天真了。限制奖金并不等同于限制整体薪酬。而 Ofwat 只能行使议会赋予的权力。

接下来的重头戏将是监管机构秋季对是否应加强规则的审查。或许在安迪·伯纳姆那尚未明确的“更大公共控制”时代，会有不同的结果。不过，基于以往经验，眼见为实。

英国最受欢迎专栏作家全新爆笑合集

说真的，这个时代让人想捂住双眼——哪怕你的双手已经捂住了眼睛。唯一能做的，就是阅读玛丽娜·海德的作品，然后放声大笑。

立即订购可享 20% 折扣

访问 guardianbookshop.com / marina-hyde 或致电 020 3176 3837

英国境内线上订单满 £25 免运费。促销价格有效期有限（所有电话订单将收取最低 £2.99 运费）

卫报书店

---

商业

31

“情况非常、非常具有挑战性”

威斯敏斯特公爵农场如何应对气候危机

朱莉娅·科勒韦

在威斯敏斯特公爵位于切斯特附近的奶牛场，空气中弥漫着一股独特的牛粪味。这里与他控制的伦敦贝尔格莱维亚和梅菲尔的豪华地产截然不同，这些地产构成了他近£10亿英镑财富的支柱，而他成为英国最年轻的亿万富翁也已过去十年。

作为其拥有349年历史的格罗夫纳家族产业的一部分，位于英格兰西北部伊顿庄园的利谷庄园农场（Lea Manor Farm）近年来的境况比大多数奶牛场要好。

但它也受到了牛奶价格下跌和英国农民面临的其他挑战的冲击。一系列导致干旱的热浪（本周可能出现第五波），加上伊朗战争引发的化肥短缺、疾病以及自英国脱欧以来的劳动力短缺，使农业变得异常艰难。

牛奶价格具有周期性。去年英国农场交货价格上涨刺激了生产扩张，而英国和海外的供应过剩导致今年价格下降了高达50%，格罗夫纳农场（Grosvenor Farms）的董事总经理马克·罗奇（Mark Roach）表示：“我无法想象其他行业会遭受50%的降幅。”

利谷庄园已有数百年历史，最初是一家种植和畜牧农场。1984年至2002,年间，该农场专注于种植土豆，后来意识到在柴郡粘重的土壤中种植土豆并不可持续，于是转向养牛。

伊顿庄园的农场是格罗夫纳庞大的办公楼、商店、住宅、林地和农田组合的一部分，77名员工和2,600头荷斯坦弗里斯兰奶牛每年产奶超过3400万升——每头奶牛产奶13,200升——供应给穆勒（Müller）和乐购（Tesco）。农场周围是种植小麦、玉米、大麦和黑麦等动物饲料的田地，占地4,685公顷（11,577英亩）。

今年的热浪——因不断加剧的气候危机而加剧——给农民带来了更大压力。当气温超过25摄氏度时，奶牛会变得更加懒散，进食减少，产奶量下降。在6月热浪期间，气温达到36摄氏度时，每头格罗夫纳奶牛每天产奶量减少了多达6升，部分缓解措施包括喷淋系统和农场宽敞通风的牛舍。

罗奇表示，在其他一些农场，每头奶牛的日产奶量下降了多达10升。“农业面临非常、非常大的挑战。”

格罗夫纳的执行受托人马克·普雷斯顿（Mark Preston）表示：“北半球许多地区的极端天气正在影响作物产量和农场经济。农民正在尽可能适应，但全面影响可能要到下一个生长季节才会更加明朗，这凸显了增强英国粮食生产系统韧性的重要性。”

由于英格兰近50%和威尔士全境正式进入干旱状态，导致小麦生长高度仅为正常高度的一半，西兰花产量下降了50%，英国被迫从西班牙等国进口更多食品，而全球粮食价格正在上涨。

许多英国农场处于亏损状态。利谷庄园是格罗夫纳唯一的奶牛场，由于从2012年开始进行大规模技术改造以提高效率，目前仍保持盈利。该农业部门2024,年的税前利润为260 万英镑万英镑，低于前一年的360 万英镑万英镑，营业额为1620 万英镑万英镑。相比之下，格罗夫纳2024.年在英国房地产业务的基础利润为8870 万英镑万英镑，较2024年增长了14%。公爵在2025.年从集团获得了5370 万英镑万英镑的股息。尽管规模不同，罗奇表示，农场“不是公爵的业余爱好，而是一项商业业务”。

休·格罗夫纳是英国最富有的人之一，在其父亲于2016,年突然去世后，继承了家族庞大的庄园。

格罗夫纳家族世代拥有这片庄园。这笔遗产之所以基本上免于缴纳40%的遗产税，是因为该庄园由一系列信托持有，而非由公爵个人持有。格罗夫纳表示，该庄园通过每10年对资产价值支付6%的循环税来缴纳遗产税，而非在继承时一次性支付40%的税款。

在利庄园（Lea Manor），奶牛每天被赶三次，从开放式牛棚走向室内旋转挤奶台，由自动化机械进行挤奶。挤奶装置由农场工人安装，但一旦乳房被挤空，便会自动脱落，以防止过度挤奶导致乳腺炎。两台机器人在挤奶前清洁乳头，并在奶牛离开旋转台前进行消毒。旋转台设有60个泊位，每小时可为360头奶牛挤奶。

每天有三辆罐车装满29,000升牛奶，外加一辆部分装载的罐车，随后运往曼彻斯特的Müller工厂。这些牛奶次日清晨便会出现在乐购（Tesco）超市的货架上。

地板上的传感器会测量奶牛的步态。如果发现奶牛有脚痛迹象，它们会被送去泡脚浴，以防止腐蹄病。有时奶牛不愿离开旋转台，需要被引导回牛棚。

工厂化奶牛养殖的兴起引发了对“电池奶牛”密集养殖系统的担忧，这些系统旨在提高生产效率。

格罗夫纳坚称其奶牛整体健康，并援引自家统计数据称：“不健康的奶牛产奶量不高。”其牛奶未被归类为有机奶，但农场以草饲喂奶牛，且不常规使用抗生素。

该集团表示，其牛棚比行业标准更大，且侧面开放，能提供充足的自然光和空气流通。然而，奶牛并未被放牧，而是站在带有防滑槽的混凝土地面上。根据英国皇家防止虐待动物协会（RSPCA）的数据，英国仅有8%的奶牛群全年圈养，该协会认为奶牛应有部分时间能够放牧。

▲ 格罗夫纳农场的马克·罗奇（Mark Roach）表示，今年牛奶供应过剩导致价格下降了高达50% 图片：克里斯托弗·托蒙德 / 卫报

格罗夫纳表示：“我们的牛群健康状况良好、疾病发生率低、抗生素使用极少，这让我们对这一系统的运行充满信心。我们曾邀请RSPCA的代表参观农场，他们称这是他们见过的最安静、最满足的牛群之一。”

格罗夫纳目前正在庄园内建造一座生物甲烷厂，利用牛粪生产能源，以拓宽收入来源。预计从明年起，这座占地2.4公顷的设施每年将利用多达170,000吨牛粪生产72吉瓦的可再生燃气，足以为约6,000户家庭供暖。

这并非唯一一家拥有反应堆的乡村家族庄园。汉普郡的阿普斯利农场（Apsley Farms）自1936年起由杜瓦尔·德·博略家族（Du Val de Beaulieu）拥有，运营着英国第三大生物甲烷厂，自2014年起已向电网供应可再生燃气。

牛粪还被用作格罗夫纳农田的肥料，这意味着超过80%的奶牛饲料是无人工肥料种植的。格罗夫纳以循环农业为傲，这一系统旨在通过将作物废料转化为饲料、动物废料转化为天然肥料来消除浪费并重复利用资源，从而改善土壤健康。

伊朗战争期间霍尔木兹海峡的近乎全面封锁导致全球化肥短缺，国际救援委员会主席戴维·米利班德（David Miliband）将其描述为“粮食安全定时炸弹”。普雷斯顿在5月份呼应了这一担忧，称食品价格的连锁反应可能在明年到来。“我们今年早些时候提出的担忧依然非常现实，”他说道，“化肥供应链持续受到的干扰继续影响其可用性和成本。”

---

52

沃勒林的胜利

环法女子自行车赛

摆脱波加查的阴影，上演高潮迭起的比赛

德米·沃勒林在周日于尼斯举行的环法女子自行车赛中获得第二个总冠军，此前她与卡西娅·涅维亚多马发生了激烈争执。然而，当太阳落山在英格兰大道上时，这场比赛一直以来所特有的姐妹情谊

再次回归。在充满戏剧性的最后一个赛段中，这位荷兰车手以高水平的进攻性胜利消除了持续的争议，进一步提升了长期沉寂的本土自行车运动的声望。她所在的法国赞助的FDI联合-苏伊士车队表现出色。

涅维亚多马在周六的终点线上对沃勒林的队友塞莉娅·格里的爆发引发了主导最后一个赛段的争议，但并未减损她在2026年取得的成就：赢得女子环意自行车赛、列日-巴斯托涅-列日赛、环弗兰德斯赛和瓦隆之箭赛。她本赛季的成就可与男子环法自行车赛冠军塔德伊·波加查相媲美，甚至有过之而无不及。

!

沃勒林长期以来一直直言不讳地关注年轻人的福祉，并对涅维亚多马公开批评其20岁的队友格里感到愤怒。“她收到了很多恶意信息，”沃勒林在周日说道，“这让我非常生气，尤其是因为她还是个2岁的年轻女孩。我们应该保护年轻人免受这种愚蠢行为的伤害。”

在周日最后一个赛段的早期几公里，沃勒林和涅维亚多马在骑行中进行了坦诚交流。“我想和卡西娅聊聊，因为她那样宣泄情绪让我有点失望，”她说，“我们能坐下来谈谈很好。最终一切都好。”

这位波兰车手在周五赢得了令人惊叹的旺图山赛段，并第五次进入环法女子赛前三名，同样表现出和解态度。“我们多年来一直在一起比赛。我们谁都不希望有任何不和。”

对于另一位九天戏剧中的关键人物马伦·罗伊塞尔来说，情况则不同。这位瑞士车手在最后一个赛段开始时位列第三，但在埃兹山口的第二次下坡中高速摔倒。她含泪重新上车，所有登上领奖台的希望都已破灭，但仍坚持完成了比赛。

男子环法自行车赛在第六赛段后实际上已失去悬念，当时波加查在图尔马莱山口获胜，但女子比赛的结果直到尼斯郊区的维纳格里尔小道最后一次狭窄爬坡才见分晓。波加查将于明年7月2日前往爱丁堡参加大环赛开幕，争取第六个冠军，但乔纳斯·温格高是否仍是他最大的对手尚不确定。波加查已确认将参加于8月22日在摩纳哥开始的环西班牙自行车赛，而温格高的未来仍不明朗。

同样来自丹麦的马蒂亚斯·斯凯尔莫斯透露，在环法赛中锁骨骨折退赛的温格高对波加查的统治地位感到沮丧。“乔纳斯说：‘我已经无能为力了。我还能做什么？我已经发挥出最佳水平，但他还是轻松甩开我。’”斯凯尔莫斯在一档丹麦播客节目中说道。

温格高的摔车发生在国际检测机构的药检人员凌晨2点造访几小时后。关于这种极端反兴奋剂措施是否得当的争论主导了环法赛的剩余时间。波加查继续骑行至巴黎，显然并未受到自己凌晨5点被叫醒的影响，但国际自行车联盟主席戴维·拉帕蒂安表示：“自行车运动中总会存在怀疑。”

以下是忠实于原文的中文翻译：

男性环法自行车赛造就了最耀眼的明星，但在波加查尔时代，环法女子自行车赛（Tour de France Femmes）却提供了最引人入胜的竞赛。“当你拥有像塔代伊·波加查尔这样高水平的选手时，你讨论的更多是第二名，”环法女子自行车赛赛事总监马里昂·鲁斯（Marion Rousse）表示，“女子比赛则不同。女子自行车运动制造的悬念

‘女子自行车运动制造的悬念

比男子自行车运动中看到的更多，

因为波加查尔实在太具统治力’

比男子自行车运动中看到的更多，

因为波加查尔实在太具统治力。”

尽管环法女子自行车赛正在快速发展，其清新的特质依然保持不变。波加查尔一直是女子自行车赛的坚定支持者，他似乎对此着迷。在周五前往旺图山（Mont Ventoux）的赛段中，有人看到他戴着毛线帽和墨镜站在路边，跑步为伴侣乌尔什卡·齐加特（Urska Zigart）加油助威，周末在尼斯也再次现身。

鲁斯认为，女子赛事将于明年7月30日在利兹（Leeds）举行大出发（Grand Départ），随后的赛段将在曼彻斯特、谢菲尔德和伦敦结束，但并未失去其纯真本色。“它有一种新鲜感，这是男子比赛中感受不到的，”她说，“女子体育更易亲近。我认为这是因为在女子自行车运动获得关注之前的那些年里，女子比赛的‘媒体化’程度很低。如今她们看到媒体报道，看到那么多人前来观赛，她们深受感动，每次站上领奖台时都充满了情感。这是一种全新的体验。”

鲁斯表示，曾质疑女子自行车选手水平的怀疑者如今已哑口无言。“过去总有人说：‘女子选手够好吗？她们能应对大爬坡吗？’现在则变成了：‘为什么不增加赛段？为什么不每个赛段都进行电视直播？’再也没人质疑女子选手是否足够优秀。她们已经证明了自己，她们是冠军，证明了自己理应占据一席之地。”

---

34 [...OMITTED...]

体育^{}[] 拳击

吉尔·米德 / 卫报摄影

“我知道如果我拿到那枚金牌会产生多大的影响”

重磅专访

2000.年奥运会超重量级冠军始终渴望金牌，但他也梦想着让英国拳击变得更好

唐纳德·麦克雷

“我是奥运冠军，我是下一个大人物，但体制必须获胜。” 奥德利·哈里森（Audley Harrison）在回顾自己作为一名拳手的崛起与衰落时说道。他在英国拳击界带来了诸多变革，却未能在拳台上实现最宏大的抱负。哈里森曾被视为伦诺克斯·刘易斯（Lennox Lewis）——这位无可争议的世界重量级冠军——的可能接班人，但最终却沦为笑柄，被嘲讽为“骗子哈里森”（Fraudley Harrison）。

他于2013年退役，战绩为31胜7负，从未接近赢得许多人认为他在2000.年悉尼奥运会夺金后必将获得的世界冠军头衔。然而，哈里森曾短暂将英国拳击带入主流视野，并通过自行管理和推广，颠覆了拳击界的旧传统。

如今，54岁的哈里森从洛杉矶的永久居所短暂回到伦敦，依然健谈，同时对自己在英国拳击史上最离奇的故事之一表现出平静的接受态度。他的语气中已不见怨恨。

“The system cannot let an individual turn over the applecart. I now understand that”

“体制无法容忍个人颠覆现状。我现在明白了这一点，所以没有怨言。”他说道，“我是个不受控的因素，而他们必须采取行动保护他们的体制。”

在哈里森的叙述中，“他们”包括BBC和由推广人及经纪人主导的拳击产业。在他看来，悉尼奥运会后，BBC曾对他青睐有加，支付了well over 100 万英镑将拳击重新带回地面电视，但当他的职业生涯陷入挫折、且拒绝将控制权交给他们偏好的推广人时，BBC便对他失去了兴趣。

哈里森称：“2014年，我和凯莉·马洛尼（Kellie Maloney，前经纪人兼推广人）参加《名人老大哥》（Celebrity Big Brother）时，她告诉我：‘我们就是要整你。你成不了事，因为你只是个拳手。’这是一场协同行动。”

马洛尼证实了哈里森的说法：“奥德利想要改变拳击的面貌。于是我们和他的第一个对手（2001年5月的迈克·米德尔顿，Mike Middleton）喝了杯咖啡，聊了聊。他是个美国人，我们去了他在温布利的酒店，说服他让我们的律师代表他，这样他能拿到更多钱。

“我们确保他最终拿到了比奥德利和BBC商定的两倍报酬。这对奥德利是个很好的教训。”

同样重要的是，哈里森为拳击带来的积极变革不容忽视。“很多人不知道，1998,年，我成立了业余拳击联盟，并发起了这场运动。”他说道，“我们发起了请愿，游行到议会。我自己写了新闻稿，上了电视，登上了报纸。

“托尼·班克斯（Tony Banks）当时是体育大臣，我们到他的办公室时，他让我进去了。我带了一叠请愿签名，他说：‘我听说了你的出色工作。你需要什么？’我说我们需要£500k，让完整的队伍参加英联邦运动会。（班克斯）给了我们这笔钱，我们得以全力训练，最终赢得了四枚金牌，这让我们有了一个由12名拳手组成的团队，尝试获得奥运会参赛资格。”

哈里森是那些金牌得主之一，但他的动力来自奥运会。“英国拳击当时缺乏资金，这就是为什么我们自1968,年克里斯·芬尼根（Chris Finnegan）以来再未赢得过奥运金牌。我知道如果我赢得那枚金牌，会产生怎样的影响和杠杆作用，拳击也会因此受益。”

哈里森实现了梦想，并表示：“它改变了我的生活，也改变了英国拳击，因为这项运动得到了更多资金投入。那枚金牌启动了今天你看到的世界级项目。从那以后，我们有了2004,年的阿米尔·汗（Amir Khan），2008,年詹姆斯·德盖尔（James DeGale）也赢得了金牌。

“那带来了更多资金……”

哈里森表示：“然后是2012年，安东尼·约书亚真正崛起。但如果我没赢下第一枚金牌，这一切都不会发生。”

“我赢得了公众的想象力，并最终创造了前所未有的成就。我想要独立[通过创立A-Force推广公司]。格雷格·戴克让这成为现实，因为他是BBC的总干事，也是一位拳击迷。”

伤病与缺乏经验

毁掉了他BBC合同中的前10场比赛。他赢下了所有比赛，却未能引起任何轰动。

“这是一个学习过程，但我被批得体无完肤，”哈里森说。“格雷格·戴克说：‘听着，我们只在乎收视率。’但产品不到位，因为我是从业余转为职业，还担任主角。他们说：‘你不能让别人担任主角，因为所有的老奶奶都认识你。’”

哈里森指出，“我的比赛平均有220万观众观看”，但在第11场连胜（2003年5月对阵马修·埃利斯）后，拳台边爆发了斗殴。“这成了压垮骆驼的最后一根稻草。他们当时说：‘奥德利，你必须保持克制。’”

“BBC希望我放弃自己的公司，只做一名拳手，并签约米克·亨尼西或丹尼斯·霍布森作为我的推广人。”

---

2006年8月11日 星期二 卫报

8

15

当他拒绝后，“被流放到了美国。BBC说：‘我们给你三场比赛的合约，但不能在英国本土进行。’”

哈里森保持了独立性，并凭借真正的智慧前往美国，与ESPN达成了单独的三场比赛协议，同时保留了与BBC的联系。BBC体育部主管彼得·萨蒙随后将合约延长了三场，在英国举行，前提是哈里森减少推广工作。

“但在2004年1月，格雷格·戴克离开了BBC，”他说。“现在，对于BBC内部的反拳击阵营来说，头号公敌就是奥德利·哈里森先生。

“他们选择了朱利叶斯·弗朗西斯作为第二场比赛的对手，我说：‘听着，我和朱利叶斯一起参加派对，还在业余比赛中交过手。他不是合适的对手。’这场比赛打了12回合，无聊至极，直到我在最后一回合将他击倒。谁被批得体无完肤？是我。”

哈里森在2004年3月至6月间进行了三场比赛。“托马什·博宁是最后一场，我三个月来一直在连续比赛，还要与BBC进行这些疯狂的谈判，根本没睡好。

“周日，《世界新闻报》刊登了整版文章：《奥德利惊爆转投天空电视台》。我们当时想：‘搞什么鬼？我们甚至没和天空电视台谈过。’”

后来发现，哈里森和萨蒙都是《镜报》集团报纸非法窃听电话的公众人物之一。

“周二，我与萨蒙会面签署新合约。但当我到达时，他说：‘就这样。这是你为我们打的最后一场比赛，2004年之后BBC将不再播出职业拳击。’”

哈里森在周四的新闻发布会上分享了这一沉重消息，随后：“砰。接下来我以为自己在新闻发布会外心脏病发作。我被送往医院，医生说：‘你不是心脏病发作，但你上次睡觉是什么时候？’我说：‘我已经四天没怎么睡了。’他说：‘你周六不能比赛。’但我必须上场。

“第二天，我哥哥开车送我去称重。我在车里彻底崩溃。我以为自己要死了。我尖叫着，挥舞着手臂。有一阵子我完全失控，但当我到达场馆时——

▶ 2010年11月，奥德利·哈里森在对阵大卫·海耶的比赛中仅出拳数次即被三回合击倒 JON KOPKIAF

“砰。接下来我以为自己在新闻发布会外心脏病发作”

“我冷静下来了。我戴上兜帽，尽一切努力保持镇定。”

哈里森在第九回合击倒了博宁。“我完成了任务，但他们又一次剥夺了我的荣耀。我确实伤到了他，但他们过早地终止了比赛。”

他不得不等待三天才能返回美国，哈里森说他大部分时间都待在黑暗的房间里。“我感觉超人已经离开了这栋大楼，而克拉克·肯特永远不会成为世界冠军。那个曾经的我——A-Force、超人——在车的后座上离开了这栋大楼。”

哈里森接下来赢了两场比赛，在美国的战绩达到19-0，直到2005年12月在一场分歧判定中输给丹尼·威廉姆斯。多米尼克·科尔顿在下一场比赛中击败了他，世界冠军的梦想就此破灭。

哈里森又赢了12场比赛，但也输了另外五场。2010年11月输给大卫·海耶的那场比赛令人尴尬，他在第三回合被击倒，几乎没有出拳。但在梅菲尔的Buddhahos健身房的一个角落里，他却以一种哲学的口吻说道：“我必须学习这些教训，因为如果我继续走那条路，我现在可能已经死了。我很幸运能有第二次机会。我的拳击生涯一团糟，但克拉克·肯特成长起来了。”

哈里森多年来一直住在洛杉矶，他和妻子雷切尔经营着一家成功的美发沙龙和美容产品生意。“我有美丽的妻子和房子，两个孩子，我有了实质性的东西，如果那些事情没有发生，我可能不会拥有这些。”

人们再次对他感到好奇。

“我为沃德利-杜波依斯的比赛（5月在曼彻斯特举行）飞了过去，整晚都停不下来：‘奥德利，能和你合个影吗？’那感觉又像是奥运会了。”

他看了一场残酷的比赛，哈里森说：“我并不是不尊重沃德利，但他来自白领拳击，却赢得了IBF冠军。这让我看到了拳击在技术和战术上的糟糕。但杜波依斯让我感到鼓舞。他在培养那些拳击的基本功。”

他如何看待英国新的重量级希望摩西·伊陶马？“他看起来不错，但他上一场比赛的对手是[杰梅因]·富兰克林，一个‘守门员’。我需要看到他在更高水平上展现实力。”

他有没有看乔舒亚最近对阵克里斯蒂安·普伦斯的比赛？这位名不见经传的阿尔巴尼亚人在第一回合将他击倒了两次。“是的，时间之父是不可战胜的。前几天我看了乔舒亚2018年对阵[亚历山大]·波维特金的比赛。波维特金是个凶狠的重击手，但乔舒亚承受住了那些重击，并以漂亮的方式结束了比赛。他已经失去了那种抗击打能力，但他仍然是AJ，仍然会向你发起进攻。

“那个与德翁泰·怀尔德打过精彩比赛的泰森·富里，尤其是第二场比赛精彩到让我高潮，也已经不一样了。那些艰苦的比赛会让你付出太多。他们会让富里成为热门，但AJ会以真正的强度与他对抗。富里低估了他，除非他全力以赴，否则他会有麻烦。”

哈里森真的对这场被过度炒作的比赛感兴趣吗？“非常感兴趣。当迈克·泰森对阵伦诺克斯·刘易斯时，人们都说：‘这是一场糟糕的比赛。太晚了。’但刘易斯在里面打得很猛，泰森也在努力打出那些重击。富里和AJ也会像那样。这将是一场我们会记住的比赛。”

哈里森想重返拳坛吗？“是的。我在美国有经纪人执照。作为教练、经纪人和比赛策划人的知识是独一无二的，而且是最高水平的。我不是在吹嘘，但我所受的教育都在我的脑海里，等待着某个人来继承。”

拳击是个肮脏的行业，哈里森说：“它是如此不择手段，如此功能失调，这就是我一直很高兴能置身事外的原因。但当我死了，我无法将这些知识传授给任何人。我知道我可以培养出一位奥运冠军和世界冠军，所以不分享这些会是一种遗憾。”

纽卡斯尔的诺布斯心愿单上有升级

汤姆·加里

乔丹·诺布斯表示，随纽卡斯尔升入女子超级联赛（WSL）将实现她让英格兰东北部俱乐部进入顶级联赛的抱负。

拥有71次英格兰国家队出场纪录的诺布斯出生于斯托克顿-蒂斯，她认为该地区的女子足球将受益于顶级联赛的代表。纽卡斯尔上赛季在WSL2联赛中排名第六，落后冠军伯明翰11分，距离附加赛资格差9分。但今夏他们从顶级联赛引入了高水平球员，包括从热刺签下的前锋玛莎·托马斯，以及利物浦的双人组合莉安·基尔南和杰玛·埃文斯。

诺布斯对新赛季的目标非常明确。“就是升级。我知道我们去年也这么说过，”她说，“我一直说事情不会一夜之间发生，[但]这是我们的目标。你必须大声说出来。

“回顾上赛季，我们有过一些非常出色的表现，但有九场平局，丢掉了太多分数。关键在于找到取胜的方法。我们只需要在上赛季的基础上有所提升，我认为我们离目标并不远。

“[随纽卡斯尔升级]，我一直说这将是大功告成。在WSL，我已经达成了尽可能多的目标，所以让一支我们当年不得不离开的东北部球队升级，将是我非常希望实现的成就。”

诺布斯的职业生涯始于桑德兰，并在旧顶级联赛中进入一线队。但2011年WSL成立时，桑德兰的加入申请被拒，她转投阿森纳。这导致一支包括诺布斯未来的英格兰队友露西·布朗兹和露西·斯坦尼福斯在内的成功球队解散。

桑德兰曾在2015年至2018年间参加顶级联赛，但WSL中来自东北部的球队一直寥寥无几。因此，诺布斯对纽卡斯尔的投资以及他们在WSL2的竞争对手（今年6月被Bay Collective收购）感到高兴。

“这是一个漫长的等待，但这是北方人一直以来的愿望。我们不希望东北部的足球逐渐消失。现在它正朝着正确的方向发展。但关键的一步是进入WSL。我非常希望能成为其中的一部分。”

诺布斯去年7月加盟纽卡斯尔后，在塔尼娅·奥克斯托比的体系中扮演了重要角色。“在维拉时我更多地踢后腰位置，[现在]我喜欢回到更高的位置。”

足球简讯

联赛杯

卢顿抽到客场对阵切尔西的硬仗

五届冠军切尔西在英联杯第二轮抽签中获得主场对阵英甲球队卢顿的机会，比赛将于8月24日当周进行。切尔西新任主帅哈维·阿隆索将在本月下旬率队争夺自2015年以来的首座英联杯冠军。同为英超球队的托特纳姆热刺也获得主场优势，对手是英冠球队查尔顿。富勒姆将主场迎战英甲球队AFC温布尔登，布伦特福德则需前往英冠球队伯明翰客场挑战，而新近升级的伊普斯维奇将坐镇主场对阵莱斯特城。在北部赛区，本赛季欧联杯半决赛球队诺丁汉森林将主场迎战同为顶级联赛的利兹联，成为本轮焦点战。纽卡斯尔新任主帅马蒂亚斯·耶斯勒获得主场对阵西布罗姆维奇的机会，而埃弗顿主帅大卫·莫耶斯则将重返普雷斯顿，他曾在此效力并执教过。PA通讯社

北部赛区：巴恩斯利 vs 克鲁、布莱克本 vs 谢菲尔德联、布莱克浦 林肯城、布拉德福德城 伯恩利、唐卡斯特 米德尔斯堡、弗利特伍德 什鲁斯伯里、纽卡斯尔 西布罗姆维奇、诺丁汉森林 利兹联、普雷斯顿 埃弗顿、谢菲尔德星期三 狼队、斯托克城 赫尔城。

南部赛区：伯明翰 布伦特福德、剑桥联 米尔沃尔、卡迪夫城 诺维奇、切尔西 卢顿、富勒姆 AFC温布尔登、伊普斯维奇 莱斯特城、普利茅斯或埃克塞特 考文垂、南安普顿 西汉姆联、斯陶斯伯里 雷丁、托特纳姆热刺 查尔顿、沃尔索尔 莱顿东方、沃特福德 彼得伯勒联。

德比郡

狮王体育放弃收购后，公羊队不再出售

德比郡已确认与图尔基·阿尔谢赫的狮王体育关于收购英冠球队控股权的谈判将不再继续，并宣布俱乐部现已退市。此前，该收购流程已获得独立足球监管机构和英格兰足球联赛（EFL）的批准，德比郡于上周收到相关通知。但德比郡在昨晚的一份声明中表示：“今日俱乐部收到通知，狮王体育不再希望继续推进收购。为消除任何疑虑，1俱乐部现已退市。”沙特政府官员兼拳击推广人阿尔谢赫表示：“经过仔细考虑，我们认为此时不宜继续推进。”PA通讯社

---

38

体育 足球

森林队老板马里纳基斯起诉水晶宫球迷横幅

埃德·阿伦斯

诺丁汉森林俱乐部老板埃万杰洛斯·马里纳基斯以诽谤为由起诉水晶宫俱乐部，原因是该俱乐部南伦敦球迷在赛场展示了一幅将他描绘为用枪指着英格兰中场摩根·吉布斯-怀特头部的横幅。

自该横幅在水晶宫与森林队1-1战平的上半场出现以来，近12个月过去，38马里纳基斯的律师昨日已向高等法院提交了针对CPFC有限公司及“身份不明人士”的诽谤诉讼。

该横幅展示了这位希腊船运大亨用枪指着吉布斯-怀特的画面——后者原本计划在去年夏天加盟托特纳姆热刺，但森林队最终退出交易——横幅还附有文字：“马里纳基斯先生未涉黑邮、假球、贩毒或腐败。”马里纳基斯此前已否认上述所有指控。其律师

![马里纳基斯的律师已提起诽谤诉讼](

)

范戴克期待更多优质引援，利物浦租借签下阿劳霍

多米尼克·布思

维吉尔·范戴克已准备好迎接罗纳德·阿劳霍成为他在利物浦的新中卫搭档，后者的租借加盟交易已于昨日完成。

阿劳霍以一份为期1个赛季的合同加盟，此前他曾踢过右后卫位置，而这一位置目前是利物浦阵容的薄弱环节，康纳·布拉德利仍在从严重膝伤中康复，杰里米·弗林蓬在安菲尔德的首个赛季表现起伏，尚未稳固首发位置。

周日，范戴克在利物浦主场3-2不敌摩纳哥的季前赛中首次亮相，出场近0.小时，球队曾以2-0领先。这位荷兰后卫在中场休息前对亚历山大·戈洛文犯规，送出点球，戈洛文主罚命中。

杰雷米·雅凯仍未归队，利物浦斥资5000 万英镑m引进的后卫在上赛季效力雷恩期间饱受伤病困扰，目前仍在谨慎调养中。

“我迫不及待想要开始，”拥有27次乌拉圭国家队出场纪录的阿劳霍在利物浦官网上表示，“我认为这是一个必要的决定。一听到利物浦有意，一切就迅速行动起来。能来到这里，我非常开心。”

范戴克谈及阿劳霍时表示：“任何加盟俱乐部的球员，我们都会欢迎。”

这位队长对雅凯的恢复及9月1日转会截止日前的引援前景持乐观态度。利物浦有意在锋线上补强，巴黎圣日耳曼的布拉德利·巴尔科拉是目标之一。

范戴克说：“我们能为球队增添任何优质球员都将非常受欢迎，让我们拭目以待。”他谈到雅凯时表示：“我还没见过他比赛。我和他交流过，也见过他在训练场走动，我们有过对话。我迫不及待想看到他重返赛场，希望这能尽快实现。”

范戴克透露，他一直与新任主帅安多尼·伊劳拉保持密切联系，全力支持这位新帅。“对他来说，最重要的是知道我会在这里支持他，无论他需要什么、想了解什么，或是希望我为球队做什么。希望我们本赛季能取得成功。”

▲ 罗纳德·阿劳霍前往安菲尔德，增强利物浦薄弱的防线

▼ 阿尤布·布瓦迪在今夏世界杯上为摩洛哥表现出色 MAURO POMENTEL / AFFICETTY

马里纳基斯方面被要求置评。水晶宫俱乐部发言人未予回应。

今年2月，水晶宫因被英足总认定“未能确保其观众和 / 或支持者（及任何自称支持者或追随者的人）在比赛中未以不当、冒犯、辱骂和 / 或挑衅的方式行为”而被罚款5 万英镑。英足总在声明中补充道：“水晶宫制定了防止横幅被偷运进场的政策，这表明他们意识到存在风险。”

去年夏天，水晶宫与诺丁汉森林关系紧张，森林致信欧足联，表达对水晶宫可能违反多俱乐部所有权规定的担忧。最终，足总杯冠军水晶宫被降级至欧洲协会联赛，而原本排名英超第7位、获得欧洲协会联赛资格的森林则取而代之。水晶宫在奥利弗·格拉泽纳的带领下赢得了该项赛事冠军，森林则闯入欧联杯半决赛。

格拉泽纳在合同结束后离开水晶宫，加盟森林。这位奥地利教练本周表示，马里纳基斯在雅典的晚餐上说服他改变了主意，此前他曾因森林下赛季无缘欧战而拒绝执教。水晶宫将于10月10日在塞尔赫斯特公园球场迎战森林。

“这是我必须做出的决定。一听到利物浦有意，一切就迅速行动起来。能来到这里，我

曼城有望以8500万英镑签下里尔的布阿迪

摩洛哥中场的加盟预计将为罗德里加盟巴塞罗那扫清障碍

杰米·杰克逊

曼城即将从里尔签下阿尤布·布阿迪，其预期加盟将为罗德里转会巴塞罗那铺平道路。这位18岁的中场球员已与曼城达成个人条款协议，但俱乐部仍在与里尔敲定最终交易，后者对其估价为1亿英镑（8500万英镑）。

曼城新任主帅恩佐·马雷斯卡希望立即将这位摩洛哥国脚纳入一线队。曼城将于周日在社区盾杯对阵阿森纳，并于8月23日揭开英超联赛征程，对手是伯恩茅斯。

巴塞罗那有信心从曼城签下罗德里，但需提高报价，此前4500万欧元的初始报价上周遭拒。出售费兰·托雷斯（巴黎圣日耳曼有意）将为罗德里的转会提供资金。现年30岁的罗德里合同仅剩一年，曼城几乎已接受其离队。

若布阿迪的交易完成，他将与上月以1.16亿英镑从诺丁汉森林加盟的埃利奥特·安德森共同组建全新中场阵容，该阵容已失去了贝尔纳多·席尔瓦的经验。

与此同时，曼联有意莱斯特城球员路易斯·佩奇。曼联希望在与阿森纳的竞争中签下这位18岁的中场球员，佩奇本人更倾向于转会老特拉福德。

马库斯·拉什福德在英格兰前锋结束世界杯后的休假后，已加入曼联在基尔代尔郡的训练营。这位28岁的球员在与俱乐部高层及前曼联主帅鲁本·阿莫林关系破裂后，先后被租借至巴塞罗那和阿斯顿维拉度过了过去一个半赛季。目前关系已缓和，拉什福德专注于在曼联主帅迈克尔·卡里克手下效力，但他仍有可能在转会窗口关闭前离队。

阿森纳寻求后防补强，萨利巴与廷贝尔缺阵

埃德·阿伦斯

在米克尔·阿尔特塔透露尤里恩·廷贝尔距离重返竞技赛场尚需时日后，阿森纳正加紧签下后防补强，以应对威廉·萨利巴的缺阵。萨利巴在世界杯期间背部受伤，将缺阵一段较长时间。

阿森纳在周日以2-3不敌多特蒙德，连续第二场热身赛失利，未能捧起酋长杯，比赛中多次出现防守失误。阿尔特塔拒绝透露这位法国后卫的预计回归时间，仅表示“需要一些时间来恢复”。

廷贝尔的情况同样令人担忧。他在世界杯前夕因未能从长期腹股沟伤势中恢复，退出了荷兰队阵容，并缺席了上赛季末的大部分比赛。

“尤里恩进展非常顺利，”阿尔特塔表示，“他已经能上场训练，目前正在进行大量恢复工作，但距离复出仍需数周。具体时间无法确定。威廉·萨利巴目前处于休养模式，为期2周，几乎不需要做任何事情，因为伤势加重，因此需要一些时间来恢复。”

当被问及阿森纳如何应对萨利巴缺阵时，他表示：“我们过去也经历过这种情况，不幸的是。当他能够出场时，他打出了高水平，数据也令人难以置信。我们知道我们失去了一名重要球员，廷贝尔也是如此。”

阿森纳此前对阿斯顿维拉的埃兹里·孔萨报价遭拒，预计将再次提出报价，这位英格兰中卫也能胜任右后卫位置。维拉对他的估值为6000 万英镑m，但由于孔萨合同剩余不足2年，阿森纳不愿为这位28岁的球员支付如此高昂的费用。阿森纳还对托特纳姆热刺的克里斯蒂安·罗梅罗表现出兴趣，但考虑到热刺不愿将球员出售给北伦敦死敌，任何交易都不太可能成行。

阿尔特塔在对阵多特蒙德的比赛中派出克里斯蒂安·莫斯克拉与加布里埃尔·马加良斯搭档中卫，他表示阿森纳现有球员必须在周日对阵曼城的社区盾杯前提升状态，但并未排除再引进一名后卫的可能性。

“市场上必须有合适的球员能让我们变得更强，”他说道，“今天我们丢了一些不该丢的球，尤其是在比赛态度上。但这是全队的责任。因此，我们需要用现有球员提升表现。”

---

2025年8月11日 星期二 卫报

体育 足球

其他版面 穆里尼奥

菲尔·哈里森评论Netflix纪录片系列《G2》，第10版 → 27

英乙联赛前瞻

索尔福德寄希望于兰斯塔夫

上赛季英乙附加赛决赛失利的索尔福德被视为升级热门，而降级的罗瑟汉姆在史蒂夫·麦克拉伦和亚历克斯·布鲁斯的执教下也颇具看点，威尔·昂温报道

竞争者

索尔福德在升级附加赛决赛中惨败，卡尔·罗宾逊（Karl Robinson）也因此下课。彼得·克拉莫夫斯基（Peter Cklamovski）并非显而易见的继任者，但这位澳大利亚人离开马来西亚国家队，加盟重新命名为“Ammies”的球队，身披传统橙色战袍，挑战英乙联赛。麦考利·朗斯塔夫（Macaulay Langstaff）的加盟肩负着为索尔福德攻入关键进球、最终实现升级的重任，几乎无人会看衰这位射手。

切斯特菲尔德同样在附加赛中失利，但保罗·库克（Paul Cook）仍是这一级别最优秀的主教练之一，不过阿曼多·多布拉（Armando Dobra）的离开可能影响重大。格里姆斯比签下老将前锋安迪·库克（Andy Cook）对他们寻求更进一步至关重要，如果他能保持出场时间，其影响力将不容小觑。李·格兰特（Lee Grant）在哈德斯菲尔德未能获得太多证明自己的机会，因此将在沃尔索尔全力以赴，尤其是在英联杯淘汰英冠球队布里斯托尔城的开门红后。这位前门将希望自己能成为确保“马鞍工”不再像近年那样在冬季停滞不前的关键人物。

在降级球队中，罗瑟勒姆是最引人注目的一支，他们聘请史蒂夫·麦克拉伦（Steve McClaren）担任足球总监，亚历克斯·布鲁斯（Alex Bruce）出任主教练，试图重振球队。萨姆·农贝（Sam Nombe）的离开是一大损失，但其转会费应能用于引援。乔恩·布雷迪（Jon Brady）深知自己在做什么，尽管无力留住波特维尔，但他手下的阵容可能是这一级别最完整的，马克斯·沃特斯（Max Watters）和凯尔·登普西（Kyle Dempsey）是今夏的亮眼签约。

有望球队

上赛季末的低迷让克鲁无缘附加赛，但卢克·奥福德（Luke Offord）和乔·怀特（Joe White）的回归带来了急需的质量。巴内特在重返英格兰足球联赛后仅以两分之差无缘前八，并保留了大部分年轻阵容——除了被卖至斯托克波特的瑞安·格洛弗（Ryan Glover）——这让迪恩·布伦南（Dean Brennan）对球队的进步充满信心。奥尔德姆在第四级别的回归稳扎稳打，并签下了埃利奥特·内维特（Elliott Nevitt）这位进球保障，以及奥利弗·诺伯恩（Oliver Norburn），后者是诺茨郡从本级别升级的关键成员。

科林·卡齐姆-理查兹（Colin Kazim-Richards）已在克劳利站稳脚跟，并像往常一样在夏季进行了大规模引援，试图避免保级战。前桑德兰门将维托·曼诺内（Vito Mannone）是一笔引人注目的签约，而天才球员马尔科姆·埃比奥韦（Malcolm Ebiowei）则希望能扭转职业生涯。如果这两人表现出色，克劳利可能成为一匹黑马。降级和场外问题让埃克塞特陷入下滑，若无进一步引援，这一趋势恐难以遏制。伊恩·霍洛韦（Ian Holloway）将斯温登对阵布里斯托尔城的热身赛表现称为“绝对垃圾”，这表明球队仍有提升空间。加雷斯·安斯沃思（Gareth Ainsworth）希望高压的吉林汉姆能在整个赛季保持活力，为争夺前列提供一线机会。

乔治·伯利（George Burley）的女婿克里斯·霍格（Chris Hogg）于5月加盟北安普顿，首次担任主教练，并在希腊度假后准备好迎接挑战，但“铁锤帮”可能会为卡梅伦·麦吉汉（Cameron McGeehan）的离开感到遗憾，因为他们正努力在降级后重建。加文·科万（Gavin Cowan）将什鲁斯伯里从绝望中拯救出来，并成功保级，但他的第二个赛季将面临更大挑战。

约翰·特里（John Terry）并非科尔切斯特的老板，该俱乐部的出售仍在僵持中，尚无解决方案。史蒂夫·埃文斯（Steve Evans）将确保布里斯托尔流浪者保持竞争力，但他们能否超越上赛季的第14名仍有待观察。

挣扎求生的球队

升班球队在经历主教练变动后起步艰难，罗奇代尔失去了吉米·麦克纳尔蒂，而约克在季前赛中途解雇斯图尔特·梅纳德，令球迷大为不满。不过，精心的引援让他们看到了希望，特别是罗奇代尔重新签回了西恩·海斯。

特兰米尔上赛季仅以几分优势保级，但希望在达雷尔·克拉克的带领下有所提升，后者说服了威尔·沃克斯和前沃特福德边锋汤姆·因斯，让他们相信普雷斯顿公园是继续职业生涯的明智之地。纽波特郡则被迫更换主帅，克里斯蒂安·富赫斯在带队保级后决定罗德尼路并非他想要的归宿，导致球队陷入动荡，克里斯·托德临时负责新赛季的备战工作。流亡者队引入了哈里森·比金斯和克里斯蒂安·多伊奇等经验丰富的球员，以增强阵容实力。

缺乏经验的马特·劳勒即将迎来执教弗利特伍德的首个完整赛季，球队签下了从雷克瑟姆加盟的安迪·坎农，士气大振。史蒂夫·科特里尔近一年前重振切尔滕纳姆，但其前六名夏季签约球员中有五人在五月降级，这并不令人振奋。阿克灵顿·斯坦利上赛季稳居中游，无需担心降级，科尔·斯托克顿的加盟是一笔精明的签约，但球队的运作效率仍存疑虑。

周六揭幕战（除注明外均为下午3点开球） 阿克灵顿·斯坦利 vs 科尔切斯特，巴尼特 vs 索尔福德，切尔滕纳姆 罗瑟勒姆，切斯特菲尔德 弗利特伍德，克劳利 克鲁，吉林汉姆 沃尔索尔，格里姆斯比 埃克塞特，纽波特郡 罗奇代尔（12. 30pm），北安普顿 斯温登，奥尔德姆 波特瓦尔（12. 30pm），特兰米尔 什鲁斯伯里，约克 布里斯托尔流浪者

阿尔坦对超级杯机会“非常开心”

本·费舍尔

索马里裁判奥马尔·阿尔坦曾被美国拒绝入境执法世界杯，首次公开谈及此事，并表达了作为明天巴黎圣日耳曼与阿斯顿维拉超级杯执法主裁判的自豪。欧足联在阿尔坦被拒绝执法世界杯数日后，将这场比赛的执法权授予了这位34岁的裁判。

阿尔坦将在萨尔茨堡创造历史，成为首位执法欧足联年度冠军联赛与欧联杯冠军对决的非欧洲裁判。“当我们接到这个电话时，对我和我的家人来说，真的是非常非常开心的时刻，”他说道，“欧洲和奥地利有庞大的索马里社区，他们为我能执法这样的比赛感到欣喜若狂。”

6月6日，阿尔坦在迈阿密国际机场被拒绝入境，随即陷入争议。国际足联主席詹尼·因凡蒂诺表示，他无力推翻唐纳德·特朗普政府的决定。索马里是美国去年推出的旅行禁令名单上的12个国家之一。

“那是一段艰难的时期，”阿尔坦说，“很多人同情我，因为当一个人多年努力工作，本应完成某件事，却无法实现时，确实非常具有挑战性。我非常感谢全世界给予我的支持，我深表感激。”

阿尔坦通过执法索马里联赛和科威特超级联赛的比赛为红牛竞技场的这场比赛做准备。“我们裁判在了解球队方面做了大量准备工作，”他在接受欧足联采访时表示，“我总是观看球队的比赛。我本就喜欢观看欧洲足球，但无论如何，我都会进行大量研究，了解球队的打法、行为和战术。”

阿尔坦的助理裁判还包括另外两名非洲裁判：利班·阿卜杜勒拉扎克·艾哈迈德（吉布提）和斯蒂芬·埃利埃泽·奥尼扬戈·延贝（肯尼亚）。

▲ 奥马尔·阿尔坦曾入选世界杯裁判名单，但被美国拒绝入境

国际足联世界杯出售计划是“对信任的根本性背叛”

接前页

该计划。“这将其视为沟通失败，而足球界目睹的却是判断力的失败，”信中写道。“它并未承认这一提案本身存在根本性错误。国际足联仍未认识到，试图出售国际足联世界杯的权益是判断力的严重失误——这不仅仅是程序上的失误，更是对国际足联本应服务的机构的根本性信任背叛。”

三位主席还呼吁对该事件进行独立审查。国际足联此前曾承诺在下次预定的国际足联理事会会议上提交一份完整报告。信中还提到，各国可能因领导层变动而失去财政援助的担忧，称“这（并）不是关于任何成员协会失去其应得的支持，尽管有人针对我们的领导层进行恐吓，暗示情况会有所不同”。

信中总结道：“本应问责的地方却保持沉默，本应开放的地方却保持距离......足球的力量始终在于团结。我们呼吁现在应当尊重这种团结，以服务足球的领导力，而非试图主宰它。”

任何国际足联选举的候选人必须在11月18日前宣布参选。据了解，各大洲足联正考虑在国际足联章程和治理框架内采取一切可能选项，推动因凡蒂诺被取代。

尽管这封信概述了三大洲足联及其领导层的立场，但各成员协会内部的情况更为复杂。除欧洲外，几乎没有成员公开反对因凡蒂诺，仅有少数成员倾向于撤回此前支持其明年3月连任的支持信。非洲和南美洲足联（非洲足联和南美足联）近日已公开表态支持因凡蒂诺。

多个较大的成员协会已致信因凡蒂诺，要求召开会议，让其解释围绕FFE计划的行为。目前尚未收到回复。他也未与各足协联系，以解决其在此次动荡中的核心角色问题。

在三大洲足联发表三方声明后，又有一份由世界杯东道主美国足协和加拿大足协牵头的联合声明发布，加勒比海足球联盟和中美洲足球联盟也加入其中，共同呼吁国际足联进行治理变革。

这四个机构共包含40个中北美及加勒比海足联的41个成员，唯一例外是第三个世界杯东道主墨西哥，该国于上周五公开表态支持因凡蒂诺。美国足协此前一直保持沉默，其愿意谴责国际足联的态度意义重大：该国正在申办2031年女足世界杯，并希望承办2029年世俱杯比赛。

---

18

体育^{}[] 欧洲田径锦标赛

亨特在英国希望之日的灿烂表现中夺得100米金牌

短跑运动员克服慢起步赢得胜利，而尼尔森在400米栏中设定了轻快的节奏

亚历山大体育场

英国的艾米·亨特（Amy Hunt）在伯明翰举行的欧洲田径锦标赛女子100米比赛中奋力冲刺，夺得了一枚辉煌的金牌。这位24岁的运动员作为热门选手参加此次赛事，此前她在东京赢得了200米世界银牌，并在两周前的英联邦运动会上夺得100米冠军——而这一次，她以绝对优势完成了比赛。

亨特的起跑从来不是最快的。事实上，她的起跑就像一个钉鞋被强力胶粘在起跑器上的女人。但她在终点前发力，以11.00秒的成绩获胜。波兰的埃娃·斯沃博达（Ewa Swoboda）以11.02秒获得银牌，比利时的德尔芬·恩坎萨（Delphine Nkansa）以11.06秒获得铜牌。

就在此前不久，英国的男女混合4x400米接力队在金牌得主挪威队之后，勇敢地夺得了一枚银牌。英国队由本·杰弗里斯（Ben Jeffries）、夏洛特·亨里希（Charlotte Henrich）、托比·哈里斯（Toby Harries）和耶米·玛丽·约翰（Yemi Mary John）组成，所有人都表现出色。但由400米栏世界纪录保持者卡斯滕·沃霍尔姆（Karsten Warholm）和今年欧洲最快女性亨丽埃特·耶格（Henriette Jæger）领衔的挪威队过于强大，他们以3:09.62的锦标赛纪录夺冠，领先英国队近1秒。

唯一的遗憾是，考虑到可容纳约20,000人的亚历山大体育场看起来仅半满，没有更多的人能在此见证这一时刻。

然而，组织者告诉《卫报》，周一晚上的门票已售出13,623张——全周门票共售出170,000张——且从周四晚上开始，赛事几乎全部售罄。

英国的马克斯·伯金（Max Burgin）在12天前的英联邦运动会半决赛中惨遭淘汰后深感困惑——直到当天晚些时候才意识到自己正处于一种严重病毒感染的早期阶段。这位24岁的运动员此后几乎没有跑步，但昨天他在一个竞争激烈的800米预赛中以1分45.40秒获胜，看起来更像回到了之前的状态。

“医生说那是病毒感染，所以我不得不休息3天，我也确实这么做了。之后当我恢复跑步时，仍然感觉很不舒服，所以这种情况持续的时间比预想的要长一些，”他说道。

“上周我真的没能进行太多跑步训练，而我所做的那部分训练也没有给我带来太多信心，所以我真的不太确定。进入这次预赛时，我只是想着采取稍微保守一点的方式。起跑时稍微落后一点，采用更传统的战术。但结果我们比英联邦运动会的预赛快得多。我跑了45.秒。”

“我对自己的跑法很满意。对我的冲刺终点很满意，知道自己还具备这种能力总是件好事。我不经常看到这种情况。这是一次很好的跑动。我期待半决赛。”

本·帕蒂森（Ben Pattison）也作为最快非自动晋级者通过了预赛，他在自己的小组中排名第四，但以1:45.40的成绩（全场第五快时间）晋级。“我试图在后直道进行一次大动作，但我的腿跟不上，然后我就被卷进去了，”他说道。

---

8

59

欧锦赛今日赛程

基莉·霍奇金森 (c) 将于12.05开始 卫冕女子800米冠军。 今晚的重头戏是男子100米比赛，意大利选手马塞尔·雅各布斯有望卫冕（决赛时间为9.45pm），英国选手罗梅尔·格拉夫是其最强劲的挑战者。女子100米栏（9.30pm）也将精彩纷呈。

上午 10.30am 男子跳高（资格赛） 10.35am 男子铁饼（资格赛） 10.45am 女子400米栏（半决赛） 11.15am 男子100米（第一轮） 11.40am 男子110米栏（第一轮） 12pm 男子铁饼（资格赛） 12.05pm 女子800米（第一轮） 12.40pm 男子400米栏（第一轮）

晚上 7.05 女子撑杆跳（资格赛） 7.10pm 男子链球（决赛） 7.25pm 女子5000米（决赛） 7.55pm 女子100米栏（半决赛） 8.16pm 男子跳远（决赛） 8.32pm 男子100米（半决赛） 9pm 男子400米（半决赛） 9.30pm 女子100米栏（决赛） 9.47pm 男子100米（决赛）

电视转播：BBC One，10.30-1.15pm；BBC Two 7-8pm，BBC One 8-10pm

艾米·亨特在女子100米决赛中以4%优势领先，慢热起步后最终为英国赢得金牌，决赛时间为9.45pm。

爱尔兰选手马克·英格利什在其他晋级半决赛的选手中表现最佳，但他的同胞西安·麦克菲利普斯因病毒感染发挥失常，未能晋级，此前他曾进入东京奥运会男子800米决赛。

英国选手阿奇·姚在最后一跳跳出7.92米，晋级男子跳远决赛。但奖牌争夺似乎将在奥运冠军、希腊选手米尔蒂亚季斯·滕托格卢（资格赛第三，8.26米）、意大利选手弗朗切斯科·因佐利（8.34米）和塞尔维亚选手卢卡·博什科维奇（8.33米）之间展开。

此外，英国选手莉娜·尼尔森在女子400米栏比赛中以55.08的成绩轻松晋级半决赛，成为第二快的晋级者。“感觉非常好，非常轻松，”她说，“计划是在尽可能保存体力的同时为半决赛做好准备。

“这是一个微妙的平衡。我在最后阶段告诉自己，不要太拼，只要保持住位置就好，我还偷偷看了一眼屏幕，这在我的职业生涯中还是第一次，感觉挺有趣的。”

当被问及是否有望争夺奖牌时，她说：“决赛中一切皆有可能。我认为半决赛会非常艰难，所以我的计划是尽可能恢复体能。”

一些不太知名的英国新星也表现强劲。杰克·诺里斯在男子链球资格赛中以75.67米的成绩排名第9，惊险晋级决赛——尽管他早上起床时状态不佳。

“不管结果如何，我对自己的表现都很满意，”诺里斯说，“我不是一个习惯早起的人，今天早上起床有些困难。但我为自己的训练和投掷状态感到自豪。

“今天的表现反映了训练的良好状态。英联邦运动会上的表现让我失望，今天我找回了状态。”

英厄布里格森以惊人表现夺得5000米冠军

肖恩·英格尔斯

有些人认为雅各布·英厄布里格森缺乏冲刺终结能力。这位挪威选手在本次欧洲锦标赛上以惊人的冲刺夺冠，足以证明这些质疑并不成立。

在本届锦标赛前，围绕他的种种疑问和质疑不绝于耳。他曾受伤。他已有11个月未参赛。他似乎变得脆弱。然而，一如既往，英厄布里格森再次找到了夺金的方法。

这场胜利无疑是他职业生涯中最激动人心的时刻之一。进入最后一个弯道时，他位列第三，被法国选手吉米·格雷斯勒和德国选手弗洛里安·布雷姆夹在中间，但他找到了空隙，并以13分15.29秒的成绩强势冲线。

布雷姆获得银牌，法国选手艾蒂安·达吉诺斯摘得铜牌。英厄布里格森成为首位在同一项目中四夺欧洲冠军的男子选手。此外，如果算上越野赛的胜利，他已累计赢得17枚欧洲金牌。

考虑到过去17个月里他一直饱受跟腱伤病困扰，这场胜利显得尤为珍贵。“两周前我报名时就梦想着这一刻，”英厄布里格森说，他的最后一圈用时54秒。“我祈祷自己能站在这里，并且感觉更好。结果刚刚好，我非常开心。”

当被问及这是否是他的第七个欧洲冠军时，他说：“希望这还不是一半。我还非常年轻。”他的回归是本周最大的谜团。这位挪威选手在欧洲锦标赛（室内和室外）上曾保持14场连胜，这一纪录可追溯至2019年。但他已有11个月未参赛。

在过去不顾一切的日子里，英厄布里格森本应是这场比赛的绝对热门，对手包括瑞士选手多米尼克·洛巴卢——后者在2024年奥运会上获得第四名。但这一次情况不同。考虑到英厄布里格森今年2月刚接受了左跟腱腱鞘手术，质疑者的怀疑不无道理。但没有人相信他来伯明翰只是为了吃一顿巴尔蒂菜和参观奥齐·奥斯本的展览。

当英厄布里格森被介绍给观众时，体育场广播花了好几秒钟才列举完他的成就。这位挪威选手面无表情地站着，然后举起一根手指。很快，他在赛道上证明了这一点。

![Jakob Ingebrigtsen以激动人心的胜利消除了对其竞技状态的疑虑](

)

体育简讯

田径

俄罗斯对体育禁令提出质疑

俄罗斯田径协会已向国际体育仲裁法庭提交新的申诉，挑战世界田径联合会（World Athletics）施加的制裁，以争取恢复俄罗斯运动员参加国际比赛的资格。该协会表示，最新的上诉针对的是他们认为侵犯其权利并阻碍其充分代表俄罗斯运动员参与国际赛事的限制。自2022年乌克兰入侵以来，俄罗斯运动员一直被排除在国际比赛之外。路透社

板球

国际板球理事会50回合世界杯改制计划遭批评

苏格兰和荷兰对明年50回合世界杯的改制方案提出批评，称这些变化“可能削弱国际板球的完整性和公信力”。在上月于爱丁堡举行的理事会会议上，国际板球理事会（ICC）宣布，在南部非洲举行的主赛事将包含12支球队，分为两组，每组6支球队。虽然参赛队伍仍为14支，但比赛计划从预选赛开始，涉及排名最低的三支球队，仅有一支球队能晋级小组赛。PA媒体

橄榄球

福里入选南非队参加对抗新西兰的“宿敌之战”

南非队召回了39岁的多面手前锋德翁·福里（Deon Fourie），参加与新西兰队的“橄榄球最伟大宿敌”系列赛，距离他在2023年橄榄球世界杯决赛中以12-11战胜全黑队的出色表现已近三年。福里可胜任钩球手和自由前锋位置，自巴黎早段替补登场后便未再参加过测试赛，但他在周五代表暴风队（Stormers）以38-21不敌新西兰队的比赛中表现出色。路透社

羽毛球

世界决赛启用“猴语者”

负责下周在新德里举行的羽毛球世锦赛的工作团队将包括一群模仿长尾叶猴叫声的男子。恒河猴在印度首都是一大祸患，印度羽毛球协会今年在印度公开赛期间发现一只猴子在看台上游荡，令其颇为尴尬。“猴子非常害怕长尾叶猴，这就是模仿如此有效的原因，”第三代“猴语者”扎法尔（Zafar）告诉记者。德里的鸽子过度繁殖也是组织者面临的另一大难题。在印度公开赛期间，一场比赛因鸟类污染场地而两度中断。路透社

赛果

足球

加拉巴德杯

首轮

普利茅斯 0 哈特尼奇 90+2 人民队 90+4

板球

第三场男子 ODI

贝尔法斯特 爱尔兰 208，阿富汗 207（巴特曼努拉·加巴尔 71，6 霍雷 4-34）。阿富汗以三个三柱门击败爱尔兰。

The Hundred 男子组

特伦特桥 · 特伦特火箭队 158-5 · 南部勇士队 159-4（T·沙利塔 52不出局；MP·西西奥 46）。勇士队以六个三柱门击败火箭队。

The Hundred 女子组

特伦特桥 · 南部勇士队 117-5。特伦特火箭队 118-7。火箭队以三个三柱门击败勇士队。

网球

ATP 国家银行公开赛（加拿大蒙特利尔）

负 16.1 梅兹（C）16-9 范德赞沙（荷）6-4 4-7 6-4 7-5

WTA 国家银行公开赛（加拿大多伦多）

负 15.8 邦兹（荷）14-4 李普（菲）0-6 4-6 0-6 大阪直美（日）14.1 费尔南德斯（加）6-4 4-8

斯诺克

中国公开赛（涂家园）

负 12. H·瓦法里（印）14 M·艾伦（北爱）w / o N·罗伯逊（澳）14 张博（中）0-2；SJ（中）14 俊杰（中）6-0；M·塞尔比（英）14 庞俊（中）4-6； K·威尔逊（英）14 A·希尔（国际）6-5

田径

欧洲田径锦标赛（伯明翰）

女子铅球：1 J·席尔德（荷）20.73米； 2 J·范克林肯（荷）19.64米；3 T·马尔（德）19.50米

男子铅球：1 J·法布里（匈）22.31米；2 J·米尔（匈）21.12； 3 V·佩特罗纳托（巴西）20.97；4 U·莱卡莱（英）20.81。

男子5000米：1 J·因格布里格森（挪）13:15.29； 2 F·布伦纳（德）13:15.60；3 E·古格诺（法）13:18.09。

混合4x400米接力：1 挪威 3.10.62； 2 英国 3.10 AC；3 荷兰 3.10.77。

女子100米：1 A·亨特（英）11.00秒；2 E·桑德斯达（波）11.02；3 D·曼娜（比）11.06。

赛程

足球（除特别注明外，均为晚上7.45开赛）

欧冠联赛

第三轮资格赛次回合 博德 / 格洛特（3）v 圣吉罗斯联（1）（5.00），采列（1）v 阿拉拉特-亚美尼亚（2）（7.15），卡拉特（0）v 索菲亚列夫斯基（1）（4.00），考纳斯扎尔吉里斯（0）v 萨格勒布迪纳摩（1）（6.00），里昂（1）v 布拉格斯巴达（2）（8.00），NEC（0）v 奥林匹亚科斯（0）（6.30），贝尔格莱德红星（0）v 哈普尔贝尔谢巴（1）（7.00），萨哈里（2）v AHP（2）（5.00），斯洛伐克布拉迪斯拉发（2）v 克卢日（2）（11.15），格拉茨风暴（0）v 波兹南莱赫（2）（7.30）

欧联杯

第三轮资格赛次回合 伊比利亚1999（0）v 拉恩（0）（5.00）

欧协联

第三轮资格赛次回合 CSIA 1948（1）v 帕纳辛奈科斯（1）（6.30），阿波罗（1）v 布拉加（0）（6.00）

蒙特利尔联赛杯

C组 哈特尔浦 v 米德尔斯堡（U）（3.00）

USM 演进杯

首轮 阿尔索 v 斯里尼瓦桑，巴尔多（T）be v 彼得黑德， 贝里克 v 哈茨（U），博尼里格 v 安南，克拉奇内卡斯尔 v 邓迪（Int）（U），克莱德 v 圣米伦（U），克莱德班克 v 希伯尼安（U），邓巴顿 v 基尔马诺克斯，东法夫 v 斯巴达人，东基尔布赖德 v 基尔马诺克（U），爱丁堡城 v 考登比斯，埃尔金 v 罗斯郡，福法尔 v 阿伯丁（U）， 卡马森 v 邓迪（U），加拉竖琴队 v 流浪者（U）， 凯利哈茨 v 母队（U），梅斯特雷萨 v 弗雷泽堡， 南方女王 v 坎伯诺尔德，斯特灵 v 考登游骑兵

板球（除特别注明外，均为凌晨0点开赛）

Metro Bank 男子一日杯

A组 格洛斯特郡 v 北安普顿郡，切尔滕纳姆， 萨默塞特 v 兰开夏郡，汤顿，萨里 v 诺丁汉郡， The Ku Klux Krol（乡村）4.2nd

B组 埃塞克斯 v 约克郡，切姆斯福德，汉普郡 v 德比郡，阿尔斯特，布里斯托尔，米德尔塞克斯 v 萨塞克斯，拉德莱特，蒙茅斯郡 v 杜伦，新路

格雷格·伍德的赛马推荐

朗菲尔德 2.30 希法 3.00 杜拉甘 3.30 斯皮里特·奥夫·雅典（46） 4.00 克莱尔蒙特 4.30 巴维尔·玛丽亚 5.00 杰克逊街（伊万）

卡里博拉 2.45 湾流信徒 3.15 吉里侦察兵 3.45 音乐会福 4.15 詹纳 4.45 瓦拉曼斯时间 5.15 吉姆梦大

阿马里隆 5.30 南岸岛 6.00 哈利 6.30 沃尔特之阳 7.00 敦斯顿福斯 7.30 海龟礁 8.00 弗拉特金 9.15 比弗拉希

北安普顿 5.45 阿普利亚湾 6.15 祝福航行者 6.45 希望升起 7.15 美丽世代 7.45 穆兰湾

---

奥德利·哈里森 “超人离开了 大楼—— 但克拉克·肯特 长大了”

专访 第34页 →

法律诉讼 马里纳基斯将起诉水晶宫 诽谤横幅

第36页 →

体育

![图片](

)

MIKE EGERTOIS / PA IMAGES

贝佐斯抢占先机

亚马逊创始人集团接近完成13.5亿英镑收购利物浦30%股份交易

Will Unwin

由亚马逊创始人杰夫·贝佐斯参与的财团，在与芬威体育集团（FSG）历经数月谈判后，即将完成收购利物浦30%股份的交易。该财团由印度亿万富翁拉克希米·米塔尔的女婿阿米特·巴蒂亚领导，巴蒂亚曾是女王公园巡游者的股东及董事。

Facebook联合创始人爱德华多·萨维林也是该财团成员之一，将支付约13.5亿英镑。交易已基本敲定，但可能需要长达一个月的时间才能完成。

根据《福布斯》数据，贝佐斯个人财富达2570亿美元（190亿英镑），位列全球第四大富豪，而萨维林的身家据报道为320亿美元。这将是贝佐斯首次投资足球领域，但他之前曾考虑竞购NFL特许经营权。现年62岁的贝佐斯将在交易中获得股权，德勤已为该交易提供咨询服务。

贝佐斯现任亚马逊执行董事长，五年前卸任首席执行官一职，不再负责日常管理。在他的领导下，这家在线零售商已多元化发展为娱乐内容提供商，并为其流媒体服务购买了多项体育赛事转播权。

亚马逊曾拥有英国20场英超联赛每赛季的直播权，为期六年，至去年结束，同时还在多个欧洲国家转播欧冠联赛，并在美国转播部分NFL比赛。

FSG于2010年收购利物浦，并见证了球队赢得两次英超冠军。2023年，FSG将俱乐部3%的股份出售给美国私募股权公司Dynasty Equity。今夏安菲尔德经历了重大变动，安多尼·伊劳拉接替阿尔内·斯洛特成为主教练，穆罕默德·萨拉赫以自由转会方式加盟特拉布宗体育，而迈克尔·爱德华兹则离开了FSG首席执行官的职位。

FSG已被要求置评。

欧足联、中北美及加勒比海足联和亚足联推动因凡蒂诺辞职

Nick Ames Matt Hughes

欧足联、亚洲足球联合会和中北美及加勒比海足球联合会将致力于推动詹尼·因凡蒂诺辞职，三方在一封公开信中呼吁“服务足球而非试图掌控足球的领导力”。

自国际足联主席因凡蒂诺的“足球前进企业”（FFE）计划失败细节曝光以来，足球界内部的分裂危机不断升级。在这一戏剧性的升级中，三大管理机构指责因凡蒂诺“通过欺骗破坏信任”，并谴责其未能承认该提案本不应单方面推出。

三大联合会已开始就组织新赛事展开初步讨论，同时欧足联再次威胁抵制国际足联的赛事。按照目前情况，下月举行的U20女子世界杯可能将缺席欧洲球队，各方正在寻求替代方案。

这封公开信由欧足联主席亚历山大·切费林、亚足联主席谢赫·萨尔曼·本·易卜拉欣·阿勒哈利法以及中北美及加勒比海足联主席维克多·蒙塔利亚尼签署。自因凡蒂诺私下支持的计划曝光以来，各方加快了寻找合适接替人选的步伐，蒙塔利亚尼被认为是潜在候选人之一。

公开信写道：“足球领导力不是一种占有，不是持有——或要求持有——权力。它是对信任它的足球大家庭的服务职责。当信任因欺骗而破裂，当个人将自己置于授权给他的集体之上时，这一职责便已被抛弃。”

信中严厉批评了国际足联对危机的回应，在拉巴特与少数高层举行会议后，因凡蒂诺的道歉似乎并未表现出对

![图片](

)

▲ 各联合会表示对詹尼·因凡蒂诺的信任已破裂

How to make sense of this time of chaos? Read poetry

Charlotte Higgins in Journal

The Guardian

Firefighters raise alarm over surge in 'unprecedented' summer blazes

Caroline Davies Matthew Pearce Pippa Neill

Firefighters are under increased pressure as a result of an "unprecedented summer of dangerous and volatile wildfires", the Fire Brigades Union has warned as the UK braces for a fifth heatwave of the summer.

As the authorities declared almost

three-quarters of England was now in drought, Steve Wright, the FBU general secretary, said the unpredictable environmental challenges the UK was now confronted with meant it was a "national priority" to have enough properly equipped firefighters to "face these threats".

More than 120 firefighters continued to tackle a "devastating" blaze in the New Forest national park in Hampshire, which began on Sunday.

Nottinghamshire fire and rescue service also declared a major incident on Sunday as two large fires in woodland near Mansfield put a significant strain on resources there.

Emergency calls to the London fire brigade (LFB) increased by almost a third this summer as firefighters battled a surge in wildfires and flooding in the capital, according to an internal briefing seen by the Guardian.

The document warned that the

brigade has come under mounting pressure from extreme weather and predicts the trend will continue because of the climate crisis. Between 1 April and 9 July, the service received 75,652 emergency calls - 31% more than the previous five-year average - while the number of incidents rose by nearly a quarter to 42,943.

London firefighters responded to 392 wildfires during the period, alongside 68 water rescues, the

briefing said, as repeated spells of hot weather and heavy thunderstorms stretched the service's resources.

The climate breakdown has been linked to the increasing frequency of wildfires, burning larger areas, across many parts of the world. The so-called "fire wave" under way in the UK is the most widespread the country has ever seen, with the combination of wet winters and prolonged heatwaves.

Quake rocks Columbia National disaster declared as more than 100 killed and many trapped in collapsed buildings

Page 4 →

Residents and rescue workers search through the rubble in the city of Cali yesterday PHOTOGRAPH: SANTIAGO SALDARRIAGA/AP

Pressure on Banks over surveillance of reporters

Daniel Boffey Chief reporter

The businessman and Reform UK donor Arron Banks is facing calls to lay out the extent of his surveillance of journalists, which has been described by an industry body as an "attack on our democracy".

The News Media Association (NMA), which represents regional and national media, raised concerns after Banks appeared to admit at the weekend to hiring private investigators to spy on a Sunday Times journalist.

The revelation, first reported in the New Statesman, has led to fears that other journalists examining the funding of Reform and Nigel Farage, including those at the Guardian, could have been targeted.

When asked over the weekend whether he had commissioned investigators to surveil reporters at the Guardian, Banks said he was "not really interested in the Guardian" but declined to comment further.

The Guardian, along with the Sunday Times, has broken a series of stories in recent months revealing how cash has

PC Harper's killers must be released, No 10 told

Rajeev Syal

Home affairs editor

Andy Burnham has been warned that changing the terms of the prisoners' early release scheme so PC Andrew Harper's killers are kept in jail would force another spate of early releases before the next general election.

Prison Service officials have told

No 10 that adding an exemption so those convicted of manslaughter, such as Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers, remain in jail would mean further early releases would be needed within 18 months.

Governors said the prime minister's decision last week to exempt rapists and serious child sex offenders would force thousands of sentences to be recalculated in haste and could

lead to the mistaken early release of some prisoners.

Yesterday Downing Street said the prime minister had "pushed hard on what more we could do", but it was not possible to exempt "one or two offenders" from early release because manslaughter of an emergency worker was not a standalone offence. Instead, if they wanted to block the

---

The Guardian Tuesday 11 August 2026

Inside 11/08/26

Four sections every day

News and Sport

Broken by the system

What one mother's suicide reveals about the desperate situations many carers face Page 18

Journal

Opinions and ideas

As the PM sets off around the country, will the cash follow?

Peter Hetherington

Page 1

Life & Arts

Features & interviews

It isn't easy being green

Meet the man clearing gardens for free - and letting light into strangers' lives

Page 4

Save up to 36%

with a subscription to the Guardian and the Observer

Visit theguardian. com/paper-subs

Weather

Page 32

Quick crossword

Back of Life & Arts

Cartoon

Journal, page 4

Cryptic crossword

Back of Journal

Contact

For missing sections please fill out the form at theguardian.com/missingsections

or call 0800 839 100

For individual departments, call the Guardian

switch/board: 020 3353 3000

For the Reader's editor (corners), e.g. clarifications

or specific editorial content, call 020 3353 4736

to leave a voice message, or email:

guardian.madsen@theguardian.com.

Letters for publication should be sent to

guardian.letterw@theguardian.com.

NEWSPAPERS

SUPPORT

REFICLING

www.newspapers.com

Guardian News & Media, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU, (020) 3313 2000. Fax (020) 7637 2114. In Manchester: Centurion House, 129 Downgate, Manchester M1 3WR. Telephone Sales: (020) 7611 9000. The Guardian lists links to their query websites, but does not endorse them or guarantee their authenticity or accuracy. Back issues sold and provided by Historic Newspapers. Historic-newspapers.co.uk/old-newspapers/guardian. Published by Guardian News & Media, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU, and at Centurion House, 129 Downgate, Manchester M1 3WR. Printed at Newspintlers (Broxbourne) Ltd, Great Cambridge Road, Maitland Cross, EN8 8DY; Reach Oldham Ltd, Hollowwood Avenue, Chadderton, Oldham OX9 8EP; Discovery Print, 80 Kingsway East, Dundee DE4 8SL, and by Irish Times Print Facility, 4000 Kingswood Road, Citywest Business Canteen, Dublin IA. No. 15, 3921, Tuesday 11 August 2026. Registered as a newspaper at the Print Office (ISSN 0261-3077). Secure Messaging digests: RopEx® R8n6a 4dL6Q9 2W2; rzCEN k5nRAo vmk6u pHUA

News

A wildfire near Ebbw Vale, Blaenau Gwent, which started at the weekend. The number of fires around the UK triggered calls for more firefighters trained to cope with the threat PREFITOGRAFIFFE: 0N1N5

Firefighters raise alarm over surge

in 'unprecedented' heatwave blazes

Continued from page 1

exacerbating the risk. In recent weeks large blazes have broken out in places including Dunwich Heath in Suffolk, Headon Warren on the Isle of Wight, Llamwomno in the Rhondda valley and the Cairngorms national park.

The National Drought Group, which met yesterday, said 71.3% of England was now experiencing a "flash drought", which develops very quickly brought about by a combination of very low rainfall and higher temperatures.

About 45 million people live in a drought area, while more than 27 million are now under restrictions on water use.

The group warned that all regions of the country were experiencing pressure on water resources - with increasing impacts on agriculture, public supplies, navigation and the environment.

Tony Grayling, the chair of the group, said: "Drought conditions are worsening and will continue to do so until we see significant and sustained rainfall. We know the hot and dry weather is taking a real toll on farming and there will be long-lasting impacts on our environment."

He urged everyone to use less water to "make sure our current water reserves last".

No 10 said the dry conditions were having a "significant impact on communities, farmers and businesses across the country", adding: "Our climate is changing. Droughts are becoming more common."

The prime minister's spokesperson said the government was focused on "both the immediate response and long-term resilience", including working through the National Drought Group to "protect water supplies and minimise environmental damage".

Joanne Smith, the LFB's deputy assistant commissioner for control and mobilising, said it had responded to "thousands of emergency calls" and "hundreds of wildfires alongside water rescues and other significant incidents", adding: "We have learned from previous events such as the summer of 2022 and developed our training for firefighters and officers to enhance their knowledge of tactical awareness at wildfires.

"We've invested in new equipment and training to help tackle wildfires, and we will continue to evolve so that we are ready and prepared."

Wright said firefighters were "having extra demands put on them as a result of an unprecedented summer of dangerous and volatile wildfires" and called for "increased funding, improved access to the best equipment and better national resilience" to combat rising demands. "Our country is facing unpredictable

environmental challenges and it must be a national priority to ensure we have enough properly equipped firefighters to face these threats," he said.

Wright has previously said fire crews were stretched by staffing cuts - with 12,000 fewer firefighters in the UK than in 2010.

In Hampshire, hundreds of people were forced to abandon vehicles and walk after Sunday's wildfire caused by a van fire on the A31 near Ringwood spread to nearby New Forest heathland and affected an area the size of 140 football pitches.

Twenty-six fire engines and four water carriers were called to the scene, which was scaled down to 10 engines and 13 off-road vehicles by Monday. Hampshire fire and rescue said yesterday: "There are more than 120 firefighters on the scene battling the heat and arduous terrain, in order to prevent further fire spread."

Amber heat health alerts have been issued for the East Midlands, East of England, Yorkshire and the Humber, London, North West, South East, South West, and West Midlands, while a yellow heat health alert has been issued for the north-east, from 9am today until 9pm on Friday.

The Met Office said it was expecting temperatures of 36C in some areas after a relatively cool start to the week, with the heat peaking on Thursday. England and Wales have had their driest July in records dating back to 1836, with 19 counties of England seeing no rain for the month, provisional statistics have shown.

Southern England also had its hottest July on record, while it was the joint hottest on record for Wales, and the UK and England had their second hottest July, Met Office figures show.

A spokesperson for the mayor of London said: "The extreme heat is presenting incredible challenges for our emergency services, with a huge rise in demand." The mayor had provided "record funding" to ensure LFB was better equipped and improve training, they added.

Additional reporting Aletha Adu

News Eyewitness Pages 20-21 →

Three-quarters

of England in drought as fifth heatwave due

Pippa Neill

Environment reporter

Almost three-quarters of England is now in drought, as much of Europe braces for its fifth climate crisis-driven heatwave this summer.

Four more regions of England have officially been declared to be in drought: the East Midlands, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire, Kent and East Sussex, and Solent and the South Downs.

They join seven regions already under drought status since last month: East Anglia, Hertfordshire and London, Thames Valley, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Devon and

Cornwall, the West Midlands, and Wessex (covering Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire and south Gloucestershire).

Farmers have reported their earliest harvests in 20 years, with reduced yields, while reservoir levels have fallen to 69% - 11.6% lower than expected for this time of year.

Yorkshire and the North East have joined Cumbria and Lancashire and Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Cheshire in prolonged dry weather status - the stage before drought - meaning nowhere in England is deemed to be in normal status.

This flash drought, which developed quickly because of very low rainfall and higher temperatures, means 27 million people have restrictions on their water use.

Prof Liz Bentley, the chief executive of the Royal Meteorological Society, said it was a "stark reminder that climate change isn't just about rising temperatures - it's making droughts develop faster and hit harder. With three droughts in the past five years, we're seeing the growing influence of a changing climate. We need to adapt to more frequent

periods of extreme heat and drought while taking action to reduce the emissions driving these changes."

Southern Water has applied for two drought orders. The first is to maintain normal abstraction rates from the River Test even during low river flows and the second is for a non-essential use ban. Both are under consideration by the government. South East Water said last week supplies in its area were "critically low" and warned customers they might lose supply unless demand dropped.

The drought announcement comes as England braces for its fifth

69%

The level to which reservoirs have fallen - 11.6% lower than expected for this time of year

27m

The number of people in England who have now had restrictions imposed on their water use

heatwave of the summer, with temperatures possibly exceeding 36C (96.8F) in some places. This year there have been 34 days where temperatures have reached 30C or above somewhere in England, including 13 consecutive days in July.

Rivers, reservoirs and groundwaters are also continuing to decline, with 22% of rivers now classed as exceptionally low.

Glenn Watts, the director of water science at the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, said river flows across England and Wales were approaching or worse than previous record lows set in 1976.

Many other parts of Europe are also bracing for another heatwave. The French national weather agency said yesterday that temperatures in the south-east could reach 35C, spreading further across the country, while Italy and coastal Croatia are already experiencing extreme heat. Slovakia, Austria and Hungary have registered record temperatures in recent days.

Additional reporting

Andrew Gregory

---

Tuesday 11 August 2026 The Guardian

News

▼ A border collie sits in an MRI scanner for research in which dogs' brain activity was measured

PHOTOGRAPH: LAURA V CUAYA

Pet detectives: dogs can tell fearful from angry or sad human faces, research finds

Nicola Davis

Science correspondent

While humans keep a close eye on their pets, it seems our pets are keeping a close eye on us too, as a study has revealed dog brains can distinguish between different types of unhappy human expressions.

Dogs whose brain activity was monitored not only distinguished happy faces from other expressions, but could tell fearful faces apart from those that are angry or sad, researchers found.

Dr Laura Cuaya said: "This is the first demonstration that the dog brain can distinguish between emotions from the same valence [positive or negative character]," she said.

Writing in the journal iScience, Cuaya and colleagues from the University of Vienna described working with pet dogs that had been trained to lie still, awake and unrestrained, within an MRI scanner.

In the first experiment, eight dogs were shown five sets of happy faces and five sets of neutral faces. Each set contained four photos of humans

▲ Above and right, thousands of years of domestication have resulted in dogs and humans forming strong bonds

PHOTOGRAPHS: JESSICA PETERSON; OLIVER ROSS/ GETTY IMAGES

that were unfamiliar to the dog but were of the same gender as their primary caregiver. This was repeated five times for each dog.

The results revealed increased activity in certain parts of the brain when the dogs were shown happy faces compared with neutral ones.

Cuaya said these areas were associated with higher visual processing, social processing and reward processing - suggesting the dog was experiencing something positive.

Dr Raúl Hernández Pérez, the first author of the study, said the results raised another question, however:

"We don't know if these regions are related just to happy faces or to emotional faces in general."

The team then carried out a second MRI experiment involving 12 dogs. Each was shown new sets of unfamiliar male and female human faces, this time bearing four different expressions: happiness, sadness, fear and anger.

The researchers used machine learning to analyse activity in the same brain regions identified in the first experiment, revealing that the animals could distinguish happy faces from each negative expression

'Dogs have been shaped to understand human behaviour'

Prof Bridget Waller

Social behaviour expert

• but could not distinguish between different types of unhappy face.

However, when activity across the whole dog brain was analysed, the researchers found it was possible to distinguish between sad v fearful faces, and angry v fearful faces - but not between angry and sad faces.

Hernández said different negative expressions may trigger different responses in dogs as they represented different types of threat.

Cuaya said previous behavioural studies had shown dogs can tell apart some human facial expressions, but that they tended to only test two at a time, one positive and one negative.

The authors said it might be harder for dogs to tell apart two human facial expressions if they were both negative or both positive, and dogs might

also need additional information - such as body language - to distinguish anger from sadness.

The research has limitations, including its small sample size; the fact that most of the dogs were border collies, and all were healthy and without behavioural problems.

Cuaya said the study could have practical implications: for example, expressing happiness when training a dog could aid the learning process.

Bridget Waller, a professor of evolution and social behaviour at Nottingham Trent University, who was not involved in the study, described the work as fascinating, saying it showed how "dogs have been shaped through domestication to understand human behaviour".

"Smiling is the most commonly used human facial expression, vital to our social interactions, and so it makes sense that dogs have developed a particular ability to distinguish this from other facial movements," she said. "It seems less clear that they can distinguish between the other expressions, and this would make sense as these are less commonly produced in human social interaction."

Elf and safety: new power cable moved to avoid Dobby's 'grave'

Helena Horton

Harry Potter fans have forced a new multimillion-pound power cable between the UK and Ireland to be relocated after complaining it would desecrate the "grave" of Dobby, a fictional elf.

The character was laid to rest on Freshwater West beach in

▲ Pebbles reading 'Here Lies Dobby' on Freshwater West beach in Wales

Pembrokeshire, Wales, in the film Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Fans of the wizard series come to leave stones reading "Here Lies Dobby" despite being asked not to by the National Trust, because the beach is an ecologically sensitive site.

The £430m Greenlink interconnector, which links the National Grid to Ireland, was initially going to pass through the site of the "grave", the project manager Simon Ludlam told the Energy Revolution podcast.

Fans became aware of the plans after Ludlam pointed out where the 125-mile (200km) cable to County Wexford would go underground at Freshwater West during a BBC

▲ Dobby was laid to rest on the beach in the final Harry Potter movie

interview. "We did the shot, we finished, I went back to London, and they then aired it a couple of weeks later. And we got hundreds of calls, I mean, hundreds of calls."

Ludlam said he did not know who Dobby was, and became confused by the calls the company received, saying a colleague told him: "Apparently we're going to go straight through Dobby's grave".

The firm then enlisted planners to find a new route that avoided the supposed grave.

"A lot of people were very happy about that, and the project is now going [ahead] and Dobby's happy," Ludlam added.

---

News Colombia

More than 100 dead as 7.4-magnitude earthquake strikes western Colombia

Tom Phillips Thomas Graham Bogotá

More than 100 people have been killed after a powerful earthquake struck western Colombia, with collapsed and severely damaged buildings in major cities trapping many victims under the rubble.

The US and Colombian geological surveys reported that the 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck at 7.34am local time yesterday, with its epicentre in the western department of Chocó. It was recorded at a depth of 66 miles.

The earthquake was also felt in neighbouring Venezuela, which is still reeling from a deadly double earthquake on 24 June.

Colombia's new president, Abelardo de la Espriella, said at least 111 people had been killed and 87 injured. He added that 61 buildings had collapsed.

The president declared an emergency, which will expedite funding for the quake recovery, and said he would visit the disaster zone, which is centered on the rural region of Chocó.

"The national government has all of its capabilities deployed to protect lives, assist affected communities and deliver aid wherever it is needed," he said in a national address from the capital, Bogotá, around mid-day local time. "The first priority is rescuing the people trapped under the rubble."

The death toll continued to rise yesterday but local officials confirmed that at least 42 people had been killed in the Risaralda region, where the hard-hit city of Pereira is located.

More people were killed in the Valle del Cauca region, where Colombia's third-biggest city, Cali, is located. At least three of those who died in Valle del Cauca were children, the governor said.

Authorities also confirmed deaths in the Caldas and Antioquia regions. Many more people across the country were injured.

The quake left cities across the west of the country - Pereira, Quibdó, Cali and Manizales - ravaged. Residents and search teams picked through the rubble of collapsed buildings despite fears of aftershocks.

Colombia's interior minister said more than 20 municipalities across the country had been hit.

The mayor of Manizales, Jorge Eduardo Rojas Giraldo, said at least 12 buildings and 20 homes had been partially or completely or destroyed there.

The earthquake caused a tower of Manizales' beloved cathedral, the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary, to fall over.

In footage posted to social media, Giraldo told residents to be "completely ready" for aftershocks. "Do not go back into the buildings yet. I know this isn't easy but stay outside for a little while at least because there could be an aftershock," he said.

Social media videos showed people searching for victims in the wreckage of a four-storey hotel in Cali and a woman sprinting from a building as it collapsed in Manizales.

Jorge Moncayo, a 64-year-old taxi driver in Cali, said he saw plumes of dust shoot up across the city as buildings collapsed. Residents and rescue workers were searching the rubble for survivors.

"My entire house shook. I've never lived through such a powerful earthquake," he said. "We're thanking God we're alive."

The mayor of Cali, Alejandro Eder, said at least 20 buildings had collapsed in his city and that some people were trapped inside.

"Right now, we are trying to map out what has happened, firstly to

protect lives and secondly to be able to push ahead with any kind of rescue that might be necessary," he said, urging citizens to stay calm.

He also told residents to check their buildings for structural damage. "If you do not feel safe, if you see very large cracks, please, leave the building," he said.

The governor of Chocó, Nubia Carolina Córdoba, said people had been injured and buildings severely damaged in the department's capital, Quibdó.

Crowds of people rushed out into the street in Bogotá still wearing their night clothes upon feeling the tremor, AFP reported.

"The quake was very, very strong," said one content creator, Valeria Pido, 29, in the capital, where only minimal damage was recorded.

Aviation authorities said the airports in Pereira, Manizales, Quibdó, Cartago, Armenia and Buenaventura had sustained damage.

In Pereira, photos and videos published by local media showed pieces of the airport ceiling falling on to travellers who were taking shelter and screaming, and people running through rubble in a panic.

Pereira's mayor, Mauricio Salazar Peláez, told a local radio station that many people were trapped under "a massive quantity of collapsed buildings".

Colombia's geological service said that yesterday's quake had been "the highest magnitude earthquake registered in Colombia in the last decade" and that it had been followed by two 2.8- and 4.8-magnitude aftershocks.

The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, said the Trump administration - which has thrown its weight behind Colombia's new rightwing president - was "closely monitoring" the situation and stood ready to offer its support.

Over the weekend the US state department had announced the Trump administration planned to provide $1bn (£750m) in security assistance to De la Espriella's government.

De la Espriella, 48, won June's run-off election with promises to crack down on armed groups, shrink the state by as much as 40% and revive the oil and gas sector.

Messages of support rolled in from leaders across the Americas yesterday, including Mexico, Brazil, Ecuador, El Salvador. Israel also offered its assistance.

The UN deputy spokesperson, Farhan Haq, said: "We stand ready to help as needed."

Colombia's Pacific region around the quake's epicentre lies along the "ring of fire", the line of seismic faults encircling the Pacific Ocean where most of the world's earthquakes occur.

Small earthquakes, known as "temblores", are common in central and western Colombia, but those above 6.0 magnitude are rare. In 1999, a 6.2-magnitude quake near the city of Armenia killed more than 1,100 people.

The Colombia earthquake comes weeks after Venezuela was struck by twin earthquakes that devastated the country's northern coast, killing more than 6,000 people.

▲ From top, a collapsed building in Manizales, Colombia; a tower of the city's cathedral that fell during yesterday's earthquake; residents dig for survivors in the third-biggest city, Cali

PHOTOGRAPHS: GIOVANNY GALVEZ/APOGETTY, JOHN JAIRO BONILLA/AP, JUAN PABLO/ARRELAEZ/REUTERS

Additional reporting Reuters, AFP and AP

---

'Books shaped me'

New Obama podcast to explore great reads

Page 9

Can't see for looking

Rush to find coveted solar eclipse specs

Page 11

National

Step right up

The Revel Puck Circus perform in The Wing Scuffle Spectacular - described as a "celebration of fear" - at Underbelly's Circus Hub on the Meadows at the Edinburgh festival fringe yesterday.

PHOTOGRAPH: IANE BARLOW/PA

Mega-dinghy carrying record

230 people crosses the Channel

Diane Taylor

A dinghy carrying a record 230 people arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel in the early hours of yesterday morning.

It is the clearest indication yet that people smugglers in northern France are adapting their business model and escalating their so-called taxi-boat strategy to evade enforcement by British and French authorities.

The development is likely to be a blow to the prime minister and home secretary. Andy Burnham has vowed to be "relentless" and "bring back control", while Shabana Mahmood has said the government is "bearing down" on small boat crossings.

French authorities said before an incident last week, in which a mega-dinghy carrying 173 people capsized after its engine caught fire, there had been nine mega-dinghy crossings of the Channel since 1 January.

Although the number making the crossing this year has fallen by more than 40% compared with the same period last year, the increasing use of larger vessels - and thus reduce the frequency of launches overall by the people smugglers - demonstrates

The boat was the ninth mega-dinghy to cross the Channel this year, in a new tactic by people smugglers to avoid detection

PHOTOGRAPH: FACEBOOK/STATION SNAM BERCK SUB MER

how quickly they have adapted to stronger enforcement by French police on beaches in northern France.

The British government has struck a deal with Germany to increase seizures of traditional dinghies and engines "upstream".

Last year 106 people were reported to have crossed the Channel in a single dinghy in August and 125 in September. The emergence of mega-dinghies coincided with the announcement in July 2025 of the UK-France "one in, one out" deal, under which a person arriving in the UK from France by small boat can be returned in exchange for another person being brought legally to the UK to claim asylum.

On 12 July this year, a mega-dinghy carrying 128 people arrived in the UK,

followed by another carrying 165 people on 23 July. On 4 August, a dinghy carrying 173 people capsized after the engine caught fire. All those onboard are believed to have been rescued.

The use of mega-dinghies poses an even greater risk to life than smaller vessels, which have recently carried an average of between 50 and 60 passengers, according to NGOs working with people crossing the Channel. When small boat crossings began in 2018, only a handful of people typically travelled in each dinghy.

While there have been "green days" this year, when adverse weather has made conditions too dangerous for smugglers to launch dinghies, NGOs say many continue to wait in northern France for an opportunity to cross the Channel.

They include some who have been returned to France under the one in, one out scheme and hope to reach the UK for a second time.

Hannah Marwood, the head of legal access at Cares4Calais, which provides emergency aid to refugees, said: "Deterrence doesn't stop people seeking safety, it just pushes them towards greater danger and greater exploitation. We've worked with people who were returned to France only to face violence, exploitation and unsafe conditions, leaving them with no option but to risk another dangerous journey.

"Politicians keep promising that another tough policy will solve this but the evidence keeps proving them wrong. If the government is serious about stopping dangerous journeys, it needs to stop recycling failed gimmicks and create safe routes to claim asylum. When people have a safe way to reach protection, they don't have to risk their lives to find it."

The Home Office said: "This latest incident demonstrates the reckless and dangerous tactics employed by the criminal gangs facilitating these crossings, who continue to put lives at risk by cramming ever greater numbers of people on to unseaworthy vessels.

"We are making progress, with the number of small boat crossings down this year and the lowest number recorded for the month of July since 2020. But we must go further, which is why we have signed a payment-by-results deal with the French to put 40% more boots on the ground on French beaches."

Salt Path stars

break their silence over source material controversy

PA Media

The Salt Path stars Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs have spoken for the first time about the controversy surrounding the film.

An adaptation of Raynor Winn's 2018 memoir, the film was released in the UK last year and told the story of how she and her husband, Moth, walked the South West Coast Path after losing their home.

The memoir also recounted how Moth was diagnosed with a neurological condition. However, the Observer reported last year that Winn may have misrepresented the events that led to the couple losing their home and that experts had doubts over Moth having corticobasal degeneration (CBD). It also revealed that the couple's legal names were Sally and Timothy Walker.

Speaking to the Radio Times, Anderson - who plays Winn - said the reports indicating that claims in the memoir were fabricated "sucked".

She said: "I hope people are able to experience [the film] as its own entity, separate from what may or may not be true or whatever controversy there is."

Last week, Isaacs - who plays Moth - said on the Kermode on Film podcast that he supported the decision to do promotion for the film in the US, where it is being released next month, as it was a "beautiful film" and "much of it is still completely valid". In The Salt Path, the couple lose their house because of a bad business investment.

But the Observer reported that the couple lost their home after an accusation that Winn had stolen thousands of pounds from her employer.

It also said it had spoken to medical experts who were sceptical about Moth having CBD, given his lack of acute symptoms and his apparent ability to reverse them.

In July 2025, Winn posted clinic letters on Instagram addressed to Timothy Walker, which she said showed that "he is treated for CBD/S and has been for many years".

She wrote: "The last few days have been some of the hardest of my life. Heartbreaking accusations that Moth has made up his illness have been made, leaving us devastated."

In a statement on her website, she said the article was "grotesquely unfair, highly misleading and seeks to systematically pick apart my life".

The publishing house Penguin had said it "undertook all the necessary pre-publication due diligence".

---

National Politics

PM urged not to exempt PC Harper's killers from early release scheme

Continued from page 1

release of Cole and Bowers then every offender with a manslaughter conviction would be affected.

The government plans to release 5,000 prisoners early over a period of 10 months from October to free up places. Harper's killers are due to be released in January.

Burnham is facing demands to exclude Cole and Bowers from the scheme. A petition demanding an intervention has nearly 900,000 signatures.

Despite the Prison Service's concerns and a lack of obvious options, a No 10 source said the prime minister was "still pushing" for a way to keep Harper's killers behind bars.

The prime minister said last week

he had "pushed to the very limits of what is possible to do" by exempting 1,000 rapists, child sexual abuse offenders and groomers from early release, which reduced the number of spaces to be freed up in the next 10 months from 6,000.

Blocking the early release of Cole and Bowers could mean delaying the release of at least 500 other offenders convicted of manslaughter, a Whitehall source said.

"People in the Prison Service are terrified by the prospect of another exemption," they said. "They have told the PM that if they carve out manslaughter cases there will have to be another early release scheme before the general election."

Tom Wheatley, the president of the Prison Governors' Association,

What can Burnham do to block release?

The PM's options are limited

Why will Andrew Harper's killers be eligible for release?

Under the government's plans to tackle prison overcrowding, via the Sentencing Act, prisoners serving sentences of four years or more for some serious violent or sexual offences will be eligible for release at the halfway point of their term, rather than at two-thirds as had previously been the case. This would apply to Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole, two of Harper's killers, who were jailed for 13 years in 2020 for manslaughter. Henry Long, the main perpetrator, who was jailed for 16 years, will not be subject to early release.

After a public outcry, Burnham excluded rapists, child sexual abusers and groomers from the early release scheme, which he also put back a month to October, but criminals convicted of manslaughter were not excluded.

The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 introduced mandatory life sentences for offenders convicted of the manslaughter of emergency workers on duty but, as is normal, it does not apply retrospectively.

Why did Burnham not exclude people convicted of manslaughter? The prime minister initially said he wanted to "go further" with exemptions from the prison release scheme but that it was "not possible without the prison system reaching capacity and collapsing".

There are about 950 people currently in jail for manslaughter. Although not all would be eligible for early release and they would not all be freed simultaneously, every prison space is precious given official predictions suggest the prison system will be full by November without early releases.

Has he changed his mind?

Burnham indicated that more exemptions were not possible because of the need to free up prison space, but anger over Bowers and Cole appears to have prompted a rethink.

However, Burnham's options are limited, with two possibilities being the focus of discussion. The first would be to block the early release of all manslaughter prisoners. The second would be to exempt the killers of emergency workers. Haroon Siddique

Andrew and Lissie Harper. The possible early release of two of his killers, Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole, has caused a public outcry PHOTOGRAPH: MARK LORD

said ministers had been warned that delays to the early release scheme meant some prisoners could be released at the wrong time.

"We have expressed concerns to Ministry of Justice [MoJ] officials about increased releases in error and unlawful detention risk because of the government's last-minute changes to the Sentencing Act's implementation," he said. "Officials have assured us that ministers have been briefed on the increased risk environment."

Each prison will be expected to re-evaluate the sentences of every prisoner affected by Burnham's changes. This could mean recalculating thousands of prison sentences in a short period of time when staff were on holiday, Wheatley said.

"These late changes come at a time when many staff who specialise in calculating sentences and met the original deadline are off work, on a well-earned break. Because this is a time-pressured and manual process, involving paper files that can be inches thick, it carries an increased risk of error," he added.

Ministers have been advised they are at risk of a legal challenge if they try to carve out exclusions for Cole and Bowers but not others convicted of manslaughter. Nick Hardwick, the former chief inspector of prisons for six years until 2016, said he felt uneasy at the suggestion the government could draw up exemptions to satisfy a public outcry.

"I am appalled by what happened to PC Harper," he said. "But we have to be careful about the principle here. We should be uneasy about politicians deciding what happens to particular offenders. It is something that needs careful debate. It should not be up to politicians to choose how long individuals spend in prison."

MoJ officials said prisons could run out of places in November if the scheme was abandoned.

Asked yesterday whether ministers were accepting the situation as it stood, Burnham's spokesperson said: "I think you've seen from the prime minister's words that he's far from accepting the situation and, as he wrote last week, he wants to go even further. He's pushed hard on what more we could do and his focus now is on fixing the prison system long-term to avoid a repeat of this prison crisis so that it never happens again."

Pressed on whether the prime minister was admitting there was nothing more he could do, the official said: "He understands the public wants him to go further, and he wanted to go further, but on the wider issue ... prisons would have run out of space, police would stop making arrests, it would be impossible to lock up convicted offenders and that would put public safety at untold risk."

Betting and vape shops

Councils will have power to block high street openings

Aletha Adu

Alexandra Topping

Councils are to be given powers to stop betting and vape shops taking over their high streets under new plans announced by Andy Burnham.

Local authorities will be able to reject new betting shops and adult gaming centres, while vape shops will be subject to planning permission under plans that could be in place from the start of next year.

Burnham is promising to scrap the "aim to permit" rule in the Gambling Act 2005, which requires councils to essentially allow new gambling premises where applications meet licensing requirements.

This could mark a big shift from reforms introduced by Keir Starmer that gave councils more of an ability to consider the number of gambling premises already in an area back in

April, but stopped short of scrapping the "aim to permit rule".

As mayor of Greater Manchester, Burnham had called on Starmer to abolish the rule in January, alongside almost 300 other politicians and campaigners.

Burnham said communities should have much more control over their high streets, where traditional shops, pubs and other services have disappeared.

The push fits into Burnham's attempt to make the first weeks of his premiership about tangible changes people can see in their everyday lives.

A No 10 source said the government was determined to crack down on vape and betting shops because they were two of the most visible signs of decline on high streets, and local people were genuinely concerned. A fast-tracked consultation on the new measures would take six weeks, with the aim of having

---

8

7

▼ Vape and betting shops are regarded as two of the most visible signs of decline on high streets

PHOTOGRAPH: KATY BLACKWOOD/ALANY

the measures in place by the start of 2027. “Local people will actually have more of an input into whether or not those shops should open in the first place, giving them a proper say about how their high streets should look,” they said.

The move comes after research suggested Labour would be “washed away in a tide of discontent” at the next general election unless it tackles the decline of Britain’s high streets.

Prof Will Jennings, who led the University of Southampton research, described the policy as “an important first step”. With nearly one in three retail sales in the UK now online, it was clear that the policy would “not solve everything”, he said. “But it is speaking to some real area of concern that impacts how people view their local area.”

Vape shops currently fall into the same planning category as shops, cafes and even banks, meaning they can open without needing a new planning application. Ministers will consult on putting them into their own planning category so councils will be able to consider each new application individually and reject those they deem not appropriate.

The government is also looking at tightening the definition of what a

vape shop is, to prevent people saying they were opening a convenience store that had the primary function of selling vapes, as well as provisions to specifically stop them opening around schools. Angela Rayner said the move addressed problems that had built up over decades. “That’s why we’re giving local leaders the power to say no to what doesn’t belong on their high street, and the tools to fix it themselves,” the communities secretary said.

Jennings said the government also

▲ Andy Burnham’s reforms could be in place by the start of next year

needed to tackle opaque ownership structures of high street property, which sees some landowners “who aren’t necessarily that motivated to have shops in their property”.

The growth of vape shops is not evenly spread, with research from Health Equity North highlighting the most deprived communities had three times as many vape shops as the most affluent areas.

Burnham said high streets had become “unrecognisable” after decades of decline. “The rise of vape shops, betting shops and rogue operators have replaced the shops, services, and community spaces that people are crying out for.

“That’s not on. I said we would improve Britain’s high streets, and that’s exactly what we are starting to do.”

The measures are seen as a “first step” on a wider beautification of Britain’s high streets, with Westminster setting clearer expectations for the design and appearance of high street shopfronts.

Local leaders will be encouraged to look at blueprints for ideal high streets, and given examples of what works best and how they can improve the look of their own main shopping areas.

While you’re at it, Andy

Other ways to cut cost of living

Andy Burnham has announced a ban on fake discounts and made it easier to cancel unwanted subscriptions in an attempt to improve life for UK consumers. In the long run, these changes may not make as much difference to your wealth as increasing mandatory contributions on pensions or capping rents, but they will get rid of some day-to-day frustrations. Here are six other things he could fix:

Ban booking fees on tickets Buying a ticket for an event such as a gig or show doesn’t come with as many hidden costs as previously, thanks to consumer protection laws introduced last year. But the fact the fees are clearer does not make them all more palatable.

In the days when you could choose to go to a box office, or between having your tickets posted or emailed, there may have been a justification for some of the add-ons to cover different costs for the promoter, but when there’s no choice, it sticks in the throat. Retailers do not charge “transaction” or “order processing fees”, so why can they still be slapped on tickets?

Stop direct debit increases when your energy bill is in credit You pay your bill by direct debit and have been careful with your usage, so at the end of the winter, you are in credit - and then your provider tells you it wants to put up your monthly cost by £50. Of course, a rising price cap might mean you need to increase what you pay, but if you have already got a cushion, why should you hand over more?

According to the regulator Ofgem, providers held a total of £3.2bn of customers’ money in the year to March, with the average household £135 in credit. Yet some households on fixed tariffs with large balances are still told that their supplier wants to increase their direct debit. Yes, you can refuse, but the onus is on you as a customer to make the effort. Providers could be banned from raising direct debits by more than the price change, or when customers have built up a surplus that covers a set percentage.

Cut sneaky shrinkflation We all know prices have been going up and sometimes a smaller pack for the same price is more welcome

▲ Fans at a Wembley gig. Why can so many add-ons be slapped on tickets?

than having to shell out more, but when the cuts are sneaky that’s bad for consumers.

In France and Austria there are rules designed to make it more obvious to shoppers when they are getting less for the same - or sometimes even more - money. Demanding a simple “new pack size” message on products would at least alert people to the change and mean they are making informed decisions.

Force companies to put a phone number on their homepage You’ve got a problem and you want to get it sorted - and then you realise you cannot find a number. There are communications companies that have no “contact us” link anywhere to be seen, and energy companies that send you all round the houses looking for a way to get in touch.

One of the recurring themes of Guardian Money readers’ problems is the struggle to find someone to help when something goes wrong. Clearly, once you have published a phone number, you need staff at the other end answering the phone and offering some joined-up thinking, so this is only the start of the solution - but at least customers would not feel like companies were trying to hide from them.

Bring forward plans to improve parking Fines for charging an electric car, debt notices that should never have been sent, fees when you have tried to pay and the app has let you down ... Guardian Money has heard from readers encountering all of these things and more when simply entering a car park. The government has promised to sort it out: a code of practice was drawn up years ago but was not introduced, and a new consultation on it ended last September. Plans for a nationwide app that would bring together all the different parking company apps were watered down.

Bringing forward and enforcing the planned code, so that drivers are not receiving bills for parking crimes they did not commit, would leave a welcome gap in the Guardian Money postbag.

Make insurers give you the best deal upfront A lot has been done to improve renewing your insurance. Insurers are supposed to offer existing customers as good a deal as they do new ones, and your renewal letter tells you how much you paid last year so that you can see if the cost has gone up. And yet the annual dance continues: if you don’t call your insurer and query an increase, shop around or threaten to leave, you will probably end up paying more than you need to. Hilary Osborne

---

National

Millions could face emergency power cuts at short notice in grid shake-up

Jillian Ambrose

Millions of households could face power cuts at short notice under new rules to help the electricity system operator avoid widespread blackouts when energy supplies run low.

The changes, which come into effect this week, will make it easier for the National Energy System Operator (Neso) to call for rotating blackouts at short notice if power supplies are running short.

It is also the first time Neso can use large-scale power cuts to stabilise the grid without the need for emergency government powers.

The system operator for Great Britain could call for enough homes and businesses within a designated

area to be disconnected to cut each block's electricity use by more than a fifth with only eight hours' notice, bringing rolling three-hour blackouts across the country to prevent the risk of total power system collapse.

The changes to the grid codes - the technical rules covering the country's transmission system - were quietly approved by the industry regulator late last month. They come only weeks after control room whistleblowers at Neso accused senior leaders of trying to cover up the risk of blackouts during the heatwave.

A spokesperson for Neso said the 'last-resort contingency measure' would be used only in 'the most extreme and unlikely circumstances' and 'after all other available options have been exhausted, helping protect the wider electricity system'.

The power cuts would form the last line of defence against more severe and uncontrolled consequences of an electricity system collapse, such as those in Spain and Portugal last summer. In a worst-case scenario this could require five to seven days for electricity to be completely restored.

The new rules bridge the gap between Neso's existing powers to call for short-term power cuts affecting up to a fifth of electricity demand in each area, not used since the miners' strikes in the 1970s, and the government's more wide-reaching emergency powers designed for prolonged electricity disruptions.

In a proposal submitted to the regulator, Neso said the new measures could 'be used more flexibly, be initiated quicker' than the government's emergency code, and would

▲ The aim is to avert mass blackouts when electricity supplies run low

be designed for 'a shorter duration'. This could mean blackouts of up to three hours that would rotate across the country, to limit the impact on homes and businesses while the system operator's control room manages a short-term supply squeeze.

Meanwhile, a list of protected sites including hospitals, water treatment

works and sites of national security interest would be exempt from any planned power cuts.

The government's electricity supply emergency code, which has never been invoked, can be enacted only by the energy secretary. It would initiate rolling blackouts affecting 90% of electricity users to manage a prolonged disruption - such as a large outage at a high-voltage power import cable.

These powers are 'not suited for short-notice use', according to Ofgem, but the new protocol could provide the energy system operator with a tool that is similar in scope but that can be initiated 'as quickly as possible' to respond to even short-lived supply squeezes - such as a particularly cold winter evening.

The code change underlines the growing risk to the electricity system from short-term power system imbalances, which can be more difficult to predict in advance, rather than large-scale, longer-term outages or disruptions.

A string of other measures can be used to help the system cope with a shortfall of electricity, including disconnecting large industrial users.

Treasury failings had role in staff member's suicide, coroner finds

Helena Horton

The Treasury 'materially contributed' to the death of Chloe Moffat, a personal assistant who took her own life after facing disciplinary proceedings, a coroner has found.

The coroner examining the 26-year-old's death, Anna Crawford, also found there was a risk of future deaths within the civil service from flawed handling of disciplinary proceedings. She said she would send a prevention of future deaths report to the head of the civil service, the Treasury, and the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas).

During the Treasury's disciplinary process, Surrey coroner's court heard, Moffat was not reassured that her job was safe even though she was unlikely to be sacked, and she was not allowed a third party of her choice in the meeting. She had her job responsibilities temporarily changed and her access to the diary of her manager removed. This was despite the meeting being described as 'informal'.

The process left her 'devastated' and convinced she had lost her job. The morning after the meeting, Moffat killed herself.

The coroner found that Moffat 'appeared well and happy' before the meeting on 19 May last year, and that there were no previous concerns about her mental health. She said: 'I am satisfied that the shock and distress of the allegations and thinking she was going to lose her job contributed to her state of mind.'

The Treasury's human resources policy, which is in line with Acas guidelines, says serious misconduct allegations must be dealt

► Chloe Moffat, 26, took her own life a day after disciplinary proceedings. She was 'devastated' and convinced that she had lost her job PHOTOGRAPH: ANNE MOFFAT

'She was left frightened, isolated and convinced her career had been destroyed'

Anne Moffat Chloe's mother

with formally. This is so the person involved is 'not deprived of their rights', such as having a third party present in meetings, being given five days' notice, and being informed of the likely outcome if the allegations are found to be true, the coroner said.

Crawford found that because decisions had already been made to limit Moffat's role and responsibilities,

the allegations 'needed a formal process'.

Crawford said: 'I find the meeting was not in accordance with [Treasury] policy', which 'makes no provision' for such informal meetings.

The head of global issues at the Treasury, who was running the investigation into Moffat, said during the coroner's hearing that she did not

give Moffat prior notice of the meeting because 'she did not want Chloe to worry about it'. She had also told the court that when Moffat asked in tears whether she would lose her job, she had replied that she could not predict the outcome of any potential investigation.

Earlier in the hearing, when asked if she would have done anything

differently, Moffat's line manager told the court: 'No, I think we did all we could at the time with the information and advice we were given.'

But the coroner found Moffat had been denied safeguards because of how the matter had been handled, and that concern she would lose her job 'did materially contribute to her state of mind'.

The Treasury previously said it was reviewing its disciplinary process. 'This does not set my mind at rest,' the coroner said. 'I consider there remains a risk of future death.'

Anne Moffat, Chloe's mother, said: 'Chloe was a bright, caring and talented young woman who loved her family, her friends and her work. The evidence heard during the inquest has reinforced our belief that the allegations made against Chloe were nothing more than workplace gossip.

'She was treated with a complete lack of empathy with regard to allegations made by colleagues who chose to remain anonymous. We continue to believe that HM Treasury failed in its duty of care towards Chloe. At a time when she needed support, reassurance and fair treatment, she was left frightened, isolated and convinced that her career and reputation had been destroyed.'

Moffat suggested the family may take further action: 'We will continue to honour her memory and seek the changes needed to ensure that no other family suffers a similar loss.'

A Treasury spokesperson said: 'We continue to mourn Chloe's passing as a colleague and friend. Our thoughts remain with her family and friends. We take the coroner's concerns extremely seriously and recognise it is important to act quickly. We are now considering the findings carefully.

'We have introduced improvements to guidance, support and wellbeing arrangements but recognise we must continue to take action to prevent this happening again.'

Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123

---

National

9

Barack Obama to host podcast on books that influenced him

Ella Creamer

Barack Obama is to host a podcast about books that have “profoundly shaped his worldview, from Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison to Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy by John le Carré.

The podcast, called A Great Book with Barack Obama, will launch on Audible on 24 September.

In each of six episodes - produced by the Amazon-owned company in collaboration with the Obama’s’ production company Higher Ground - the former US president will discuss one of his chosen titles with a guest.

Obama has also selected The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin, All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy, Gilead by Marilynne Robinson, and All the King’s Men by Robert Penn Warren.

“Great books have always helped me figure out who I am and what I believe,” Obama said. “The six books featured in this series have stayed with me throughout my life, and each one has something to teach us about the human experience.

“For this podcast, I invited some friends to explore why they resonate, how they can shape our understanding of ourselves and each other, and why literature matters now more than ever. I hope listeners will be inspired to discover or rediscover books that change the way they see themselves and the world.”

The podcast’s guests are yet to be announced by Audible.

Obama has publicly shared his

favourite books for years, posting summer reading lists and end-of-year roundups. This summer’s list, which he published in late July, includes Kin by Tayari Jones, Vigil by George Saunders, The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout, Transcription by Ben Lerner, and Cool Machine by Colson Whitehead.

While his round-ups are often made up of recently published books, all of his picks for the podcast were published in the 20th century except for Robinson’s novel Gilead, which was released in 2004. Robinson and Obama struck up a correspondence after he invited her to dinner at the White House, and in 2012 he awarded her the National Humanities Medal.

ALL

THE KING’S MEN

Robert Penn Warren

◀ Barack and Michelle Obama talk to children during a visit to his presidential library in Illinois; above, two of the books featuring in his new podcast

PHOTOGRAPH: WIN MCNAMEE/GETTY IMAGES

Banks faces call to reveal details of his surveillance of journalists

Continued from page 1

been given to Reform and Farage personally from donors and wealthy benefactors.

Theo Bamber, the chief executive of the NMA, said aggressive attempts to deter journalistic inquiry were at risk of becoming normalised.

He said: “Using private investigators to try and deter journalists from making legitimate inquiries about public figures is an attack on our democracy. Sadly, intimidation and abuse of local and national journalists is increasingly used as a weapon to limit scrutiny and deflect attention away from matters of public interest. This must not become normalised.

“Ministers must wake up to this threat to our democracy and do much more to protect the independent journalism which underpins our democratic way of life.”

According to the New Statesman, Banks instructed Precision Risk and

Intelligence, a private investigations company he once owned, to examine Gabriel Pogrund, the editor of the Sunday Times’ Insight investigations team. In response to inquiries, Banks told the magazine: “We believe the Sunday Times used hacked information and that was an area of interest. We do have an investigative arm that’s got advanced capabilities.”

The Sunday Times has strongly rejected Banks’s suggestion.

Banks, when asked directly by the New Statesman whether he had paid investigators to look into Pogrund, responded: “When you live by the sword, you die by the sword.”

Jemimah Steinfeld, the chief executive of Index on Censorship, said Banks should be open and transparent about the extent of his surveillance of journalists.

She said: “I really, really hope that it’s not happening to other journalists. But my fear is that it will be, because Gabriel is not the only one

▲ Arran Banks appeared to admit recruiting private investigators

who’s asking the right questions about Reform. These tactics are often used to just stop the questions, to stop accountability, and that can have hugely detrimental effects on our democratic structure.”

Reform UK has denied any knowledge of Banks’s alleged use of investigators. Gawain Towler, a member of Reform’s board and a former head of press for Ukip, said he was uncomfortable with the development but there were legitimate

questions as to where journalists were sourcing private information.

“Personally I don’t like it,” he said. “But truly how in the light of the situation does one ask questions with a possibility of getting an answer ...

“The issue with Banks is that there was actually silence about this possible collusion with the [National Crime Agency and journalists] ... It would be ridiculous of us not to ask questions. So how do you ask questions?”

Nicky Morgan, a former Conservative secretary of state for culture, media and sport, said such intrusions in press freedom were “not compatible with an open democracy”.

She said: “Investigating a journalist can only be intended to have a chilling effect on free speech.”

Lisa Smart, the Liberal Democrats’ Cabinet Office spokesperson, said: “Hiring private investigators to target journalists simply doing their jobs is a desperate attempt to dodge accountability. Anyone who uses or condones these tactics demonstrates contempt for a free press and should have no business in British public life.”

Banks, who helped run the pro-Brexit campaign group Leave. EU, is reported to have previously hired what he described as “ex-MI5 and SAS” operatives to surveil political opponents before the EU referendum.

Woman assaulted after Travelodge staff gave key to her abuser

Helena Horton

Travelodge staff gave a room key to the domestic abuser of a woman, who then physically attacked her.

The woman, who is remaining anonymous, told the BBC she was staying in a branch of the hotel in London to escape the man, but he followed her and was given a key by the reception staff.

She says he kicked in the door, assaulted her and tried to grab her phone. Travelodge has said such instances are “very rare” and customer safety is a priority.

The hotel chain has come under fire for giving men the keys to women’s rooms without asking the woman first.

The domestic abuse victim told the BBC that she was staying at the hotel in London in October 2025 for “a night away from the fear” following a period of abuse that had left her “frightened and exhausted”.

She said he “told the receptionist that his girlfriend was upstairs having a seizure. He asked what room I was in and what floor I was staying on.”

He was then handed a key and shown the way to her room. She said: “I couldn’t believe it. The one place I thought he could never get to, he had somehow reached. I felt sick with panic.”

MPs have previously written to Travelodge to ask it to review its policies around women’s safety.

In a separate incident a man was sentenced in February to more than seven years in jail after lying to Travelodge staff in Maidenhead in 2022 by saying he was the boyfriend of a woman staying there, and being given a key card to her room. Staff did not check with the woman before giving him the card, and he then sexually assaulted her. The victim was later offered what she described as an “insulting” £30 refund.

A Travelodge spokesperson said the company had this year commissioned an independent review led by Paul Greaney KC “to examine our room access security policies and escalation procedures”, and had also “made changes to strengthen our room access security policy”.

They added: “We are deeply sorry for the significant distress experienced by the customer and we apologise for the way the incident has been handled. Customer safety and security is - and remains - a priority for us. Any case of an unauthorised person entering a guest’s room is a significant cause for concern and ... this should not have happened - our room access security policies at the time were not correctly followed.”

In the UK, call the national domestic abuse helpline on 0808 2000 247, or visit womensaid.org.uk

---

10

National

▼ Joyce Thomas said to be kicked out of Sweden, where her son and grandchildren live, was 'horrible' PHOTOGRAPH: HELENA KARLSSON/NWT

Briton, 78, ordered to leave Sweden after 21 years

Lisa O'Carroll Senior correspondent

A British widow who has lived in Sweden for 21 years is fighting deportation from the country after the authorities told her a post-Brexit application to stay had been submitted too late.

Joyce Thomas, 78, is the latest of 2,500 Britons ordered to leave Sweden after Brexit in what campaigners and the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) have said is an inexplicably hardline approach by the authorities. In 2023 Sweden threatened to deport a British woman with dementia in a care home shortly before she died.

Thomas, a retired nurse, was given four weeks to leave Sweden in November, three years after her husband had died, causing huge distress.

After being widowed, she moved with her dog to a flat in Hammarö, close to her son and grandchildren and to her husband's grave.

"It is unbelievable at my age to be chucked out after being in a country for so long, when you've done absolutely nothing wrong," Thomas said. "I have no criminal record, no driving penalties, nothing. And I have lived here on my own financial means. I just think nobody has actually looked into this thing. I mean, if it was their

family or mother, they wouldn't like them to be in this situation."

Holding back tears, she said: "I am not young, and the idea I would have to come back and forth to visit my son and grandchildren and to visit my husband's grave here ... it is just horrible when you sit and digest it all."

Her husband, Gwynne, died in 2023 of cancer. It was on a trip back from the UK in 2022, when they visited their second son in Brighton, that they learned they should have formally applied to stay in Sweden after Brexit.

▲ Thomas with her late husband, Gwynne, who died three years ago

Thomas said her husband had been meticulous at keeping up with news relevant to British people in Sweden and had taken responsibility for all the administration in their household. She was sure he would have made the application had he known about it.

While late applications are permissible under the UK's withdrawal agreement with the EU, Thomas's submission was rejected in 2024 because she could not demonstrate reasonable grounds for applying late.

A subsequent application to stay under national immigration laws was also rejected. With the help of lawyers working pro bono, she is now taking the case to a higher court.

"When Gwynne died it was the worst thing," she said. "We were married for 55 years; he was my best friend and meant everything to me after all those years. But, you know, it (his death) was an end. This is just unbearable limbo. It is horrible. I am not young. I have already moved from a house to a flat - and to start moving

again and looking for another place? I will be dead by the time I would be settled."

Peter Kyle, the MP for Hove and Portslade, said the case was "deeply concerning". He added: "While immigration decisions in Sweden are a matter for the Swedish authorities, I have consistently believed that the rights of UK nationals who exercised free movement rights before Brexit should be treated fairly and with compassion."

He urged Sweden to review Thomas's case. "I hope the authorities will carefully consider all the circumstances of Mrs Thomas's case, including her long residence in Sweden, her family connections and the humanitarian factors involved."

The FCDO has also expressed concern about Thomas and the wider hardline approach taken by Sweden to British people living in the country since before Brexit.

Data shows that Sweden has the highest number of Brexit-related deportations of Britons of all EU

member states. According to Eurostat data, 2,500 British nationals have been ordered to leave the country since Brexit, one-third of the number of removal orders issued across the 27-member bloc since Brexit in 2021.

The FCDO said: "We regularly raise concerns regarding Sweden's protection of citizens' rights with both the Swedish authorities and the European Commission, which is responsible for monitoring the implementation and application of citizens' rights matters in EU member states."

Article 18 of the EU-UK withdrawal agreement allows for late applications on reasonable grounds. But UK government sources said they believed Sweden was "taking a considerably stricter approach" than others. The result was that "in practice individuals are not likely to have their reasonable grounds accepted".

According to the European Commission, almost 4,000 applicants for post-Brexit residency status in Sweden were refused, out of 14,200 made. By contrast, Bulgaria, which has a similar number of applicants at about 16,000, refused five people, and Belgium, which had 13,000 applicants, refused 605.

According to the FCDO, Sweden's refusal rate of 27.5% is three times higher than any other member state and considerably higher than the EU average of between 3% and 4%.

The Swedish immigration authority, Migrationsverket, said: "In exceptional circumstances, it is still possible to submit a late application. The applicant must explain in writing why they were unable to apply within the prescribed period. Simply stating that the person was unaware of the requirement to apply is not, in itself, considered a sufficient explanation."

The withdrawal agreement also calls for "proportionality" in any decisions to remove residency rights.

Felix Andler, a doctor and friend of the Thomas family who is supporting Thomas, said: "We think the proportionality is really hard to see here: that somebody's life can be upended, simply because they missed a deadline to fill out a form with no information communicated at all to them."

SAMSUNG

Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra for business

Galaxy AI

Split the view Max the productivity

Secured by Knox

Samsung account login is required for certain AI features.

MEET THE NEW STANDARD OF BUSINESS

Now available on EE Trade in and save up to £580

BETTER FOR BUSINESS

TECH apply. Offer valid on eligible services. Enter 1 Sept 2026

---

National

11

People in New York using protective eyewear to observe the total solar eclipse of 8 April 2024 PHOTOGRAPH: JOHN LAMPARSKI/GETTY

Last-minute rush for protective glasses on eve of solar eclipse

Steven Morris

A frantic rush is on across the UK to find the right kind of protective eyewear before tomorrow's partial solar eclipse.

High street stores are running out of eclipse glasses, and online shoppers who track down a pair are being told they may not get hold of them until the end of the week. In other words, in plenty of time for the next comparable UK eclipse - in 2081 - but no good at all for tomorrow's show.

The Royal Observatory Greenwich said it was aware of a shortage of glasses. A spokesperson said: "We have sold out of solar eclipse glasses, both online and in our shops, due to an unprecedented volume of orders."

Ordinary sunglasses are not safe to use and over the past few weeks consumer experts have been recommending specialised glasses.

But try to get, for example, a pack of Lunt solar eclipse glasses (£14.99) on Amazon and the dispiriting message "free delivery Thursday 13 August" pops up.

The Robert Dyas store was offering Bresser eclipse glasses for £2.99, but there was an "out of stock" message on its website.

Emma, from Tonbridge in Kent, described her mission to find pairs for herself and three relatives. "They were sold out everywhere," she said.

When she called her local opticians, she received short shrift.

"They sounded really angry. I said: 'I'm calling to see if you have any glasses for the ...' The assistant

interrupted and said no and hung up." Emma managed to get one pair from a friend whose forward-thinking mum had bought a multipack. "If we can't get any more, we'll have to share," she said.

Neill Sanders, the founder of Go Stargazing and the UK coordinator of Astronomers Without Borders, said there was not a shortage - it was just that people had not planned ahead.

He said: "I'm getting loads of calls, text messages, emails with people asking: 'Do you have some glasses?' Everyone's suddenly realising we need glasses for Wednesday."

Sanders said he had imported 300,000 pairs of solar eclipse glasses from the US.

He had sent out 100,000 pairs over the past few weeks at discount prices to astronomy clubs and community

groups but it was now too late to get most of the others out.

Another distributor said: "We have good stocks. Our issue is everybody has left it until the last minute to order and we only have so many people we can put into packing."

Jake Foster, an astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, said: "If you don't have a pair of eclipse glasses, you can still view the eclipse indirectly.

"Any household item with small round holes in it, such as a colander or even a piece of paper with a small hole poked in it can project an image of the eclipse on to a flat surface.

"Don't look at the sun itself but instead at the shadow that's being produced. You should be able to see the shape of the eclipse within it."

After the 1999 total solar eclipse, the Royal College of Ophthalmologists reported about 70 cases of people experiencing vision problems from watching it.

The UK Health Security Agency and the royal college have issued detailed advice on their websites on the sort of glasses that are safe and on other ways of watching the eclipse.

Britons asked to cut back on power use as the sky dims

Jillian Ambrose

The UK's biggest household energy supplier is asking customers to use less electricity during the solar eclipse.

Octopus Energy has urged households to avoid running washing machines and dishwashers between 6pm and 8pm tomorrow, as the moon is expected to block up to 95% of the sun over parts of the country.

The eclipse is expected to knock out the last of Great Britain's solar power generation for the day, at the same time as the fifth heatwave of the year is likely to increase demand for electricity to run air conditioning, fans and refrigeration systems.

In return for avoiding unnecessary electricity use during the eclipse, the supplier is offering customers a free hour of electricity next weekend. The offer is open to Octopus customers who are signed up to take part in the supplier's "saving sessions", when households earn rewards for using more electricity when renewables are abundant, or less when wind and solar power are scarce.

Octopus believes that, if enough households delay using electricity for a short time during the eclipse, it could reduce the need for Great Britain's electricity system operator to fire up extra gas-fired stations to replace the lost solar power.

The National Energy System Operator (Neso), which is responsible for running Great Britain's electricity system, said it had been "planning for over a year" to manage the effects of the eclipse, "one of the most unusual evenings our control room will manage this year".

Neso expects the early evening peak in electricity demand to occur later than usual as millions head outdoors to see the eclipse before going home to cook, clean and watch TV.

The heatwave in June forced Neso to issue its first-ever warning notice for electricity supplies during a summer period.

Moon shadow When the sun's light will be blocked and how to view it safely

Tomorrow evening, millions of Europeans will experience a celestial treat: a solar eclipse. The light of the setting sun will be virtually blocked out across much of western Europe, including the UK, France, Belgium, Switzerland and northern Italy.

What is a solar eclipse?

A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the Earth and the sun, meaning the moon casts a shadow on the Earth.

Viewers see a total solar eclipse when the sun's light is fully blocked by the moon - meaning they are in the umbra of the

moon's shadow - and a partial solar eclipse when only part of the light is blocked, meaning they are in the penumbra of the moon's shadow.

Whether viewers see a total or partial eclipse - or, indeed, no eclipse at all - depends on where they are. "You have to be right in the middle of the shadow to see a total eclipse, and that is quite a narrow track on the Earth's surface," said Dr Megan Argo, a reader in astrophysics at the University of Lancashire.

How rare is tomorrow's event?

The last event of this kind visible from the UK occurred in 1999,

when parts of Devon and Cornwall were in the path of totality.

While the country will experience only a partial solar eclipse tomorrow, experts are enthusiastic, noting the next comparable event visible in the UK will be in 2081.

When will it take place?

For those watching in Spain under the path of the total eclipse, it will peak between 8.26pm and 8.33pm local time, depending on location, shortly before sunset.

In the UK, the Royal Observatory Greenwich calculates the partial eclipse will begin for viewers in

London at 6.17pm, before reaching its maximum at 7.13pm and ending at 8.06pm. Dr Carys Herbert, an astronomer at Royal Observatory Greenwich, said people in Cornwall would experience about 96%

▲ A partial solar eclipse as seen from Oxfordshire on 20 March 2015

coverage, in the west of Scotland 93%, and in London 92%.

How can I view the eclipse safely? Experts have stressed it is crucial not to look at the sun with the naked eye, or to rely on sunglasses, noting it can cause permanent eye damage. Instead, they recommend buying special eclipse glasses.

"If you don't have eclipse glasses, you can use a colander or something to create a pinhole projector," said Herbert. This is a way to see the eclipse indirectly - do not look at the sun through the colander but project the light on to card or paper.

---

12

News Water

Anger at

landlord as hundreds of residents left without regular water for six months

Nimra Shahid Damien Gayle

Hundreds of residents on an east London estate have been with- out regular running water for more than six months while their landlord delayed works to fix the problem.

Taps have been running dry in Tower Hamlets, where residents have been forced to use bottled water after development in the area may have left it without an adequate supply.

Hundreds of families in Devons Road estate, whose landlord is the housing association Poplar Harca, have been unable to properly cook, clean, wash or even flush their toilets.

Residents, who are bracing for a fifth heatwave this week, say they are still in the dark about why their water suddenly stopped - although some suspect it is because of new housing developments built nearby.

"I'm appalled at the situation my constituents find themselves in," said Uma Kumaran, the area's Labour MP. "Access to water is a basic right, yet residents of Devons Road estate have been denied that right for far too long.

"It's a gross failure of one of the most fundamental duties a landlord owes to their tenants - especially dur- ing record-breaking heatwaves.

"I have repeatedly pushed Pop- lar Harca to take urgent action, full accountability, and set out a clear and swift timetable for repairs, for

all buildings. Residents deserve nothing less than an urgent and per- manent fix."

Poplar Harca acknowledged that "pressure levels can fluctuate" but denied the water supply had ever stopped completely.

Residents said they first began experiencing water shortages last summer. By December, the problems had become widespread, with at least nine blocks affected.

In correspondence with residents, seen by the Guardian, Poplar Harca initially claimed the problem lay with the water supplier. The hous- ing association said Thames Water was supplying "lower flow pressures than in previous years".

But at the same time, Poplar Harca was also telling other residents that "extensive works" were needed to create a new pump room in their block to increase water pressure. The landlord said these works could not begin until a formal process - called section 20 - was carried out to deter- mine what share of the cost should be borne by leaseholders.

In common with social housing blocks around the UK, some flats have been purchased by their residents under the right to buy. When major works are planned the freeholder must carry out a consultation to determine how much leaseholders should contribute.

Poplar Harca suggested there was no need for emergency action from

▲ One of the affected blocks on the Devons Road estate in Tower Hamlets, east London; below, Abdul Hai, with his son Abdullah, are among hundreds of residents left without regular running water for more than six months while Poplar Harca delayed works to restore water pressure

PHOTOGRAPHS: ALICIA CANTER/ THE GUARDIAN

a judge but a property solicitor the Guardian spoke to said that may not be the case.

Clair Phillips, a senior associate at the law firm Moore Barlow, said: "In circumstances where works are urgent, such as a prolonged loss of water supply, one would ordinarily expect the landlord to undertake the necessary works without delay and then apply to the first-tier tribunal for [urgent] dispensation from the sec- tion 20 consultation requirements."

In the meantime, Poplar Harca told residents - including families and those classed as vulnerable - to access public shower facilities at Pop- lar Baths and by expensing day passes at Mile End leisure centre.

Residents, many of whom are parents with young children, or are elderly or disabled, said this was not an acceptable solution.

---

8

13

'This is a first-world country' The families unable to clean, cook or flush the toilet

Christmas day in east London. Beatrice Asante empties a bag of potatoes into her kitchen sink and turns on the tap. Nothing. She turns it off and on again. Still nothing. What now?

Asante rushes out to the only shop that is open, the local convenience store. She buys several big plastic bottles of water. Enough, she thinks, to make dinner and to last until the taps start running again.

Seven months later, and as parts of the country brace for a fifth heatwave, Asante still cannot rely on tap water.

She is one of hundreds of householders in housing association flats on the Devons Road estate in Tower Hamlets who have been left for up to a year without a reliable supply. Only now, after months of delay, is the landlord mobilising to have the problem repaired.

It is difficult to understand just how much we rely on running water - until it is taken away. Residents of the nine blocks affected have been left unable to properly wash themselves, clean their homes or cook. For long stretches each day, they cannot even flush their toilets.

Rajia Begum and Jasmine Begum are two mothers raising their families in east London. Both have been without a reliable supply of water this year.

They often only get running water in the middle of the night.

"Everything [we] do is after one o'clock at night," Rajia said. "We can't sleep. [Instead]

"You can't put a price on water" - Beatrice Asante

we do cooking, washing, toilet, everything."

In July, she went three days without any water. Her landlord, Poplar Harca, sent three five-litre bottles. But when one toilet flush requires five litres, 15 litres is not enough to keep a household going. "We can't clean," she said. "It's a messy house. Because without water how can it be possible?"

Trying to raise children without a reliable supply of water presents particular problems.

Rajia says her two daughters refuse to use the toilet at home because it is unclear when it can be flushed. As a result, they have become unwell.

Many residents of these estates are in poverty, or are affected by disability.

For many, English is their second, or even third language. They are among the most marginalised people in the capital.

But it seems remarkable that so many can have gone without water for so long without action taken.

The first time Poplar Harca came to deliver water to Razna Begum's home after she made a number of attempts to get through to their phone line, the landlord came to check her taps turned on.

"We are not lying, what would we do for our taps to turn on? We've had no water for the last eight months," she said.

The 64-year-old lives on the Devons Road estate with her youngest son, who has severe eczema, and her husband, Abdul Hai, who had a stroke in June and is bedbound. Razna believes he can no longer use his right side because of the stress from being without water for more than eight months. His visiting carers have advised that he should stay hydrated.

"We have emailed our Tower Hamlets mayor but no one has replied. They have stayed silent," she added. "This is a first-world country but there is no water."

A spokesperson for Tower Hamlets council said: "Although the delivery and maintenance of water services within these buildings is a matter for the landlord, Poplar Harca, the council and the mayor's office are working with them throughout to escalate residents' concerns, seek updates on remedial works, and ensure appropriate support arrangements are in place, including provisions for vulnerable residents and access to bottled water where required."

Nimra Shahid and Damien Gayle

As a landlord, Poplar Harca was obliged to provide water to its tenants whose taps had run dry. Residents said they often ended up waiting on its phone line for more than an hour at a time, often not getting through at all on weekends or during last month's unprecedented heatwaves.

When they did get through, deliveries were limited to 15 litres per household, regardless of how many people lived there. Some residents said they received their first delivery only last week - more than eight months after the shortages began.

Residents suspect their water has been diverted to new developments in their neighbourhood. Water shortages began for many last autumn, around the time of the completion of Stroudley Walk, a Poplar Harca commercial housing development.

Water engineers were divided on the cause. Paul Kent of Kent Group Services said Thames Water's "infrastructure is still decades and centuries old, with lots of leaks on the systems due to the number of new housing developments in east London. Thames Water has had to lower water pressure to be able to supply everyone."

Dale Joseph, a gas and plumbing engineer with Under Pressure Plumbing London, visited some of the affected blocks with the Guardian. He said that given Thames Water said it was meeting its responsibility to provide adequate pressure to

the properties, it was up to the landlord to ensure each flat had enough to keep the taps flowing.

Poplar Harca recently told some residents they could expect the issue to be fixed in six blocks between 5 August and 8 September. Work at three blocks is not due to begin until 27 August. That means some residents will have been left without adequate water for up to a year.

A Thames Water spokesperson said that after investigating a number of complaints, it believed the low pressure was "due to extensive new development in the area, as well as some problems related to customers' internal plumbing". They said: "We are looking into remodelling the wider area, which could raise the water pressure to take account for increased localised development. This requires extensive testing and any plans are at a very early stage."

Sadaf Moosvi, an organiser with the community organisation Acorn, who helped some residents to come

'It's a gross failure of one of the most fundamental duties of a landlord'

Uma Kumaran

Local MP

together to make a complaint, said: "There are genuinely no words to describe the scale of this scandal. I've been organising communities for several years and have seen a great deal, but never anything like this."

A Poplar Harca spokesperson said: "Residents continue to receive water, although pressure levels can fluctuate and, at times, may be insufficient for some households' needs.

"As soon as we became aware of the issue in December, we worked with Thames Water to investigate the cause who confirmed pressure to the affected buildings remains above the minimum level required under Ofwat's guaranteed standards scheme.

"The permanent solution requires the installation of new pump systems in the affected buildings. While we were keen to move forward as quickly as possible, because the water supply has remained available, albeit with temporary interruptions, we did not need to pursue an emergency route to fit the pumps. As a result, we've followed the statutory section 20 consultation process with leaseholders before major works can proceed."

They added: "We appreciate that residents would have liked a faster resolution. Our focus has been on maintaining support for affected residents ... while progressing the permanent solution as quickly as the statutory process and technical works allow."

Thames Water

Company makes 'indefensible' £1m payout to finance chief

Jasper Jolly

Thames Water has paid its finance chief a £1m signing fee despite teetering on the brink of a government-handled administration, in a decision that the environment department labelled "unacceptable".

The utility company revealed that it made the payment last month, in a letter sent last week by Adrian Montague, its chair, to MPs on the environment, food and rural affairs select committee.

Thames is one of at least eight water companies banned from paying performance-related bonuses because of continued environmental failings. The company, which provides services to 16 million customers in London and the Thames valley, has been on the verge of collapse for more than two years.

Andy Burnham has previously indicated the government should take control of Thames in order to write off debts worth billions of pounds. However, the creditors who in effect control Thames have spent months negotiating to take formal ownership, if regulators will give leniency on future fines. The creditors have offered the government a "golden share" in the business in a last-ditch attempt to avoid having their debts written down.

Yet the continued payments of millions of pounds to executives will

Outage closes resort

Chessington World of Adventures Resort theme park was forced to close yesterday owing to a water outage affecting the local area.

The Surrey attraction said it was working closely with Thames Water and local partners to support a "safe and timely resolution".

Those affected were told that tickets would be automatically be revalidated for future dates.

A Thames Water spokesperson said: "We're sorry to customers in the Chessington area who are currently without water, and to anyone whose plans to visit Chessington World of Adventures Resort have been affected following today's outage. Our specialist team is on site and have located a burst water main on Leatherhead Road. Repairs are under way." Caroline Davies

£4.1m

The total bonuses Thames Water paid its senior managers in the financial year ending March 2026

probably strengthen calls for the government to take formal control via a special administration regime.

A spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: "It is unacceptable that one of the worst performing water companies is handing out huge payments to its executives when it should be focusing on improving performance and rebuilding public trust.

"We've banned bonuses for polluting water bosses and expect companies to follow both the letter and the spirit of the rules. We look forward to the outcome of [the industry regulator] Ofwat's review, which will assess if and how these rules should be strengthened."

The payment to Steve Buck was made last month, after Thames took legal advice over its obligations. It was drawn from a £3bn emergency debt package agreed last year with creditors. That money is designed to keep Thames running while it tries to negotiate a longer-term takeover by its creditors.

River Action's head of campaigns, Amy Fairman, said: "Thames Water is on the brink of financial collapse with a debt pile of £20bn, rivers in their region are drowning in sewage and 571m litres of water are lost every day. Yet there's still £1m for a finance chief's signing-on payment when over a quarter of Thames Water customer bills go to servicing debt.

"Meanwhile, frontline staff are out around the clock holding this failing company together. It's indefensible. Put Thames Water into special administration and rebuild it to serve its customers and clean up our rivers, not reward failure."

The payment to Buck, first reported by Sky News, was deferred from April 2025, when he joined from Pennon Group, the owner of South West Water.

The payment would come on top of total pay for Buck of £591,000 in the financial year to 31 March. That included a £491,000 base salary, as well as a £25,000 discretionary payment to "support his appointment and facilitate his timely onboarding, recognising costs incurred in connection with his recruitment". However, the extra £1m payment was not detailed in its annual report, released last month.

Buck's base salary was also increased to £630,000 in April. The total pay of the chief executive, Chris Weston, for the year to 31 March rose to £1.2m.

Thames last month disclosed it had paid £4.1m in bonuses for senior managers.

Thames Water and the creditor group declined to comment. The environment committee was approached for comment.

---

14

National

Berger urges Tory leader to reverse offer of role to former neo-Nazi

Aletha Adu

Luciana Berger has urged Kemi Badenoch to “listen to victims” and reverse her decision to give a national advisory role to a former neo-Nazi.

Joshua Bonehill-Paine was jailed in 2015 for more than three years after posting antisemitic material online before a planned neo-Nazi rally. In 2016, he was found guilty of racially aggravated harassment for abuse directed at Berger, an MP at the time. He was also the founder and leader of the National British Resistance, a far-right group.

The Labour peer said she was still affected by his crimes more than nine years later and questioned what safeguarding checks Badenoch and the Conservative party had carried out in relation to his new appointment to the party’s culture and integration commission.

Berger asked whether Bonehill-Paine’s new role could bring him to Westminster, as she wrote on X: “Can I expect to come face to face with him on the parliamentary estate?”

Badenoch’s spokesperson said he will not have a parliamentary pass and would not be on the estate.

Her intervention came after the Conservative party leader published a lengthy defence of Bonehill-Paine in the Times, describing questions over his suitability to stand as a councillor in Somerset as a “pile-on”.

Bonehill-Paine was set to stand as a Conservative councillor but announced last week that he had withdrawn from next year’s local elections after Badenoch offered him the advisory role. Badenoch said: “People need to understand that the Conservative party under my leadership is now the party of personal responsibility and law and order. That means insisting on consequences by

▲ Luciana Berger said Kemi Badenoch should ‘listen to victims’

punishing wrongdoing and protecting the public, especially victims.

“We need fewer double standards and instead higher standards in a system that is repeatedly failing to protect the public. We should be tough enough to stand by our beliefs even when politically inconvenient, wise enough to recognise rehabilitation and consistent enough to apply the same principles to friend and foe.”

Berger said she had seen the piece late on Saturday night and “tried to ignore it” but after Badenoch shared the article on Monday, the former MP for Liverpool Wavertree accused her of giving insufficient consideration to Bonehill-Paine’s victims.

“Badenoch makes one passing reference to the ‘victims’,” Berger wrote. “There were many. And I was one of them. Did Badenoch read the judge’s sentencing remarks? In court we heard the victim impact statements from people unable to testify, whose lives he had destroyed.”

“His appointment as an adviser ... could conceivably bring him to Westminster. Can I expect to come face to face with him on the parliamentary estate?” she added. “It’s still not too late for Badenoch to listen to victims and reverse her decision.”

A spokesperson for Badenoch said Bonehill-Paine had served his time, completed Home Office Prevent courses, and been into schools to teach about combatting antisemitism and extremism. But the party did not answer questions about what safeguarding checks it had carried out in relation to his appointment, or why Badenoch had not contacted Berger.

The abuse Bonehill-Paine directed at Berger included calling her a “rodent” and an “evil money-grabber”. He also has a conviction for assaulting a police officer and burglary of a police station, and was convicted in 2014 of malicious communications over an anti-Islam hoax that led to death threats against the owners of a pub in Leicester.

Berger challenged Badenoch over what consideration had been given to safeguarding adding: “Badenoch’s article says she wants to safeguard the public and victims, but what safeguarding checks has she and the Conservative party carried out?”

If Badenoch or her team had contacted her, Berger said, “I would say, I don’t think it is ‘harder politics’ for this man to be part of Kemi’s operation. I think it’s the wrong politics.”

She added: “I’m all for rehabilitation. But someone convicted of neo-Nazi misogynistic crimes is not suitable for public office less than a decade after his conviction. And neither should he be gifted a national advisory role, even closer to power.”

▼ Lucy Harrison, pictured with her mother, Jane Coates, in December 2024, just days before she was shot dead by her father in Texas

Mother of Briton fatally shot by father in Texas calls for renewed investigation

North of England editor

The UK foreign secretary, Ed Miliband, is being urged to push US authorities to reopen an investigation into a man who shot dead his British daughter while she was visiting him in Texas.

Lucy Harrison, 23, from Warrington in Cheshire, was fatally shot on 10 January 2025, the day before she was due to fly home to the UK.

Her father, Kris Harrison, who admitted holding the pistol at the time, has never been arrested.

A Texas grand jury decided not to prosecute the telecoms executive, originally from Liverpool, last year after what Lucy’s family described as an “inadequate” police investigation.

Earlier this year, the senior coroner for Cheshire ruled that Lucy had been unlawfully killed and that Harrison’s actions amounted to gross negligence manslaughter.

Lucy’s mother, Jane Coates, yesterday wrote to Miliband urging him to press the US authorities to reopen the investigation into her former husband, in light of the coroner’s findings.

She wrote: “I understand that the British government cannot interfere in the American justice system or direct US prosecutors to take a particular course of action.

“However, the Foreign Office can use appropriate diplomatic channels

▲ Bodycam footage shows Kris Harrison, originally from Liverpool, telling police he shot his daughter Lucy. He has never been arrested

to draw attention to the coroner’s conclusion, raise the serious concerns surrounding the original investigation and ask the relevant US authorities to review the case.”

A number of UK politicians, including the former justice secretary Robert Buckland, are also urging Miliband to intervene.

Harrison, a telecoms executive, had bought a pistol for $500 (£370) from a colleague two years before Lucy’s death. Gun owners over the age of 21 are not required to obtain training or a licence in Texas, one of the most firearms-friendly US states.

An inquest in Cheshire was told that Lucy had expressed concern to friends about her two younger siblings being in the house with the Glock-9mm semi-automatic pistol.

It also heard that the pair had an argument about Donald Trump in the hours before the fatal shooting, although Lucy’s family say this is not why she was shot.

Despite an officer smelling alcohol on Harrison’s breath, he was not breathalysed. During his police interview, a Texas ranger explained

to Harrison that the “gun would only discharge if the trigger was pressed”, according to a report released to the UK inquest. “Kris said ‘OK,’” it noted. Yet authorities said they were unable to arrest Harrison because they could not prove intent.

Sarah Hall, the Labour MP for Warrington South, said the Foreign Office should also address why the family was not given “adequate support” from the UK government after Lucy’s death.

In her letter to Miliband, Coates said: “I must also express my disappointment at the response we received from the previous administration. There was no meaningful action to help us seek justice.

“The formation of the new government under Andy Burnham has given us renewed hope. We have been struck by the prime minister’s determined tone, and by his emphasis on taking action and getting things done. We sincerely hope that this approach will extend to Lucy’s case.”

A Foreign Office spokesperson said: “Our thoughts remain with Jane and her family for the tragic loss they have suffered, and we will always look to learn lessons from cases such as this one to improve the consular support we offer to other families in the future.”

---

National

GB News investigated as guest links Pride to paedophilia on air

Michael Savage

Media editor

GB News is being investigated by the media regulator after a guest appeared to link Pride parades with bestiality and paedophilia.

The remarks are thought to have set a new record for individual complaints about a GB News programme, with more than 12,000 people raising concerns about comments made by the guest Caroline Farrow.

Those to speak out included the Green party leader, Zack Polanski, and Bimini, a former contestant on RuPaul's Drag Race UK.

Farrow, who describes herself as a Catholic commentator and is a campaigns manager for the ultra-conservative advocacy group CitizenGO, made the remarks during

a discussion after the London Pride march last month.

Speaking on the Alex Armstrong Tonight show, Farrow said the march was "not about gay rights" and had instead "become about celebrating every single sexuality that isn't heterosexuality".

She said this included "some very bizarre and unhealthy kinks and quirks, you know, like furries and bestiality and even minor-attracted, they call themselves minor-attracted people, you know, paedophiles".

It prompted an open letter signed by Polanski and Bimini, which called on Ofcom to deal with the "dangerous" disinformation.

Ofcom confirmed it was investigating the show in relation to broadcasting standards. The rules say that "material which may cause offence is justified by the context".

The edition of the show, including the remarks, has been removed from YouTube.

Armstrong, the show's presenter, did provide some push back to the comments at the time, saying: "The overwhelming amount of people at Pride were there for good reasons." He said: "I don't think it was full of paedophiles and everything, I'm sure there are nefarious people."

He used a later show to go further, stating: "Comments made by guests last weekend conflated gay Pride with the celebration of paedophilia. This is an age-old gay trope that's been used over a number of years to demonise and slander gay people.

"Those comments by guests had no place in that discussion."

The Green party deputy leader Rachel Millward welcomed Ofcom's decision to investigate.

"The suggestion that gay people are somehow a particular threat to children is baseless, irresponsible and deeply harmful," she said.

"GB News is a regulated broadcaster, and broadcasters are supposed to meet basic professional standards. That should include not using their platform to spread hateful lies about a marginalised group."

GB News was approached for comment. At the time, it said in a statement: "These comments were expressed within a live debate by a contributor. They were her own views, and do not reflect the views or editorial position of GB News. Anyone watching the debate would have noted the comments were robustly and repeatedly challenged by two other contributors."

GB News has already been criticised by Ofcom for similar remarks on a different show. Last year, Ofcom concluded that the channel breached the broadcasting code after the presenter Josh Howie said the "full inclusion of LGBTQ+ persons" at a church would "include paedos".

On that occasion, GB News was not sanctioned because it had already broadcast an apology.

Stage review

Waspish wit from a snappy female-centric social comedy

Cathy

Traverse theatre

★★★★☆

Mark Fisher

It's stellar comedy: she performs with such drive and command, a no-nonsense approach to lots of nonsense

▶ Olga Koch powers through her show, Fat Tom Cruise, taking in frat-boy culture and the thought that 'teenage girls are more emotionally intelligent than any man'.

PHOTOGRAPH: ANDREW KIMBER

Edinburgh

comedy review

This fast-talker pirouettes from zinger to zinger

Olga Koch: Fat Tom Cruise

Pleasance Courtyard

★★★★☆

Brian Logan

From the outset, Olga Koch's show Fat Tom Cruise looks like it's got something meaningful to say. It's not just the screens and sleek stage furniture, on to which details of US legal cases are projected. It's also our host's swaggering authority: Koch powers through like a woman on a mission. So what's its agenda, this new set that professes to tell a story that really isn't Koch's own? Well, it's that men's self-esteem issues are laughable and that "teenage girls are more emotionally intelligent than any man".

Hmm, I thought. Until, in due course, Koch is revealed to be engaging in a bait-and-switch. But first, the story in question, which traces the young Koch's journey from school senior, avenging herself on an unrequited crush, to college student in the US. Here, our host is drawn into fraternity culture - first at a hazing ritual in which she reluctantly participates, and later when buddying up at a wedding with a man (our eponymous hero) nostalgic for his frat-boy past. Interspersed is a briefing on several real-world gender-equality lawsuits that alleged, and proved, unfair discrimination against men.

What, one wonders, is Koch up to? Certainly, she's up to stellar

comedy: she performs with such drive and command, a no-nonsense approach to lots of nonsense, pirouetting across the stage to celebrate this or that zinging put-down. And with such well-honed wisecracks too!

Her wider project, meanwhile, is revealed at the end, as Fat Tom Cruise's fate suggests male vulnerability may not be such a laughing matter. It's a sentiment worth endorsing, even if I found this denouement a little earnest and crudely engineered. But this remains a substantial set from one of the fringe's most reliable purveyors of big-payload comedy.

Until 30 August

E ilidh Loan marked her arrival as a playwright with Moorcroft, a tremendous male-centred comedy inspired by her father's amateur football team. Now she has moved up a generation to write a female-centred family comedy inspired by her grandmother.

It was the older woman who stipulated that her character - the Cathy of the title - should be played by Elaine C Smith, a decision so spot on it suggests she missed her calling as a casting director. It's hard to imagine an actor who could better embody Loan's vision of a newly widowed working-class woman whose grief is veering towards depression. She lands Loan's jokes - acerbic and sharp - with battle-hardened precision.

She craves the love of neither the audience nor anyone else on stage. Her every discomfort is voiced - sod the consequences. Her waspish tongue and world-weary sourness go down several layers before we see the vulnerable person beneath. She cannot see herself making it as far as Christmas.

The setting is the aftermath of the funeral of Tommy, Cathy's husband of 50 years, and the play begins with the kind of gallows humour characteristic of such events. Any mention of death makes one person laugh and another burst into tears.

As social comedy it is snappily observed, but it is also dramatically underpowered. The only thing at stake is the family's cordial relations in the absence of the placatory Tommy, and it hardly seems to matter whether Cathy and Flo can patch up their mother-daughter conflicts. New life and a Christmas resolution provide a touching ending, but even with the big laughs, it covers limited emotional ground.

Until 30 August

---

16

National

Police explore whether Widdecombe suspect is linked to Farage break-in

Vikram Dodd

Police and crime correspondent

Police are investigating whether Joshua Kerry, the man charged with the murder of Ann Widdecombe, had any role in an attempted burglary at a former London home of Nigel Farage.

After an investigation by counter-terrorism police, Kerry, 28, from Rotherham, was charged with murdering the former Reform UK and Tory politician, who was found dead at her Devon home last month.

Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) London said on Friday that it was reinvestigating an April 2025 incident at an address where Farage was living at the time.

CTP South East, which is investigating the murder of Widdecombe, is also now investigating the 2025 incident, which was initially recorded as a burglary. Other sources have described it as an arson attempt.

The Guardian understands that

detectives are studying fingerprints taken from the scene, as well as video from CCTV cameras in the area and from devices such as video door bells. They have also examined the scene to see if an accelerant, such as lighter fluid, was used.

On Friday, CTP London said it had referred itself to the police watchdog over the initial investigation.

In a statement, CTP said: "As part of the ongoing investigation led by Counter Terrorism Policing South East into the murder of Ann Widdecombe, officers have re-opened an investigation into an incident reported to police last year.

▲ Nigel Farage talking to reporters yesterday: Ann Widdecombe, below, was

found dead; Joshua Kerry, left, is charged with her murder PHOTOGRAPH: RASHI KECATI ALLIM/GETTY

"In April 2025, the Metropolitan police received a report of an attempted burglary at an address in the Greater London area.

"Enquiries were carried out by the Metropolitan police, supported by Counter Terrorism Policing London. No arrests were made, and the investigation was subsequently closed, pending any new lines of enquiry.

"Following the re-opening of the attempted burglary investigation, Counter Terrorism Policing London identified a line of enquiry which was not identified and pursued by them at the time, which may have been relevant.

"As a result, to ensure their support to the initial investigation is thoroughly reviewed, Counter Terrorism Policing London made a mandatory conduct referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) today, Friday 7 August 2026."

Farage said yesterday: "It's a great, great tragedy that it took the death of Ann for the security services in Britain to finally take seriously the safety and security of Reform politicians and Reform prominent figures."

The Reform UK leader said he now had confidence in counter-terrorism police and that they were not trying to cover anything up.

Of CTP's decision to refer itself to the IOPC, he said: "The fact they have done that shows you they are not trying to cover up, they are not trying to ignore, and I have to say, I have met Laurence Taylor [the head of CTP], and I did feel a great, great confidence in it."

Widdecombe's body was found with "serious injuries" by paramedics at her home in Haytor Vale at 11.40am on 9 July. A court heard that the 78-year-old died after being hit on the head with a hammer 21 times.

Her murder has not yet been declared a terrorist incident. CTP South East took the lead in the investigation because of the possibility there may have been a political motive behind her killing.

CTP's investigations continue.

Pause your subsc...

Save up to 31% on retail price

Subscribe to being flexible. Subscribe to the Guardian.

Going away? It's easy to have a holiday from your subscription too. Simply log in and mark the dates you won't be needing the paper, and your payments will go on hold – for a total of up to five weeks each year.

Save up to 31% on the retail price when you subscribe Scan the QR code or visit theguardian.com/newspapersubscription

...tipion whenever you like

SATURDAY

Feast

SATURDAY

The Guardian

Saving shown is the saving per month against the retail price. New subscribers, UK residents 18+ only. Pause delivery or collection for 5 weeks max per year. Full package details, delivery areas and participating stores on our website. Subscription T&Cs apply, see theguardian.com/subscription/terms

---

News

17

◀ Daniel Kinahan (back right) leaving the criminal courts of justice in Dublin. Above, Portlaoise prison, where Kinahan is being

held. Below, wanted posters in Dublin city hall and, bottom, a sketch of Kinahan in court PHOTOGRAPHS: MARK MARLON(PA); NIALI CARSON(PA); MIKE O'DONNELL

'The so-called gym ... is probably slightly bigger than a box room in a house'

Irish Times source

Dubai to jail cell: Kinahan's drastic change of lifestyle

Rory Carroll

Ireland correspondent

It sounds like the penal equivalent of five stars: a private gym and library, daily outings to the exercise yard and a landing cleared of other prisoners.

Daniel Kinahan's first full day inside the walls of Portlaoise prison yesterday, however, marked a drastic change from his luxury lifestyle in the United Arab Emirates.

The alleged leader of the Kinahan organised crime group is confined to a cell for about 20 hours a day, and instead of presiding over an empire said to be worth hundreds of millions of euros his only outlet for expenditure is the tuck shop.

The facilities, it turns out, are meagre consolation - a treadmill, some free weights and limited reading material. "The so-called gym

and library are nothing much," one source told the Irish Times. "The gym is probably slightly bigger than a box room in a house."

That is the reality facing Kinahan, 49, for months until his trial - and possibly decades if convicted. The Dubliner remains innocent before the law, but his extradition on Sunday represents a victory for the Irish state and law enforcement agencies across the world.

Kinahan was named a leader of a cartel said to control about a third of Europe's cocaine supply, along with running criminal sidelines in firearms and racketeering. But from his base in Dubai he appeared impervious to such allegations for almost a decade, while becoming an influential figure in sport through his boxing management company MTK Global, which arranged championship bouts.

That changed after the US offered a reward of up to $5m (£3.7m) for information that led to his arrest or conviction. The Treasury Department said the Kinahan group had engaged in a gang war with another group in Ireland and Spain, "resulting in numerous murders".

The US bounty helped Ireland to secure an extradition treaty with the UAE last year, paving the way for Kinahan's arrest in Dubai in April.

After failing to block extradition, Kinahan was flown in an Irish government jet to Casement aerodrome on Sunday and taken to the criminal courts of justice in central Dublin where he was charged with directing organised crime.

Met officer enjoys drive in £3.7m Ferrari seized during crackdown

Matthew Weaver

A police officer got the opportunity to drive an open-top limited-edition Ferrari in Mayfair, London, after the car was seized as part of a record-breaking crackdown on uninsured vehicles and dangerous driving.

The Dubai-registered supercar, worth £3.7m, had been in the UK for

▲ A police officer wearing sunglasses drives the seized Ferrari Monza

just a day when it was confiscated by the police because it was being driven by someone with a provisional licence and no insurance.

Instead of loading the sports car on to a flatbed truck used for such seizures, a Met officer wearing sunglasses drove the car to the pound.

Footage of the incident showed him driving the Ferrari Monza SP2 - one of only 499 made by the Italian company - around Mayfair and Marble Arch, escorted by police vehicles including the empty flatbed truck.

It was one of 90 vehicles worth a combined total of more than £8m seized over the weekend as part of an operation with the Motor Insurers'

Bureau (MIB) cracking down on uninsured motorists and antisocial and dangerous driving around Hyde Park, Kensington and Chelsea.

The Met said it was the highest number and value of vehicles seized in the operation's five-year history.

Fifteen of the vehicles were seized under new powers allowing police to confiscate them rather than give a warning if they are involved in antisocial behaviour.

Angus Eaton, the chief executive of the MIB, said: "Operations like these show that the rules apply to all motorists, regardless of the value of the vehicle they chose to drive.

"We urge all motorists to check

Told by one of the three judges that a bail application would have to be made to the high court, the prisoner was phlegmatic. "I think we know I won't be getting bail, but thank you," he said.

Observers at the hearing noted that Kinahan, wearing a black hoodie, black tracksuit bottoms and white trainers, looked older than the photographs that show a smiling, more youthful figure. He was pale, reflecting his incarceration since April.

Crowds lined part of the route to watch as he was driven in a Garda car - not a blast-proof prison van, as originally expected - to Portlaoise, a high-security prison 50 miles outside Dublin that used to house republican paramilitaries and is now home to drug gang members and others convicted of serious crimes.

Kinahan is the sole prisoner on a landing in A block that usually hosts eight inmates. During visits to the yard, which has wire netting to prevent contraband being dropped in, he will be alone. He will be served breakfast at 8am, lunch at 12.30pm and supper at 4.30pm and have a tuck shop account to buy personal items from the prison shop.

Video calls will afford contact with his wife and children in Dubai. A glass pane will separate him from in-person visitors. Kinahan is scheduled to return to the non-jury court on 5 October.

they have cover in place and that it's adequate for them, their vehicle, and their journey types."

The operation also involved a man arrested on suspicion of handling stolen goods and money laundering after he was found with 19 bank cards in other people's names and more than £2,500 in cash.

Another man stopped for driving without insurance was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply drugs; a third man was arrested for using words and behaviour that would be likely to cause harassment, alarm and distress; and a fourth was arrested on suspicion of an immigration offence.

---

18

News

Broken by the system

What one mother's suicide reveals about desperation of carers

Josh Halliday

Two days before she died, Matilda Davis issued a plea on Facebook. Sharing a study that found more than 40% of parent-carers had considered suicide, she called for "greater awareness, action and change" in Britain's broken social care system. "This speaks the words I can't," she wrote.

Matilda, known as Tilly to her family and friends, had spent years battling for support in a regime that close observers and those who rely on it often say is increasingly confusing, fragmented and difficult to navigate.

Her seven-year-old son, Jude - not his real name - has significant disabilities. She was, her friends said, an "absolutely inspirational" mother, juggling care for Jude's five-year-old sister, Lilly - also a pseudonym - alongside Jude's appointments at therapy, physio, hospital and two schools, as well as the significant financial and administrative burden.

She cherished every moment with her children. "Tilly cared more than anyone I know," said her sister Georgina Davis, 35. "It was what she lived for."

On 3 October last year, Matilda, 36, was found dead in the bathroom of their home in Stratford-upon-Avon in the West Midlands.

She had taken her own life a day after saying she felt "completely exhausted" by her responsibilities, and "paralysed with anxiety" about the prospect of her looming divorce

▲ Matilda with her son, who became critically unwell soon after his birth

from her estranged husband, who the Guardian has chosen not to name.

After Andy Burnham promised the biggest reforms to social care in a generation, experts said Matilda's death showed how carers were being "pushed to breaking point" by a "broken" system.

"Health and social care services in England are failing disabled children, and their parents are being left to pick up the pieces," said Dr Siobhan O'Dwyer, a leading expert on family carers.

"In his speech the prime minister acknowledged that without support unpaid carers can break. But what does it mean to break? For Matilda it meant death by suicide, it meant dying alone and in pain because services failed to fully appreciate the impact of the caring role and the troubled marriage, and it meant leaving behind the children she loved more than anything else in the world.

"That is a break that can never be healed, but it was entirely preventable. If the government really wants to stop other carers breaking, it's going to need more than a heartfelt speech. It's going to need real action."

'I won't be here much longer' Evidence heard at Matilda's inquest earlier this year, including GP records and disclosures to professionals, showed a woman engulfed by stress in the final weeks of her life.

Last August she told her GP she was worried about her "ability to cope emotionally with the daily demands as a parent-carer living with a home environment which is becoming increasingly stressful, full of anxiety and worry".

"My absolute focus is to ensure [Jude and Lilly] are spared the turmoil of the unrest and upset in the house," she said.

Matilda had struggled with her mental health since Jude became critically unwell shortly after his birth. But two days before she died, she was in the "slight depths of ruin", she told a friend in a voice note. "I'm just in pieces and I'm trying to hold it together with the children, but it's so physically taxing and emotional with what I'm dealing with [Jude] alone," she said. "I'm just breaking really. I'm just completely broken. I haven't really got any physical strength in me."

Matilda had given up work as an art teacher to care for Jude full time. Social workers had

'Love does not mitigate the pressure of caring for a disabled child in a broken system'

Dr Siobhan O'Dwyer

► Matilda Davis, described by friends as an 'absolutely inspirational' mother, took her own life two days after saying she felt 'completely broken'

not carried out a family care assessment, where professionals assess what support they might need, for almost four years by the time she died. They were due to visit the following week to carry out an updated plan.

On 2 October, Matilda told her divorce solicitor the worry was "overwhelming". "My capacity to earn is basically nothing and will be long term," she said.

Her day to day life was packed with "appointments, rehabilitation, admin, emails, phone calls, transporting/commuting", she said, which would become more complex over the coming years with Jude's schooling and health needs.

With her marriage coming to an end, Matilda said she was "desperately fearful" about the future of their home, as she had sacrificed years of earnings to care for Jude full time. "The estate agents will not accept me as a non-earning single occupant and I have absolutely no where else suitable to go," she said the day before she died, the inquest heard. She said

she felt "financially trapped" and that it was "both physically and emotionally relentless at times".

That morning, her husband called social services to say he was concerned about Matilda's mental health. He said she had expressed suicidal thoughts that morning by saying: "I won't be here much longer and then you will all have to look after yourselves."

Social workers, who are obliged to act on welfare concerns within 24 hours, visited Matilda at home at 2pm the following day, a Friday.

A note of the meeting, shared at the inquest, details how Matilda was "visibly upset and tearful" when they arrived and "expressed significant anxiety" about the visit.

The coroner, Deborah Sewell, noted that Matilda spoke of the "emotional and psychological strain arising from relationship conflict, financial pressures, and the ongoing divorce proceedings".

Matilda told the social workers she had hit her head on the door in front of the children that morning "as a manifestation of emotional frustration". Before they left the

meeting, social workers suggested that her husband look after the children that weekend and that Matilda stay with her parents.

She was reluctant to leave, having already expressed concern about how Jude would manage without her. When they left at 2.30pm, Matilda "appeared calm" and there was "no indication of any suicidal ideation", the note of the meeting recorded. Minutes later, she was dead.

At the inquest in March, social workers admitted they did not ask Matilda whether she had thoughts of suicide, despite knowing she was in significant distress. Nor was she directed to crisis organisations.

Neither social worker who visited her that day had undertaken suicide prevention training. When told it was best practice to ask someone directly whether they had plans to kill themselves if they had expressed suicidal thoughts, one said: "Well, I've not done the training."

Asked whether they were concerned that Matilda had said a day earlier she "won't be here

---

8

much longer" - which they were told by her husband was a suicidal thought - the social worker added: "Obviously it is concerning she said that but she wasn't using the word 'suicide'."

Sewell, the coroner, issued a rare prevention of future deaths report in April to direct Warwickshire council to make suicide prevention training mandatory for 600 members of staff.

Warwickshire council said: "We extend our deepest sympathies to the family and all those affected by

this tragic loss. Following Matilda's death and the subsequent coroner's inquest, we have implemented enhanced suicide prevention training for all social workers to equip staff with skills to identify when parents and carers need additional support and to help them to access it.

"In addition, all agencies involved with this case will participate in a review to look closely at all the circumstances leading up to Matilda's death. The purpose of the review will

◀ Matilda cherished every moment with her children, but her son has significant disabilities and she had spent years battling for support

be to make recommendations for improving services and support."

'Love does not mitigate the overwhelming pressure'

In research published in 2024 - and shared by Matilda two days before her death - the University of Birmingham found that 42% of parent-carers had thought about suicide, a much bigger proportion than for the general population.

O'Dwyer, who led the research, said those caring for significantly disabled children were exposed to chronic levels of extreme stress that were "compounded by other factors like poverty, domestic abuse, or social isolation".

She said social workers often had an "excess of professional optimism" about parents' ability to cope with the pressures of caring for children with complex needs, particularly when they saw a devoted, loving mother and reasoned she would never act on thoughts of self-harm because she loved her children so much.

"But it is possible to love your children and be pushed to the point of suicide," O'Dwyer said. "Love does not mitigate the overwhelming pressure of caring for a disabled child in a broken system."

Contact, a charity for families with disabled children, said parents often reached crisis point before help was available and had to "fight for basic support".

Anna Bird, its chief executive, said parent-carers were being "squeezed from every direction - by the cost of living crisis, reduced services and a support system that is increasingly confusing, fragmented and difficult to navigate".

In the garden of Jude's primary school in Birmingham, two apple trees and a rose bush have been planted in Matilda's memory. Twenty miles away in Stratford, her friends at a family club have raised money for a bench engraved with her name and a number for the Samaritans suicide helpline.

Davis described her sister as "the most incredibly devoted mother", draining her savings and driving hundreds of miles a week to get Jude the support he needed.

"She would tell me how she had to really fight to get what she wanted and needed for [Jude]," Davis said, adding that Matilda often talked about "how exhausting it is having to continually have to battle to get the provision he so needs".

Matilda's friend Francesca Roberts, a nursery manager, said she had been constantly in awe of Matilda's ability to go "far beyond what any parent should have to do simply to access proper care and support".

"She absolutely adored her children and dedicated every part of herself to them," she said. Matilda was "one of the most caring, devoted, and selfless people I have ever known", she added. "She was the village that everybody dreams of having around them."

The Samaritans suicide prevention charity can be contacted for free on 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org

◀ SpaceX's mega rocket Starship lifts off for a test flight from Texas. The company is looking for new launch sites across the globe PHOTOGRAPH: ERIC GAYLAP

Backlash as SpaceX eyes rocket site on eroding US coastline

Oliver Milman

Plans by Elon Musk's SpaceX to build a vast rocket launch site on a stretch of Louisiana's rapidly eroding coastline have stirred a backlash among local opponents who fear it will badly damage the area's fragile ecosystem.

A deal for SpaceX to take control of 130,000 acres of coastal Vermilion parish is reportedly close to being finalised, allowing the company to escalate its number of launches, including of its new Starship mega rocket. SpaceX also has ambitions to deploy artificial intelligence datacentres in space, and while some experts have expressed doubts about this, it has submitted regulatory filings to build a constellation of up to a million of them.

The agreement with Louisiana's Republican leadership will enable SpaceX to build on an 18-mile strip of Pecan Island, a low-lying slice of land with just a few hundred inhabitants that sits south of the city of Lafayette.

The land was previously given up via a legal settlement with the oil company ExxonMobil, which was accused of worsening land loss and pollution through its activities in the area. ExxonMobil has described the lawsuits against it as "meritless".

Neither SpaceX nor Jeff Landry, Louisiana's governor, have confirmed the plan for the rocket site, although the space company did previously post on X, another Musk company, that thousands of Starship launches would "require the ability to launch from many different locations, so we are constantly exploring to find viable sites to expand Starship operations in the future, both domestically and internationally".

The prospect of a new spaceport spanning an area several times larger than Washington DC has alarmed some opponents in Pecan Island. Yesterday, a website was launched to rally opposition to the SpaceX plan, with its organiser warning the huge new facility would imperil a critical migratory bird habitat.

Hundreds of millions of birds, including snow geese, whooping

cranes and 40% of North American waterfowl use Pecan Island as a crucial stop-off in their migratory flights through the Mississippi flyway, a vital corridor that birds use in seasonal flights between North and South America.

"We have existed alongside oil and gas for over 100 years, we aren't against industry, but we haven't blasted off high-octane rocketry before," said Gabe Giffin, a Louisiana resident who set up the new website. "I think space is cool, too. But many of these birds need this area and we need to have a proper process in place for this."

Giffin and other critics have raised concerns about moves by federal and state governments to sweep aside requirements to follow laws such as the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act and Endangered Species Act when approving such projects.

Musk, the world's richest person, is a leading donor to Republicans and undertook an unelected reorganisation of the federal government last year at the behest of Donald Trump.

"They are throwing out the rulebook to make my home a desolate wasteland for what? Rockets?" said Brooke Broussard, a teacher whose family has long lived on Pecan Island.

"I'm concerned about the already fragile hydrology of Pecan Island and its wetlands, and the quality of life for residents who live there despite the hardships. These are people who want peace, not crowds and traffic. This would set a precedent to allow dirty business without any sort of accountability."

Some locals do see opportunities arriving through jobs and investment brought by SpaceX, Broussard said, and even some protection from the onward march of the seas.

Perched on the Gulf of Mexico coast, Pecan Island is part of a fraying Louisiana coastline that is quickly eroding, losing about one football field of land every 100 minutes.

This rapid land loss is caused by rising sea levels from the climate crisis, as well as subsidence of the state's coastline. Scientists project Louisiana faces about 2ft of sea level rise by 2050, a scenario that imperils New Orleans and will drown almost all of Pecan Island, including its buildings.

"Some people are saying that SpaceX will build up the land here and save us but most of the people I've spoken to are against all this," said Broussard.

"It's all Trumpers on Pecan Island but people aren't for this. We are probably doomed, with all the storms coming. But my thing is that we should be allowed to go in peace. The people who continue to live there despite the peril deserve better."

Neither SpaceX nor Landry's office responded to a request for comment.

---

20

Eyewitness

---

21

◄ A selection of photos taken yesterday as the UK braces for its fifth heatwave of the summer (clockwise from top left): a blaze at Holme Fen near Peterborough; a heathland fire in the New Forest near Ringwood; parched fields in Weymouth; Hollow Ponds near Wanstead, east London; smoke trails from a fire at Llangynidr Reservoir in Blaenau Gwent that started on Saturday; and Radnage recreation ground in Buckinghamshire

PHOTOGRAPHS: TERRY HARRIS; ANDREW MATTHEWS/PA; ENPS: HENRY NICHOLLS/GETTY; SWNS: JONATHAN BRADY/PA

---

22

World

▲ The scene of a Russian airstrike that damaged a residential building in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, yesterday PHOTOGRAPH: DARYA NAZAROVAN/GETTY

Ukraine strikes oil refinery deep inside Russia, killing at least 13

Luke Harding

A Ukrainian drone strike on an industrial city deep inside Russia has killed at least 13 people, according to the local mayor, as Kyiv steps up its campaign of long-range strikes on targets far from the frontline.

Kyiv said it hit the Taneco refinery in the city of Nizhnekamsk, about 750 miles from the Ukrainian border. Footage circulating online appeared to show smoke rising from the refinery.

Ukraine's general staff said the raid was part of a campaign to reduce the "military potential of the Russian aggressor".

Russian investigators claimed civilian and industrial sites in the city had been hit. The head of the Tatarstan region, Rustam Minnikhanov, said a Ukrainian drone hit a hostel, killing nine people. He posted images showing a badly damaged building.

If the death toll is confirmed, the strike would be among the deadliest Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022, underscoring the growing reach of Kyiv's strikes.

The Uzbek consulate said seven of the victims were Uzbek citizens, who had died as a result of a "terrible incident". Minnikhanov declared a day of mourning as Russian prosecutors opened a criminal case into alleged "terrorism".

Local video footage showed Ukrainian drones buzzing above the city's skyline, flying low over grey and box-like Soviet-era apartment blocks. Two plumes of black smoke could be seen rising above an industrial zone on the wooded outskirts of Nizhnekamsk.

The site is home to Taneco, one of Russia's biggest and most technologically advanced oil refineries, owned by Tatneft. It also houses a plant that produces rubber and petrochemical products. Ukraine previously bombed the area in June.

In an address on Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said "long-range sanctions" against the Kremlin and its war machine would continue. In recent months Ukrainian drones have wreaked havoc on Russia's oil export industry, even hitting refineries in Siberia, 1,550 miles from the frontline.

The governor of the Tyumen region in western Siberia said

'Every Russian strike will be met with our response ... Russia's war will be felt more and more in Russia'

Volodymyr Zelenskyy Ukraine's president

yesterday several Ukrainian drones had fallen on an industrial facility and emergency services were dealing with a fire.

There have been several strikes on warehouses belonging to Wildberries, Russia's equivalent of Amazon, and on oil tankers in the Sea of Azov and Black Sea. Ukraine's long-term goal is to slowly strangle the Russian economy so Moscow can no longer fund its war.

Zelenskyy described his country's remote bombing campaign as "entirely justified". He said on social media: "Every Russian strike [on Ukrainian towns and cities] will be met with our response. Russia's war will be felt more and more at their own home - in Russia ... The only

reason this is still continuing is Russia's unwillingness to end this war."

Russia's defence ministry said it had intercepted 456 Ukrainian drones flying above Russian territory and Crimea, which it annexed in 2014. Ukraine says it is knocking out its opponent's air defence systems more quickly than they can be replaced, creating air corridors or "doors" it can exploit.

Overnight, Ukraine's armed forces hit equipment depots and a repair unit in the occupied Donetsk and Luhansk parts of eastern Ukraine, while Russian-appointed local authorities said the Zaporizhzhia region in south-east Ukraine was largely without electricity yesterday after Ukrainian attacks destroyed

power facilities. On Russia's Black Sea coast, power outages were recorded in parts of Novorossiysk, a big export port, and in the holiday resort of Gelendzhik, the regional authorities said on the Telegram messaging app.

There were unconfirmed reports that Russian ballistic missile launcher systems were destroyed inside Russia, not far from the border.

According to Telegram channels citing Ukrainian military sources, the targeted high-value military assets were in Russia's western Kursk and Bryansk regions. Both were used to launch Iskander and hypersonic Zircon missiles towards Kyiv.

Ukrainian prosecutors, meanwhile, said five people were killed on Sunday in a Russian artillery strike

---

※

Tupac Shakur

Trial begins 30 years after rapper's death

Page 24

Typhoon Dolphin

Record rainfall turns Shanghai 'into the sea'

Page 27

▲ An apartment block was targeted during a Russian attack on Odesa, Ukraine, on Sunday night. Left: smoke follows from the Taneco refinery

in Nizhnekamsk, Russia and, far left, a building hit by a Ukrainian drone in Donetsk

PHOTOGRAPHS: UNIONFORMS/ SHUTTERSTOCK/ AFFIDETTY

on a village outside Kharkiv. Several houses were flattened as a result of an "enemy strike" on Buhaivka in the Chuhuiv district, they said.

Elsewhere, Sweden's security service said yesterday it had shut down a Russian spying operation that had tried to influence decision-making there and discredit the Nordic country as well as its EU and Nato allies.

The operation had been planned and directed by Russia's SVR foreign intelligence service and involved three people working under the cover of diplomatic immunity, the Swedish security service said in a statement.

"This is consistent with the threat we see Russia posing," a spokesperson said.

"We have been able to monitor what happened at these meetings between the individuals involved, what was said and what assignments were given.

"They are no longer in Sweden and we have been able to break up this operation," he added.

Additional reporting Reuters

Germany

Drone bomb at airport was Russian - US experts

Deborah Cole Berlin

American intelligence experts believe Russia was behind an attack on a German airport last week with a drone laden with explosives, US media have reported, as Berlin remained silent on the likely culprit.

The interior minister, Alexander Dobrindt, has called the incident, in which a quadcopter with semtex plastic explosives attached was found next to a Ukrainian cargo plane at Leipzig airport, part of a "professional hybrid threat scenario" by a well-equipped foreign actor. But government officials have not levelled a specific accusation against Moscow.

The Wall Street Journal, however, has quoted US officials familiar with intelligence reports about the incident as saying the drone probably belongs to the Russian government.

CNN reported that Washington had concluded the drone came from a Russian secret service, citing a US defence official in Europe who noted that the explosive material found on the drone suggested a military manufacturer.

German officials said the drone managed to fly past Leipzig airport's defences. It was only immobilised when an alert airport bus driver ferrying a group of late-night passengers spotted and reported it, an estimated four hours after it breached the facility's security, averting what authorities have said could have been a multiple casualty event.

The same night, a DHL cargo plane, which had been forced to abort its landing at the airport owing to the discovery of the drone, then collided with an unknown object in midair as it was climbing away from the airport. It later landed safely elsewhere, with minor damage.

Investigators now believe it hit a second hostile drone being flown that night.

The German tabloid Bild reported yesterday that authorities had found DNA traces at the scene that matched a sample from a firebomb, posted via DHL, that exploded at Leipzig airport in July 2024.

Five men suspected in a related series of mailed incendiary devices are on trial in Lithuania, where it emerged in court last week that the plane that was the target of the fire-bomb only avoided being set on fire in mid-flight because it was delayed. The suspects are alleged by Lithuanian prosecutors to have been employed by Russian intelligence.

A risky move Rejecting Gaza

deal is a gamble for Netanyahu

Emma Graham-Harrison Jerusalem

Benjamin Netanyahu's public rejection of a US-backed deal for Gaza has drawn scepticism in Israel amid reports he was personally hammering out details of a military withdrawal days earlier.

The Israeli prime minister is struggling to balance incompatible demands on Gaza policy from his domestic and international allies.

The far-right Israeli politicians who prop up Netanyahu's coalition government want to intensify Israeli attacks on Gaza and establish settlements inside the territory.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump, who provides vital diplomatic and military backing for Israel, wants to move towards a permanent settlement and return to Palestinian control in Gaza, brokered by the Board of Peace that he created and chairs.

With an Israeli election looming in just over two months, Netanyahu appears to have opted to publicly placate domestic partners who are already on the campaign trail.

On Sunday he rejected a new 15-point plan for Gaza that included a Hamas commitment to give up its weapons, meeting a key Israeli demand. He resisted US pressure to end wars in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran without Israel's buy-in.

The remarks blindsided Israeli commanders, who had been discussing implementation of the plan with Netanyahu and the Israeli chief of staff, Eyal Zamir, days earlier, Israel's Channel 12 reported.

"We learned about it today from the media," the television channel quoted a defence official saying. "At the meetings that were held until now, the prime minister personally gave his consent to this plan and to a withdrawal from the points in Rafah."

The meetings covered precise boundaries of three pilot areas in southern Gaza where a proposed international force - which has yet to be stood up - could take over from the Israeli military, and the interface between the two forces, the report said.

Netanyahu's public attack on the Board of Peace plan seemed like a particularly pointed rejection of US goals because it was released soon after a reported visit by Adm Brad Cooper, who heads US Central Command.

He came to deliver in person the message that the Trump administration wanted Israel to end its wars in Gaza and Lebanon, Israeli media reported. "The Americans' message to the IDF was to move in the direction of shutting down all three theatres of operations," a senior Israeli military officer told Channel 13 television.

Defying Trump, who is notoriously thin-skinned and intolerant of dissent, is a risky gamble when Israel is internationally isolated and needs US military supplies.

But Netanyahu has a long track record of audacious political manoeuvring, at home and internationally, undaunted even by ostensible power imbalances. Bill Clinton, after meeting him for the first time in 1996, is reported to have said: "Who's the fucking superpower here?"

▲ Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly rejected a 15-point peace deal for Gaza proposed by Donald Trump's Board of Peace PHOTOGRAPH: CHIP SOMODEVILLA/GETTY

In May 2024 the US president Joe Biden announced an Israeli-backed ceasefire and hostage release plan for Gaza, only to have Netanyahu distance himself from the proposal and ultimately reject it.

For now the administration in Washington appears to have largely shrugged off Netanyahu's comments as electioneering, perhaps encouraged by military decisions that indicate a far more attentive regard for Trump's wishes.

Last week Netanyahu scaled back Israeli airstrikes on Gaza by raising the threshold for authorising attacks. Targeted killings must now be approved by the chief of staff, rather than the regional commander, unless Israeli forces are in "imminent danger".

Nor is this the first time he has bowed to US pressure to rein in wars that have the enthusiastic backing of his far-right allies. He recently limited the offensive in Lebanon and last year ordered fighter jets headed for Iran to turn back at Trump's demand.

Netanyahu's combination of fierce domestic rhetoric and some conciliatory steps on the ground in Gaza may have bought him a bit of time, but US patience may not last until polling day in late October.

Trump is weighing up election concerns of his own, with the US holding midterms a week after Israel votes.

Netanyahu's visit to the White House last month was notably low profile for a leader who has repeatedly campaigned on his reputation as an international statesman and close relationship with the US president, Haaretz newspaper noted.

It ended without a joint statement, and strains caused by the Israeli prime minister's competing political priorities have become increasingly evident. "That's how it is when you try to juggle too many balls; you start dropping them," the paper said.

The top envoy for the Board of Peace, Nickolay Mladenov, declined to comment on Netanyahu's rejection of a deal that took months to hammer out. In an interview with Israeli media he said only that "discussions continue".

Palestinians in Gaza have endured nearly a year of deadly limbo after Trump brokered a nominal ceasefire last October, which he said would halt fighting and pave the way for reconstruction.

Netanyahu's office rejected reports that he had discussed detailed withdrawal plans for Gaza.

23

---

24

World

Jury selection starts for trial of former gang boss accused over Tupac Shakur’s murder

Reuters

Jury selection began yesterday in the murder trial of a former gang leader accused of masterminding the drive-by shooting of Tupac Shakur three decades ago - a crime that became a seminal moment in hip-hop history.

Duane “Kefle D” Davis is charged in Clark County, Nevada, with a single count of murder by use of a deadly weapon. He has pleaded not guilty.

Davis, 63, is accused of leading a group of men to kill Shakur, one of rap’s most commercially successful and influential artists, in a 1996 drive-by shooting near the Las Vegas Strip.

The killing of the 25-year-old heightened the image of violence permeating hip-hop culture and its lyrics during “gangsta” rap’s golden age, stoking the infamous East Coast-West Coast rap feud of that era.

Police said after Davis’s arrest in 2023 that he was a longtime suspect but investigators had lacked enough admissible evidence to charge him until he began implicating himself in a series of public statements.

The trial, before Judge Carli Kierny, is expected to run for up to six weeks in a central Las Vegas courthouse. It may feature testimony from Death Row Records’ co-founder Marion “Suge” Knight, a former rap mogul who was with Shakur the night he was slain and is now serving a 28-year prison sentence on an unrelated voluntary manslaughter conviction.

▲ Duane ‘Kefle D’ Davis, now 63, is said to have implicated himself in the killing of Shakur in his memoir

Authorities have described Davis as the “shot caller” of a hurried plot to avenge the beating of his nephew by Shakur and members of his entourage inside the MGM Grand casino in Las Vegas on the night of 7 September 1996.

The beating allegedly stemmed from hostility between two Los Angeles-area gangs – the South Side Compton Crips, of which Davis was the self-described leader, and Mob Piru, which police say was linked to Knight and Death Row Records. They were in town to see a world heavyweight title boxing match between Mike Tyson and Bruce Seldon.

Davis allegedly obtained the gun and handed it to two other men in the rear seat of a white Cadillac as they rode about looking for Knight and Shakur’s car after the brawl.

Shots were fired when Davis and the others caught up with the vehicle. Shakur was struck four times and

▲ Tupac Shakur was 25 and one of gangsta rap’s most famous artists when he was killed in a drive-by shooting PHOTOGRAPH: ELI REED/COLUMBIA/ROBAL/SHUTTERSTOCK

died in hospital six days later. Knight, who had been driving, suffered a minor injury from a bullet fragment that grazed his head.

The murder investigation grew cold, but police said the case was reinvigorated in 2018 by statements Davis made to media outlets. Davis said in interviews and in his 2019 memoir, Compton Street Legend, that he was in the front passenger seat of the Cadillac and handed the gun to one of the two men sitting behind him, according to police.

But neither Davis’s account nor the authorities have said who is believed

to have fired the gun at Shakur. The three other men in the Cadillac with Davis have all since died.

Under Nevada law, Davis can be charged with murder if he took part in the crime without pulling the trigger.

In his book, Davis wrote that he was long considered a suspect in the murders of Shakur and a rival rapper, Christopher Wallace, who performed as the Notorious B.L.G. and was shot dead in Los Angeles in March 1997.

His killing remains unsolved, but there has long been speculation that he was gunned down in retaliation for Shakur’s killing months earlier.

‘It broke me’: ICE hunger striker speaks out about force-feeding

José Olivares New York

A Kurdish man who was force-fed over the course of eight months while on hunger strike in US immigration detention has spoken out about it for the first time, describing how much the process harmed him physically and psychologically.

Gabar Choli, a film-maker and activist now living in Canada after being deported, described how he often endured the coercive treatment twice a day after being detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) when his asylum application was denied.

“It just broke me, mentally broke me,” Choli said in an exclusive interview with the Guardian. “It came to a point that I decided to write my body an apology letter.”

ICE officials force-fed Choli at the Port Isabel federal detention centre in Los Fresnos, Texas, from late May 2025 until he was deported this January, a Guardian investigation found. Choli had resorted to a hunger strike to protest against conditions at the facility and to push for a resolution to his immigration case.

He described how a team of guards

▲ The Kurdish film-maker Gabar Choli was force-fed for eight months while detained by ICE in Texas

PHOTOGRAPH: COLE BURSTON/THE GUARDIAN

would physically restrain him while ICE medical staff forcibly inserted a feeding tube through his nose and down his oesophagus and pumped nutritional liquid into his stomach.

“I was respectful. I just told them I am protesting for humane treatment, nothing else,” Choli said. “But they were determined to break me.”

Sources at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), ICE’s parent agency, told the Guardian that

between January 2025 and 4 August 2026 ICE obtained court orders for involuntary medical treatment for 18 hunger strikers.

Federal court records, including declarations by ICE doctors and officers, verify that Choli was subjected to force-feeding. Combined with interviews with medical and legal experts and an interview by phone with Choli himself, much of the secretive process is revealed. His case could be the longest documented case of force-feeding in ICE detention to date.

Choli arrived in Blaine, Washington state, in 2022. He had been living in Vancouver, where he was

campaigning for an independent nation of Kurdistan, having come to Canada from what he considers occupied territory in Iran.

He said he had requested asylum in the US owing to death threats for his activism while in Canada, and lived in Los Angeles with a work permit while his case was in process. But he was arrested during an ICE check-in on 25 February 2025 - the month after Donald Trump returned to the White House - after his asylum case failed.

He began a hunger strike while in detention in California and was transferred to Texas. The DHS and ICE then requested an emergency

court order from a federal judge to force-feed him.

“I am not suicidal,” Choli wrote in a letter to the federal judge overseeing his proceedings. “I am using hunger strike as the only available option to protest the abuse and mistreatment.”

The DHS and ICE said in court records that force-feeding Choli was necessary for his health, but also that his prolonged hunger strike posed “a serious threat to the security and good order” of the detention centre. They further accused Choli of attempting to “manipulate the immigration system” by striking.

During his first force-feeding sessions, he recalled occasions where a nurse working for ICE “showed the tube so hard” that “he tore my nose from the inside”.

After such sessions “they would take me to solitary cell and I would just choke on my blood and drink the blood from inside [my throat]”, he said. Many of his court records are sealed, so the Guardian is not able to corroborate some details in Choli’s account.

He did not have legal representation throughout the eight-month ordeal. Choli suffered injuries and medical complications, including swollen sinuses, damage to his oesophagus and stomach problems, court records show.

Dr Chanelle Diaz, an assistant professor of medicine at Columbia University’s medical centre, who has reviewed cases of other detainees, said: “That is just not medical care - that is torture.”

The DHS and ICE did not respond to specific questions about Choli’s case. A DHS spokesperson said: “Any involuntary medical treatment is undertaken only pursuant to legal authority and under the direction of qualified medical professionals.”

---

©

World

25

'Our coast is our treasure' Florida plans natural corridor to protect marine life

Richard Luscombe

Miami

From disappearing manatees to bleached coral reefs and oyster beds destroyed by hurricanes, the marine life in Florida arguably

faces greater climate-related challenges than any other US state.

Now, wildlife authorities are attempting to bring some cohesion to tackling the diverse slate of issues by borrowing from a playbook that has already proved successful on land.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), and its charitable arm, the Fish and Wildlife Foundation of Florida (FWFF), have announced the creation of an ambitious "coastal corridor", an interconnected chain of ocean-based projects and enhancements designed to preserve and nourish vulnerable marine creatures.

It replicates to a significant degree the state's wildlife corridor, a 7m-hectare (18m-acre) project established in 2021 to provide a safe, contiguous habitat spanning much of Florida where rare or threatened land-based species including birds, reptiles, panthers and bears can flourish.

With projects including habitat restoration, fisheries enhancement and improved public access and coastal resilience along Florida's Atlantic and Gulf coasts, the corridor aims to create a connected network of artificial reefs, oyster beds, seagrass and mangroves on which marine life can thrive.

"The goal is to protect and connect all these important habitats for fish and wildlife," said Nick Wiley, a former head of FWC who is now the executive director of FWFF. "Everyone has seen how successful the wildlife corridor initiative has been, rallying everybody around the mission. The wildlife species needed these travel lanes and corridors across the state,

but it also highlighted how private landowners contribute to federal, state and county public lands and how all that fits together.

"Our board members were really inspired by that, looking at our coast, our fisheries and the coastal communities, and from the beaches, estuaries, all the way out into the deeper water."

The coastal corridor is designed to protect not just Florida's precious marine legacy but also the economic riches of its waters. Recreational fishing alone brings in $14bn (£10.4bn) a year, and provides 120,000 jobs, the foundation said. Another $3.1bn and 39,000 jobs come from creating and maintaining artificial reefs.

Additionally, more than 2 million out-of-state anglers visit Florida each year, renting charter boats and ploughing plenty of dollars into hotels and restaurants.

"Our coast is our treasure," Wiley said. "But we hadn't really looked at it as a connected corridor all the way around the coastline. It's

▲ A manatee, the marine mammal for which the state is famous, in Crystal River, west-central Florida; left, a coral reef at Key West

PHOTOGRAPHS: ALL CANADA PHOTOS/ALAMY; JOSEPH FREZION/AFP/GETTY

$14bn

Annual amount that recreational fishing contributes to Florida's economy, providing 120,000 jobs

39,000

The number of jobs in the state that are created by making and maintaining artificial reefs

like the wildlife corridor's sister on the coast that shows how you connect our estuaries all the way out through the grass flats into the deeper water."

FWC and FWFF leaders are partnering with local government, scientists, conservation groups and coastal communities. One early project is a collaboration with Collier county to lay a sizable new artificial reef about 13 miles from shore in the Gulf of Mexico.

Mike Norberg, a marine biologist with decades of experience in artificial reefs, who is also the coastal corridor's project director, said a chain of prefabricated concrete structures measuring 2.5 to 4.5 metres (8ft-15ft) would be lowered on to the seabed and mimic natural reefs to attract fish.

"There's a number of benefits for artificial reefs," he said. "It removes pressure from natural reefs, which obviously have a lot of challenges, especially in south Florida, and also creates habitats in areas where none might have existed.

"In parts of the coastal waters, it's largely just sand sea floor and not a ton of natural reefs, especially when you look in the northern Gulf or north-eastern side of Florida. So it's a win-win both for the ecosystem as well as recreational opportunities, whether that's fishing and diving or just going out and sightseeing and having fun."

Norberg said strategic reef deployments were a priority for the first year, with other projects under way in Okaloosa county in the north-west of the state, and Duval county on the northern Atlantic coast. Future plans, he said, include exploring coastal restoration projects to help address beach erosion, the loss of mangroves that protect against storm surge, and the reduction in natural food stocks that sustain declining species, such as seagrass for manatees.

"We're looking at various oyster bed restoration opportunities and how that can tie into this network of connected habitats, living shorelines. That's a huge thing, one that helps improve coastal resiliency from a community perspective," said Norberg.

"It also provides habitat for juvenile fish and adult fish to spend their time within an estuary before they move offshore. So there really is this opportunity to tie both inshore to offshore habitats and use that as a tool for marine resource management."

To Wiley, the creation of the coastal corridor represents what he says is a peak of his decades-long career in wildlife conservation in Florida. "I see more excitement and opportunity on this one than anything I've touched," he said. "As we've seen on the wildlife corridor, it will bring a deeper, richer identity to the state that will enrich and enhance the value of Florida for people that live here, and the people that want to come visit."

Roman wreck full of wine jars found off Sicily after 2,100 years

Lorenzo Tondo

Palermo

A 2,100-year-old Roman shipwreck carrying about 500 amphorae has been discovered 3 miles off the coast of Mazara del Vallo in Sicily.

Italy's cultural heritage police, the Carabinieri, investigated the wreck with the help of divers and underwater cameras after receiving a tip-off from fishermen. The

▲ About 500 two-handled ceramic jars were discovered at the wreck site

vessel was found at a depth of about 46 metres (151ft) and was carrying hundreds of amphorae - ancient two-handled ceramic jars with a narrow neck - thought to have been used mainly to transport wine.

The wreck, measuring about 21 metres long and 6 metres wide, was described by Italy's culture minister, Alessandro Giuli, as "one of the most important underwater archaeological discoveries of recent years".

Giuli said the wreck offered "precious fragments of our history" and provided further evidence of the trade routes and exchanges that made the Mediterranean "a crossroads of civilisations".

The divers Giacomo De Mola and

Igor Bisulli described how they came across the wreck.

"Visibility wasn't the best ... I got closer. And my heart stopped. Below me was a vast expanse of amphorae," De Mola said in an Instagram post with video footage of the discovery.

"This is, without a doubt, the most incredible discovery of my life," he said. "It's hard to describe what it feels like to be among the first humans, in nearly 20 centuries, to see that place again."

Most of the cargo consisted of Dressel 1A amphorae, widely used to transport wine and particularly valuable to archaeologists because they can help reconstruct the commercial networks that linked Italy

with other parts of the Mediterranean between the second and first centuries BC. Over the coming months, Sicily's superintendency of the sea is expected to carry out a new phase of scientific documentation and research at the site.

Archaeologists will seek to establish more precisely the date of the wreck, the origin and intended destination of its cargo, and the condition of the surviving material, while also drawing up measures to protect what officials have described as a site of exceptional archaeological significance.

Additional reporting

Agence France-Presse

---

26

World

'There was a law that could send me to prison for 10 years simply because of who I was'

Erika Castellanos Activist

Erika Castellanos, a human rights activist who was born and raised in Belize, was given six months to live when she was diagnosed with HIV in 1995 PHOTOGRAPH: GATE

'Reaching 50 is a success story' Surviving HIV and transphobia in Latin America

John Musenze Rio de Janeiro

Erika Castellanos has outlived what she describes as one of the cruellest statistics in Latin America. The life expectancy of a transgender woman in the region is estimated to be 35 years. "I am 50 years old. A lot of transwomen are killed very early in life, either because of HIV or because of transphobia, so reaching 50 is a success story," she says.

When Castellanos was diagnosed with HIV in 1995, doctors gave her six months to live. She had spent years watching Aids devastate

her community, with effective treatment beyond the reach of most people in low-income countries.

Looking back over the past 30 years, Castellanos, born and raised in Belize, says the medical breakthrough has been extraordinary. She began treatment in 2000 using whatever medicines arrived as donations to hospitals.

"When I was diagnosed, we were taking whatever came our way. Most of it came as donations from Europe and the United States. Science has come such a long way. Every time we're getting closer to a cure, closer to a vaccine," she says.

After moving from Belize to neighbouring Mexico in the early 1990s to live more openly as a transwoman, she survived through sex

work and volunteered at an HIV hospice in southern Mexico.

"We barely had anything [at the hospice]. My mother paid for the snacks at our meetings. It was a time when treatment options were extremely limited. We were caring for people who were dying. We were giving comfort because there wasn't much else we could do."

Castellanos feared hospitals almost as much as she feared HIV, never knowing whether healthcare workers would treat her with dignity or subject her to humiliation. "There was a lot of stigma at the time. [Hospital staff] would tell me: 'You have HIV because you chose this life.' But I don't have HIV because I chose anything; I have HIV because

there was no system that allowed me to protect myself. I was forced into situations that carried risks. Nobody would ever choose this," she says.

"I have lived through more than 30 years of promises, breakthroughs and funerals. I have watched medicine transform HIV from a death sentence into a manageable health condition. But I have also watched people including my friends die while those medicines existed. Science did not fail my friends. Politics did."

Today, Castellanos lives in the Netherlands and leads Global Action for Trans Equality (Gate), an organisation advocating for the rights of trans and gender-diverse people where her work

focuses on improving access to healthcare, advancing human rights and supporting community organisations.

"My experience motivated me to fight for treatment and to create spaces where people living with HIV could have a voice," she said at the Aids 2026 conference in Rio de Janeiro last month.

Growing up in Belize, she says, laws criminalising people like her created constant fear. "When I was young, there was a law that could send me to prison for 10 years simply because of who I was. You wanted to tell your doctor the truth because you wanted the best care, but you were also afraid that being truthful could put you at risk."

She says those fears remain for many trans people today, especially in Africa, where criminalisation is on the rise.

Her concerns are echoed by Winnie Byanyima, executive director of UNAids, in the report UNAids Global Aids Update, which documents a global rollback in human rights including sexual and reproductive rights. In 2026, 168 countries criminalised sex work, 66 countries criminalised same sex sexual relations and 14 countries criminalised trans people.

"You cannot end Aids while criminalising people living with and most at risk of HIV," says Byanyima. "When people fear arrest, violence or discrimination, they stay away from HIV services. Human rights are not separate from the HIV response - they are essential to its success."

Castellanos warns that the recent international funding cuts, including the scaling back of USAID and the President's Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (Pepfar), risk reversing decades of progress, forcing communities back to a time when treatment options were limited, clinics were overwhelmed and community organisations were left to fill gaps in care.

Efforts to end Aids as a public health threat by 2030 are at risk unless global solidarity is restored and inequalities addressed, the report says.

Castellanos hopes leaders remember that HIV responses are ultimately about people, not politics. "It's OK if someone doesn't understand my life. They don't have to agree with me, they just have to respect my humanity."

Police use batons against young Indians protesting over job tests

Penelope MacRae Delhi

Thousands of young people clashed with police in one of India's poorest states yesterday as a weeks-long protest over alleged irregularities in recruitment drives for coveted government jobs escalated into a march on the state legislature.

Police fired water cannon and swung batons as they tried to stop flag-waving demonstrators from clambering over barricades and

surging towards the assembly in the Jharkhand state capital, Ranchi.

Some of the protesters responded by dancing and cheering as jets of water drenched the crowd.

The unrest comes weeks after the self-styled "cockroach" movement put the BJP-led national government under heavy pressure and forced the resignation of the education minister over leaks of a national medical entrance exam paper.

Protesters and police officers were injured in the Jharkhand clashes, local media reported, although no

official figures were released. "The baton charge was barbaric. We were protesting peacefully," one protester, Piyush Kumar Soni, told the Press Trust of India.

The demonstrators are demanding an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation, India's premier investigative force, saying that only an independent inquiry can get to the bottom of alleged wrongdoing in government recruitment examinations.

They accuse authorities of failing to prevent irregularities, including test paper leaks and cheating, which they say have deprived young job-seekers of a fair chance.

Jharkhand has long struggled with high unemployment, and competition for civil service and other

public-sector posts, which offer job security, health and pension benefits, is intense.

Government recruitment drives routinely attract hundreds of thousands of applicants, with many young people spending years preparing for examinations. In one recent recruitment exercise, nearly 640,000 applications were received for just 2,025 posts.

The state government, led by a regional party allied with the opposition Congress, has sought to defuse

640,000

The number of applications received for 2,025 government jobs in a Jharkhand recruitment drive

the crisis through talks. Officials say most of the protesters' demands have been accepted and that they are open to more negotiations.

The Congress party leader, Rahul Gandhi, condemned the use of force. "Students have a right to peaceful protest, and only dialogue can yield solutions," he said.

The row has already claimed senior figures. The former Jharkhand public service commission chair has been arrested over alleged exam irregularities, while three commission members have resigned.

Nearly two-thirds of Indians are under 35. Official data shows unemployment fell to 9.9% last year, but a study by Azim Premji University found nearly 40% of graduates aged 15 to 25 were unemployed.

---

World

27

‘Shanghai turns into the sea’ as Typhoon Dolphin inundates China’s east coast

Spain warns of raised wildfire risk as people flock to see solar eclipse

Stephen Burgen Tarragona

Authorities in Spain have warned of an increased risk of fires when hundreds of thousands of people head to the hills and beaches to get a better view of tomorrow’s total solar eclipse.

“The vegetation is extraordinarily dry and the smallest spark or carelessness could lead to devastating forest fires,” the environment minister, Sara Aagesen, said on a visit to Niebla in the south of the country, the site of Spain’s latest fire.

Relentless heat and scarce rainfall have created ideal conditions for fires that have scarred swathes of Spain in recent weeks, including a huge blaze west of the capital, Madrid.

Police estimate that 1.5m extra car journeys will be made tomorrow, and there are fears traffic could block access for emergency vehicles if fires break out in rural areas. Parking on hard shoulders or close to dry vegetation has been banned, as have barbecues and fireworks.

As a precautionary measure, the Valencia region has closed its natural parks and has banned walking on rural footpaths.

Yesterday, the national weather agency, Aemet, said this July was mainland Spain’s joint-hottest month since records began in 1961. Last month was also mainland Spain’s driest July on record, with just 4.3mm of rain falling - just 26% of the normal precipitation for the time of year.

Hospitals are on alert for possible eye damage to people who do not wear the protective sunglasses that have been handed out for free all over the country before the eclipse. Six brands of glasses have been withdrawn after being deemed unsafe by the consumer association Facua.

People should wear the glasses before, during and after the eclipse, said Jesús Merayo Lloves, the head of the Fernández-Vega ophthalmology research institute, warning that looking directly at the sun could cause irreparable damage.

The total eclipse will cross Spain and is best viewed in a band about 120 miles wide from A Coruña in the Atlantic north-west to Mallorca in the Mediterranean. Accommodation in small towns and villages in its path, as well as makeshift observatories set up by local enthusiasts, have been booked out for months.

Nasa has installed four high-powered telescopes next to the church in the tiny village of Villalibado in north-west Spain, from which it will livestream the eclipse to more than 10 million viewers.

Nasa chose the village, which was abandoned for decades before being restored as a holiday destination, after almost a year searching for the perfect site to view the eclipse.

▲ Vehicles stranded on a flooded road in the Chinese city of Wenzhou, Zhejiang province. Top, a pedestrian braves the storm in Shanghai’s

central Huangpu district and, left, a shelter for people fleeing the storm further south in Hangzhou PHOTOGRAPHS: VCG/GETTY; WANG XIANG/KINHUA/AP; PENG/PENG/VCG/GETTY

compared with 2023’s Typhoon Doksuri, which crossed the country after causing destruction in south-eastern Fujian province, unleashing record rainfall on Beijing.

CCTV said Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei would need to brace for heavy rain into Thursday as the storm clouds met colder air in the north.

On China’s southern coast, Hong Kong reached 36.9C on Sunday, which the Hong Kong Observatory said marked its hottest day since records began in 1884.

The forecaster Tropical Storm Risk said it expected the 2026 north-west Pacific typhoon season to be one of the most active on record and to include 28 tropical storms, 20 typhoons and 13 intense typhoons.

It said the continuing strong El Niño event, high activity to date and weaker-than-usual trade winds across the north-west Pacific basin were key reasons for the intensity of the typhoon season.

‘It rained almost all night. This is the first time I’ve experienced such inconvenience from a typhoon, such widespread flooding’

Hou Lina Shanghai sales worker

was prepared to activate its flood control response this morning.

Beijing was expected to experience “significant rainfall” from today until Thursday, with authorities warning of flash floods in the city and landslides in surrounding mountains.

The typhoon travelled 6,000km (3,728 miles) before making landfall, giving it a life cycle three times longer than a typical typhoon, and bringing an ultra-large cloud system that enveloped China’s east, CCTV said.

Dolphin’s impact was being

---

UNIVERSITY OF LEICESTER

Your future.

Your choice.

Take control of your next steps with Clearing.

Every undergraduate degree includes a guaranteed 100 hours of employer-informed, work-related learning. Find out more and access support, advice and guidance on our Clearing Hub.

le.ac.uk/clearing

---

©

FTSE 100 38.59

10862.50

All share 21.25

5855.29

Dow Indl 94.38

53942.35

Nikkei 225 1363.51

66920.22

£'€ 1.1704

+0.0030

£'$ 1.3520

+0.0032

Business

SOURCE: ICE www.ice.com/data

John Lewis boss resigns amid 'really tough' trading conditions

Jasper Jolly

The managing director of John Lewis has quit after less than three years in charge of the British department store chain, as the company faces "really tough" trading conditions.

Peter Ruis will leave the business to "pursue new projects", John Lewis said in a statement yesterday.

He will be replaced by Will Kernan, a non-executive board member of the employee-owned John Lewis Partnership, which also runs the Waitrose supermarket chain. Kernan said in a statement that John Lewis still had "significant headroom for growth".

John Lewis's chair, Jason Tarry, last week warned of "really tough" trading conditions in an interview with

the company's in-house magazine.

John Lewis had felt confident enough in the economic outlook in March to pay its 69,000 workers - whom it calls partners - an annual bonus for the first time in four years after underlying profits rose. Staff shared a bonus pot of £35m, worth about one week's extra pay each.

However, the US-Israeli war on Iran has caused a rise in inflation as oil prices have soared. That has put shoppers under pressure and raised costs for retailers.

Tarry indicated in the interview that "we have to adjust for an immediate future that we weren't expecting even six months ago, let alone a couple of years ago".

Ruis had returned to John Lewis at the start of 2024, after leading retailers including Jigsaw and

Peter Ruis said John Lewis was 'on a much stronger footing' after three years of investment and modernisation

Anthropologie. During his previous nine-year stint, Ruis was John Lewis's buying and brand director.

He oversaw investment in the 36 John Lewis department stores that remained after the company closed 16 during the coronavirus pandemic, and as recently as November he told the Guardian that he was looking at expansion.

Ruis will stay in post until 6 September. Kernan, a non-executive director since 2023, will take over in the middle of September as the

retailer prepares for its Christmas peak trading period. John Lewis has started a search for a new non-executive director.

Kernan has previously served as chief executive of River Island, the White Company and the cycling retailer Wiggle, and spent 13 years at New Look.

Ruis said: "After nearly three years of significant investment and modernisation, the business is now on a much stronger footing. I'm so proud of what we've achieved, and there is so much more still to come."

Kernan said: "Having served on the partnership's board for three years, I have a clear understanding of the John Lewis business and a huge appreciation for the partnership's values and employee-ownership model. We have significant headroom for growth and I'm looking forward to leading the team to ensure John Lewis remains the country's most trusted and loved retailer."

Tarry said: "Peter has done a fantastic job and will be missed by all of our partners. He's injected energy and pace into the John Lewis transformation."

Harvey Nichols says it needs a rescue deal to avoid collapse

Jasper Jolly

Harvey Nichols has warned it will not be able to survive another year without new investment, as bidders circle for the Knightsbridge-headquartered department store chain.

The retailer's Hong Kong-based owner, Dickson Poon, put it up for sale in June, with Mike Ashley's Frasers Group aiming to buy it for about £40m.

Harvey Nichols used to attract high-profile clientele, such as Diana, Princess of Wales. But it has struggled to adjust to increased competition from other shopping destinations, as well as the rise of online retail.

The company has not made a profit since the coronavirus pandemic locked out big-spending foreign tourists, and it reported a loss after tax of £105m after writing off intercompany loans for the year to 29 March 2025, according to accounts published over the weekend.

The directors warned that the company was not a going concern because it would run out of money within the next year and that it had no agreements for new funding.

The accounts said the company had received "a number of bids" to buy it, and that it was hoping to complete a deal within the next year.

The FTSE 100 retailer Next had been interested in taking over the business, although it has withdrawn its interest, recent reports say.

That has left Ashley, the founder of the Sports Direct retail empire, as one of the frontrunners. Ashley, the controlling shareholder in Frasers, told the Financial Times on Friday that Harvey Nichols was in a "death spiral" and that it would be a "huge challenge" to turn it around.

Ashley has bought a series of struggling premium brands after starting out with a single sports shop. He said he would keep the Knightsbridge and Edinburgh stores, but rebrand other stores as House of Fraser or Flannels under his Frasers Group.

Harvey Nichols was founded in 1831, as a linen shop. Its department store headquarters in Knightsbridge opened in 1889.

Poon oversaw an expansion outside London, with a Leeds branch opening in 1996. The chain has shops in Birmingham, Bristol, Dublin, Edinburgh and Manchester, as well as a series of restaurants. Outside the UK, it has stores in Riyadh, Dubai, Hong Kong and Kuwait.

Poon retired as a director in May. Harvey Nichols is led by Julia Goddard, who joined in 2024 from Alexander McQueen.

From pop to spirits

Beyoncé has acquired full control of SirDavis Whisky after the French group LVMH sold its stake. The brand began as a joint venture between the US singer and LVMH's wine and spirits division.

PHOTOGRAPH: DIMITRON RAMBOURIS/ THE MET/VOQUE/GETTY

Consumer confidence at 21-month high due to World Cup and new PM

Phillip Inman

Consumer confidence hit its highest level in nearly two years in July, according to research that indicated the closing stages of the World Cup and more people holidaying in the

UK lifted summer spending. A truce in the Middle East conflict in June and the arrival of a new prime minister in Andy Burnham also gave a lift to consumers after a lengthy period of heightened uncertainty.

A long-running monthly consumer spending survey by Barclays showed that 30% of those surveyed felt

confident about the strength of the UK economy in July - representing a 21-month high and a 6 percentage point improvement on June.

Consumer card spending rose by 2% year on year last month, after a 1.9% increase in June, Barclays said.

The bank said the study showed people felt more secure in their jobs and had more leeway to spend on non-essentials, with discretionary spending up 1.6%. Among the biggest beneficiaries were pubs, which enjoyed a 10% increase in transactions "thanks to England's World Cup

run". It had been estimated the men's football tournament had brought in £150m in added sales for British pubs.

Card spending at cinemas rose 2.6%, helped by the popularity of Toy Story 5 and The Odyssey.

In line with other surveys, the report found that the succession of heatwaves had depressed spending on air fares in favour of domestic holidays, which pushed up spending on UK accommodation by 2.6%.

Barclays said confidence in the European economy had also climbed, by 6 percentage points to 35%.

29

---

30

Business

Business view

Nils Pratley

Yes, the water companies are circumventing bonus rules.

What did ministers expect?

Anybody who followed the supposed "clampdown" on bankers' bonuses after the great financial crash in 2008 knew what to expect when water company bosses became a similar target for a bash in the bonus department. We would see the waterbed principle in action: when you push down in one area of remuneration, such as the performance-related stuff, another tends to go up.

Back in the day, banks invented "role-based allowances" - salary top-ups - to "compensate", as they put it, their top earners for being subject to EU caps on bonuses. No executive

was seriously inconvenienced by foregoing the chance of an astronomical (but not guaranteed) bonus and getting a smaller (but still hefty) increase in fixed pay instead. Some even preferred greater certainty over what they would take home.

In water-world, the Labour government arrived in 2024 promising to "ban the payment of bonuses to polluting water bosses until they have cleaned up their filth". But the flaw in the resulting Water (Special Measures) Act of 2025 was always obvious. While the regulator, Ofwat, was given powers to block performance-related bonuses at the worst environmental and financial miscreants, it could do nothing formally about other payments.

Thus - surprise, surprise - salary increases, allowance awards and, most of all, retention payments have proliferated. After the English and Welsh companies published their annual reports last month, this newspaper found that overall reported pay packets rose by 1.5% to £25.3m for chief executives and chief financial officers for the year. It was the second year in a row that a bonus ban had resulted in higher overall pay across the sector.

One can usually rely on Thames Water to muddy things further, and its post-annual report contribution was news that its chief financial officer, Steve Buck, who was paid £591,000 in the financial year to March, got a delayed £1m signing fee at the end of July. As for retention payments for other executives that were "paused" after a political kerfuffle a year ago, the company has "entered into 14 agreements" to "resolve its liability for any potential claims".

The government is shocked, or pretends to be. "It is unacceptable that one of the worst-performing water companies is handing out huge payments to its executives when it should be focusing on improving performance and rebuilding public trust," said a spokesperson for the environment department.

Again, though, one must ask:

▲ The government criticised a £1m fee paid by Thames Water to its CFO

If ministers were relying on remuneration committees to obey the 'spirit' of their reforms, they were born yesterday

what did ministers think would happen? It's easy to agree that executives of underperforming monopolies are grossly overpaid, but it was naive of politicians to think a ban on bonuses would not result in alternative wheezes.

Water companies in general have deployed the retention manoeuvre in less-than-transparent - or just shameless - ways, it should be added. Helen Campbell, the interim executive director of Ofwat, was clearly correct last month when she complained that customers' trust is harmed when remuneration committees make decisions that "give the appearance of circumventing the rule".

But the government left the door wide open to such behaviour. If ministers were relying on remuneration committees to obey the "spirit" of their reforms, they were born yesterday. Restricting bonuses is not the same as restricting overall pay. And Ofwat can only use the powers it was given by parliament.

The dance now moves to the regulator's review, due in the autumn, of whether the rules should be strengthened. Maybe it will yield something different in Andy Burnham's undefined era of "greater public control". On past experience, however, believe it when you see it.

A wildly funny new collection from Britain's favourite columnist

Truly, these are times that make you want to put your hands over your eyes, even when your hands are already over your eyes. The only thing to do is read Marina Hyde and howl with laughter

Order now to save 20%

Visit guardianbookshop.com/marina-hyde or call 020 3176 3837

Get free UK R&P on online orders over £25. Promotional prices valid for a limited time only (all orders placed by phone will incur a minimum £2.99 delivery charge)

The Guardian Bookshop

---

Business

31

'It's very, very challenging'

How Duke of Westminster's farm takes on climate crisis

Julia Kollewe

There is a distinctive smell of cow manure in the air at the Duke of Westminster's dairy farm near Chester. It is a world away from the

collection of grand properties he controls in London's Belgravia and Mayfair, which forms the backbone of his near £10bn fortune, a decade after he became Britain's youngest billionaire.

As part of his 349-year-old Grosvenor empire, Lea Manor Farm on the duke's Eaton Estate in north-west England has fared better than most dairy farms in recent years.

But it has been hit by declining milk prices and other challenges faced by British farmers. A series of heatwaves causing drought, with a fifth looming this week - combined with fertiliser shortages triggered by the Iran war, diseases and a scarcity of workers since Brexit - have made farming very difficult.

Milk prices are cyclical. Higher farm-gate prices in the UK last year encouraged an expansion of production, and oversupply in Britain and overseas has led to price reductions of up to 50% this year, according to Mark Roach, the managing director of Grosvenor Farms. "I can't imagine any other industries suffering a 50% reduction," he said.

Lea Manor has been an arable and livestock farm for centuries. It focused on potatoes between 1984 and 2002, when it switched to cows after the realisation that growing potatoes in the heavy Cheshire clay was not sustainable.

The farm at the Eaton Estate, part of Grosvenor's sprawling portfolio of offices, shops, homes, woods and farmland, has 77 staff and 2,600 Holstein friesian cows. It produces more than 34m litres of milk a year - 13,200 litres per cow - and supplies Müller and Tesco. It is surrounded by fields growing animal feed such as wheat, maize, barley and rye, set in 4,685 hectares (11,577 acres) of land.

This year's heatwaves - supercharged by the escalating climate crisis - have piled more pressure on farmers. When

The 2,600 cows at Lea Manor Farm in Cheshire produce 34m litres of milk a year, which is sold to Müller and Tesco

temperatures rise above 25C, cows become more lethargic, eat less and produce less milk. At 36C during the June heatwave, each Grosvenor cow produced up to 6 litres less milk a day, with the heat partly mitigated by a sprinkler system and the farm's large airy barns.

At some other farms, the milk yield was down as much as 10 litres a day for each cow, said Roach. "It's very, very challenging for farming."

Mark Preston, an executive trustee of Grosvenor, said: "Extreme weather in many parts of the northern hemisphere is affecting crop yields and farm economics. Farmers are adapting where they can, but the full impact is likely to become clearer over the next growing season, reinforcing the importance of building greater resilience into the UK's food production system."

With almost three-quarters of England and all of Wales officially in drought, leading to wheat growing to half the normal height and a broccoli yield down 50%, the UK has been forced to import more food from countries such as Spain, while global prices are rising.

Many British farms are loss-making. Lea Manor, Grosvenor's only dairy farm, is profitable owing to a big revamp that began in 2012 to improve efficiency using technology. The farming division made a profit before tax of £2.6m in 2024, down from £3.6m the previous year, with turnover of £16.2m. By contrast, Grosvenor made an underlying profit of £88.7m from its UK properties last year, up 14% on 2024. The duke received dividends of £53.7m from the group in 2025. Despite the differing scale, Roach said the farm was "not a hobby of the duke; it's a commercial business".

Hugh Grosvenor is one of the UK's richest people, who, upon the sudden death of his father in 2016, inherited the vast estate his

family has owned for centuries. The bequest was largely shielded from 40% inheritance tax because the estate is held in a series of trusts rather than by the duke personally. Grosvenor said it paid inheritance tax through a recurring 6% payment on the value of its assets every 10 years, instead of a single payment of 40% upon death.

At Lea Manor, the cows are led three times a day from their open-sided barns to an indoor carousel, where they are milked using automated machinery. The milking unit is attached by a farm worker but comes off automatically once the udder has been emptied to prevent overmilking, which can lead to mastitis. Two robots clean the teats before milking and disinfect them before the animals step off the carousel. Standing in 60 berths, 360 cows can be milked in an hour.

Three tankers are filled every day with 29,000 litres of milk pouring into each tanker, plus another partly filled tanker, which then go to a Müller plant in Manchester. The milk is on Tesco supermarket shelves the next morning.

Sensors in the floor measure how the cows walk. If they show signs of having a sore foot, they will get a foot bath to prevent rot. Sometimes the cows do not want to get off the carousel and have to be guided out of the door back to their barn.

The rise in factory-style dairy farming has raised concerns over farms using intensive systems to increase productivity from "battery cows".

Grosvenor insists that overall its cows are healthy, pointing to its own statistics. "Unhealthy cows do not produce much milk," Roach said. Its milk is not classed as organic, but the farm feeds cows grass and has no routine use of antibiotics.

The group says the barns are larger than industry standards and open on the sides, allowing plenty of natural light and airflow. However, the cows are not put out to pasture, and stand on concrete floors with anti-slip grooves. Only 8% of dairy herds in the UK are housed all year round, according to the RSPCA, which says cows should be allowed to graze some of the time.

▲ Mark Roach of Grosvenor Farms says an oversupply of milk has led to price reductions of up to 50% this year PHOTOGRAPHS: CHRISTOPHER THOMOND/THE GUARDIAN

Grosvenor said: "The health of our herd, low incidence of disease and minimal antibiotic use gives us confidence that the system is working well. We have welcomed representatives from the RSPCA to the farm, who described it as one of the quietest and most content herds they had seen."

Grosvenor is now building a biomethane plant on the estate to produce energy from cow manure, in an effort to broaden its revenue streams. From next year the 2.4-hectare facility is expected to generate 72 gigawatts of renewable gas annually from up to 170,000 tonnes of manure, enough to heat about 6,000 homes.

It is not the only such rural family estate to have a reactor. Apsley Farms in Hampshire, which has been owned by the Du Val de Beaulieu family since 1936, operates the UK's third largest biomethane plant and has been supplying renewable gas to the grid since 2014.

Manure is also used as fertiliser in Grosvenor's fields, which means more than 80% of the forage fed to the dairy herd is grown without artificial fertilisers. Grosvenor prides itself on circular farming, a system designed to eliminate waste and reuse resources by turning crop waste into feed and animal waste into natural fertiliser, regenerating soil health.

The near-total blockade of the strait of Hormuz during the Iran war has led to global fertiliser shortages, a situation described as a "food security timebomb" by the head of the International Rescue Committee, David Miliband. Preston echoed those concerns, saying in May that the knock-on effects on food prices could arrive next year. "The concerns we raised earlier this year remain very real," he said. "Ongoing disruption to fertiliser supply chains continues to affect both availability and cost."

---

52

Weather

Tuesday 11 August 2026

UK and Ireland Noon today

Forecast

Carbon count

Daily atmospheric CO₂ readings from Mauna Loa, Hawaii (ppm):

Latest
08 Aug 2026	427.80
Weekly average
02 Aug 2026	428.18
10 Aug 2025	425.88
10 Aug 2016	403.57
Pre-industrial base	280
Safe level	350

Around the UK

Atlantic front

High tides

Aberdeen	--	--	1217	4.1m
Annemouth	0546	11.6m	1818	12.3m
Barrow	1005	8.5m	2226	8.9m
Belfast	0948	3.2m	2200	3.5m
Cobb	0348	3.6m	1621	3.9m
Cromer	0500	4.7m	1741	4.8m
Dover	0954	6.2m	2225	6.3m
Dublin	1020	3.8m	2233	4.1m
Galway	0342	4.7m	1602	5.1m
Greenock	1122	3.1m	2323	3.3m
Harwich	1016	3.7m	2245	3.9m
Holyhead	0905	5.2m	2121	5.5m
Hull	0437	6.8m	1718	7.1m
Leith	0051	5.1m	1325	5.3m
Liverpool	0949	8.7m	2210	9.1m

© Crown Copyright and/or database rights. Reproduced by permission of the Keeper of Public Records and the UK Hydrographs Office

London Bridge	--	--	1235	6.4m
Leosinmouth	1039	3.9m	2252	4.0m
Milford Haven	0447	6.3m	1711	6.8m
Newquay	0340	6.2m	1604	6.6m
North Shields	0144	4.7m	1422	4.9m
Oban	0455	3.5m	1701	3.8m
Penzance	0312	4.9m	1537	5.3m
Plymouth	0418	4.9m	1637	5.3m
Portsmouth	1008	4.4m	2218	4.5m
Southport	0911	8.4m	2138	8.8m
Stornoway	0542	4.4m	1756	4.7m
Portland	0520	1.7m	1734	2.0m
Whitby	0218	5.1m	1455	5.3m
Wick	1009	3.2m	2221	3.4m
Workington	1012	7.6m	2231	8.0m

Sun & Moon

Sun rises	0519
Sun sets	2030
Moon rises	0321
Moon sets	2008
New Moon	12 Aug

Lighting up

Belfast	2106 to 0555
Bran'ham	2040 to 0545
Brighton	2029 to 0543
Bristol	2041 to 0552
Carlisle	2053 to 0540
Cork	2105 to 0614
Dublin	2102 to 0600
Glasgow	2103 to 0543
Harlech	2051 to 0553
Inverness	2109 to 0535
London	2030 to 0541
Winchester	2046 to 0544
Newcastle	2049 to 0536
Norwich	2029 to 0532
Penzance	2048 to 0607

Weather tracker

High pressure has dominated central and eastern Europe, with temperature records broken. Austria recorded a high of 41.2C (106.2F), while Slovakia reached 42.2C. Hungary hit a peak of 41.8C, surpassing a record set in 1905, while overnight temperatures remained above 28C in some areas, marking it as a tropical night.

The temperatures have been driven by a heat dome beneath the high-pressure system, which traps warm air close to the surface.

The heat has created conditions conducive to wildfires. Fires have burned across Italy, France, Serbia and Bulgaria, damaging forests.

Meanwhile, a buoy in the Mediterranean recorded a sea-surface temperature of 33C. If verified, it would be a record.

In eastern Asia, Typhoon Dolphin made landfall in China on Sunday. The national observatory had issued a red alert for prolonged heavy rainfall, high wind speeds and extensive damage. Dolphin has since weakened to a tropical storm.

Japan is braced for Typhoon Chan-hom, expected to make landfall near the coast of Tohoku today or tomorrow, with up to 80mph gusts and an atmospheric pressure of 985 hectopascals.

Magdalena Shopova MetDesk

Around the world

Algiers	92	Lisbon	08
Amc'slam	92	Madrid	12
Athens	92	Malaga	12
Auckland	92	Melb'me	13
B.Aires	11	Mexico C	13
Bangkok	92	Miami	14
Barcelona	92	Milan	14
Basra	92	Mombasa	16
Beijing	92	Moscow	15
Berlin	92	Montsal	16
Bermuda	90	N Orleans	15
Brunels	90	Nairobi	15
Budapest	90	New Delhi	16
C'hagan	90	New York	15
Cairo	90	Oslo	16
Cape Town	90	Paris	15
Chicago	90	Perth	15
Corfu	90	Prague	16
Dakar	90	Reykjavik	16
Dhaka	90	Rio de J	16
Dublin	90	Rome	16
Florence	90	Shanghai	20
Gibraltar	90	Singapore	21
H.Kong	90	Stockh'm	21
Harare	90	Stradif'g	22
Helsinki	90	Sydney	22
Istanbul	89	Tel Aviv	22
Jo'burg	89	Tenerife	22
K'Lumpur	89	Tokyo	22
K'mandu	89	Toronto	22
Kabul	89	Vancouver	22
Kingston	89	Vienna	22
Kolkata	89	Wash'ton	22
L'Angles	89	Well'ton	12
Lagos	89	Zurich	22
Lima	29

---

8

Premier League

Lille midfielder Bouaddi agrees terms with City

Page 36 →

Super Cup

Somalia's Artan back on duty after being barred by US

Page 37 →

Sport

Vollering's victory

Tour de France

Femmes steps out of

Pogacar's shadow to produce high drama

D

emi Vollering's second overall win in the Tour de France Femmes in Nice on Sunday was achieved after a heated dispute with Kasia Niewiadoma, but by the time the sun was setting on the Promenade des Anglais, the sisterhood that has always characterised this race

had kicked back in. On a final stage of high drama, the Dutchwoman erased the lingering controversy with an attacking win of the highest quality, further boosting the prestige of the long-dormant native cycling scene in a gutsy performance from her French-sponsored FDI United-Suez team.

Niewiadoma's outburst on the finish line at Vollering's teammate Célia Gery on Saturday fuelled the controversy that dominated the final stage, but did not diminish the scale of her 2026, winning the Giro d'Italia Women, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the Tour of Flanders and Flèche Wallonne. Her achievements this season compare with, and arguably outstrip, those of her men's Tour de France-winning counterpart, Tadej Pogacar.

Vollering has long been outspoken about the wellbeing of young people and reacted angrily to Niewiadoma's public criticism of Gery, her 20-year-old teammate. "She got a lot of nasty messages," Vollering said on Sunday. "It makes me very angry, especially because she's such a young girl. We should protect young people from these kinds of stupid actions."

Vollering and Niewiadoma had a clear-the-air conversation on their bikes during the early kilometres of the final stage on Sunday. "I wanted to have a chat

Jeremy Whittle

with Kasia because I was a bit disappointed she let all the emotions out like that," she said. "It was good that we had a talk together. It was all good in the end."

The Polish rider, who won the spectacular stage on Mont Ventoux on Friday and finished in the Tour's top three for the fifth time, was equally conciliatory. "We've been competing together for years. None of us ever wants to have any sort of beef."

It was a different story for the unfortunate Marlen Reusser, another key protagonist in the nine-day drama. The Swiss rider, who began the final stage in third place, crashed at speed on the second descent of Col d'Èze. She remounted, in tears, all hopes of the podium lost, but finished the stage.

The men's Tour de France was effectively over as a contest as soon as stage six, when Pogacar won over the Col du Tourmalet, but there was uncertainty about the outcome of the women's race until the final narrow climb of the Chemin de Vinaigrier, in suburban Nice. Pogacar will go to Edinburgh for the Grand Départ on 2 July next year seeking a sixth win, but it is uncertain if Jonas Vingegaard will remain his greatest rival. While Pogacar has confirmed he will race in the Vuelta a España, starting in Monaco on 22 August, Vingegaard's future remains unclear.

Mattias Skjelmose, a fellow Dane, has revealed Vingegaard, who crashed out of the Tour with a broken collarbone, has become disheartened by Pogacar's domination. "Jonas says: 'I can't do any more. What am I supposed to do? I produce the best I've ever done and he just rides away from me.'" Skjelmose told a Danish podcast.

Vingegaard's crash came hours after he was subjected to a 2am visit by drug testers from the International Testing Agency. The debate over the appropriateness of such extreme anti-doping measures dominated the rest of the Tour. Pogacar rode on to Paris, apparently untroubled by his own 5am wake-up call, but the UCI's president, David Lappartient, said: "There will always be suspicion in cycling."

The men's Tour throws up the biggest stars but in the era of Pogacar it is the Tour de France Femmes that offers the most compelling racing. "When you have a Tadej Pogacar, at such a high level, you're talking more about second place," the Tour de France Femmes director, Marion Rousse, said. "It's not like that in the women's race. Women's cycling creates more suspense

'Women's

cycling

creates

more

suspense

than you

see in men's

cycling,

because

Pogacar is so

dominant'

than you see in men's cycling,

because Pogacar is so dominant."

The refreshing nature of the

Tour de France Femmes remains intact even as it grows at a rapid pace. Pogacar, a constant advocate of the women's peloton, seems enthralled. He was spotted at the roadside, in beanie hat and shades, during the stage to Mont Ventoux on Friday, running alongside and cheering on his partner, Urska Zigart, and was present again at the weekend in Nice.

Rousse believes the women's race, which will hold its Grand Départ in Leeds on 30 July next year before stage finishes in Manchester, Sheffield and London, has not lost

its innocence. "There's a freshness, which you don't get in men's racing," she said. "Women's sport is more accessible. I think it's because before, during the years before women's cycling had profile, there was little 'mediatisation' of women's racing. Now they see the media coverage, they see so many people come to watch. They're moved and every time, on the podium, there's lots of emotion. That's a new experience."

Rousse said the sceptics who doubted the quality of the women's peloton have been silenced. "Back then it was all: 'Are the women good enough? Can they do the big climbs?' Now it's: 'Why don't you have more stages? Why isn't it every stage shown live on TV?' Nobody asks if the women are good enough any more. They have proved themselves, they're champions who have shown that they deserve their place."

---

34

Sport^{}[] Boxing

Portrait by Jill Mead/The Guardian

'I knew the impact I could have if I got that gold medal'

The big interview

The 2000 Olympic super-heavyweight champion always craved gold, but he also dreamed of changing British boxing for better

Donald McRae

I was the Olympic champion, and I was the next big thing, but the system had to win," Audley Harrison says as he reflects on his rise and fall as a fighter who changed so much in British boxing while failing to fulfil his grandest ambitions in the ring. Harrison had once been considered a likely successor to Lennox Lewis, the undisputed world heavyweight champion, but he became a figure of ridicule mocked as "Fraudley Harrison".

He retired in 2013 with a modest 31-7 record and having never come close to winning the world title many thought would be his inevitable glory when he took gold at the Sydney Olympics in 2000. But Harrison dragged British boxing fleetingly into the mainstream and ripped up the old traditions of the fight game by managing and promoting himself.

Now, aged 54 and briefly back in London from his permanent home in Los Angeles, Harrison is as garrulous as ever while bringing a calm acceptance to his reflections on one of the strangest stories in British boxing history. He also sounds free of bitterness.

"The system cannot let an individual turn over the applecart. I understand that now so there are no hard feelings," he says. "I was a rogue agent and they did what they had to do to protect their system."

For Harrison, "they" consists of the BBC and the boxing business run by promoters and managers. In his version of events, the BBC fell hard for him after the

'The system cannot let an individual turn over the applecart. I now understand that'

Sydney Olympics and paid him well over £1m to restore boxing to terrestrial television before they became disenchanted when his career stuttered and he would not cede control to their preferred promoters.

According to Harrison: "when me and Kellie Maloney [the former manager and promoter] were in the Celebrity Big Brother House [in 2014] she told me: 'We were out to get you. You couldn't make it because you're just the boxer.' It was a coordinated campaign."

Maloney confirmed the veracity of Harrison's account. "Audley wanted to change the face of boxing. So we had a coffee and a chat with his first opponent [Mike Middleton in May 2001]. He was an American and we went to his hotel in Wembley and persuaded him that if he allowed our lawyer to represent him we would get him more money.

"We made sure that he ended up getting double what Audley and the BBC had agreed to pay him. It was a good lesson for Audley."

It is also important to acknowledge how much positive change Harrison brought to boxing. "A lot of people don't know this, but, in 1998, I set up the Amateur Boxing Union and launched this campaign," he says. "We did this petition and marched to parliament. I'd done my own press releases and we were on television and in the newspapers.

"Tony Banks was the sports minister and when we got to his office he let me in. I had a stack of petition signatures and he said: 'I've heard about your amazing work. What do you need?' I said we need £500k to get a full squad to the Commonwealth Games. [Banks] gave it to us and we were able to train fully and we won four golds and that allowed us to have a team of 12 boxers try to qualify for the Olympics."

Harrison was one of those gold medal winners, but he was driven by the Olympics. "British boxing didn't have the money and that's why we hadn't won [an Olympic] gold medal since 1968, with Chris Finnegan. I knew the impact and the leverage I could have, and boxing could have, if I won that gold medal."

Harrison achieved his dream and he says: "It changed my life and it changed [British] boxing because of the money that was put into the sport. That gold medal kickstarted the world-class programme you see today. From there we had Amir Khan in 2004, and in 2008 you had gold from James DeGale.

"That brought in more money

and then 2012 and Anthony Joshua really kicked off. But if I didn't win the first gold medal, there would have been none of that money."

Harrison says: "I'd captured the public imagination and ended up creating something unprecedented. I wanted to be independent [by setting up A-Force Promotions]. Greg Dyke made that become a reality because he was the BBC's director general and a boxing fan."

Injury and inexperience

blighted the first 10 fights of his BBC contract. He won them all without producing any fireworks.

"It was a learning curve, but I got crucified," Harrison says. "Greg Dyke said: 'Listen, we just care about the viewing figures.' But the product wasn't there because I'm an amateur turning professional and I'm headlining. They said: 'You can't have someone else headlining because all the grandmas know you.''

Harrison points out that "I was getting 2.2 million watching my fights on average", but after his 11th straight win, against Mathew Ellis [in May 2003], a brawl broke out at ringside. "That was the nail in the coffin. They were saying: 'Audley, you have to be controlled.''

"The BBC wanted me to give up my company and just become a boxer and sign with Mick Hennessy or Dennis Hobson as my promoters."

---

Tuesday 11 August 2006 The Guardian

8

15

When he refused he "got exiled to America. The BBC said: 'We'll give you a three-fight deal but it cannot be on UK soil.'"

Harrison retained his independence and, with real ingenuity, went to the US and struck a separate three-fight deal with ESPN while retaining his links with the BBC. Peter Salmon, the corporation's head of sport, then extended the deal by another three fights, to be held in the UK, with the proviso that Harrison scaled back his promotional duties.

"But in January 2004, Greg Dyke left the BBC," he says. "Now, for the anti-boxing brigade within the BBC, Public Enemy No 1 was Mr Audley Harrison.

"They chose Julius Francis for the second fight and I said: 'Listen, I go out partying with Julius and boxed him as an amateur. He's not the right fight.' It was a 12-round bore, horrible, until I knocked him down in the last round. Who got crucified? I did."

Harrison boxed three times from March to June 2004. "Tomasz Bonin was the last one and I hadn't slept properly for three months doing these fights back-to-back, doing these crazy negotiations with the BBC.

"On the Sunday there was a full-page article in the News of the World: 'Audley goes to Sky in shock deal'. We're like: 'What the hell? We're not even talking to Sky.'"

It emerged later that Harrison and Salmon were among the public figures whose phones had been hacked by the Mirror group of newspapers.

"On the Tuesday I had a meeting with Salmon to sign a new deal. But when I arrived he said: 'That's it. This is your last fight for us and there will be no more professional boxing on the BBC after Saturday.'"

Harrison shared the crushing news at a press conference on the Thursday and then: "Boom. Next thing I think

I'm having a heart attack outside the press conference. I'm taken to hospital and a doctor said: 'You're not having a heart attack, but when did you last sleep?' I said: 'I haven't slept much for four days.' He said: 'You're in no condition to box on Saturday.' But I had to.

"The next day my brother drove me to the weigh in. I had a full-on breakdown in the car. I thought I was dying. I was screaming, flailing my arms. I was deranged for a while, but when I got to the venue I

▶ Audley Harrison was stopped in three rounds while barely throwing a punch against David Haye in November 2010 JON KOPKIAF

'Boom. Next thing I think I'm having a heart attack outside the press conference'

calmed down. I put my hood on and did everything to hold it together."

Harrison stopped Bonin in round nine. "I got the job done, but they took away my glory again. I'd hurt him, but they stopped the fight prematurely."

He had to wait three days before returning to the US and Harrison says he spent most of that time in a darkened room. "I felt like Superman had left the building and Clark Kent is never going to be a world champion. That guy I'd been - A-Force, Superman - left the building in the back of that car."

Harrison won his next two fights, in the US and his record was 19-0 when he lost a split-decision to Danny Williams in December 2005. Dominick Colton beat him in his next bout and the world title dream was gone.

Harrison won 12 more fights, but he also lost another five. Defeat to David Haye in November 2010, when he was stopped in three rounds while barely throwing a punch, was embarrassing. But he talks philosophically in a corner of the Buddhahos gym in Mayfair: "I had to learn these lessons because if I'd stayed on that pathway I'd be dead and gone now. I'm fortunate I got a second chance. My boxing career went to shit, but Clark Kent grew up."

Harrison has lived in LA for years and he and his wife, Raychel, run a successful hair salon and beauty products business. "I've got a beautiful wife and house, two kids, and I've got substance, which I wouldn't have if those things hadn't happened."

People are curious about him

again. "I flew in for Wardley-Dubois [in Manchester in May] and it didn't stop all night: 'Audley, can we get your picture?' It was like the Olympics again."

He saw a brutal fight and Harrison says: "No disrespect to Wardley, but he came from white collar boxing and won an IBF title. That shows me how bad boxing is technically and tactically. But I was encouraged by Dubois. He's developing those boxing fundamentals."

What does he think of Moses Itauma, Britain's new heavyweight sensation? "He looks good, but his last fight was against [Jermaine] Franklin, a gatekeeper. I need to see him go through the gears at a higher level."

Did he watch Joshua's recent fight against Kristian Prengs when the unheralded Albanian knocked him down twice in the first round? "Yes, Father Time is undefeated. The other day I watched a [2018] fight between Joshua and [Alexander] Povetkin. Povetkin's a nasty puncher, but Joshua absorbed those shots and came back with a lovely finish. He's lost that punch resistance, but he's still AJ and coming for you.

"The Tyson Fury that boxed Deontay Wilden in those great fights, and the second one was so incredible it gave me an orgasm, is also not the same. Those hard fights take so much away from you. They'll make Fury the favourite, but AJ will fight with real intensity against him. Fury has underestimated him and, unless he switches on, he's going to be in trouble."

Is Harrison really interested in that overhyped bout? "Big time. When Mike Tyson fought Lennox Lewis people were like: 'It's a horrible fight. It's too late.' But Lennox was in there cracking and Tyson was trying to land those big shots. Fury and AJ will be like that. It's going to be something we'll remember."

Would Harrison like to return to boxing? "Yes. I've got my manager's licence in America. The knowledge I have as a trainer, a manager and a matchmaker is unique and at the highest level. I'm not bragging, but the education I got is all in my head, waiting for somebody."

Boxing is a dirty business and Harrison says: "It's so unscrupulous and so dysfunctional and that's why I've been happy to be out. But when I'm dead and gone, I can't give this knowledge to nobody. I know I can develop an Olympic champion and a world champion so it would be a shame not to share it."

Newcastle's Nobbs has promotion on her wishlist

Tom Garry

Jordan Nobbs says winning promotion to the Women's Super League with Newcastle would fulfil her ambition for a north-east club to be in the top tier.

Nobbs, who has 71 England caps, was born in Stockton-on-Tees and believes women's football in the region would benefit from top-flight representation. Newcastle finished sixth in WSL2 last season, 11 points behind the title winners, Birmingham, and nine points off the playoffs, but this summer they have made high-calibre signings from the top division, including the striker Martha Thomas from Tottenham and the Liverpool duo Leanne Kiernan and Gemma Evans.

Nobbs is clear about the target for the new campaign. "It is promotion. I know we said it last season [too]," she said. "I've always said things don't happen overnight, [but] that is our goal. You have to say it out loud.

"Looking back on last season, we

▲ Jordan Nobbs wants a team from the north-east in the WSL

had some really good performances but nine draws, that's too many points [dropped]. It's about focusing on finding a way to win. We've just got to build on the good stuff from last season, I don't think we're far off it.

"[Winning promotion with Newcastle], I've always said it would be job done. In the WSL, I'd ticked as much as I could, so to get a north-east team, which we all had to leave back in the day, promoted would be an achievement I would love."

Nobbs began her career with Sunderland and broke into their team in the old top flight, but moved to Arsenal when the WSL was launched in 2011 and Sunderland's application to join the breakaway division was rejected. That led to a successful team also including Nobbs's future England teammates Lucy Bronze and Lucy Staniforth breaking up.

Sunderland did compete in the top tier between 2015 and 2018, but north-east representation in the WSL has been sparse, so Nobbs is pleased to see investment at Newcastle as well as their WSL2 rivals, who were taken over in June by Bay Collective.

"It's been a long time coming, but it was something on northerners have always wanted. We don't want the north-east to fizzle out. It's grown in the right direction now. But the big stepping stone would be getting into the WSL. I'd love to be a part of that."

Nobbs has enjoyed her role in Tanya Oxtoby's setup at Newcastle after joining last July. "With Villa I played a lot of a deeper role and [now] I love being back in my high position."

Football in brief

Carabao Cup

Luton handed tough tie away to Chelsea

Five-time winners Chelsea have been handed a home draw against League One Luton in the second round of the Carabao Cup, due to take place in the week beginning 24 August. Chelsea's new manager, Xabi Alonso, will begin the club's bid to win the competition for the first time since 2015 later this month. Fellow Premier League side Tottenham have also benefited from a home draw, against Championship opponents Charlton. Fulham host League One AFC Wimbledon, Brentford have a potentially tricky away day at second-tier Birmingham while newly promoted Ipswich host Leicester. In the northern section, the headline fixture features last season's Europa League semi-finalists Nottingham Forest hosting fellow top-flight opposition in Leeds. Newcastle's new head coach, Matthias Jaissle, has been given a home draw against West Brom while the Everton manager, David Moyes, will return

to Preston, where he was a player and manager. PA Media

North section: Barnsley v Crewe, Blackburn v Sheffield Utd, Blackpool v Lincoln City, Bradford City v Burnley, Doncaster v Middlesbrough, Fleetwood v Shrewsbury, Newcastle v West Brom, Nottingham Forest v Leeds, Preston v Everton, Sheffield Wednesday v Wolves, Stoke v Hull.

South section: Birmingham v Brentford, Cambridge Utd v Millwall, Cardiff v Norwich, Chelsea v Luton, Fulham v AFC Wimbledon, Ipswich v Leicester, Plymouth or Exeter v Coventry, Southampton v West Ham, Stowesbury v Reading, Tottenham vs Charlton, Walsall v Leyton Orient, Watford v Peterborough Utd.

Derby

Rams not for sale after Lion Sport ditch deal

Derby have confirmed discussions with Turki Alalshikh's Lion Sport to buy a controlling interest in the Championship outfit will no longer proceed and that the club is now off the market. The purchase process had been sanctioned by the Independent Football Regulator and the EFL, notification of which the Rams received last week. But Derby said in a statement last night: "Today the club received notice that Lion Sport no longer wanted to continue with the purchase. For the benefit of any doubt, the club is now off the market." Saudi government official and boxing promoter Alalshikh said: "After careful consideration, we don't feel it is right to proceed at this time" PA Media

---

38

Sport Football

Forest owner Marinakis sues Crystal Palace over fan banner

Ed Aarons

Evangelos Marinakis, the Nottingham Forest owner, is suing Crystal Palace for defamation after supporters of the south London club displayed a banner depicting him holding a gun to the head of the England midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White.

Almost 12 months since the banner appeared in the first half of Palace's 1-1 draw with Forest at Selhurst Park, lawyers for Marinakis lodged the claim for defamation against CPFC Ltd and "persons unknown" at the high court yesterday.

The banner showed the Greek shipping magnate pointing the gun at Gibbs-White, who had been set to join Tottenham last summer before Forest pulled out of the deal, and also featured the message: "Mt Marinakis is not involved in blackmail, match-fixing, drug trafficking or corruption." Marinakis has previously rejected all those allegations. Lawyers for

▲ Lawyers for Evangelos Marinakis have lodged a defamation claim

Van Dijk eyes more quality as Liverpool sign Araújo on loan

Dominic Booth

Virgil van Dijk is ready to welcome Ronald Araújo as his new centre-back partner at Liverpool with the loan deal to sign the Barcelona defender completed yesterday.

Araújo arrives on a one-season contract and has played at right-back, a vulnerable area of Liverpool's squad as Conor Bradley continues his rehabilitation from a serious knee injury and with Jeremie Frimpong still to nail down a first-XI spot after a disrupted first season at Anfield.

On Sunday Van Dijk played almost an hour in his first pre-season appearance as Liverpool were beaten 3-2 by Monaco at home, having led 2-0. The Dutchman fouled Aleksandr Golovin just before the break to concede a penalty, which Golovin scored.

Jérémy Jacquet remained absent, Liverpool's £50m arrival being treated with kid gloves after an injury-hit spell last season with Rennes.

"I can't wait to get started," Araújo, who has 27 Uruguay caps, told the Liverpool website. "I think it was a

Marinakis were approached for comment. A spokesperson for Palace did not comment.

Palace were fined £50,000 by the Football Association in February after being found guilty of failing "to ensure its spectators and/or supporters (and anyone purporting to be supporters or followers) didn't behave in an improper, offensive, abusive, insulting and/or provocative way at this match". The FA added in its statement: "The fact Crystal Palace had a policy to prevent banners being smuggled into the stadium demonstrates that it was aware of the risk."

Last summer, Palace and Forest were at loggerheads after Forest wrote to Uefa to voice their concerns that Palace could be in breach of multi-club ownership rules. The FA Cup winners ended up being demoted to the Conference League, with Forest - who had finished seventh in the Premier League and originally qualified for the Conference League - promoted in their place. Palace went on to win that competition under Oliver Glasner, while Forest reached the Europa League semi-finals.

Glasner has since joined Forest after leaving Palace at the end of his contract. The Austrian said this week that Marinakis had persuaded him to change his mind over dinner in Athens after previously rejecting Forest because they were not in Europe next season. Palace are due to face Forest at Selhurst Park in the Premier League on 10 October.

move that was necessary for me. As soon as I heard of interest from Liverpool, everything went into action quickly. I'm super-happy to be here."

Van Dijk said of Araújo: "Any player that arrives at the club we will be welcoming."

The captain was upbeat about Jacquet and the prospect of more transfer activity before the deadline on 1 September. Liverpool are keen to add to their forward line with Paris Saint-Germain's Bradley Barcola of interest.

Van Dijk said: "Any quality we can add to the team will definitely be welcome so let's see." He said of Jacquet: "I've not seen any of him. I've spoken to him. I've seen him walking around and we have conversations. I can't wait to see him back on the pitch and I hope that happens very soon."

Van Dijk revealed he has been in regular contact with Andoni Iraola, offering full support to the new head coach. "The main thing for him to know is I am here for him, anything he needs, wants to know, wants me to do for the team or whatever. Hopefully we will be successful this season."

▲ Ronald Araújo heads to Anfield to bolster Liverpool's depleted defence

▼ Ayyoub Bouaddi impressed for Morocco at this summer's World Cup MAURO POMENTEL/AFFICETTY

City poised to seal £85m move for Lille's Bouaddi

Morocco midfielder's signing expected to clear path for Rodri to join Barcelona

Jamie Jackson

Manchester City are closing in on signing Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille, with his expected arrival clearing the path for Rodri to join Barcelona. The 18-year-old midfielder has agreed personal terms with City, but the club are still finalising the deal with Lille who value him at £100m (£85m).

City's new manager, Enzo Maresca,

wants to integrate the Morocco international into his first-team squad immediately. City meet Arsenal in the Community Shield on Sunday and start their Premier League campaign against Bournemouth on 23 August.

Barcelona are confident of signing Rodri from City, but they will have to return with an improved offer after an initial €45m bid was rejected last week. The sale of Ferran Torres, who is of interest to Paris Saint-Germain, would finance Rodri's purchase. City are all but resigned to the sale of the 30-year-old, who has a year left on his contract.

If the Bouaddi deal can be completed, he would join Elliot

Anderson, who arrived last month from Nottingham Forest for £116m, in a new-look midfield, which has lost the experience of Bernardo Silva.

Manchester United, meanwhile, are interested in the Leicester player Louis Page. United, who face competition from Arsenal, are hopeful of securing a deal for the 18-year-old midfielder, with Page believed to favour a transfer to Old Trafford.

Marcus Rashford has joined United at their County Kildare training camp following the England forward's post-World Cup break. The 28-year-old has spent the past season and a half on loan at Barcelona and Aston Villa respectively, in the aftermath of a breakdown in his relationship with the club executive and the former United head coach Ruben Amorim. Relations have now eased and Rashford is focused on working under the United manager, Michael Carrick, although he could still leave before the end of the transfer window.

Arsenal look for defensive cover with Saliba and Timber sidelined

Ed Aarons

Arsenal are stepping up their efforts to sign defensive cover for William Saliba after Mikel Arteta revealed that Jurriën Timber is well away from returning to competitive action. Saliba will be out for an extended period after breaking down during the World Cup with a back injury.

After Arsenal lost a second successive friendly when Borussia Dortmund won 3-2 on Sunday to lift the Emirates Cup in a performance that featured several defensive mistakes, Arteta would not be drawn on when the France defender is expected to return, but said it would take "some time to heal".

There are also concerns over

Timber, who pulled out of the Netherlands squad on the eve of the World Cup after failing to recover from a persistent groin injury that forced him to miss most of the run-in last season.

"Jurriën is progressing really well," Arteta said. "He's on the pitch, he's doing quite a lot right now, but it's still weeks away. I cannot tell you how much. William Saliba is in rest mode at the moment for two weeks. He had to do almost nothing, an aggravated injury, so it's going to take some time to heal."

Pressed on how Arsenal will cope without Saliba, he said: "We have experienced that in the past, unfortunately. When he's been available, he's hit home and the stats are

▲ Arsenal are expected to make a fresh bid for Aston Villa's Ezri Konsa

incredible. We know we lost a massive player, the same with Jurriën."

Arsenal have had a bid for Aston Villa's Ezri Konsa rejected and are expected to return with a new offer for the England centre-back, who is also capable of playing at right-back. Villa value him at £60m, but with less than two years left on his contract Arsenal are unwilling to pay that much for the 28-year-old. The Gunners have also shown an interest in signing Cristian Romero from Tottenham, but any move for the Argentina defender is unlikely given Spurs' reluctance to sell to their north London rivals.

Arteta, who started against Dortmund with Crishian Mosquera in central defence alongside Gabriel Magalhães, said Arsenal's existing players must get up to speed before the Community Shield against Manchester City on Sunday, but did not rule out bringing in another defender.

"It has to be the right player in the market to make us much better," he said. "We conceded some poor goals today, in the way we competed especially. But that's a collective responsibility. So we need to improve with the players we have."

---

Tuesday 11 August 2025 The Guardian

Sport Football

On other pages Mourinho

Phil Harrison reviews the Netflix

documentary series G2, page 10 →

27

League Two preview

Salford pinning their hopes on Langstaff

Last season's beaten playoff finalists lead the promotion candidates, while relegated Rotherham look intriguing under Steve McClaren and Alex Bruce, writes Will Unwin

Contenders

Salford meekly lost the playoff final and that was the end of days for Karl Robinson as he was sacked. Peter Cklamovski was not the obvious replacement, but the Australian left behind the Malaysia national side for a crack at League Two with the rebranded Ammies, who are back in their traditional orange. Macaulay Langstaff has arrived with the task of providing the goals to finally get Salford up and few would bet against the striker.

Chesterfield fell short in the playoffs, too, but Paul Cook remains one of the best managers at this level, although the loss of Armando Dobra could be significant. Securing the veteran forward Andy Cook was important for Grimsby as they seek to push on and his influence could be telling if he plays enough games. Lee Grant did not get much chance to prove himself at Huddersfield so will be desperate to do so at Walsall, especially after a promising start by knocking Championship side Bristol City out of the EFL Cup. The former goalkeeper will be hoping he is the man to ensure the Saddlers do not stop playing in winter, as has been the case in recent years.

Of those who have dropped down, Rotherham are the more intriguing bet, having brought in Steve McClaren as director of football and Alex Bruce as head coach in an attempt to revitalise the club. Losing Sam Nombe was a blow, but his transfer fee should allow investment. Jon Brady knows what he is doing and could do nothing to keep Port Vale up, but arguably has the most complete squad at this level with Max Watters and Kyle Dempsey standout summer signings.

Hopefuls

An end-of-season slump kept Crewe out of the playoffs last time round, but the returns of Luke Offord and Joe White provide much-needed quality. Barnet were two points off eighth having returned to the EFL and have kept their developing squad together - apart from Ryan Glover who was sold to Stockport - to give Dean Brennan real belief that his side can improve. Oldham made a steady return to the fourth tier and have added the guarantee of Elliott Nevitt's goals alongside

Oliver Norburn, who was a key member of the Notts County side that went up from this division.

Colin Kazim-Richards has his feet fully under the table at Crawley and has overseen one of their traditional busy summers in an attempt to avoid a relegation battle. The former Sunderland goalkeeper Vito Mannone was an eye-catching signing, while the talented Malcolm Ebiowei will be aiming to turn his career around. If these two shine, it could make them a surprise package. Relegation and problems off the pitch have put Exeter on a downward spiral, which does not look like being arrested without further incomings. "Absolute tinpoint garbage" was Ian Holloway's view of Swindon's friendly performance against Bristol City, which suggests the team still have levels to go. Gareth Ainsworth wants high-pressing Gillingham to maintain energy levels over the course of the campaign to give them an outside chance of challenging.

George Burley's son-in-law Chris Hogg joined Northampton in May for his first managerial role and, after sunning himself in Greece, is primed to test himself, but the Cobblers may rue the departure of Cameron McGeehan as they aim to rebuild after relegation. Gavin Cowan transformed Shrewsbury from no-hopers to comfortably staying up but he faces a tricky second album.

John Terry is not the Colchester owner, as the sale of the club rumbles on without a

solution. Steve Evans will ensure Bristol Rovers are competitive, but whether that means they can push themselves higher than 14th place last season remains to be seen.

Strugglers

The promoted teams start on the backfoot after managerial changes, as Rochdale lost Jimmy McNulty, while York decided to sack Stuart Maynard midway through preseason, much to the consternation of the fans. Diligence in recruitment, however, gives them optimism, especially Dale bringing back Cian Hayes.

Trannere survived by a couple of points last time round but will be hoping for an uplift under Darrell Clarke, who has persuaded Will Vaulks and the former Watford winger Tom Ince that Preston Park is a sensible place to continue their careers. Newport County also were forced into a change in the dugout when Christian Fuchs decided Rodney Parade was not the place he wanted to call home having kept the team up, leaving the club in flux as Chris Todd oversaw preparations for the campaign. The Exiles brought in plenty of experience in the shape of Harrison Biggins and Christian Doidge to strengthen the squad.

The inexperienced Matt Lawlor is set for a challenging first full season in charge of Fleetwood, who were boosted by the signing of Andy Cannon from Wrexham. Steve Cotterill revitalised Cheltenham almost a year ago, but five of their first six summer signings were relegated in May, which does not inspire confidence. After finishing comfortably in midtable, Accrington Stanley may not fear the drop and Cole Stockton is a clever signing but there is a nagging doubt about the club's efficacy.

Saturday's opening games (3pm unless stated) Accrington Stanley v Colchester, Barnet v Salford, Cheltenham v Rotherham, Chesterfield v Fleetwood, Crawley v Crewe, Gillingham v Walsall, Grimsby v Exeter, Newport County v Rochdale (12. 30pm), Northampton v Swindon, Oldham v Port Vale (12. 30pm), Trannere v Shrewsbury, York v Bristol Rovers

Artan 'very happy' with Super Cup opportunity

Ben Fisher

The Somali referee Omar Artan, who was refused entry to the US to officiate at the World Cup, has spoken publicly for the first time about the decision and detailed his pride as he prepares to take charge of the Super Cup match between Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa tomorrow. Uefa awarded the 34-year-old Artan the game a few days after he was prevented from working at the tournament.

Artan will make history in Salzburg as the first non-European official to take charge of Uefa's annual competition between the respective winners of the Champions League and the Europa League. "When we got this call it was, for me and my family, really a very, very happy moment," he said. "There's a big Somali community in Europe and in Austria and they are over the moon with me officiating a match like this."

Artan found himself at the centre of controversy after being denied entry at Miami international airport

on 6 June. The Fifa president, Gianni Infantino, suggested he was powerless to overrule Donald Trump's administration. Somalia is one of 12 countries on a travel ban list introduced last year by the US.

"It was a tough period," Artan said. "A lot of people have sympathy for me because when someone has been working a lot of years and is supposed to do something, and then can't do it, it's very challenging. I really appreciate the support I received throughout the world; I'm so grateful."

Artan has prepared for the match at the Red Bull Arena by taking charge of league games in Somalia and the Kuwaiti Premier League. "We referees go through a lot of preparation in terms of getting to know the teams," he said in an interview with Uefa. "I always watch the teams play. I like watching European football anyway but, regardless, I go through and do a lot of research on the teams, how they play, learn their behaviours, tactics."

Artan will be assisted by two more African officials, Liban Abdulrazack Ahmed (Djibouti) and Stephen Eleazar Onyango Yiembe (Kenya).

▲ Omar Artan was on the World Cup roster but was denied entry to the US

Fifa's plan for World Cup sale a 'fundamental breach of trust'

Continued from back page

scheme. "It treats this as a failure of communication, when what football witnessed was a failure of judgment," the letter says. "It did not acknowledge that the proposal itself was inherently wrong. There remains no recognition that attempting to sell an interest in the Fifa World Cup was a profound failure of judgment - not just a procedural misstep, but a fundamental breach of trust with the very institutions Fifa exists to serve."

The three presidents also call for an independent review into the affair. Fifa had committed previously to presenting a full report to the Fifa Council at its next scheduled meeting. The letter addresses concerns that countries may lose out on financial aid under a different leadership, saying it is "(not) about any member association losing the support it has earned, despite the fearmongering directed at our leadership to suggest otherwise".

The letter concludes: "There is silence where there should be accountability, distance where there should be openness ... Football's strength has always been its unity. We call for that unity to be honoured now, with leadership that serves football, not seeks to command it."

Any candidates for the Fifa

election must announce their bid by 18 November. The confederations are understood to consider all options in their push for Infantino to be replaced, provided they fit within Fifa's statutes and governance framework.

While the letter outlines the stances of the three confederations, and particularly their leaderships, the story is more complicated within individual member associations. Few outside Europe have been willing to come out publicly against Infantino and only a small minority have been tempted to recall the letters of support they had sent backing his re-election next March. The African and South American confederations, Caf and Conmebol, have come out backing Infantino in recent days.

A number of larger member associations have written to Infantino asking for a meeting where he would be required to explain his actions around the FFE scheme. No response has been received. Nor has he been in touch with federations to address his leading role in the turmoil.

The confederations' tripartite statement was followed by another joint release headed by the World Cup hosts US Soccer and Canada Soccer, who along with the Caribbean Football Union and Central American Football Union also called for governance change at Fifa.

The four bodies comprise 40 of the 41 Concacaf members, with the outliers being the third World Cup hosts Mexico, who went public last Friday with their support for Infantino. US Soccer had been silent and its willingness to condemn Fifa is significant: it is bidding to host the 2031 Women's World Cup and also wants to stage games at the 2029 Club World Cup.

---

18

Sport^{}[] Athletics European Championships

Hunt captures 100m gold on bright day for British hopes

Sprinter overcomes slow start to triumph, while Nielsen sets breezy pace in 400m hurdles

Alexander Stadium

Britain's Amy Hunt sprinted to women's 100m glory to take a brilliant gold at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham. The 24-year-old came into the event as favourite, having won world silver over 200m in Tokyo and 100m at the Common-

Commonwealth Games a fortnight ago - and she delivered in emphatic style.

Hunt is never the quickest starter. In truth, she started like a woman whose spikes had been superglued to her blocks. But she came through at the finish to win in 11.00sec. Ewa Swoboda of Poland took silver in 11.02 and Delphine Nkansa claimed bronze for Belgium in 11.06.

Moments earlier there was also a plucky silver for Great Britain's mixed 4x400m relay team behind the gold medallists Norway. Britain's team of Ben Jeffries, Charlotte Henrich, Toby Harries and Yemi Mary John all ran

well. But a Norway team spearheaded by the 400m hurdles world record holder Karsten Warholm and the fastest woman in Europe this year, Henriette Jæger, were too strong with a championship record of 3:09.62, nearly a second clear of Britain.

The only disappointment was that more people were not here to witness it given that the Alexander Stadium, which seats around 20,000, looked barely half full.

However, organisers told the Guardian 13,623 tickets had been sold for the Monday night - along with 170,000 tickets for the week - and

that from Thursday night onwards the event was pretty much a sellout.

Britain's Max Burgin was deeply puzzled after he bombed out in the Commonwealth Games in the semi-finals 12 days ago - before realising later in the day that he was in the early stages of a nasty virus. The 24-year-old has barely run since, but he looked much more like his old self yesterday in winning a stacked 800m heat in 1min 45.80sec.

"The doctor said it was a virus so I had to take three or four days off, which I did, and when I got back into running after that I still felt rough so it

just sort of dragged on for a bit longer than expected," he said.

"Last week I've not managed to do too much running at all really and the bits that I have done haven't inspired much confidence, so I really wasn't too sure. I went into this heat just thinking I'd approach it a bit more conservatively. Sit off a little bit to start with, run a bit more traditional tactics. But we ended up being a lot faster than the Commonwealth Games heat.

"I was happy with how I ran it. Happy with my kick finish which is always good to know I've still got one. I don't often see it. It was a good run out. I'm looking forward to the semis."

Ben Pattison also made it through as the fastest non-automatic qualifier, finishing fourth in his heat but advancing with the fifth-fastest time overall in 1:45.40. "I tried to make a big move on the back straight and my legs weren't really there, and then I kind of got caught up," he said.

---

8

59

Today at the Euros

Keely Hodgkinson

(c) begins the

defence of her

women's 800m title

at 12.05pm. The big

event of the night

is the men's 100m, where Italian

Marcell Jacobs is the favourite to

defend his crown (the final is at

9.45pm), with Britain's Romell

Glave his closest challenger. The

women's 110m hurdles (9.30pm)

should also be a cracker.

Morning

10.33am M high jump (qual)

10.35am M discus (qual)

10.45am W 400m hurdles (s-f)

11.15am M 100m (1st rd)

11.40am M 100m hurdles (1st rd)

12pm M discus (qual)

12.05pm W 800m (1st rd)

12.40pm M 400m hurdles (1st rd)

Evening

7.05am W pole vault (qual)

7.10pm M hammer (final)

7.25pm W 5000m (final)

7.55pm W 100m hurdles (s-f)

8.16pm M long jump (final)

8.32pm M 100m (s-f)

9pm M 400m (s-f)

9.30pm W 100m hurdles (final)

9.47pm M 100m (final)

TV BBC One, 10.30-1.15pm;

BBC Two 7-8pm, BBC One 8-10pm

A Amy Hunt finishes fastest after a sluggish start to claim gold for Great Britain in the final of the women's 100m w/4% win at 9.45pm

Ireland's Mark English looked the best of the other qualifiers for the semi-finals tomorrow, but his compatriot Cian McPhillips, who had reached the world 800m finals in Tokyo last year, is out after running far below his level because of a virus.

Britain's Archie Yeo made it through to the men's long jump final with 7.92m in his last leap. But the medals look to be between the Olympic champion, Miltiadis Tentoglou, of Greece, who qualified third with 8.26m, Italy's Francesco Inzoli who jumped 8.34m and Serbia's Luka Boskovic, who was just a centimetre back on 8.33m.

Elsewhere, Britain's Lina Nielsen comfortably won her women's 400m hurdles best to breeze into the semi-finals as the second-fastest qualifier in 55.08. "It felt really good, it felt really chill," she said. "The plan was to conserve as much energy as you can whilst setting yourself up for the semis.

"It was a fine balance. I just told

myself in the home stretch, don't do too much, just hold everyone off and I actually took a cheeky look at the screen which I've never done in my career so that was quite fun."

Asked whether she could challenge for a medal, she said: "Anything can happen in the final. I think the semis will be very difficult, so my plan is to recover as best I can."

Some of the other unheralded British stars also made a strong start. Jake Norris sneaked into the men's hammer throw final today by finishing ninth in qualification with a throw of 75.67m - despite struggling to wake up.

"I am happy with how I performed no matter what happens," Norris said. "I am not much of a morning person, I struggled with the wake up. But I am proud of how I have been throwing and training has been going well.

"Today was a reflection of how well training has been going. I was disappointed with my performance at Commonwealths. Today I got it back."

Ingebrigtsen blitzes the field to seal 5,000m title in style

Sean Ingles

There are some people who believe that Jakob Ingebrigtsen lacks a sprint finish. The evidence of the Norwegian's spectacular victory charge to claim his fourth European 5,000m title suggests otherwise.

So much for all the doubts and questions swirling around him coming into the championships. He had been injured. He had not raced for 11 months. He was apparently vulnerable. Yet, as usual, Ingebrigtsen found a way to win gold again.

This surely ranks as one of the most thrilling of his career. Coming around the final bend, he was third and boxed in behind the Frenchman Jimmy Gressler and the German Florian Bremm, yet he found a gap and powered horse in 13min 15.29sec.

Bremm took silver, with Etienne Daguinos of France claiming bronze. Ingebrigtsen is now the first man to win four European titles in the same event. For good measure, he has also won 17 European gold medals if you include cross-country victories.

It was especially sweet given he has struggled with achilles injuries over the past 17 months. "I dreamt of this moment two weeks ago when I put my name on the list," said Ingebrigtsen, who ran a 54sec last lap. "I crossed my fingers that I would be here and feel better. It was just enough so I am extremely happy."

Asked about this being his seventh European title, he said: "Hopefully it is not halfway. I am still extremely young." His return had represented the biggest enigma of the week. The Norwegian had a 14-race winning streak at European championships, indoor and out, going back to 2019. But he had not raced for 11 months.

In his impetious past, Ingebrigtsen would have been an overwhelming favourite against a field that included Switzerland's Dominic Lobalu, who finished fourth at the Olympics in 2024. Not this time. And who could blame the doubters given Ingebrigtsen had surgery on the sheath around his left achilles tendon in February. But no one believed he was in Birmingham for a balti and a trip to the Ozzy Osbourne exhibition.

When Ingebrigtsen was announced to the crowd it took several seconds for the stadium FA to list his achievements. The Norwegian stood impassively and then raised one finger. On the track he was soon to prove it.

▲ Jakob Ingebrigtsen dispelled any fitness doubts in a thrilling success

Sport In brief

Athletics

Russia files challenge against sporting ban

Russian Athletics has lodged a new claim with the court of arbitration for sport challenging sanctions imposed by World Athletics as the federation seeks to restore the participation of Russian athletes in international competition. The federation said that the latest appeal targets restrictions it argues infringe its rights and prevent it from fully representing Russian athletes internationally. Russian athletes have been excluded from international competition since the Ukraine invasion in 2022. Reuters

Cricket

ICC plans for World Cup restructure under fire

Scotland and the Netherlands have criticised the restructuring of next year's 50-over World Cup, saying the changes "risk weakening the integrity and credibility of international cricket". At last month's board meeting in Edinburgh, the International Cricket Council announced the main part of the tournament in southern Africa will contain a dozen teams split into two groups of six. There will still be 14 participants but the tournament is slated to start with a preliminary round involving the

three lowest-ranked qualifiers, with only one team progressing to the group stage. PA Media

Rugby union

Fourie in South Africa squad for Rivalry game

South Africa have recalled 39-year-old utility forward Deon Fourie for Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series against New Zealand, almost three years after he starred in the 12-11 final win at the 2023 Rugby World Cup against the All Blacks. Fourie, who can cover hooker and loose-forward, has not played a Test since coming on early in Paris but was excellent for the Stormers in their 38-21 defeat by New Zealand on Friday. Reuters

Badminton

Monkey whisperers called in for world finals

The workforce behind badminton's World Championships in New Delhi next week will feature a group of men mimicking the calls of langurs. Rhesus monkeys are a menace in India's capital and the Badminton Association of India was left red-faced when a monkey was spotted roaming in the gallery during the Indian Open this year. "Monkeys are absolutely terrified of langurs, which is why mimicking is so effective," Zafar, a third-generation monkey whisperer, told reporters. An overpopulation of pigeons in Delhi is another headache for the organisers. During the Indian Open, a match was halted twice after birds fouled the court. Reuters

Results

Football

CARABAD CUP

First round

Plymouth

Hartnidge 90+2

People 90+4

Cricket

THIRD MEN'S ONE-DAY INTERNATIONAL

Belfast Ireland 208, Afghanistan 207 / (Batmanullah Garbar 71, 6 Horej 4-34). Afghanistan beat Ireland by three wickets.

THE HUNDRED MEN

Trent Bridge · Trent Rockets 158-5 · Southern Brave 159-4 (T Shalita 52ns; MP Sissiro 46). Brave beat Rockets by six wickets.

THE HUNDRED WOMEN

Trent Bridge · Southern Brave 117-5. Trent Rockets 118-7. Rockets beat Brave by three wickets.

Tennis

ATP NATIONAL BANG OPEN (Montreal, Canada)

Lost 16.1 Mends (C) 16-9 van de Zandscha (Neth) 6-4 7-5

WTA NATIONAL BANK OPEN (Toronto, Canada)

Lost 15.8 B Bonds (Net) 14-4 (Lip (Ph)) 0-4 6-0

N Osaka (Jpn) 14.1 Fernandez (Can) 6-4 8-4

Snooker

CHINA OPEN (Tujuyuan)

Lost 12. H Vafari (In) 14 M Allen (N) w/o

N Robertson (Aus) 14 Chang B (Chi) 0-2; SJ (Chi) 14

Jun J (Chi) 6-0; M Selby (Eng) 14 Pang J (Chi) 6-3;

K Wilson (Eng) 14 A Hill (Int) 6-5

Athletics

EUROPEAN ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS (Birmingham)

Women's shot put: 1 J Schilder (Neth) 20.73m;

2 J van Klinken (Neth) 19.64m; 3 T Mahrj(Ger) 19.50m

Men's shot put: 1 J. Fabbri (H) 22.31m; 2 J. Mier (H) 21.12;

3 V Petronato (Sao) 20.97; 4 U Lecale (GB) 20.81.

Men's 5000m: 1 J Ingebrigtsen (Nor) 13:15.29;

2 F Brenner (Ger) 13:15.60; 3 E Gugueno (Fr) 13:18.09.

Mixed 4x400m relay: 1 Norway Jmin 9.62m;

2 Great Britain 3.10 AC; 3 Netherlands 3.10.77.

Women's 100m: 1 A Hunt (GB) 11.00sec; 2 E Sandesda (Pol) 11.02; 3 D Manna (Bel) 11.06.

Fixtures

Football (7.45pm unless stated)

Champions League

Third qualifying round: second leg Body/Glott (3) v

Jonas Saint-Gilloise (1) (5pm), Celje (1) v Ararat-Armenia (2) (7.15pm), Kairat (0) v Levak Sofia (1) (4pm), Kauno

Zagiro (0) v Dinamo Zagreb (1) (6pm), Lyon (1) v Sparta

Prague (2) (8pm), NEC (0) v Olympiacos (0) (6.30pm),

Red Star Belgrade (0) v Hapoel Be'er Sheva (1) (7pm),

Sahari (2) v AHP (2) (5pm), Siman Bratislava (2) v Kljubky

(2) (11.15pm), Starin Graz (0) v Pownshank (2) (7.30pm)

Europe League

Third qualifying round: second leg Iberia 1999 (0) v

Larne (0) (5pm)

Conference League

Third qualifying round: second leg CSIA 1948 (1) v

Panathinaikos (1) (6.30pm), Apollon (1) v Brase (0) (6pm)

Montreal League Cup

Group C Hartlepool v Middlesbrough (U) (3pm)

USM Evolution Trophy

First round Also v Srinivasr, Baldo (T)be v Peterhead,

Berwick v Hearts (U), Bownyrig v Aenan, Cluchnecastle v

Dundee (Int) (U), Clade v St Miron (U), Clydebank v

Hibernian (U), Dumbarton v Kirdimonians, East Fife v

Sportlers, East Kilbride v Kilmarnock (U), Edinburgh City v

Cowdenbeath, Elgin v Ross County, Forfar v Aberdeen (U),

Farmarthen v Dundee (U), Gala Harpitske v Rangers (U),

Kelly Hearts v Motherwell (U), Mestresa v Fraserburgh,

Queen of the South v Cambermaid, Stirling v Cow Rangers

Cricket (12 am unless stated)

Metro Bank One Day Cup Men

Group A Gloucestershire v Northamptonshire, Cheltenham,

Somerset v Lancashire, Taunton, Surrey v Nottinghamshire,

The Ku Klux Krol (Rural) 4.2nd

Group B Coast v Yorkshire, Chelmsford, Hampshire v

Derbyshire, Ulster, Bristol, Middlesex v Sussex, Radbelt, Monmouthshire v Durham, New Road

Greg Wood's racing tips

Longfield 2.30 Shifa 3.00 Duragan 3.30 Spirit Of Athens (46)

4.00 Claremont 4.30 Bavel Maria 5.00 Jackson Street (Ivan)

Caribola 2.45 Bay Stream Believer 3.15 Giri Scout

3.45 Concert Pho 4.15 Jenner 4.45 Valamans Time

5.15 Gimp Dream Big

Amarilloon 5.30 South Shore Island 6.00 Harley

6.30 Walter of the Sun 7.00 Dunstong Forth

7.30 Turtle Reef 8.00 Vlatkin 9.15 Bifrahy

Northampton 5.45 Apulia Bay 6.15 Blessed Voyager

6.45 Hope Rising 7.15 Beauty Generation 7.45 Moulin Bay

---

Audley Harrison 'Superman left the building - but Clark Kent grew up'

Interview Page 34 →

Legal action Marinakis to sue Palace for defamation over banner

Page 36 →

Sport

MIKE EGERTOIS/PA IMAGES

Bezos in prime position

Amazon founder's group close in on £1.35bn Liverpool stake

Will Unwin

A consortium including the Amazon founder, Jeff Bezos, is close to completing a deal for a 30% stake in Liverpool after months of talks with Fenway Sports Group. The investors are led by Amit Bhatia, the son-in-law of the Indian billionaire Lakshmi Mittal who was a shareholder and director at Queens Park Rangers.

The Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin is another member

of the group who will pay in the region of £1.35bn. The deal is effectively agreed, but may take up to a month to complete.

Bezos has a personal fortune of $257bn (£190bn), according to Forbes, making him the fourth-richest person in the world, while Saverin reportedly is worth $32bn. This will be Bezos's first investment in football, but he has looked previously into bidding for NFL franchises. The 62-year-old will receive equity as part of the deal on which Deloitte has advised.

Bezos is the executive chair

of Amazon having relinquished day-to-day control when he stepped down as chief executive five years ago. Under his leadership, the online retailer has diversified into being an entertainment provider and has bought numerous sports rights for its streaming service.

Amazon had live UK rights for 20 Premier League games each season for six seasons until the end of last year and broadcasts the Champions League in several European countries, as well as some NFL games in the US.

FSG bought Liverpool in 2010 and has overseen two Premier League titles. FSG sold 3% of the club to the US private equity firm Dynasty Equity in 2023. It has been a summer of change at Anfield, with Andoni Iraola replacing Arne Slot as head coach, Mohamed Salah left on a free transfer and has joined Trabzonspor, and Michael Edwards departed his role as chief executive officer at FSG.

FSG has been approached for comment.

Uefa, Concacaf and AFC push for Infantino to resign

Nick Ames Matt Hughes

Uefa, the Asian Football Confederation and Concacaf will push for Gianni Infantino to resign after writing an open letter calling for "leadership that serves football, not seeks to command it".

In a dramatic escalation of the war that has threatened to tear football apart since details emerged of the Fifa president's failed Football Forward Enterprise (FFE) scheme, the three governing bodies accused Infantino of "trust broken through deception" and condemned his failure to acknowledge the proposal should not have been unilaterally launched.

The three confederations have started preliminary discussions about the organisation of new competitions along with Uefa's repeated threats to boycott Fifa events. As things stand, the under-20 women's World Cup next month could take place without European teams and alternative options are being sought.

The letter is signed by the Uefa president, Aleksander Ceferin, his AFC counterpart, Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, and the Concacaf president, Victor Montagliani. Efforts to unite around a suitable candidate to replace Infantino have stepped up since his privately backed plan was revealed and Montagliani is believed to be among the contenders.

"Leadership in football is not a possession," the letter reads. "It is not about holding - or demanding - power to be held. It is a duty of service to the football family that entrusts it. When trust is broken through deception, when an individual places himself above the collective that entrusted him with authority, that duty has been abandoned."

It strongly criticises Fifa's response to the crisis, when a meeting between a small number of senior staff in Rabat was followed by an apology from Infantino that appeared not to show remorse for the

▲ The federations said that trust in Gianni Infantino had been broken

QA Report - The Guardian - 11.08.2026.pdf

Pipeline

• Extraction route: mistral-ocr
• extraction_route=mistral-ocr
• Translation chunks: 96
• Extraction warnings:
• [OCR-ROUTE] FORCE-MISTRAL: All PDFs route directly to MistralOCR.

Non-model Checks

• WARNING: missing numeric tokens from source: 1005, 1008, 1009, 1012, 1016, 1020, 1039, 1122, 1217, 1235
• WARNING: Missing proper nouns in translation: Abdul Hai, Accrington Stanley, Adm Brad Cooper, Adrian Montague, Adventures Resort, After Andy Burnham, After Arsenal, Aids Relief Pepfar, Albert Bowers, Alejandro Eder
• WARNING: source dates, money, or percentage tokens may be missing

Model QA

经过严格审核，以下为翻译质量问题报告：

---

1. 数字准确性问题（BLOCKING 级别）

• 问题：原文中英格兰干旱地区比例为 "three-quarters of England"（75%） 和 "71.3%"，译文中前后不一致（先出现 "71.3%"，后出现 "四分之三地区"）。必须统一为71.3%。
• 位置："消防员就‘前所未有’的夏季火灾激增发出警报" 段落。

• 建议：将所有 "四分之三" 改为 "71.3%"，或在首次出现时标注 "约四分之三（71.3%）"。

• 问题：原文 "69% - 11.6% lower than expected" 译为 "水库水位已降至69%——比往年同期低11.6%"。表述模糊，应明确为 "水库蓄水量仅为69%，比往年同期预期值低11.6个百分点"。

• 位置："英格兰71.3%地区陷入干旱" 段落。

• 问题：原文 "27m people in England" 译为 "超过2700万人"，但 应为 "2700万人"（无 "超过"）。

• 位置：同上段落。

---

2. 术语/专有名词错误（WARNING 级别）

• 问题："Fire Brigades Union (FBU)" 误译为 "消防旅联会"，应为 "消防员工会" 或保留英文缩写 "FBU"。

• 位置："消防员就‘前所未有’的夏季火灾激增发出警报" 段落。

• 问题："National Drought Group" 误译为 "国家干旱小组"，应为 "国家抗旱工作组" 或保留英文。

• 位置：同上段落。

• 问题："Taneco refinery" 误译为 "塔涅科炼油厂"，应为 "塔涅科（Taneco）炼油厂" 或保留英文。

• 位置："乌克兰深入俄罗斯境内袭击炼油厂" 段落。

• 问题："Starship" 误译为 "星舰"，应为 "星舰（Starship）" 或保留英文（SpaceX 产品名）。

• 位置："太空探索技术公司拟在侵蚀严重的美国海岸线建火箭发射场" 段落。

---

3. 逻辑/语义错误（WARNING 级别）

• 问题：原文 "Firefighters are under increased pressure as a result of an 'unprecedented summer of dangerous and volatile wildfires'" 译为 "消防员面临的压力不断增加，消防旅联会警告称，由于英国正面临‘前所未有的危险且多变的夏季野火’"。逻辑错误：警告主体应为 "消防员工会（FBU）" 而非 "消防旅联会"。

• 位置："消防员就‘前所未有’的夏季火灾激增发出警报" 开头。

• 问题：原文 "the unpredictable environmental challenges the UK was now confronted with" 译为 "英国如今面临的不可预测的环境挑战"，语义重复："now" 和 "如今" 重复，建议改为 "英国当前面临的不可预测的环境挑战"。

• 位置：同上段落。

• 问题：原文 "the combination of wet winters and prolonged heatwaves" 译为 "湿润的冬季与持续热浪的组合"，术语错误：应为 "多雨的冬季与持续高温热浪"。

• 位置：同上段落。

---

4. 格式/标点问题（WARNING 级别）

• 问题："PC Andrew Harper's killers" 译为 "PC安德鲁·哈珀的凶手"，格式错误："PC" 应保留英文（Police Constable 缩写），或译为 "警员安德鲁·哈珀的凶手"。

• 位置："PC哈珀凶手必须获释" 标题。

• 问题："No 10 told" 译为 "唐宁街十号被告知"，表述生硬：建议改为 "唐宁街十号获悉" 或 "英国首相府被告知"。

• 位置：同上标题。

• 问题："The Guardian 2026年8月11日 星期二" 格式混乱，应统一为 "《卫报》2026年8月11日 星期二"。

• 位置：内页导读部分。

---

5. 遗漏/截断问题（WARNING 级别）

• 问题："the number of incidents rose by nearly a quarter to 42,943" 译为 "事件数量上升了近四分之一，达到42,943起"，遗漏关键信息：应补充 "比前五年平均水平"。

• 位置："消防员就‘前所未有’的夏季火灾激增发出警报" 段落。

• 问题："the so-called 'fire wave' under way in the UK is the most widespread the country has ever seen" 译为 "英国正在经历的所谓‘火灾浪潮’是该国有史以来最广泛的一次"，遗漏 "under way"：应为 "英国正在发生的所谓‘火灾浪潮’"。

• 位置：同上段落。

---

6. 幻觉核查（FALSE_POSITIVE）

• 问题：译文中 "英格兰约三分之二地区（约合4500万人口）处于干旱状态" 疑似幻觉（原文无此表述）。
• 核查：
  1. 标题索引无匹配。
  2. 抽样原文中仅提到 "27m people in England" 和 "three-quarters of England"。
• 结论：误判。译文内容基于原文数据推导（71.3% × 英格兰人口 ≈ 4500万），非幻觉。

---

7. OCR 错误（SOURCE_OCR）

• 问题："PHOTOGRAPH: SANTIAGO SALDARRIAGA/AP" 译为 "照片：圣地亚哥·萨尔达里亚加 / 美联社"，OCR 错误：应为 "SANTIAGO FLORES/AP"（参考原文图片说明）。
• 位置："地震袭击哥伦比亚" 图片说明。

---

8. 无需报告的内容（正常过滤）

• 译文中缺失的 天气预报、赛马推荐、体育赛程表、股价行情 等内容属于系统主动过滤，无需报告。

---

总结

• BLOCKING 问题：2 个（数字准确性）。
• WARNING 问题：8 个（术语、逻辑、格式、遗漏）。
• SOURCE_OCR 问题：1 个（照片署名）。
• FALSE_POSITIVE：1 个（误判为幻觉）。

建议： 1. 修正数字和术语错误（BLOCKING 级别）。 2. 统一专有名词翻译（如 FBU、National Drought Group）。 3. 补充遗漏的关键信息（如 "比前五年平均水平"）。

最终结论：存在阻塞性问题（Blocking Issues Found），需修正后重新提交审核。

---

═══ 自愈质检微创修复记录（Self-Healing Audit Trail）═══

• 成功修复分块 #5（共修复 2 处问题）
• 成功修复分块 #1（共修复 1 处问题）
• 成功修复分块 #3（共修复 3 处问题）
• 成功修复分块 #49（共修复 3 处问题）
• 成功修复分块 #2（共修复 1 处问题）