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Today — 10 July 2025News

Trump threatens Brazil with 50% tariff and demands Bolsonaro's trial end

10 July 2025 at 06:32
Bloomberg/Getty US President Donald Trump during a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday, July 8, 2025Bloomberg/Getty

US President Donald Trump said he was planning to impose a 50% tax on goods made in Brazil, escalating his fight with the South American country.

He announced the plan in his latest tariff letter, shared on social media, accusing Brazil of "attacks" on US tech companies and conducting a "witch hunt" against former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro, who is facing prosecution over his role trying to overturn the 2022 election.

Trump had already sparred with Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva over Bolsonaro's trial earlier this week.

At the time, President Lula said Brazil would not accept "interference" from anyone and added: "No one is above the law."

Trump has posted 22 letters to countries around the world this week, including trade partners such as Japan, South Korea and Sri Lanka, outlining new tariffs on their goods he says will come into force on 1 August.

The moves have largely served to revive plans he had put forward in April but that were put on hold after financial markets recoiled at the measures.

But the message to Brazil was a far more targeted missive and threatened a significant increase from the 10% rate the White House had previously announced.

US sanctions UN expert Francesca Albanese, critic of Israel's Gaza offensive

10 July 2025 at 06:25
Reuters Francesca AlbaneseReuters

The Trump administration is imposing sanctions on the UN Human Rights Council special rapporteur Francesca Albanese, an outspoken critic of Israel's military offensive in Gaza.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio linked the move to her support for the International Criminal Court (ICC), some of whose judges have already been sanctioned by the US.

Rubio said the US was sanctioning Ms Albanese for directly engaging with the ICC in its efforts to prosecute American or Israeli nationals, accusing her of being unfit for service as a UN Special Rapporteur.

The sanctions are likely to prevent Ms Albanese from travelling to the US and would block any assets she has in the country.

It is the latest escalation by the Trump administration as it wages a campaign against the ICC, having already sanctioned four its judges after the court last year issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his then defence minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes in Gaza, accusations they reject.

Mr Rubio also accused Ms Albanese of having "spewed unabashed antisemitism, expressed support for terrorism, and open contempt for the United States, Israel, and the West."

The move is likely to provoke a fierce backlash from those who argue for accountability over the civilian death toll from Israel's military offensive in Gaza.

The special rapporteur has longed argued that Western governments are not doing enough to support the rights of Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territories, and with her outspoken stance has attracted significant support among those who accuse Israeli and US leaders of weaponising accusations of antisemitism in order to silence criticism of their policies.

The timing of the sanctions announcement is notable with Netanyahu currently in Washington, where he on Wednesday received an extended honour cordon at the Pentagon.

Ms Albanese has previously rejected similar claims against her, telling the BBC in October: "I don't take these remarks and the defamation they carry lightly, but at the same time, I know this is not about me, as my predecessors knew that it was not about them.

"I also know these member states [making accusations of antisemitism] have done absolutely nothing to abide by international law."

Her office has been approached for comment.

The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 57,575 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

Most of Gaza's population has also been displaced multiple times. More than 90% of homes are estimated to be damaged or destroyed; the healthcare, water, sanitation and hygiene systems have collapsed; and there are shortages of food, fuel, medicine and shelter.

South Korea's ex-president Yoon Suk Yeol rearrested

10 July 2025 at 04:15
EPA Yoon Suk Yeol, who has brown hair which is parted to the side, wears a navy suit with a white shirt and red tie as he steps out of a black vehicle outside a courthouse in Seoul EPA

South Korea's former president has been rearrested over last year's failed martial law bid that plunged the country into political turmoil.

Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached in April over the order, which saw military rule introduced for six-hours in December.

A senior judge at Seoul's Central District Court issued an arrest warrant for Yoon on Wednesday, citing fears he could destroy evidence.

Yoon, who was the first sitting South Korean president to be arrested, faces trial on charges of leading an insurrection over his attempt to impose martial law.

During Wednesday's seven-hour hearing, a special counsel team argued for the arrest warrant on five key charges, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported.

The charges include Yoon's alleged violation of the rights of cabinet members by not inviting some of them to a meeting before he declared martial law.

Yoon initially attended the hearing alongside his lawyers to deny the charges, before being taken to Seoul Detention Center to await a decision on an arrest warrant.

He was first arrested in January following a lengthy stand-off, with investigators scaling barricades and cutting through barbed wire to take him into custody from his residence in central Seoul.

Yoon was released two months later after a court overturned his arrest on technical grounds, but still faces trial.

If found guilty, he could face life in prison or the death penalty.

Prosecutors have reportedly found evidence that Yoon ordered military drones to be flown over North Korea to provoke a reaction that would justify his martial law declaration, according to reports.

Other senior officials also face charges including insurrection and abuse of authority over the martial law declaration.

Insurrection is one of a small number of criminal charges from which South Korean presidents do not have immunity, but now Yoon is no longer president he is open to other criminal charges.

South Korea's new president, Lee Jae-myung, was elected in June following a snap election after Yoon's impeachment.

Lee campaigned on the promise to strengthen the country's democracy following the crisis and appointed a special counsel team to investigate Yoon over the imposition of martial-law, as well as other criminal allegations surrounding his administration.

Chinese students sleep off heatwave in libraries and tents

10 July 2025 at 06:00
Getty Images Back view of a young man and woman walking side by side on the road on a sunny day.Getty Images
China's "dog days" arrived early this year, catching millions in the country's eastern region off guard

As Chinese authorities issue warnings for extreme heat in the country's eastern region, students are leaving their stuffy dormitories to camp in hallways and supermarkets.

Some have ditched their campuses altogether.

"We sometimes go out to stay in hotels for the air-conditioning," a 20-year-old university student in the northeastern Changchun city, who declined to be named, tells the BBC. "There are always a few days in a year where it's unbearably hot."

Hotels have become popular among students seeking to avoid sweaty nights in their dormitories, which typically house four to eight people a room and do not have air conditioning.

But for many the move is a last resort. "Checking into a hotel is a huge expense for us students," the student in Changchun says.

So on less desperate days, he perches a bowl of ice cubes in front of a small fan to cool down his dormitory room - what he calls "a homemade air-conditioner". The invention has tided him over as the semester ended this week.

The sanfu season, known to be China's "dog days", usually starts in mid-July. But it arrived early this year, with temperatures in the eastern region soaring above 40C (104F) over the past week - and catching millions of residents off guard.

Getty Images Close-up of a thermometer showing the temperature of the air exceeding 40 degrees Celsius. Behind it is a busy road with cars and a motorcycle.Getty Images
Weather authorities in Qingdao have warned that temperatures could go beyond 40C

Concerns about the high temperatures spiralled after reports that a dormitory guard had died in his room at Qingdao University on Sunday - from what many believed to be heatstroke.

His cause of death was "under investigation", said a statement released by the university on Monday. It said that he had been found in his room in an "abnormal condition" and pronounced dead when paramedics arrived at the scene.

Tributes quickly poured in for the man, known endearingly among students as the dormitory "uncle" who took care of stray cats on the campus.

"The kittens don't know that Uncle has gone far away. After today it met a lot of people, but never heard Uncle's voice again," a Weibo user commented.

The incident has also cast a spotlight on the living conditions of the school's staff and students. Also on Sunday, a student in the same university was sent to the hospital after suffering a heat stroke, Jimu News reported.

"The quality of a university does not lie in how many buildings it has, but rather how it treats the regular people who quietly support the school's operation," wrote another Weibo user.

In recent weeks China has been dealing with extreme weather - a worldwide phenomenon that experts have linked to climate change.

Chinese authorities issued flash flood warnings on Wednesday after a typhoon made landfall on China's eastern coast. The storm, which killed two in Taiwan this week, and has moved across the Chinese provinces of Zhejiang and Fujian.

On the other side of the country, floods swept away a bridge linking Nepal and China. At least nine died and more than a dozen- both Nepalese and Chinese nationals - remain missing.

Meanwhile, heatwaves in China have become hotter and longer.

In 2022, particularly gruelling heat caused more than 50,000 deaths, according to estimates by medical journal The Lancet. The following year saw a township in Xinjiang, northwestern China, logging 52.5C - the highest recorded temperature in China.

2024 was China's warmest year on record, with July becoming the hottest month the country has seen since it started tracking temperatures in 1961.

"It feels like global warming has really affected our world," says the university student in Changchun. "When I was young the summers in the northeast were really comfortable. But now the summers are getting hotter and hotter."

Getty Images A middle-aged woman wearing a brown hat standing on a beach. In front of her are three children playing with sand. In the background are many people on the crowded beach.Getty Images
Qingdao residents head to the beach to cool off this summer

This year, high temperatures again tested the limits of residents.

Last week, a video showed a man in Zhejiang province smashing the window of a train to let air in, after the train derailed and passengers were stuck for hours in the sweltering heat.

In the neighbouring Jiangxi province, an air-conditioned restaurant has become a hotspot for elderly folks to while away their afternoons without ordering any food - to the chagrin of restaurant staff, local media reported.

In the northeastern Jilin province, university students reportedly slept in tents lining an air-conditioned hallway.

And after reports emerged of students in Shandong province squatting in supermarkets and checking into nearby hotels to escape the heat, a university arranged for its students to sleep in the library, Hongxing News reported.

Several schools in Shandong province have announced plans to make their dormitories air-conditioned - an increasingly indispensable amenity.

Air-conditioning has accounted for more than a third of the demand on the power grid in eastern China, China's energy authorities said, as nationwide electricity demand reached a record high in early July.

Qingdao University officials told local media on Monday that it also had plans to install air-conditioning in student dormitories over the summer break.

It is just what one high school student in Jinan city, 350km away, needed to hear.

The teenager, who had just completed his college entrance examinations, tells the BBC that he had been hesitant to go to Qingdao University - his top choice - because of its dormitories.

"Without air-conditioning, it's too hot to survive," he says.

【404文库】“至于是否公开,肯定要听我们这边领导的”(外二篇)

By: elijah
10 July 2025 at 05:46

CDT 档案卡
标题:【404文库】“至于是否公开,肯定要听我们这边领导的”(外二篇)
来源:家庭回忆录一名野客三月云

主题归类:东航空难坚果兄弟女性权利
CDS收藏:时间馆
版权说明:该作品版权归原作者所有。中国数字时代仅对原作进行存档,以对抗中国的网络审查。详细版权说明

《404档案馆》讲述中国审查与反审查的故事,同时以文字、音频和视频的形式发布。播客节目可在 Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify 或泛用型播客客户端搜索“404档案馆”进行收听,视频节目可在Youtube“中国数字时代· 404档案馆”频道收看。

欢迎来到404档案馆,在这里,我们一起穿越中国数字高墙

尽管中国的言论审查和舆论管控日趋严峻,国家对公民的监控也无处不在,但我们依然可以看那些不服从的个体,顶着被删号、被约谈、甚至被监禁的风险,对不公义勇敢发出自己的声音。

中国数字时代在“404文库”栏目中长期收录这些被当局审查机制删除的声音。如果您也不希望这些声音就这样消失,请随手将它们转发给您可以转发的任何人。

在本期的【404文库】栏目中,我们将选读过去一周中引起舆论关注的三篇404文章。

一、家庭回忆录|客机失事原因不予公开,以免危及社会稳定

2022年3月21日,由云南昆明飞往广东广州的东航MU5735号客机在广西梧州山谷坠毁,空难导致132名机上人员全部遇难。

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然而,坠机之后当局对待事故的处理方式更令人心寒,调查报告的缺失更令人痛心。很多家庭因真相迟迟未明承担着巨大且持续的痛苦。

在中文互联网上,中共当局对东航MU5735的相关讨论也采取了极为严格的审查措施,一些相关微博话题遭到封禁,部分关键词也在过去几年里成为敏感词。

近日,一份由中国民用航空局综合司于5月19日发出的《信息公开申请答复书》引起关注。该《答复书》中称公开“3·21”东航MU5735空难调查进展情况通报“可能危及国家安全、社会稳定”,因此“决定不予公开”。

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这一信息引起网民强烈不满。在微信公众号“家庭回忆录”发布的一篇遭到删除的文章中,作者讽刺道:

三年前,2022年3月21日,东航一架波音737客机在广西梧州坠毁,机上人员共132人,其中旅客123人、机组9人,全部遇难。

多少破碎的家庭……

当地起了山火,才让人们定位到了坠毁地点。

总得有个事故报告?

三年过去了,有人等不及了,向民航部门申请信息公开。

公开为常态,不公开为例外,这是原则。

这两天,《信息公开申请答复书》在网上流传。

事实上,机上有黑匣子,也找到了。但波音公司只负责解读,至于是否公开,肯定要听我们这边领导的。

领导肯定要综合各种因素,通盘考虑,该让民众知道的,自然会让大家知道。

不该知道的,自然不能公开。

这也是为了大家好。

其实,这个结果不问也知道。要是能公开,早就公开了。到现在没主动公开,那就是不能让大家知道。

你问我支不支持不公开的决定?

领导做的决定,我不支持领导,我支持谁?

但答复也不是什么都没说,从公开原因就要影响「国家安全、社会稳定」这八个字来看,基本可以排除客观原因。

而且从去年公开的那些调查进展看,确实没什么客观原因。

看似什么也没说,实际上也说了一些。至于是什么,要提高媒介修养才能听懂。

领导还是体贴大家的痛感的,也照顾了大家的情绪。

2024年3月20日,即事发两周年时,民航表示将「根据调查进展情况及时发布相关信息」。

三周年时没动静,有人就想追问一下,结果就是纪晓岚给小太监讲故事,刚开了个头,「下面没有了」。

答复留了联系电话,也提示不服可起诉。但既然已经定了,大家肯定都同意。再打电话,就是不理解领导的一片苦心了。

要顾大局,理解都是为了国家好、大家好。

二、一名野客|情况又有点复杂

中国艺术家坚果兄弟曾在2018年曝光了陕西榆林小壕兔乡水污染问题。

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6月30日晚,坚果兄弟在刚刚结束了在小壕兔乡的回访后,返回昆明后不久便与亲友失联,与他共同参与小壕兔环境污染公共艺术行动的策展人郑宏彬也被西安警方带走。

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坚果兄弟多次以艺术行动的方式揭露社会问题,他本人也多次“被失联”。

在微信公众号“一名野客”被删除的文章《情况又有点复杂》中,作者作为艺术项目的参与者详细介绍了坚果兄弟以及相关行动的具体情况。

文章写道:

这次情况又有点复杂, 当然这也不是坚果第一次失联了。在跟拍坚果兄弟这几年里,这是我已知的第四次“失联”。

第一次是在小壕兔,当时坚果为了解救线人吴彦荣出来(当年的老吴因举报小壕兔环境污染被跨省抓捕),被榆林市某部门带走,并达成协议只要坚果不再回到小壕兔,老吴就能放出来。

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第二次是“抓娃娃计划”,呼吁解决因拆迁导致深圳最大城中村外来务工子女失学的问题。当时被深圳某派出所带走,某所长指着坚果骂道:你们艺术家都是垃圾,这句话也放到了我们纪录片的海报里。

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第三次是调查濒危动物川陕哲罗鲑的生存状况,据研究数据,川陕哲罗鲑有可能是继长江白鲟灭绝后近二十年因人类活动即将灭绝的又一个国家一级保护动物,在青海调研时被警方以不遵守防疫政策带走调查。

第四次是听坚果说的,为金融诈骗群体维权的项目,被老家的派出所跨省抓捕,为了让坚果老实点,当地甚至威胁坚果如果继续“惹事”将会影响到他哥哥孩子读书问题。

坚果其实性格有点内向,这些年因为为底层人民维权,呼吁解决环保问题估计不知道多少次被威胁被失联了,他也很少会主动跟人谈起这些经历。

在我跟拍的项目里,像小壕兔水污染事件,遇到了太多匪夷所思蛮横无理的阻挠。相机被抢走过;为了不让重金属乐队演出,而且是在村民院子里的私人演出,当地文化监管部门一面威胁村民一面没收乐器强行制止;走访村民期间八辆车跟在我们后面,说是来保护我们的;当地煤矿的工作人员假报警要带走我们,结果我们真的拨打报警电话,他们立刻就怂了;煤矿的中间人在宾馆找到坚果说只要不接着调查环境问题,愿意出20万贿赂,没想到这也被我们的摄像机拍了下来;小壕兔乡某部门为了不让坚果回访,竟然承包了之前我们入住的宾馆一年时间,真的很想问一下这笔钱从哪里出的;也有人打电话来威胁道,你们接着调查到时候死都不知道怎么死的。

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没想到的是,从2018开始的小壕兔水污染事件,过了七年时间,当地的做法没有任何改变……

三、三月云|如何批驳“母系社会三万年食不果腹,父系社会五千年载人航天”?

微信公众号“三月云”发布文章,批驳“母系社会三万年食不果腹,父系社会五千年载人航天”一类说法。但该文遭到删除。

文中写道:

五千年的封建父系社会,自始至终都是愚昧无知、落后封闭的,其战乱与饥荒之频繁(明清均有超过1000次饥荒,明朝崇祯年间的饥荒甚至使全国一半人死亡),百姓生活之苦难,令人发指。

而人类社会在近一百年所取得的进步,已经远远超出过去所有世代生产力的总和。

为什么会出现如此巨大而深刻的变化?科技与生产力又为何会发生突飞猛进的革命性发展?人并没有突然变聪明。根本原因是制度结构变了,是我们的社会系统整体发生了本质变化,也是女性地位发生了本质变化。

人类社会的任何重大变革,都离不开女性的参与。而女性在其中发挥的作用,也决定了人类命运的走向。辛亥革命与五四运动,同样也是女性争取解放的历程。只是后世只愿大肆宣传德先生赛先生,却对莫小姐与费小姐闭口不谈。而最后一个封建王朝的覆灭,从根本上讲也是女性地位的提高导致封建生产关系、小农经济与宗族制度趋于瓦解的过程。

2024年的诺贝尔经济学奖颁发给了制度经济学领域。其基本观点认为,制度决定经济绩效。好的制度造就了经济繁荣,恶的制度造成了经济贫困。而制度的本质就是“人类互相交往的规则”。我们可以想一下,一个一半人口、甚至是创造出全部人类的一半人口处于奴役地位,而另一半人口整日醉心于君臣父子的等级制中,只思索如何保持自己的特权地位而对任何普惠性、革命性变革无比排斥与恐惧,这样的社会制度与氛围,会对生命有任何敬畏与关怀,会产生任何活力、创新和进步吗?

再说一遍,很多人理解女性解放对于社会进步的贡献只是“多了一半劳动力”。不,这远不止增加一倍那么简单,当女性从灶台与家庭走向星辰大海,不仅仅是空间的移位,更是文明形态的彻底改变。

以上是本期选读的三篇404文章。文章全文见中国数字时代网站。这些作品版权归原作者所有。中国数字时代仅对原作进行存档,以对抗中国的网络审查。

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Zohran Mamdani Expands Campaign Team, Hiring Veteran Democrat

10 July 2025 at 06:15
Mr. Mamdani, a state assemblyman and the Democratic nominee for mayor of New York City, is taking on a small handful of more experienced campaign hands.

© Victor J. Blue for The New York Times

Zohran Mamdani is expanding his staff to include a former political director of the Democratic National Committee.

Ex-Tory chairman Jake Berry defects to Reform UK

10 July 2025 at 04:38
BBC Jake BerryBBC

Former Conservative MP and party chairman Sir Jake Berry has announced he is defecting to Reform UK.

Writing in the Sun, Sir Jake said: "Old Westminster politics has failed. But there's a better way."

He said he was backing Reform UK "because I've always believed that change comes with challenging the old order. In shaking up the system when it isn't working".

Earlier this week David Jones, the former Conservative Welsh secretary, also joined Nigel Farage's party.

Mortgage lending rules change could help first-time buyers

10 July 2025 at 03:53
Getty Images A couple sit with a girl on a sofa looking at a laptop and a piece of paper Getty Images

Millions of British households are facing an average £107 rise in monthly mortgage payments as their deals expire, according to the Bank of England.

It has said that 3.6 million home loans are coming up for renewal over the next three years, equating to 41% of all outstanding mortgages.

But the number of mortgages facing expiry is less than the Bank of England had initially expected and the monthly hike is below the £146 increase it had first anticipated.

While some bills will rise, a fall in interest rates is slowly feeding its way into typical monthly mortgage payments following four cuts by the Bank of England since last August.

Around 2.5 million households, or 28% of mortgage holders, will see their bills fall in the next three years.

Meanwhile, first-time buyers are likely to get more access to mortgages as banks and building societies are allowed to loosen a cap on riskier lending.

In its latest Financial Stability Report, the Bank of England's governor Andrew Bailey said at present just under 10% of new mortgages issued exceed 4.5 times a borrower's income.

He said he would be happy to see that percentage rise.

Individual banks and building societies will be allowed to exceed a 15% limit on higher loan-to-value mortgages.

The looser cap comes after a call by the UK government for regulators to look for ways to encourage economic growth.

The Bank reckons the change could lead to up to 36,000 new higher loan-to-income mortgages a year.

But the mortgage lending industry as a whole will have to stick to a 15% limit on riskier home loans.

Elsewhere, the bank said financial instability across the globe had increased, after the US-led global trade war.

While there had been little direct impact so far on British households and companies, some significant changes were occurring to the global financial system.

In particular the traditional strengthening of the US dollar as a safe haven in times of turmoil appeared to have changed since the start of the global tariff war.

Investors and large companies who never previously felt the need to hedge or insure against a weak dollar were now doing so, the Bank said.

This has added to the weakness of the US dollar this year, which is already down about 10% against a range of currencies.

US president Donald Trump has said he wants a weaker dollar, arguing that will boost exports and US manufacturing jobs growth.

However, imported goods can get more expensive, adding to any price rises from tariffs.

US sanctions UN expert Francesca Albanese, critic of Israel's Gaza offensive

10 July 2025 at 04:09
Reuters Francesca AlbaneseReuters

The Trump administration is imposing sanctions on the UN Human Rights Council special rapporteur Francesca Albanese, an outspoken critic of Israel's military offensive in Gaza.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio linked the move to her support for the International Criminal Court (ICC), some of whose judges have already been sanctioned by the US.

Rubio said the US was sanctioning Ms Albanese for directly engaging with the ICC in its efforts to prosecute American or Israeli nationals, accusing her of being unfit for service as a UN Special Rapporteur.

The sanctions are likely to prevent Ms Albanese from travelling to the US and would block any assets she has in the country.

It is the latest escalation by the Trump administration as it wages a campaign against the ICC, having already sanctioned four its judges after the court last year issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his then defence minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes in Gaza, accusations they reject.

Mr Rubio also accused Ms Albanese of having "spewed unabashed antisemitism, expressed support for terrorism, and open contempt for the United States, Israel, and the West."

The move is likely to provoke a fierce backlash from those who argue for accountability over the civilian death toll from Israel's military offensive in Gaza.

The special rapporteur has longed argued that Western governments are not doing enough to support the rights of Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territories, and with her outspoken stance has attracted significant support among those who accuse Israeli and US leaders of weaponising accusations of antisemitism in order to silence criticism of their policies.

The timing of the sanctions announcement is notable with Netanyahu currently in Washington, where he on Wednesday received an extended honour cordon at the Pentagon.

Ms Albanese has previously rejected similar claims against her, telling the BBC in October: "I don't take these remarks and the defamation they carry lightly, but at the same time, I know this is not about me, as my predecessors knew that it was not about them.

"I also know these member states [making accusations of antisemitism] have done absolutely nothing to abide by international law."

Her office has been approached for comment.

The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 57,575 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

Most of Gaza's population has also been displaced multiple times. More than 90% of homes are estimated to be damaged or destroyed; the healthcare, water, sanitation and hygiene systems have collapsed; and there are shortages of food, fuel, medicine and shelter.

Government's watered-down benefits bill clears Commons

10 July 2025 at 04:19
HoC MPs standing in the House of Commons, announcing the results of a voteHoC

MPs have approved the government's benefits bill, which was heavily watered-down last week following a rebellion by Labour backbenchers.

The Universal Credit Bill is expected to be classed as a money bill, meaning it could become law after one month, with or without the approval of the House of Lords.

The measures implement cuts to the health-related element of universal credit for some claimants, while ensuring other parts of the benefit rise above inflation.

The bill had originally proposed making it harder for people to claim the personal independence payment however, following objections from Labour MPs, this has been scrapped for existing claimants and put on hold for future ones.

Personal independence payment (Pip) is paid to people with long-term physical or mental health conditions and is not linked to the recipient's savings or income.

In contrast, universal credit (UC) is means-tested and designed to help support the unemployed or low-paid people.

Urging MPs to back the bill, Disabilities Minister Sir Stephen Timms said: "If you can work, you should, if you need help into work, the government should provide it, and those who can't work must be able to live with dignity.

"Those are the principles underpinning what we're doing."

The government said nearly four million households would see their income boosted by £725 over the next five years, as a result of increasing the universal credit standard allowance.

Despite the government's climbdown last week, 47 Labour MPs still voted against the legislation and backed a rebel amendment tabled by York MP Rachael Maskell.

During a debate ahead of the final votes, Maskell called the bill an "omnishambles" which would result in different levels of UC to people depending on whether they had claimed before or after April 2026.

She asked if someone who came off universal credit as their illness subsided but then had a relapse and needed the benefit would be awarded a lower rate compared to what they had previously received.

Sir Stephen said the bill already protected people in the situation she had described.

However, Maskell pushed her amendment to a vote which would see those with fluctuating medical conditions receive the existing rate of UC, rather than the lower rate applied to new claimants. It was defeated by 334 votes to 149.

The Conservatives also tabled an amendment which would have made further changes including reducing payments for those with less severe mental health conditions and excluding some foreign nationals from certain benefits.

It was defeated by 416 votes to 103. In the final vote, MPs approve the bill by 336 votes votes to 242.

The changes to universal credit will apply across the UK while any measures relating to Pip apply in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Last week - in order to ensure the bill could pass - ministers were forced to make last-minute concessions including announcing that stricter eligibility rules for new Pip claimants would not be introduced until a review into Pip assessments had been completed.

The review - which aims to conclude in autumn 2026 - will be led by Disabilities Minister Sir Stephen Timms and would be co-produced with disabled people and the organisations that represent them.

During Wednesday's debate, several Labour MPs urged the government to strengthen the role of disabled people in the review.

Labour MP Marie Tidball said their involvement in the Timms review should be "meaningful and not performative".

Another Labour MP, Stella Creasy, said disabled organisations should have veto power over any recommendations made by the review.

Before MPs had begun their debate, a United Nations panel raised concerns about the impact the government's proposals would have on disabled people.

In a letter to the Department for Work and Pensions, the UN's high commissioner asked about measures to "address the foreseeable risk of increasing poverty rates amongst persons with disabilities if cuts are approved".

The government had estimated the bill would save £5bn a year by 2030, however the concessions it made to ensure the bill could pass mean those savings have been virtually wiped out.

Last week, Chancellor Rachel Reeves was asked if the changes would lead to tax rises. She said she would not "speculate" but added: "Of course there is a cost to the welfare changes that Parliament voted through this week and that will be reflected in the Budget."

Who needs what to qualify for Euro 2025 knockouts?

10 July 2025 at 02:28

Who needs what to qualify for Euro 2025 knockouts?

A split graphic of England's Georgia Stanway and Wales' Angharad James-Turner after their opening-game defeats at Euro 2025Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,

England and Wales still have work to do to reach the Euro 2025 quarter-finals

  • Published

England will reach the Euro 2025 quarter-finals if they beat Wales in their final Group C match on Sunday.

The defending champions would have been on the brink of elimination had they lost to the Netherlands on Wednesday, but instead produced a brilliant 4-0 win to keep their fate in their own hands.

Wales remain in a difficult position at the bottom of Group D and will be on the cusp of an early exit if they lose to France on Wednesday (20:00 BST).

BBC Sport looks at how each of the four groups are shaping up - and who needs what to reach the quarter-finals.

Group D

Women's Euro 2025 Group D table: France 3pts, England 3pts, Netherlands 3pts, Wales 0ptsImage source, BBC Sport/Getty Images

Remaining fixtures (all times BST): France v Wales (9 July, 20:00) England v Wales & Netherlands v France (both 13 July, 20:00)

England, who won the tournament in 2022, will advance if they beat tournament debutants Wales no matter the result in the Netherlands' match with France.

If the Lionesses fail to beat Wales, they may still reach the quarter-finals if other results go their way.

Wales will reach the knockouts if they beat France on Wednesday and England on Friday.

But, if they were to lose to France on Wednesday, they're as good as out. That's because they'd need to beat England by at least seven goals because of their unfavourable head-to-head goal difference in matches involving themselves, the defending champions and the Netherlands.

France will reach the quarter-finals if they beat Wales and avoid defeat against the Netherlands.

The Netherlands will advance if they beat France on Friday and England don't beat Wales.

If England, France and the Netherlands all finish on six points, the Netherlands are likely to be the side that misses out on head-to-head results because of their heavy defeat by England.

At this tournament, teams level on points are separated by head-to-head record. And if three teams are level on points, their head-to-head record is calculated as if they were in a mini-league.

At a glance: Who is through and who is out?

Through to the quarter-finals: Norway, Spain, Germany, Sweden

Out: Iceland, Belgium, Denmark, Poland

Group A

Women's Euro 2025 Group A table (all played two): Norway 6pts, Switzerland 3pts, Finland 3pts, Iceland 0ptsImage source, BBC Sport/Getty Images

Remaining fixtures (all times BST): Finland v Switzerland & Norway v Iceland (both 10 July, 20:00)

Norway became the first team to secure their place in the quarter-finals with a win over Finland on Sunday, combined with Switzerland's victory. They are guaranteed top spot because of their head-to-head record against both teams.

Hosts Switzerland go into the final round of games knowing a point would ensure they progress via goal difference.

Finland need to beat Switzerland to go through.

Iceland are eliminated.

Group B

Euro 2025 Group BImage source, BBC Sport/Getty Images

Remaining fixtures (all times BST): Italy v Spain & Portugal v Belgium (both 11 July, 20:00)

Spain progressed following the second round of group games, after they beat Belgium and Portugal failed to win against Italy.

The Spanish will win Group B if they avoid defeat against Italy in the final round of games.

Italy will go through as group winners if they beat Spain, or as runners-up if they avoid defeat.

Portugal can only progress as runners-up if they beat Belgium, Italy lose to Spain and there is a six-goal swing between them and the Italians.

Belgium are out.

Group C

Women's Euro 2025 Group C table (all played two): Sweden 6pts, Germany 6pts, Denmark 0pts, Poland 0ptsImage source, BBC Sport/Getty Images

Remaining fixtures (all times BST): Poland v Denmark & Sweden v Germany (both 12 July, 20:00)

Germany and Sweden both secured spots in the quarter-finals on Tuesday with wins over Denmark and Poland respectively.

The pair face each other in the final round of fixtures where the victor will advance as Group C winner and the loser as runner-up. Should the two teams draw, Sweden will top the group on goal difference.

Denmark and Poland were both eliminated with defeats on Tuesday.

What is the format at Euro 2025?

The top two teams from each of the four groups will progress to the quarter-finals, with the sides in third and fourth eliminated.

If two or more teams in the same group are equal on points at the end of the phase, the following criteria will determine their rankings:

  • Most points won in matches between those teams

  • Goal difference in matches between those teams

  • Goals scored in matches between those teams

  • If teams still have an equal ranking, the above criteria will be reapplied exclusively to matches between the remaining teams to determine rankings

  • If teams are still level then goal difference across all group matches is used

  • Then goals scored in all group matches

  • Then Disciplinary record

  • Then higher position in the overall European qualifiers

Yemen’s Houthi Militia Took Sailors Hostage After Red Sea Attack, U.S. Says

10 July 2025 at 05:34
The Yemeni militia, backed by Iran, said it had sunk a Liberian-flagged cargo ship in the Red Sea. Liberia said the attack killed two crew members.

© Diaplous, via Reuters

An image released by Diaplous, a maritime security organization, shows crew members being rescued after an attack in the Red Sea. Eunavfor Aspides, a European Union military operation, said on Wednesday that it had rescued six castaway crew members of the cargo ship Eternity C.

Why Forecasting Thunderstorms Is Still So Hard

10 July 2025 at 04:12
Even with advances in technology, it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly where and when some of the most severe weather will occur until just before it happens.

© The New York Times

New U.S. Army Shaving Rule Could Affect Many Black Soldiers

10 July 2025 at 04:45
Soldiers with skin conditions like razor bumps will no longer be granted permanent medical waivers that allow them to grow beards and could be kicked out of the Army if they are not clean shaven.

© Johannes Eisele/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

A U.S. soldier shaving while deployed in Afghanistan in 2011.

Court Overturns Conviction for Memes That Sought to Trick Clinton Voters

10 July 2025 at 05:25
Douglass Mackey’s posts in 2016 falsely advertised text voting for Hillary Clinton. Appeals court judges said prosecutors had not shown that his actions were part of a conspiracy.

© Stephanie Keith for The New York Times

“The government presented no evidence at trial that Mackey’s tweets tricked anyone into failing properly to vote,” a judge wrote.

Administration Takes Steps to Target 2 Officials Who Investigated Trump

It is unclear whether the moves will lead to charges, but they suggest that President Trump’s appointees intend to follow through on his campaign to exact retribution against his perceived enemies.

© Al Drago/The New York Times

John Brennan, the former C.I.A. director, testifying before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligences’s Russia Investigation Task Force in May 2017.

James Comey Tracked by Secret Service After Post Critical of Trump

After the former F.B.I. director put a picture on Instagram of seashells arranged to say “86 47,” law enforcement tailed his car and tracked his cellphone, steps usually reserved for serious threats.

© Monica Jorge for The New York Times

James B. Comey in 2019. President Trump fired him as F.B.I. director in May 2017, amid the agency’s investigation into possible collusion between Mr. Trump’s campaign and the Russian government.

Search for survivors after Houthis sink second Red Sea cargo ship in a week

10 July 2025 at 02:16
Diaplous/Handout via Reuters A crew member said to be from the cargo ship Eternity C, which sank after being attacked by the Houthis, is seen in the Red Sea during a rescue operation in this handout image released Greece-based maritime security firm Diaplous on 9 July 2025Diaplous/Handout via Reuters
Maritime security firm Diaplous released a photo showing at least five Eternity C crew members being rescued

Six crew members have been rescued and at least three others killed after a cargo ship was attacked by Yemen's Houthis and sank in the Red Sea, a European naval mission says.

The Liberian-flagged, Greek-operated Eternity C was carrying 25 crew when it sustained significant damage and lost all propulsion after being hit by rocket-propelled grenades fired from small boats on Monday, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency.

The attack continued on Tuesday and search rescue operations commenced overnight.

The Iran-backed Houthis said they attacked the Eternity C because it was heading to Israel, and that they took an unspecified number of crew to a "safe location".

The US embassy in Yemen said the Houthis had kidnapped "many surviving crew members" and called for their immediate release.

Authorities in the Philippines said 21 of the crew were citizens. Another of them is a Russian national who was severely wounded in the attack and lost a leg.

It is the second vessel the Houthis have sunk in a week, after the group on Sunday launched missiles and drones at another Liberian-flagged, Greek-operated cargo ship, Magic Seas, which they claimed "belong[ed] to a company that violated the entry ban to the ports of occupied Palestine".

Video footage released by the Houthis on Tuesday showed armed men boarding the vessel and setting off a series of explosions which caused it to sink.

All 22 crew of Magic Seas were safely rescued by a passing merchant vessel.

Since November 2023, the Houthis have targeted around 70 merchant vessels with missiles, drones and small boat attacks in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

They have now sunk four ships, seized a fifth, and killed at least seven crew members.

The group has said it is acting in support of the Palestinians in the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, and have claimed - often falsely - that they are targeting ships only linked to Israel, the US or the UK, which have carried out air strikes on Yemen in response.

EPA Screenshot of a video released by Yemen's Houthis that appears to show explosive charges being detonated on the cargo ship Magic Seas after armed men boarded the vessel (8 July 2025)EPA
The Houthis released video footage on Tuesday showing armed men boarding another cargo ship, Magic Seas, and detonating explosive charges

On Wednesday the EU's naval mission in the Red Sea, Operation Aspides, said it was participating in the international response to the attack on the Eternity C and that "currently six castaway crew members have been recovered from the sea".

An Aspides official told AFP news agency that five were Filipinos and one was Indian, and that 19 others were still missing.

The Greece-based maritime security firm Diaplous released a video on Wednesday that showed the rescue of at least five seafarers who it said had spent more then 24 hours in the water, according to Reuters news agency.

"We will continue to search for the remaining crew until the last light," Diaplous said.

Reuters also cited maritime security firms as saying that the death toll was four.

The US state department condemned the attacks on the Magic Seas and Eternity C, which it said "demonstrate the ongoing threat that Iran-backed Houthi rebels pose to freedom of navigation and to regional economic and maritime security".

"The United States has been clear: we will continue to take necessary action to protect freedom of navigation and commercial shipping from Houthi terrorist attacks, which must be condemned by all members of the international community."

In May, the Houthis agreed a ceasefire deal with the US following seven weeks of intensified US strikes on Yemen in response to the attacks on international shipping.

However, they said the agreement did not include an end to attacks on Israel, which has conducted multiple rounds of retaliatory strikes on Yemen.

The secretary-general of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) called for intensified diplomatic efforts following the new wave of attacks.

"After several months of calm, the resumption of deplorable attacks in the Red Sea constitutes a renewed violation of international law and freedom of navigation," Arsenio Dominguez said.

"Innocent seafarers and local populations are the main victims of these attacks and the pollution they cause," he warned.

The Salt Path author hits back at claims she misled readers

10 July 2025 at 03:13
Getty Images Author Raynor Winn of The Salt Path attends The Lighthouse Cinema for a Gala Screening of The Salt Path on May 06, 2025 in Newquay, CornwallGetty Images
Raynor Winn released a 2,300-word statement responding to the Observer's allegations

Author Raynor Winn has hit back at a newspaper investigation that claimed she gave misleading information about her life story in her 2018 book The Salt Path.

The Observer reported she had misrepresented the events that led to she and her husband losing their house and setting off on a 630-mile walk. The investigation also cast doubt over the nature of her husband's illness. Winn denied the allegations and said she was taking legal advice.

In a lengthy statement posted on her website on Wednesday, Winn responded in detail to the claims made in the Observer.

She provided documents that appeared to confirm her husband Moth had previously been diagnosed with corticobasal degeneration (CBD).

She also stood by her description of how the couple came to lose their house and denied the couple had any outstanding debts.

However, Winn acknowledged making "mistakes" earlier in her career, after the Observer said she had defrauded her previous employer of £64,000. She said it had been a pressured time.

"Any mistakes I made during the years in that office, I deeply regret, and I am truly sorry," she said, but added the case had been settled between her and her ex-employer on a "non-admissions basis" and although she was questioned by the police, she was not charged.

BBC News has contacted the journalist who wrote the Observer article for a response.

How has Raynor Winn responded to the allegations?

  • The Observer said it had spoken to several medical experts who were sceptical about Moth having CBD, also known as CBS, given his long survival after diagnosis, lack of acute symptoms and his apparent ability to reverse them.

Winn shared photographs of four documents that appeared to show medical experts acknowledging or referring to Moth's condition or symptoms.

One letter appears to show that Moth had previously been considered as having an "atypical form of corticobasal degeneration", but further examination suggested he may have "an even more unusual disorder, perhaps monogenetic".

Winn said a CBS diagnosis does not come from a simple test, "but rather from a long and complex route of observation, where sufferers may have symptoms for many years before they finally reach a diagnosis".

She added: "We will always be grateful that Moth's version of CBS is indolent, its slow progression has allowed us time to discover how walking helps him."

Winn said she had documented Moth's illness "with such a level of honesty, that this is the most unbearable of the allegations", adding: "My books have become a record of his health."

The Salt Path described how Moth's condition appeared to improve during and after the walk. But in her statement, Winn said: "I have never sought to offer medical advice in my books or suggest that walking might be some sort of miracle cure for CBS, I am simply charting Moth's own personal journey and battle with his illness, and what has helped him."

  • The Observer said the couple had not lost their home in a bad business deal as Winn originally suggested, but after they were unable to repay £100,000 they had borrowed to repay money she had been accused of stealing from a previous employer

Winn acknowledged a dispute with her previous employer but said that was separate to the court case described in The Salt Path involving their friend, whom she had referred to as Cooper, which ultimately lost the couple their home.

Reiterating the events described in the book, Winn said Moth made an investment in Cooper's property portfolio, and when the investment was due to mature, Cooper said it had failed due to low occupancy.

Winn said Cooper promised to eventually pay the money back, and the couple asked for it to be returned in 2008. Instead, she said, Cooper offered them a loan through his company, assured against their home, with 18% interest, which he said he would cover.

But Winn said his company later went into liquidation without the charge on their home having been removed. As a result, the author said, their house was repossessed.

Getty Images Raynor Winn, Moth Winn, Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs attend the UK Special Screening of "The Salt Path" at The Curzon Soho on May 22, 2025 in London, England. Getty Images
Left to right: Raynor and Moth Winn with actors Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs, who portrayed them in a film adaptation
  • The Observer alleged Winn had stolen £64,000 from her previous employer's while she was working there.

Winn acknowledged working for the employer before the economic crash of 2008, saying it was a "pressured time".

"It was also a time when mistakes were being made in the business. Any mistakes I made during the years in that office, I deeply regret, and I am truly sorry," she said.

Winn said her employer had gone to the police, accusing her of taking money from the company. "I was questioned, I was not charged, nor did I face criminal sanctions," she said.

"I reached a settlement... because I did not have the evidence required to support what happened. The terms of the settlement were willingly agreed by both parties."

She said her employer was equally keen to reach a private resolution as she was, and the money she paid was on a "non-admissions basis".

  • The Observer said the couple owned property in the south-west of France, but added it was not in a habitable state and reported locals saying the couple only camped on the land when they visited

Winn said: "What we own in France is an uninhabitable ruin in a bramble patch, on the boundary of a family member's property.

"It has missing walls, a collapsed roof, no running water, drainage, or electricity... We have never lived there, that would be impossible, and we haven't been there since 2007."

She said the insinuation that the pair were not homeless, the central premise of the book, was "utterly unfounded".

Winn said the couple did try to sell the land in 2013, around the same time as events depicted in the book, "but the local agent said it was virtually worthless and saw no point in marketing it".

Elsewhere in the statement, Winn disputed any suggestion that the couple had outstanding debts, and said a credit check would have proved this.

She said after receiving an advance for the book and over the subsequent years "I tracked down our remaining debts and now believe I have tracked down and repaid everyone".

Winn also explained why she and Moth are not known by their legal names of Timothy and Sally Walker.

The author said Winn was her maiden name, and she disliked her first name of Sally and decided to use her family name Raynor as a pen name. She also noted Moth was short for Timothy.

She denied the couple were "hiding behind pseudonyms" and said their friends use "Sal and Tim interchangeably with Ray and Moth".

Millions of homeowners to see mortgage payments rise

9 July 2025 at 23:49
Getty Images A couple sit with a girl on a sofa looking at a laptop and a piece of paper Getty Images

Millions of British households are facing an average £107 rise in monthly mortgage payments as their deals expire, according to the Bank of England.

It has said that 3.6 million home loans are coming up for renewal over the next three years, equating to 41% of all outstanding mortgages.

But the number of mortgages facing expiry is less than the Bank of England had initially expected and the monthly hike is below the £146 increase it had first anticipated.

While some bills will rise, a fall in interest rates is slowly feeding its way into typical monthly mortgage payments following four cuts by the Bank of England since last August.

Around 2.5 million households, or 28% of mortgage holders, will see their bills fall in the next three years.

Meanwhile, first-time buyers are likely to get more access to mortgages as banks and building societies are allowed to loosen a cap on riskier lending.

In its latest Financial Stability Report, the Bank of England's governor Andrew Bailey said at present just under 10% of new mortgages issued exceed 4.5 times a borrower's income.

He said he would be happy to see that percentage rise.

Individual banks and building societies will be allowed to exceed a 15% limit on higher loan-to-value mortgages.

The looser cap comes after a call by the UK government for regulators to look for ways to encourage economic growth.

The Bank reckons the change could lead to up to 36,000 new higher loan-to-income mortgages a year.

But the mortgage lending industry as a whole will have to stick to a 15% limit on riskier home loans.

Elsewhere, the bank said financial instability across the globe had increased, after the US-led global trade war.

While there had been little direct impact so far on British households and companies, some significant changes were occurring to the global financial system.

In particular the traditional strengthening of the US dollar as a safe haven in times of turmoil appeared to have changed since the start of the global tariff war.

Investors and large companies who never previously felt the need to hedge or insure against a weak dollar were now doing so, the Bank said.

This has added to the weakness of the US dollar this year, which is already down about 10% against a range of currencies.

US president Donald Trump has said he wants a weaker dollar, arguing that will boost exports and US manufacturing jobs growth.

However, imported goods can get more expensive, adding to any price rises from tariffs.

Why do Channel migrants want to come to the UK?

10 July 2025 at 01:50
Getty Images A child and three adult migrants walking along a beachGetty Images

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron have agreed that "new and innovative solutions" are needed to tackle small boat crossings.

The UK is paying France hundreds of millions of pounds to stop the boats leaving the French coast but, so far this year, the numbers of migrants arriving in the UK this way - most of whom go on to claim asylum - have reached record levels.

France has claimed that one factor attracting them is the ability to "work without papers" in the UK economy.

BBC Verify looks at the evidence for this and other "pull factors" cited as reasons for asylum seekers to choose the UK as a destination.

The informal economy?

The French government has argued that asylum seekers come to the UK because they believe they will be able to work in its informal economy - where tax is not paid and people are employed without legal status and proper documentation.

Estimating the size of the informal economy is not simple for obvious reasons.

Nevertheless, one recent study from researchers at the European Parliament, suggests the size of the UK's was about 11% of the total economy in 2022.

This was actually lower than their estimate for France's at 14% and lower than the average of 31 European countries at 17%.

By its nature the UK's informal economy provides potential opportunities for asylum seekers - and other irregular migrants - to work illegally - and the UK government has accepted the need for more enforcement in this area.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper described this as a potential "pull factor" earlier this week.

The Home Office has increased the number of visits to employers suspected of hiring unauthorised workers.

There were 10,031 visits and 7,130 arrests in the year since the July election, compared with 6,797 visits and 4,734 arrests in the same period last year.

Getty Images France's President Emmanuel Macron sat with with Keir Starmer during a visit to The British Museum in London, on July 9, 202Getty Images
French President Emmanuel Macron has said the UK and France "will deliver" on stopping small boat crossings

The volume and value of fines issued has also increased.

In the year to March 2025, 2,171 fines were issued to employers worth a total of £111m. In the same period last year, there were 1,676 fines worth £31m.

There is no data on the type of businesses targeted but recent Home Office press releases have mentioned restaurants, nail bars and construction sites.

Former Prime Minister Tony Blair - and a number of Labour MPs - have called for the introduction of UK-wide digital identification to help the government tackle "illegal 'off-the-books' employment".

Digital ID, which exists in many EU countries, could be used as a tool to check an individual's right to work and to clamp down on illegal working.

But given some of these countries also appear to have sizeable informal economies, it is unclear about how much impact digital IDs have in this area.

The legal economy?

Access to the legal labour market for asylum seekers, while they wait for their claims to be processed, is more restrictive in the UK than in many major European countries.

In the UK, they can apply for permission to work if they have been waiting for more than a year for an initial decision on their claim.

If granted, they can apply for jobs on the immigration salary list. There are no published figures on how many asylum seekers have been granted the right to work.

By contrast, in France asylum seekers can apply for a work permit six months after submitting their asylum application.

In Italy, they can seek employment 60 days after submitting their application.

Madeleine Sumption from Oxford University's Migration Observatory think tank said: "I'm a bit sceptical of the narrative you often hear from French politicians about the UK being a soft touch on right-to-work issues because we have broadly the same set of policies as they do and some of the same challenges on unauthorised workers."

She added that research suggests that the ability of asylum seekers to speak English over other European languages and existing family links with the UK are significant pull factors.

Another factor cited is the "general impression that the UK is a good place to live" - a message promoted by people smugglers trying to sell Channel crossings.

State support?

The majority of asylum seekers cannot access welfare benefits in the UK, but they do gain legal protections while awaiting a decision - including accommodation if they cannot support themselves financially.

They can get £49.18 per person per week loaded onto a pre-paid debit card if they are in self-catered accommodation. People receiving support in catered accommodation can get £9.95 per person per week.

Asylum seekers are generally entitled to free access to the NHS and can get some free childcare.

Children of asylum seekers are also entitled to state education and in some circumstances can qualify for free school meals.

This is in contrast to many of the migrants in Calais - hoping to cross into the UK - who have not applied for asylum in France and are not entitled to state support there, but do get limited help from charities.

Research suggests that benefits are not a significant pull factor for asylum seekers.

A 2021 paper by Aalborg University in Denmark, found that other factors, such as which countries are most likely to recognise refugee status as well as the ability to reunite with family are more influential.

Another paper, written by University of Essex professor Timothy Hatton in 2020, said border controls and processing policies have significant deterrent effects while welfare policies do not.

Ms Sumption says the findings indicate that "technical tweaks to your [benefit] system don't tend to have a big impact, [although] they may have some impact at the margins".

What about push factors?

When it comes to the overall numbers of asylum seekers, researchers also stress the importance of "push factors", such as conflict and repression in their home countries.

Some relevant context is that asylum applications have risen sharply in recent years not just in the UK, but across Europe.

Claims are up in countries like France, Germany, Spain and Italy since 2020 - and in 2024 they were higher in absolute numbers in those countries than the number of claims submitted in the UK.

Additional reporting by Tamara Kovacevic and Rob England

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James top of ratings as England beat Netherlands

10 July 2025 at 03:00

Rate the players in England v Netherlands

England player rater
  • Published

England have thrashed the Netherlands 4-0 in their crucial second match at Euro 2025 to get their title defence back on track.

You can rate the players out of 10 below and come back 30 minutes after full-time to see the final ratings.

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Player of the match

Number: 7 L. James
Average rating 9.14
Number: 7 L. James
Average Rating: 9.14
Number: 23 A. Russo
Average Rating: 8.87
Number: 11 L. Hemp
Average Rating: 8.45
Number: 10 E. Toone
Average Rating: 8.40
Number: 8 G. Stanway
Average Rating: 8.14
Number: 1 H. Hampton
Average Rating: 7.93
Number: 5 A. Greenwood
Average Rating: 7.81
Number: 2 L. Bronze
Average Rating: 7.73
Number: 4 K. Walsh
Average Rating: 7.60
Number: 6 L. Williamson
Average Rating: 7.51
Number: 18 C. Kelly
Average Rating: 7.38
Number: 16 J. Carter
Average Rating: 7.34
Number: 9 B. Mead
Average Rating: 7.25
Number: 14 G. Clinton
Average Rating: 7.05
Number: 19 A. Beever-Jones
Average Rating: 7.03
Number: 3 N. Charles
Average Rating: 6.82

After the opportunity to rate players has closed, the score displayed represents the average from all the submissions by BBC Sport users.

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Wales' greatest female footballer Fishlock finally achieving career dream

30 June 2025 at 13:51

Wales' greatest female footballer Fishlock finally achieving career dream

Jess Fishlock graphicImage source, BBC Sport
Image caption,

Jess Fishlock has 163 caps and 47 goals for Wales

  • Published

When it comes to Welsh women's football, there is no question that Jess Fishlock is the greatest of all time.

Debates would rage over the greatest men's player. It is easy to make the case for John Charles or Gareth Bale but perhaps you preferred Cliff Jones or Ian Rush - or maybe you were a Neville Southall enthusiast.

However, any conversation over Wales' greatest female footballer would be a short one.

Fishlock has won it all at club level, lifting league title trophies in six different countries, twice winning the Champions League, and she has also starred in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) for Seattle Reign over a prolonged period, winning the NWSL most valuable player award in 2022.

Yet despite clocking up more air miles as a player than many pilots, Fishlock has always remained available for her country, having represented Wales 163 times since her debut in Switzerland in 2006.

Fishlock has been there for Wales for 19 years, always setting the standards, always trying with all her heart to drag Wales on to football's biggest stage.

Sometimes, getting closer to a dream you cannot obtain makes things harder. So it was for Fishlock and for Wales. Three successive near misses in qualifying for major finals.

It seemed highly possible, probable even, that Fishlock would join the list of the greatest players never to play at a major international tournament, a list already brimming with Welsh players such as Gary Speed, Ryan Giggs, Rush and Southall.

However, after a glittering club career, Fishlock, now 38 and one of the greatest female footballers in history, is finally playing international football on the biggest stage at Euro 2025.

The dream has become a reality for a trailblazer of women's football who has represented Wales with distinction for more than two decades, smashing records and raising her team-mates, as she has done throughout her trophy-laden club career.

"You don't play for this long unless it means so much to you," Fishlock told BBC Sport Wales.

"I don't think I can put into words how much playing for Wales means to me.

"We have had some times when we should have qualified for a major tournament but we didn't.

"A big narrative around my entire career internationally has been, 'Can I get to a major tournament? Can we get to a major tournament?' We've been so close so many times.

"When you want to achieve something and you get to do it with some of your very closest friends, there's really no comparison to that feeling."

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Media caption,

Jess Fishlock's best Wales goals

Born to play for Wales

Fishlock's journey to professional football would be a familiar one, if at the time a pathway had existed for a football-mad girl from Cardiff to play the game professionally.

"She was a very little girl who grew up in Llanrumney just kicking a ball about with her brothers in the garden. That is where it all started," brother James recalls.

Her love for football developed further at a soccer camp in Cardiff during the summer holidays.

"My older sister wanted to go to the camp and my mum said for me to go along with her," Fishlock recalls.

"From that moment, that was what I wanted to do."

"Jess would be up and she would want to be in the garden, she'd be over here, over there, wouldn't matter if it was a mud pile, Jess would be out in it," Fishlock's mother Sharon remembers.

When Fishlock wasn't playing football, she was dreaming about it.

"Jessica was the one who used to go to bed with a football, she was dedicated from an early stage," her father Kevyn said.

With her talent increasingly clear, Cardiff City Ladies fast-tracked Fishlock, who joined the club aged seven, making her first team debut at 15.

"When she was a 14-year old girl she used to say she wanted to be a professional footballer and I used to mock her, as older sisters do, because there was no such thing as a female professional footballer at that time," sister Kathyrn says.

Fishlock's Wales career began when she was an amateur, before a move to the Netherlands to play for AZ Alkmaar in 2008, becoming the first overseas player in the Eredivisie.

Back-to-back titles followed but it was far from easy for a young woman who had never been away from her family.

"She went to AZ Alkmaar and when she wasn't playing, she was washing dishes in the stadium," Kathryn added.

"The things she's had to do to reach where she has got to, you can't even put it into words, how hard she has worked to create and carve out this life that she has."

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Iconic: The rise of the women in red, episode four

Success everywhere… except with Wales

Fishlock has won it all in her career, playing across the world to achieve her ambitions.

In 2011, she swapped the Netherlands for Bristol, helping them to an FA Cup final appearance and ending her second season with the club as the Women's Super League's players' player of the season.

Fishlock then joined Melbourne Victory in Australia, leading the team to two Grand Finals, including the club's first title in 2013, with Fishlock named player of the match in the final.

Since joining Seattle in 2013, Fishlock has helped Reign to three NWSL Shield titles, as well as winning honours across the world during loan moves when the NWSL has been out of competition.

Fishlock won the Scottish title with Glasgow in 2014, the German league and Champions League with Frankfurt in 2015, before again winning the Australian league in 2016, 2017 and 2018 with Melbourne City.

In 2019, Fishlock helped Lyon win both the first division title and the Champions League, meaning she won league titles for seven successive seasons.

"As a football fan, I think she is the best player I have ever seen play the game," her brother James says.

The constant for Fishlock at club level has been her semi-permanent home for over a decade, Seattle, the place where she met her now wife, ex-team-mate Tziarra King.

Fishlock and King were married in 2023 and LGBTQ+ advocacy has always been a big priority for Fishlock, who says she was bullied at school because of her sexuality.

Fishlock was awarded an MBE in 2018 for services to women's football and the LGBT community, while she was honoured with a Fellowship of Aberystwyth University in 2024.

Only last week, a mural of Fishlock was unveiled on a pitch in Splott (Cardiff).

"You are proud, proud of her for achieving what she's achieved - nobody else has done it. I'm more proud that she's now able to be her true authentic self no matter where she is," sister Francesca says. "You can't really ask for more."

However, while Fishlock should be at national treasure status, former Wales captain and UEFA executive committee member Laura McAllister says she has been celebrated less than she deserves.

"I've tested this with my friends who are football fans and not all of them know who Jess Fishlock is and that tells you a lot about the invisibility of the women's game for the past two decades," she said.

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I could not be more proud of this group - Fishlock

The dream becomes a reality

Fishlock's desire to compete at the top with Wales has seemed like less of a fantasy in the past decade with increased spending from the Football Association of Wales leading to steady progress for the international side.

Twice under manager Jayne Ludlow they almost qualified - first for a World Cup and then for a European Championship. The latter disappointment, when Wales missed out to Northern Ireland on away goals scored, despite an identical points tally and a vastly superior goal difference, still hurts.

It was a similar story in 2022 - Wales beaten in a World Cup play-off final in (again) Switzerland, losing 2-1 to the Swiss in the final seconds of extra time, with a penalty shootout looming.

At each failure, Fishlock has considered, often publicly, retiring from international football.

"After Switzerland I didn't know what to do. Can I do two more years? Can I deal with any more heartache? It took a long time to get over that defeat, it was a bit soul-destroying to be honest."

Yet she continued, never stopped chasing the dream and eventually, it came to fruition.

Wales won their Nations League B Group and qualified for the Euro 2025 play-offs, drawing Slovakia in the semi-finals.

Disaster struck with Fishlock sidelined for a month leading into the match with a calf injury, fit enough only to start as a sub in the away leg. With Wales 2-0 down and facing a crisis, Fishlock entered the fray and created a goal for Ffion Morgan.

It was Fishlock - of course - who scored the goal that levelled the tie in Cardiff, playing 120 minutes as Wales eventually triumphed 2-0, with Fishlock creating Ceri Holland's injury-time winner.

Fishlock also provided the assist for Lily Woodham in the first leg of the play-off final as Wales drew 1-1 with the Republic of Ireland, before the dramatic second leg in Dublin when a 2-1 Welsh win saw them finally make history and qualify for a major tournament for the first time.

After the match Fishlock told the pitchside BBC reporter that it was "the proudest moment," of her career.

With the benefit of hindsight, another emotion has been added to the euphoria. A feeling of relief.

"There was a big element of, you know, oh my god, finally," Fishlock said.

"Finally this has happened. And there was relief, which I wasn't expecting. Maybe I just hadn't realised how kind of big it had been weighing on me for all these years until that moment. And so there was obviously joy and euphoria but there was also relief for me specifically.

"I can't believe that we have done it."

Finally the greatest female footballer Wales has ever produced is representing her country on the biggest stage.

The dream has become reality.

Christian Horner's demise at Red Bull: what we know happened and why

10 July 2025 at 01:28
Sport Insight

Horner's demise at Red Bull: what we know happened and why

  • Published
Christian Horner wearing a headset during practice and qualifying ahead of the Brazilian Grand Prix on November 3, 2023 Image source, Getty Images

Red Bull's removal of Christian Horner may appear sudden, given only three days have passed since he oversaw Max Verstappen's fifth-placed finish at the British Grand Prix.

But this was a decision at least 18 months in the making.

Horner, in charge for two decades, will go down in F1 history as one of the sport's greatest team bosses.

Yet his long-standing grip on Red Bull Racing had been slipping for some time.

Horner's future was first called into question when it emerged in February last year that a female employee had accused him of sexual harassment and coercive, controlling behaviour. He has twice been cleared of the allegations by internal Red Bull investigations.

There is a whole lot more to Horner's demise than that episode, the ultimate conclusion of which remains unknown. But it added extra momentum to the mix that led to Red Bull's decision.

Looking at the state of Red Bull right now, it's almost hard to believe that Verstappen is the reigning world champion.

Verstappen - regarded by almost everyone in F1 as the best driver in the world - is third in the championship, 69 points off the leader, McLaren's Oscar Piastri, at the halfway point of the season.

The Dutchman has won only two races this season. He has won just four out of 24 races in the past year. Red Bull are fourth in the constructors' championship - or to put it another way, last of the top four teams - with no obvious way of improving on that position.

At the same time, Verstappen's future is in doubt. Horner has been emphasising that the driver has a contract until 2028. But that has not stopped Mercedes courting him.

If Verstappen left, with Red Bull in their current plight in terms of performance, it would be potential armageddon for the team. He has scored 165 points this season. Their second driver has scored just 10.

So what do we know about what happened and the events that led to his departure? Well, while Red Bull were keeping their own counsel on Wednesday, plenty is known about the machinations behind the scenes, with power struggles, disagreements and concern over both car and driver decisions.

Power struggles 'rife for close to three years'

Christian Horner and Adrian NeweyImage source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Adrian Newey, here right with Horner, is regarded as a F1 design genius and left Red Bull for Aston Martin on a £30m-a-year deal this year

The hatches have been bolted down at Red Bull, who are saying nothing other than their public statement that Horner has been "released from his operational duties with effect from today".

Even the few internal sources who might normally brief reliably are refusing to talk off the record.

So it is impossible to know for sure what was the straw that broke the camel's back to lead to this decision being taken now.

But although the decision might be a shock, with a bit of reflection, perhaps it's not as much of a surprise. Let's take a step back and ask: How did things get to this point?

To find the beginnings of an answer to that, one has to go back to October 2022, perhaps even earlier, and the death of Red Bull co-owner Dietrich Mateschitz.

Horner saw an opportunity to enhance his power. He started manoeuvring, and the first person in the way was Helmut Marko, Red Bull's long-time motorsport adviser and a close friend of Mateschitz.

A power struggle ensued. For some time, there was talk that Horner was trying to get rid of Marko, and the situation was not resolved until March 2024, when Verstappen stepped in and backed the Austrian. He made it clear that if Marko left, so would he.

Verstappen's father, Jos, also made his unhappiness known. In the wake of the allegations against Horner, Jos Verstappen said the team would fall apart if Horner remained in place.

Meanwhile, Horner was managing internal tensions within the design department between chief technical officer Adrian Newey and technical director Pierre Wache.

Through 2023, Horner was briefing that Newey - regarded as the greatest designer in F1 history - was no longer as important as he was. Newey effectively worked only three days a week, Horner would say, bigging up the roles of Wache and the technical leadership team around him, especially head of aerodynamics Enrico Balbo.

When the female employee made her allegations about Horner, Newey was unimpressed by what he heard. That, along with the feeling that others were claiming credit for work he believed was his own, led to Newey resigning in April last year.

He was immediately removed from any involvement with the F1 team, until his formal departure from the company later in the year. Newey started work for Aston Martin in March.

At the time Newey left, Verstappen had won two consecutive world championships - the second of which in 2023 was the most dominant in history.

Verstappen started the 2024 season with four wins in the first five races. Following Newey's departure, he won three of the next four. Then two of the following 13.

That performance level has continued into 2025. At the halfway point of the season, Verstappen has won just twice in 12 races.

Was Red Bull's loss of competitiveness a direct consequence of Newey's departure? No-one can be sure, but it has to have had an effect. A team does not lose someone of Newey's wisdom, experience and wide-ranging expertise without some consequences.

In July, long-time sporting director Jonathan Wheatley also resigned. He is now team principal of Sauber/Audi. Horner, much to Wheatley and Audi's annoyance, announced the move for them.

In September, head of strategy Will Courtenay followed suit. He will join McLaren as sporting director as soon as a contractual impasse can be resolved.

Red Bull's second car a big problem

Christian Horner and Sergio Perez at the Dutch grand prix in 2023.Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Horner renewing Sergio Perez's contract was seen as one of his key mistakes

Meanwhile, Red Bull have been having a second car problem.

While Verstappen won a record 19 of 22 races in 2023, his team-mate Sergio Perez took just two victories - in the first four races. After that, his form slumped alarmingly.

Kept on for 2024, Perez did not win again. And although he finished second to Verstappen three times in four races while they were dominating at the start of last season, his form had already started to decline again - following the trend of the previous season - by May.

And yet at that point, around the time of the Monaco Grand Prix, Horner signed Perez to a new two-year contract, to take him to the end of 2026.

The decision seemed baffling at the time. Not only was Perez not performing, but Red Bull held all the cards.

Even if giving Perez a new contract beyond the end of 2024 was a good idea - and many thought it was not - they had no need to sign the Mexican for two more years.

Fast forward to December 2024, and Perez's results had been so bad for the remainder of the season that Red Bull felt they had no option but to drop him. Sources say the decision cost them a pay-off in the region of 18m euros (£15.5m).

That might be chicken feed for a company of the size of Red Bull. But it's still an obscenely large amount of money wasted, because of a managerial miscalculation.

To replace Perez, Horner chose Liam Lawson, who at that point had done just 11 grands prix spread over two seasons for Red Bull's second team.

The decision was calamitous. The New Zealander floundered, and was replaced by Yuki Tsunoda after just two races.

The Japanese was the more obvious choice of the two - he had done four seasons, and been faster than Lawson when they were team-mates.

But it was also equally obvious to anyone with any real insight into F1 drivers' abilities that Tsunoda was not someone capable of getting close to Verstappen's level of performance in a car that by now was known to be extraordinarily difficult to drive.

No-one knows how a driver of the level of, for example, George Russell or Charles Leclerc, would do in a Red Bull. But no-one has had a chance to find out, because Red Bull - for which, read Horner - have refused for years to sign one.

And it's the lack of performance from the second driver that has left Red Bull floundering in the constructors' championship - which determines the end-of-year prize money.

Lower-order concerns in the mix? Earlier this year, Horner aligned himself with a push from FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem to bring V10 naturally aspirated engines back to F1.

Rivals believed Horner was doing it out of concerns that the engine Red Bull were designing for next year in their new in-house facility will be uncompetitive compared to Mercedes. He may even have been doing it for what he perceived to be 'the good of the sport'. No-one knows for sure.

But strategically it was unwise. Red Bull's new engine partner Ford entered F1 because of the new 2026 rules, which double down on hybrid. So it was hardly likely that Ford - already uncomfortable about the allegations surrounding Horner - would approve of this stance.

Adding to the miscalculation, it was obvious the V10 plan had no legs - there was too much opposition from Mercedes, Honda and Audi, who together were always going to be able to block it. So why stick your neck out?

Horner's closeness to Ben Sulayem on other matters - such as whispering in his ear to take action on the basis of various wild theories to explain McLaren's dominance - was also rubbing people up the wrong way.

Horner or Verstappen? Red Bull 'ran out of reasons to keep Horner'

Max Verstapped with Christian Horner at the Saudi Arabia grand prix in 2025Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Verstappen has been linked with Mercedes - was his future linked to Horner's departure?

When the sexual harassment allegations broke, Horner was saved by the Thai main shareholder Chalerm Yoovidhya, who backed him and kept him in his role.

But within a year, Horner had been told that he now reported directly to Oliver Mintzlaff, Red Bull's chief executive officer of corporate projects and investments. He is the man whose quote was on Wednesday's statement announcing Horner's exit.

The big rumour doing the rounds within F1 on Wednesday was that Red Bull had been given some kind of ultimatum from the Verstappen camp - either Horner went or Max would.

At the moment, it is impossible to know whether that's true. Red Bull have not given a reason publicly. They may never do.

But what can be said is that Verstappen has repeatedly said that he wants to work in a calm, relaxed environment. And Red Bull has been anything but that for at least the past 18 months, and probably longer.

In the end, it probably comes down to this. Results were on the slide. Senior staff, integral to Red Bull's success, had left. A series of questionable decisions had been made. A major reputational threat was still hovering around. And there were questions over their star asset.

In that situation, the future of any CEO of any company would be looking rocky. In the end, it looks like Red Bull just ran out of reasons to keep Horner.

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