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Fairway or driveway? The furious debate over building houses on golf courses

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2 months ago

April 23, 2026

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“Very cross… very sad,” is how David sums up his feelings. For him, the club (where monthly fees for a full seven day membership were around £130), was “very much a community-based” place, and its closure has left many locals having “lost a friendship group”. A former county planner in Oxfordshire, he argues: “Planning and health are inextricably linked. People need to exercise, they need to have somewhere to walk, go, play, commune. Mental health and physical health are exceedingly undervalued at the moment by planning.”

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Boy, 3, was attacked by crocodile at zoo as man bailed

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12 seconds ago

June 19, 2026

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Police say the boy remains in a “critical but stable” condition in hospital.

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World Cup 2026: Koné injury mars Canada rout; Scotland’s ‘big challenge’; USA v Australia buildup – live | World Cup 2026

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1 hour ago

June 19, 2026

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Key events

Mexican photographers do things differently.

A photographer dons a Mexican wrestling mask during Mexico v South Korea in Guadalajara. Photograph: Heuler Andrey/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock

A draw for Scotland later would almost certainly be enough to get them into the knockout stages but playing for a point is a dangerous game. If they do get out of the group, it will be the first time in their history that Scotland have made it that far at a World Cup.

“I don’t think any of the lads or the coaching staff and backroom staff have shied away from it,” Andy Robertson said. “We want to be the first team to be able to do that for our country. And it’s obviously a nice feeling to try and do that.

“We know how difficult it’s going to be. We’re now playing against one of the best teams in the world. But we also believe that if we perform to our maximum, then we can make it difficult for anyone. I think we’ve proven that over the years.”

Andy Robertson

How closely have you followed the sporting week? Test yourself with our quiz.

Tony Hughes emails to say: “Now that each team has played once, I can look at Scotland’s 1-0 win over Haiti and see it was a good result. Maybe even better than good. I’m from the era of ‘how many will we win by?’ when anticipating Scotland performances at major tournaments, however even I can see that many teams better than Scotland struggled against lower-ranked opposition, so the three points is the key and we – Scotland – move on.”

Rodrygo

My close colleague Rodrygo has written another column for us on the impact of social media on players.

Over the course of two afternoons in New York I ran into true legends, icons, and friends I’ve made through football. They were precious moments where I could listen, exchange ideas and receive support from stars such as Marcelo, Kaká, Paul Pogba and Zinedine Zidane. What started as a scheduled appearance for a shared sponsor turned into a casual, friendly chat from different generations united by the passion football ignites. We were right there, close to the fans. Five guys representing Brazil and France, greeted by hundreds of fans from all over the globe, all hoping for a brief moment of proximity, a photo, or a wave. And yes, I have idols too; I managed to get an autographed shirt from Zidane, my former coach and a giant in the history of the sport.

Jacob Steinberg

Declan Rice, as Jacob Steinberg points out, looked rather weary against Croatia. Thomas Tuchel needs to manage the Arsenal man carefully throughout this tournament but he has had a relentless past six years.

Get your podcast listening in your ears right now! Max and Baz are here with the latest World Cup daily, including Ben Fisher and Nicky Bandini.

Morocco’s Hakimi to stand trial for rape

French court confirms Moroccan footballer Hakimi will stand trial for rape

A French appeals court on Friday confirmed Moroccan football star Achraf Hakimi will stand trial charged with raping a young woman.

In February 2023, a woman then aged 24 told police in the Val-De-Marne region southeast of Paris that Hakimi had raped her.

The Paris Saint-Germain player and captain of the Moroccan national team, whose side are playing their second World Cup match on Friday against Scotland, has consistently denied the allegations. AFP

Frankly, anything other than Sweet Caroline would suit me.

Harry Kane hopes ‘Wonderwall’ can become the soundtrack of the summer as England plot their way to World Cup glory.

Thomas Tuchel’s side got off to a great start with an impressive 4-2 win over Croatia in their opening Group L game in Dallas on Wednesday, where Kane scored twice to equal Gary Lineker’s record of 10 World Cup goals.

England’s victorious players celebrated in front of their fans while Oasis hit ‘Wonderwall’ blared out around the AT+T Stadium.

Kane, who appeared emotional during the singalong, will savour the moment and wants fans to keep rolling with it as they aim to achieve their masterplan of winning the World Cup.

“That was one of my favourite ever moments in an England shirt and especially at a major tournament,” he said on the Lions Den. “I know it’s just the first game, and we’re not getting carried away, but just that emotional connection with the fans, we know how much it means to them. I think they see how much it means to us.

“We have that connection right now, but just that moment, singing ‘Wonderwall’ in the stadium, everyone knew the words, and that was a really special moment, I thought. As first games go, to have that kind of support from everyone, and we know back home is the same.

“We know there would be plenty of beer getting thrown around, with it being a night game, so we love that stuff. All the squad are fans, we’ve grown up watching England. We’ve grown up in those environments, and to be on the other side now doesn’t mean that we’re disconnected. It just means that we’re trying to give the fans now special moments, like Wednesday. So, hopefully, we can have a few more.” PA Media

A bit more from the England camp …

David Hytner on England’s super subs:

Thomas Tuchel’s pub chat.

The later games will see Brazil take on Haiti in Philadelphia at 1.30am BST/8.30pm local time.

And after that it is Turkey v Paraguay at 4am BST/8pm local time.

Then we move to Boston where Scotland fans have been having the time of their lives but that will be punctuated with a second match of the tournament. Morocco should provide more stern opposition that Haiti.

Steve Clarke knows it will be difficult, that’s for sure.

Ewan Murray on Scott McTominay’s importance to the side.

Kick off is at 11pm BST/6pm local time

Let’s begin our look at what will happen later today.

First up is USA v Australia in Seattle at 8pm BST/12pm local time.

Jack Snape on the rivalry between the two.

How the game will be won and lost.

The latest from the Socceroos camp.

A little bit of history.

Barney Ronay

It would be wrong to describe that second half as a shedding of the Gareth-shaped homunculus on this team’s back. But sometimes you do have to stop trusting the process, change the patterns, and just run forward with a great deal more aggression. England burned an effigy of everything they used to be in the second half in Dallas. Is it real? And where will it lead them across the next two games and five weeks beyond that?

Barney Ronay on England’s bright start and what they need to do going forward at this World Cup.

I wonder if Rodri will be the next Spain player to head to pastures new for a decent chunk of change. With plenty of changes happening at Manchester City and Real Madrid clearly willing to invest in new players, including his former teammate Bernardo Silva, it could be the right time.

Rodri

The Spain squad are moving for some hefty price tags while away with the national team. Victor Muñoz’s £34.5m move to Liverpool was confirmed yesterday, while Marc Cucurella is now a Real Madrid player, costing the Spanish side £52m.

Cucurella said:

I got a phone call one morning. My people told me the two clubs had the terms mostly agreed and that I had to decide if I wanted to go there. I had no doubts. It is a big step for me, very important in my career. It all happened in roughly a day and a half. For me, that was the best thing, so it could be all done and I could keep my focus on the World Cup.”

Iran are further pointing out how dreadful this World Cup is politically. Will Fifa do anything about it …?

Thomas Tuchel swapped the dugout for the mound as the England boss threw the first pitch for the Kansas City Royals the night after opening the World Cup with an impressive win.

Just over 24 hours after watching his side open their campaign with a 4-2 victory over Croatia, Tuchel went to Kauffman Stadium to perform the ceremonial act.

Captain Harry Kane and defenders Dan Burn and Djed Spence were watching their boss throw the ball to Royals manager Matt Quatraro ahead of the MLB clash with the St Louis Cardinals. Kane is no stranger to finding the strike zone, taking his World Cup tally to 10 goals with a double against Croatia, and as a keen fan of American sports, he would like to do it with a bat in hand.

“Great recovery day with the boys at the baseball,” he said on social media. “Would love to give batting a go one day! Thanks for having us @Royals.”

Kane, who was pictured leaving the AT+T Stadium in Dallas with his left leg bandaged, had a low-key recovery day. “He got a strike, so fair play to him,” Kane, who has thrown out a first pitch at Yankees and Cubs games, told KansasCity.com “It’s not easy. It’s actually… that was the first time I’ve been up mound in 12 years, so you forget how far away it actually is.

“So, watching the professionals do it, and they’re launching that ball at 90, 100 miles per hour, it’s pretty impressive. So the boss has done pretty well. I’ll give him that. He was a little nervous before.”

He added: “We really appreciate it. I can say, for us to come here and get the treatment that we have already is obviously great. And I’m not sure where we’re sitting, but I’m sure the seats will be great, as well. So, yeah, all we can say is thank you to them.” PA Media

Thomas Tuchel throws the first pitch with Harry Kane watching on. Photograph: Charlie Riedel/AP

Because I am really cool, I was speaking to someone about Johan Manzambi before the match yesterday. Freiburg are open to selling him this summer but it would cost any buyer around €60m, maybe even more after last night’s goals.

Johan Manzambi

Ben Fisher

Granit Xhaka pulled no punches after capping Switzerland’s 4-1 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina, confirming his pointed “blah-blah” celebration was in response to accusations that he stoked negativity within the Swiss camp.

Xhaka made a talking gesture with his right hand after scoring a stoppage-time penalty and afterwards said: “They know why I did it,” said the 33-year-old Sunderland captain. “I received thousands of messages. But I don’t read them anymore. I think I’m past that age. It doesn’t bother me at all. As mentioned, it’s something that can’t be influenced by me. That’s all I can say.”
Swiss media reported Xhaka’s critical comments of the team’s performance in their opening Group B draw with Qatar went down badly inside the squad.

“What I can influence is my performance on the pitch. And as mentioned before, if there is something to praise, then I am the first one who praises someone,” he said. “And if there is criticism, then I am also the first one who criticises someone.

“When I criticise, it doesn’t mean that I criticise others and not myself. And I start with myself first. And I think now, I’ve played almost 150 games for the national team now. And by now, you should know me too. If some can’t deal with criticism, then that’s a pity. And if someone has something to say, they should come to me about it.”

Johan Manzambi scored twice in the victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina but Xhaka said he had no intention of presenting the 20-year-old Freiburg midfielder with the chance to complete his hat-trick.

“It’s not about the individual thing. We have rules,” Xhaka said. “He’s young, he has a big future in front of him, so let’s take the experienced players first for penalty takers. His time will come.”

Granit Xhaxa

On paper, yesterday’s fixtures promised little but it was a fun day across the tournament in the end.

Admittedly, Czechia v South Africa did not offer a great amount of quality but Hugo Broos did very angry about a few things. Sid Lowe was in Atlanta to watch and listen.

Ben Fisher was pondering what to write about with 20 minutes to go in Switzerland v Bosnia and Herzegovina until the goals came flowing in.

Jeff Rueter was on hand to witness World Cup history as Canada won their first match at the tournament. Nine-man Qatar were hit for six but at the cost of a terrible leg break for Ismaël Koné.

Last but not least, Jonathan Wilson saw Mexico see off South Korea.

Preamble

Scotland are back in action, looking to back up their victory over Haiti against Morocco. They are in Boston, which is very convenient for the players and fans. If Steve Clarke’s can secure another maximum, it would put them into the knockout stages but the African champions will provide a much sterner test than Haiti.

We will have a thorough look back at yesterday’s results. Mexico became the first team to secure passage to the knockout stages by defeating South Korea. A new star was born in Switzerland as Johan Manzambi came off the bench to score twice against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Not forgetting that Czechia and South Africa drew.

All the latest from the England camp will be thrown your way, too.

Join us!

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