United

July 11 (UPI) — Glassdoor and Indeed will cut about 1,300 jobs as their sites intertwine and the parent company pushes for more use of artificial intelligence.

Recruit Holdings owns the two sites. The Japanese company said more Glassdoor operations will fold into Indeed, and the companies will use more AI.

The company said in a statement it is focusing on “simplifying hiring by building a better job seeker and employer experience using AI.” It cited its internal figure that AI helps people find a job every 2.2 seconds, TechCrunch reported. “AI is changing the world, and we must adapt by ensuring our product delivers truly great experiences for job seekers and employers,” CEO, Hisayuki “Deko” Idekoba wrote in an internal memo.

Most job cuts would be in the United States in both companies’ research and development, tech, human resources and sustainability departments. But the cuts will affect all functions and countries, the memo said. Six percent of Recruit’s HR technology division will suffer cuts.

Glassdoor CEO Christian Sutherland-Wong is resigning.

In May, Idekoba said at a JPMorgan Chase technology conference, CBS News reported: “[W]hen we think about HR industry, which is $300 billion-plus industry, but it includes like 60% or 65% of human labor manual cost. It’s very difficult to find that big industry with such a high percentage of human labor manual cost. And so what we believe is, basically, how can we simplify hiring with using AI and technology and data to reduce manual work. That’s what we are focusing on.”

Idekoba said that about one-third of the company’s new programming code is written by AI: “It’s going to be 50% pretty soon.”

Recruit Holdings bought Indeed in 2012 and Glassdoor in 2018, securing two popular platforms that jobseekers use.

It’s not clear exactly how the company will use AI to replace workers.

Next year’s Fifa World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico is set to be “the most climate-damaging” in the tournament’s history, according to new research by environmentalists.

Scientists for Global Responsibility (SGR) has calculated the greenhouse gas emissions attributable to the tournament, which has been expanded from 32 to 48 teams.

“Driven by a high reliance on air travel and significant increase in the quantity of matches” the campaign group claims the expanded 2026 World Cup will generate more than nine million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.

SGR says that is almost double the average for the last four World Cup finals, and significantly more than Qatar 2022, which is estimated to have had a footprint of up to 5.25 million tonnes of CO2e.

It says the predicted 2026 total is “equivalent to nearly 6.5 million average British cars being driven for an entire year” – and will make it the most polluting tournament ever staged.

Next year’s World Cup will be the first to be held across an entire continent and have 40 more matches (104) than before, although all will be played at existing stadia.

In their original bid book, the three prospective host nations for the 2026 tournament revealed a preliminary estimate of 3.6 million tonnes of CO2e, although at that stage it was expected to stage just 80 matches. They also said the bid “hopes the 2026 World Cup will establish new standards for environmental sustainability in sport and deliver measurable environmental benefits”.

Fifa has been approached for comment.

Newcastle United have agreed a £55m fee with Nottingham Forest for Sweden winger Anthony Elanga.

Newcastle are seeking to strengthen their attacking options as they prepare for their return to the Champions League following a fifth-placed Premier League finish last season.

The 23-year-old scored six goals and produced 11 assists for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side during their successful 2024-25 Premier League season.

Newcastle have yet to pay a fee for a player this summer, with 18-year-old Spanish winger Antonio Cordero the only new arrival on a free transfer from Malaga.

Forest are believed to have paid £15m to sign Elanga from Manchester United on a five-year-deal in 2023.

He had arrived at Old Trafford at the age of 12 and made 55 appearances before moving to the City Ground.

It proved one game too far for Mauricio Pochettino’s United States as defeat to Mexico in the Gold Cup final ended their hopes of lifting the trophy in their own country.

Pochettino’s start to life as head coach has been unconvincing but a promising run in this summer’s Gold Cup had started to provide new hope.

A win against Mexico in Sunday’s final would not only have delivered a trophy but also started the process of instilling some much-needed belief. It was not to be as Mexico came from behind to win 2-1.

The defeat though will leave supporters questioning again whether things are moving in the right direction before a World Cup on home soil next summer.

Pochettino, who was furious after Guatemalan referee Mario Escobar Toca turned down a penalty appeal for handball, believed the majority of the 70,000 crowd at the NGR Stadium in Houston being Mexican went against his side.

He said: “Mexico is a great team, they have great players and a good coaching staff, but I want to emphasize how important the fans are in a soccer match.

“When you have their support, you regenerate the player’s energy on the field, and when you don’t, you drain their energy and it’s hard.

“If we had the majority supporting us today, it would have been different, but that’s what we’re dealing with. The truth was that if that happened in the opposite box, for sure, it’s [given as a] penalty.

“This Gold Cup though allowed us to have the players together for 40 days to establish the principles of what we want, and that has been very helpful. It was important to see players crying after losing; it makes me happy because that’s how this sport should feel.”

Mixed results across the Argentine’s first 16 matches have shown a worrying inconsistency and during this time, they have lost all five matches against a team in the top 30 of Fifa’s rankings.

By now, the US should have some clarity in their preparations for the 2026 tournament, but there remains an unfinished, rocky feel to the foundations they have been laying since Pochettino took over in September 2024.

Questions were being asked of the former Tottenham Hotspur and Paris St-Germain boss following consecutive defeats by Panama and Canada in the Nations League finals, and Turkey and Switzerland in Gold Cup warm-up games.

There has been a lack of consistency in both personnel and results. The squad appears unresolved, with the group of players called up differing for each camp, something that has mostly been beyond Pochettino’s control.

Fifty-five players have made appearances for the USA under the Argentine since he was appointed 10 months ago, making it difficult to build momentum and togetherness.

Llandudno, Conwy

Some British resorts are about the beach. In others it’s walking along the prom. The fashionable ones push gastronomy, drink, street art, culture. Others stick to arcades, funfairs, kids’ stuff. Llandudno delivers all of these and a bit more besides – and it does so unpretentiously, warmly and ever so slightly Welshly.

My introduction came in the 1980s, when we – my Lancashire family, or rather, families, as my divorced mum and dad took us separately to Wales – descended from our chalet or static above Abergele and hit Llandudno high street. There, I was bought my first serious football kit – Wales away, yellow with green and red upside down Js. The “shops were better” in Llandudno. They still are, with the main drag, Mostyn Street, boasting chains and independents, Victorian arcades and Clare’s department store – still going after almost a century.

Llandudno was always busy, fun, a little bit upmarket. Perhaps an innate confidence has helped it fare better than other north Wales seaside towns. When I went last year, there were coach parties from Manchester and South Yorkshire. Locals – lots of them “expats” from England – were sunning themselves on benches. It was May, but sweltering, and the ice-cream vendors were scooping frantically, the chippies turning out endless trays of cod and chips. At the end of the pier there’s a pub – a great idea – and the alfresco benches were all taken.

The prom along the main beach, known as the North Shore, is a sweeping beauty of wedding-cake terraces, with a wide walking and cycling path running for almost two miles, shelters to use as shades or suntraps, a paddling pool and an Alice in Wonderland art trail (the real Alice holidayed here). Dylan’s Restaurant is installed inside the former Washington hotel, a stunning corner building by prominent local architect Arthur Hewitt – also responsible for Llandudno’s Winter Gardens and Savoy and Palladium cinemas; the latter survives as a pub.

Llandudno is framed by two limestone headlands – the Little Orme and Great Orme – at either end of town. The latter, mined in prehistoric times for copper and other ores, has a cable-hauled tramway and Kashmiri goats that became famous in 2020 during the pandemic, when they came down to the town centre looking for company, and hedges to eat. You can see the Isle of Man, Blackpool Tower and the Cumbrian fells from the top.

West Shore, below the Great Orme, is backed by dunes and feels a lot more natural. It has lovely sunsets and lively winds, drawing kite-flyers and kite-surfers.

Walking around town, which has sloping streets and narrow nooks to get lost in, you often catch sight of the rocky summits of Eryri (Snowdonia). I don’t know any other major resort in the UK that’s so close to serious hillwalking territory.

Over the years, Llandudno has been declared the daffodil capital, startup capital and fish and chip capital of north Wales. At the top end of the A470 – the Welsh Route 66, which starts in Cardiff – it is arguably the region’s main urban centre, though Wrexham might have a thing or two to say about that. No one, though, disputes Llandudno’s status as the queen of Welsh resorts.

One evening, during my visit last year, a sea fret descended on Llandudno Bay. I was walking along the prom from the pier towards Craig-y-Don – a sometime suburb long ago subsumed by Llandudno – and the Little Orme. Joggers and scooter riders appeared like wraiths out of the dense murk. The Alice in Wonderland statues looked spooky and out of place. The terraces looked grey and ghostly in the dimness. Suddenly, as I progressed east, the mist beat a complete retreat, warm sunlight pervading like an epiphany. Llandudno looked utterly beautiful, as if reborn, or at least rediscovered.

Part of this was no doubt childhood memories flooding back. But it was also a sense of being genuinely taken aback. Llandudno is a major town and a resort, a place to live as well as to holiday, a Welsh location that has always welcomed outsiders, and an urban centre with wild edges. It has endured by maintaining traditions and keeping up. I think it’s special, a little bit magical.
Where to stay: St George’s is a well-preserved seafront hotel dating from the Victorian era, with a great restaurant. Doubles from £114, B&B
Chris Moss

Folkestone, Kent

When I cycle down Folkestone’s Earls Avenue, I can see the sea before I reach the end of the street. I turn left on to the clifftop promenade, the Leas, and the view across the Channel is suddenly expansive. This mile-long stretch is lined with Edwardian and Georgian hotels and modern apartments, in a spectrum that runs from faded to grandeur. Works in progress include another apartment complex and a 1930s toilet block being repurposed into a cafe. I have a drone’s-eye view of the curve of new-build apartments on the beach, but prefer to look across the water, where the stubby silhouette of Dungeness power station appears and disappears with the visibility.

To swim, I can head down to Mermaid Beach, with its easy incline into the water. The Zig Zag Path is the way to get there (at least until the funicular Leas Lift is restored in 2026). The convincing grottos of this 1920s path were hewn from Pulhamite: fake rock with genuine charm, which still fools casual visitors.

Well-heeled Edwardians once paraded on the Leas, and it’s cited as evidence of Folkestone’s glory days that Edward VII frequented the Grand hotel. Our French neighbours once thought Folkestone a prestigious holiday destination, as did many English. Booming summer seasons may have departed with budget flights, but the past two decades have delivered newsworthy regeneration. The logic of the Creative Folkestone foundation – one of the ways through which philanthropist Roger De Haan has pumped tens of millions of pounds into the local economy – has been to make Folkestone a great place to live and work, on the basis that visitors will follow.

The Grand is now private residences, and was crowned in 2014 with a Yoko Ono morse code artwork. There are several subtle contemporary artworks on the Leas, and tens more throughout the town and on its beaches – from an Antony Gormley statue gazing out to sea, to Lubaina Himid’s Jelly Mould Pavilion on the boardwalk. These are the legacy of the Folkestone Triennial, Creative Folkestone’s flagship project since 2008. The open-air exhibition, which returns for summer 2025 (19 July-19 October), has helped transform the town’s fortunes, assisted by a game-changing high-speed rail link to London. To live here is to encounter art, gently and often. The one time I lost my children for a significant length of time, they turned out to be investigating a Mark Wallinger piece.

In recent years, visitor numbers have risen, as have (thornier subject) house prices. In part, that’s down to the buzz of the Harbour Arm, where quirky food and drinks vendors have repurposed train carriages, shipping containers and even the lighthouse. I favour Sail Box, on the very tip of the arm, for the scale of its sea view and pancake stacks. In town, the subsidised Creative Quarter sees independent businesses spill down the Old High Street – where Steep Street coffee offers a Parisian-inspired books-and-cakes combo – to the artists’ studios on Tontine Street.

Folkestone has so many things it didn’t have 10 years ago: the world’s first multistorey skatepark; a New York Highline-inspired garden walkway, leading to the revitalised Harbour Arm; an annual Pride, and LGBTQ+ bookshop; mini golf on the beach. A Labour MP. And, as of spring 2025, a Reform-led council. So, we’ve still got range.

One of my favourite things is not new, it’s simply to linger on the beach whenever seals or porpoises are in the water. One Sunday, a pod of dolphins splashed about for 30 minutes in view of where I sat with friends and kids, beach-bar drinks in hand. It’s really hard to beat Folkestone on a hot day, with dolphins.
Where to stay: overlooking the harbour a short walk from town, the London and Paris Hotel has 11 pretty rooms, doubles from £175, room only
Sophy Grimshaw

Scarborough, North Yorkshire

Scarborough residents refer to visitors as “comforts”, because they have usually “Come for t’ day”, rather than the week, as was once the seaside norm. The negative shift helps explain why Scarborough will receive £20m from the government’s Plan for Neighbourhoods, to fund significant regeneration over the next decade.

The plan is designed for “left-behind” communities. If Scarborough is left behind, it is also majestic, what with the great sweep of the two bays, divided by the verdant castle headland. Most of its main attractions – which tend to be commensurately large-scale – are unaffected by the current regeneration, since the town has been quietly maintaining them for decades, even centuries.

Take the place where it all began, not only Scarborough tourism but seaside holidays in general. Scarborough Spa stands adjacent to a spring, whose salty waters oozing from the base of a cliff were promoted as therapeutic in the early 17th century. The gentry came to drink them, along with other things. “Health is the pretence, dissipation is the end,” wrote one 18th-century visitor, and the spa was the focus of the jollity. A storm destroyed the first spa in 1836. Its replacement burned down in 1876, the present baroque palace arising three years later. Whereas the spa was once associated with dinner-jacketed palm court orchestras, a more characteristic modern bill-topper would be Tony Skingle (who “IS” Elvis). But the vision is consistent: a night out is improved by the proximity of the sea.

Similar doggedness is evident in the history of the nearby South Cliff Lift, opened in 1875. Back then, the power was hydraulic. Today, the system is fully automatic, but the cars are still made of wood, one descending as the other ascends, like floating garden sheds.

They carry passengers up through the near-vertical South Cliff Gardens, recently refurbished and underpinned. Subdivisions include the genteel Rose Garden, which was created in 1883 and has been carefully tended ever since (it’s not easy to grow roses by the sea), including a major restoration in 2015.

On the North Bay, Peasholm Park was opened in 1912, with an oriental theme, which (this being Scarborough) meant an Oriental Garden surmounted by a pagoda and surrounded by a fairy-lit boating lake. Such playfulness did not suit the brash 1970s, and the park went to seed, but a programme of renewal brought a Grade II listing in 1999. The narrow-gauge North Bay Railway also runs through gardens, and has done since 1931, skirting the Open Air Theatre, which closed in 1986 but was triumphantly relaunched in 2010.

Now, let us return to the South Bay and the harbour, where the white lighthouse has stood like a cake decoration since 1806. Well, more or less. The original was destroyed by the German bombardment of 1914, its replacement erected in 1931. The harbour is attractively gritty: at low water, the pleasure boats are slumped in the mud. The kids with their crab lines seem to be emulating the adult fishers, who operate around the Victorian buildings of the West Pier.

The current regeneration does include the West Pier, where a hoarding announces plans for a multimillion-pound refurbishment, “improving amenities for local people and visitors”. But when you ask the local people about this, you encounter eye rolls and dark muttering. Their suspicion is that the pier will become too touristy at the expense of the fishing, and the plans are on hold for consultations. Scarborough has generally polished – rather than recut – the jewels in its crown, so I trust the harbour will not be too drastically “improved”.
Where to stay: Weston Hotel on Esplanade, Scarborough’s poshest street, has doubles from £100, room only
Andrew Martin
To the Sea By Train by Andrew Martin is published by Profile Books on 31 July (£18.99). To support the Guardian, order your copy at guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may apply

Portobello, Edinburgh

A starling skips from wall to floor to table on the Portobello promenade, eager to nick the parmesan from the preposterously large slice of pizza I’ve acquired from Edinburgh institution Civerinos. On the beach to my right, sunbathers battle melting ice-creams, dogs disrupt beach volleyball bouts and kids dig for Australia. Beyond, bobbing heads brave the North Sea chill, knowing the wood-fired Soul Water Sauna is waiting back on the prom if they get a little nippy.

Portobello is a trendy spot these days. The coastal suburb of Edinburgh is only a 30-minute bus ride from the city centre, but “Porty” has its own identity, distinct from the capital.

“I loved growing up here,” says Michael Pedersen, Edinburgh’s makar (poet laureate). “I loved the sea. I loved the arcade. I loved Arthur’s Seat looming in the background like a behemoth bull seal about to enter a brawl. But it didn’t feel like you were in a trendy, chic epicentre of a place. It felt like you were on the outskirts, trying to claw your way back in.”

The neon storm of Nobles – a battlement-themed penny arcade on the promenade – offers a portal to Porty’s past. Portobello was incorporated into Edinburgh in 1896, when it was one of Scotland’s most popular seaside resorts. Cheap tram and train access brought the masses in from Edinburgh and Glasgow, and an open-air pool and pleasure pier awaited them. Both of those attractions are long gone – the rise of package holidays ending the boom – but the Victorian swimming baths (and Edinburgh’s only Turkish baths) remain, council-run. As I backstroke under bunting strung across the pool, the sun shines through the glass roof, illuminating the columns and gallery.

It is not nostalgia that draws people to Porty today, though. It is – as well as veggie eateries such as Go Go Beets and speciality coffee spot Tanifiki – the rebellious flair of the community and what they’ve created. In 2017, for example, a Georgian church in town was due to be sold off. Luxury flats beckoned, but local campaign group Action Porty intervened and led a rare urban community buyout. It’s now Bellfield – home to a community cafe, art classes and ceilidhs.

“When we moved here in the 1990s, Portobello was very down-at-heel,” says Justin Kenrick, chair of Action Porty, as we stroll the promenade. “Newspapers called it dangerous. What we’re trying to fight off now is the place turning into one big holiday let. If there’s no community, there’s no point.”

The town hall was also saved by the community. It hosts regular events, such as Porty Pride’s annual ball, top Scottish comedians and sold-out showcases from Edinburgh’s Discovery Wrestling.

The main draw for many visitors is The Portobello Bookshop, a beloved indie with Corinthian columns. “You see people really warming to anything anybody does that is enhancing the community,” owner Jack Clark tells me. Their exceptional events programme has brought in authors from Eimear McBride to Zadie Smith. Pedersen packed out the bookshop in May to launch his debut novel Muckle Flugga, glimmers of which were inspired by his home town.

Pedersen has seen the Portobello skyline demolished and rebuilt since his childhood. “It’s so important, as independent businesses get successful and the area becomes more affluent, to invest in community groups,” the poet says. “The fact that there are these buildings coming back into community leases and hands retains a lot of the integrity of the area.

“I love Portobello in all its foibles and flaws; all its chintzy glamour; all its new-wave chicness.”

Walk along the promenade, looking across the Firth of Forth to Fife, and it’s easy to see why.
Where to stay: Straven Guesthouse is a traditional, family-run place close to the promenade, doubles from £107, B&B (minimum two nights)
Stuart Kenny

Manchester City, Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid and Porto have already been sent packing, while both teams from Argentina – Boca Juniors and River Plate – have also been eliminated.

Brazil’s Flamengo and Botafogo fell at the last-16 stage, but the country’s remaining two sides hope to march on.

“This tournament is a priority in the way an Olympic athlete will do all of his training and programming to peak at a specific time,” Vickery tells BBC Sport.

“Certainly for Palmeiras, who really want to win it. This is an absolute priority for them and they have programmed to be at their peak now.”

Could the climate, which the Brazilian teams are used to, be helping give them an edge?

Both Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca and Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola have mentioned the extreme heat since the tournament started.

Chelsea trained in 37C before their 3-0 group win over ES Tunis in Philadelphia.

“It is almost impossible to train or to make a session because of the weather,” said Maresca last week, while Guardiola said before last Thursday’s match with Juventus that his players must be prepared to “suffer” in the challenging heat of Orlando.

The soaring temperatures across the United States have led to matches across the competition implementing water breaks during games.

But not all players have struggled in the heat.

“We’re used to it,” Botafogo right-back Vitinho, who spent two years at Burnley, said of the high temperatures.

Another factor to consider is that all four teams from Brazil had broken away from their domestic season, which runs from March until December, to take part.

While they appear fresh and sharp, teams from Europe went into the Club World Cup on the back of long seasons.

PSG’s first game against Atletico Madrid in Pasadena on 15 June came 15 days after their 5-0 mauling of Inter Milan in the Champions League final in Munich.

Vickery adds: “A few weeks ago the Flamengo president was saying to a mate of mine ‘we’re flying in mid-season’.

“For the European clubs… is it the end of their season? Is it pre-season? The European clubs, their planning hasn’t been to peak now.”

Vickery believes there is something else to factor into the conversation about Brazilian clubs doing well.

“There is more money in Brazilian football [than before]” he says. “The standard has risen over the last few seasons. One reason is because of the influx of foreign coaches.

“Of the four Brazilian clubs here – two have Portuguese coaches [Abel Ferreira – Palmeiras and Renato Paiva – Botafogo].

“There’s plenty of Portuguese and Argentine coaches in Brazilian football and it’s brought more ideas. Even Filipe Luis, the Brazilian coaching Flamengo, his back-up staff are all Spanish.

“There’s an openness to new ideas that there wasn’t a few years ago.”

Mendonca adds: “The timing of this competition is very good for South American teams. They are in the middle of their season, they are very well prepared physically.

“They have better conditions now to keep their talented players and even bring back some players. Flamengo, for example, signed Jorginho after leaving Arsenal, while Danilo and Alex Sandro have come from Juventus.

“Also Botafogo, they have kept Igor Jesus for this competition. After this he will go to Nottingham Forest.

“These are aspects that explain why Brazilian teams are performing very well.”

Between Aberystwyth and Cardigan the quiet coastline is sublime, with incredible sunsets, dizzying and spectacular coastal paths, gorgeous quiet beaches and dolphins. Start in Dylan Thomas’s old stomping ground, New Quay, and follow the coastal path south along cliffs and past Cwmtydu beach before finishing at gorgeous Llangrannog, where you get two beaches for one (perfect Cliborth beach requires a lower tide to access). Kayaking and surfing are great, and the Pentre Arms provides refreshments with a view.
Matt Lunt

A scenic parkrun near Sunderland

The Leas near South Shields (a few miles north of Sunderland) is a beautiful stretch of limestone cliffs and coastal grassland that is a haven for sea birds and wildflowers. There are footpaths and bridle paths across the Leas, so it attracts cyclists, dog walkers and runners all year round. The local parkrun uses the paths and it must be one of the most scenic in the country. The rock stacks along the coast are a great place for spotting cormorants, fulmars and kittiwakes among others. No matter the weather I love to walks these paths and feel the fresh sea breeze through my hair. A wonderful place.
Matty

The holy Crail, Fife

Fife is a glorious peninsula bordered by a brilliant coastal path that takes in a variety of beaches, fishing villages and is an area rich in wildlife and diverse landscapes. The area from Crail to St Andrews is of particular beauty, with several gorgeous places to stop for lunch, such as Cambo Gardens cafe near Kingsbarns and the Cheesy Toast Shack at East Sands in St Andrews. There are loads of places to stay and use as a base to explore the region. The larch-clad cabins at Kinkell Byre offer the opportunity to rest in style. And farther north are the wonderful forest trails and sand dunes of Tentsmuir.
Stevie Kirkwood

Cornwall’s Celtic rainforest

Wander the banks of the River Fal and Helford River in south Cornwall, through ancient Celtic rainforest, where the trees meet the sea. This rare habitat gives us a glimpse of prehistory, with lichen-laden branches, crisp, damp air and some of the UK’s rarest wildlife. It feels otherworldly, yet oddly familiar.
Amy

Electric waves of Ynys Môn (Anglesey)

Penmon Point on the easternmost point of Ynys Môn is a great place to watch for sea birds. The stunning Trwyn Du lighthouse looks out to Puffin Island, and if you’re lucky, one might fly right past you. But we have seen even more magic there when it gets dark. If conditions are just right, the waves light up electric blue with bioluminescent plankton as they crash over the pebbles. For refreshments, the Pilot House Cafe is nearby and has a fantastic view from its garden.
Chris Jones

Poignant history in Morecambe Bay

You need to consult your tide tables before visiting Sunderland Point on Morecambe Bay. This extraordinary place of sea-sucked mudflats, salt marsh and vast skies is cut off daily at high tide. I cross the causeway in May when the sea pinks (sea thrift) are flowering and the air is bright with the cries of birds – oystercatchers, curlew and redshanks. It feels remote, but in the 18th century Sunderland Point was a bustling port for Lancaster’s transatlantic trade, which brought prosperity but also inhumanity. A walk round the peninsula leads to the grave of an unknown child slave abandoned here in 1736, now adorned by visitors with painted stones. Its bleak beauty will break your heart.
Morag Reavley

Where the River Foyle meets the sea, Derry

I’ve been walking my dog on the same stretch of coast for four years and I never tire of the sheer strangeness of it. Culmore Point is where Derry’s River Foyle meets the North Atlantic. Some days you can see a line in the water where the silt-filled Foyle meets the sea. Beautiful old-money houses look out across the water to a power station and chemical plant. Farther downstream the weird treeless landscape of the reclaimed land of Eglinton Embankment catches the eye. Spare a thought too for the young men who trained on these river beaches in May 1944 for the Normandy assaults a month later.
Keiran

Fossils, tidal flats and birds in Merseyside

From West Kirby on Wirral, you can walk across the tidal flats of the Dee estuary to the red sandstone formations of Little Eye, Middle Eye, and Hilbre Island, a string of uninhabited islands offering naught but spectacular nature. In summer you can spot grey seals hauling themselves on to sandbanks, and three types of terns (common, little and sandwich) darting past. Listen out for skylarks and meadow pipits too. For an extra challenge, search for the Triassic-era Chirotherium footprint. Always check tide times carefully, and for extra awe, time your return to the sun setting low, framed by the distant Welsh hills.
Sarah

A cycle by the sea in Aberdeenshire

Cycling along the North East Coastal Trail from Portsoy to Macduff in Aberdeenshire is my idea of heaven. In stunning coastal countryside you cycle through charming fishing villages with historic harbours. I’ve spotted dolphins, porpoises and seals on the route. On a rocky coastline just beyond Macduff, there’s an old tidal pool at Tarlair. Though no longer used for swimming, its beautifully restored art deco tea pavilion is the perfect spot to refuel before your journey back. While there, take a short wander to the secluded Salmon Howie beach tucked behind the cliffs – it’s such a beautiful spot.
Peter Diender

Winning tip: fin-du-monde vibes in East Yorkshire

When, as a child, I read Z For Zachariah, I imagined a landscape with the exact fin-du-monde energy of the East Yorkshire beach from Ulrome to Bridlington. On this stretch of Holderness, you’ll find neither the Norfolk chalk boards of iced latte and shakshuka nor the monastic ghosts of farther north. But if six miles of uninterrupted beach walk – in the company of nothing more glamorous than pure air, weather and proper decay (not the genteel sort) – is your thing, this is a place you should visit. Morcheeba soundtrack optional. Tired legs and a cleansed soul guaranteed.
Eliza Ainley

July 1 (UPI) — Two Chinese nationals made separate appearances in federal courts on Tuesday to face charges accusing them of acting as agents for the Chinese government.

Yuance Chen, 38, is a permanent legal resident of Happy Valley, Ore., and was arraigned on charges in the U.S. District Court of Oregon in Portland and accusing him of acting as an agent of the Chinese government without notifying the U.S. attorney general.

Liren “Ryan” Lai, 39, also is charged with acting as an agent of the Chinese government and was arraigned in the U.S. District Court ofSouthern Texas in Houston. Lai traveled to the United States on a tourist visa in April.

“This case underscores the Chinese government’s sustained and aggressive effort to infiltrate our military and undermine our national security from within,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said on Tuesday in a news release.

“The Justice Department will not stand by while hostile nations embed spies in our country,” Bondi added.

The charges against both defendants were filed in the U.S.District Court of Northern California in San Francisco, and they were arrested on Friday, the Department of Justice. Each is innocent until proven guilty.

Both men are accused of “overseeing and carrying out various clandestine intelligence taskings in the United States on behalf of the [Chinese] government’s principal foreign intelligence service, the Ministry of State Security,” the DOJ said.

The pair allegedly were “attempting to recruit U.S. military service members on behalf of the People’s Republic of China,” FBI Director Kash Patel said.

“The Chinese Communist Party thought they were getting away with their scheme to operate on U.S. soil, utilizing spy craft, like dead drops, to pay their sources,” Patel continued.

He said the case was a “complex and coordinated effort” that involved counterintelligence work by FBI agents in San Francisco, Portland, Houston and San Diego and the agency’s Counterintelligence Division.

The DOJ accuses Lai of recruiting Chen on behalf of the MSS in 2021 and says the pair met in Guangzhou, China, in January 2022, to devise a dead-drop payment of at least $10,000.

They allegedly worked with individuals in the United States to leave a backpack with the cash inside a day-use locker at a recreational facility in Livermore, Calif., that same month.

The DOJ says Lai and Chen also conspired to obtain a list of personnel from a U.S. Navy recruitment center in San Gabriel, Calif., and a Navy installation in Washington state to identify potential intelligence assets and transmit the information to the MSS in China.

China’s MSS also instructed Chen in how to “engage and recruit future sailors and methods for minimizing his risk of exposure,” the DOJ alleges.

Chen also is accused of traveling to China in April 2024 and March 2025 to meet with MSS intelligence officers and discuss specific tasks and compensation.

Chen and Lai each could be imprisoned for up to 10 years and fined up to $250,000 if found guilty of the charges against them.

June 26 (UPI) — The Trump administration and Iran currently have no plans to formally meet, the White House press secretary said Thursday, despite indications from President Donald Trump that the two countries would talk “next week.”

“We don’t have anything scheduled as of now,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters during a Thursday press briefing. She added that the United States and Iran continue to communicate.

“We are in touch, and if there is a meeting, we will let you know, as we always do,” she continued. Leavitt added that she spoke with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff on Thursday morning about the status of any talks between the two countries.

Witkoff said earlier in the week that his talks with Iranian officials had been “promising,” and that he and U.S. officials are “hopeful that we can have a long-term peace agreement that resurrects Iran.”

During a NATO summit meeting Wednesday night in The Hague, Trump discussed the possibility of talking with Iranian leaders.

“We’re going to talk to them next week, with Iran,” Trump told reporters during the summit. “We may sign an agreement, I don’t know … if we got a document it wouldn’t be bad. We’re going to meet with them, actually. We’re going to meet with them.”

Trump did not specify who would be in any discussion with Iran if and when they do happen.

During the Thursday press briefing, Leavitt continued on the theme that the United States and its allies have been stressing the need to thwart Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

The issue came to a head last week when the United States bombed three nuclear facilities in Iran, joining efforts by Israel to put a stop to the Tehran’s of nuclear program.

The head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog the IAEA Rafael Grossi has warned that the global non-proliferation regime could “crumble” following US strikes on Iran, telling the Security Council that no-one is in a position to assess the damage at Iran’s Fordow underground site.

Published on
20/06/2025 – 8:00 GMT+2

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The German Aerospace Industries Association (BDLI) wants only completed products aircraft and helicopters to be targeted by the EU for retaliatory tariffs – leaving the market for the supply of parts unscathed – if trade negotiations between the EU and the US founder, the group has told Euronews. It’s position aligns it with the French sector’s stance.

“If the EU must respond, counter-tariffs should focus strictly on fully finished aerospace end products – such as complete aircraft and helicopters – and explicitly exclude spare parts or critical products,” BDLI said in an email to Euronews. “This is essential to avoid unintended harm to European and global production networks.”

US aircraft are included in the European Commission’s draft listof €95 billion worth of US products that could face duties if ongoing negotiations fail. The list was open for industry consultation until 10 June and now awaits approval by EU member states.

Trade tensions between the EU and the US risk reignitingthe long-standing rivalry between aerospace giants Boeing and Airbus. However, the two economies’ production systems are tightly intertwined. For instance, the LEAP engine, used in both Airbus and Boeing jets, is co-produced by US-based General Electric and France’s Safran.

BBC Radio Sheffield’s Andy Giddings

Wilder’s second stint was initially a salvage job after a disastrous summer of recruitment hindered predecessor Paul Heckingbottom.

Ultimately it didn’t work, but the seeds of change were sown.

Wilder – known as being a skilled planner – set about changing the plan, and despite a slow, nervy start to the transfer window due the protracted takeover of the club, put together the makings of a good squad which amassed 90 points (92 without the deduction) that remarkably wasn’t enough for automatic promotion, and ended with a defeat in the Championship play-off final.

Following that final against Sunderland three weeks ago, it’s believed a split board decided to discuss a ‘change in direction’ last week which has ultimately led to the pending departure of one of United’s most successful managers.

The delay in holding these talks over his future and the time it’s taken to resolve the situation shows a lack of respect to Wilder, in my opinion, a lack of clarity at the top of the club, and a naivety in offering him a new three-year deal in January, when it was known significant changes to the club’s methods of recruitment were coming.

Read Andy Giddings’ full analysis

Champions Liverpool will host Bournemouth on the opening weekend of the 2025-26 Premier League season, with Manchester United playing Arsenal at Old Trafford.

Liverpool, who won the league in Arne Slot’s first season in charge, will begin their title defence at Anfield in the curtain-raiser on Friday, 15 August.

Newly promoted Sunderland, back in the top flight for the first time since 2016-17, start their campaign at home against West Ham the following day.

Championship winners Leeds welcome Everton to Elland Road for the Monday night game, while Burnley – promoted back to the top flight at the first time of asking – travel to Europa League holders Tottenham, who will be led by Thomas Frank in a league match for the first time.

Uefa advanced its assessment date to 1 March rather than June, but the Cas panel found that this change had been properly communicated by Uefa and that Drogheda ought to have known about it.

A majority of the panel also rejected Drogheda’s submissions on alleged unequal treatment by Uefa.

Drogheda, who are currently third in the League of Ireland Premier Division and face Shamrock Rovers on Monday night, also called the decision “unjust”.

“Rules should protect opportunity, not prevent it,” their statement added.

“Especially for community-driven clubs like ours who fight every day to punch above their weight.

“Nevertheless, we accept responsibility. And we’re sorry. But while we are saddened, we are also emboldened.

“We will not let this setback define us. Instead, we will use it as fuel. Our club has never been handed anything and we’ve earned every inch through grit, resilience, and unity. And we will continue to do so.”

Derry City, who Drogheda beat in the FAI Cup final, are unable to join Shamrock Rovers and St Patrick’s Athletic in the competition as the deadline for a Uefa licence has passed.

Drogheda’s sitaution is similar to that being experienced by Crystal Palace, who qualified for the Europa League by winning the FA Cup in May.

It is the only time the Premier League club has qualified for European football in their 120-year history, but Uefa is set to decide whether they breached its rules on teams under one multi-club ownership structure competing in that competition.

Uefa’s final ruling will centre on American businessman John Textor, owner of Eagle Football – which holds a 43% stake in Palace.

Eagle Football also owns a 77% stake in French side Lyon, who – like Palace – have qualified for next season’s Europa League.

In recent seasons, Aston Villa, Manchester City and Manchester United have all been admitted into European competition despite initial concerns over multi-club ownership.

The United Nations Security Council convened an emergency meeting on Friday after Israeli attacks on Iran. China and Russia condemned the bombings, while Israel’s allies, including France, doubled down on support for Israel.

UN spokesman says Gaza Humanitarian Foundation is not delivering supplies safely to those in need.

The United Nations says the Israeli- and United States-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) is a “failure” from a humanitarian perspective.

Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said aid operations have stalled because the GHF is not delivering supplies safely to those in need.

“GHF, I think it’s fair to say, has been, from a principled humanitarian standpoint, a failure,” Laerke told reporters in Geneva on Friday. “They are not doing what a humanitarian operation should do, which is providing aid to people where they are, in a safe and secure manner.”

The UN and major aid groups have refused to cooperate with the GHF, citing concerns that it prioritises Israeli military objectives over humanitarian needs.

The newly formed private organisation began operations on May 26 after Israel had completely cut off supplies into Gaza for more than two months, sparking warnings of mass famine.

It says it has distributed more than 18 million meals since then.

On Friday, more than 30 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks, medical sources told Al Jazeera.

Al Jazeera’s Tariq Abu Azzoum, reporting from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, said Israeli forces were targeting parts of Khan Younis in southern Gaza with artillery fire and ground attacks.

“The Israeli military is deepening its ground operations,” Azzoum said, saying there were clashes in the eastern part of the city.

The besieged territory remained under a communications blackout for a second day on Friday. Hamas has denounced what it described as an Israeli decision to cut communication lines in Gaza, calling it “a new aggressive step” in the country’s “war of extermination”.

Israel continues to force civilians into what it calls the “safe zone” of al-Mawasi, a barren coastal strip with no infrastructure, which it has repeatedly bombed. A drone strike on a tent there killed at least two people on Friday.

The attack left “everyone on the ground quite confused about where they can go in order to find safety”, Azzoum said.

Israel locks down occupied West Bank

In the occupied West Bank, Israel sealed all crossings and checkpoints between Palestinian towns and cities early on Friday, shortly after it launched a wave of air strikes on targets in Iran.

Sources told Al Jazeera the closures were imposed without any indication of when they might be lifted.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society said its ambulances were being denied access to patients, including those in urgent need of medical care.

In occupied East Jerusalem, Israeli forces closed Al-Aqsa Mosque, preventing Palestinians from attending Friday prayers.

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa held an emergency cabinet meeting in response and activated crisis committees across the West Bank.

Man Utd sign Brazilian international forward on five-year deal as coach Ruben Amorim makes first big move.

Manchester United have completed the signing of Brazil international Matheus Cunha from Wolverhampton Wanderers as the fallen Premier League giants begin their rebuild

The 26-year-old forward, who has scored once in 15 appearances for Brazil, signed a five-year contract to 2030 at Old Trafford with the option of a further 12 months, the club said on Thursday.

United paid a reported 62.5 million pounds ($84m) to their fellow English top-flight club for Cunha.

United coach Ruben Amorim is expected to overhaul his squad after a woeful season, and Cunha’s is the first major transfer for the Portuguese since he replaced Erik ten Hag in November.

Cunha scored 17 goals for Wolves last season while the United attack had the fifth worst scoring record in the Premier League last term.

“Ever since I was a child in Brazil watching Premier League games on TV at my grandmother’s house, United was my favourite English team, and I dreamed of wearing the red shirt,” Cunha said.

“All my focus is now on working hard to become a valuable part of the team and helping get this club back to the top.”

United were 15th in the league standings, their worst position since the Premier League era began in 1992. It also had its most losses in a Premier League season and recorded its lowest points total.

The joint record 20-time English champions have gone 12 years without the title since last winning it in former manager Alex Ferguson’s final season in 2013.

“Bringing in Matheus was one of our main priorities for this summer, so we are delighted to have completed his signing so early in the window,” said Jason Wilcox, United director of football.

“He has proved his ability to succeed in the Premier League as one of the most exciting and productive forwards in England during his time at Wolves and before that in Spain and Germany.

“He has all the qualities we are looking for as we seek to build a strong, dynamic and entertaining team capable of challenging for the biggest honours.”

As well as Cunha, United are also interested in Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo.

The clubs are believed to be in negotiations over a fee for the Cameroonian international.

✍️ It just looks right. pic.twitter.com/2eI1rhTZ1l

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) June 12, 2025

June 7 (UPI) — Free Starlink internet service on some regional United Airlines flights has been suspended due to static interference.

The airline began offering free Starlink Wi-Fi service during flights in May, but static interference forced United officials to turn off the service on about 24 airliners, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The airline is working with Starlink to correct the problem, which it says does not affect flight safety.

“We expect the service to be back up and running on these aircraft soon,” United officials said. “The fix will be deployed during routine maintenance, and the airline doesn’t anticipate any impact on flight schedules.”

The problem was first revealed by The Points Guy, which reported the issue commonly occurs when new onboard connectivity technologies are installed on aircraft.

United installed the Starlink service on about two dozen regional aircraft but received reports of static interference while the Wi-Fi service was used.

A similar problem arose when United Airlines installed its Viasat connectivity service on its main air fleet. A quick fix solved the problem.

Starlink is a subsidiary of the Elon Musk-owned SpaceX and uses a global network of small satellites to provide subscribers with Wi-Fi service anywhere in the world.