European Under-21s Championship: How England are lagging behind their continental competitors June 13, 2019 English football has enjoyed a bumper last 12 months. The Three Lions’ run to the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup and the all-English Champions League and Europa League finals that followed would suggest the domestic system that produced the players is in rude health. That is the picture at senior level. But look beyond [...]
The high five: your guide to the most valuable start-ups June 13, 2019 It was the year of America’s 200th birthday, of a scorching heat wave in the UK followed by a huge sterling crisis, and it was the year that the only unelected president in US history, Gerald Ford, went down at the polls to the former Governor of Georgia, Jimmy Carter. Less remarked at the time [...]
Diego Maradona biopic a strikingly candid antidote to airbrushed world of modern football June 13, 2019 “Peace,” says a young Diego Maradona when asked, five minutes into Asif Kapadia’s candid new film about the troubled Argentinian genius, what he is hoping for from his impending transfer from Barcelona to Napoli. There is precious little of that in his seven tumultuous years in the fervent southern Italian city, which form the basis [...]
Don’t ignore the powder keg sitting on the EU’s doorstep June 13, 2019 Two decades since 50,000 Nato troops entered Kosovo, the region on the EU’s eastern doorstep remains a potential powder keg. This week has been dominated in the UK by the launch of the Conservative leadership contest and the drama over who is to be the next Prime Minister. But it also marks 20 years since [...]
The potential consequences of the Tenant Fee Ban June 13, 2019 Welcome to a new era, where unscrupulous letting agents are no longer allowed to demand that tenants pay hundreds of pounds in unjustified fees. The new law has been several years in the making, but at the start of this month, it finally became illegal for letting companies in England to charge tenants rip-off fees. [...]
Andy Murray Queen’s comeback: Hip expert warns of ‘very difficult’ road for former British No1 June 12, 2019 After 154 days without competitive tennis – a period which involved a much-discussed operation, extensive rehabilitation, plenty of pain, but also time with his family and friends – Andy Murray will make his long-awaited return at Queen’s Club next week. It may come on the doubles court rather than the singles and may be in [...]
DEBATE: Should shut down Deliveroo’s delivery-only kitchens? June 12, 2019 Are local councils right to shut down delivery-only kitchens operated by Deliveroo? One such “dark kitchen” is under investigation in Swiss Cottage. Paula Higgins, chief executive of the HomeOwners Alliance, says YES. If councils find that Deliveroo is operating illegally in particular locations and bypassing planning rules, they are right to shut down these so-called [...]
The rental economy is blossoming, but it could spell trouble for manufacturers June 12, 2019 My son recently had a holiday in Greece. His experience at Gatwick airport made it particularly interesting – which is possibly the first time that phrase has ever been written. He drove to the airport and his car was picked up, not by a valet service, but by a company which will rent your car [...]
Michael Gove has come back before and he can do it again June 12, 2019 When the front pages of weekend newspapers began to spill online last Friday night, I realised a story I had been working on for a year was about to explode. ‘Gove: My cocaine confession’ was the most stark headline, accompanied by the first instalment of a serialisation of my unauthorised biography of the environment secretary. The book [...]
Stoffel Vandoorne interview: Belgian on his Formula One nightmare, Formula E and making his Le Mans debut this week June 11, 2019 Upon joining McLaren’s junior driver programme in 2013 Stoffel Vandoorne moved a step closer to achieving the dream of every young racing driver: becoming a Formula One world champion. When he was installed as McLaren’s test driver in 2016 and then Fernando Alonso’s team-mate in 2017, it seemed that perhaps the hardest part of the [...]