England Euros build-up 'doesn't feel like crisis'
England manager Sarina Wiegman says her team's build-up to Euro 2025 "doesn't feel like a crisis at all" despite a chaotic 10 days which has seen three high-profile senior players either retire from international football or withdraw from the tournament.Wiegman named a 23-player squad on Thursday for the tournament in Switzerland, which starts on 2 July, where England are defending champions.She will be without goalkeeper Mary Earps and midfielder Fran Kirby, who have both retired from international football, while defender Millie Bright, who captained the side to the World Cup final in 2023, withdrew from selection to focus on her mental and physical wellbeing.The loss of three players who have won a combined 217 caps in such a sort time has led to a potentially unsettling period for the Lionesses - and distractions off the pitch dominated discussions at the end of their Women's Nations League campaign this week.But Wiegman says she is happy with the atmosphere inside the England camp."You [the media] see part of it, you are not in our environment all the time and I can ensure that the training sessions were really good last week," said the Dutchwoman."I didn't see anything [to suggest] that there were no connections within the team. I am really happy [with] where we are right now."Wiegman had to address issues around player's performance-related bonuses in the build-up to the World Cup and there was also heavy scrutiny on her decision to omit former captain Steph Houghton from the Euro 2022 squad in her first year in charge. "My experiences before is that there is always noise. We expect noise until we go into the tournament," said Wiegman. "The difference is, between 2015 and 2017 to now, is that the attention and visibility of the women's game has increased so much."It seems like there is more noise but there's just more journalists here. Which is right. It shows what we are doing. We have to deal with it and move on. Which we have."
'I don't go around the bush'
Wiegman said she was feeling "good" despite it being a week full of difficult decisions and conversations.Kirby's retirement followed Wiegman's decision not to include her in the Euros squad, while goalkeeper Earps was unhappy at her position as number two. Wiegman said it is "part of the job" to endure those experiences but she can "move forward" to the Euros now."Yes, those hard conversations are not nice. I know what players do and how hard they work to make the squad. It's hard to give disappointing messages," she added. "At the same time, I also had very nice messages to give so that gives me more energy."After I have conversations with players, I always think, 'OK, what went well?' For me, it is really important that I am honest, that I treat people in the right way."Sometimes, you have very good news and, sometimes, you don't have good news - and I don't go around the bush with that. "I just give that message, then I can't always control how people respond to that. I just hope that they have the clarity to move on."Wiegman also said part of the growth of women's football, and the success of the Lionesses, has added increased demands on her players.Bright's withdrawal has been a blow for England as Wiegman said the Chelsea captain would have been selected had she not ruled herself out.Asked when she was made aware of Bright's decision, she said: "In the last couple of days I found out. It was sad and disappointing. "It's not nice when you don't feel well physically and mentally and I just hope she feels better soon. "England's profile is growing. That's life changing and very exciting but at the same time players are not robots. They have to deal with these things too. "That's also why we're trying to support them as well as possible on and off the pitch. Hopefully many players stay fit and healthy."
Head here to get involved
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
41 minutes ago
- BBC News
Swapped at birth: Why dad never looked like his parents
Matthew's dad had brown eyes and black hair. His grandparents had piercing blue was a running joke in his family that "dad looked nothing like his parents", the teacher from southern England turned out there was a very good reason for father had been swapped at birth in hospital nearly 80 years ago. He died late last year before learning the truth of his family - not his real name - contacted the BBC after we reported on the case of Susan, who received compensation from an NHS trust after a home DNA test revealed she had been accidentally switched for another baby in the News is now aware of five cases of babies swapped by mistake in maternity wards from the late 1940s to the say they expect more people to come forward driven by the increase in cheap genetic testing. 'The old joke might be true after all' During the pandemic, Matthew started looking for answers to niggling questions about his family history. He sent off a saliva sample in the post to be genealogy company entered his record into its vast online database, allowing him to view other users whose DNA closely matched his own."Half of the names I'd just never heard of," he says. "I thought, 'That's weird', and called my wife to tell her the old family joke might be true after all."Matthew then asked his dad to submit his own DNA sample, which confirmed he was even more closely related to the same group of mysterious family started exchanging messages with two women who the site suggested were his father's cousins. All were confused about how they could possibly be together, they eventually tracked down birth records from 1946, months after the end of World War documents showed that one day after his father was apparently born, another baby boy had been registered at the same hospital in east boy had the same relatively unusual surname that appeared on the mystery branch of the family tree, a link later confirmed by birth certificates obtained by was a lightbulb moment."I realised straight away what must have happened," he says. "The only explanation that made sense was that both babies got muddled up in hospital."Matthew and the two women managed to construct a brand new family tree based on all of his DNA matches."I love a puzzle and I love understanding the past," he says. "I'm quite obsessive anyway, so I got into trying to reverse engineer what had happened." An era before wristbands Before World War Two, most babies in the UK were born at home, or in nursing homes, attended by midwives and the family started to change as the country prepared for the launch of the NHS in 1948, and very gradually, more babies were delivered in hospital, where newborns were typically removed for periods to be cared for in nurseries."The baby would be taken away between feeds so that the mother could rest, and the baby could be watched by either a nursery nurse or midwife," says Terri Coates, a retired lecturer in midwifery, and former clinical adviser on BBC series Call The Midwife."It may sound paternalistic, but midwives believed they were looking after mums and babies incredibly well."It was common for new mothers to be kept in hospital for between five and seven days, far longer than identify newborns in the nursery, a card would be tied to the end of the cot with the baby's name, mother's name, the date and time of birth, and the baby's weight."Where cots rather than babies were labelled, accidents could easily happen", says Ms Coates, who trained as a nurse herself in the 1970s and a midwife in 1981."If there were two or more members of staff in the nursery feeding babies, for example, a baby could easily be put down in the wrong cot."By 1956, hospital births were becoming more common, and midwifery textbooks were recommending that a "wrist name-tape" or "string of lettered china beads" should be attached directly to the newborn.A decade later, by the mid-1960s, it was rare for babies to be removed from the delivery room without being individually labelled. Stories of babies being accidentally switched in hospital were very rare at the time, though more are now coming to light thanks to the boom in genetic testing and ancestry day after Jan Daly was born at a hospital in north London in 1951, her mother immediately complained that the baby she had been given was not hers."She was really stressed and crying, but the nurses assured her she was wrong and the doctor was called in to try to calm her," Jan staff only backed down when her mum told them she'd had a fast, unassisted delivery, and pointed out the clear forceps marks on the baby's head"I feel for the other mother who had been happily feeding me for two days and then had to give up one baby for another," she says."There was never any apology, it was just 'one of those silly errors', but the trauma affected my mother for a long time." Never finding out Matthew's father, an insurance agent from the Home Counties, was a keen amateur cyclist who spent his life following the local racing lived alone in retirement and over the last decade his health had been deteriorating. Matthew thought long and hard about telling him the truth about his family history but, in the end, decided against it. "I just felt my dad doesn't need this," he says. "He had lived 78 years in a type of ignorance, so it didn't feel right to share it with him."Matthew's father died last year without ever knowing he'd been celebrating his birthday a day early for the past eight then, Matthew has driven to the West Country to meet his dad's genetic first cousin and her daughter for all got on well, he says, sharing old photos and "filling in missing bits of family history".But Matthew has decided not to contact the man his father must have been swapped with as a baby, or his children – in part because they have not taken DNA tests themselves."If you do a test by sending your saliva off, then there's an implicit understanding that you might find something that's a bit of a surprise," Matthew says."Whereas with people who haven't, I'm still not sure if it's the right thing to reach out to them - I just don't think it's right to drop that bombshell."
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Australian universities urge Albanese to join New Zealand in $170bn Europe fund amid Trump attacks on education
Australian universities are urging the Albanese government to join New Zealand in a $170bn Europe research fund amid US president Donald Trump's sweeping crackdown on higher education and international students. Universities Australia's executive officer, Luke Sheehy, travelled to Brussels this week to meet representatives from the European Commission and the Australian ambassador, Angus Campbell, to discuss the possibility of joining Horizon Europe. The seven-year scientific collaborative research fund, with a budget of €95.5bn ($168bn), has 20 non-European partners – including New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Canada – but the Australian government has so far been reluctant to join. Industry insiders have attributed the government's reluctance to potential costs. New Zealand will pay €19m ($33m) over five years to be part of the program. The EU is drawing up strategies for the next seven-year funding cycle, due to begin in 2028, with a proposal expected to be announced mid-year. About €36bn ($63bn) is still available to the end of 2027. In comparison, Australia's total annual spend on research across all sectors is less than $40bn. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email Sheehy said in a rapidly changing global environment, association with the body would give Australian researchers access to a mega-fund and support international collaboration on key sectors, including health and the environment. 'Growing geopolitical uncertainties are threatening to reshape our existing research alliances and we must adapt to remain ahead of the game,' he said. 'If we're serious about building a prosperous and productive economy, we need a seat at the table, particularly in a changing and more complex global environment.' The trade minister, Don Farrell, is in Paris this week restarting negotiations on a trade deal with the EU. Sheehy 'strongly encourage[d]' him to make Australia's involvement in Horizon Europe a focus of conversations. 'There is a strong appetite in Europe to have Australia come on board,' Sheehy said. 'This would remove the biggest roadblock for Australian researchers and scientists working with their European and other counterparts around the world. It's mutually beneficial. 'For what is a relatively modest investment, our best and brightest would gain access to billions of dollars in potential funding to take their work to the next level.' The higher eduction sector has closely focussed on Horizon Europe since the Trump administration was accused of possible 'foreign interference' in Australia's universities in March, pausing funding for programs at more than six universities. Researchers who receive US funding were sent a questionnaire asking them to confirm they aligned with US government interests and promoted administration priorities – including avoiding 'DEI, woke gender ideology and the green new deal'. Australia's Group of Eight CEO, Vicki Thomson, wrote to then-industry minister, Ed Husic, earlier this year on behalf of its member universities and the European Australian Business Council (EABC) CEO, Jason Collins, urging Australia to associate with the research fund. It has prepared a brief for the ambassador to the US, Kevin Rudd, at his request. Thomson, also the EABC deputy chair, has lobbied the government to join Horizon Europe for more than a decade. She will be meeting with stakeholders for negotiations in the next fortnight as part of an EABC delegation to Europe. Thomson said association with Horizon Europe was 'critical' to boosting productivity and providing essential buffers against negative global trends. 'Like trade, changes to the global research funding environment are also sending shocks around the world,' she said. 'The US is withdrawing from international research collaboration through the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health and other agencies as well as defunding research in diversity, equity and inclusion. 'In the face of this, it is imperative that Australia maintains and extends international research collaboration through formal association with Horizon Europe.' The Australian Academy of Science president, Prof Chennupati Jagadish AC, also wants Australia to join the lucrative research fund, pointing to a possible research vacuum in the face of an increasingly unstable US. In April, the body announced a new global talent attraction program to capitalise on academics disfranchised by the Trump administration's research cuts. Americans represent 40% of collaborators in Australian physical sciences publications – including observational systems relied on for cyclone tracking capability and onshore mRNA vaccine manufacturing. Jagadish said the government must 'immediately act to diversify risk' by expanding international research collaborations, focusing on Horizon Europe. The industry minister, Madeleine King, was approached for comment.
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Amazon shoppers rush to buy ‘stylish powerhouse' £140 MagSafe portable charger – now just £27
I'VE tested my fair share of portable chargers, and this one ticks all the right boxes. The Aobbow MagSafe Power Bank is on sale right now, down 81% from £139.99 to just £26.99, and it has everything you need. Aobbow MagSafe Power Bank, £139.99 £26.99 BUY FROM AMAZON Amazon's no stranger to solid tech deals, but this one feels like it's punching well above its price tag. For under thirty quid, you're getting a 10,000mAh portable charger that's slim, travel-friendly, and loaded with features. It supports wireless charging and comes with two built-in cables, one Type-C and one Lightning, as well as two additional ports. That's a rare combo, and a design you usually only see in premium models that cost two or three times as much. Now, let's be honest, £139.99 may have been stretching it a bit. But £26.99 is a real bargain for what you're getting here, and it's the kind of deal I wouldn't think twice about if you need a reliable power bank. I've tested plenty of chargers in search of the best power banks out there, and this one hits that sweet spot between practicality and price. It's compact, lightweight, and genuinely useful for everyday life, whether that's commuting, travelling, or just for a quick top-up on the go. And I'm not the only one who thinks so. The reviews on Amazon are overwhelmingly positive, with a near-perfect 4.9-star average and hundreds of buyers singing its praises. I haven't had this one in my hand yet, but in my opinion, it has everything I'd want in a portable charger. It's designed with iPhones in mind, supporting wireless charging from the 12 series all the way up to the latest iPhone 16 models. It even sticks to MagSafe-compatible cases, so it stays put while it charges. If you're not clear on the mechanics of wireless charging, our tech experts have a straightforward guide on how iPhone wireless charging works. But the Aobbow is far from limited to Apple gear, it supports wireless charging for Android phones, tablets, and other USB-C devices. The built-in display shows you exactly how much charge is left, which is a small touch that makes a big difference. And when you make full use of it, you can juice up to five devices at once, so it's great for family trips or group travel. People who've bought it seem genuinely impressed. One reviewer called it a 'stylish powerhouse,' adding, 'It gave my iPhone 15 about 50% juice in just 30 minutes. 'The 10,000mAh capacity easily delivers 1.5–2 full charges depending on your model.' Another praised its convenience, saying, 'It snaps right onto my phone and charges fast with the 20W. 'The built-in cables are a great bonus, and it's compact enough to carry daily. Great design, fast charging, and no hassle.' If you're after a reliable, well-equipped power bank that won't cost a fortune, this one's worth grabbing while it's around.
