Latest news with #Blundell
Daily Mirror
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Man Utd's first mum hails club after help from Arsenal over 'taboo' subject
Hannah Blundell will watch Man Utd attempt to defend their FA Cup title against Chelsea from the stands having given birth in March but she is already excited to return despite saying small number of mum's in WSL remains a taboo subject Hannah Blundell is not unusual among footballers in being more nervous on the sidelines than the pitch. The Manchester United full-back, who gave birth to daughter Romy in March, says she will feel '100 per cent anxious' when watching today's FA Cup final against Chelsea from the stands. And while Blundell jokes that 'it will be nice to have a break' from parenting because Wembley forbids babies from attending, she would much prefer to affect the action. 'It will be strange,' she says. 'Watching a game from the stands is so hard, it's frustrating not being able to help. But I'm really excited to be there. I'm confident in them. On the pitch you can control and influence the game but I won't be able to do anything. I'll feel everything a fan does.' Blundell has been in regular contact with her team-mates as they prepare to defend the trophy they won by defeating Tottenham 4-0 last season. And she's already been dropping in at training to work with the medical staff ahead of becoming the first mum to play for United next season. 'I went in this week to do a little bit with the physios and gym stuff but I spoke to the girls and everyone was chilled,' she says, though they are underdogs against her former club and recently crowned league champions. 'With Chelsea they have always had serial winners, even when I was there. They just have that winning mentality to always find a way. But again I'm confident we can get a win. We just need to focus on ourselves and make sure we'll put in a good performance.' Being away has left Blundell more motivated than ever and when it is time to return next season she wants to 'cherish every moment' – even if it carries a host of unknowns. She says United have been 'very supportive' since the moment she informed the club doctor and later her team-mates having initially faked an injury in the early weeks. The club quickly activated a 12-month option to extend her contract – which would have expired this summer – and the medical and sports science staff have been speaking to counterparts at other clubs to learn about best practices for returning postpartum. That includes Arsenal, whose defender Amanda Ilestedt returned in January after giving birth last August. 'It's still a taboo subject in a sense because there's not that many (mums in the WSL),' Blundell continues. 'But it's good that everyone can learn from each other to help myself and others coming back in the best physical shape. 'I guess I will in a sense be a role model if it goes well but we can learn from each other and hopefully it can be normalised going forward.' For now, however, she will be an uneasy spectator as Marc Skinner's team look to inflict a first domestic defeat of the season on Chelsea. 'This is our third consecutive year (in the final), that's a massive help,' she says. 'The first year we lost, the second we won. 'Most girls have felt both sides of it. You never want to lose but I think we've got such characters in the group there is no reason not to be confident.'
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Town where people struggle to get phone signal
Residents who have struggled to get a good mobile phone signal in their town for three years have now learnt the issue was caused by vandalism of its local mast. Some residents in Middleton, Greater Manchester, had assumed the lack of signal was "because it's a hilly area", according to local phone shop owner Ali Salam. "If you ask 10 people about this, nine will be complaining," he said. Following the scale of complaints by businesses and residents, local MP Elsie Blundell said she spent "several months" investigating the problem, adding that she found: "Vandalism by a small group of people had left an entire town at risk of being disconnected and losing mobile signal." The damage had sabotaged the mast at the top of the Warwick Mill premises in the town centre, reducing coverage in the town. Ms Blundell said: "Obviously, I'm angry that some heartless vandals could do that to our town. "More importantly, though, we needed to find a replacement soon to get the town working again." Ms Blundell said she had been "chasing the mobile companies for several months" before she met mobile infrastructure firm Cornerstone this April to "understand the problems that had been occurring with their mast on top of the mill". A Cornerstone spokesperson said: "We had a constructive conversation about developments currently being assessed by the local planning authority. "Our priority is to work collaboratively and transparently with the local planning authority to meet connectivity needs in a way that respects the local environment and community." Some residents said they noticed the decline in coverage about three years ago, with one saying: "My boss lives in the middle of nowhere and gets a better signal than here." Ashley Wakefield , who lives in the town centre, added: "I'm a foster carer, so it's a real problem for me. "There have been times I've had to go into the shopping centre to use the wi-fi to get my bus pass to work. It's super inconvenient." Peter Winkler said his printing business "had to set up a guest wi-fi network because the signal is so bad". "Prior to that we'd have to suggest leaving the shop to get a signal, which seems counter-intuitive." Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
What we know about rumors Canadian PM Mark Carney orchestrated US Treasurys sell-off
In early April 2025, a rumor began to spread that U.S. President Donald Trump had backed down on tariffs because Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney forced his hand by orchestrating a collective sale of U.S. bonds. It is true that Trump paused tariffs after the price of U.S. Treasurys began to drop at the same time as the price of U.S. stocks plummeted, an event known as a synchronized sell-off. In fact, after he announced the pause, Trump said, "bond markets are tricky." However, the claim that Carney had orchestrated the bond sell-off alongside the European Union and Japan was not confirmed. It came from the newsletter of Dean Blundell, a staunch supporter of Carney in Canada's next federal election and a former "shock jock." Snopes has contacted Blundell, asking him to explain how he came upon this story and to clarify some points from his allegations. Snopes also contacted Carney's office asking for confirmation of Blundell's claims. Lastly, we have reached out to several fixed income analysts to inquire about the plausibility of such a scheme. Ten days after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a pause in the sweeping reciprocal tariffs he'd imposed a week prior, rumors continued to spread that he had been forced to soften his trade stance because former central banker and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney had orchestrated a massive sale of U.S. bonds. For example, a post on Facebook made the allegation, saying Carney had put Trump "firmly in his place," and that Trump had then stopped referring to Canada as the "51st state" (archived): Another post on Facebook said Carney's supposed move was a "checkmate" (archived): Users also shared another post relaying the same story. A summary of story appeared on X and again on Bluesky. Further, Snopes readers searched the website seeking confirmation that Carney was behind the sell-off. The allegations stemmed from a newsletter installment by Dean Blundell, a Canadian former radio personality whom media outlets like the Toronto Star have described as a "shock jock" — a radio presenter who relies on offensive words and exaggeration to build a listenership. Blundell's former radio station CFNY-FM suspended him in 2013 after one controversy too many. He then joined CJCL-AM, a sports radio station, until the station dropped his show in 2017. He has since hosted an independent podcast and launched a newsletter on Substack. As a new federal election approached in Canada, Blundell has posted content in support of Carney, who replaced Justin Trudeau as prime minister in March 2025 and who, as the leader of the Liberal Party, was running against Pierre Poilièvre of the Conservative Party. Blundell's stance has also been staunchly anti-Trump and anti-Poilièvre. Snopes has yet to confirm that Carney orchestrated a U.S. Treasurys sell-off in closed-door meetings with European and Japanese leaders. We contacted Blundell to ask how he first came upon the information he relayed in his newsletter. We will update this report should he respond. Bundell was correct that a downturn in the U.S. Treasurys market forced Trump to pause tariffs on April 9, 2025: When a reporter asked what justified the pause, Trump replied: "The bond market is very tricky." Indeed, after Trump announced the sweeping reciprocal tariffs on April 2, a dynamic experts have deemed "dangerous" took hold of U.S. security markets. Typically, a drop in stock prices correlates with an increase in bond prices as investors seek refuge in U.S. Treasurys. However, two days after the tariffs announcement, the price of bonds began to fall along with the price of stocks, forcing bond yields up. Synchronized sell-off events can lead investors to abandon U.S. securities. Further, the consequences of a sharp increase in bond yields can lead to an increase in borrowing costs both for the government and for businesses and households, leading to an economic downturn. Carney, an accomplished economist and the former governor of both the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England, understands this mechanism. Further, Carney steered monetary policy in Canada during the Great Recession of 2008, when credit around the world nearly froze. But in his story, Blundell asserted that Carney slowly amassed U.S. Treasurys — government debt in the form of bonds — in early 2025. It is true that Treasurys holdings jumped in February 2025, led by Canada and Japan, who acquired more long-term U.S. debt. This happened just as trading tension escalated between the U.S. and Canada. When we reached out to Blundell, we asked when Carney would have started to do this, given he only became prime minister of Canada on March 14, 2025. Blundell is also correct that other governments can hold Treasurys. For example, the U.S.' largest creditor is Japan, which held more than $1 trillion in Treasury securities in early 2025, according to the U.S. Department of Treasury. The second largest is China, with $760.8 billion. In third place is the U.K., with $740.2 billion. Canada holds $350.8 billion. In his newsletter, Blundell alleged that, after Canada acquired more Treasurys, Carney met European Union leaders during his trip to the U.K. and France on March 17, 2025. In anticipation of higher tariffs in early April, Blundell said the prime minister and EU leaders met behind closed doors — meetings that also included Japan — and persuaded them to sell their collective holdings of U.S. Treasurys slowly but in concert once Trump announced the reciprocal tariffs. In the first few weeks of his presidency, Trump indeed touted a significant tariff announcement in April, though he gave no details about its magnitude. However, 25% tariffs on Canadian products had been in place since March 4, 2025. According to Blundell, when the tariff announcement finally came, Canada, the EU and Japan were in a position to sell Treasurys and rattle Trump enough to make him remove the tariffs. "China's still in the crosshairs—125% duties are no joke—but Canada? The EU? Japan? They're off the hit list," Blundell wrote. "For now, at least. Why? Because Carney's play wasn't noise. It was power." Indeed, Trump lowered tariffs on the EU and Japan to 10% and paused them for 90 days. He also raised tariffs on China to 125%. However, as per the White House, tariffs on Canada were still in place — the nation was excluded from the pause in reciprocal tariffs. When Snopes reached out to Blundell, we also asked what he meant when he said Canada was "off the hit list," alongside Japan and the EU. We will update this report should he respond. Blundell, Dean. 'Carney's Checkmate: How Canada's Quiet Bond Play Forced Trump to Drop Tariffs'. Dean Blundell, 10 Apr. 2025, ---. Dean Blundell | Substack. Accessed 11 Apr. 2025. 'Check out 's Stock Price (US5Y) in Real Time'. CNBC, Accessed 11 Apr. 2025. 'Dean Blundell Has Show Cancelled in Sportsnet 590 The Fan Shakeup'. The Globe and Mail, 8 Feb. 2017. Editor, Jesse McLean Staff Reporter, David Bruser Investigations. 'Dean Blundell Show Cancelled after Suspension over On-Air Homophobic Commentary'. Toronto Star, 6 Jan. 2014, News, A. B. C. 'Trump Stands Firm on Tariff Plans after Threat against EU: "I'm Not Going to Bend at All"'. ABC News, Accessed 11 Apr. 2025. Prokop, Andrew. 'Why Trump Blinked on Tariffs'. Vox, 9 Apr. 2025, Rascouët-Paz, Anna. 'Tracking Trump's Tariffs by Region, Product'. Snopes, 27 Mar. 2025, ---. 'Trump Has Paused Tariffs Plan for Most Countries. Here's Context'. Snopes, 9 Apr. 2025, '"Sell America": The Market Revolt That Forced Trump's Hand'. TradingView, 10 Apr. 2025, The "Great" Recession in Canada: Perception vs. Reality. Accessed 11 Apr. 2025. 'Trump Says The Bond Market Is "Beautiful" After Shock 90-Day Pause On Tariffs'. YouTube, Forbes Breaking News, 9 Apr. 2025, 'US Tariffs on Mexico and Canada Unaffected by 90-Day Pause, White House Official Says'. Reuters, 9 Apr. 2025. 'What Are Bond Yields? How Do Rising Yields Affect Investors?' RBC Global Asset Management, Accessed 11 Apr. 2025. Accessed 11 Apr. 2025. Anstey, Chris. 'Canada, Japan Led Foreign Surge in Treasuries Buying in February'. Bloomberg News, 16 Apr. 2025,
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Unpacking claims that Canadian PM Mark Carney orchestrated a US Treasurys sell-off
In early April 2025, a rumor began to spread that U.S. President Donald Trump had backed down on tariffs because Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney forced his hand by orchestrating a collective sale of U.S. bonds. It is true that Trump paused tariffs after the price of U.S. Treasurys began to drop at the same time as the price of U.S. stocks plummeted, an event known as a synchronized sell-off. In fact, after he announced the pause, Trump said, "bond markets are tricky." However, the claim that Carney had orchestrated the bond sell-off alongside the European Union and Japan was not confirmed. It came from the newsletter of Dean Blundell, a staunch supporter of Carney in Canada's next federal election and a former "shock jock." Snopes has contacted Blundell, asking him to explain how he came upon this story and to clarify some points from his allegations. Snopes also contacted Carney's office asking for confirmation of Blundell's claims. Lastly, we have reached out to several fixed income analysts to inquire about the plausibility of such a scheme. In the days that followed U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement that he had paused the sweeping reciprocal tariffs he imposed a week prior, speculation arose that he had done so because former central banker and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney had orchestrated a massive sale of U.S. bonds to force Trump to soften his trade stance. For example, a post on Facebook relayed the claim, saying Carney's move was a "checkmate" (archived): As of this writing, the post had garnered 251 reactions and 60 comments. Users shared another post relaying the same story 712 times. A summary of same story appeared on X. Further, Snopes readers searched the website seeking confirmation that Carney was behind the sell-off. The allegations stemmed from a newsletter installment by Dean Blundell, a Canadian former radio personality who media outlets like the Toronto Star have described as a "shock jock" — a radio presenter who relies on offensive words and exaggeration to build a listenership. Blundell's former radio station CFNY-FM (102.1 The Edge) suspended him in 2013 after one controversy too many. He then joined CJCL (SportsNet 590 The Fan), a sports radio station, until the station dropped his show in 2017. He has since hosted an independent podcast and launched a newsletter on Substack. As a new federal election approached in Canada, Blundell has posted content in support of Carney, who replaced Justin Trudeau as prime minister in March 2025 and who, as the leader of the Liberal Party, was running against Pierre Poilièvre of the Conservative Party. Blundell's stance has also been staunchly anti-Trump and anti-Poilièvre. Snopes has yet to confirm that Carney orchestrated a U.S. Treasurys sell-off in closed-door meetings with European and Japanese leaders. We contacted Blundell to ask how he first came upon the information he relayed in his newsletter. We will update this report should he respond. Bundell was correct that a downturn in the U.S. Treasurys market forced Trump to pause tariffs on April 9, 2025: When a reporter asked what justified the pause, Trump replied: "The bond market is very tricky." Indeed, after Trump announced the sweeping reciprocal tariffs on April 2, a dynamic experts have deemed "dangerous" took hold of U.S. security markets. Typically, a drop in stock prices correlates with an increase in bond prices as investors seek refuge in U.S. Treasurys. However, two days after the tariffs announcement, the price of bonds began to fall along with the price of stocks, forcing bond yields up. Synchronized sell-off events can lead investors to abandon U.S. securities. Further, the consequences of a sharp increase in bond yields can lead to an increase in borrowing costs both for the government and for businesses and households, leading to an economic downturn. Carney, an accomplished economist and the former governor of both the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England, understands this mechanism. Further, Carney steered monetary policy in Canada during the Great Recession of 2008, when credit around the world nearly froze. But in his story, Blundell asserted that Carney slowly amassed U.S. Treasurys — government debt in the form of bonds — in early 2025. When we reached out to Blundell, we asked when Carney would have started to do this, given he only became prime minister of Canada on March 14, 2025. Blundell is also correct that other governments can hold Treasurys. For example, the U.S.' largest creditor is Japan, which held more than $1 trillion in Treasury securities in early 2025, according to the U.S. Department of Treasury. The second largest is China, with $760.8 billion. In third place is the U.K., with $740.2 billion. Canada holds $350.8 billion. In his newsletter, Blundell alleged that, after Canada acquired more Treasurys, Carney met European Union leaders during his trip to the U.K. and France on March 17, 2025. In anticipation of higher tariffs in early April, Blundell said the prime minister and EU leaders met behind closed doors — meetings that also included Japan — and convinced them to sell their collective holdings of U.S. Treasurys slowly but in concert once Trump announced the reciprocal tariffs. In the first few weeks of his presidency, Trump indeed touted a significant tariff announcement in April, though he gave no details about its magnitude. However, 25% tariffs on Canadian products had been in place since March 4, 2025. According to Blundell, when the tariff announcement finally came, Canada, the EU and Japan were in a position to sell Treasurys and rattle Trump enough to make him remove the tariffs. "China's still in the crosshairs—125% duties are no joke—but Canada? The EU? Japan? They're off the hit list," Blundell wrote. "For now, at least. Why? Because Carney's play wasn't noise. It was power." Indeed, Trump lowered tariffs on the EU and Japan to 10% and paused them for 90 days. He also raised tariffs on China to 125%. However, as per the White House, tariffs on Canada were still in place. Indeed, Canada had been excluded from the pause in reciprocal tariffs. When Snopes reached out to Blundell, we also asked what he meant when he said Canada was "off the hit list," alongside Japan and the EU. We will update this report should he respond. Blundell, Dean. 'Carney's Checkmate: How Canada's Quiet Bond Play Forced Trump to Drop Tariffs'. Dean Blundell, 10 Apr. 2025, ---. Dean Blundell | Substack. Accessed 11 Apr. 2025. 'Check out 's Stock Price (US5Y) in Real Time'. CNBC, Accessed 11 Apr. 2025. 'Dean Blundell Has Show Cancelled in Sportsnet 590 The Fan Shakeup'. The Globe and Mail, 8 Feb. 2017. Editor, Jesse McLean Staff Reporter, David Bruser Investigations. 'Dean Blundell Show Cancelled after Suspension over On-Air Homophobic Commentary'. Toronto Star, 6 Jan. 2014, News, A. B. C. 'Trump Stands Firm on Tariff Plans after Threat against EU: "I'm Not Going to Bend at All"'. ABC News, Accessed 11 Apr. 2025. Prokop, Andrew. 'Why Trump Blinked on Tariffs'. Vox, 9 Apr. 2025, Rascouët-Paz, Anna. 'Tracking Trump's Tariffs by Region, Product'. Snopes, 27 Mar. 2025, ---. 'Trump Has Paused Tariffs Plan for Most Countries. Here's Context'. Snopes, 9 Apr. 2025, '"Sell America": The Market Revolt That Forced Trump's Hand'. TradingView, 10 Apr. 2025, The "Great" Recession in Canada: Perception vs. Reality. Accessed 11 Apr. 2025. 'Trump Says The Bond Market Is "Beautiful" After Shock 90-Day Pause On Tariffs'. YouTube, Forbes Breaking News, 9 Apr. 2025, 'US Tariffs on Mexico and Canada Unaffected by 90-Day Pause, White House Official Says'. Reuters, 9 Apr. 2025. 'What Are Bond Yields? How Do Rising Yields Affect Investors?' RBC Global Asset Management, Accessed 11 Apr. 2025. Accessed 11 Apr. 2025.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Council by-election expected in Rochdale after MP's resignation
A by-election will be held in Rochdale following the resignation of a councillor. The Heywood and Middleton North MP Elsie Blundell has stepped down from her seat on the council representing Balderstone and Kirkholt. The former councillor has been on maternity leave over the last few months. READ MORE: He came within 4.8 seconds of causing 'catastrophe' 1,600ft above Greater Manchester READ MORE: Full list of DWP PIP changes announced including changes to points system Mrs Blundell will continue to serve residents of the borough in her role as Heywood and Middleton North MP, a seat she won at the general election in July last year. It is expected that an election will take place in the coming weeks to decide who will replace the Labour politician. Currently the Balderstone and Kirkholt ward is only represented by councillors Danny Meredith and Philip Massey. The date of the election has not yet been confirmed. The next elected candidate will be in office until May 2027 - when Mrs Blundell's term was originally due to expire. **** Day in day out, our reporters in the Manchester Evening News newsroom bring you remarkable stories from all aspects of Mancunian life. However, with the pace of life these days, the frenetic news agenda and social media algorithms, you might not be getting a chance to read it. That's why every week our Features and Perspectives editor Rob Williams brings you Unmissable, highlighting the best of what we do - bringing it to you directly from us. Make sure you don't miss out, and see what else we have to offer, by clicking here and signing up for MEN Daily News. And be sure to join our politics writer Jo Timan every Sunday for his essential commentary on what matters most to you in Greater Manchester each week in our newsletter Due North. You can also sign up for that here. You can also get all your favourite content from the Manchester Evening News on WhatsApp.
