Business rates cuts not enough as people in poorer areas simply ‘don’t have money to spend’, says Centre for Cities

As much as £5bn is needed to revive ailing UK town and city centres, with areas including Bradford in Yorkshire, Newport in south Wales, and Blackpool in Lancashire having double the proportion of empty shops as London, a study has found.

A report from the Centre for Cities thinktank showed that the health of high streets across the country has varied significantly, and called for authorities to focus on developing homes and high-paying jobs in central locations to increase local spending power.

Europe’s top human rights court finds Boeing 777 flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down by Russia in July 2014

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Europe’s top human rights court delivered damning judgments Wednesday against Russia in four cases brought by Kyiv and the Netherlands, finding Moscow shot down flight MH17, killing all passengers, including 38 Australians.

Judges at the European court of human rights ruled that Russia was responsible for widespread violations of international law, from shooting down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in 2014 to the murder, torture, rape, destruction of civilian infrastructure and kidnapping of Ukrainian children after Moscow’s full-scale invasion of 2022.

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Trump inquired where Liberian president Joseph Boakai got his language skills during meeting with African leaders

Donald Trump was basking in the praise of a group of African leaders on Wednesday, when the Liberian president took the microphone.

“Liberia is a longtime friend of the United States and we believe in your policy of making America great again,” President Joseph Boakai said in English at a White House meeting before advocating for US investment in his country. “We just want to thank you so much for this opportunity.”

• PSG 4-0 Real Madrid: Ruiz 6 24, Dembélé 9, Ramos 87

• Chelsea to play European champions in Sunday’s final

There was a moment towards the end of Kylian Mbappé’s final season in France when Luis Enrique called him into his office and explained that if they did things his way then Paris Saint-Germain could become an “absolute machine”.

A little over a year later, on the day his first season at Real Madrid came to an end against his former club, the striker saw for himself, up close and painful, just how right his coach had been. The team that went to Munich and put five past Inter, the biggest winning margin in a European Cup final, came to New York and scored four against the game’s greatest aristocrats to take them to the final of the Club World Cup against Chelsea.

• England find form in 4-0 hammering of Netherlands

• Toone: ‘There are always doubters – we don’t listen to it’

Alessia Russo says England always knew they were capable of producing performances such as the one that delivered an emphatic 4-0 win against the Netherlands, as she praised her teammates for rediscovering their DNA.

England were under pressure having been beaten by France in their opening Group D fixture at Euro 2025, knowing a defeat in this match could knock them out, but the defending champions had spoken in the buildup about wanting a “proper England” performance and Russo believed they found one. The Lionesses will be guaranteed a place in the quarter‑finals if they defeat Wales in St Gallen on Sunday.

Satellite built to track emissions fails just as New Zealand scientists about to take control and reap returns of NZ$29m government investment

For scientist Sara Mikaloff-Fletcher, the news that a methane-tracking satellite was lost in space last week left her feeling like the air had been sucked from her lungs.

It happened just days before New Zealand was due to take control of the spacecraft, known as MethaneSat, which was designed to “name and shame” the worst methane polluters in the oil and gas industry.

Trump administration targets Francesca Albanese, a special rapporteur, in latest action against critics of Israel’s war

The Trump administration announced on Wednesday it was issuing sanctions against an independent official tasked with investigating human rights abuses in the Palestinian territories, the latest effort by the United States to punish critics of Israel’s 21-month war in Gaza.

The state department’s decision to sanction Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur for the West Bank and Gaza, comes after a recent US pressure campaign to force the international body to remove her from her post failed.

Judge finds Republican-crafted law probably unconstitutional for encroaching on federal authority

The US supreme court maintained on Wednesday a judicial block on a Republican-crafted Florida law that makes it a crime for undocumented immigrants in the United States to enter the state.

The justices denied a request by state officials to lift an order by the Florida-based US district judge Kathleen Williams that barred them from carrying out arrests and prosecutions under the law while a legal challenge plays out in lower courts. Williams ruled that Florida’s law conflicted with the federal government’s authority over immigration policy.

• 4th T20i: India 127-4, beat England, 126-7, by six wickets

• India’s triumph is first T20 series win in England

India made history at Old Trafford on Wednesday night by winning the fourth Twenty20 international by six wickets, sealing their first T20 international series victory in England.

“This time, this team, this atmosphere, it’s magical,” Radha Yadav said. “We want to create something big going forward. We are going to dominate, no matter what.”

Given that they were playing next door to a branch of Ikea it could be tempting to say Wales collapsed in the manner of badly assembled flat‑pack furniture. But that would be very wrong.

An admittedly emphatic scoreline that leaves France top of Group D and imperiously on course for the quarter-finals does not tell the whole story of a much improved Wales performance on a night when Jess Fishlock scored a historic goal.

Caricom bloc summit committed to prioritising needs of country in grip of heavily armed gangs

Leaders in the Caribbean have pledged to join forces to tackle crime and violence as they reaffirmed their support for Haiti, which the UN says continues to be “paralysed”by gangs.

Taking the reins as chair of the Caribbean Community (Caricom), a bloc of 15 countries, Andrew Holness, Jamaica’s prime minister, said security in the region would be a “matter of great priority” under his chairmanship.

Politician spent 52 days in jail after being charged with insurrection but was released four months ago

Former South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol returned to jail on Thursday after a court approved a warrant sought by prosecutors investigating his attempt to impose martial law last year.

The Seoul central district court’s decision bolstered the special counsel investigation into allegations that Yoon’s move in December represented obstruction of justice and abuse of power.

• Serb through to last four after 6-7 (8), 6-2, 7-5, 6-4 win

• Djokovic will face No 1 seed Jannik Sinner in semi-finals

The siren call of a record 25th grand slam title grows ever louder for Novak Djokovic. But he was given a scare by the punchy young Italian Flavio Cobolli, as well as a nasty fall on match point, before coming through a pulsating quarter-final to win 6-7 (8), 6-2, 7-5, 6-4.

Djokovic’s reward is a record 14th Wimbledon semi-final, one ahead of Roger Federer, and a meeting with the world No 1, Jannik Sinner, on Friday. It is a battle he is clearly relishing.

Raynor Winn describes enduring ‘hardest days’ and publishes clinic letters saying her husband, Moth, has been treated for CBD/S for many years

Raynor Winn, the author of The Salt Path, has described enduring some of the “hardest days” of her life as she defended her memoir against allegations that parts of it were fabricated.

The bestselling 2018 book, which was adapted into a film starring Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs, tells how she and her husband, Moth, walked the 630-mile trek along the south-west coast path after losing their home.

PM’s hopes of announcing illegal migration curbs during Macron visit depend on several hurdles being cleared

Anglo-French talks over a migration deal were deadlocked on Wednesday night, with negotiators haggling over how much Britain will pay towards the cost of policing small boat crossings.

Keir Starmer had hoped to be able to announce a returns deal – under which Britain would send back some asylum seekers once they had crossed the Channel – before the conclusion on Thursday of the three-day state visit by the French president, Emmanuel Macron.

Lauren James was the star of an impressive England show in which Jess Carter’s move to centre-back worked perfectly

Hannah Hampton Distribution was excellent, particularly her superb pass that led to England’s opening goal. 7

Mayor urges people to exercise utmost caution as weather service says situation around Mediterranean is critical

More than 15,000 residents of Marseille confined to their homes have been allowed out after a wildfire on the outskirts of France’s second city was brought under control, but officials have warned the country faces an exceptionally high-risk summer.

Fanned by gale-force winds and kindled by parched vegetation, several fires have burned swathes of southern France in recent days, including Tuesday’s just north of the port city. The weather service has said the weeks ahead could be critical.

• Updates from Old Trafford; play starts 6.30pm BST

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3rd over: England 21-1 (Dunkley 16, Capsey 0) Alice Capsey arrives at number three. She’s due a score too. A truly dangerous player if she gets in.

Here come the boundaries! Dunkley carves past point for four and then snaps the bottom hand on a drive down the ground for SIX. Comfortably clearing the ropes. Shree Charani has been in the wickets this series… and she gets another!

Fabián Ruiz scored twice as the champions of Europe made the final by swatting aside Real Madrid with ease

At last … here come the players! One by one. PSG first, in their new blue shirts with red-lattice stripe that [squints] “pays tribute to Paris’s architectural heritage.” Then out come Real Madrid in white shirts that [narrows eyes again, adjusts pince-nez] “mark the Bernabéu’s latest refurbishment with a design featuring subtle shapes, textures and colours borrowed from its long and storied history … a performance-focused construction for quick-fire football with heat-applied club crest for unparalleled inspiration.” Soccer!

Kick-off has been delayed until 3.10pm local time, 8.10pm UK time. That’s because both teams got caught in traffic on their way to the stadium from their Manhattan hotels, and rocked up 20 minutes later than expected. Real have had no luck whatsoever on their travels: their flight to NYC was delayed for three hours last night due to storms.

Amid cleanup efforts, residents and news outlets question the government’s pre-flooding alarm and warning systems

• Among the Texas flood victims: campers, staff, grandparents and teachers

The number of people who have died from the flooding in Texas continues to rise, with at least 119 dead throughout the state, officials said on Wednesday morning.

Search crews continue to look for people, as residents and news organizations question the government’s alarm and warning systems.

From shambolic to sublime, England, the reigning European champions, brushed off fears of a group-stage exit with a thrilling and clinical 4-0 defeat of the Netherlands which puts progression firmly in their hands.

Woken by a somewhat humbling 2-1 loss to France on Saturday, a more recognisable England arrived at the 2025 Euros, two goals from Lauren James and one apiece from Georgia Stanway and Ella Toone ensuring a win against Wales on Sunday will be enough to book a place in the knockout stage while France and the Netherlands battle it out for the other Group D spot.

Extrajudicial killings, sexual violence and forced labour among accusations upheld by court in judgment

Russia has committed flagrant and unprecedented abuses of human rights since it invaded Ukraine in 2014, including extrajudicial killings, sexual violence and forced labour, the European court of human rights has found.

The court’s grand chamber unanimously held that between 11 May 2014 and 16 September 2022, when Russia ceased to be a party to the European convention on human rights it had committed “manifestly unlawful conduct … on a massive scale”.

Indiscriminate military attacks.

Summary executions of civilians and Ukrainian military personnel.

Torture, including the use of rape as a weapon of war.

Unlawful and arbitrary detention of civilians.

Unjustified displacement and transfer of civilians.

Intimidation, harassment and persecution of all religious groups other than adherents of the historically Moscow-aligned Ukrainian Orthodox church.

Intimidation and violence against journalists and new laws prohibiting and penalising the dissemination of information in support of Ukraine.

Forcible dispersal by the Russian military of peaceful protests in occupied towns and cities.

Destruction, looting and expropriation of property.

Suppression of the Ukrainian language in schools and indoctrination of Ukrainian schoolchildren.

Transfer to Russia, and in many cases, the adoption there of Ukrainian children.

Boy, 13, arrested after Rancho fire raced through dry brush in Laguna Beach and forced evacuation of about 100 homes

A 13-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of setting off fireworks that sparked a wildfire this week in coastal southern California, forcing the evacuations of about 100 canyon homes, authorities said.

Crews with air support protected residences from the Rancho fire as flames raced through dry brush on Monday afternoon in Laguna Beach. It was held to 4 acres (1.6 hectares) with no damage to structures.

• Ghana attacker will sign six-year deal subject to medical

• West Ham want at least six signings and must raise funds

Tottenham have reached an agreement to sign Mohammed Kudus from West Ham for £54.5m.

Kudus is due to undergo a medical on Thursday and will sign a six-year deal. The Ghana attacker will become the first player to leave West Ham for Spurs since Scott Parker in 2011.