The First Minister said that departing Clarke has ‘so much to be proud of’ from his time as head coach.

John Swinney has said he is “sorry” to see Scotland’s head coach Steve Clarke step down following the team’s exit from this year’s football World Cup.

The Dark Blues won their opening match at the tournament, a first World Cup win since 1990, but with two defeats and a minus-three goal difference it was not enough to secure a place in the last 32 of the competition.

News of Clarke’s departure came shortly after Croatia’s 2-1 win over Ghana on Saturday confirmed Scotland’s exit from the tournament.

Clarke led Scotland to three out of the last four major tournaments and it was the national team’s first appearance in the World Cup finals since 1998.

Writing on X, the First Minister paid tribute to Clarke for what he had achieved in the role. “I am sorry to hear that Steve Clarke has stood down as Head Coach @ScotlandNT,” the message read.

“He has taken the team and the country on an exciting journey to reach the World Cup for the first time in 28 years and he has so much to be proud of. I wish him well for the future.”

Mr Swinney also reposted Clarke’s open letter to supporters, calling it “a fantastic, loving message to Scotland”.

The three-page letter, entitled Bye-Bye Scotland, finished with the words: “The most emotional part of this goodbye is for my players, without whom we wouldn’t have had any of the memories that we’ve accumulated from 2019 until now.

“They deserve all the praise and adulation that they receive and it was truly an honour to be called their gaffer. Thanks for having me and good luck to my successor.”

Imagine Louth or Monaghan in an All-Ireland final.

It sounds improbable.

Then again, so did this quarter-final line-up a few months ago.

Neither side will fear the other.

Louth are chasing a first semi-final since 1957. Monaghan are pursuing another breakthrough in what has become a remarkably resilient era for the county.

And that is what makes this fascinating.

The winner won’t merely dream of a semi-final.

The winner will look at the draw and start dreaming much bigger.

Nobody would fancy facing Kerry.

Nobody would relish Galway.

But if the path leads elsewhere, why not?

Why not Louth?

Why not Monaghan?

If either Monaghan nor Louth win their next two games, they will become the unlikeliest All-Ireland finalists since the Antrim hurlers reached the 1989 final.

That is why this weekend feels so intriguing.

The favourites remain.

But so do the possibilities.

Norway’s defence minister, Tore Sandvik, recently warned that Russia must not be allowed to control the Bear Gap. This is a stretch of water that runs roughly 400 miles between Bear Island in the southernmost portion of the Svalbard archipelago and Cape North on Norway’s northern mainland. It serves as the geographical boundary point where the shallow Barents Sea meets the much deeper Norwegian Sea.

Russia has long sought to control the Bear Gap. Control of the waterway would give Russian submarines easier access to the Norwegian Sea, where complex acoustic conditions make detection much harder for Nato forces. From there, Sandvik warned these submarines would be able to threaten Nato countries such as the UK and Denmark directly with hypersonic missiles, which have an operational range of up to 1,500km.

There is also a defensive element to controlling the Bear Gap. From the 1970s onwards, Soviet and later Russian doctrine has emphasised what is termed a “bastion strategy”. Russia has sought to create heavily defended perimeters in and around the Kola Peninsula in its far north-west to protect its ballistic missile and nuclear-attack submarines in “bubbles” close to home waters.

Russia’s northern fleet, which is based near the port city of Murmansk in the northern part of the Kola Peninsula, accounts for two-thirds of its naval nuclear strike capabilities. Thus, Russia sees control of the Bear Gap as key to ensuring Nato forces are kept out of the area and unable to threaten the northern fleet.

Currently, no one controls the Bear Gap. But Russian activities in the area have become more assertive over the past few years. Russia’s strategy to establish control over this stretch of water seems to depend, fundamentally, on destabilising Norway. Three elements loom large.

First, Russia has been intensifying its GPS jamming operations off the coast of northern Norway in recent years. These activities make the airspace in the region hazardous for military and civilian aircraft, especially during the winter when darkness is the norm. Norway has responded by establishing three monitoring stations for detecting GPS disturbances in the region.

Second, Russia has used disinformation campaigns to frame Norway as an aggressive force. Russia’s state-owned news agency, Tass, reported in April that Ukrainian troops were training with the Norwegian special forces to prepare “terrorist attacks” against Russian ships travelling to and from Murmansk.

Norway has been actively training Ukrainian soldiers since the start of the war in Ukraine in 2022. But there is no evidence that this training is intended to support Ukrainian attacks on Russian maritime traffic in Arctic waters.

And third, Russia has engaged in provocative behaviour in and around the Bear Gap by carrying out military exercises designed to simulate the targeting of Nato assets. Despite the demands currently placed on Russian forces due to the war in Ukraine, these exercises are usually operated at considerable scale with the intention to intimidate.

In July 2025, Russia carried out a naval exercise that involved live missile firing in a vast exclusion zone, some of which extended into Norwegian territorial waters. And in March 2026, Russia’s northern fleet carried out a test of its Oniks anti-ship cruise missile over the Barents Sea, which travelled 300km to its target at sea. Russia released video imagery of the test-fire but did not confirm its exact location.

Svalbard

Russia’s approach to establishing a dominating influence over the Bear Gap is not solely focused on harassing mainland Norway. Just north of the waterway is the Norwegian territory of Svalbard. In January 2022, Russia was widely suspected of damaging undersea fiber-optic cables connecting Svalbard to mainland Norway.

Russia also regularly harangues Norway about its management of this remote territory. The 1920 Svalbard Treaty, which established Norway as the governing authority of the archipelago, prohibits the construction of fortifications there and stipulates that Svalbard cannot be used for “war-like purposes”.

However, Russia frequently complains about what it sees as Norway’s militarisation of the archipelago. Although there is no permanent military base on Svalbard, Russia argues that Norway is violating the 1920 treaty through naval patrols of the surrounding waters as well as the periodic travel of Norwegian armed forces personnel to the islands.

Russia also maintains that Norwegian satellite infrastructure on Svalbard violates the treaty due to its potential to be used for military as well as scientific means.

If Russia is hell-bent on securing Bear Gap dominance, then its long-coveted acquisition of Svalbard could be accelerated to complete this task. One way of achieving this would be to continue complaining that Norway is breaching the terms and conditions of the 1920 Svalbard Treaty.

They might even hope to provoke Norwegian military overreach, which then provides the pretext to act directly to protect Svalbard’s small Russian-speaking community in the town of Barentsburg. The fact that the archipelago is covered by Nato’s collective defence commitment acts as a major deterrent here.

But, regardless, the threat of Russian aggression is something Norway is seemingly very aware of. In January 2025, a Norwegian white paper warned of “Russia’s willingness to use military force to achieve political goals” and called for “total preparedness throughout Norway to strengthen the resilience of the entire population”.

Russia appears to be stepping up its efforts to establish control over the Bear Gap. Preventing it from doing so is a truly daunting task for Nato forces such as Norway and the UK.

Eleven people ⁠have been killed in a plane crash in France.

The aircraft crashed in the ⁠town ​of Tomblaine, a suburb of Nancy, in northeastern France ⁠on Sunday, the local ​prefecture ⁠said.

The plane ‌belonged to a parachutist school. ‌The pilot and all ‌10 passengers – five students and ⁠five instructors – died in the accident, the prefecture said.

The incident happened just after 11am.

The French interior minister was on his ‌way to ​the scene, the ‌interior ⁠ministry said.

Police have reportedly urged people to avoid the area around the airport in the Meurthe-et-Moselle region. Meurthe-et-Moselle national police posted on social media requesting people to “Imperatively avoid the Salvador Allende Street area entirely.”

It added: “To keep access clear for emergency services and law enforcement, do not go to the scene. Thank you for facilitating their intervention.”

A map of Tomblaine, France:

The Meurthe-et-Moselle prefecture confirmed the crash involved a civilian aircraft which departed from the Nancy-Essey aerodrome.

Adding: “An incident is currently underway in the municipality of Tomblaine involving a civil aircraft that took off from Nancy-Essey aerodrome.

“Yves SÉGUY, prefect of Meurthe-et-Moselle, has decided to activate the departmental operational center (COD) in the presence of all operational services in order to ensure real-time monitoring of the event. The prefect is on site.”

The nursery has been rated ‘strong standard’ in all areas assessed by Ofsted in its latest inspection

A nursery has been rated ‘strong standard’ in all areas accessed by Ofsted. Flying Start Montessori in Fowlmere has been praised by inspectors for creating a “home-from-home” feeling at the setting where children “love to learn”.

The nursery, on Long Lane, underwent an Ofsted inspection in May 2026 and has been rated as at a ‘strong standard’ across six areas. These areas are: achievement, behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines, children’s welfare and wellbeing, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, and leadership and governance.

Inspectors praised the school, which caters to children aged between six months and five years old, for its “highly effective settling procedures” where “leaders and the staff team create a home-from-home feeling at the setting”.

The report, published on June 18, emphasises that “leaders have high expectations for all children” and “maintain regular, meaningful communication with parents”.

The report states: “All children feel relaxed and happy in the warm and inviting environment created by staff. They carefully consider what each individual child needs to feel at home. This promotes the wellbeing of all children. All children feel confident.”

Inspectors also praised leaders’ for having an “excellent overview of the well-designed, ambitious curriculum and ensure that staff implement it well”. This means that the pupils make “excellent progress” and are “well prepared for the next stage of learning, including starting school”.

The report adds: “Children at the setting love to learn. They are excited when staff join them at activities, questioning them and always wanting to know more.

“Older children delight as they are able to enter the ‘workstation’ independently, something which they have to earn. Children have secure relationships with all staff across the setting.”

A spokesperson for Flying Start Montessori said: ““It’s always great to have such positive feedback – it’s the staff, the children and our families which make the nursery what it is.

“Our success is down to the dedication and compassion of the staff. This, coupled together with the unfaltering trust that our parents have in us, means that we can work together to teach our children to be their best selves.”

Frida: The Making of an Icon at Tate Modern is the first major interrogation of the Mexican painter Frida Kahlo’s legacy in London for 25 years. It already has more advance sales than any exhibition in Tate history.

The title puts the visitor on first name terms with someone who died in 1954. Yet despite the many privileged glimpses into Kahlo’s life, from photographs, to objects, and – of course – her work, the show is more about ubiquity than intimacy.

The opening sections of the show are brilliant. Immediately to the left of the entrance are two photographs taken by Kahlo’s father when the painter was 18. In one, she is seated in ¾ profile, wearing a dress and holding a book, if not withdrawn, thoughtful. In the other she is pictured with her sisters and their cousins. She stands, slightly taller, in the centre, dressed in one of her father’s suits, one hand in her pocket. She stares out of the picture, with an outwardly directed intensity.

The photographs were taken just months after Kahlo was involved in a bus accident that resulted in a life of periodic surgery. This trauma, among others, is a motif in her work. The seated Kahlo tucks her damaged right leg behind the other; the standing Kahlo holds a walking stick in her right hand. These two images contain the promise of the show: suffering, introversion, defiance, self-presentation, representation and our understanding of these acts today.

Here there are several self-portraits that chart the development of Kahlo’s artistic voice. Her first, Self-Portrait (in a Velvet Dress) (1926) shows a debt to European influence, a synthesis of Italian Mannerism and Art Nouveau. Much more direct and disturbing is the charismatic Self-Portrait with Loose Hair (1947). The background is a slab of the volcanic rock of her homeland. This has the effect of dramatically compressing the implicit space between the image and the viewer: it’s a powerfully psychological presentation of her own creation.

But Frida: The Making of an Icon is not really an exhibition of Kahlo’s work. It is a cataloguing of her legacy. There are only 30 or so works by the artist herself, but very many more by her contemporaries and her successors. It is rich and rewarding to see her work in the context of her Mexican contemporaries, among them Olga Costa and the melancholy Manuel Rodríguez Lozano. It helps to ground Kahlo’s work, showing it, as it were, in its first moment.

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There is a similarly rewarding collection of her Surrealist contemporaries: the sparkling canvas by Jacqueline Lamba, Untitled (For Frida) of 1944 is a joy.

As the show demonstrates, Kahlo’s work has been adopted by an astonishingly heterodox group of marginalised people. She is a symbol of the power of self-invention on one’s own terms, even – or especially – in adversity.

Later sections are given to her influence on art and activism, from feminist, to queer and disabled practice. By showing Kahlo alongside artists like Berenice Olmedo, whose work uses prosthetics to reframe the human as “an open process of self-construction”, as Olmedo puts it in the catalogue, or Martine Gutierrez’s exploration of trans identity, or Las Yeguas del Apocalipsis, whose 1989 restaging of Kahlo’s Las dos Fridas exercised queer visibility at the height of the Aids epidemic, the curators show how salient Kahlo’s example is to other artists – artists whose work might otherwise not be seen by a gallery-going public.

Agency and the afterlife

The development of bodily and artistic autonomy is a thread running through the show. But it is not uncomplicated. Even in the first part of the exhibition, there’s a sequence of photographs by her friend, the dealer Julien Levy, that strike an off-note. These expose Kahlo naked from the waist up, un-tressing her hair. The photographs feel voyeuristic, strikingly not self-composed, vulnerable and not on her own terms. She appears to have little agency here – she has either given it to him, or he’s taken it from her.

As I made my way through the later, post-mortem parts of the exhibition, given over to documenting the many homages, quotations and reinterpretations of her work, my mind came back to these photographs.

With laudable scholarly thoroughness, the curators map the many empowering gifts that Kahlo’s legacy provides. But there is another side to this exchange. Toward the end of the show, I felt that Kahlo was not being honoured, but bleached. Post-mortem, what agency can Kahlo exercise, as her image is endlessly remade?

Artistic legacies are always collaborative. The work an artist leaves behind is kept vital through reinterpretation, critical study, homage, collection and display. There are few artists who have given the world such a recognisable image and such an open proposition. It is now more than 70 years since Kahlo’s death, and the show’s centre of gravity is not in Kahlo’s work – but rather in what happened next.

As the visitor moves toward the final room, a display of folk art adoptions of her image and somewhat tasteless merch, they are primed to exercise their wallet in the gift shop. The show fulfils its stated purpose, mapping the artist’s evolution from person, to icon, to global brand. By the end, her image is fully detached from her person – a hollow sign into which we might read anything we want.

Frida: The Making of an Icon is at Tate Modern from June 25 to January 3 2027

The incidents, all believed to have been started deliberately, occurred between January and June this year, while County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service (CDDFRS) confirmed it had recorded a total of 3,103 arsons in the whole of 2025.

Billy McAloon, station manager at CDDFRS, said: “During the school holidays and when the weather is nice, we typically see a spike in the number of deliberate incidents we attend.

“We want to remind young people and members of the public that setting fire to things like grass or bins is not a game.

“What may start as a moment of mischief can quickly escalate into a serious incident, putting lives, homes, businesses and the environment at risk.”

The warning comes ahead of Anti-social Behaviour (ASB) Awareness Week, which runs from June 29 to July 5.

It also comes as warm, dry weather increases the risk of wildfires spreading quickly.

Mr McAloon said: “When firefighters are called to extinguish preventable fires, it can delay their ability to respond to other emergencies, including house fires, road traffic collisions and incidents where lives may be at immediate risk.”

Firefighters have visited more than 70 schools so far this year to educate young people about the dangers of arson.

They have also worked with police and other partners to carry out walkabouts in hotspot areas for deliberate fires.

As part of ASB Awareness Week, residents can meet fire crews at Darlington Fire Station on Monday, June 29 between 1pm and 3pm, and at South Park on Wednesday, July 1 from 10am to 12pm.

Mr McAloon urged parents to talk to children about the risks, warning that arson is a criminal offence that could impact future education and job prospects.

David Gray, Durham County Council’s health and safety compliance manager, said: “What may seem like a bit of fun or a harmless game, can quickly put lives at risk.

“It’s important that young people are aware of the dangers of setting fires, no matter how small they may be.

“During this hot and dry weather, these can quickly spiral out of control and lead to serious incidents.”

A 22-year-old has been arrested on suspicion of murder after the death of another man who was initially found injured on a street.

Dyfed-Powys Police said the man died “despite the best efforts of paramedics” called to Church Street, Welshpool, Powys, in the early hours.

“Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones,” said the force.

“There will be an additional police presence in the area over the coming days as the investigation continues.”

Another man remains in custody while investigations continue.

Church Street has been closed while officers carry out inquiries in the area.

The force has yet to reveal any further details.

Monica Lennon, who lost her seat at last month’s Holyrood election, has previously called for Scottish Labour to break away from the UK party.

Andy Burnham should not be viewed as a “messiah” who can instantly change Scottish Labour’s fortunes after another Holyrood election “disaster”, a former MSP has said.

Monica Lennon suggested the party north of the Border needed “more control over our own destiny” after it suffered a fifth consecutive defeat in a Scottish Parliament poll to the SNP.

Burnham is now widely expected to succeed Keir Starmer as the new UK Labour leader next month, with the PM last week announcing his intention to quit Downing Street.

Lennon, who was one of several Labour MSPs to lose their seats in May, blamed Starmer for the SNP’s victory and claimed “the Scottish election disaster was made in Downing Street”.

She recently campaigned on Burnham’s behalf in the Makerfield by-election, which saw the former Manchester mayor romp to victory ahead of Reform UK.

Lennon said: “On the doors, it felt like people had a connection with Andy Burnham. He’s been on a journey, and he has perhaps evolved his views, but I think his values have remained constant.

“His skills, which differ from Keir Starmer, are that Andy Burnahm is comfortable being a politician, is comfortable listening to people, and letting people know why he’s changed his mind. Perhaps it is a new era for the Labour party.

“Sadly for Keir Starmer, he is ending his time in Government as a deeply unpopular Prime Minister. I don’t think anyone in the Labour movement takes any joy from that. But the party will have to move on.

“For me, it’s not just about changing the leader in Downing Street. The Scottish election disaster was made in Downing Street, but Andy Burnham is not a messiah.”

Lennon, who unsuccessfully challenged Anas Sarwar for the Scottish Labour leadership in 2020, has previously suggested the party north of the Border should consider separating itself from the UK operation in order to end SNP accusations it is little more than a “branch office”.

She continued: “Keir Starmer was the issue. Anyone who knocked doors for Scottish Labour could not get beyond how disappointed people were. They expected better from Labour and there was a frustration the pace of change was too slow.

“But at the end of day, even if people liked our policies, they couldn’t get beyond Keir Starmer.”

Lennon said Scottish Labour was now undertaking a “big review” which would ask “searching questions” on big issues such as its position on the constitution and an IndyRef2.

She added: “It’s not for Andy Burnham, or a leader of UK Labour to decide, what we need to do within Scottish Labour is have more control over our own destiny.”

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Asked if it meant Scottish Labour breaking away from the UK party, Lennon added: “That’s an option. Nothing is off the table. People have read my views over the years.

“But we have an opportunity over the summer for Scottish Labour to come together and make sure we don’t shy away from responsibility.”

Melanie Sykes has shared a new look with social media followers after previously revealing that her alopecia diagnosis had left her ‘two-thirds bald.’

Earlier this weekend, the former TV presenter, 55, posted a video to Instagram showing the sides of her head, where large patches of hair have disappeared as she continues to deal with ongoing health problems.

Lying on her back, Sykes slowly turned her head from side to side to reveal the areas affected by alopecia, simply captioning the clip: ‘#Liberty.’

The update came more than a year after the broadcaster first revealed she had been diagnosed with alopecia – as well as a heart condition and widespread inflammation, which she has linked to prolonged stress and PTSD.

In a follow-up to her social media, Sykes has revealed an all-new look, sharing a beaming selfie in which she is now completely bald.

She captioned the post simply ‘Loss + Gain = Life.’

Sykes’ post came accompanied with several hashtags, which included the words ‘wise,’ ’tistime,’ ‘sage,’ ‘yogi’ and ‘smile.’

Earlier this year, she told followers that only the hair on the crown of her head remained, explaining: ‘My crown is pretty much what’s left of my hair now and how healthy it is.

‘I do get cold however, hence my beanie and various headwear but I’m learning to live with “loss” and counting my blessings instead.

‘It’s not always easy to be grateful, but it is the key to happiness and takes daily, moment-to-moment practice. Practice love.’

Despite the challenges, Sykes has repeatedly spoken about focusing on her recovery and maintaining a positive outlook.

Speaking to fans towards the end of last year, she revealed she was experiencing what is known as ‘post-traumatic growth’ – the positive psychological changes that can follow periods of trauma.

‘Even the most difficult times do pass, they do,’ she said.

‘You can be suffering from PTSD but still at the same time be experiencing post-traumatic growth.

‘I’m in both camps because you can be both things at once… We can transcend all trauma, we can be changed, and I am living f******g proof of that.’

Sykes first revealed the extent of her hair loss in 2025, explaining she had lost around half of her hair as well as much of one eyebrow.

She later said the condition had progressed further, telling followers she had become ‘two-thirds bald’ while continuing to battle excessive inflammation throughout her body.

At the time, she also opened up about developing heart palpitations, which she believed were triggered by the stress surrounding allegations made against her former television colleague Gino D’Acampo, who has denied wrongdoing.

The former radio presenter, who previously revealed her experience with Gregg Wallace led her to quit TV, and has spoken out against the BBC and ITV in the past, presented ITV’s Let’s Do Lunch with Gino between 2011 and 2014.

‘I’m not well, as you know. I’ve been ill all year,’ she said in a video update earlier this year.

‘I’ve got an autoimmune condition, I am losing my hair, I keep having crazy inflammation all over and I am working on healing.’

Rather than dwelling on her diagnosis, Sykes said she has turned to meditation and spirituality as part of her recovery, even completing a meditation teacher training course.

She has also encouraged fans not to worry about her, insisting she has learned to prioritise her own wellbeing after stepping away from television.

Sykes, who rose to fame in the iconic Boddingtons Bitter adverts before fronting shows including The Big Breakfast, Today with Des and Mel and Let’s Do Lunch with Gino & Mel, left the entertainment industry after receiving an autism diagnosis in 2021.

‘My late diagnosis of autism has changed my life for the better,’ she previously said. ‘For once, I come first.’

MORE: Melanie Sykes reveals photo of extreme alopecia after going ‘two-thirds bald’