The mother of France head coach Didier Deschamps passed away earlier this week.

FIFA have rejected France’s request to wear black armbands in tribute to Didier Deschamps’ mother who died earlier this week. Les Bleus head coach will be absent from their final group match against Norway on Friday (8pm kick-off) as he attends her funeral.

A minute’s silence will be held before kick-off in Massachusetts, according to RMC Sport, who say that the observed tribute will be for the victims of the earthquake in Venezuela, where the death toll has risen to 920. France have already qualified and can round off their group stage with maximum points if they beat Norway, Guy Stephan will step-in for Deschamps in his absence.

The French Football Federation released a statement on Tuesday confirming that the World Cup-winning manager had returned home from the United States.

It read: “Didier Deschamps will not be able ⁠to oversee training sessions ahead of the Norway v France match. He will also be absent from the bench for Friday’s final Group I game.

“The national team coach learned this morning of the death of ‌his ⁠mother and will return to France to attend her funeral.

“In agreement with Philippe Diallo, president of the French Football Federation, who is ⁠currently at the France team’s base camp, Deschamps has entrusted assistant coach Guy Stephan with responsibility ⁠for leading the squad until his return.”

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Stephan will oversee France’s final group match against a much-changed Norway, who made 10 changes with Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard dropping to the bench. Kylian Mbappe has played an inspirational role for France at the World Cup with a brace in each of their opening two wins over Senegal and Iraq.

The experienced assistant has been Deschamps’ right-hand man for 17 years after joining the 57-year-old at Marseille. It will be Stephans’ first time in the dugout since he took charge of Senegal at the 2002 World Cup.

FIFA have been approached for comment.

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Emergency services were called to Bradley Lane shortly after 12.50pm, with four fire engines attending the scene.

A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) said: “Shortly after 12:50 this afternoon (Friday, June 26), four fire engines from Bolton Central, Bolton North and Farnworth were called to reports of a commercial building fire on Bradley Lane.

“Firefighters arrived quickly and used six breathing apparatus, three hose reels, cutting away gear to extinguish the fire.

“Three casualties were transferred into the care of North West Ambulance Service.

“Firefighters were in attendance for around 2 hours and 30 minutes.”

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) said crews from Bolton North and Farnworth attended the incident shortly after 4pm.

A spokesperson for GMFRS said: “Fire engines from Bolton North and Farnworth attended a domestic fire on Rushey Fold.

“Crews were in attendance for just over 20 minutes to extinguish the fire.

“One occupant had safely left the property prior to their arrival.”

This incident follows two fires yesterday on Derwent Road and Pelham Street, as well as Greater Manchester crews helping with a large-scale operation at Tintwistle Moor.

Mr Khan, on behalf of Amaaz, begins his mitigation.

The defendant comes from a large family ‘in which there are various police officers’, said the KC, referring to a number of references which ‘give an idea of what might have been in his mind’ at the time of the attack.

His brother Mr Amaad described him as a ‘caring’ man who had always helped members of his family. Another reference said he had ‘always been there for the people around him’, while another mentioned his charity work.

Another said the defendant was ‘caring, attentive and always makes sure people around him are ok’.

Another brother, Mohammed Abid, said the defendant had played an important role caring for their mother and was willing to support ‘vulnerable’ family members.

The defendant is the youngest of six siblings and the attack was ‘not what Fahir is’ and it was ‘completely alien to his character’, according to another reference.

The KC said the references showed a man who wanted to ‘right wrongs and had empathy for others’. The defence barrister said his client was ‘perhaps not thinking of the consequences’ when he went to the defence of his mother.

“The instinct is to protect,” he said.

“These offences took place in a context of a young man who wanted to help others,” said Mr Khan, who went on to say the offence was ‘not premeditated’.

I was in Estonia a few summers back and loved what they did with tomatoes, serving them with sweet black bread, radishes, rich cottage cheese and, often, dill. This is a really useful summer salad, very good with salmon, both plain and hot smoked, fish cakes and cheese.

BBC Breakfast expert slammed cereal – and said he tells patients to do something completely different

A doctor has revealed what he consumes for breakfast ‘all the time’ – and how it assists him in losing weight. Dr Rangan Chatterjee, best known for his television programme Doctor in the House and for being the resident doctor on BBC Breakfast and as a regular contributor to BBC Radio, stated people should begin consuming what they eat for dinner much earlier.

Speaking on the Doctor’s Kitchen podcast previously, Dr Chatterjee explained the crucial factor was incorporating some protein as it keeps hunger at bay for longer. He challenged why people have been conditioned into consuming things like ultra-processed cereal for the first meal of the day.

He said: “Who says that these are breakfast foods? And when you really dive into where this all came from and the marketing involved, it’s actually some cereal companies, right? We used to go to India for 6 weeks every other summer. I can still remember my cousins before they went to school, they’d have these big plates. There was like meats, vegetable curries, there was dal, rice, it was like a proper meal.

“And then I noticed after about 10 years you’re going back and like there’s all these adverts from the cereal companies.”

Podcast host Dr Rupi Aujla replied: “There’s that beautiful set of photos where they looked at what kids eat for breakfast around the world. It was done about 10 years ago. I come back to that all the time. What you see in the UK and the US are just these refined sugary cereals, and you definitely see that in certain other countries like Latin America and particularly in Brazil. But then you look at like Asia and it’s just like a hali, you know, like Sri Lanka was like a hali with some. Some I mean that’s the kind of stuff that I would eat for for dinner.”

Dr Chatterjee added: “Yeah, and one of the things I’ve often said to patients to help them with this is eat dinner for breakfast.” Dr Aujla replied: “Yeah, I do that all the time. Yeah, I mean it’s a very simple way because we’ve got this idea of what a breakfast food is, but actually it wasn’t always.”

Dr Aujla explained: “Protein at breakfast is a great strategy to ensure that you’re not overconsuming and improve weight maintenance.”

Refraining from snacking is the secret to maintaining a healthy weight, Dr Chatterjee explained, adding: “I genuinely do not bring food into my house that I don’t want to be consuming. Sweets, chocolates, cakes, I don’t keep them at home. Because there will be an evening when I’m feeling tired and a bit stressed and I will start opening the cupboards and look for something a little bit sweet and all I can see at the moment are whole nuts and olives, and sometimes I’m like, ah, I’m not sure I feel like that at the moment. No it’s not really what I wanted. Yeah. So, again, in terms of what is practical for many people and my biases, the patients I’ve seen over the years. I think not using your willpower in your house is a great tool.

“And also, I think a lot of these principles depend where you’re at on your journey. Right, if you’re used to having loads of ultra processed foods, and that’s, you know, making up 70% of your diet, as it is for many people. Actually, to reset, maybe for a few months you don’t want that stuff anywhere near you, so it can, it can help you reset your taste buds, not be tempted.

“Yeah, think about it another way, and we don’t like to think about food in this way, but let’s say you were an alcoholic, right, and you were struggling with your alcohol consumption. And you recognise that and you start to get help. I think most of us would probably accept that whilst you’re trying to recover from that possibly not the best idea to have loads of beer and wine and booze kicking around in your fridge and in your house.”

Discovery Festival, which was due to be held at Mowden Park on August 8 and 9, has been pushed back to the same weekend next year, organisers have announced. 

The event was due to host 80s Calling on the Saturday, headlined by one-half of synth-pop duo Soft Cell Marc Almond, followed by DJs Sigma and The Wanted 2.0 on the Sunday.

Bosses of the event said that rising costs and other events, such as Radio 1’s Big Weekend in Sunderland in May, has had a “huge impact”.

It said this has meant that organisers are “not able to deliver the experience you have previously enjoyed with us and we believe you deserve”. 

Marc Almond was due to headline ’80s Calling at Discovery Festival, Darlington in 2026 (Image: Chameleon Music Marketing Ltd)

Ticket holders can now either get a full refund if they can’t attend the 2027 dates – August 7 and August 8 – or can hold on to their ticket and get a free extra complimentary ticket for any day at the festival next year. 

A statement from organisers said: “It is with great disappointment that we must announce the postponement of Discovery Festival, in Darlington 2026. 

“When we planned this event a year ago, none of us could have anticipated the current economic situation and the impact it would have on all our lives, affecting everyone’s disposable income. 

“Despite our best efforts, the combination of rising costs and other events announced locally, particularly BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend which has had a huge impact on the festival and means that this year we are not able to deliver the experience you have previously enjoyed with us and we believe you deserve. 

“Having exhausted all potential alternatives, we have reached the heart-breaking decision to postpone the festival until August 7 to August 8, 2027.

“The full 2027 exciting line ups will be announced shortly, so why not hold on to your tickets and make your decision then! We are all so very sorry, and we truly hope you’ll stay with us for 2027.”

Discovery Festival’s lineup on Saturday featured Level 42, Marc Almond and Heaven 17 while Sunday included Five, Sigma, The Wanted 2.0, XO, and Bjorn Again. 

More than 15,000 people attended the festival in 2025.

When the initial 2026 World Cup schedule was released two years ago, the date of Seattle’s final group-stage contest fashioned an unmissable opportunity. The “Emerald City”, positioned with its exquisite downtown skyline off the Pacific coast in Washington state, is famous for its spectacular Pride celebrations at the end of June. It coincides with the 1969 Stonewall Riots, seen as the catalyst for the liberation of gay people in the United States more than 55 years ago.

For Jen Barnes, founder and CEO of Rough & Tumble – a first-of-its-kind sports bar which promotes gender equity and inclusivity in sports viewing and fandom – Friday is a chance to parade the LGBTQ+ community in perfect harmony with the world’s most popular sport and its greatest show.

“Soccer is the world’s game for a reason,” Barnes, who is co-chair of Seattle’s World Cup Pride+ Match Committee, tells The Independent. “When I think about what it will look like to fans watching from afar and fans who are here experiencing it, I do feel like we are celebrating Pride for the world on that day.

“I think that is really the most important story here.”

And yet, not for the first time at this World Cup, the story is different. What should have been an elaborate celebration of inclusivity has instead turned into another unpalatable political storm. December’s draw in Washington, DC, came and went and, 24 hours later, the matches fell into place.

Which countries would be involved in the first-ever World Cup Pride Match? Iran and Egypt. Two countries with long-standing anti-gay laws and ideology.

In Iran, homosexuality is strictly illegal under Sharia law. Penalties range from flogging to the death penalty. In Egypt, homosexuality is not explicitly outlawed, but LGBTQ+ people experience regular discrimination and violence. Police, via the implementation of vague “debauchery” and “incitement to indecency” laws, regularly persecute and arrest queer people, who can face up to seven years in prison.

In the aftermath of the draw, both countries’ football federations were quick to condemn the rainbow match. Egypt said it “categorically rejects any activities promoting LGBTQ during the match”, citing the “provocation of cultural and religious sensitivities among fans.” Iran’s football federation stated that the event was an “irrational move that supports a certain group.”

Both countries appealed to Fifa, who were quick to wash its hands of any involvement. “I must clarify that there will be no ‘Pride Match’ at the World Cup,” Fifa president Gianni Infantino said in January.

“There will be a Fifa World Cup match in Seattle and, on the same day, events organised by external organisations will be taking place in the city. But that has nothing to do with the match itself.”

There is some inescapable irony here. At the last World Cup in 2022, Fifa insisted any team captains who wore the rainbow “OneLove” armbands, as England’s Harry Kane planned to, would receive yellow cards due to it being a “political statement”. In protest, the German team memorably covered their mouths in their pre-match team photo.

This time around, on the face of it, there is a very simple alteration Fifa could have made to alleviate any concerns or protests surrounding Friday’s event. The Canadian city of Vancouver plays host to the other Group G match taking place simultaneously on Friday night, with Belgium playing New Zealand: two countries with progressive LGBTQ+ laws.

Why could the two matches not simply have swapped locations? For one thing, it would have removed one of the three obstacles Iran has faced in their myriad US visa issues over the last fortnight. As it turns out, the Iran team have actually been in Seattle since Wednesday, in a match they need a result (and likely a win) to progress to the knockout stage. Mohamed Salah’s Egypt, meanwhile, will top the group with a victory.

Yet typically, common sense did not prevail with the potential city-swap. We are where we are. “I think it’s expected given their rules,” Barnes said, of Iran and Egypt’s protestations. “I’m not sure if disappointed is the right word. Despite Iran and Egypt’s policies, queer people exist everywhere and that’s really the most important part.

“We don’t control the draw. Those are the countries that were drawn. It’s an important moment to make sure that we are uplifting a community that is disenfranchised in certain parts of our world. We’ve really spent a lot of time uplifting the queer community and making sure that our visitors and our fans coming into town feel safe.

“If they are allies, they know they’re in a wonderful place celebrating the queer community. If they are queer themselves, they’re in a safe place and they’re going to have a lot of fun.”

The latest is that Fifa will not stop fans from bringing in rainbow flags to Seattle’s Lumen Field stadium on Friday.

A Fifa spokesperson added: “General statements of human rights, including rainbow flags and other flags representing sexual orientation and gender identity, are permitted under the Fifa World Cup 2026 Stadium Code of Conduct and may be displayed inside stadiums provided they are used in a manner consistent with the code.”

Celebrations across the city, outside of Fifa’s jurisdiction, include “The Unity Loop” – a curated route designed to direct visitors to LGBTQ+-owned restaurants, bars and shops. There will be watch parties across Seattle, including at Barnes’s Rough & Tumble bar, while there will also be rainbow-themed merchandise and social media campaigns.

For Seattle’s Police Department, when combining the Pride celebrations with the expected Iranian regime protests – as seen at Iran’s first two matches in Los Angeles, such as booing of the national anthem – it is set to be quite the operation. There will be heightened security measures, including drones and Coast Guard patrols along the waterfront.

Seattle’s mayor, Katie Wilson, admitted that local law enforcement were “expecting and prepared for protest activity.” Jamie Pedersen, the state senator and one of several openly gay members of the Washington State Legislature, added: “If you tried to import a pride celebration into Egypt or Iran, obviously that could be a disaster.

“But in a community like Seattle that prides itself on welcoming people from all over, I just can’t imagine that it’s going to be a significant problem.”

And Barnes, ahead of an event which has been four years in the making, concurred: “What I really do anticipate is purely a celebration of soccer and inclusion. We’ve worked really closely with our Iranian-American community and our Egyptian-American community here. Seattle is such a welcoming community for our LGBTQ+ fans and those who live here.”

As for the legacy of the Pride Match, there is even hope that the event could take place at the 2030 World Cup, held in Spain, Portugal and Morocco. “I absolutely hope that this is something that gets carried forward,” she added. “There are queer human beings everywhere on this planet. There’s no reason not to be inclusive of a huge portion of our fan base and our athletes themselves.”

ChatGPT maker OpenAI said Friday it is restricting the release of its new artificial intelligence model at the request of President Donald Trump’s administration, the latest in an unprecedented government vetting of AI products that could pose cybersecurity risks.

OpenAI said its new AI product, called GPT-5.6 Sol, would only be available for now to a “small group of trusted partners” approved by the Trump administration.

“We don’t believe this kind of government access process should become the long-term default,” OpenAI said in a statement. The company said it viewed the testing period as a temporary step on the “path to broader availability in the coming weeks.”

OpenAI’s staggered release of a powerful new AI system follows actions the government took earlier this month against OpenAI rival Anthropic, maker of the Claude chatbot.

Anthropic took offline two new AI models, known as Fable 5 and Mythos 5, just days after publicly releasing them to comply with a Trump directive blocking their use by foreign nationals.

Officials have grown increasingly concerned since Anthropic warned earlier this year that its Mythos model was adept at finding flaws in software in a way that could be weaponized by malicious hackers and threaten critical computer networks around the world.

Trump earlier in June signed an executive order on AI oversight that established a framework for the federal government to vet the national security risks of the most advanced AI systems for up to 30 days before their public release. The order described participation by AI developers as voluntary but the framework has not yet been fully developed.

OpenAI said its new Sol model “is better at helping people find and fix vulnerabilities” than it is at carrying out cyberattacks and does not cross the company’s own risk threshold. But it acknowledged there could be unforeseen risks especially if its model is combined with other tools.

“That uncertainty, along with the model’s broader step change in capabilities, is why we are pairing the model’s increased capabilities with stronger safeguards and a phased release,” the company said Friday.

The new station is expected to service around 1.8 million passengers a year

A new train station opens in Cambridge this weekend, after facing delays. Cambridge South station will welcome its first passengers on Sunday, June 28.

The opening comes after much delay, with the date being pushed back twice. The first delay was in February last year, after a sub-contractor went into administration and this led to a second delay.

Cambridge South will be the first station under the Great British Railways, a new public sector body that will overlook Britain’s railways. Emily Heria, senior sponsor on behalf of GBR Anglia, spoke earlier this week about the station opening.

She said: “We are all so excited to open the new station on Sunday, June 28 and can’t wait to welcome our first customers and see their reaction to their new railway station. We hope they will be as proud of their new station as we are to have built it.”

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: “The newly opened Cambridge South station cuts journey times, improves access to jobs, and makes everyday life that little bit easier for thousands of people.

“This £250 million investment means a journey that once took over an hour – involving a train, a bus, and a walk – is now a single 45-minute direct train from London. That’s a real, tangible difference in people’s lives.“With up to 20 services in peak hours connecting passengers to London, Birmingham, Stansted, and beyond, Cambridge South will connect people with opportunities across the region and the wider country. This is Great British Railways in action.”

Ahead of its Sunday opening, here is all you need to know about Cambridge South station.

Where will the station be?

The new station will be situated next to the Cambridge Biomedical Campus and Addenbrooke’s Hospital.

What trains will run through the station?

Once it’s open, the station will welcome up to nine trains per hour. These will run from Cambridge, with direct services to London King’s Cross, London Liverpool Street, Birmingham New Street, Brighton, Gatwick Airport and Stansted Airport.

The services will be run by Greater Anglia, Great Northern, Thameslink and Cross Country, and up to 20 services an hour will call at the station during peak times. Passengers will also be able to make use of a 45 minute direct train to and from London.

What will the station feature?

The station will feature a green roof with solar panels, and a rainwater collection system with a wildflower environment.

It’ll also be connected to the local cycle network, and will have 1000 spaces for cycle parking, as well as blue badge bays. It’s right next to the guided busway system, giving passengers more sustainable travel options around the city.

How much has the station cost?

The station has been mainly funded by a £250 million Government investment. There was also a combined £5 million in contributions from AstraZeneca, Cambridge and Peterborough Combined Authority, and the Greater Cambridgeshire Partnership.

It’s estimated to serve 1.8 million passengers a year.