This was a fitting race with a thrilling finale to end Zandvoort’s six-race stint on the F1 calendar, though home hero Verstappen’s participation ended before he crossed the finish line at the end of the first lap.

Exiting the final corner, still damp from a heavy shower 30 minutes before, he put a tyre onto the white lines on the inside. He lost control of his Red Bull, smashing into one barrier at the top of the track before rolling to a standstill, destroyed, at the bottom of it. The race was stopped for more than 30 minutes.

As for the championship leader? This was arguably Antonelli’s poorest weekend in recent memory, yet he managed to find a way to finish ahead of Russell for the eighth time in 12 rounds in 2026. That, too, sums up his season. His hopes of a home victory at Monza, though, will be dented by the news that he will take a hefty grid penalty for a power-unit change.

“In theory our calculations say that’s the best track to take it – obviously algorithms do not take nationality into consideration, but we are here to fight for the championship and not get the most PR,” Toto Wolff, the Mercedes team principal, joked after the race.

The way this season has gone, the final two races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi will be cancelled, and, as rumoured, the finale will be held in Imola. It could be that Antonelli is crowned champion – or enjoys a victory lap – at a track just 25 miles from his Bologna birthplace. How fitting that could be.

Verstappen ‘caught out’ by conditions in front of home crowd

For over a decade, children in year six – the final year of primary school in England – have taken the grammar, punctuation and spelling test as part of their Key Stage 2 Standard Assessment Tests (Sats). This GPS test has shaped how grammar is taught in primary schools.

It is mostly a multiple-choice questionnaire test with some short answer questions. It tests pupils’ knowledge of grammar, punctuation and spelling rather than their ability to write.

The GPS test was introduced in 2013 as part of wider curriculum reforms to raise writing standards. It focuses on a vast array of grammatical terms, and uses decontextualised examples that do not represent the complexity of everyday language. For example: “The lion approached silently as the zebra rested in the grass.”

This test has been criticised for narrowing the curriculum. Because the results affect how schools perform in league tables, teachers prioritise GPS content, rather than teaching grammar in context to reading and writing.

It also risks encouraging “teaching to the test” – children learn how to answer test questions, rather than the wider uses of grammar. This finding is supported by a number of studies including my recent thesis.

Rote learning

While the GPS test improves pupils’ ability to talk about grammar and spot grammatical features, it does not necessarily improve the quality of their writing. Pupils are not applying their grammar knowledge in writing.

This is important, given the government’s proposal to change the test. The Department for Education’s 2025 review of the the national curriculum and assessment states that the GPS should include “new tasks to more effectively assess writing composition and the use of grammar and punctuation”. The government therefore accepts that the GPS test isn’t doing its job.

Spanning a ten‑year period, my research adds to the limited amount of analysis on the GPS test. It explores the gap between what pupils can identify about language and what they can do in writing, highlighting the wider tension between policy expectations and classroom reality.

I analysed 29 pupils’ GPS scores, alongside a sample of their writing, at Key Stage 2 (age 10-11) and Key Stage 4, before they took their GCSEs. While the test boosts pupils’ knowledge of grammar and punctuation, this doesn’t automatically lead to better writing. I found common errors in pupils’ writing, such as basic errors with full stops, capital letters and commas.

Both samples included many run-on sentences and sentence fragments. This shows that pupils have a lack of understanding of clauses and sentence structures, despite the same pupils having little difficulty answering questions related to these aspects in the test.

One way the GPS test has been successful is in bringing grammar back into the curriculum. Teaching grammar can no longer be avoided – which is what previously led to the “grammarless generation” after the 1960s, when grammar disappeared from the English curriculum due to research at that time calling its usefulness into dispute. This led to decades of confusion over the usefulness of grammar teaching.

Training needed

Despite the requirement to teach grammar, training for teachers is lacking. Many have reported being self-taught since the implementation of the test.

PGCE programmes are not obliged to teach grammar, unlike phonics, despite its statutory requirement. Subject knowledge enhancement courses, designed to help trainee teachers gain skills before beginning a teacher training course, are not currently available in English language. The system assumes trainee teachers have mastered this knowledge before they start their training.

Teachers have gained skills as a result of the GPS test, but the test itself is not an effective means of helping pupils to become better writers. It leads to teaching for the test and teaching grammar in isolation, taking away opportunities for teaching grammar in context to reading and writing through exploration, discovery and playing with language.

The government’s call for evidence has found that the content at primary level is too “theoretical”. More advanced content could be covered at secondary level.

This suggestion was supported by linguist Michael Halliday, who was a major proponent of the idea that grammar should be a source of “making meaning” – a creative tool for making linguistic choices, rather than a set of prescriptive rules to be learnt by rote.

Primary education should focus on discovering grammatical features through a process of exploration and experimentation. Pupils would be introduced to the basics at meaningful and relevant points.

Ten years of the GPS test has shown that pupils can learn grammar without becoming better writers. As the government rethinks how grammar and writing should be tested, it has an opportunity to bridge the gap between knowledge and application.

It is not enough to test knowledge. Pupils must understand how to apply the tools of grammar to crafting a piece of writing.

The back of England rugby’s shirts will carry a sponsor’s name for the first time after Lloyds Bank struck a lucrative new partnership with the Rugby Football Union (RFU).

The multi-million pound per year deal will see the bank’s famous black horse logo and name emblazoned above the player names on the kits of England’s men and women, beginning with the Red Roses’ clash with Australia in Manchester this weekend.

The agreement will see Lloyds becomes one of the RFU’s leading partners, with significant investment expected into the community game, and is another significant boost to the union’s finances.

O2 have been England’s front-of-shirt sponsor for 30 years, while Allianz took the naming rights to Twickenham in 2024 in a 10-year sponsorship deal.

“This is a truly significant partnership for the RFU and marks an important moment for rugby in England. Lloyds is one of the country’s most recognised and proudly British brands, and their commitment extends far beyond visibility on the England shirt,” RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney said.

“Together, we have a shared ambition to grow the game from the grass roots up, creating more opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds to play, enjoy and be part of rugby. What makes this relationship particularly exciting is its potential to make a real difference across every level of the game, from local clubs to our England teams.

“Lloyds shares our belief in rugby’s power to bring communities together, and we are delighted to welcome them into the rugby family as we deliver our vision for the future together.”

Many other nations already have back-of-shirt sponsors, while Lloyds will also feature prominently on England’s anthem jackets and training bibs. As per long-term competition regulations, England’s match kit at next year’s World Cup will be shorn of sponsors.

In a further boost to the RFU’s coffers, all three of their warm-up games ahead of that tournament are expected to be held at Twickenham’s Allianz Stadium.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — On the eve of her wedding, Liudmyla Ryzhak pressed her delicately embroidered dress, laid out a full white tulle skirt and her husband’s traditionally patterned shirt, then hung them on the bedroom door.

After repeated delays caused by the war with Russia, she was only hours away from marrying her partner, a Ukrainian soldier, in a ceremony in the capital.

But as the couple slept, a Russian strike hit a warehouse across the street from their building, sending a blast wave through the apartment and threatening to stop the wedding scheduled for Tuesday morning.

The pair was soon digging their wedding clothes out of the rubble. Ryzhak had to pull her skirt from beneath the debris, shaking off pieces of broken glass.

Strike followed visit by US envoys

The strike came soon after U.S. envoys visited Ukraine on Sunday, a trip that brought a lull in Russian attacks. The assaults then resumed with drones and missiles. Explosions were heard in Kyiv for almost five hours overnight. Strikes continued during the day Tuesday.

Like many others in Kyiv, the couple decided the attacks would not derail their lives and forged ahead with the ceremony. It had taken a long time for her fiance, Leonid Ryzhak, to make it back from the front lines in eastern Ukraine.

“If God gave me a continuation of life, then why should I put it off?” the bride said. “For someone, it ended. And who can guarantee this won’t happen again tomorrow? That tomorrow won’t come for us? At least for now, I have the right to be happy. Both him and me.”

Liudmyla and Leonid awoke from the blast, which blew out the apartment’s windows and scattered its furniture. A burned curtain hung in shreds.

Their ears deafened by the explosion, the couple’s only immediate thought was the risk of a second strike. They fled to a shelter with Liudmyla’s 6-year-old daughter and two guinea pigs but without the cat, which had hidden in fright and could not be found.

They were lucky: By the time the second strike hit, they were already safe. The apartment was rendered uninhabitable until repairs are made.

A friendship deepened into love

The two met three years ago through mutual friends, coming together as adults who weren’t looking for anything serious. Both had children from previous marriages.

But the friendship deepened. She supported him through his deployments to the front, and slowly the relationship grew into love. Leonid Ryzhak, who serves as part of a team that deploys bomber drones in the Pokrovsk area, arrived in Kyiv for a long-awaited vacation a week and a half earlier, just as near-constant air-raid alerts and daytime attacks began disrupting life in the capital.

For six days straight, the couple went to the registry office but could not submit their documents because of constant air-raid sirens.

Eventually, ordinary life pulled her back in: The wedding was coming, and the children had to go to school.

More attacks hit as they wait at registry office

Eventually, the two put on their wedding clothes and headed to the registry office.

Leonid tried to keep their spirits up. What mattered most to him, he said, was for his bride to be smiling.

“It’s fine. We’ll get through it,” he said.

When they stepped outside their apartment, the courtyard looked almost apocalyptic, with a column of black smoke rising behind a brightly colored children’s playground. Neighbors clearing debris stopped to congratulate the couple.

“We should all be celebrated, that we survived,” Liudmyla replied.

The couple arrived at the registry office on time, at 10:40 a.m.

Leonid wore an embroidered vyshyvanka, a traditional Ukrainian shirt, with a pattern that matched the one on Liudmyla’s dress.

In place of black dress pants, he wore army trousers — he couldn’t dig his own out of the rubble — and black sneakers with fluorescent yellow soles and laces, for the same reason. Liudmyla’s white tulle overlay had tiny, barely visible holes that were torn as she pulled it out from the rubble and broken glass.

Shortly after they arrived, a siren sounded: Another attack had begun, and the registry office closed for safety. The couple waited in the courtyard, unsure how long it would last.

Explosions echoed nearby as strikes hit surrounding districts and fires broke out. Almost three hours passed before the alert finally ended, and the couple hurried back inside.

Against all odds, they became husband and wife

Just before entering the hall for the ceremony, they paused, trading nervous jokes.

“I didn’t even get to finish the repairs at home,” Leonid joked about their now-wrecked apartment.

“I’ve never had such a spectacular day,” his bride replied.

The ceremony went ahead as the officiant told them, “Love is when two people become a team.”

Moments later, the two were officially married.

“We’re gaining a new life, because we survived,” Liudmyla said. “You could probably call (it) a new life because it could have ended today, and none of this would happen.”

In a different scenario, “I wouldn’t be wearing this dress. Someone would be picking out something else for me instead, something darker.”

Sweden is imagined as the land of equality, modesty and Jantelagen – the unwritten rule that no one should think they are better than anyone else. But there has also been a fascination within Sweden with its billionaires, especially those who abide by these dominant cultural norms.

In the case of Ingvar Kamprad, the founder of furniture giant IKEA, Swedes appreciated that he drove an old car (a Volvo, of course), engaged with employees working on the floor in his stores, and every year personally handed out Christmas gifts. His (some would say strategic) display of ordinariness made people overlook the fact that Kamprad was one of the world’s richest people and had moved to Switzerland to avoid Sweden’s high taxes.

But things have changed. The Wall Street Journal has written about Sweden’s surprising “capitalist makeover” and the Financial Times has reported on the idea the country is “overflowing with billionaires”. And in 2024 The BBC broadcast a documentary podcast called Super-rich Swedes. There are good reasons for their interest.

We think we know Sweden – a peaceful nation grounded in social democracy, natural beauty, IKEA and Abba. But in 2026, is this still the real Sweden? Ahead of the country’s general election on September 13, The Conversation UK has teamed up with its Swedish partner universities for a series of articles examining why this small nation remains so fascinating.

While for a long time Sweden was a country with some of the world’s highest taxes, this no longer applies to capital taxation. For instance, it no longer has a wealth tax, an inheritance tax or a property tax. The ideal of egalitarianism doesn’t seem to align with patterns of wealth accumulation, especially at the very top.

Forbes calculates more than 50 US-dollar billionaires in Sweden. This becomes even more extraordinary in a country of just 10.6 million people.

We used Forbes and UN data and found that in 2025 Sweden ranked fourth globally, with 4.7 dollar billionaires per million people. When excluding micro-states (fewer than one million people), Sweden is outnumbered only by Singapore (9.9), Hong Kong (9.1) and Cyprus (7.3), but before Switzerland (4.6) in fifth place. It ranks much higher than some of the world’s largest economies like the US (2.7), Germany (2.1), Canada (2.0) and the UK (0.8).

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It is difficult to say for sure whether changes in regulation and wealth concentration have altered cultural norms, but there are clear indicators. Younger generations are now expressing strong materialistic values. When they rank what matters in life, earning money comes second to being with friends and far more important than being with family or getting an education.

Young Swedes and adults alike dream of building a “money machine” by investing in stocks so they can exit the labour market long before retirement. This might be surprising to some, since Sweden has long been shaped by a strong work ethic, both politically and culturally.

In research for a yet-to-be published paper, we found Swedish tabloids and business magazines show a remarkable rise in reporting about billionaires. This includes a fascination with their personal lives and framing them in positive terms such as “entrepreneurs”, “investors” and “philanthropists” (rather than “capitalists”, for example).

Awe and suspicion

This does not mean that wealth is no longer a sensitive topic in Sweden. When studying articles about billionaires in one of the country’s leading tabloids, we found an ambivalent form of “wealth porn”. In Sweden “wealth porn” tends to oscillate between celebrating it and questioning the luxurious lifestyles of billionaires.

The articles tempt readers with drone images and descriptions of lavish mansions – but they also repeatedly point out how reluctant the billionaires are to display and talk about their wealth. This frames the topic as socially sensitive and sometimes even dangerous to the billionaires’ personal safety. Readers are invited to fantasise about life as a billionaire – the transgressive act of breaking Jantelagen adds spice to the fantasy.

This kind of “wealth porn” remains focused on the moral issues around conspicuous consumption. Even though Sweden has long been a model of social democracy, the processes through which billionaires accumulate fortunes, and the political influence such wealth can generate, largely escape scrutiny.

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Swedes’ ambivalence towards billionaires is also illustrated in a recent survey we conducted with a representative sample of the population. We asked people a set of questions about their views on money and wealth – it turned out that many find money a strong personal motivator. These people supported statements like “to have a lot of money is an important driver for me”. This suggests there is no social taboo around trying to get rich.

People also said money matters socially, as they largely supported statements like “money gives status and respect”. This indicates that hiding personal wealth may not be so important. In fact, displaying it might bring social benefits – being seen as a successful entrepreneur and someone to look up to, for example. We also asked about caps on wealth, but found strong support for statements like “one can never have too much money”.

While this indicates that Swedes value wealth, they still hold an ambiguous relationship with the super-rich. People reacted strongly against seeing the rich as “good role models for others”.

Striving to get rich seems to have become more socially acceptable in Sweden. Perhaps it always has been the way, but Swedes just never spoke about it (at least not in public). Actually being rich remains a contested topic. If Jantelagen still exerts any influence, it seems to be centred on shaping attitudes towards the wealthy themselves – rather than as a force to discourage the pursuit of wealth.

Just before 07:30 this morning, National Highways Traffic Officers were dispatched to assist Greater Manchester Police with a police-led incident on the M60.

The M60 clockwise is currently closed between J10 and J11 while police investigations and vehicle recovery are carried out.

At this stage, it is not known when the carriageway will reopen.

Diversion – follow the Solid Square (■) symbol

• Leave the M60 clockwise at J9.
• At the M60 J9/B5158 Lostock Circle Roundabout, take the third exit and follow the A5081 northbound for 1.8 km.
• At the A5081/B5214 Parkway Circle Roundabout, take the second exit and follow the A576 northbound for 0.8 km.
• At the A576/Moonings Road Tenax Circle Roundabout, take the first exit and follow the A576 westbound for 0.2 km.
• At the A576/Guinness Road Guinness Circle Roundabout, take the third exit and follow the A576 northbound for 0.6 km.
• At the A576/Coronet Way Centenary Circle Roundabout, take the first exit and follow the A576 westbound for 0.3 km.
• At the A576/Lankro Way Canal Circle Roundabout, take the second exit and follow the A576 northbound for 0.6 km.
• At the A576/M602 J2 Gilda Brook Roundabout, take the first exit and follow the M602 westbound for 2.7 km.
• Rejoin the M60 at J11.

If this closure impacts on your planned route, please allow extra journey time.

Plan ahead; you may wish to re-route or even delay your journey.

Further information is available from National Highways via our regional X (Twitter) feed. National Highways’ 24/7 contact centre team is also available to provide up-to-the-minute information on 0300 123 5000

The England head coach found himself under mounting pressure earlier this year

England head coach Steve Borthwick’s contract will be extended past the 2028 Six Nations, with the Rugby Football Union taking action to clear up any uncertainty over his future.

Borthwick found himself under mounting pressure earlier this year as a dismal Six Nations campaign saw his side fall to their worst finish since the tournament expanded from the Five Nations in 2000. Despite coming into the competition billed as potential Grand Slam winners, England followed an opening-round win over Wales with a run of four defeats, including a first-ever loss to Italy.

After the defeat to Italy, it was indicated that the head coach would be given the summer’s Nations Championship block to save his job, but an RFU investigation into their Six Nations disaster led to him being backed to stay on until next year’s Rugby World Cup.

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Now, following a mixed Nations Championship run, England rugby bosses have gone one step further by extending Borthwick’s current contract beyond the World Cup, as well as the Six Nations in 2028.

The decision has been made to not only ensure that the 46-year-old and his staff have clarity over their positions heading into the World Cup, but also to allow the RFU time to decide on a successor.

Explaining the situation to the BBC, RFU performance director Conor O’Shea said he could not see a scenario where Borthwick isn’t in charge in Australia next year, as he added: “You don’t want them looking for a job going into [a World Cup].

“Everyone knows it will be judged on the World Cup, but you can’t have a group of coaches going in with that uncertainty, especially when you look at the timing. So we will give that certainty, and that will give us time to look properly.”

ITV has reportedly found a replacement for Sir Tom Jones on The Voice UK, after he claimed he has been fired from the show.

The 86-year-old singer has served as an on-off coach since the show’s 2012 debut and has made it clear that he did not want to leave the programme, but the decision was made due to a ‘financial difficulty with insurance’.

Cheryl is said to be the famous face taking up Sir Tom’s spare seat on the show, in what would be her primetime TV return, after a long-running stint as a coach on The X Factor.

If the reports are true, the former Girls Aloud star will join rapper will.i.am and Kelly Rowland, as well as rapper Aitch, who is said to be replacing McFly duo Danny Jones and Tom Fletcher.

A source told The Sun: ‘Everyone loves Sir Tom but there was a feeling that the upcoming series needed a major refresh. With Aitch and Cheryl coming on board and Kelly returning with will.i.am, there just wasn’t a seat going.’

It would also be a huge milestone for the show, as the first time two women were on the judging panel at once.

Cheryl’s fans have been left ecstatic at the prospect of the 43-year-old’s return to TV, having most recently served as a coach on The Greatest Dancer in 2020. 

@cheryl_mixer wrote on X: ‘Okay but let’s talk about how iconic it is for Cheryl (Girls Aloud) & Kelly (Destiny’s Child) to be on The Voice together!! Girl band royalty right there!!’

Meanwhile, @CherylDaily wrote: ‘We are so excited about this news and cannot wait for her TV comeback…. CHEZZA IS BACK!!’

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Cheryl previously appeared on The Voice in 2012, when she performed Call My Name on stage and did a swan dive as part of the act – although she was also forced to fend off accusations of lip-syncing the track.

It had been reported by The Sun that ITV was ‘plotting’ a way for Sir Tom to be involved in the programme regardless, but in an explosive statement posted to X, he appeared to throw cold water on the plans. 

Sir Tom said he was ‘not thrilled’ about what ITV offered him instead of being a coach, writing: ‘They now say in the press they wanted to “refresh” the show, and with a new coaching line-up, there wouldn’t be a chair for me.

‘They are offering a much-reduced role where I would make an appearance but without being actually involved from the start, and I’m not thrilled about that.

‘So the only thing I know right now is that there’s never a good time to fire an 86-year-old who’s still pretty good at his job.’

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Metro contacted ITV and Cheryl for comment on this story.

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