When David Sullivan and long-time business partner David Gold bought into West Ham United in January 2010, Sullivan described the club as being in a “serious mess”.

Many fans may look at West Ham in its current state and ask, ‘what’s changed?’.

Confirmation the Independent Football Regulator (IFR) is “in contact” with West Ham and seeking “urgent information” from Sullivan “relating to his suitability” under its owners, directors and senior executives test adds another layer to the general sense of uncertainty around London Stadium.

On 7 June, Sullivan stood down as co-chair at the club saying he wanted to focus on fighting what he called “factually incorrect and entirely false, decades-old allegations concerning my personal life”, describing the investigation as “fundamentally unfair”.

The allegations, uncovered by BBC Panorama and the Times, included allegations from seven women that the billionaire abused his power and preyed on them for sex, in some cases when they were in their late teens. Sullivan says he categorically denies the claims.

While the allegations were not focused on West Ham, they will cause huge concern.

In a statement, West Ham said it has clear and robust safeguarding measures in place and that the club is unable to comment or provide details on “any individual safeguarding matter as per standard practice in the industry”.

West Ham was the first Premier League club to be accredited by the charity White Ribbon UK, in recognition of the efforts it was taking to support ending male violence against women and girls.

In a statement, White Ribbon said its accreditation was about organisations “delivering a three-year action plan that works towards improvement” and is “not a statement about, or endorsement of, individuals connected to that organisation”.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said the “deeply concerning” allegations against Sullivan must be “treated with the utmost seriousness” and “investigated by the relevant authorities”.

He may have stood down from his co-chair position but Sullivan remains the club’s largest shareholder, with a 38.8% stake. BBC Sport has been told his sons, Jack and David Jr, will not be taking a hands-on role at West Ham.

The club’s next two most significant shareholders are Czech businessman Daniel Kretinsky and Vanessa Gold – the daughter of David who died in January 2023 – who own 27% and 25.1% respectively.

In their statement on Sullivan’s resignation, West Ham said “the club will provide an update on the future structure of the board of directors in due course”.

But it is not the only problem West Ham have to deal with.

Somali referee Omar Artan says he was subjected to an 11-hour immigration interview before being denied entry to the United States for the World Cup despite holding the “right papers” and “right visa”.

Artan, who was set to be the first Somali to referee at a World Cup finals, was dropped from the list of officials on Monday after he was barred from entering the country at Miami International Airport.

No reason for Artan’s repatriation has been issued by US immigration authorities, but Somalia is one of several countries on a travel ban list introduced by President Donald Trump’s administration.

After speaking to the US authorities, world governing body Fifa said Artan will miss the tournament.

“I am very, very disappointed,” Artan told the New York Times, external. “I’m just simply a referee who’s trying to live his dream – the biggest dream of my life, to come to the World Cup.”

A Fifa statement on the decision said: “Fifa can confirm that match official Omar Abdulkadir Artan will be unable to train and officiate at the Fifa World Cup 2026 after he was denied entry into the United States.

“Fifa is not involved in host country immigration processes, including visa adjudications, and has been informed by authorities that Mr Artan’s status will not be changed at present.”

A senior adviser to Somalia’s ministry of youth and sports confirmed the denial of entry to the BBC and said Artan had been travelling with valid documents.

A Somali embassy official in Nairobi told the BBC that Artan’s diplomatic passport had been issued specifically to ease his travel after earlier visa difficulties.

“I had the right papers and everything. I had the right visa,” said Artan.

Following the 11-hour immigration interview, Artan said he was then taken to a separate holding cell where he was detained for several hours before being put on a flight back to Istanbul, Turkey.

Speaking to BBC World Service, Andrew Giuliani, who leads the White House Task Force on the World Cup, said: “While I can’t go into the derog [derogatory information] on that I can tell you it was the right decision by customs and border patrol and I support that decision.”

It would not be possible for Artan to stay outside the United States and only referee matches played in Canada or Mexico.

Referees’ chief Pierluigi Collina has created a training hub for the tournament’s 52 referees and 88 assistant referees in Miami.

All on-pitch officials must stay at the base in Florida for training, preparation and security.

In December, Trump told reporters he does not want Somali immigrants in the US, and they should “go back to where they came from”.

“I think that they have a problem with my country,” Artan added.

The number of counterfeit banknotes in circulation has more than doubled in the past year

Brits are being urged to stay vigilant with their money as the volume of fake banknotes circulating has surged dramatically. Even worse, if you don’t spot them fast enough, you could lose out financially – and potentially face criminal charges.

Fresh data from the National Crime Agency revealed that last year saw more than double the amount of counterfeit notes in circulation compared to 2024. Particularly, £20 and £10 notes have emerged as the most frequently forged denominations across the UK.

Manufacturing counterfeit notes, knowingly passing them on or possessing fake currency with the intention to deliberately use or pass it off as genuine constitutes a criminal offence. The maximum penalty can reach up to 10 years behind bars and seizure of assets.

That said, some individuals may end up with dodgy notes in their possession without having any idea they’re fake. This risks leaving them seriously out of pocket, as counterfeit banknotes are “worthless” according to the Bank of England, which cannot compensate you if you realise you’ve accepted a fake note after the fact.

BBC Breakfast’s probe into the issue uncovered the genuine impact this can have on people who unknowingly receive “worthless” cash. One postmaster interviewed by the programme, Imran Khan, described how some small businesses may have customers paying in cash, but when the owners attempt to bank it, the post office’s machine “spits it out and says no, this is a fake.”

Receiving a counterfeit note by mistake is fairly uncommon. The Bank of England points out that at any given moment, there are approximately 5 billion authentic UK banknotes in circulation, set against the most recent estimated figure of 200,000 fake notes, reports the Mirror.

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While you won’t receive compensation if you’re stuck with a counterfeit note, the crucial step to protecting your money’s worth is verifying whether it’s fake before you accept it. Should you inadvertently take a forged note, the cash’s value may be gone but you can hand the counterfeit note over to the police, where it can be assessed by the National Crime Agency and the Bank of England.

Several security features that might reveal whether your banknote is authentic:

• There is a silver foil patch at the bottom that reads ‘pounds’ when tilted to one side and the value of the note when tilted to the other
• A 3D image of the coronation crown appears above the main see-through window.
• On the front of the notes, you can feel raised print
• There is a large see-through window with either King Charles III or Queen Elizabeth II

Additional security features are available on the Bank of England website to assist you in confirming if your cash is legitimate. The Bank of England also encourages the public to flag up any online advertising they encounter claiming to supply counterfeit notes. It states: “Counterfeiting directly funds organised crime.

“It hurts the UK economy by creating losses for businesses, which ultimately affects the cost of things that we buy. It also affects the pocket of anyone who receives a counterfeit note, as they are worthless. If you report counterfeiting to the police, you are helping with investigations and alerting them to a problem in their area. This means that they can take action to protect your community.”

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Rob Reiner’s son Nick Reiner is seeking unpaid money from a trust his parents established for him, saying he needs it to help in his defense against charges that he killed them.

A petition filed by the 32-year-old Nick Reiner’s civil attorneys in a Los Angeles County court on Monday says that trustees overseeing the funds have denied them to him without legal justification, and he needs and should get them now.

“Nick loved his parents, and he is devastated by their deaths. But the facts about what did and did not happen to them are not at issue in this Trust litigation,” the petition says. “Like anyone accused of a crime, Nick is presumed innocent, and he is entitled to mount his defense with the resources that are lawfully his own.”

The director and Hollywood luminary Rob Reiner and his wife, photographer and producer Michele Singer Reiner, were stabbed to death in their home in the upscale Brentwood section of Los Angeles on Dec. 14. Nick Reiner was arrested hours later and has since pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder.

Reiner retained high-profile private lawyer Alan Jackson to represent him, but less than a month later Jackson left the case for reasons he said he couldn’t share. The new filing reveals that Reiner’s siblings, Jake and Romy Reiner, had initially agreed to pay for Jackson, but reversed course.

In a declaration included with the petition, Jackson said “my firm stands ready, willing, and able to resume representation of Mr. Reiner” if the funds become available.

The filing says that apart from the larger Reiner family trust, which is not at issue, Rob and Michele Reiner established smaller individual trusts for Nick Reiner and his siblings. It says they left “unambiguous instructions” in Nick Reiner’s trust, established in 1993, that he was to receive half its money when he turned 30 and the rest at 35.

But, the filing says, Reiner never received the funds he was entitled to at 30, and that the trustee overseeing them since February — attorney Paul R. Kanin — has given “a shifting series of excuses and justifications” to deny Reiner the money, including concerns about Reiner’s competence that have no bearing on a payout that is mandatory.

Reiner says he should also get the money he was to receive at 35 immediately because his defense and his need for basic necessities in jail require it.

The petition says the trust has at least $1.5 million in assets, but that Kanin will not share the exact amount of its value.

Kanin did not immediately respond to an after-hours email seeking comment.

Proceedings in Reiner’s murder case are moving slowly. He is scheduled to return to court for a pretrial hearing in September. He is eligible for the death penalty, but District Attorney Nathan Hochman has said his office has not yet decided whether to seek it.

Authorities have said nothing about possible motives, and leaks in the case have been virtually nonexistent on both sides. A court order has kept most details of the autopsy secret. Many of the most basic questions about the killing remain unanswered publicly.

On the day he left the case, Jackson, speaking outside court, declared adamantly that “pursuant to the laws of California, Nick Reiner is not guilty of murder.”

In April, Jake Reiner gave his first detailed account of the experience of losing his parents and having his brother at the center of it, calling it “a living nightmare” that is “too devastating to comprehend.”

Rob Reiner was a prolific director whose work included some of the most memorable and endlessly watchable movies of the 1980s and ’90s. His credits included “This is Spinal Tap,” “Stand By Me,” “A Few Good Men,” and “When Harry Met Sally… ,” during the production of which he met photographer Michele Singer. They wed soon after and were married for 36 years.

Debenhams Group has announced a new licensing partnership with Revolution Beauty to develop and distribute beauty and fragrance products across several of its brands, including PrettyLittleThing, Karen Millen and boohooMAN

Debenhams has announced a new licensing agreement with Revolution Beauty that will see them develop beauty and fragrance products across their brands. The new partnership license is set to combine Debenham’s Group strength and reach with Revolution Beauty’s expertise in developing, manufacturing and distributing beauty products.

The first collections are expected to launch ahead of Christmas and will include fragrance and gifting ranges for PrettyLittleThing, Karen Millen and boohooMAN. Further launches are then planned to appear across a number of Debenhams Group brands.

It is proposed then that shoppers will be able to buy products from Debenham Group channels and selected retail partners. Dan Finley, CEO of Debenhams Group, said they look forward to seeing the first launch of the beauty and fragrance products.

Dan said: “We’ve been clear that we see significant global licensing opportunities for our brands, and this agreement with Revolution Beauty is a direct expression of our asset-lite strategy in action. Beauty is one of the most compelling category opportunities available to us and Revolution Beauty has the relationships and capability to bring tailored collections to market across the full portfolio. We look forward to seeing the first launches come to life.

“The agreement is structured as a royalty-based license, where Revolution Beauty assumes full responsibility for manufacturing, product development and worldwide distribution and will pay to Debenhams Group an industry-standard royalty based on sales of the products developed.

“Debenhams Group retains brand approval rights over all products, packaging, marketing, and retail channel decisions. This transaction is consistent with Debenhams Group’s strategy of generating significant recurring royalty income from its IP portfolio through global licensing opportunities, extending its brands into high-growth adjacent categories, and accelerating its transition to an asset-lite business model.”

Tom Allsworth, CEO of Revolution Beauty, said they have already had positive feedback about their concept fragrance products. Tom said: “We’re delighted to formally announce our partnership with Debenhams Group.

“The team at Revolution is already at an advanced stage in developing fragrance products that will launch nationally and internationally through a number of our retail partners. The early reaction to the concepts we have tested has been exceptionally positive.

“Since returning to the business last year, our relationship with Debenhams Group has been completely reset and it is gratifying to see that reflected in a formal partnership between the two businesses.

“By combining the strength of Debenhams Group’s brands with Revolution’s expertise, we believe these licences can become a significant growth opportunity for both businesses.”

EDITORS NOTE: PIC BLURRED TO PROTECT IDENTITY A police cordon at the scene of a stabbing outside apartments in the Kinnaird Avenue area of north Belfast. The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said officers were called to Kinnaird Avenue around 10.30pm on Monday and the injured man was taken to hospital. Another man was arrested in connection with the incident and taken into custody, police confirmed. Picture date: Tuesday June 9, 2026.

PA Wire

The man caused around £50,000 worth of damage to the flat he was renting

An arsonist barricaded himself into his flat before setting fire to it on Christmas Day. Police officers and firefighters were called to the Whittlesey home of Eric Jordan, on December 25, 2023, after fire and smoke were spotted coming from the first floor flat.

The 55-year-old, who was inside the flat at the time, blocked the downstairs entrance with a leather armchair before starting the fire in the stairwell using a bottle of barbecue lighter fluid.

The 55-year-old, of Scaldgate, Whittlesey, Peterborough, suffered serious injuries after falling from the first-floor window. He was later arrested on suspicion of arson after being treated by paramedics at the scene.

DC Chris Herring, who investigated, said that Jordan put himself, as well as his neighbours, in “serious danger”. he caused around £50,000 worth of damage. Jordan, was jailed for one year and four months on Friday, June 5, at Huntingdon Law Courts after admitting to arson.

DC Herring said in full: “Not only could the consequences of Jordan’s actions have been fatal, but he also caused around £50,000 of damage to the flat he was renting at the time.

“A family of four, who were trying to enjoy their Christmas morning, also had to be evacuated from their nearby home for their own safety.

“The fire was deliberate and put himself, as well as his neighbours, in serious danger, so I am pleased he is now behind bars for the damage and distress he caused.”

Raducanu had looked far from her best in her past two matches following illness but, 16 days after her first-round exit at Roland Garros, the Briton made afresh on Andy Murray Arena.

The 2021 US Open champion held a commanding 3-0 lead before rain halted play – but that would not disrupt her rhythm.

She captured the first set without reply after just 20 minutes on court, winning 25 of the 31 points played – hitting 11 winners and just two unforced errors.

Raducanu maintained that excellent level to begin the second set with a break of serve – although she would not have it entirely her own way.

A Queen’s quarter-finalist last year, Raducanu was hampered by double-faults as she allowed Blinkova back in – with four successive breaks of serve tying the set at three games apiece.

However, Raducanu broke again, courtesy of a fortuitous net cord, to set up the chance to serve out the match, and she wore a beaming smile in the sunshine as a closing backhand winner down the line on her second match point was met by huge cheers.

Writing ‘back home’ with a heart on a TV camera lens before exiting the court, Raducanu will return to face either Romanian Sorana Cirstea or Australia’s Maddison Inglis in the second round.

“As e-bike usage in Westminster continues to grow, working with Cllr Swaddle and his team on a collective approach on a localised, ward level will enable us to tackle hotspot areas, deliver parking bays and ensure that our service works for everyone in Westminster, whether they are a cyclist or not.