Former England defender Micah Richards has spoken about his plans to jet back and forwards during the World Cup this summer as he juggles broadcasting commitments

Micah Richards has revealed his hectic World Cup plans after making a 3,345-mile trip from New York to Salford for BBC One’s coverage of Canada against Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Richards’ face has been emblazoned upon the big screens in New York’s Times Square as part of Netflix’s The Rest is Football Podcast which is being streamed live from the US. But Richards confirmed that he will be making trips from New York to the UK every “few days” as part of his World Cup schedule.

As the ex-Manchester City and Aston Villa defender got comfortable alongside pundits Wayne Rooney and Olivier Giroud, the 13-times capped England defender joked he could see co-host Gary Lineker in the swanky backdrop in the TV studio.

Presenter Gabby Logan said: “We know you’ve been out in New York but you don’t need to acclimatise because I’m bringing New York to you! (pointing at the BBC World Cup backdrop in Salford).

Richards then quipped: “This is amazing. If you look over there you can see Gary Lineker.”

After being asked how it has felt to be in the Big Apple before making a the jaunt back to the UK, Richards spoke about the joy on the streets of New York City after the Knicks took a 3-1 series lead in the NBA Finals against San Antonio Spurs, after Alan Shearer confirmed he’d watched the game in a bar last night.

Recalling the tale to Logan, Richards said: “It felt great, more importantly, it’s been about the Knicks because they haven’t won it (NBA play-offs) for years.

“We won’t feel it until America play (their first World Cup games) but out there it was buzzing.” But I’m absolutely buzzing – thanks for the call-up.”

Richards will now make the return journey to Manhattan after his BBC duties to rejoin Lineker and Shearer in their podcast studio overlooking Times Square. Speaking earlier, Shearer had said: “You could still hear the horns this morning after the New York Knicks win.

“I was lucky enough to be in a bar that was rammed and off the charts with people going mad. I watched the first two quarters and got out before the chaos started and on my way back to the hotel this place was rocking people beeping horns and going crazy.

“New York is alive and kicking as are the New York Knicks.”

Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.

Upgrade your World Cup TV setup with the Sky Glass ‘designed for football’

This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more

from £4.50

Sky

Advertisement

Get the deal here

Sky is knocking 20% off its entire range of Glass TVs to mark the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Until June 17, shoppers can upgrade to the Sky smart TV that’s ‘designed for football’ from £4.50 per month when taken alongside a Sky TV and Netflix package.

FBI agents have searched the office of an Ohio group that supports voter registration efforts, seizing documents and computer files, a board member of the organization said Friday.

It’s the latest action by the Trump administration connected to voting or election operations in the states, and it comes in a state that is expected to have hotly contested races this fall for governor and U.S. Senate.

Federal agents showed up at the Cleveland office of the Ohio Organizing Collaborative on Thursday and spent hours questioning staff, said Prentiss Haney, a board member of the grassroots organization. The organization was founded in 2007 and describes its mission as fighting for criminal justice reform, racial justice and an expansion of voting rights.

Federal agents also went to the homes of people who have worked with the organization, seeking interviews and information about alleged voter fraud, Haney said. He accused the agents of “intimidation tactics and harassment” and expressed concern that the investigation was designed to sow doubt in the coming elections.

The focus of the probe was unclear, but a person familiar with the matter said Friday that investigators were examining potential fraud violations. The person was not authorized to speak publicly about the investigation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The Justice Department declined to comment on Friday, and a spokesperson for the FBI in Cleveland did not respond to messages seeking comment.

To obtain a search warrant, federal authorities must convince a judge that probable cause of criminal activity exists. Though the information authorities presented was not immediately released, Democrats expressed skepticism about the basis of a search that unfolded against persistent concerns of a politicized FBI and Justice Department.

The party’s nominees for the state’s top races issued statements Friday saying they were troubled by the FBI raid.

“Any attempts by federal law enforcement to intimidate eligible Ohioans from registering to vote are unacceptable,” said Dr. Amy Acton, the state’s former public health director, who won the state’s Democratic primary for governor and is challenging Republican Vivek Ramaswamy.

Democrat Sherrod Brown, who is challenging Republican Sen. Jon Husted in the fall, called on the FBI to make public “any and all activities around these raids.”

He added, “Any attempt to intimidate Ohio voters is wrong, and will not work.”

Republicans have held the state’s top elected seat for 20 years and hold both U.S. Senate seats but are concerned that Democratic momentum in this year’s midterms could make them vulnerable.

The Justice Department during President Donald Trump’s second term has launched several legal actions or investigations related to voting or state election operations.

The FBI has seized ballots and other records from the 2020 election for Georgia’s Fulton County and Arizona’s Maricopa County and from the 2024 election in Michigan’s Wayne County. It also has been questioning election workers in Wisconsin’s Milwaukee County. All four are in presidential battleground states.

The Justice Department has sued at least 30 states and the District of Columbia after they refused to hand over detailed voter data that includes dates of birth and partial Social Security numbers. It has said in court filings that it wants the information so it can run it through a Department of Homeland Security program that checks U.S. citizenship, although the program’s accuracy has been questioned. The Justice Department has so far been on a losing streak in its lawsuits seeking to extract the data from the holdout states.

Early in his second term, Trump, a Republican, also ordered the Justice Department to investigate ActBlue, the top fundraising platform for the Democratic Party.

Allegations of fraud in voter registration efforts are typically investigated by states and usually involve people working for groups that pay for sign-ups. Earlier this year, California officials opened an investigation into whether signature-gatherers were offering to pay people for signing a ballot petition. In 2025, Pennsylvania officials brought criminal charges against seven people for submitting fraudulent voter registration forms.

___

Lauer reported from Philadelphia, and Richer reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Eric Tucker contributed from Washington.

A new exhibition at the Opera Gallery London, is offering two very different – yet curiously complimentary – sets of artistic responses to nature. It highlights the work of Dutch sculptor Pieter Obels and French-Chinese painter Feng Xiao-Min.

This is Obels’s first major London exhibition for ten years. Born in 1968 and now based in Tilburg in his native Netherlands, Obels is a sculptor who works primarily with the kind of complex Corten steel structures on display here.

He welds sheets of steel into flowing curves to form one continuous and sinuous series of interweaving loops. These often rest, seemingly defying gravity, on a single fixed point. Yet most of them can be rotated by hand, allowing viewers to engage with the art.

The fascination in these sculptures lies in the invitation to trace their delicate patterns with eye and hand. They writhe like the tendrils of climbing plants. This effect is reinforced by Obels’ deliberate weathering of their surfaces into a rusty earthen brown that almost gives them the appearance of being covered by lichen.

Obels’ sculptures spill out over into outside space in the Medici Gardens at the rear of the gallery. The monumental piece placed there acts as a visual confirmation of how stunningly Obels’ work integrates itself into natural settings. Meanwhile, its title – I Know the End, Let’s Dance (2024) – tells us about Obels’ intuitive practice. As he told me on opening night: “The less I think about the sculpture, the better it is.”

Feng Xiao-Min

In dialogue with Obels’ work, the walls of the gallery carry the mist-laden compositions of Feng Xiao-Min. This is the first major London exhibition of this Chinese-French artist, who was born in Shanghai in 1959 but has lived and worked in Fontainebleau in France for 35 years. It is good to see this intriguing body of work, which draws on both western and Chinese artistic traditions, in this setting.

Feng deliberately leaves his paintings untitled to avoid giving them any specificity. As with Obels, they are organic responses to his feelings and engagement with nature at the time of composition. This shapes the palette used in the individual pieces. Some he described to me as expressing chaleur (warmth), while others are cooler and achieve their effect through subtle layering of pigments and tonal shifts across the canvas.

The result is a series of dreamlike landscapes that defy traditional approaches to perspective. There is no central point. Instead, Feng seems to start his compositions with three to four short lines in white, red or black grouped around the middle, lower-part of the canvas. Around these focal moments in the narrative of each work, the eye tracks across, picking out hints of structure, wisps of weather and intimations of landscape.

Feng’s early training in calligraphy is readily identifiable in his practice, influenced by, among others, the dynamic art of the Qing dynasty painter Shi Tao and his efforts in his works to use the past to open up the present.

The lines that punctuate Feng’s paintings are like calligraphic marks, while the swirl of interblending tones are redolent of J.M.W. Turner’s more abstract works. This provides a compelling amalgam of Chinese and western approaches to the depiction of nature in paintings whose depth rewards the viewer’s gaze.

Feng’s works speak of how landscapes make us feel. The physicality of Obels’ works provides a more sensory engagement with nature. Obels grew up on a farm, which gave him a sense of the human relationship with nature that defines his work. City-born Feng’s ethereal visions encourage us to appreciate nature in a more imaginative way. Like Obels’ structures, these two approaches are harmonically in balance in this exhibition.

Pieter Obels | Feng Xiao-Min is at the Opera Gallery London until July 5 2026

Nearly two-thirds (61%) of British retail investors received a full allocation of shares, with those applying for up to 2,700 dollars’ worth (£2,013) getting the full amount, while those applying for more than this saw allocations scaled back, with a maximum allowed at 1,000 shares each.

Human babies are born more dependent on their caregivers than most other mammals. They need close contact with an adult for feeding, comfort, warmth and protection. Parents and caregivers around the world have carried their babies for thousands of years using slings and carriers.

Today, many babies spend some of their daytime sleep in a sling or carrier. In a recent UK survey that my colleagues and I conducted, 96% of the 1,470 parents and carers of babies under one who responded said they had used one, often to soothe their baby or remain mobile while keeping them close.

Slings and carriers can be useful, but babies need to be positioned carefully, particularly when they are very young or are being fed. In a systematic review, my colleagues and I found reports of infrequent accidental deaths and injuries associated with poorly fitted or incorrectly positioned carriers.

Following the death of a seven-week-old baby who was being breastfed hands-free in a carrier while his mother moved around her home, a coroner warned that parents were not being given enough information about how to position young babies safely and called for consideration of industry standards. The Lullaby Trust, a baby-safety charity, has also published advice urging parents not to feed babies hands-free in slings or carriers.

At the Durham Infancy and Sleep Centre, my colleagues and I study infant sleep and sleep safety. We take an anthropological approach, considering both babies’ physical needs and the cultural expectations placed on parents. This helps us develop evidence-based guidance for families, health professionals and policymakers.

To understand both the benefits and risks of babywearing, we first carried out a systematic review. A systematic review is a method of bringing together and evaluating the available research on a particular topic. We found evidence that using slings and carriers can benefit babies and caregivers. Reported benefits included supporting breastfeeding, promoting infant development, strengthening parent-infant bonding and improving parental mental health and wellbeing.

The review also examined the risks associated with sling and carrier use. Overall, deaths associated with slings and carriers were infrequent. When deaths did occur, the most common cause was asphyxia, which means a baby is unable to get enough oxygen.

Young babies, especially those under four months of age, are particularly vulnerable because their neck muscles are still developing and may not be strong enough to support their relatively large heads. If a baby’s head and neck are not properly supported, or if they are positioned unsafely, their chin can fall onto their chest and restrict their airway, making it harder to breathe. This is known as positional asphyxia.

The review also found that injuries were most commonly linked to falls, either because a baby fell from a sling or carrier or because the caregiver carrying them fell. Both deaths and injuries were often associated with slings or carriers that were poorly fitted or used incorrectly. This suggests that clearer guidance on safe use could help to prevent some of these incidents.

To understand what parents know about sling safety, we also conducted a survey of UK caregivers. We found that parents use slings and carriers for a wide range of reasons, including making it easier to get around, strengthening bonds with their baby and helping to soothe or settle them. Most parents began using a sling during the early months of infancy and many had already decided to do so while pregnant.

Despite this, many parents reported receiving little or no information about safe sling use from manufacturers or retailers when purchasing a sling or carrier. We also found that many were unaware of the specialist support available across the UK. This includes sling libraries, community services where parents can borrow different types of slings and carriers, receive personalised fitting advice and learn how to use them safely.

A quarter of the parents surveyed were not aware of existing UK guidance on sling safety. Another quarter felt that the guidance they had seen did not provide enough information. These findings highlight both the important role that slings and carriers play in infant care and the need for clearer, more accessible safety information for families.

Our research shows that slings and carriers can offer benefits for babies and caregivers. It also found that deaths and injuries associated with sling use are infrequent and are often linked to poor fit or unsafe positioning. Although these incidents are uncommon, their consequences can be devastating. Parents need clear, practical information about safe use.

With slings and carriers widely used in the UK, there is a strong case for a national, evidence-based campaign on sling safety. Parents should receive clear guidance at the point of purchase, including information about how to position babies safely, how to recognise and prevent positional asphyxia and why it is important to keep babies under close observation while they are in a sling or carrier.

Guidance should also direct families to specialist sources of support so that they can use slings and carriers safely and confidently while enjoying the benefits they offer.

It appears to be getting deeper, according to residents.

Residents in Worsley ‘celebrated the birthday’ of a sink hole on their street after waiting more than a year for it to be fixed.

Neighbours on Dunmail Close and Semington View say they’ve been ‘passed from pillar to post as no one wants to take accountability’ for the approximately one foot deep road hazard. The hole first appeared in March last year, after a sewage system under the road collapsed.

While the council have put up warning signs around the cavity, it says the internal repairs are not the council’s responsibility. However, United Utilities, which tends to manage to sewage system in the area, claims that due to uncompleted paperwork, the sewage system was never adopted by the water company, and is technically the responsibility of Bloor Homes. The housing firm first constructed the housing estate just less than ten years ago.

Click here to get the biggest stories straight to your inbox in our Daily Newsletter

Bloor Homes did not respond to a request for comment.

In the meantime, residents say they’ve been left with a ‘very worrying’ problem.

“It seems to be getting deeper,” one neighbour, who didn’t wish to be named, said. “I’m quite concerned because there are a lot of kids in this area, and you have a lot of cars driving past the sink hole to get to the cul-de-sac at the end of Semington View. We’ve also been told the sewers are about five metres below ground… It feels like it’s only a matter of time before something bad happens.”

Another resident, who also did not wish to be named, but lives very close to the hole on the cul-de-sac, added: “No one wants to take responsibility. It’s been there so long, we literally celebrated a birthday for it a couple months ago. The council at one stage even suggested the residents on the cul-de-sac foot the bill for the repairs – but it’s not like we had any role in building it ten years ago. It seems very unfair.”

Local MP Yasmin Qureshi has also become involved in the issue, stating: “Residents on Dunmail Close, Semington View and the surrounding streets are right to be angry. This sinkhole has blighted their lives for over a year, with no resolution in sight and no organisation willing to take responsibility for fixing it.”

The MP has demanded a meeting between Bloor Homes, Salford City Council and United Utilities to a come up with a ‘clear timescale for fixing this issue at no cost to residents’.

“So far, only United Utilities have responded, and they insist it is not their responsibility as the sewers remain unadopted.

“This is not just about who is liable. It is a matter of public safety. The sinkhole sits on a bend in a public road, with reported near misses involving vehicles and ongoing risk to pedestrians, and residents have told me their fences have been struck multiple times.

“I am urging all four parties to come together and resolve this now, before further damage is caused or someone is seriously hurt.”

A spokesperson for Salford City Council say they have taken steps to secure the area, adding: “Investigations established that the underlying problem relates to a collapsed sewer serving a small number of properties. The Council does not own or maintain private sewer infrastructure and officers have continued to support affected residents, actively engaging with United Utilities, the developer and other relevant parties to secure a permanent solution.

“Public safety remains our priority, and we continue to monitor the location to ensure any immediate risks are managed.”

A United Utilities spokesperson said: “The impacted sewer line on this estate remains under private ownership and is not part of our network.

“We have offered our support to residents on the next steps available to them.”

Former professional footballer Jill Scott speaks openly about her personal woes while going through the four day challenges for Sports Relief

Former England footballer Jill Scott has become one of the nation’s sweethearts due to her steely determination on the pitch. But it seems every great athlete has their breaking point as the TV personality, 39, candidly admitted she nearly gave up her Sport Relief challenge this week.

Speaking exclusively to the Mirror she said, “I didn’t think I would be able to do the hills.”

At the time of speaking to us, Jill had just completed four days and 359 miles and over 20 hours riding a bike to end up at the Stadium of Light, which is in Sunderland, her hometown.

“I didn’t think I would be able to do the hills when we were going through the Yorkshire Dales, It was literally so tough at the end, I did think if one more hill appeared, I might have to get off the bike and give up.

She added: “They didn’t defeat me, I got through. And I must say, in that moment, Mark, who’s been my cycling guide, definitely did get me through. So thank you, Mark.”

But it seems as though apart from her loyal fans, friends and family, Jill was spurred on by one famous face – Ronan Keating.

She continued: “You know, the support’s been amazing, from messages to people on the street. Honestly, I think it’s going to hit me once this challenge is over, because I feel like in my head it’s just to get this challenge finished.

“So I think that’s an athlete mindset sometimes. But seeing Ronan Keating today, that actually did make me smile a lot. I’m gutted that I missed their concert at the weekend because I was training for this, and I told them they’ve got to do another one just so I can come. But what a guy.”

Jill started to play for England in 2006 and fast became a household name. When asked about her ideal celebrity squad she said: “Oh, that’s a really tough one. Just everybody that sent messages. I’ve had messages from the guys on the Overlap podcast, from Kaz Carney, Nasee Adam, Carly Telford joined us, all my mates, my ex- teammates. There would be too many to make a squad.”

And while Jill has been praised along the way and has tried to make it seem as though she is surviving well, she revealed she did have to endure a few injuries.

“Well, two blisters have just popped on my toes, so there’s a little bit of gory detail. Yeah, it has been really challenging. My knee’s been causing us a lot of pain, so there’s been a lot of moments of getting strapped up.

“I don’t think people see, when you’re arriving at the pit stops, it’s half 11 at night and you’re getting physio till half one, two in the morning. You have four hours’ sleep and then you’re up again to do a marathon or a 30-mile run.”

She concluded: “But I knew it was going to be a challenge. It’s a sport belief, for one of me, it’s as much money as possible, so it’s got to be tough, doesn’t it?”

Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook,YouTube and Threads.

Ghana midfielder Thomas Partey will miss his nation’s first World Cup game in Toronto against Panama, after being denied entry to Canada.

Partey, 32, has pleaded not guilty to seven charges of rape and one count of sexual assault relating to allegations by four different women between 2020 and 2022.

He is due to stand trial next year.

In a statement, Fifa confirmed the former Arsenal player, who is now with Spanish side Villarreal, will be unable to travel from Ghana’s training base in Boston, where he is currently located after having his “visa application refused by the Canadian government”.

World football’s governing body, added: “Fifa is not involved in the immigration processes of host countries, including the adjudication of visas.

“The host government ultimately determines who receives a visa and is admitted into the country.”

On the Canadian government website, rules around visiting the country state: “If you have committed or been convicted of a crime, you may not be allowed into Canada.”

Partey has pleaded not guilty to all charges and has not been convicted, but is awaiting trial.

A US Customs and Border Protection official added: “The US is aware of the pending court case for Mr Partey, however, at this time, he has not been convicted of a crime and was admitted to the United States after being issued a visa.

“Admissibility determinations are made on a case-by-case basis using law enforcement, national security, and immigration information available at the time of inspection.

“CBP [customs and border protection] officers have the authority to question travelers, conduct inspections, and determine admissibility consistent with US law. CBP defers to Canada for questions on his denial of entry. “

This will be the third location to open this year

A shopping centre has announced on social media that they are set to open a Wingstop.

Rushmere Shopping Centre in Craigavon posted on Instagram that the viral wing restaurant will open its doors there soon.

In the post, they said “We’ve been keeping a secret.. And it’s finally time to let you in on it. WINGSTOP RUSHMERE IS COMING SOON! Get ready for iconic wings, bold flavours, loaded fries, and the Wingstop experience you’ve been waiting for.”

The American fast food chain opened its first location here in March of this year on the Boucher Road to much fanfare. The second location, in Dundondald, opened its doors shortly after in May.

Advertisement

Further to this, the chicken restaurant appears set to arrive in Belfast City Centre, with plans submitted at the end of March. The restaurant looks like it is set to open on Castle Place right in the heart of the city, with no word yet on an opening date.

Known for its bold range of sauces and seasonings, from the fan-favourite Lemon Pepper to the sweet heat of Mango Habanero, the smoky kick of Louisiana Rub and the daring Atomic, Wingstop’s menu of wings, boneless, tenders, burgers, loaded fries, milkshakes and churros has already made it a viral hit across TikTok and beyond.

Operated by Lemon Pepper Holdings, Wingstop UK & Ireland is expanding across the island of Ireland, with an expected 20 sites to open within the next 7 years.

Rushmere Shopping Centre also confirmed on Instagram in April that home furnishing retailer Dunelm will be “coming soon” to the complex. The popular brand will join major names already at the retail destination, including H&M, River Island, DV8, Superdrug and Mango.

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.