The quickest route for Infantino’s exit would be for the Swiss to resign, like his predecessor Sepp Blatter did in 2015.

But Infantino still retains support and he could try to hold out until March, when he is up for re-election for a fourth and final term as president.

What other avenues are open?

The Fifa Council could try to force Infantino’s hand through an emergency meeting.

Such a gathering would be triggered if 19 of the 37 Fifa Council members call for one.

Uefa has nine members, AFC has seven, Concacaf five, Africa has six, Conmebol five and Oceania three. It is completed by Infantino and secretary general Mattias Grafstrom.

BBC Sport understands there are some doubts that the 19 votes could be achieved.

If they do get to 19, the meeting must take place within two weeks and the Fifa Council could call on Infantino to tender his resignation. But he could simply refuse to do so.

It would, however, add further pressure.

The next step would be an extraordinary congress of the 211 Fifa member associations, which would be held if one-fifth, or 43 associations, “make such a request in writing”.

So Uefa, which has 55 nations, can trigger the extraordinary congress whenever it so wishes.

That would take a minimum of two months from the point it is triggered, but more likely three months, and there is no guarantee of success.

In effect, it would be a de facto election without there being another candidate as 106 votes would be needed to pass the vote of no confidence.

Uefa has 55, Africa 54, Asia 46, Concacaf 35, Oceania 11 and Conmebol 10.

Africa, Conmebol and Oceania have not criticised Infantino’s plan.

So could Uefa get to 106? In total, 136 countries officially rejected the investment plan, but voting to reject an idea is not the same as voting to kick Infantino out.

Of the 136, Qatar have already publicly backed him and Mexico have distanced themselves from the joint Concacaf statement.

Which leaves finding a suitable candidate to fight the election in March.

Infantino stood unopposed when he was re-elected in 2019 and 2023 and if someone wants to battle him for the position, the deadline to announce their candidacy is 18 November.

A young man in a basketball vest staggers from the sea and collapses at the feet of a Spanish soldier, next to the prone body of another exhausted soul who had been equally desperate to make it to European soil.

First light had just broken over Ceuta’s Playa El Tarajal and, until now, all had been quiet, save for the gentle hiss of lapping waves. Nobody was expecting any more migrants. It turns out Sid Ahmed Dib, 23, from the Algerian port city of Skikda, and his unknown companion, were the last.

As Sid lies flat on his back in the sand, having finally made it to this Spanish enclave, most of the thousands of young men who arrived before him were going the other way, returning back over the border to Morocco like tired and hungry children who’d run away from home then quickly thought better of it.

One of the soldiers gives Sid a bottle of water and he throws his head back, the cords of his throat pulsing as he gulps it down. He’s a lucky man. Many of the 67 who died trying to enter Ceuta either drowned or were crushed while trying to climb the breakwater stones that hold the border fence.

Suddenly he begins sobbing uncontrollably into the crook of his arm. Whether through overwhelming relief or exhaustion or something else besides, it isn’t clear. Composing himself, he tells me he’s been swimming for at least four hours to get here, this odd little dot of Spanish territory on Morocco’s Mediterranean coast. He produces a blue plastic bag containing his passport, which he’d tucked into his shorts while swimming.

‘My Algerian passport,’ he says proudly, flicking through its damp pages. ‘Algeria is so bad, worse than Morocco. I tried to get into Tunisia, then went to Casablanca and then came here when I heard thousands were coming. I want to get to Europe. Madrid or Paris maybe.’

The Spanish mainland is just 15 miles across the Strait of Gibraltar, so it’s easy to see why Sid and the other migrants consider Ceuta the gateway to a new life. Behind him stands an empty wooden beach bar, the aptly named Cafe Europe.

Dozens of migrants are pictured in the Ceuta Temporary Immigrant Stay Centre (CETI), which  is experiencing extreme tension and severe overcrowding

Spanish soldiers question a migrant, following mass crossings of migrants on foot and by sea from Morocco into the Spanish territory

Spanish troops sit in a military vehicle as the authorities escort a big group of migrants to the border to take them out of Spain

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Migrants pass through a broken fence as they leave Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta towards the Moroccan town of Fnideq, on the Morocco-Spain border 

As Sid told his story, Ceuta’s fearful Spanish residents were panic-buying in supermarkets then scurrying back to their homes. Left shell-shocked by the previous two days, which saw more than 60,000 migrants overwhelm their small city, many feel abandoned.

‘The migrants have caused our population to almost double in size and we don’t know what the future holds,’ said 26-year-old graphic designer Belen Picazo. ‘We’re going home and we’ll lock ourselves in.’

As more mayhem unfolds before me, I would challenge any liberal progressive to witness such troubling scenes and still advocate for open borders.

With migrants lurking with listless boredom on every street corner, in squares, avenues and bridge underpasses, forcing locals to cower in their homes, Ceuta today does not look like anyone’s idea of a utopia.

Tearful Sid didn’t seem much of a threat. But you don’t need to travel far to sense disquiet here.

Some migrants queue outside the small number of shops prepared to serve them. Most don’t want their custom.

Normally on a Saturday the city parks and beaches are alive with families and the sounds of children playing. Apart from the police, the military and a few hardy Spanish souls, the only people visible in Ceuta yesterday were migrants, seemingly from across Africa. For sure, some were friendly, but the locals’ deep unease was understandable.

‘They’ve taken over the city,’ said a police officer. ‘Look around you. It may as well be Morocco because all the Spaniards are indoors.’

Spanish soldiers come to help the migrant gasping for air on the beach as thousands cross over the border

Paramedics put the man on a stretcher and give him first aid as they take him off the beach

A Spanish soldier escorts a migrant away from the area as the unprecedented humanitarian response ensues

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It was true. The numbers were overwhelming. And so was the litter. Cans, bottles, wrappers seemed to carpet every patch of grass.

The only place where local voices were heard was at the Mercadona supermarket. It felt like a Spanish-only enclave within an enclave. Three armoured personnel carriers were parked outside it all day, preventing migrants from entering.

One Moroccan boy, no older than 16, taunted police with a ‘Heil Hitler’ salute as he was shooed away. Inside, the queue for each till was 50-deep. Having shut its doors because of the crisis for the previous two days, the supermarket braced itself for wave after wave of panic-buying customers.

Ms Picazo was with her parents and their overflowing trolley in one of the long queues. She lives in Madrid now but came back to Ceuta after the first influx of migrants poured across the border because she was ‘worried sick’ about her mother, a nurse, and her engineer father, who live in the centre of the city.

She says: ‘I was genuinely frightened for my parents. I am sorry for the immigrants who died trying to get here but we are all worried about what will happen next. There is fear everywhere. Who can blame us? This is not a normal situation. Even with soldiers everywhere people are scared.

‘This cannot be allowed to carry on. Like everyone else, we are buying water, oil, everything in bulk, just in case.’

Nearby, an elderly man queuing with his grandson was criticising the Spanish government for ‘abandoning us’.

‘It all went wrong when Sanchez started that amnesty,’ he says, referring to Spain’s socialist prime minister Pedro Sanchez and his controversial policy giving more than a million migrants illegally living in Spain the chance to apply for residency status.

Migrants pose for a picture while being escorted to the Ceuta-Morocco border in the Spanish North African enclave of Ceuta

A woman drinks water outside the CETI short-stay migrant centre in Ceuta on August 1 

Sanchez insisted it would make Spain a happy place to live for everyone, whatever their ethnicity. But his critics say that the scheme – launched in April but since halted – helped entice the Moroccan migrants.

Further up the hill from the supermarket, we see a migrant dart across the street clutching a bag of groceries he’s apparently stolen. A police officer holding a baton aloft gives chase. Both disappear from view.

We drive further along Avenida de Africa. Dozens of young Moroccans appear to be laying siege to the Coviran grocery store. This time it is a soldier who does the chasing. As the men scatter, he goes after three of them who run down a side street. All over the city yesterday, these cat-and-mouse games played out repeatedly.

Back at the beach, the military have laid a 500-yard floating barrier in the sea to prevent other swimmers from reaching the shore.

One of the triggers for this extraordinary crisis was a Spanish supreme court ruling making it harder to intercept migrants at sea, meaning that they are now more likely to be processed on land than immediately returned. The influx was egged on by social media messages announcing that the border was ‘open’, which spread across Morocco like wildfire. Where these messages originated from remains a mystery.

There were even reports that buses were laid on to transport people to the border.

According to several people we spoke to, Moroccan police urged them to ‘go to Spain’.

Indeed, there has been a suspicion that Rabat had orchestrated the rush to the border, or at least did little to prevent it, given that the country has long resented the Spanish presence at Ceuta and its sister enclave of Melilla, 140 miles to the west.

Migrants are led away through a gate as Spanish troops stand guard armed with rifles

Migrants queue outside a supermarket in Ceuta after entering the Spanish enclave from neighbouring Morocco

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Yesterday, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, head of Spain’s opposition conservative People’s Party visited the city and described the massive influx of migrants as a ‘premeditated and unprecedented occupation of Spanish territory’.

One woman, who came across the border with her 16-year-old son told us: ‘Without doubt, the Moroccan government let this happen for whatever reason. Probably because it wants to get back at Spain for something.

‘We’re going back again because we are tired and hungry and there is no shelter. We slept on the streets like dogs.’

Her son, a trainee chef, pointed to a black eye. ‘I was hit by police for no reason,’ he says.

A frequent refrain from Moroccans, meanwhile, was that they only came because ‘our friends were going’, suggesting that their foray into Spain had not been thought through. One said: ‘We thought we would be better treated but it has been disappointing.’

Beyond these shores a political row was raging. Spain condemned the ‘selfish, polarising and unlawful’ reaction of some EU countries to the influx.

Italy, for one, wasn’t happy. It temporarily suspended the EU’s border-free Schengen arrangement with Spain, as PM Giorgia Meloni called the scenes ‘shocking’. Finland and Denmark backed Italy’s move, while Czech PM Andrej Babis urged a temporary suspension of Spain’s Schengen membership.

Interior ministers from across the EU will discuss the issue on Tuesday by video conference.

Mr Sanchez had called for an urgent meeting to ‘reaffirm that the security of our external borders is a shared responsibility of all member states’.

Twenty-two of the EU’s 27 countries also called for emergency talks in an open letter, citing ‘serious concerns’ regarding the developments in Ceuta.

While the EU praises the return of migrants and speaks of helping Spain restore ‘effective control’ of the border and prevent further uncontrolled crossings, many here remain unconvinced.

One of six cleaners tasked with clearing Ceuta’s beaches of the carpet of rubbish left behind by the migrants, told us: ‘I don’t think this is the last time I will be doing this.’

Nearby, a soldier is frogmarching a migrant guilty of some misdemeanour or other back towards the border. Afterwards he says: ‘This has been a crazy few days, nothing like it. But remember, it has happened before and will happen again.’

Erica Fox, 55, was killed by a shark while swimming in Monterey Bay, California, in December 2025

Newly disclosed post-mortem results have revealed the horrific severity of a single, extraordinarily forceful shark bite that took the life of 55-year-old triathlete Erica Fox in Monterey Bay.

The Santa Cruz County Sheriff-Coroner’s Office established that Fox perished from sharp and blunt-force injuries and submersion in water due to a shark attack.

The findings bring closure to a distressing inquiry into her disappearance off Lovers Point in Pacific Grove, California, showing the catastrophic bodily harm inflicted by the apex predator.

On December 21, 2025, Fox embarked on a regular group swim with the Kelp Krawlers, an open-water swimming collective she co-established.

A seasoned athlete who participated in half-Ironman competitions and the Escape from Alcatraz triathlon for almost 20 years, Fox was at the front of the group heading towards Lovers Point when she abruptly disappeared below the waves, reports the Mirror US.

Onlookers along the shoreline witnessed a large shark surface, with one emergency caller recounting what seemed to be a person gripped in the creature’s mouth before it descended.

The other 14 swimmers in the group, including Fox’s husband of three decades, Jean-Francois Vanreusel, scrambled back to land, where a swift roll call verified the heartbreaking truth that Fox was gone.

Despite a comprehensive 15 hour rescue mission incorporating helicopters, vessels, and dive teams, preliminary retrieval attempts proved fruitless. Recovery teams and voluntary search groups kept watch over the vicinity in subsequent days.

Six days following her vanishing, Fox’s remains were found washed up near Davenport Beach in Santa Cruz County, approximately 25 miles from her last known location, partially dressed in her wetsuit.

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The recently published coroner’s findings outline the tremendous force of the attack. The post-mortem examination revealed Fox endured one catastrophic bite that created a crescent pattern of tooth marks stretching from her knees to her abdomen.

The bite ripped through her wetsuit, ruptured a critical artery in her torso, and shattered her pelvis. Specialists suggest the instantaneous physical damage was so catastrophic that Fox most likely lost consciousness straight away upon impact before going under the water.

Chris Lowe, a marine biology professor and head of the Shark Lab at California State University, Long Beach, observed that the devastating incident aligns with characteristics of a hunting error.

Lowe clarified that the shark undoubtedly confused Fox for a seal or sea lion, triggering a swift but deadly assault. Her death represents the third shark encounter near Lovers Point since June 2022.

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A team from North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service took on a stair climb today (August 1) at Clifford’s Tower in York to honour the 343 firefighters who lost their lives during the 9/11 attacks.

The firefighters climbed up and descended the tower’s stairs 343 times with each ascent representing one of the firefighters who lost their lives on September 11, 2001.

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The challenge, which began at 6pm, is part of the team’s preparation for an international memorial event – with many other crew members joining them for the night.

In September, nine North Yorkshire firefighters will travel to Atlanta, Georgia to take part in the Terry Farrell Firefighters Fund Memorial Stair Climb, which will raise money for The Terry Farrell Firefighters Fund , The Fire Fighters Charity, and The Blue Light Card Foundation.

343 firefighters from the UK and Ireland will climb the equivalent of 110 floors in Truist Park baseball stadium in Atlanta, Georgia –  representing the height of the World Trade Center towers.

The nine taking part are: Station Manager Mike Sutcliffe, Watch Manager Daz Smith, Crew Manager Steve Simpson, Ash Davis, Toni Wooff Pepe, Josh Beagle, Dom Wood, Rik Duckworth, and Tim Weller.    

Mike said: “We’re going to be climbing at the Atlanta baseball stadium standing shoulder to shoulder with American firefighters, which will be amazing.

“We thought before we fly out, we’d do a bit of a pre-event and some fundraising here and get some more donations for the charities. What better place is there than Clifford’s Tower? Perfect set of stairs here.

Completing the first of 343 climbs and onto the next (Image: Alice Kavanagh)

“It’ll be hard, because we’re going to be doing it in full fire kit as well. In the Atlanta heat, it’s going to be warm, but it’ll be one hell of an experience and we can’t wait to get out there.”

The firefighters have also been supported on their trip by Hilton York, who have been able to help the crew with their accommodation on the trip down to London to fly out.

Julianne, who works for Hilton, said that the hotel became aware of the trip through one of their supervisors – who’s husband Rik is one of the nine firefighters taking part in the challenge.

Firefighters outside the Hilton York (Image: Alice Kavanagh)

She added: “Rik came to me about two months ago to ask if there was anything we could do to help them arrange accommodation, before they flew out.  We said absolutely – we’ve pulled some strings and we’re really happy to help them with a good discount.”

Chief Fire Officer Jonathan Dyson said:  “This is a global challenge, honouring those who lost their lives in the 9/11 attacks. We are proud to support it, and for our teams to take part and raise funds, alongside their peers from around the world.

One of the fire crew poses with the donations QR code and truck (Image: Alice Kavanagh)

“They will stand together, and climb together, remembering this tragic event 25 years ago.”    

The Clifford’s Tower event also raise funds for the trip and the cause through collection buckets and a website where online donations can be made.

LEXINGTON, S.C. (AP) — Sen. Darline Graham made her political debut before hundreds of Republican voters in South Carolina on Saturday, saying that she never envisioned a life in politics for herself until after the death of her brother Lindsey Graham, and now wants to work hard to promote the state and President Donald Trump’s policy priorities.

Graham is serving in an interim role to fulfill her brother’s current term. But as one of nine Republicans seeking to replace him more permanently in a special primary election set for Aug. 11, she is a relative political unknown facing off against some of the state’s best-known GOP names.

On Saturday, she acknowledged that she has not spent decades in politics, but argued that she understands the real-world applications of the federal policy debates her brother knew well, like budgeting and the cost of health care. She reiterated that, like her brother, she’s backed by Trump, who urged her to get into the race and has endorsed her.

“I certainly never expected to be on this stage, giving this stump speech,” Darline Graham said to a crowd gathered for the event in Lexington. “I’ve never had any desire to be a politician. I’m here today because I’m answering President Trump’s call to serve. I want to stand up for South Carolina, and I want to fight for President Trump’s agenda.”

Graham found herself thrust into the political spotlight just three weeks ago, following her brother’s sudden death from an aortic tear.

Given the compressed timeline of the special election, Darline Graham now has just more than a week to convince South Carolina Republican voters that she’s the best pick to represent the state. Up to this moment, she has been known to the state’s voters primarily through her brother’s origin story, including their hardscrabble upbringing and parents’ early death, and in the period of mourning for her brother, for whom funeral services in Washington and South Carolina took place just days ago.

All nine of the hopefuls were on hand Saturday for the event, with five minutes each to speak on stage. Former Gov. Mark Sanford, seeking yet another political comeback following a halted bid for Congress earlier this year, warned against deficit spending and debt accumulation, hallmarks of his decades in political messaging.

Reminding attendees of his endorsements in the race, including Sens. Rick Scott of Florida and Mike Lee of Utah, U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman also stressed his support for a voting bill known as the SAVE America Act, among Trump’s top policy priorities.

U.S. Rep. Russell Fry, a two-term House member, talked to voters of his own humble beginnings, saying that the things that held his family together “were our belief in God, hard work, blue-collar hustle.”

After the speeches concluded, hundreds of attendees got in line for free Chick-fil-A boxed lunches, as well as the chance to cast a vote in an informal straw poll for their preferred candidate — a survey in which Darline Graham eked out a victory, ahead of Fry and Norman.

Several attendees said they just wanted more information — and more time — to make their choices in the primary.

Charles Brentnell said his top three picks were U.S. Reps. Ralph Norman and Russell Fry, as well as Darline Graham, with whom he said he agreed on backing Trump’s demand to cut short its planned breaks to pass legislation, like the voting bill.

“Let’s keep the Senate in the Senate, instead of taking a month off,” Brentnell said.

Still mulling his choice as he stood in the straw poll line, Gary Atkinson said he was leaning toward picking Norman, but that he liked a lot of what he heard from several people.

“Those are all strong candidates,” said Atkinson, who said he had supported Lindsey Graham in the past, but disagreed on some issues, like the war with Iran. “It’s tough to make up your mind.”

If needed, a runoff election will be held Aug. 25. The Republican nominee will face Democrat Annie Andrews in the general election.

Other candidates speaking Saturday included Walterboro attorney Duke Buckner, Greenville businessman Mark Lynch, former Myrtle Beach Mayor Mark McBride, retired Air Force officer Glenda Gail Parker and entrepreneur Sam Shepherd.

___

Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://x.com/MegKinnardAP

Jennifer Aniston continued her sun-soaked European holiday with boyfriend Jim Curtis and friends over the weekend.

The actress, 57, showed off her incredible washboard abs in a dark bikini top and white shorts while lounging on the luxury Rising Sun yacht in Majorca, Spain. 

At one point, the smitten star shared a sweet kiss with her hypnotist partner, 50, as they enjoyed their romantic getaway. 

Aniston also took to the water for a pedal kayaking excursion during her idyllic vacation. 

The Friends star accessorized her look with a black hat and a pair of sunglasses. 

The couple were joined by Jason Bateman, male model Christian Hogue and stylist Jamie Mizrahi. 

Jennifer Aniston, 57, continued her sun-soaked holiday in Majorca, Spain with boyfriend Jim Curtis, 50, and friends over the weekend 

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At one point, the smitten star shared a sweet kiss with her hypnotist partner as they enjoyed their romantic getaway

Aniston also took to the water for a pedal kayaking excursion during her idyllic vacation

Last week, Aniston was joined by her former co-star Courteney Cox, 62, and Pedro Pascal, 51, during another yacht day.

From snorkeling to kayaking, the group had everything an A-lister on vacation could want right at their fingertips.

But not even a luxury yacht trip could stop Aniston from working out her core.

In the middle of sailing the high seas, Aniston did some planks – a great exercise for keeping her torso toned.

Body balanced on her forearms and tiptoes, the star maintained a near-perfect plank position to ensure her abs would remain taut.

The results of Aniston’s dedication were apparent.

Clad in an itty bitty bikini, Aniston’s torso was svelte and sculpted and a reflection of all the hard work she put in her body.

Meanwhile, as Aniston enjoyed a quick workout, her pals relaxed about the boat.

Aniston showed off her sculpted abs 

The actress wore a dark bikini top and white shorts while lounging on the luxury Rising Sun yacht

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The Friends star accessorized her look with a black hat and a pair of sunglasses 

She stayed hydrated, carrying a water bottle in her hand

The trip marks a bit of a full-circle moment for Aniston and Curtis, who were first linked while on vacation with friends in Majorca last year

Curtis ditched his shirt at one point 

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The pair shared a tender embrace 

The loved-up duo cozied up aboard the yacht 

She wore her blonde hair down for the day

Last week Aniston was pictured working out on a yacht 

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She kept busy during the action-packed holiday 

Aniston showed off her toned arms 

The couple were joined by Jason Bateman, male model Christian Hogue and stylist Jamie Mizrahi

The actor rocked blue swim trunks 

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Curtis sat on a lounge chair while Cox appeared to do the same nearby. Pascal, meanwhile, kicked back in another part of the boat.

It wasn’t all just R&R with the group penciling in several action-packed adventures including kayaking and snorkeling.

The trip marks a bit of a full-circle moment for Aniston and Curtis, who were first linked while on vacation with friends in Majorca last year.

Aniston and Curtis celebrated their one-year dating anniversary in May, with a source revealing exclusively to the Daily Mail what the couple did to mark the milestone.

The insider shared at the time that Aniston and Curtis planned to vacation in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico after she finished filming season five of The Morning Show.

‘They want to have some fun in the sun and toast a year of bliss in her favorite place in the world, Cabo,’ the source revealed.

‘She is head over heels for this guy and wants him to be her forever person, so it’s fitting they take a romantic break to appreciate one another.’

The Daily Mail’s insider also provided insight on how Curtis has fit into Aniston’s A-list friend group, which includes Bateman, Sandra Bullock, Adam Sandler and Sean Hayes.

‘Jim fits right in with the crowd, they think he is a cool guy, which is very relaxing for Jen. She doesn’t have to sell Jim, everyone is sold on him!

‘Dinner parties, movie nights, premieres, they are easy breezy for Jen when Jim is by her side because he is so likable.’

At one point Aniston was spotted checking her phone

She mingled with Mizrahi

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Aniston and Curtis started dating in early 2025 and were first spotted together in public in July, on vacation with friends

They made their first official public appearance at the ELLE Women in Hollywood event in Beverly Hills on November 17, 2025

Mizrahi showed off her incredible figure 

She also took to the water for a kayaking session 

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Aniston is also reportedly so fond of her boyfriend because there is no competition between them – unlike her exes Brad Pitt, Vince Vaughn, John Mayer and Justin Theroux.

‘It is all about her and how she feels and what she needs,’ said the source. ‘He never talks about his career or tries to network with her contacts, he has no interest in being an actor or being famous.

‘She has said with him she can exhale, she can let herself go and breathe because there is no pressure.’

Being that Curtis is a life coach, he has reportedly been a healer for Aniston as well as her friend group.

‘Very often Jim gets people to take deep breaths, to focus on the here and now, to appreciate the good things in life, he is like a human peace sign.

‘He is the dude everyone gravitates toward at a party,’ the insider shared.

Aniston and Curtis started dating in early 2025 and were first spotted together in public in July, on vacation with friends.

They made their first official public appearance at the ELLE Women in Hollywood event in Beverly Hills on November 17, 2025.

Hogue enjoyed a paddleboard session 

He put his toned physique on full display 

They went Instagram official when she shared a photo of them together on Instagram around November 2, 2025.

Earlier this year, Curtis revealed that he and the Emmy-winner were introduced by mutual friends.

‘We were just introduced by friends. That’s it. We found out that we had mutual friends and we started to just chat,’ he said on the Today show.

‘It took a long time, we chatted for a long time and we became close.’

Chelsea adjusted their youth-focused approach to the transfer market come the end of the 2025/26 campaign, acknowledging the need to add more experienced players to the squad. With 400 Premier League appearances to his name, Welbeck will fill that role alongside Jordan Henderson, who is expected to join the club in the coming days.

“When he showed the final version to me, I said, ‘Now you have made a film with a capital F. It is your film. It is your vision’, and it settles the legacy of our father, who had invented a massive thing of the same name, but Justin made something humanist telling an important story.”

Josh Kerr stormed to Commonwealth Games mile gold as Scotstoun rocked to The Proclaimers.

It took the Scot less than four minutes to cover the distance. By the finish, the rest looked as though they had walked all 500 miles.

In a tactical and scrappy race, where sharp elbows were needed, Kerr surged to the front on the final lap and kicked clear of a world-class field to cross the line in 3:54.22, 12 seconds slower than his recent world record, but this mission had a higher purpose.

Australia’s Cameron Myers, widely viewed as his closest rival, had talked a big game but had no answers when the Scot turned on the burners with 200m to go.

Former world champion Timothy Cheruiyot of Kenya completed the podium, but this was ultimately a race at the mercy of the man of the moment.

Records can define you, but they don’t last forever; no one was removing this night from the history books as Kerr became the first Scot to win a middle distance blue riband at the Games.

“This means everything. It was the championship of my season, it was the one I’d circled on the calendar,” said Kerr.

“It doesn’t get any better than this. It was absolutely incredible. In front of a Scottish crowd where I learned how to race. I came here week after week growing up as a kid.

“I had a lot of energy to pull out a gap in the last 200m, so I decided to go early and save everyone some stress.”

Sixty years after the mile was last contested at the Commonwealth Games, and 72 years after Roger Bannister and John Landy went stride for stride in one of the most famous races of all time, Kerr secured his place in history.

He may have started favourite after breaking the 27-year-old world mile record in London two weeks ago, but he knew it would be no procession.

Myers, just 20, is viewed as one of the sport’s rising middle-distance stars, while teammate Ollie Hoare won the 1500m title four years ago in Birmingham.

And then there was fellow Scot Jake Wightman, the former world champion who is always dangerous in major championships when fully fit.

“I felt relaxed,” said Kerr, who has just 13 days to reset his sights on the 1500m at the European Championships in Birmingham and a potential showdown with arch-rival Jakob Ingebrigtsen.

“London was a big stress and I pushed my body to the absolute limit, so I really had to use my brain to save my body there.

“I didn’t put the performance together I wanted at the last Commonwealth Games and I felt the British crowd deserved more from me. I owed them that.”

Meanwhile, Jazmin Sawyers finally has the outdoor athletics gold she’s always dreamt of.

Eight years ago, the talented singer recorded Team England’s anthem. Now she was at the top of the medals podium rather than the pop charts.

Sawyers upgraded the Commonwealth long jump silver she won 12 years ago in Glasgow, producing a best effort of 6.93m to secure the title with room to spare.

Injuries have long plagued the 32-year-old’s career, and Sawyers spent 20 months on the sidelines after rupturing her Achilles in the build-up to the Paris Olympics.

She won the European indoor title three years ago but confessed this triumph went straight to the top of her achievements, 15 years after she made her international debut.

“It hasn’t properly hit me yet. This is the thing I’ve been telling myself all the horrible bits are for,” said Sawyers.

“The feeling is overwhelming. I had to pull out of the British Championships and stop during the Diamond League because my body was telling me, ‘No, you’re not ready and you’re going to hurt yourself’. For the first time in my career, I was protecting the major championships, and I think it worked.”

Thanks to National Lottery players, more than £33m is raised every week for good causes. It’s because of you that sport, arts, heritage and community projects, as well as our athletes competing at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, are supported across the UK.

Animal rights campaigners have demanded the World Black Pudding Throwing Championships use vegan alternatives, arguing it was wrong for the ‘blood and fat’ of pigs to be hurled for ‘a bit of fun’.

The annual competition, held in Ramsbottom, Lancashire, sees rivals throw bloody sausages in a bid to knock traditional Yorkshire and Lancashire black puddings off a 20ft high plinth.

The quirky northern tradition is said to have been inspired by a bitter 1455 battle in nearby Stubbins during the War of the Roses – fought between the House of Lancaster and the House of York.

In a letter to event organisers, Peta said it was wrong for the animals to have their ‘blood and fat thrown at a target for a bit of fun’.

‘It’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt,’ the organisation wrote. ‘In the case of the World Black Pudding Throwing Championships, someone does indeed get hurt: pigs.’

The campaigners also said they would pay for ‘cruelty-free’ options in lieu of the Yorkshire puddings and the bloody sausages thrown towards them.

Paul Jenkins, who organises the annual event, said the ‘quintessential British event’ already offered vegan alternatives to its competitors.

And while he said the championships would not make the use of vegan alternatives compulsory, he said people who opted for them were ‘more than welcome to’.

The quirky northern tradition is said to have been inspired by a bitter 1455 battle in nearby Stubbins during the War of the Roses (Pictured: PTom Lowten celebrating his win in 2019)

Of the event, he said: ‘It’s on the same level as cheese-rolling at this point.’

It comes as Peta also demanded a small Welsh coastal town, famed for its colourful Ballamory-esque homes, be rebranded from its mackerel festival into one about cabbage.

Aberaeron, nestled along the picturesque coast of west Wales, welcomes hundreds of visitors annually for the event marking the end of fishing season.

During the mackerel fiesta, residents carry a huge papier-mâché mackerel through the streets of the town located in Ceredigion.

The procession, mocking ones seen in funerals, sees the faux fish carried through Aberaeron before being burnt on the beach.

Some believe this tradition helps to secure a bountiful mackerel harvest the following season.

However, Peta proposed to event organisers, Aberaeron Yacht Club, that they use a giant papier-mâché cabbage and also included an AI-mocked image in their letter.

Dawn Carr, Peta’s vice-president of vegan projects, penned: ‘Celebrating life-giving plant produce rather than fish slaughter would be more in line with the compassion and warmth Wales is known for.’

In a letter to event organisers, Peta said it was wrong for the animals to have their ‘blood and fat thrown at a target for a bit of fun’

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Last year’s annual black pudding throwing contest was won by 18-year-old Harry Ogden, who managed to knock six Yorkshire puddings from the 20ft high plinth

‘Fish value their lives and deserve respect and freedom.’

A man at the club rejected the suggestion, adding that they were not even burning a real fish. 

He asked: ‘What about being cruel to cabbages? 

‘It seems a strange thing to focus on. It’s just a bit of fun, and an excuse, really, to drink some beer. It brings the village together.

‘They should have bigger, more relevant targets, you’d think, than a small little Welsh harbour town.’

Dawn Carr, Vice President of Vegan Corporate Projects said: “Pigs are curious, sensitive animals, who deserve better than being forcibly bred, confined, and slaughtered for a meal, or in the case of this event, a prop. It would be just as entertaining for people to toss a vegan black pudding, a sponge, or a locally grown turnip, so there’s no reason to involve a pig’s blood in the festivities. That’s why PETA is urging the Stubbins Village Community Trust to give the pigs a break by ‘pudding’ on a kinder, and more sustainable, bloodless event.”