Author: britishbulletin.com

Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek says tennis did not need the ‘Battle of the Sexes’ between Nick Kyrgios and Aryna Sabalenka as the women’s game “stands on its own”.Women’s number one Sabalenka and male player Kyrgios faced off in a highly publicised exhibition in Dubai a week ago.Kyrgios won the match – played on a modified court designed to provide a level playing field – in straight sets.But Swiatek says tennis has come a long way since the original ‘Battle of the Sexes’ between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs in 1973 which highlighted the women’s game fighting for legitimacy and…

A Labour Justice Minister has been embroiled in a conflict of interest row after it was revealed her husband represented Islamist killer Fuad Awale.Dan Squires KC, who is married to Courts Minister Sarah Sackman, represented the double killer after the Somalian was placed in a special separation unit.Awale claimed solitary confinement breached his right to a private life under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights and alleged he was suffering from “severe depression”.However, the Islamist extremist was placed in the special unit after he and another inmate ambushed a prison officer and threatened to kill him unless…

Britain’s public finances are under growing strain as the cost of past borrowing continues to mount. Years of economic shocks and crisis-driven spending have left the country carrying an increasingly heavy debt burden, with interest payments now consuming a sizeable share of government spending.Fresh forecasts suggest the scale of the problem is about to cross a significant and symbolic threshold.Britain’s national debt is poised to surpass the £3trillion threshold for the first time this year, according to projections from the Office for Budget Responsibility.The country’s outstanding borrowings currently sit at £2.93trillion, a dramatic escalation from the £350billion recorded at the…

Stuart MaisnerandDanny Pike,South East/Studio LambertMr Simpson made the giant chess pieces that featured in The Celebrity TraitorsThe maker of giant masks for The Masked Singer as well as props for The Traitors has been describing the “fun and thrill” of working on the two hit TV programmes. Tim Simpson has worked on every series of the ITV celebrity singing contest since 2020 as well as creating the giant chess pieces and huge model traitor for challenges on the top-rated show.The model maker, who created the masks for Can of Worms and Disc Jockey on the new series of The Masked…

Some clubs eschew the host family approach in favour of a boarding system, in which players live together in dormitories on club property, the most famous being Barcelona’s La Masia.”There are strengths and weaknesses to both models,” says Sam Bayford, Brentford’s academy head of safeguarding.”The reason we went with our model is that we want to give the players a real break, a geographical and psychological separation rather than living with and sleeping next to the lads they’ve been training with all day.”Adolescence is a key time for personal, physical and technical development in young footballers – done right, the…

Stuart Pollitt,North WestandLauren Hirst,North WestLyra Cassell said she was told there was a “high chance of death” following her diagnosis A student who was diagnosed with leukaemia at the age of 16 has credited a “tiny vial of blood” taken from a placenta and umbilical cord in Spain 12 years earlier for saving her life. Lyra Cassell, 20, was given the devastating diagnosis that she had one of the rarest forms of blood cancer after discovering two lumps on her body four years ago.In April 2022, she underwent a cord blood transplant at the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, giving her…

The government has launched a recruitment drive for thousands of new magistrates to volunteer in England and Wales as part of its efforts to grapple with the crown court backlog.The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said more than 2,000 magistrates have been trained since 2022 and the latest call aims to boost that number by another 2,000 within the next financial year.Justice Secretary David Lammy said magistrates served “a vital role” in the court system and “we need more people of every age and background to volunteer”.In December, Lammy announced sweeping reforms to the criminal courts, including removing juries from a…

This video contains discussion around suicide and mental health.Espanyol winger Tyrhys Dolan speaks to BBC Sport’s Spanish football reporter Elizabeth Conway about his journey from non-league football to La Liga. READ MORE: Blackburn to Barcelona – Dolan’s ‘unbelievable’ journeyIf you have been affected by any of the issues in this video, you can find information and support at BBC Action Line – https://www.bbc.co.uk/actionline/

Issac LambDaniel and David have remained close friends after meeting on the Harry Potter setDavid Holmes was just 17 years old when he started making magic happen as Harry Potter’s stunt double.The talented gymnast, from Leigh-on-sea in Essex, performed stunts deemed too risky for the film’s 11-year-old star Daniel Radcliffe.But in January 2009 while filming the seventh film, he was rapidly jerked back on a harness, leaving him paralysed at the age of 24.Here, in his own words, he explains how breaking his neck has never changed his personality, and how his friendship with Daniel, along with a new role…

West Ham have completed the signing of Brazilian striker Pablo Felipe from Portuguese club Gil Vicente on a four-and-a-half-year deal. The 22-year-old arrives at London Stadium for a reported fee, external of 25m euros (£21.8m) to become the first signing since Nuno Espirito Santo took charge in September. The Portugal-born forward has scored 10 goals in 13 Primeira Liga appearances this season and will be available for Saturday’s Premier League trip to Wolves. “I am very happy. I will give my all for this club, leaving everything on the pitch, all my effort, all my dedication,” said Felipe.”The fans really…