Joint Statement from the Leaders of the United States, Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Spain, Thailand, and the United Kingdom Calling for the Release of the H The White House
Biden, 17 other world leaders issue joint call for Hamas to immediately free hostages The Times of Israel
Joe Biden, 17 other world leaders call for release of hostages held by Hamas USA TODAY
US, 17 other countries urge Hamas to release hostages, end Gaza crisis Reuters.com
Israel-Hamas War Day 202 | Israel-Hamas War Day 202 | Israeli War Cabinet Discusses Gaza Talks Renewal in Tel Aviv as Dozens Rally for Hostage Deal – Israel News Haaretz
At least 10 people were buried in an avalanche on Sunday near the mountainous villages of Lech and Zurs in Austria, according to a statement from the state-run Austrian Press Agency.
The avalanche happened Sunday afternoon in the open ski area of the villages.
One person has been rescued so far according to the police, the agency said.
“Ten winter sport enthusiasts” were buried, according to the statement.
A search and rescue operation is in progress with more than 100 people involved, including avalanche search dogs and helicopters.
“We do everything we can to save the winter sports enthusiasts,” the Lech Municipality spokesperson said, according to the Austrian Press Agency. “Searchlights were requested so that the search could continue in the dark,” the statement said.
The Trident driver dominated Sunday’s race, taking a risky tyre gamble to snatch the lead before crossing the line 13 seconds ahead.
On the slow down lap after the chequered flag, Verschoor’s car stopped before he was able to compete a lap.
The FIA’s technical delegate said the car was unable to provide a fuel sample of a minimum of 0.8kg, with just 31.3g left in the tank.
Daruvala, who finished second, was then handed a 20-second penalty after his Prema team “attempted to dry the track surface at their grid position prior to the race start by applying the fans normally used to cool the engine to the ground directly in front of the rear wheels of Car 2.
“This has been witnessed and reported by the Technical Delegate. As a performance advantage can never be ruled out in such case, the mere attempt to alter the track surface is prohibited irrespective of any success.”
The FIA said he was assessed a drive through penalty which, since it could not be served during the race, was converted to a 20 second time penalty in the final classification.
The penalties mean Logan Sargeant, who took third place for Carlin, will be promoted to first ahead of Enzo Fittipaldi and Roberto Merhi.
Further down the grid, ART’s Frederik Vesti was given a five-second penalty after he went off track at Turn 3 and gained a lasting advantage whilst battling Olli Caldwell (Campos Racing). He was also given one penalty point, bringing his total so far this year to three.
Prema Racing were fined €1000 for a pitstop infringement during Dennis Hauger’s stop.
The Stewards determined that during the mandatory pit stop, the rear left tyre was not placed flat as required, stood up and rolled away from the mechanic for a short distance before being retrieved.
They said the incident “creates a potential safety issue but that it was not a deliberate move by the mechanic.”
Max Verstappen took pole position ahead of the Sprint in a dramatic Friday evening qualifying session – with both Mercedes drivers crashing out – at the Red Bull Ring.
Sunny skies welcomed the drivers after rain in the morning and a drenched lead-up to the Austrian Grand Prix, with qualifying setting the grid for Saturday’s Sprint – which in turn will set the grid for Sunday’s Grand Prix.
Mercedes entered Q3 perhaps hoping for pole seeing as Lewis Hamilton was third in the previous session, but the seven-time champion went into the barriers at Turn 7 to bring out a red flag in the middle of the top-10 shootout to leave him a provisional 10th.
Team mate George Russell (P5) followed suit minutes later with a spin then crash at the final corner, capping off a miserable afternoon for the Silver Arrows.
Following the second stoppage of Q3 came a stunning fight for pole, Verstappen raising the proverbial roof off the Red Bull Ring with his final flying effort, leaving Leclerc second by just 0.029s and Carlos Sainz third by 0.082s.
1
Max Verstappen VER Red Bull Racing
1:04.984
2
Charles Leclerc LEC Ferrari
1:05.013
3
Carlos Sainz SAI Ferrari
1:05.066
4
Sergio Perez PER Red Bull Racing
1:05.404
5
George Russell RUS Mercedes
1:05.431
Sergio Perez took fourth for Red Bull by 0.420s, with Russell fifth despite crashing out.
Next on the board was Alpine’s Esteban Ocon; his team mate Fernando Alonso was ninth. Between them were Kevin Magnussen in seventh and Mick Schumacher eighth in a stunning showing for Haas.
AlphaTauri suffered a double elimination in Q2, with Pierre Gasly missing out by under a hundredth of a second and Yuki Tsunoda furious to qualify a provisional 14th. Alex Albon took 12th for Williams ahead of Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas in P13, while Lando Norris was 15th for McLaren having had numerous Q2 laps delete for exceeding track limits.
Daniel Ricciardo will start behind his team mate in the Sprint having been eliminated in P16. Lance Stroll was next on the board, 17th for Aston Martin as he shares the penultimate row with Zhou Guanyu of Alfa Romeo on Saturday.
Williams’ Nicholas Latifi qualified 19th for the Sprint, with Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel last and 20th having also had a lap chalked for track limits.
Q1 – Ferrari set the pace as Ricciardo and Aston Martin bow out
Teams wasted no time emerging for Q1, the track abuzz with activity under clear, blue skies.
With eight minutes left on the clock, Verstappen briefly went top but had his lap chalked off, leaving team mate Perez first – ahead of Alpine’s Alonso and Ferrari’s Leclerc in a top-three split by just 0.057s. Sainz was fourth having also had his first flyer struck off for track limits.
With Verstappen and Hamilton yet to set a time by that point, and with track conditions still set to ramp up, there was plenty of time on the table – both Williams (Albon going wide at Turn 9) and Aston Martins in the drop zone along with the championship leader.
Verstappen got his time in with five minutes to go top thanks to a lap of 1m 05.852s. However, the Ferraris bumped him down the order soon after, Sainz going second and Leclerc first by 0.433s to the third-place Red Bull driver.
Leclerc led Q1
Alonso took fourth ahead of Hamilton, while Red Bull’s Perez finished sixth in front of the other Mercedes of Russell.
With a new engine (part of his existing pool) after his FP1 stoppage, McLaren driver Norris ended up eighth in Q1 ahead of the Haas duo (led by Magnussen over Schumacher in P10) and Bottas in 11th for Alfa Romeo.
Tsunoda of AlphaTauri and Ocon in the Alpine were next in the order, behind them the Williams of Albon.
AlphaTauri driver Gasly was the last man to make it to Q2 by 0.024s over McLaren’s Ricciardo in 16th. Neither Aston Martin progressed to the next session either, Vettel 20th with a deleted lap time while Stroll fared better in P17.
Between them were Alfa Romeo’s Zhou, 18th, and Williams driver Latifi in P19.
Mercedes’s Hamilton topped the charts early in Q2, his team mate Russell third, while Verstappen split the pair, 0.033s off the pace. That left the Ferraris in P4 and P5 but there was still time on the clock, time to find, and seven drivers yet to turn a flying lap.
With five minutes remaining, Bottas was the driver at risk in P10 with Red Bull’s Perez 0.139s behind having gone wide at Turn 9, and Norris having had two lap times deleted thanks to separate excursions at Turn 1 and Turn 4 to sit last. Albon and the AlphaTauri pair were the other drivers at risk of elimination. Meanwhile at the top, Hamilton had improved to keep Verstappen 0.093s behind… for the time being.
Leclerc and Verstappen improved, the former 0.087s ahead of the latter, while Hamilton was third by a margin of 0.188s to keep Sainz fourth. Russell rounded out the top five and Perez made it out of the drop zone in sixth.
Both Haas drivers moved into Q3, Magnussen seventh and Schumacher 10th, with Ocon and Alonso making it a double Q3 appearance for Alpine in eighth and ninth respectively.
Gasly improved but only to 11th (missing out on Q3 by 0.009s), with Albon up next, and Bottas 13th. Tsunoda got tail-happy at Turn 1 and his frustration was audible as he took a provisional P14 for the Sprint – with Norris last having had three laps struck off. “I’m scared to hit the brakes,” said the McLaren driver.
Q3 – Both Mercedes crash out before Verstappen pole
No one rushed out to set a time in Q3 but it soon became apparent that Perez may have gone wide at Turn 8 in his successful effort to emerge from Q2 – leading him to be summoned to the Stewards after the session.
Leclerc led Russell and Ocon early on while Hamilton backed off his second effort (almost backing into a fast-moving Leclerc) despite a purple first sector – before a roar from the raucous orange sea of fans welcomed Verstappen. And the Dutchman delivered, taking provisional pole by 0.091s over Leclerc, with Sainz third for Ferrari ahead of Perez in P4 for Red Bull.
Then came the red flag and pause – for Hamilton. A snap of oversteer at Turn 7 saw him go skating into the gravel, the right-hand side of his W13 hitting the barriers. He walked away, but will start a provisional 10th for the Sprint.
After a lengthy stoppage, the session resumed with around five minutes left. But there would be another red flag. And this time for the other Mercedes driver – Russell walking away from this one – who spun and crashed at the final corner to pause proceedings with two-and-a-half minutes on the clock.
What followed was a stunning battle for pole, Sainz shooting to the top, Leclerc improving to take provisional pole, and then Verstappen beating both Ferraris to top spot, leaving his Monegasque rival just 0.029s behind and the Spaniard 0.082s back.
Perez was 0.420s – investigation forthcoming – behind his team mate in P4, Russell a provisional fifth, and then Ocon sixth for Alpine. Haas’s pair put on a brilliant show, Magnussen seventh ahead of Schumacher in eighth – to leave Alonso ninth in the other Alpine.
Cue scenes of jubilance in the Red Bull garage (and in the grandstands) – while Mercedes’s crews will have a long night ahead of them before FP2 and the Austrian Sprint on Saturday.
Key quote
Max Verstappen: “It was a very long wait between the two runs and that’s never great, once you’re in the rhythm, it’s nice to just keep on going. Also, you know the track temperatures were dropping, the wind was changing a little bit, but at the end, it was a very tight qualifying, and it’s a really challenging track as well to get everything right. There aren’t that many corners, but the corners you have are quite tricky, it’s really easy to make a mistake. But of course very happy with pole; but I also know that tomorrow and Sunday, you can get the points.
“I think we have a great car. Normally… qualifying is not our strongest point, so I just hope of course to have a clean Turn 1, a good getaway. From then on, anything can happen but I feel confident with the car we have.
“It’s incredible to see the crowd here and see so much orange and the support I get now for a few years already here. It definitely brings a smile on my face and I hope we can make it a great weekend.”
What’s next?
The second Sprint of 2022 takes place on Saturday at 1630 local time – after FP2 at 1230 local time – with Verstappen to lead the field in the 100km dash. Head here to see how you can catch the action on F1 TV.
So the day is finally here. All the build-up, excitement and rivalries have led to this. Euro 2022 gets under way with hosts England taking on Austria at Old Trafford.
The thousands of fans will be treated to some sublime football and some close results. There are a whole hosts of countries who are among the favourites. The Lionesses, Spain and Norway the ones in the bookies favour.
Jorge Vilda’s team have suffered losses with Jennifer Hermoso and Alexia Putellas ruled out through injury – we’ll look more closely at this shortly – so it will be interesting to see how they adapt.
So today, in the build-up to this evening’s match, we will be looking at injuries, what people have been saying, any breaking transfer news from the world of football and contributions from yourselves.
Get in touch with me via Twitter, my handle is @rendellx, or email. I’d love to hear what you are up to on this Euros opening day and any thoughts you have around the tournament.
“,”elementId”:”ba720e14-0d8c-4869-9000-9996a3587c43″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1657098407000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”10.06 BST”,”blockLastUpdated”:1657098825000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”10.13 BST”,”blockFirstPublished”:1657098407000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”10.06 BST”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”10.06″,”title”:”Preamble”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Wed 6 Jul 2022 18.03 BST”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Wed 6 Jul 2022 10.06 BST”}],”filterKeyEvents”:false,”format”:{“display”:0,”theme”:2,”design”:10},”id”:”key-events-carousel-mobile”}”>
Key events:
Thank you so much for joining me today in the build-up to an unprecedented tournament!
Gregg Bakowski will take things from here as he countdowns the clock to kick-off and sees you through the match.
You can catch his blog here:
Fans have started to arrive and I have just got emotional seeing the support at a sold out Old Trafford!
Take a look:
Photograph: Alex Pantling/The FA/Getty Images Photograph: Franck Fife/AFP/Getty Images Photograph: Alex Livesey/UEFA/Getty Images
England’s record goalscorer Wayne Rooney has shared his well wishes to the Lionesses ahead of the Euros opener this evening.
Rooney has 53 goals for his country and Ellen White could potentially break the record this summer. She has 50 to her name and has at least three matches to conquer the target.
Good luck to @Lionesses who kick off @WEURO2022 tonight. Looking forward to watching. Enjoy it. We’re all behind you 🙌🏼🏴🦁#England #Lionesses #WEURO2022 https://t.co/ZSSsXt8vYd
Chris has got in touch on Twitter and said: “I’m a US fan excited for the Euros to start but I’ve not watched the England team play very much. What would you suggest a newcomer pay most attention to during this initial game?”
Of course it depends on who is named in the team, with the line-up expected to drop at 7pm BST, but I would keep an eye on the impact of substitutions.
In England’s recent friendly against Belgium, Rachel Daly and Chloe Kelly had a huge impact on the Lionesses’ attack and re-energised the team when they were introduced.
The tactics in who Sarina Wiegman chooses to start and finish will be so interesting throughout the tournament, so I would say keep an eye on that.
Alexia Putellas cannot believe she has been ruled out of the Euros so close to the start of the tournament.
It was announced yesterday she had ruptured her ACL in training. The Spain captain has taken to Instagram to share her thoughts.
She said: “Why now? Why a day before the start of the Euros that I’ve been wanting and working for so long?
“I feel I have been privileged for a long time… Since I could I have never gone more than five days without touching a ball, training or competing. It was and is my passion and it will be quite a challenge this process.”
Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images
What a statistic for the home fans …
Did you know?#Lionesses | @GoogleCloud_UKI pic.twitter.com/rQtxVIhMXa
Just a mention for the picture used for Miedema, it’s good to know she does celebrate some of her cracking goals.
Vivianne Miedema is part of the Netherlands team who will attempt to defend their title this summer.
The Arsenal striker says she is excited about the opportunities presented this July.
“This summer is probably one of the biggest chances to put women’s football on the map,” she told UEFA.
“I think this is hopefully going to be the tournament. I hate to say it, but I want to see England do well because it will get people to the stadium, it will make the country itself feel really alive and I hope from there that we get our fan base coming to England because I do think that we’ve got the best fans in the world.”
Photograph: Daniel Mihăilescu/AFP/Getty Images
Beth Mead has had a great season with Arsenal and England. She became the highest England scorer in a season with her goals against the Netherlands last month taking her past Jimmy Greaves’ record.
Former England star Gemma Davison has backed the Gunner to extend her good form into the Euros.
“England are on form,” she told talkSPORT. “Look at their build-up, the games they’ve just had, Beth Mead is on fire, like another level at the moment.
“I don’t know what planet she’s on at the moment, she’s unbelievable.”
Photograph: Lynne Cameron/The FA/Getty Images
So who could win Euro 2022? Spain, Norway, Sweden and England are among the nations being named as favourites and our very own Suzy Wrack has broken down different team’s chances.
Give it a watch:
Women’s Euro 2022: who are the favourites and what are England’s chances? – video
Old Trafford is the destination for England’s Euros opener against Austria and goalkeeper Mary Earps has spoken about how special it will be.
Earps is Manchester United’s stopper and so there is an added air of playing at home for the star.
“England is just amazing and I can’t wait to see the fans show up in numbers,” she said.
“But definitely, I know the United fans will be coming strong as they always do at Old Trafford, they take that stuff very, very seriously so for us to have kind of been in there, been in the stadium before, I think it just gives us that little bit of a familiar feel.”
Alexia Putellas receives support from Barcelona manager Xavi.
Racing Louisville have signed South Africa international Thembi Kgatlana from Atletico Madrid in a two-year deal.
“I’m very excited to have this opportunity to return to the NWSL with Racing Louisville,” Kgatlana said. “It has always felt like there is unfinished business for me in the league.”
@NWSL defenders: Look out. 👊
We’ve signed Thembi Kgatlana, the 2018 Africa Cup of Nations Player of the Tournament, on a transfer from Atlético Madrid.
— Racing Louisville FC (@RacingLouFC) July 6, 2022
We’ve signed Thembi Kgatlana, the 2018 Africa Cup of Nations Player of the Tournament, on a transfer from Atlético Madrid.
— Racing Louisville FC (@RacingLouFC) July 6, 2022
There has been a strong focus on the importance of family in the Lionesses camp.
The players’ family were invited to St George’s Park for a BBQ and now captain Leah Williamson has spoken on the impact her family has had on her.
“I’ve told them I can never repay the investment they’ve made in me; the money, the time and everything,” she told England’s website.
“I can never ever repay that, other than giving them experiences, whether it’s them coming into the indoor games to watch me or coming to Old Trafford with 70,000 fans so they can enjoy the day and really take it in.
“That’s the only way I can ever pay them back and I’m happy for them that they’re getting to experience that a little more now.”
Photograph: Naomi Baker/Getty Images
Of course I shall continue to bring you the latest transfer news if and when it drops but for the rest of the window check out our transfer interactive.
So far there has been 169 transfers in the women’s summer window and there’s no sign of them slowing down! You can select a particular club to see who has left and who has been brought in, it’s a handy tool to keep up with all the movements.
Check it out below:
England may be favourites tonight but Austria will give them a difficult game. The particular threat to the Lionesses perfect start is striker Nicole Billa.
Austria teammate and Arsenal goalkeeper Manuela Zinsberger gave insight into the star when she told the BBC: “She’s the first to wake up and when the team is done, will always take a ball and shoot a bit more, shoot penalties, feel what she needs for the next game.
“She can shoot left and right, doesn’t need a lot of touches, is quick in turning, knows where the goal is, knows how to press as well – yeah, that’s Nici Billa.”
Photograph: Catherine Ivill/UEFA/Getty Images
England manager Sarina Wiegman is yet to lose a match in her reign as Lionesses boss. As well as this great stat she also has the badge of being a reigning Euros boss champion, having led the Netherlands to glory in 2017.
She is aware of the pressure on the team but said: “We know the tournament starts tomorrow and we’ve waited a long time for that.
“It is an exciting moment, and it would be very strange if we didn’t feel excited. We just do the same things we always do: just focus on our style of play as individuals and as a team.”
Watch her remarks below:
‘Pressure is a privilege’: Sarina Wiegman and Leah Williamson preview Euros’ opening match – video
England’s Nikita Parris is a role model for so many but she is hoping the Euros stage will present a pathway to representation for young girls.
“I know how young women, young black women feel growing up in today’s world because there’s not much representation at the highest level, where they see a pathway or they feel a sense of, ‘I can attain that dream’.,” she told the Reign with Josh Smith podcast.
“But for me, that’s the challenge off the pitch to help make sure that they do feel that there’s a pathway and they have an opportunity to have those role models to be able to look up to and to aspire to feel like they’re walking in the same footsteps.”
Are the excitement levels rising? There’s just under six hours until England’s opener against Austria kicks off!
I’m going to predict England win 2-0, what are your predictions? Let me know via email or Twitter!
Transfer claxon! I feel like DJ Khaled because there’s another one.
Former Atletico Madrid captain Amanda Sampedro, who left Atletico in May, has signed for Sevilla.
Sampedro was with her former club for 20 seasons!
Photograph: Ángel Martínez/Getty Images
Transfer claxon!
Two of Barcelona’s B team starlets María Molina and Rocío García have been snapped up. Valencia have signed Molina and Villarreal have agreed a contract with García.
It’s a busy old window this!
Everton player Izzy Christiansen has said it is the “worst possible thing” for Alexia Putellas to be out of the Euros.
The Spain captain has ruptured her ACL and so will not compete this summer.
“It is the worst possible news on the eve of the tournament,” Christiansen told the BBC. “The Ballon d’Or winner, the most incredible player to watch, is not going to be performing. It’s devastating for all of the fans coming over, not just in Spain, but all the nations.”
Photograph: Jessica Hornby/The Guardian
We have an answer to the start time of the ceremony, if the tournament website is correct.
It says it begins at 7.50pm, ten minutes before kick-off. Not as long as I thought it would be but hopefully that helps fans attending this evening!
Matthew has got in touch via email and said: “I’m attending the game tonight – has the press been briefed about opening ceremony times, or anything else?
“As no-one who is actually going to the game has been told anything!”
All I know is the BBC coverage begins at 7pm, so I’m guessing it will happen around then, but I will get in contact with a few colleagues and see if they know anything further.
Transfer claxon! I feel I’ll be writing that a lot today.
Liverpool have signed Emma Koivisto from Brighton but they haven’t stipulated how long the deal is.
Manager Matt Beard said: “She’s a good one-v-one defender, technically she’s very good on the ball, very athletic, quick and can get up and down.
“I just think the way that we play, she’s going to fit in perfectly with her attacking attributes.”
The wait is almost over for Northern Ireland. They are about to embark in their first ever major tournament and player Chloe McCarron cannot wait to get going.
“It seems like such a long time ago since we qualified that night against Ukraine,” McCarron told the Belfast Telegraph.
“We have been quite occupied with the World Cup qualifiers, we were in Marbella in February and the start of the full-time programme – that’s all been quite intense – but everybody will be glad to see the tournament come around.”
It hasn’t only been fans who scrambled to get Euros tickets, the players have too.
England’s Ella Toone bought 24 for the Lionesses opener for family and friends so they could see her at one of her favourite stadium – Old Trafford.
A long-time Manchester United fan and player she is excited to run out at the famous stage.
“Stepping out for England at our home Euros, opening the tournament at Old Trafford, is going to be amazing,” she said. “For me it’s just excitement. I’m just so proud to be able to go there and represent England at a major tournament at my home stadium. I just can’t wait.”
We were talking about Moving the Goalposts earlier on and the latest instalment has now dropped!
Sophie Downey has written about her dream of covering women’s football coming true (and what a cracking job she does).
She writes: “It has been a long journey but here we are, in 2022, with a Women’s European Championship about to start in England at a sold-out Old Trafford – and it is my job to write about it. When I grew up, in the late 1990s and early 2000s, that seemed an impossible dream.”
Read the full piece here:
Spain have announced Amaiur Sarriegi has been called into the squad a day after Alexia Putellas was ruled out of the competition.
The forward was involved in the preparation camps but was not initially selected as a part of the Euros squad.
Spain’s first match of the tournament is on Friday against Finland.
Photograph: Quality Sport Images/Getty Images
Transfer klaxon!
Aston Villa have signed Northern Ireland international Simone Magill on a two-year deal.
The contract still needs FA approval but what a move for Carla Ward’s side!
The boss said: “Simone is someone we have tried to bring in during the last two transfer windows, so to get it over the line is something I’m delighted with.”
We are delighted to announce the signing of Northern Ireland international, @SimoneMagill! 🔊
We are delighted to announce the signing of Northern Ireland international, @SimoneMagill! 🔊
— Aston Villa Women (@AVWFCOfficial) July 6, 2022
In Christine’s email she gave a shout out to our writer Jonathan Liew for his pieces in the build-up to the tournament.
In one of his latest he wrote: “For the next 25 days, as Sarina Wiegman’s team and their 15 rivals serve up a feast of football on prime-time television, it may be hard to avoid them.
“Now – and with the greatest of respect to the Commonwealth Games, Wimbledon and the rest – comes the real jewel of the British sporting summer.”
Read the full piece here:
Supporters may have their predictions on who is going to win but Norway’s Ada Hegerberg can’t nail down who will take the crown.
The star believes there will be some surprise results at this year’s tournament, telling UEFA: “I obviously want to see us lifting the EURO [trophy], but there are a lot of steps before that and predicting the winner of the EURO is very hard. Obviously, you have England, France… Sweden are always a strong team to count on.
“It’s a long tournament; it’s a tough one. It’s all about taking it step by step. There are going to be some surprises for sure, but I can’t tell you who is going to win it.”
“It would not just be a surprise, but a sensation”, those are the words of Austria’s head coach Irene Fuhrmann on what it would mean to stop England winning this evening.
The Lionesses are heavy favourites heading into the match and the last time the two sides played one another, in November, England won 1-0. Austria’s boss is aware of what her team need to do to come away with points.
“On paper, anything but a win by England would not just be a surprise, but a sensation,” Fuhrmann said. “England are very robust, determined, have high offensive quality and are the top favourites for the European Championship title for me.
“But we are happy that we were given this fixture because it will be a unique experience. We want to draw as much energy as possible from this atmosphere.”
Photograph: Naomi Baker/Getty Images
Christine has got in touch via email and said: “I love the way images of the key players are being lit up on buildings in London.
“Have an enjoyable time!”
I have also been loving that! The one with loads of players on the cliff of Dover was a particular highlight for me. Take a look at a few:
Photograph: Gareth Fuller/PA Photograph: Getty Images for Nike Photograph: Getty Images for Nike
Have you subscribed to our weekly women’s football newsletter, Moving the Goalposts, yet?
If not do so below! There are cracking interviews, thought pieces and guest columnists. One of my favourites so far has been Anita Asante writing about her retirement.
The latest one, written by Júlia Belas Trindade, is all around France’s chances at the Euros and whether they can overcome infighting and Henry’s absence.
Moving the Goalposts women’s football Illustration: Guardian Design
I’d love to hear from you!
From thoughts on the Euros, including potential Golden Boot winners, to what you are up to on this cloudy Wednesday. Get in touch! You can do so by Twitter or email.
In my predictions I said Alexia Putellas would get the Golden Boot but now she is injured I’ll need to select a new pick. Maybe Millie Bright …
Tottenham Hotspur have announced the signing of Ellie Brazil, who left Brighton earlier this month. The forward has agreed a deal until 2024 and Spurs boss Rehanne Skinner is delighted.
The manager said: “I’m really pleased to welcome Ellie to Spurs. Having had significant experience across the England youth teams and played club football at home and in Europe, she has a vast experience base that will enhance the team, but has years ahead of her in her career as well.”
We are delighted to announce the signing of Ellie Brazil 🤝
— Tottenham Hotspur Women (@SpursWomen) July 6, 2022
We are delighted to announce the signing of Ellie Brazil 🤝
— Tottenham Hotspur Women (@SpursWomen) July 6, 2022
Fans may be excited for the tournament to get under way but England captain Leah Williamson says she and the team will experience nerves.
The Lionesses start their campaign to their first major tournament trophy this evening against Austria, kick-off coming at 8pm.
“There are going to be nerves,” the skipper said. “We’re aware of the expectation but from within the camp it’s all about enjoying it.” And she added: “We know what it is, we know what to expect and we’re ready for it. Everyone has their own things in place to be able to deal with it.
“Pressure is a privilege so it’s something we’re embracing and it comes with it – it’s part of the job.” Read the full piece:
In a blow for Spain, just a day before the Euros is due to start, their star player Alexia Putellas was ruled out through injury.
She ruptured her ACL in training and is due to be out for several months. The Spain captain joins Jennifer Hermoso on the sidelines, who is also out through a knee problem.
It’s not only a sad moment for Spain but for the tournament as a whole who will miss out on watching one of the world’s best on the international stage.
Read the full piece:
Preamble
So the day is finally here. All the build-up, excitement and rivalries have led to this. Euro 2022 gets under way with hosts England taking on Austria at Old Trafford.
More than 500,000 tickets have been sold across the tournament with the competition set to bring unprecedented attendances and coverage.
The thousands of fans will be treated to some sublime football and some close results. There are a whole hosts of countries who are among the favourites. The Lionesses, Spain and Norway the ones in the bookies favour.
Jorge Vilda’s team have suffered losses with Jennifer Hermoso and Alexia Putellas ruled out through injury – we’ll look more closely at this shortly – so it will be interesting to see how they adapt.
So today, in the build-up to this evening’s match, we will be looking at injuries, what people have been saying, any breaking transfer news from the world of football and contributions from yourselves.
Get in touch with me via Twitter, my handle is @rendellx, or email. I’d love to hear what you are up to on this Euros opening day and any thoughts you have around the tournament.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is playing hardball with the European Union — cutting off gas deliveries to some of Russia’s best customers in a howl of rage at the sanctions imposed after invading Ukraine.
It’s putting enormous political pressure on governments, threatens to leave Europeans freezing if this winter is a cold one, and potentially undermines the bloc’s climate goals as countries replace gas-fired power with coal. It could even tip the Continent into recession.
Simone Tagliapietra, an analyst with the Bruegel think tank, calls Russia’s policies “energy blackmail.”
Only 40 percent of the normal amount of gas is flowing along the undersea Russia-to-Germany Nord Stream pipeline, which is affecting deliveries to France, Italy and Austria as well as Germany. Russia’s gas export monopoly Gazprom has already halted all deliveries to Poland, Bulgaria, the Netherlands, Finland and Denmark after energy companies in those countries refused to kowtow to Kremlin demands to pay for deliveries in rubles.
In response, some countries are planning to fire up coal-fired power stations.
“It must be acknowledged that Putin is reducing the gas supply to Europe bit by bit, also to drive up the price, and we must respond with our measures,” German Economy and Climate Minister Robert Habeck said in a television interview late Sunday, adding that “it’s a tense, serious situation.”
Austria plans to covert a shuttered power plant to again burn coal.
Poland aims to subsidize coal used for home heating.
The Netherlands on Monday decided to scrap earlier plans to limit production from its four coal-fired power stations.
“If these were not special times, we would never do this,” said Climate Minister Rob Jetten.
Italy’s government is planning a crisis meeting on Tuesday and Prime Minister Mario Draghi has ordered two regasification units for liquefied natural gas and has been talking to countries including Qatar, Angola and Algeria to sign gas supply deals in a desperate bid to secure supplies in case of a Russian shut-off.
Brussels is keen to project confidence but the worry is clear.
“We take the situation we’re in very serious. But we are prepared,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a meeting with reporters on Monday. “We are in difficult times. Times are not getting easier,” she added.
Dirty deals
The rush to burn coal to secure energy supply is symbolically awkward for climate conscious Europeans. But few expect it to blow the EU or its member states far off course in their efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
In Germany, officials are adamant that the return of coal will be short-lived and does not jeopardize the country’s track to zero out coal power by 2030. Coal will act as a reserve supply for the power sector, allowing the country to build up its stores of gas ahead of winter. Meanwhile, the government is planning to rapidly increase clean power.
The Neurath coal-fired power plant in Germany | Andreas Rentz/Getty Images
Russia’s invasion has hardened political support for renewables in Germany, said Simon Müller, director of the Agora Energiewende think tank.
“This additional layer of urgency that we now have in the face of this situation helps to provide the political momentum that we need for some very important accelerations in the renewable build out,” said Müller. The German parliament is considering 10 energy efficiency and renewable energy measures and Müller said the three-party coalition was broadly aligned on the importance of removing barriers to green power.
Green groups were also sanguine. “There is no plan at all in Germany at the moment to put the coal exit date in doubt,” said Christoph Bals, the policy director of NGO Germanwatch.
But the need to rapidly change tack on scrapping coal is ramping up political tensions.
In Berlin, the conservative opposition lambasted Habeck for allowing an increase in coal use while ruling out keeping Germany’s three remaining nuclear power plants operating past the end of this year.
“I don’t understand that the Green climate minister prefers to let more coal plants run longer, rather than carbon neutral nuclear power plants,” Jens Spahn, deputy head of the Christian Democrats in parliament, told German television on Monday. The nuclear shutdown policy was one adopted by his party’s former leader, Angela Merkel.
The policy is also causing stress within the governing coalition.
“What is necessary is to keep the three remaining nuclear power plants running longer,” said Bijan Djir-Sarai, general secretary of the liberal Free Democrats. “This is a fact that the economy minister cannot simply ignore.”
Admitting the step was “breaking a taboo,” Habeck said coal was still better than reviving atomic energy, arguing that a change in nuclear policy would only have an impact at the end of next year — too late to help this winter. He was backed up by Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who said in an interview published Monday that “nuclear power won’t help us now, not in the next two years, which is what matters.”
Political leaders are calling on their people to conserve energy and cut gas use, while governments work to boost storage levels to allow the Continent to weather a winter Russian gas cutoff. As a last resort, they’re mulling gas rationing.
A halt in gas supplies would almost certainly tip the bloc into a recession. The European Central Bank warned that the eurozone would contract by 1.7 percent next year should Russia close the tap entirely.
“The energy supply disruptions and the low possibilities for an immediate substitution of gas supplies from Russia would likely require some rationing and reallocation of resources, resulting in production cuts in the euro area, in particular in energy-intensive sectors,” the bank said, predicting if that happened, the bloc’s economy would recover next year.
But the ECB also had a word of warning for Putin.
“Regarding the Russian economy, the scenario features a severe recession with a contraction in output similar to the contraction experienced when the Soviet Union collapsed.”
This article is part of POLITICO Pro
The one-stop-shop solution for policy professionals fusing the depth of POLITICO journalism with the power of technology
An illustration of Neisseria gonorrhoeae.Illustration: Shutterstock (Shutterstock)
The rise of super gonorrhea continues unabated. Scientists in Europe say they’ve recently discovered a new strain of extensively drug-resistant gonorrhea—the second such strain to be found worldwide in recent years. The bacteria was detected in April in a man from Austria, who likely caught it while traveling in Cambodia.
Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the namesake cause of gonorrhea, is an especially hardy bacteria. Over the decades, it’s learned how to beat nearly every single antibiotic ever thrown against it. And now we’re at the point where only two drugs are recommended to treat these common infections, depending on the region: ceftriaxone and azithromycin.
In 2018, doctors discovered three cases of gonorrhea in the UK and New Zealand caused by a strain that was resistant to both drugs at the same time. The cases were traced back to travel in Southeast Asia, and in at least one case, the infection failed to be cleared by available treatments.
Since then, countries have continued to routinely report strains resistant to azithromycin. And some countries, including the U.S., have recommended that azithromycin no longer be used as a frontline treatment at all. But many doctors may continue to treat patients with the combination therapy, and there have been signs of increasing ceftriaxone resistance as well. In a case report published last month in the journal Eurosurveillance, doctors appear to have found the first gonorrhea strain since 2018 to feature resistance to both drugs.
The case involved a man who visited an Austrian urology department in April 2022 after experiencing painful urination and urethral discharge, common symptoms of gonorrhea. Five days earlier, he had intercourse with a female sex worker while visiting Cambodia, without using a condom. The man was given ceftriaxone and azithromycin, and two weeks later, his symptoms seemed to clear up. But lab tests revealed that he carried a strain with some resistance to ceftriaxone and high level resistance to azithromycin, and he remained positive for infection after treatment. He was given a second dose of a different antibiotic and a week later did test negative for viable bacteria. Unfortunately, they weren’t able to run a second PCR test to better confirm the treatment’s success.
The doctors weren’t able to get in touch with the sex worker who may also be infected, but they were able to study the strain up close genetically. They found that the new strain bears a close resemblance to the 2018 strain, indicating that both are from the same lineage linked to Asia, though they don’t seem to be directly related. And both strains also appear to have learned to resist ceftriaxone by acquiring the same mutation.
Extensively drug-resistant gonorrhea is a global public health threat, the report authors note. These infections may be isolated events for the time being, but if this or a similar strain ever starts to spread widely, then “many gonorrhea cases might become untreatable,” they warn. While many people infected with gonorrhea may not experience any symptoms, it can cause life-threatening illness and pregnancy complications, including stillbirths and blindness in newborns, if left untreated.
One silver lining is that this strain was still susceptible to the experimental antibiotics lefamulin and zoliflodacin, which are now being tested in late-stage clinical trials for gonorrhea. Researchers are also working on vaccines for gonorrhea. But for now, these options are still not reality, and it will take more success with the tools we have available to keep the germ from becoming an untreatable nightmare.
“Improved prevention (including condom use), early and accurate diagnosis and effective, affordable and accessible treatment (ideally including test of cure and contact notification and treatment) of gonorrhea are imperative,” the authors wrote. “Enhanced antimicrobial resistance surveillance, ideally including test of cure and whole-genome sequencing, nationally and internationally, particularly in Asia where many ceftriaxone-resistant strains appear to have emerged, is of highest importance.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet with Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer on Monday in what will be his first meeting with a European Union leader since launching his attack on Ukraine on Feb. 24.
Nehammer tweeted that he would be meeting with Putin in Moscow on Monday, stressing that Austria was militarily neutral but saying the war needed to end and an investigation into alleged war crimes must be conducted.
Nehammer added that he had already contacted key European allies about the trip, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
News of this meeting comes just one day after Nehammer met with Ukrainian officials in Kyiv. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on social media that he and Nehammer discussed continued sanctions against Russia as well as the development of a recovery plan and fund.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also made a surprise visit to Kyiv on Saturday, meeting with Zelensky and walking through the battle-torn Ukrainian capital.
Following his meeting with Ukraine’s government, Nehammer said Austria understood the suffering of the Ukrainian people and vowed to assist in alleviating humanitarian suffering.
Both Ukrainian and U.S. officials have asserted that the battle of Kyiv has been won by Ukraine, marking progress in the war.
However, Ukraine and allies are bracing for the next wave of Russia’s invasion, focused on the eastern Donbas region, parts of which are already controlled by Russian-backed separatists.
After part of Kyiv and the surrounding areas were brought back under Ukrainian control, the humanitarian devastation discovered in the suburb of Bucha spurred accusations of war crimes against Moscow as well as calls for an investigation into the apparent slaughter of hundreds of civilians.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba warned Thursday that the battle for the Donbas “will remind you of the second World War with large operations, thousands of tanks, armored vehicles, planes, artillery.”
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Civilian evacuations moved forward in patches of battle-scarred eastern Ukraine on Saturday, a day after a missile strike killed at least 52 people and wounded more than 100 at a train station where thousands clamored to leave before an expected Russian onslaught.
In the wake of the attack in Kramatorsk, several European leaders made efforts to show solidarity with Ukraine, with the Austrian chancellor and British prime minister visiting Kyiv — the capital city that Russia failed to capture and where troops retreated days ago. U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, where Johnson’s office said they discussed Britan’s “long-term support.”
Ukrainian authorities have called on civilians to get out ahead of an imminent, stepped-up offensive by Russian forces in the east. With trains not running out of Kramatorsk on Saturday, panicked residents boarded buses or looked for other ways to leave, fearing the kind of unrelenting assaults and occupations by Russian invaders that delivered food shortages, demolished buildings and death to other cities elsewhere in Ukraine.
“It was terrifying. The horror, the horror,” one resident told British broadcaster Sky, recalling Friday’s attack. “Heaven forbid, to live through this again. No, I don’t want to.”
Ukraine’s state railway company said in a statement that residents of Kramatorsk and other parts of the country’s contested Donbas region could flee through other train stations. Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said 10 evacuation corridors were planned for Saturday.
More than six weeks after Russia first invaded Ukraine, it has pulled its troops from the northern part of the country, around Kyiv, and refocused on the Donbas region in the east. Western military analysts said an arc of territory in eastern Ukraine was under Russian control, from Kharkiv — Ukraine’s second-largest city — in the north to Kherson in the south. But Ukrainian counterattacks are threatening Russian control of Kherson, according to the Western assessments, and Ukrainian forces are repelling Russian assaults elsewhere in the Donbas region in the southeast.
Zelenskyy called the train station attack the latest example of war crimes by Russian forces and said it should motivate the West to do more to help his country defend itself.
“All world efforts will be directed to establish every minute of who did what, who gave what orders, where the missile came from, who transported it, who gave the command and how this strike was agreed,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address, his voice rising in anger.
Russia denied it was responsible and accused Ukraine’s military of firing on the station to turn blame for civilian casualties on Moscow. A Russian Defense Ministry spokesman detailed the missile’s trajectory and Ukrainian troop positions to bolster the argument.
Western experts and Ukrainian authorities insisted that Russia launched the weapon. Remnants of the rocket had the words “For the children” in Russian painted on it. The phrasing seemed to suggest the missile was sent to avenge the loss or subjugation of children, although its exact meaning remained unclear.
Western experts dismissed Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov’s assertion that Russian forces “do not use” Tochka-U missiles, the type that hit the Kramatorsk train station, which is in Ukrainian government-controlled territory in the Donbas.
The attack came as Ukrainian authorities worked to identify victims and document possible war crimes by Russian soldiers in northern Ukraine. The mayor of Bucha, a town near Kyiv where graphic evidence of civilian slayings emerged after the Russians withdrew, said search teams were still finding the bodies of people shot at close range in yards, parks and city squares.
On Friday, workers unearthed the bodies of 67 people from a mass grave near a church, according to Ukraine’s prosecutor general. Russia has falsely claimed that the scenes in Bucha were staged.
Ukrainian authorities and Western officials have repeatedly accused Russian forces of committing atrocities in the war that began with Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion. A total of 176 children have been killed, while 324 more have been wounded, the country’s Prosecutor General’s Office said Saturday.
In an excerpted interview with American broadcaster CBS’ “60 Minutes” that aired Friday, Zelenskyy cited communications intercepted by the Ukrainian security service as evidence of Russian war crimes. The authenticity of the recordings could not be independently verified.
“There are (Russian) soldiers talking with their parents about what they stole and who they abducted. There are recordings of (Russian) prisoners of war who admitted to killing people,” he said. “There are pilots in prison who had maps with civilian targets to bomb. There are also investigations being conducted based on the remains of the dead.”
Ukrainian authorities have warned they expect to find more mass killings once they reach the southern port city of Mariupol, which is also in the Donbas and has been subjected to a monthlong blockade and intense fighting.
As journalists who had been largely absent from the city began to trickle back in, new images emerged of the devastation from an airstrike on a theater last month that reportedly killed hundreds of civilians seeking shelter.
Military analysts had predicted for weeks that Russia would succeed in taking Mariupol but said Ukrainian defenders were still putting up a fight. The city’s location on the Sea of Azov is critical to establishing a land bridge from the Crimean Peninula, which Russia seized from Ukraine eight years ago.
Many civilians now trying to evacuate are accustomed to living in or near a war zone because Moscow-backed rebels have been fighting Ukrainian forces since 2014 in the Donbas.
The same week Russia invaded Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized the independence of areas controlled by the separatists and said he planned to send troops in to protect residents of the mostly Russian-speaking, industrial region.
Ukrainian officials have pleaded with Western powers almost daily to send more arms, and to further punish Russia with sanctions, including the exclusion of Russian banks from the global financial system and a total European Union embargo on Russian gas and oil.
The deaths of civilians at the train station brought renewed expressions of outrage from Western leaders and pledges that Russia would face further reprisals for its actions in Ukraine. On Saturday, Russia’s Defense Ministry tried to counter the dominant international narrative by again raising the specter of Ukraine planting false flags and misinformation.
A ministry spokesman, Major Gen. Igor Konashenkov, alleged Ukraine’s security services were preparing a “cynical staged” media operation in Irpin, another town near Kyiv. Konashenkov said the plan was to show — falsely, he said — more civilian casualties at the hands of the Russians and to stage the slaying of a fake Russian intelligence team that intended to kill witnesses. The claims could not be independently verified.
Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer said during a visit to Kyiv on Saturday that he expects more EU sanctions against Russia, but he defended his country’s opposition so far to cutting off deliveries of Russian gas.
A package of sanctions imposed this week “won’t be the last one,” the chancellor said, acknowledging that “as long as people are dying, every sanction is still insufficient.” Austria is militarily neutral and not a member of NATO.
Johnson’s visit, which was not announced in advance, came a day after the U.K. pledged an additional 100 million pounds ($130 million) in high grade military equipment to Ukraine.
___
Anna reported from Bucha, Ukraine. Robert Burns in Washington, Jill Lawless and Danica Kirka in London and Associated Press journalists around the world contributed to this report.
___
Follow the AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
