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Manchester City captain Bernardo Silva has confirmed that he will be leaving the club at the end of the season. Silva, who joined Manchester City from Monaco in July 2017 for £43.5m, has been a key member of Pep Guardiola's team, contributing significantly to their success.During his nine-year tenure, Silva has won an impressive array of honors, including six Premier League titles, two FA Cups, five League Cups, the Champions League, and two Fifa Club World Cups. He has made 451 appearances for the club, scoring 76 goals and providing 77 assists. This season, Guardiola made him captain, highlighting his importance to the team.Silva expressed his gratitude to the club, stating, “When I arrived 9 years ago, I was following a dream of a little boy, wanting to succeed in life, wanting to achieve great things. This city and this club gave me much more than that. What we won and achieved together is a legacy that will forever be cherished in my heart.”He also thanked the fans for their support, saying, “To the fans, your unconditional support throughout the years is something that I will never forget. My main goal as a player was to always play with passion so you guys could feel proud and well represented on the pitch. I arrived as a Man City player, I leave as one more of you, a Man City supporter for life.”The club has announced that Silva will be given an official farewell. As he departs, Silva urged the fans to continue supporting the young team, expressing confidence that they will bring new memories in the future.

Lagos, one of Africa's most dynamic cities, is facing a severe housing crisis. The city's population of approximately 22 million people is putting immense pressure on its housing market, leading to soaring rents and a shortage of affordable accommodation.Oluwatobi Ogundipe, a 32-year-old product manager, commutes four hours daily from his small flat in Sango Ota to his office on Lagos Island. Despite working in one of Nigeria's growing technology sectors, he cannot afford to live closer to his office, highlighting the affordability crisis in the city.Rents across Lagos have surged beyond wage growth, with prices increasing by as much as 400% in some areas. On the mainland, flats that rented for ₦500,000 two years ago now cost up to ₦2.5m a year. On the island, rents have tripled, making it even more challenging for residents to find affordable housing.The city's deputy governor, Obafemi Hamzat, attributes the crisis to persistent migration pressure, with about 6,000 new inhabitants arriving and 3,000 leaving each day. This has led to a shortage of over 3.4 million housing units, according to Prof. Taibat Lawanson, a professor of urban management and governance at the University of Lagos.The shortage of affordable homes is exacerbated by developers prioritizing high-end projects over affordable housing, driven by high construction costs, soaring urban land prices, and limited housing finance. This has led to a proliferation of luxury flats, even as people struggle to secure basic accommodation.The crisis has also fueled the popularity of short-term rentals, with many landlords converting their homes into short-let properties, further reducing the availability of long-term rentals and driving prices higher.For now, Lagos's residents adapt, making long commutes through the city's infamous traffic. As Ogundipe says, "We all come to Lagos chasing something, but these days, it feels like the city is slowly pushing us away."

Manchester United's Harry Maguire will miss his team's upcoming match against Chelsea due to an additional one-match ban imposed by the Football Association. The ban comes as a result of Maguire's reaction to being sent off during a match against Bournemouth last month.The 33-year-old defender was shown a red card at the Vitality Stadium for a foul in the area on Evanilson, which led to Bournemouth sealing a 2-2 draw. Following the incident, Maguire allegedly made a comment towards the officials, stating they were 'a joke.'The FA's written reasons confirmed that the fourth official, Matthew Donohue, submitted an Extraordinary Incident Report Form, claiming Maguire shouted: 'You're a joke. You're all a fucking joke.' Maguire, however, claimed he said 'something along the lines of 'it is a fucking joke.''As a result, Maguire has been imposed a one-match suspension and a £30,000 fine by an independent Regulatory Commission. This suspension adds to the absence of fellow centre-backs Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martínez, potentially leading to young players Ayden Heaven and Leny Yoro lining up at the heart of defence against Chelsea.

The Brexit debate has taken a significant turn, with Keir Starmer's government now openly acknowledging the need for closer ties with the EU. This shift in approach comes as the UK faces increasing global uncertainty, including Vladimir Putin's territorial aggression, Donald Trump's geopolitical vandalism, and China's emergence as a superpower.In opposition, Starmer had pushed Brexit to the margin of debate. However, in government, he has learned that Europe is central to Britain's interests, whether discussed or not. The avoidance of painful arguments from the past has turned out to be a handicap when making plans for the future.Labour's 2024 general election manifesto had pretended that Brexit was a historical event, something Boris Johnson got 'done' in 2020. However, the relationship with the EU cannot be settled due to its evolving nature and the UK's position as an ex-member on its border.The options are now more Brexit or less, never a steady state. Johnson's Brexit deal was structured to accelerate separation over time, with the theory that divergence from EU rules would give Britain a competitive advantage. However, this Eurosceptic fantasy has been exposed as wrong, with the UK now seeking to put Johnson's divergence ratchet into reverse.Downing Street's acceptance of this logic has been flagged by a gradual change in rhetoric, with the prime minister now listing Brexit as an affliction in the same category as the Covid pandemic. The chancellor, Rachel Reeves, identifies closer integration with Europe as 'the biggest prize' in a dash for growth.To facilitate a more intimate relationship, the government proposes legislation that will give ministers open-ended powers to adopt EU standards for various sectors of the economy. This 'dynamic alignment' is supposed to make it easier for businesses to move goods into the single market and make Britain a more attractive destination for investment.However, the Conservatives and Reform UK are appalled, objecting to the circumvention of future legislative scrutiny by the use of so-called Henry VIII powers. The real grievance is the old ideological one, equating any application of single market rules to colonisation by Brussels.As Starmer tries to go in this direction, he will collide with familiar Brexit obstacles. The European Commission will insist there can be no 'cherrypicking' from the single market; that non-member states wanting to enjoy the benefits of a European club can expect to pay subscription fees into European budgets.Opinion polls routinely show a clear majority of voters think Brexit has gone badly. The logic of pooling resources with continental neighbours can only grow in the light of wildfires started by Trump along the international horizon.Starmer knows these conditions permit a more assertive agenda of EU integration. However, it is hard to take bolder strides within red lines – no free movement; no single market membership; no customs union – drawn when Labour's Europe policy was defined by the preference to change the subject.

The Fallen by Louise Brangan offers a meticulously researched portrait of the Magdalene laundries, the most notorious component of Ireland’s 20th‑century network of correctional institutions. The review notes that, at their peak in 1951, the country held 70 women per 100,000 in these laundries compared with 27 men per 100,000 in prisons, underscoring the laundries as the primary carceral system for females. Although established under state authority, the facilities were operated by Catholic nuns. Girls as young as nine and women into their eighties were compelled to work six days a week, without wages, on arduous, often hand‑operated machinery. Discipline was severe, and any minor infraction could trigger harsh punishment. The book illustrates how women were funneled into the system with little justification. Brangan recounts the case of a 15‑year‑old named Eileen, who vanished in February 1954 after being approached by members of the Legion of Mary—a lay group tasked with policing Ireland’s moral standards. She was taken to a gated house marked “Saint Mary Magdalen’s Asylum,” stripped of her identity, and assigned the number “60.” The narrative emphasizes that many detainees were simply “wayward or unwanted”—homeless, abused, or otherwise marginalized—rather than having committed any serious crime. Brangan draws a stark parallel between the Catholic Church’s grip on Irish society and the Communist Party’s control in Eastern Europe before 1989, suggesting both operated as pervasive, authoritarian forces. The laundries, though conspicuously situated among ordinary businesses, were largely ignored by a public that chose not to confront the “tall, locked iron gates” and the suffering behind them. The review situates the laundries within a broader context of institutional abuse, referencing the mother‑and‑baby homes that saw an estimated 56,000 women and girls pass through, with roughly 57,000 babies born, most notably at the Bon Secours home in Tuam. Investigations by Catherine Corless uncovered a mass grave of nearly 800 infants, highlighting the systemic nature of the tragedy. Financial redress has been slow. To date, the Irish government has disbursed more than €33 million to survivors of the laundries, while most religious orders have refused to contribute. A survivor’s testimony, quoted by Brangan, captures the lingering impact: “There’s always something in my life that will remind me of my past… I’ll never heal.” The review concludes by noting that the book, published by Bodley Head at £22, serves both as a harrowing testament and a call to remember a dark chapter of Irish history that continues to shape the lives of those who endured it.

Union Berlin has strongly condemned the sexist online abuse directed at Marie-Louise Eta, the club's newly appointed interim head coach. Eta made history by becoming the first woman to take charge of a men's Bundesliga team.Eta was appointed to lead the men's first team for the remainder of the season following the dismissal of Steffen Baumgart. Despite her significant achievement, her appointment has been met with derogatory and sexist comments on social media.The club has publicly pushed back against these comments, with Horst Heldt, Union's director of men's professional football, expressing full confidence in Eta. “We have 100 percent confidence in Loui, with complete conviction. I find it crazy that we have to deal with this in this day and age, that we have to justify ourselves,” he said.The club's communications director, Christian Arbeit, highlighted Eta's pragmatic approach to coaching, stating, “Marie-Louise Eta has a very pragmatic approach to all of this. She’s very conscious that it’s something special, but for her, football is in the foreground. She wants to work with the team, and she wants to be on the field.”Union Berlin's response to sexist comments on social media has been resolute. The club posted, “The Union family has her back.” They also labeled certain comments as sexist, including one that suggested players would not take a woman's instructions about tactics seriously.The decision to appoint Eta has received praise, including from Kai Wegner, Berlin's Mayor, who called it “a strong signal for professional football and for women in elite-level sports.”Eta will lead the team for the last five games of the season as Union aims to secure their spot in the Bundesliga for next season. Her long-term role at the club remains open, with Heldt not ruling out her continuing with the men's team beyond this season.

Celebrating two decades since its West End debut, Avenue Q is back at London’s Shaftesbury Theatre until 29 August, offering a refreshed version of the Broadway‑to‑London hit that originally won Tonys for Best Musical, Book and Score.The revival, billed as a “love letter to the original”, is helmed once again by Jason Moore – the director who first staged the show in 2006. At 55, Moore admits that returning to a work he originally conceived is unusual, but he sees the anniversary as an opportunity to upgrade the show’s scale, technical ambition and cultural sensitivity.Created by composers Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx with book by Jeff Whitty, the musical blends colourful Sesame‑Street‑style puppets with adult themes such as sex, racism, housing crises and existential angst. While the core story remains, the production team has added contextual notes to jokes that might puzzle Gen‑Z audiences – for example, the reference to 1980s sitcom star Gary Coleman is retained but clarified for modern viewers.Moore’s casting criteria emphasise a youthful “innocence” and a strong aptitude for puppeteering. As actor Emily Benjamin explains, performing through a puppet is an “ego death” that forces the performer to shift focus from self to the character, reducing vocal anxiety and deepening emotional honesty.Behind the scenes, puppet director Iestyn Evans coordinates a complex choreography where human actors operate hand‑and‑rod puppets in full view, interacting simultaneously with fellow performers. This layered performance style demands precise timing, especially when tackling songs like “Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist” and “If You Were Gay”, which have sparked whole‑company discussions about their relevance and sensitivity today.Moore acknowledges that the show’s transgressive edge – famously illustrated by “naked puppets having sex” – still feels bold, even as contemporary West End productions such as Oh, Mary! and The Book of Mormon have pushed similar boundaries. He argues that the musical’s core questions – “how do you give your life meaning?” – remain timeless, and that the updated production aims to engage a new generation of audiences.As Benjamin puts it, “they might just be little cloth things, but people can often empathise with something that isn’t real more directly than with a human being telling the same story.” The revival therefore hopes to prove that puppetry can still provoke, entertain and resonate in today’s cultural climate.

US President Donald Trump has indicated that peace talks between the US and Iran could potentially resume in Islamabad within the next two days. He expressed his appreciation for Pakistan's army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, describing him as doing a 'great job' in facilitating the negotiations.Trump made these comments while speaking to a New York Post reporter who had been in Islamabad for the initial round of ceasefire talks over the weekend. The president suggested that the talks could take place in Islamabad, stating, 'You should stay there, really, because something could be happening over the next two days, and we're more inclined to go there.'The possible resumption of talks comes after a period of heightened tensions, including a US naval blockade on ships using Iranian ports in the Gulf. This move was a response to Iran's near-total closure of the Strait of Hormuz to ships using other Gulf ports. The blockade led to a spike in oil prices, which later dipped to about $95 per barrel following reports of potential new negotiations.Meanwhile, US Vice-President JD Vance has expressed openness to further talks, emphasizing the need for Iran to show more flexibility. Vance noted that Iran had shown some flexibility in Islamabad but 'didn't move far enough' on key issues, such as a 20-year suspension of uranium enrichment.An Iranian official accused the US delegation of making 'maximalist demands' at the Islamabad talks, asserting that Iran would not surrender its positions either on the battlefield or at the negotiating table. The sticking points include Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium (HEU) and its demand for a shorter moratorium on uranium enrichment.Pakistan's Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, is set to embark on a regional tour to Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Qatar to garner support for the peace process and discuss proposals to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. However, his trip may be shortened if negotiations resume promptly.

Finding the perfect feel-good movie can be a daunting task, especially with the vast library of films available today. However, for the author, Hot Fuzz stands out as the ultimate comfort movie. Directed by Edgar Wright, Hot Fuzz is the second installment in his Cornetto trilogy, following Shaun of the Dead and preceding The World's End. The film tells the story of Sergeant Angel, a fish-out-of-water city cop who teams up with local PC Danny Butterman to investigate a series of mysterious deaths in the sleepy village of Sandford. It's a love letter to buddy cop movies and the action genre, featuring a star-studded cast including Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. The film's blend of humor, action, and smart writing makes it a standout. One of the key reasons Hot Fuzz remains endearing and enduring is its ability to respond to multiple needs. Whether you're looking for something funny, expertly crafted, explosive, thought-provoking, or simply to switch off to, Hot Fuzz delivers. The film's quotability and memorable lines, such as 'For the greater good' and 'It's just the one swan actually', have become ingrained in popular culture. The author's personal connection to the film adds to its significance. Hot Fuzz introduced them to Edgar Wright, whom they ended up writing their dissertation about. The film's impact extends beyond the screen, with its quotes and references frequently popping up in conversations. It's no wonder that Hot Fuzz has become a timeless classic, continuing to entertain audiences to this day. Hot Fuzz is available to rent digitally in the US, on ITVX in the UK, and on Binge in Australia.