Now for the really interesting part.

Celtic’s completion of a domestic double was every bit as straightforward as Dunfermline feared it could be. Whether that achievement is sufficient for Martin O’Neill to be handed an extended stay as the Celtic manager should soon become clear. O’Neill has support, internally and externally, for his cause. Even at 74, he clearly fancies the job. Dragging Celtic towards trophy success on back-to-back weekends shows he retains capability. The key, unknown and unanswered question is whether O’Neill’s recent body of work will prove sufficient for the Celtic hierarchy to back him in the longer term as opposed to a younger coach such as Robbie Keane.

Continue reading...

• Champions Cup final: Leinster 19-41 Bordeaux

• French side run in five first-half tries in comfortable win

Another vintage year for Bordeaux, another bitter final loss for Leinster. On a hot, unforgiving afternoon in Bilbao there was never the slightest doubt who would be hoisting the trophy into a cloudless Basque sky, such was the clear superiority of the defending champions. Only Leinster themselves have ever racked up more points in a Champions Cup final and the scoreboard did not lie.

In some ways Leinster should be absolved from any particular shame. There is now no club side in the world with a sharper attacking edge than Bordeaux nor a deadlier individual finisher than Louis Bielle-Biarrey. The French wing added another brace of tries to his tally, which now stands at 34 in 30 games this season. Factor in the artistic direction of Maxime Lucu and Matthieu Jalibert and their back-to-back titles are not remotely a coincidence.

Continue reading...

A Mad Men-style steakhouse break would be welcome. But I’ve had it with the Lunch Industrial Complex

It’s 12.30pm as I write this. My mind is preoccupied with moving my fingers from key to key on my ageing laptop, a task I paused briefly to remove a hair from the screen. Then, I scratched my leg again, which kicked up another hair. I should get back to work, but I can’t concentrate. Why? Because I’m incredibly hungry. It is, after all, lunchtime – the most worthless part of any work day.

It is not that there’s shame in lunch. It’s just that we’re not programmed to eat at a certain time. We’re all different and the whole concept of the office lunch is obsolete nonsense in 2026. Let it go.

Dave Schilling is a Los Angeles-based writer and humorist

Continue reading...

More people are being jailed in England and Wales as a result of acting to prevent climate breakdown and the war in Gaza, research reveals

Britain has created a new breed of political prisoners through the systematic incarceration of people acting to prevent climate breakdown and the annihilation of Gaza, a report claims.

The research by Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) and the protest group Defend Our Juries says that custodial sentences for acts of direct action or civil disobedience were once rare but are now being imposed with increasing length and frequency.

Continue reading...

⚽️ 5pm BST kick-off at Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo
⚽️ Charlton seal WSL promotion | Email Will

The players are heading out into the glorious Oslo sunshine.

Gordon’s been in touch: “I think Lyonnes will win today, as they present a physicality and a speed of movement that Barcelona rarely come up against. Bayern Munich gave Barcelona some problems in these respects in the semi-final, and Lyonnes are a considerable step-up from Bayern. Barcelona look to have recognised this, in selecting Parralluelo ahead of Pina. Lyonnes showed in the second leg of their semi against Arsenal that they can produce their best football when it really matters - and, in Dumornay, they have potentially the best woman player in the world. But, they have, to my mind, handicapped themselves by starting Hegerberg - so ineffective against Wolfsburg and Arsenal - instead of Katoto.”

Continue reading...

️ Sprint race at 5pm BST, qualifying 9pm BST
️ Mercedes aim to build on dominance | Email Philip

Ouch. Lance Stroll’s car is in pieces. Suspension problem, Collins diagnoses.

Lewis Hamilton zooms by on a scooter, setting a good example to any watching kids by wearing a helmet.

Continue reading...

• Dane earns third stage win of this year’s race in Alps

• Visma-Lease a Bike rider set to win Giro at first attempt

Jonas Vingegaard took the Giro d’Italia leader’s pink jersey for the first time after completing a hat-trick of stage wins, the race favourite soloed to the summit to take stage 14, proving too strong for his rivals in the Alps.

The Visma-Lease a Bike rider, already successful on the summit finishes on stages seven and nine and, aiming to become the eighth rider to win all three Grand Tours, attacked with less than 5km left of the gruelling 133km ride from Aosta to Pila. The Dane looks set to win the Giro at his first attempt.

Continue reading...

Het wordt een van de duurste nieuwbouwcomplexen van Nederland: aan de Bergse Achterplas in Rotterdam-Hillegersberg start volgend jaar de bouw van ‘Lake Estate’. De 47 luxe appartementen die hier verrijzen, lopen in prijs uiteen van 1 tot 4 miljoen euro. “Rotterdam kan dit soort woningen wel hebben, want we zien in de laatste jaren steeds meer transacties in dit segment."

​Het is een lekker lang weekend voor de familie Beuker, dus heeft vader Hans een verrassing: hij gaat met het hele gezin glow-in-the-dark-pinksteren. De aankondiging van de activiteit werd bij de lunch met gejuich ontvangen.

“Ik zag een mooie aanbieding voor dit weekend bij partycentrum Woeste Weelde, ik heb meteen voor twee uur gereserveerd”, vertelt Hans zijn uitzinnige familieleden. “Glow-in-the-dark-pinksteren is eigenlijk net als gewoon pinksteren, maar dan in het donker met lichtgevende objecten. Dat maakt het echt speciaal”, licht hij de activiteit toe. “Dus jullie kunnen naar hartenlust de heilige geest uitstorten in het donker!”

Het is niet voor het eerst dat de familie Beuker uitpakt, vorig jaar zijn ze met z’n allen gaan discopinksteren.

​

&

We zijn in het Canadese hol van flapdrol Stroll waar Max Verstappen z'n snelle Nürburgring-Mercedes verruilt voor z'n trage Villeneuve-Red Bull, en dat leverde hem gisteravond een matige P7 op voor de Sprint. Maar hij moet niet treuren want Red Bull is hartstikke aardig in het ontwikkelen van de bolide gedurende het weekend, in een race is álles anders en Verstappen blijft verdomme wel VERSTAPPEN (en in de F1). Alleen ja, die Mercedessen. Die lijken onverslaanbaar en peren 'm vast wel weer, zodat mensen met een racehart moeten hopen dat Antonelli wint en niet Koorts Russell. Stijlloze Sprintvoorspelling: Antonelli wint (yes) en Verstappen klimt naar P4. En als u tijdens deze Sprint nog op het strand ligt voor een Rode Vlag op uw ruggetje kunt u ook alleen de kwali volgen, die zullen we hieronder ook updateteten vanaf 22.00 uur. Maar misschien kijkt u dan wel weer naar Rico. Ach, 't is allemaal goed, het zonnetje schijnt, het bier ligt lekker koud in de hand en wie zin heeft gaat helemaal onderuit voor Verstappen in Canada. Sprint ze!
Update - Wat is Antonelli toch een heerlijke racer. Maar: even pas op de plaats nu.
Update - RADIO TOTO: "Kimi, stop met zeuren."
UPDATE - Koorts Russell wint de Sprint. Norris P2, Antonelli P3. Verstappen begon op P7 en eindigt op P7. Om 22.00 uur hieronder DE KWALI.

AU

Social