England move into the next phase of their development under manager Gareth Southgate after reaching their first World Cup semi-final for 28 years as they open their Uefa Nations League campaign against Spain.

Southgate and his England squad were showered in praise and goodwill for their efforts and modest demeanour in Russia – but will that success now bring added pressure and greater expectation?

Has Southgate had an easy ride?

Southgate has largely escaped criticism so far – but an easy ride? No.

The 48-year-old undoubtedly benefits from his rounded, modest character as well as an ability to place football in its proper perspective, but he has had criticism.

England and Southgate came under heavy scrutiny for some poor displays in World Cup qualifying and plenty of us at the World Cup criticised his decision to play a weakened team against Belgium in their final group game in Kaliningrad – even if defeat ensured a more accommodating route through the tournament.

Their results at the World Cup – played seven, lost three, won four, including one via penalty shootout – may now actually appear mixed but the bottom line is Southgate guided a largely unsung squad to within 90 minutes of their first final since victory in 1966, and did so in a manner that made fans feel genuine affection for the national team once more.

He returned home a hugely popular national figure. So whatever goodwill he benefited from, Southgate fully earned it.

Southgate is respected by his peers, his players and the media – but he will know that expectations will now rise significantly.

England’s fourth-placed finish puts them back at the top table with all the pressures that brings, and relative success at a World Cup is soon forgotten if results are not maintained.

He must continue that progress and this is reflected in the consistency of his squad selection as Southgate and his reluctance to blood England’s next generation, saying: “We only have 20 matches between now and the European Championships so we don’t want to waste time looking at new things [but] to embed principles that are going to be with us over a period of time.”

Southgate, being the sensible and realistic personality he is, will know there is an element of starting again against Spain at Wembley on Saturday and Switzerland in a friendly at Leicester on Tuesday.

He must now ensure he does not become a victim of his own surprise success.

England have built the platform

Jordan Henderson, one of the successes of England’s World Cup campaign, is convinced they can use campaign in Russia as “fuel to be better and want to be the best.”

And there is certainly a feeling of optimism emanating from England and the FA’s base at St George’s Park.

Southgate says England are “working off solid foundations” and England can pinpoint factors beyond a month in Russia that suggest the upbeat mood is justified.

They are current holders of the Under-17 and Under-20 World Cups and there are genuine hopes that teenage graduates from those ranks – such as Manchester City’s Phil Foden, Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho and Fulham prodigy Ryan Sessegnon – will soon be pressurising the established order. Everton’s 20-year-old Ademola Lookman is another on England’s radar.

Even among the current squad, there is now an expectation that Manchester United’s rejuvenated full-back Luke Shaw might now be ready to fulfil the potential that saw him play as a teenager at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Liverpool’s Joe Gomez was on course for a World Cup place before suffering an ankle injury against the Netherlands in March but now he is back and in outstanding form for Liverpool, a real plus for Southgate as he looked a natural at international level in his early appearances.

Southgate is developing the spine of his England team around Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, Manchester City defender John Stones and a world-class striker in Harry Kane. He also retains huge faith in Tottenham’s Dele Alli and another City star Raheem Sterling to develop into talents that will flourish on the world stage, despite disappointing performances in Russia.

England’s optimism is also in contrast to some of their rivals who departed Russia either in transition or about to embark on full-scale rebuilding.

Germany did not get out of the group stage while the likes of Spain and Argentina are in a state of flux after failing to fulfil ambitions.

Are England really in shape to win a tournament?

It is almost five years ago to the day that then FA chairman Greg Dyke addressed an audience high in the Millbank Tower overlooking London’s famous landmarks and set out two long-term targets for England’s national team.

Dyke insisted England should aim to reach the semi-final of Euro 2020 and win the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

The first certainly looks realistic after Southgate’s men reached the last four in Russia – but it is still stretching credulity to breaking point to start touting England as world-beaters amid the heat of Qatar in four years.

England can be pleased with their overall performance in Russia, but they have yet to fulfil Southgate’s own demand that they beat a top team to be regarded as a top team.

In fact, they have not recorded a major tournament victory against a side ranked above them since they overcame third-ranked Argentina, when England were ranked 12th, at the 2002 World Cup in Japan.

In Russia, Southgate’s men beat Tunisia with a stoppage-time winner, thrashed Panama, beat Colombia on penalties and comfortably disposed of Sweden.

But they fell short twice against Belgium, who were also ranked third to England’s 12th, either side of the semi-final loss to Croatia, now fourth.

The statement win remains missing from England and Southgate’s CV – a fact acknowledged by manager and players.

Kieran Trippier, one of the big Russia success stories, said: “We want to beat the best teams and Saturday against Spain will be no different. We need to beat these teams if we want to be up there.”

It remains a psychological barrier for England it means all the feelgood factors from Russia must be tempered by cold, harsh reality.

In many respects, for all Southgate and his England squad’s work in Russia, no-one can quite be certain just how good they are – but they are much closer to Dyke’s goal than many suspected when he set the target.

Police in the US city of Cincinnati say they’ve responded to an active shooter situation at building downtown.

The police department in a Tweet described it as an “active shooter/officer involved shooting incident”.

A police officer at the scene told The Associated Press there are at least two, possibly more, people who have been shot.

It wasn’t clear immediately if the shooter was one of them.

Streets around the Fifth Third Bank at the city’s Fountain Square were closed Thursday morning and the area cordoned off.

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Drama tends to find the Pittsburgh Steelers, and it didn’t take long to permeate their locker room this season.

Players have been awaiting the return of all-pro running back Le’Veon Bell, who skipped offseason activities for the second straight year amid failed contract talks, for months. But Bell, who’d hinted on social media this summer that he would report this week – he showed up days before the opener last year – still hasn’t appeared or signed his franchise tag. Not only is he on the verge of sacrificing paychecks, but he’s starting to lose the goodwill of his teammates, too.

“What do you do? Here’s a guy who doesn’t give a damn,” guard Ramon Foster said, via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “I just hate it came to this.

“He’s making seven times what I make twice as much as (left tackle) Al (Villanueva) is making and we’re the guys who do it for him.”

More: Eight questions for NFL Week 1: Will Khalil Mack attack Packers?

More: Earl Thomas ends Seahawks holdout but says ‘disrespect’ won’t be forgotten

More: Shaquem Griffin, Seahawks’ one-handed rookie LB, to start in Week 1

Bell is scheduled to earn $14.54 million this season, the second in a row that he’s set to play under the franchise tag, which offers lucrative paydays but only a year’s worth of job security. Bell and the team have failed the past two summers to reach a long-term agreement, and all signs point to him finally hitting the open market in 2019.

Yet if what now appears an inevitable divorce is looming, there seems to be concern in Bell’s camp that the Steelers have no incentive to safeguard the well being of a guy who plays, arguably, the league’s most punishing position. Bell led the NFL with 321 carries and 406 touches in 2017. A similar (or heavier) load could compromise the earning power of a player set to enter his sixth season. Bell already carries a bit of a cloud due to multiple drug suspensions in his past.

“What would the goal – you’re (GM) Kevin Colbert, you’re (head coach) Mike Tomlin – and you possibly have a once-in-a-generation player for one more season, what would your plan be? What would you do with that hypothetical player?” Bell’s agent, Adisa Bakari, asked Wednesday during an interview with SiriusXM.

“I think you can read in between those lines.”

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported Bell is not likely to play in Sunday’s opener against the Cleveland Browns.

Bell must report by Week 10 to accrue the season of service he will need to be eligible for free agency next year.

After he and the team were unable to bridge their financial gap by July’s deadline, Bell wrote to fans on Twitter: “I’m sorry we let youu (sic) down but trust me, 2018 will be my best season to date.”

That’s going to be a hard promise to keep if Bell, who’s amassed nearly 4,000 yards from scrimmage over the past two seasons, is not on the field.

And if he continues to stay away, regaining the trust of his teammates could be even harder.

“Why play hide and seek? Why let your agent say this?” said center Maurkice Pouncey, who suggested it’s unfair of Bell to keep the team in the dark.

“Just man up and tell us what you’re going to do.”

In the interim, Pittsburgh is moving ahead with second-year back James Conner, who’s coming off an impressive preseason and is already a local hero after beating cancer when he played collegiately at Pitt.

“A star is born every year in the NFL. Did anyone know (Kansas City’s) Kareem Hunt would be an all-pro before last season?” reminded Pouncey. “If James Conner didn’t have cancer, he’d have been a first-round pick. Just watch him.”

Follow Nate Davis on Twitter @ByNateDavis.

 

Jonny Bairstow will keep wicket for England in the fifth and final Test against India at The Oval on Friday.

He will resume with the gloves after recovering from a broken finger sustained during the third Test.

The 28-year-old played solely as a batsman in England’s fourth-Test victory in Southampton, with Jos Buttler standing in as his wicketkeeping replacement.

England – who lead the series 3-1 – have named an unchanged team.

Moeen Ali will continue at number three, where he was promoted ahead of captain Joe Root in the fourth Test.

Opener Alastair Cook is playing his final match before he retires from international cricket.

Speaking about the decision to give the gloves back to Bairstow, rather than sticking with Buttler, Root said: “We are very fortunate to be in a position where we have two quality keepers.

“More than anything, they both want us to win games of cricket. There have been no issues or problems in that department.”

England: Cook, Jennings, Moeen, Root, Bairstow, Stokes, Buttler, Curran, Rashid, Broad, Anderson.

The definition of anti-Semitism has long been a dividing topic.

It is commonly used to describe hostility towards or discrimination against Jews as a religious or racial group.

But what’s considered discriminative is disputed.

Thirty-one countries have endorsed a definition by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), which includes 11 examples of anti-Semitic behaviour.

Not everyone agrees on those examples, however, and the issue has engulfed the UK’s Labour Party in a row for months.

Its leader, Jeremy Corbyn, has been accused of holding anti-Semitic views

On Tuesday, Labour bowed to mounting pressure and adopted the IHRA’s full code, with a caveat.

The row has been defused, for now.

But the question remains: What exactly does anti-Semitism mean?

 

Presenter: Hashem Ahelbarra

Guests:

Emma Fox – National organiser of the students’ rights programme at the Henry Jackson Society

Sarah Glynn – Member of Scottish Jews against Zionism 

Gideon Levy – Columnist with Haaretz newspaper

Source: Al Jazeera News

WASHINGTON – As President Donald Trump seethes about extraordinary criticism from within his administration, Vice President Mike Pence and other officials began denying authorship of an op-ed that has thrown the administration into turmoil.

“The Vice President puts his name on his Op-Eds,” tweeted Jarrod Agen, communications director for Pence. “The @nytimes should be ashamed and so should the person who wrote the false, illogical, and gutless op-ed. Our office is above such amateur acts.”

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, during a trip to India, told reporters “it’s not mine,” and denounced the Times for publishing the anonymous article that indicates Trump may be facing the prospect of revolt within his own administration.

Internet sleuths had identified Pence as a suspect because the piece uses the term “lodestar,” one of the vice president’s favorite words.

The New York Times published an op-ed from an anonymous Trump official who said staff members are working to block bad decisions by the president, on issues ranging from free trade to military policy.

In the piece entitled “I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration,” the author says that “many Trump appointees have vowed to do what we can to preserve our democratic institutions while thwarting Mr. Trump’s more misguided impulses until he is out of office.”

Describing Trump as unprincipled and “amoral,” the author wrote: “Meetings with him veer off topic and off the rails, he engages in repetitive rants, and his impulsiveness results in half-baked, ill-informed and occasionally reckless decisions that have to be walked back.”

The piece compared Trump unfavorably to the late Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., described as a “lodestar for restoring honor to public life and our national dialogue.”

A livid Trump questioned whether the author is a legitimate administration official, but also demanded that the Times out him or her and suggested that the person should be investigated.

“Does the so-called ‘Senior Administration Official’ really exist, or is it just the Failing New York Times with another phony source?” Trump tweeted Wednesday. “If the GUTLESS anonymous person does indeed exist, the Times must, for National Security purposes, turn him/her over to government at once!”

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said “the coward” who wrote the piece should step forward and resign, saying “he is not putting country first, but putting himself and his ego ahead of the will of the American people.”

 

 

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Bon-Ton, the bankrupt retailer that shut its stores last week after being in business for over 100 years, is poised to reopen now that a new owner has scooped up its brand.

A subsidiary of the tech company CSC Generation Holdings told USA TODAY that it has signed a deal giving it the rights to Bon-Ton and its subsidiary department store chains, Boston Store, Bergner’s, Carson’s, Elder Beerman, Herberger’s and Younkers. The agreement will need to get the green light from the Delaware Bankruptcy Court to become final.   

The new Bon-Ton will emphasize its online shopping experience. But CSC says it is “also in advanced discussions with landlords about reopening stores in Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.” Those locations would likely be staffed by former Bon-Ton employees.

By focusing on e-commerce, and making plans to reinvent its physical stores with personal styling services and extended hours on the days when more people might be inclined to shop, Bon-Ton is attempting to be more competitive in a retail environment transformed by Amazon and fast-fashion chains like Zara.

“The new Bon-Ton is a department store tailored to the expectations of the modern customer,” Jordan Voloshin, co-president of CSC Generation, said in a statement.

More Money: Bon-Ton may be on the verge of a comeback after bankrupcty

More Money: Bon-Ton’s demise leaves towns with fewer shopping choices

More Money: Boston Store, Younkers and other Bon-Ton websites post mysterious message about coming back

Last week,  the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that the websites of Bon-Ton and its subsidiary chains were giving clues that a return was imminent. And people familiar with the pending deal told USA TODAY that it was likely, though they were not officially authorized to speak about it until it was final. 

Bon-Ton was founded in 1898. When it closed, it had roughly 250 stores in 23 states throughout the Northeast, the Midwest and the upper Great Plains.

The York, Pennsylvania-based company filed for bankruptcy protection in February, after going eight years without making a profit. In April, it was purchased by a group of its creditors and liquidators at an auction, and the company closed its stores on Aug. 29. 

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Iraqi authorities have declared curfew in southern city of Basra hours after demonstrators blocked the Umm Qasr port, considered lifeline for Iraq, forcing it to halt all operations.

City-wide curfew will be imposed from 3pm local time in Basra to quell weeks-long protests, Reuters news agency reported on Thursday quoting interior ministry spokesman.

One protester succumbed to his wounds after being shot in the head by security forces with a smoke grenade the night before, bringing the death toll this week to eight people. At least 25 people were also injured on Wednesday.

Dozens of protesters on Thursday prevented the entry and exit of trucks loaded with goods to and from the port, and chanted slogans against the security forces for their use of live ammunition against them.

Baghdad is largely dependent on Umm Qasr for imported food and receives grain, vegetable oil and sugar shipments.

Protesters also blocked the highway from Basra to Baghdad and set fire to the main provincial government building where they had been demonstrating for a third night.

Southern Iraq, heartland of the Shia majority, has erupted in unrest in recent weeks as protesters express rage over collapsing infrastructure, power cuts and corruption.

Public anger has grown at a time when politicians are struggling to form a new government after an inconclusive parliamentary election in May. Residents of the south complain of decades of neglect in the region that produces the bulk of Iraq’s oil wealth.

Residents in Basra, a city of more than two million people, say the water supply has become contaminated with salt, making them vulnerable and desperate in the hot summer months.

SOURCE: Al Jazeera and news agencies