What Manchester City's £1BILLION Puma deal reveals about the result of 115 charges case - and why football insiders are resigned to it, writes IAN HERBERT
Chelsea lost their shirt sponsor, Three, when Roman Abramovich was sanctioned. Coca-Cola axed after some marital infidelity. A string of Marcus Rashford's partners, Levi's, and Beats, have dropped him amid his descent into personal chaos. No one wants the bad optics and fundamental embarrassment.
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The Independent
a minute ago
- The Independent
Education aid cuts to severely harm futures of children across developing world, research says
Aid cuts to education, and in particular foundational learning of reading and maths for young children, will have a major impact on the futures of children across the developing world, new research suggests. The UN has projected that global aid for education will fall by a quarter between 2023 and 2027. The US and UK —until recently the largest bilateral donors for foundational education —are both expected to almost entirely cut their education spending. That news comes just as groundbreaking new research from think tank the Centre for Global Development, which has been shared exclusively with The Independent, shows that children with better foundational skills tend to perform much better in later life. Specifically, the new paper finds that young children who score well in reading and maths, after accounting for family background, go on to earn roughly 11 per cent more as adults. The paper also finds that children with better foundational skills tend to stay in school for longer, and also are slightly less likely to have had children themselves by early adulthood, indicating a potential link between early learning and reproductive choices. According to Lee Crawfurd, the researcher behind the paper, research on the impact of foundational learning on later life has been largely missing until now, due to difficulties adults would have in assessing their reading and mathematics when they were younger. The new working paper reaches its conclusions using 'longitudinal' data from the Indonesia Family Life Survey. Longitudinal surveys, which are surveys that follow individuals over long periods of time, are generally rare in low- and middle-income countries, but provide information on long-term policy impacts 'These findings provide a strong economic rationale for prioritising foundational literacy and numeracy interventions. But aid donors are doing the opposite,' Mr Crawfurd told The Independent. 'This research shows it's not just going to school that matters—it's whether children actually learn to read and do basic maths. That's what helps them earn more as adults. Just because the payoff comes years down the line doesn't make it any less real,' he continued. 'The returns are so high that even spending five or ten times as much on foundational learning could still be great value for money. Policymakers should protect and prioritise these investments—because they work.' The UK has ppreviously spent more than $1bn a year on education, but it has slipped to less than $500 million a year in recent years and is set to fall further. On foundational learning in particular, the UK spent just under $100m in 2021, data shows. With Prime Minister Keir Starmer slashing UK aid from 0.5 to 0.3 per cent of Gross National Income (GNI), UK aid towards education is expected to drop to near-zero. A separate analysis from the Centre for Global Development has shown that once costs of UK asylum seeker accommodation, commitments to fund multilateral institutions like the World Bank and EU, and humanitarian aid for conflicts like Gaza and Ukraine are accounted for, then the aid budget is effectively used up. According to Mr Crawfurd, UK aid was mostly 'well targeted' at countries with the greatest need, such as Ethiopia, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Pakistan. Multilateral institutions like the World Bank tend to be less focused on cost-effective approaches, he added. The US was also spending just over $1 billion a year on education aid before 2025, with a large chunk of that on foundational learning, data shows.
The Independent
a minute ago
- The Independent
The national carrier preparing to resume flights to the UK
Britain has lifted a five-year ban on Pakistani airlines, which was imposed in 2020 following a plane crash that killed 97 people and an investigation into pilot licence validity. The British High Commission stated that the ban's removal is a result of improved aviation safety standards in Pakistan, enabling airlines to apply to resume UK flights. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency had also lifted its five-year ban earlier this year, after which Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) resumed direct flights to Europe. PIA, which previously estimated an annual revenue loss of around 40 billion rupees ($144 million) due to the ban, is finalising preparations to resume UK flights, with the Islamabad - Manchester route planned as the first. Pakistan 's Defence Minister welcomed the decision, highlighting that it would enhance PIA's value ahead of its planned privatisation, following recent reforms that led to the airline's first operating profit in 21 years.
The Sun
2 minutes ago
- The Sun
WHSmith posts urgent warning to shoppers so they don't lose out on cash as it rebrands 500 high street stores
WHSMITH customers have been warned they need to spend their unused gift vouchers before they become worthless. The struggling retailer is set to disappear from the high street in a matter of weeks as its new owner rebrands it to TGJones. 1 The stationery giant has been a feature of the British high street since the 1800s but has fallen on hard times in recent years. Now Sun checkers can reveal bosses at the ailing favourite are already reminding punters to use their unspent gift vouchers in stores while they are still valid up until the end of June next year. Signs headed "Important Notice on Changes to WHSmith Gift Cards' erected at the firm's Croydon branch in south London state: 'This store, along with all other former high street stores, is now owned and operated by TG Jones. 'This has an impact on how you can use your WHSmith gift card or eGift card. 'You can continue to use your WHSmith gift card or eGift card in this store and in other TGJones, and on up until June 28, 2026, in accordance with the terms and conditions for your WHSmith gift card or eGift card. 'Before and after June 28, 2026, you may continue to use your WHSmith gift card or eGift card in WHSmith stores in travel locations and hospitals (excluding concessions and stores located at motorway service stations, WHSmith Local, London Underground sites or WHSmith franchise stores), in accordance with the terms and conditions for your WHSmith gift card or eGift card.' Consumer experts have urged shoppers to use their vouchers before it's too late. Martyn James, Sun Squeeze Team Member and independent consumer champion, said: 'When a company goes bust, then your vouchers, gift cards and even store credit vanish, never to be seen again. "So, when you hear that a business is in trouble, spend,spend, spend, or lose your credit. 'However, WHSmith didn't go bust, it was purchased by another business. WHSmith sells 500 UK shops "Where this happens and the business rebrands, it is usually down to the business on whether it must honour credit vouchers and gift cards. 'This often depends on whether it was a direct takeover (usually honoured) or the sale of a failing business (the new retailer doesn't take on liability). 'In this case, WHSmith customers have less than a year to spend their vouchers, which in fairness, is often how long they last before expiring anyway. "But, if you have vouchers, get online or in-store and spend them - or risk losing the credit forever.' WHSmith stores that have closed A total of 20 WHSmith stores shut this year ahead of the rebrand. The retailer's Bedford site is set to close on July 5. The store in the Frenchgate Centre in Doncaster closed on May 31, while the Stockton branch also shut on May 17. Branches in Halstead and Woolwich shut on April 12, and Halesowen and Diss followed on April 19. Just a week later, stores in Newport and Haverhill also pulled down the shutters. Reena Sewraz, Which? retail editor, added: 'Usually if a retailer you have a gift card for goes bust, you may struggle to get your money back. 'In this case, WHSmith has been bought and rebranded as TGJones and existing gift cards and vouchers can be used both online and in store up until June 28, 2026. 'Before and after this date, you can still redeem vouchers at WHSmith travel locations, including airports and hospitals. 'If the gift card or voucher was bought through a third party, check to see if the purchaser can approach them for a refund. "The purchaser has no right to a refund but the third-party company may choose to refund you as a gesture of goodwill." Hobbycraft owner Modella Capital agreed a deal to take over the chain's troubled high street arm back in March. As part of the deal, all 464 remaining high street stores are rebranding to TGJones. The sale has now officially completed and the WHSmith website has rebranded, while all stores are listed on Google as TGJones. Some shoppers have already spotted signs going up in stores reading 'Thank you for shopping at TGJones.' Modella put in planning applications to local councils to change the signage on its stores last month. History of WHSmith The rebranding means the WHSmith name will be disappearing from the high street for good. WHSmith's travel stores will still remain in airports, hospitals, railway stations and motorway service areas as these have not been taken over by Modella. The first WHSmith store was opened back in 1792 was opened by Henry Walton Smith and his wife Anna. It was located in Little Grosvenor Street, London and was initially a news vendor. When Henry and Anna died, the business was taken over by their youngest son William Henry Smith. He renamed the business WH Smith & Son in 1846. The business began expanding around this time and opened its first railway news stand at Euston Station in 1848. It opened its first depots two years later in Birmingham, Manchester, and Liverpool. WH Smith & Son continued to be passed down by the family before becoming a limited company in 1928, with all shares owned by the third Viscount. The company became a public limited business in 1948, with staff and members of the public taking shares. The business expanded hugely between the 1970s and 1990s, and during this time changed its name to simply WHSmith. The last member of the Smith family left the board in 1996. Over the years, the brand has sold a variety of products including everything from vinyl records to DVDs and computer games. But it has always been best known for its wide variety of books, stationery, and sweets. In more recent years, WHSmith has struggled on the high street – although its travel sales have surged. The company confirmed in January it would sell off its high street business. Modella then snapped up WHSmith's high street stores after an auction process. Shoppers have also started receiving emails from TGJones. One confused customer wrote on social media: 'I got an email from TG Jones thinking how? Then realised its WHSmith's new name, crazy.' Another added: 'I keep getting emails from someone called TG Jones and it was apparently a company that has changed its name, it was failing to tell me what company…just had another one and it's WHSmith??? WHAT.' Other customers have expressed sadness at the loss of the iconic retailer from Britain's high streets. One wrote: 'New generation will never experience the feeling of going to WHSmith in your Year 6 summer holidays and building a pencil case from scratch and picking all your stationary for Year 7.' Another sad shopper added: 'I did my school shopping every year at WHSmith since reception, same with my sister too, this is so sad.' While a third nostalgic punter wrote: 'My parents met working at WHSmith and they've been married 30 years.'
