Natural England has been trying for some days to shoot down the “killing ponies” story - largely by saying it’s for the landowners - not them - to make decisions. Their blog sidesteps what advice they are giving landowners - and look below at the replies to the rebuttal which implies they still looking for a reduction in ponies

🚨 Absolute madness in the US right now as the Uruguay national team gets pulled to the side of the road and treated like straight-up suspects. ​They literally just landed for the World Cup and security is already ripping their luggage open on the tarmac with sniffer dogs everywhere ​Qatar and Russia hosted without this level of paranoia but the "land of the free" is handing out pure humiliation to Global South athletes before a single match is even played, the double standards are screaming.

When Bobby Robson finished his last chemotherapy session in 2007, Dr Ruth Plummer pulled him to one side at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle. Bobby thought it was going to be about his health. Instead, Ruth wanted to talk to him about something else. Her department was too old. There was a new Early Cancer Trials Unit being planned at the Northern Centre for Cancer Care, three times bigger than what they already had, with a proper laboratory, modern equipment and room for clinical trials. But there was one problem. They did not have the money to kit it out. So Ruth asked Bobby if he knew anybody who might help. Bobby went home and spoke to his wife Elsie. The next day, they started making calls. Very quickly, what had started as a quiet conversation with Ruth had turned into a committee. Then the idea came up. Use Bobby’s name. He was not comfortable with that at first. He did not want a charity built around himself. But the others told him it would open doors, and once Bobby agreed to it, there was no going halfway. The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation was born. At the first meeting with the hospital, Don Robson got straight to the point. How much money was needed to get started? £500,000. And Ruth needed it by the summer of 2008 because she wanted the facility running by October. That was when Bobby knew what he had walked into. “There could be no slowing down, no pulling out, no getting halfway down the road and turning back.” The original plan had been simple enough. Bobby would lend his name, act as a figurehead, and stay in the background. It did not work out like that. He went to the meetings. He did the interviews. He kept going even when he was not well. Sometimes he would pull Ruth to one side and ask her: “What have you bloody well got me into?” But he never missed a single meeting. The launch was held at the Copthorne Hotel. By then, Bobby was fully in it. “If I’m committed to something, then I’m committed.” And then the money started coming in. Within seven weeks, the first target had already been reached. £560,000. Then people started turning up at Bobby and Elsie’s house. The first donation came from a woman carrying an envelope full of cash. Her husband had recently died, and his final request had been that people at his funeral gave money to Bobby’s charity instead of buying flowers. She handed over £271.74. “What can you say to that?” Then there was Johnny Bliss, a local singer with pancreatic cancer. His doctors had told him he had months to live, but he still held a concert, sold CDs and raised around £10,000 for the Foundation. Bobby met him at the Copthorne. Johnny brought his family with him, and made the men wear their best suits and ties. Bobby could see he was not well. “I could have cried.” And for all the football he had lived through, all the countries, all the clubs, all the games, this became his last big job. “It’s not about beating Portsmouth any more.” “It’s about beating death.” As of today the Sir Bobby Robson foundation has raised over £27 million. #football

“Flower of Scotland” here in Foxborough. #WorldCup

To give an indication of being a colour blind fan, I struggle to distinguish the Netherlands kit from the grass so have to rely on heads and boots

Pete Hegesth, "Obama begged Iran for a deal, we bombed Iran" "Document says Iran won't have a nuclear weapon, won't seek one, won't buy one" Journalist, "The JCPOA (Iran deal) did that too" Hegseth, "We devastated their military" Imagine celebrating achieving the thing a previous president achieved without killing the 3,000 Iranians dead since the US/Israel attacks Then imagine gloating about a blockade in response to the closing of the strait of Hormuz which has caused global economic turmoil as if that is something to celebrate It's like a scene from Idiocracy

As a new Farmer myself who bought our farm 4 years ago, I can’t tell you how accurate Clarkson’s Farm actually is! We spent £3.5m buying our farm and subsequently in the past 4 years we’ve had to spend at least £527,000 on farm machinery and much, much more on running the farm. We’ve lost money every year since so far, and have had challenges or refusal from local authorities everytime we’ve tried to diversity, or do something to generate extra income. I cannot stress how difficult it is for farmers who have to rely on farming for their only income. We don’t get any subsidies or BPS payments at all (because we’re new farmers) and the grant system might as well be in Greek! As a CEO and professional businessman of some note, I felt I could easily apply for the grants myself. I kid you not, you’ve never seen a more complicated form - for ANYTHING! The farm we bought had been in the same family for 3 generations, but it was sold because it was getting tougher to support the farmers growing family and now I’ve been in it for 4 years I can see why. It’s a crying shame that more and more food is going to be imported and more skills lost because, for some unknown reason, the government obviously don’t value farmers. Sad.

As mentioned on the podcast — the funniest commentary moment of all time. Mark Saggers, TalkSport, 2010.

Never write off the Germans

A Trillion Dollars. JonathanPie.com

You’ve seen it from the ground, now THIS is what Cereals looked like from the air! 😍🚁 When all the hard work comes together, it’s great to see the show from above and all the visitors filtering in. What was your favourite part about #Cereals26? #cerealsevent #ukfarming #arablefarming #farmingevents @FruehaufLtd

Reporter: ''So you agree that people who break in and vandalize a building should be prosecuted?'' JD Vance: ''Yes'' Reporter: ''Ok, I'm just checking, because you helped raise money for people who did so on January 6th'' JD's Soul Leaves his Body.

Everything Farage said was a complete lie. If you believed him over Brexit then you were conned. If you vote for Farage and Reform now then you are an idiot.

Today marks 34 years since Big Ron was caught out by Saint & Greavsie for sunbathing on the job at Euro ‘92. Top drawer telly, this.

Gary Lineker: “We have never had a World Cup where the host nation is at war with one of the competitors.”

🚜 Farmer mental health support is set to be discussed at Government level after Cumbrian MP @timfarron secured a meeting with a health minister. Speaking in Parliament, he highlighted the challenges facing many farming families, including isolation, financial pressure and poor mental health. READ MORE: ow.ly/cXtz50Zb0Gv

Today marks 22 years since England were beating France 1-0 going into stoppage time, but still lost 2-1. Here are both of Zinedine Zidane’s goals from that night, in real time. One of the most extraordinary endings to a match ever seen at the Euros.

While EU farmers are receiving packages of up to €50,000 (£42k) per farm to help with soaring fertiliser and energy costs caused by the Hormuz crisis, British farmers are left to absorb the full hit with no meaningful support. Result? UK farmers are skipping sowing, cattle prices have crashed £400 per head, milk is stuck at 35p/litre at the farm gate, and domestic production is contracting at the worst possible time. This is the direct cost of post-Brexit isolation and years of policy that treated food production as an afterthought rather than a national strategic priority. We urgently need the principles of the 1947 Agriculture Act restored, real support for British farming as a public good, alongside pragmatic reconnection with the European food and energy framework. Food security is national security. #FoodSecurityNow #BritishFarming

Who remembers the ITV World Cup 86 theme tune? Absolute banger