Former Labour minister and crossbench peer Frank Field has died aged 81, his family has announced.

"He will be mourned by admirers across politics but above all he will be greatly missed by those lucky enough to have enjoyed his laughter and friendship," a statement said.

Lord Field spent 40 years as MP for Birkenhead and was a leading voice on welfare reform for much of his career.

He was a minister under Tony Blair and joined the House of Lords in 2020.

A statement from Lord Field of Birkenhead's family, issued by his parliamentary office, said he had died following a period of illness.

"Frank was an extraordinary individual who spent his life fighting poverty, injustice and environmental destruction," the statement said.

"His decency and faith in people's self-interested altruism made a unique contribution to British politics."

The politician announced in 2021 that he was suffering from a terminal illness. He died in a London care home on Tuesday night.

Lord Field briefly served as minister for welfare reform in Tony Blair's first term in government.

He was given a brief to "think the unthinkable" but the former prime minister later appeared to regret the appointment, describing Lord Field's solutions as not so much "unthinkable" as "unfathomable".

Paying tribute, Sir Tony said in a statement: "Frank had integrity, intelligence and deep commitment to the causes he believed in.

"He was an independent thinker never constrained by conventional wisdom, but always pushing at the frontier of new ideas.

"Even when we disagreed, I had the utmost respect for him as a colleague and a character."

Frank Field obituary:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-59057974

Adam Crozier, the former chief executive of Royal Mail, would have been aware about the faulty Horizon IT system after it was identified as “problematic” by his technology specialists, an insider has claimed.

Baby 700

Turkish resistance was fierce. By mid-morning, Turkish reinforcements had arrived under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Mustafa Kemal.

Lieutenant Talbot Smith with the scouts of the 10th Battalion [from South Australia], thirty-two in number, had struck the shore just after the first shot was fired. 'Come on, boys', he cried, 'they can't hit you' ... '10th Battalion scouts,' he shouted, 'are you ready?' He then led them straight up the height, while the Turks were firing over their heads.

Met many people obsessed with Colonel Mustafa Kemal or Atatürk as he is known now.

Viva Vela

Labour has promised to renationalise nearly all passenger rail services within five years if it wins the next election.

It says a new public body would inherit existing contracts when they expire, taking on responsibility for running services.

Automatic refunds for train delays and better internet connection on trains are also planned.

But Transport Secretary Mark Harper said the plans were "unfunded".

Responsibility for running train services was handed to private companies during the 1990s, since when there has been a boom in rail usage since the days of British Rail.

But they have faced heavy criticism over fares and reliability, with critics saying it has led to an inefficient and fragmented system that has failed passengers.

comment by BraveheartTyke (U6173)
posted 14 minutes ago
Met many people obsessed with Colonel Mustafa Kemal or Atatürk as he is known now.
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Speaking of Turkish people, ten years this month since Comu last commented on Just Another 606.

https://www.ja606.co.uk/users/viewUser/7171

Actually next month.

Coventry City manager Mark Robins says their FA Cup run is not the only reason why they are going to miss out on a Championship play-off spot.

The Sky Blues lost 3-2 to Hull City to effectively end their hopes of a top-six finish.

That loss came just three days after their dramatic penalty shoot-out defeat by Manchester United in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley.

Coventry are now nine points behind West Bromwich Albion and Norwich City in fifth and sixth with just three matches to go, and have an inferior goal difference.

“It’s not just the FA Cup – it is a factor but there’s a lot of other things that contribute to why you miss out,” said Robins.

The defeat by Hull was a fourth in five Championship games in April as the Sky Blues lost momentum at a crucial point.

They twice equalised after the Tigers went ahead, but had nothing left in the tank following Noah Ohio's 78th-minute goal.

It means they will not make another trip to Wembley, having also lost the play-off final to Luton Town last season.

“We know why it is,” Robins told BBC CWR. “We can’t afford any injuries at all and when you get those, it has cost us dearly.

“At the end of the day, we’ve had a real go at both competitions. It’s been a brilliant effort from everyone, but we’ve come up just short.”

Arne Slot has said he hopes to take over from Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool manager at the end of the season.

Liverpool opened talks with Feyenoord on Wednesday about Slot's potential appointment.

The Dutchman confirmed his interest in the job to ESPN before Feyenoord's match on Thursday against Go Ahead Eagles.

"It seems clear to me that I would like to work there," Slot said.

“All I can say about it is that the clubs are in negotiations. I’m in the waiting room."

He added that he was "confident" Liverpool and Feyenoord would be able to reach an agreement.

Slot, 45, led Feyenoord to the 2022-23 Eredivisie title and has previously been linked with Tottenham Hotspur and Leeds United.

Liverpool will have to negotiate a fee with Feyenoord if Slot is appointed, as he does not have a release clause for this summer.

There is one in his contract, but it cannot be activated until next year.

On Wednesday, Reds captain Virgil van Dijk said that Slot's playing philosophy would suit the club, describing him as "one of the better Dutch coaches at the moment".

Ryo Miyaichi (宮市 亮, Miyaichi Ryō, born 14 December 1992) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a winger for Yokohama F. Marinos in the J1 League and the Japan national team.

Miyaichi began his professional career at Arsenal after a successful trial in 2010. However, without a British work permit, he was loaned out to Eredivisie side Feyenoord where he made his professional debut in 2011 at age 17. In 2012, Miyaichi spent loan periods at fellow Premier League clubs, Bolton Wanderers and Wigan Athletic, helping win the FA Cup with the latter in 2013. After a long period ruled out with injury, Miyaichi returned to the Eredivisie, signing on loan to FC Twente in 2014. In June 2015, Miyaichi transferred to 2. Bundesliga side FC St. Pauli. In July 2021, Miyaichi returned to Japan, signing for Yokohama F. Marinos.

A full international for Japan, Miyaichi made his debut in 2012 against Azerbaijan and was part of the Japan side that won the East Asian Football Championship in 2022. Japan's former manager Alberto Zaccheroni has said that "Miyaichi's strengths are on the flanks and creating space going forward." Once regarded as one of the best youth prospects in world football, Miyaichi's career has been plagued with injuries, missing over 150 senior matches in his career.

Jill Wendy Dando (9 November 1961 – 26 April 1999) was an English journalist, television presenter and newsreader. She spent most of her career at the BBC and was the corporation's Personality of the Year in 1997. At the time of her death, her television work included co-presenting the BBC One programme Crimewatch with Nick Ross.

On the morning of 26 April 1999, Dando was shot dead outside her home in Fulham, south-west London, prompting the biggest murder inquiry conducted by the Metropolitan Police and the country's largest criminal investigation since the hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper. A local man, Barry George, was convicted and imprisoned for the murder, but after eight years in prison he was acquitted following an appeal and retrial. No other suspect has been charged with Dando's murder and the case remains unsolved.

25 years ago today.

Play-off final win on FM

Up to Level 7 now after nearly 40 seasons.

Liverpool's Premier League title hopes seem all but over after Michail Antonio scored to rescue a point for West Ham at London Stadium.

Jarrod Bowen opened the scoring just before the break when he rose highest to meet Mohammed Kudus' cross into the area as Liverpool showed little evidence that their Merseyside derby loss in midweek had done much in the way of spurring them on.

But the visitors were much improved in the second half and Andy Robertson equalised when he scored from Luis Diaz's low pass into the penalty area.

They were then rewarded for their pressure when Cody Gakpo's effort from a corner ricocheted off Angelo Ogbonna, Tomas Soucek and Alphonse Areola before finding the back of the net.

It looked like they were on their way to bouncing back from back-to-back defeats in the league until Antonio's thumping header put the Hammers back on level terms.

Liverpool sit third in the table with three games remaining, two points behind leaders Arsenal, who face Tottenham on Sunday, while Manchester City are second but have two games in hand.

Liverpool's title hopes appear to be all but over, with the Reds relying on both of their title rivals to slip up to get back in the race.

One of Japan's most iconic photo spots is to be blocked by authorities exasperated by badly behaved tourists.

A big black barrier is to be erected to obscure views of Mount Fuji.

Residents of Fujikawaguchiko accuse mainly foreign tourists of dropping rubbish and parking illegally as they search for the perfect photo.

The shot in question features a convenience store in the foreground, with Japan's most famous landmark rising behind it.

The juxtaposition of the soaring volcano and the banal sight of one of Japan's most ubiquitous shops have made Fujikawaguchiko a popular location for photos, with a local official telling AFP that the place had gained a "reputation that this spot is very Japanese".

They added that the town in Yamanashi region was at its wits' end over the behaviour, with some tourists even climbing on to roofs to get the perfect snap.

Construction of the mesh net which will be 2.5m (8ft) and 20m (65.6ft) - or the same length as a cricket pitch - will begin as early as next week, the official told AFP.

"It's regrettable we have to do this, because of some tourists who can't respect rules," they said.

Before taking the rather drastic measure of the screen, officials had put up road signs and said repeated warnings from security guards were ignored.