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Millions of people are expected to watch on TV as England take on France in a World Cup quarter-final tonight.

The two giants of European football will meet at Qatar’s Al Bayt Stadium, with the winner going on to face Morocco or Portugal in a semi-final on 14 December.

The British Beer and Pub Association hopes the 7pm kick-off time in the UK will mean a bumper night, predicting a £26m boost to the industry.

Extra police will be in London to keep an eye on the English and French football fans expected to flock to the city, while Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is expected to watch the game from Chequers.

Over in Qatar, England manager Gareth Southgate said the squad must be “the very best version” of themselves if they are to beat reigning World Cup champions, France.

England’s run to the semi-finals of the last World Cup in 2018 and their appearance in the Euros final last summer will help, he said, adding: “In terms of our experiences, I think those big matches for the team are important reference points.

“They’ve had to come through many different ways of winning games, some defeats that have hurt but that we’ve learned a lot from and I think they prepare you for nights like tomorrow where you have got to produce the very best version of yourselves.

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“The mentality is key really.

“The belief that we deserve to be there and we are ready to fight France for that place in the semi-final.”

Read more:
England ‘hoping and believing’ as they prepare for ultimate test against France
Harry Kane: England ready for ‘really tough’ quarter-final
Reasons to be cheerful – three good omens for England ahead of France World Cup clash

The first two quarter-finals took place on Friday, with Croatia beating Brazil and Argentina beating the Netherlands, with the other game – between Portugal and Morocco – being played this afternoon.

England will be boosted by the return of Raheem Sterling, who is back with the team following an emergency trip back to the UK.

Sterling had wanted to be with his family after their Surrey home was burgled just before England’s match against Senegal.

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Southgate said the extent of Sterling’s involvement against France was yet to be decided, adding: “We’ll just have to assess that, but we’re really pleased he’s back”.

England captain Harry Kane said: “We’re not here just to reach the quarter-final, let’s put it that way.

“We know there are some very good teams in this tournament, we also know that we’re a very good team as well, so if we did lose tomorrow we’d be as disappointed as anyone.”

Andrew Whittaker, 30, a claims and cost consultant who lives in Doha by way of Liverpool, said: “I think they will do well against France, I’ve got a funny feeling.

“It’s the first test.

England's Raheem Sterling during a training session at the Al Wakrah Sports Complex in Al Wakrah, Qatar. Picture date: Friday December 9, 2022.
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Raheem Sterling is back with the England team

“They’ve always played lesser teams and done well and when it’s come to the big game they’ve always fallen a bit short.

“So hopefully this time around it’s third time lucky.”

But France supporter Julien Abbassi, from Paris, said: “My real feeling is I definitely respect England because you’ve got a good squad, score a lot of goals, but I think we are a good team.

“We’ve got experience, our coach knows how to deal with this kind of squad.”

Mr Abbassi, 40, was spotted in Doha wearing a hat with a plastic baguette attached to it, and said: “For example, (French striker Olivier) Giroud played in England, (French forward Kylian) Mbappe already faced (England star) Kyle Walker, so I think we’re ready for this game, I’m confident.”

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Protesters throw powder on Tower Bridge during London Marathon

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Protesters throw powder on Tower Bridge during London Marathon

Two pro-Palestinian demonstrators have thrown red powder on Tower Bridge – just moments before leading runners in the London Marathon went past.

The protesters were arrested on suspicion of causing a public nuisance and remain in custody, said the Metropolitan Police.

A video shared by Youth Demand, which is calling for a trade embargo on Israel, shows two people jumping over a barrier that separates spectators from the race course.

The pair, wearing t-shirts that say “Youth Demand: Stop Arming Israel”, are then seen standing in the middle of the road on the bridge.

Pic: LNP
Image:
Pic: LNP

They throw red powder in the air as an official marathon car goes past displaying the race time.

A motorbike with a cameraman on board continues along the route, while a second motorbike stops and one of the riders gets off and pushes the pair out of the way, just before the men’s elite runners pass.

Several police officers then jump over the barrier and detain the pair, the footage shows.

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There appeared to be no impact on the marathon.

More than 56,000 participants were expected to take part in the 26.2-mile race through the capital.

Sabastian Sawe of Kenya won the men’s elite race in a time of two hours, two minutes and 27 seconds, while Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa shattered the women’s-only world record in two hours, 15 minutes and 50 seconds.

Assefa beat the previous best of two hours, 16 minutes and 16 seconds set last year in London by Kenyan Peres Jepchirchir.

Read more:
Sky’s Beth Rigby running marathon in honour of ‘dearest friend’
Badenoch does not rule out local coalitions with Reform

Pic: LNP
Image:
Pic: LNP

The Metropolitan Police said in a statement: “At around 10.38am, two protesters from Youth Demand jumped over barriers at Tower Bridge and threw red paint on to the road.

“Marathon event staff intervened to remove the protesters from the path of the men’s elite race which was able to pass unobstructed.”

The force added that they were “quickly supported by police officers who arrested the protesters on suspicion of causing a public nuisance”.

The Met said the paint “appeared to be chalk-based” and was not expected to “present a hazard to runners yet to pass this point”.

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Kemi Badenoch does not rule out local coalitions with Reform after next week’s council elections

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Kemi Badenoch does not rule out local coalitions with Reform after next week's council elections

Kemi Badenoch has not ruled out forming coalitions at a local level with Reform after the council elections next week.

Speaking to Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, the Conservative leader did however categorically rule out a pact with Nigel Farage’s party on a national level.

“I am not going into any coalition with Nigel Farage… read my lips,” she said.

However, she did not deny that deals could be struck with Reform at a local level, arguing that some councils might be under no overall control and in that case, “you have to do what is right for your local area”.

“You look at the moment, we are in coalition with Liberal Democrats, with independents,” she said. “We’ve been in coalition with Labour before at local government level.

“They [councillors] have to look at who the people are that they’re going into coalition with and see how they can deliver for local people.”

She added: “What I don’t want to hear is talks of stitch-ups or people planning things before the results are out. They have to do what is right for their communities.”

More on Electoral Dysfunction

A total of 23 councils are up for grabs when voters go to the polls on Thursday 1 May – mostly in places that were once deemed Tory shires, until last year’s general election.

It includes 14 county councils, all but two of which have been Conservative-controlled, as well as eight unitary authorities, all but one of which are Tory.

Ms Badenoch has set expectations low for the Tories, suggesting they could lose all the councils they are contesting.

The last time this set of councils were up for election was in 2021, when the Conservative Party was led by Boris Johnson who was riding high from the COVID vaccine bounce.

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UK

Counter-terrorism police investigating after two women injured in Leeds

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Counter-terrorism police investigating after two women injured in Leeds

Counter-terrorism police are investigating after an incident involving a crossbow and a firearm left two women injured in Leeds.

Police were called to Otley Road at 2.47pm on Saturday to reports of a “serious incident involving a man seen with weapons”, West Yorkshire Police said.

Officers arrived at the scene to find two women injured – and a 38-year-old man with a self-inflicted injury. All three were taken to hospital, with the man held under arrest, but their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

“Two weapons have been recovered from the scene, which were a crossbow and a firearm,” Counter Terrorism Policing North East said in a statement.

The incident happened on the ‘Otley Run’ pub crawl, with one venue saying it was closed for the evening due to “unforeseen circumstances”.

Officers guard one of the crime scenes in Leeds
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Officers guard one of the crime scenes

Officers inside the cordon in Leeds
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Officers inside the cordon in Leeds

Counter Terrorism Policing’s statement added: “Due to the circumstances surrounding the incident, Counter Terrorism Policing North East have taken responsibility for leading the investigation with the support of West Yorkshire Police.

“Extensive enquiries continue to establish the full circumstances and explore any potential motivation.”

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper described it as a “serious violent incident” and said she was being kept updated by police.

“Thank you to the police and emergency services for their swift response,” she said. “My thoughts are with the victims and all those affected by this attack.”

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