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  • ‘I’ve visited over 5000 football grounds around the world’

    ‘I’ve visited over 5000 football grounds around the world’

    Chris MacLennan and Morven McKinnon

    BBC Scotland News

    BBC Steve Broughton with his partner Joanne Sheppard BBC

    Steve and his partner Joanne are visiting Orkney to tick off seven more grounds

    Steve Broughton is a high scorer in what is known as “groundhopping” – a hobby which involves attending football matches at different stadiums far and wide.

    He has notched up an impressive tally during his decades-long pastime, attending games at more than 5,000 football grounds around the world.

    This week he is in Orkney with his partner, Joanne Sheppard, to tick off even more grounds during the 2025 International Island Games.

    “I just generally collect football grounds by watching a game on each one,” Steve says. “I’ve been doing it for about 35 years and over that time, I’ve gone to about 5,250 grounds.”

    Steve Broughton watching the Isle of Man vc Hitra football match in Firth, Orkney

    Steve watched the Isle of Man vs Hitra football match in Firth, Orkney

    Steve grew up in London, but was born in Leicester. He now lives in Manchester with Joanne.

    His first game was England v Holland at Wembley Stadium when he was just 14- years-old and he has retained an interest in international football.

    This year alone he has been to five matches in Serbia, including a couple in the country’s top tier Super Liga.

    He does go abroad to watch games, but not as often. He’s aiming to see at least one match in every country that’s in UEFA. He currently has 10 left to visit.

    Outside Europe, he’s been to games in South Africa, USA and Canada.

    “I used to go and watch the local non-league team where I grew up and when I moved away to college, I started going to different matches,” he said.

    “I found it more interesting going to different games each week, rather than supporting a club.”

    The 56-year-old runs a blog called ‘Steve B The Groundhopper’, where he writes a brief report on each of the matches he watches.

    And this year’s Island Games – which has returned to Scotland for the first time since 2005 – has provided an ideal opportunity to increase his tally.

    Ten of the 24 islands in the games are competing in the football which is being hosted by schools and community centres across Orkney.

    Steve has previously been to the island games in the Isle of Wight in 1993.

    Steve Broughton The Eriskay football pitch, overlooking the sea.Steve Broughton

    One of Steve’s favourite ground locations was Eriskay in the Outer Hebrides

    “The way the tournament works is there’s seven grounds being used. Two of them, I have been to before, the other five I haven’t,” said Steve.

    “Over the course of three days, I can tick off all five while also enjoying the sights and sunshine, making a holiday out of it.”

    As a form of football tourism, he says it’s a pastime that combines a love of the beautiful game with the joys of travel and exploring.

    “I go all over,” he said. “I certainly remember going to Eriskay in the Western Isles which I think is quite famously an unusual ground in a fantastic setting.

    “Places like that are based in community. When the football’s on, the whole community comes out in support to watch the game.”

    Steve Braughton The Eriskay football pitch, overlooking the sea.Steve Braughton

    Steve visited the island when Eriskay played Barra on 17 June 2023

    Joanne says she is a football fan too and enjoys the trips to see new places.

    “I am a football fan but I’m not a groundhopper,” she said. “I don’t go to every game, I certainly haven’t been to 5,250 grounds.

    “What I like about it is that I get to come along and see loads of different places. I mean, who wouldn’t want to come to Orkney in this weather?”

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  • Australian-led study decodes eye contact for human-robot communication-Xinhua

    CANBERRA, July 16 (Xinhua) — An Australian-led study reveals that the timing of eye contact is key to how we communicate with both humans and robots.

    Researchers have found that not just making eye contact, but when and how it’s done, fundamentally shapes how we understand others, including robots, according to a statement from the HAVIC Lab (Human, Artificial + Virtual Interactive Cognition) at Australia’s Flinders University on Wednesday.

    “Our findings have helped to decode one of our most instinctive behaviors and how it can be used to build better connections, whether you’re talking to a teammate, a robot, or someone who communicates differently,” said cognitive neuroscientist Nathan Caruana, who led the HAVIC Lab.

    In a study with 137 participants, researchers found that a specific gaze sequence — looking at an object, making eye contact, then returning to the object — was the most effective non-verbal way to signal a request for help.

    Caruana said it’s the context and sequence of eye movements, not just how often they occur, that make them meaningful, with participants responding similarly to humans and robots alike.

    He said humans naturally respond to social cues, even from machines, and that understanding these signals can strengthen connections with both people and technology.

    The study, published in the London-based Royal Society Open Science, suggests that adding human-like gaze to robots and virtual assistants could make them more intuitive and effective communicators.

    Beyond robotics, the findings could enhance communication in high-stakes settings such as sports, defense, and noisy workplaces, and support those who rely on visual cues, including autistic or hearing-impaired individuals.

    The HAVIC Lab is now exploring how factors like gaze duration, repetition, and beliefs about a partner’s identity (human or AI-driven) affect eye contact perception, according to the team. ■

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  • The 48-inch Sony A90K OLED TV has just received a rare discount, but you should buy this rival model instead

    The 48-inch Sony A90K OLED TV has just received a rare discount, but you should buy this rival model instead

    The Sony A90K is on sale right now at a record-low price of £1287 at Sevenoaks.

    But you shouldn’t buy it.

    Why not? Well, not only is it two years old, but even with the price drop, it’s still way too overpriced compared to its rivals.

    Instead, we’d buy one of the best TVs we’ve ever tested, the LG C4. It’s a five-star, What Hi-Fi? Awards 2024 winning OLED TV, and now it costs only £799 at Richer Sounds.

    That’s nearly £500 cheaper than the discounted Sony. Need I say more?

    We’ve reviewed the LG C4 in a variety of sizes and always land on a five-star rating. And while the 48-inch model doesn’t go quite as bright as its larger siblings, if you can look past this, it still sits comfortably as the best TV of its size.

    Sure, the LG C5 has entered the scene, but as far as the C4 is concerned, it’s still an excellent pick for quality, feature set and price. And you certainly won’t pick up the LG C5 for anything like the C4’s £799 price at Amazon.

    There are plenty of reasons the 48-inch tops our best 50-inch TVs guide (that also includes 48-inch TVs). It’s got excellent picture quality, an unrivalled feature set that is especially alluring for gamers, and is incredible value.

    For picture, the LG C4 produces a crisp, balanced and rich image that’s even better than its C3 predecessor.

    For features, it carries the same four HDMI 2.1 ports as the C-series range, which is great news for gamers looking for 4K/120Hz with VRR and ALLM.

    Plus, there’s Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos immersive audio alongside the webOS smart platform that connects you to a whole range of popular streaming apps.

    When it comes to sound, the built-in audio system is a little underwhelming. But, with a £700 saving to be had when purchasing the LG C4 right now, you could absolutely use this extra cash towards one of the best soundbars to bolster your home cinema setup.

    MORE:

    Read the full LG C4 review

    LG C5 vs LG C4: what’s the difference, and which one should you buy?

    And the best OLED TVs: as tested by our experts

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  • 20 killed in Gaza strikes as Israel pushes new ‘humanitarian city’ plan

    20 killed in Gaza strikes as Israel pushes new ‘humanitarian city’ plan

    Listen to article

    At least 51 Palestinians have been killed across the Gaza Strip since dawn on Wednesday including 21 aid seekers.

    Medical sources told Al Jazeera that the casualties include 21 people who died during a chaotic incident at an aid distribution centre in southern Gaza.

    The latest mass-casualty event occurred at a GHF (Global Humanitarian Foundation) facility in Khan Younis, where a stampede broke out. Most victims died from being trampled or suffocated, Gaza’s Ministry of Health said.

    The ministry disputed an earlier claim from the GHF, which had alleged without evidence that “armed elements affiliated with Hamas” triggered the chaos. GHF also claimed one of its US contractors had been threatened with a gun and that weapons were visible among the crowd.

    Palestinian authorities and witnesses have strongly rejected that account, stating the panic began after tear gas was fired at desperate civilians waiting for aid.

    An earlier GHF statement said 19 people were trampled and one was stabbed in the melee. However, Gaza’s Health Ministry has since confirmed 21 deaths, noting that 15 died as a result of a stampede and suffocation.

    The United Nations Human Rights Office (OHCHR) said the humanitarian toll continues to worsen, with 10 children per day losing one or both legs as a result of the conflict. More than 134,000 people, including over 40,500 children, have sustained war-related injuries since the conflict began.

    OHCHR added that more than 35,000 people are believed to suffer from significant hearing loss due to explosions, warning of long-term medical and psychological trauma for Gaza’s civilian population.

    The Israeli military has announced the opening of a new corridor in southern Gaza that divides the Khan Younis area into eastern and western zones.

    Called the Magen Oz Corridor, the 15km route connects to the Morag Corridor, which was created in April to separate Khan Younis from Rafah.

    Read: EU signals possible action against Israel over Gaza humanitarian crisis

    According to a military statement, the corridor is intended to increase pressure on Hamas and dismantle the remaining brigade operating in the city.

    Military analysts say the development signals a deepening Israeli campaign in southern Gaza, while humanitarian organisations warn the move could worsen civilian displacement and obstruct access to aid.

    Meanwhile, the Israeli Ministry of Defence has submitted a revised plan to Netanyahu for “humanitarian city” in southern Gaza.

    The new plan would cost 4 billion shekels ($1.2bn) and be completed within two months, Army Radio reported. The site would house 600,000 displaced Palestinians in tents, with access to water, food and electricity.

    An earlier version of the plan, introduced by Defence Minister Israel Katz, was reportedly rejected by Netanyahu as too costly and logistically difficult.

    Human rights organisations have condemned both iterations of the plan, calling it an attempt to forcibly relocate Palestinians into a confined zone drawing comparisons to a concentration camp.

    Israeli media reports ‘dramatic progress’ in Gaza ceasefire talks

    Indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas in Doha, Qatar, have made what Israeli media described as “dramatic progress” over the past 24 hours.

    Talks, which began on 6 July, aim to secure a ceasefire and a prisoner exchange deal. According to Israel’s Channel 13, the breakthrough came after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli Security Cabinet agreed to ease some of their demands—particularly on the military’s continued presence in Gaza.

    Unnamed officials told the outlet that the current framework includes a 60-day pause in Israeli operations, after which combat could resume. While Netanyahu has reportedly approved “additional flexibility” to move the process forward, he remains opposed to ending the war entirely.

    Channel 13 quoted one Israeli official as saying “the road to a deal is now paved,” though no concrete timeline was offered for its conclusion.

    Israel’s war on Gaza

    Israel has carried out a devastating military campaign in Gaza since late October 2023, killing nearly 58,500 Palestinians, the majority of them women and children.

    The relentless bombardment has levelled much of the besieged enclave, creating severe food shortages, collapsing health infrastructure, and fuelling the spread of disease.

    In November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

    Israel is also facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice.

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  • UK lifts ban on Pakistani airlines, removes country from Air Safety List – Pakistan

    UK lifts ban on Pakistani airlines, removes country from Air Safety List – Pakistan

    The United Kingdom on Wednesday removed Pakistan from its Air Safety List, thereby allowing Pakistani airlines to now apply to operate flights to the UK, according to a statement from the British High Commission in Islamabad.

    Debt-ridden Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) was banned from flying to the European Union, UK and the United States in June 2020, a month after one of its Airbus A-320s plunged into Karachi’s Model Colony, killing nearly 100 people. The ban on operating to Europe was lifted in November last year.

    Today’s development comes after a team from the UK Department for Transport concluded an aviation security ins­pection at Islamabad Inter­nat­ional Airport on Thursday, declaring Pakistan’s security arrangements “satisfactory and in line with international standards”.

    “Following air safety improvements, the UK’s Air Safety Committee has lifted UK restrictions on Pakistani carriers,” said a statement from the British High Commission.

    “Individual airline carriers will still need to apply for permits to operate to the UK through the UK Civil Aviation Authority.”

    British High Commissioner Jane Marriott was quoted as saying: “I’m grateful to aviation experts in the UK and Pakistan for their collaborative work to drive improvements to meet international safety standards.

    “While it will take time for flights to resume, once the logistics are in place, I look forward to using a Pakistani carrier when visiting family and friends.”

    Decisions on de-listing states and air carriers from the UK Air Safety List are made through an independent aviation safety process, according to the statement.

    “This is overseen by the UK’s Air Safety Committee, who have [sic] been closely engaging with the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority over several years.

    “The committee has judged that necessary safety improvements have been made since its original decision in 2021. Therefore, based on this independent and technically-driven process, it has decided to remove Pakistan and its air carriers from the list.”

    Reacting to today’s development, Aviation Minister Khawaja Asif commended the government led by his party for “crossing another milestone”. “Three years of continuous hard work have borne fruit,” he said on X.

    He assailed ex-premier Imran Khan and then-aviation minister Ghulam Sarwar, who had said after the 2020 crash that almost 40 per cent of the country’s pilots had fake licenses.

    “But today, the green crescent flag is once again soaring proudly in the skies,” Asif added, commending his aviation ministry for its efforts.

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also hailed the move, saying that the move will provide “ease in travel between the UK and Pakistan will help this vital trade relationship grow manifold.”

    “With over 1.6 million people of Pakistani heritage living in the UK and thousands of British nationals in Pakistan, today’s announcement brings long-awaited relief and new opportunities for families and friends to reunite,” he wrote on X. “As Pakistan’s third-largest trading partner, this ease in travel between the UK and Pakistan will help this vital trade relationship grow manifold.

    The move adds to another positive development, with the UK government yesterday launching e-visas for Pakistani students and workers as part of an “enhanced” border and immigration system.

    A day prior to that, the two countries formally signed the Trade Dialogue Mechanism Agreement and decided to establish the UK-Pakistan Business Advisory Council to institutionalise bilateral economic cooperation.

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  • Childhood heart health predicts lifelong well-being, study finds

    Childhood heart health predicts lifelong well-being, study finds

    Optimal heart health from birth through adolescence, as measured by a combination of metrics, leads to long-lasting cardiovascular and overall physical, cognitive and mental health, according to the systematic review published in the Journal of the American Heart Association. Benefits include lower risks of cancer, dementia, lung disease, liver disease, kidney disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, depression and hearing loss, as well as better cognitive, dental and eye health.

    The metrics, developed by the American Heart Association, include lifestyle variables – diet, physical activity, sleep and avoiding smoking – as well as clinical factors, such as body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels. Researchers found that even at younger ages, prevalence of ideal cardiovascular health is very low.

    “Childhood is a unique window where keeping these cardiovascular health metrics in optimal ranges will have a long-term benefit to all body systems, not just the heart,” said senior author Amanda Marma Perak, MD, MSCI, pediatric cardiologist at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Preventive Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

    “Parents can focus on the four health habits – setting up their child’s daily routines to include a healthy diet, plenty of physical activity, and protected time for sleep, and then making clear their expectations about not smoking or vaping as the child gets older,” she said.

    For the four clinical factors, parents can check in with the pediatrician at each well child visit to make sure that their child’s BMI, blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels are on track for a healthy future.”


    Amanda Marma Perak, Pediatric Cardiologist, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago 

    Researchers reviewed nearly 500 studies published between January 2010 and January 2021. One study showed that having better cardiovascular health habits could slash the risk for heart attacks even in people with high genetic risk or strong family history. Another study found that adolescents were almost eight times less likely to have poor cardiovascular health when their mothers had better cardiovascular health during pregnancy, suggesting that cardiovascular disease prevention can start even before conception. Dr. Marma Perak was the lead author on that study.

    “Early prevention is key to a healthy adulthood. If parents are concerned about their child’s risk factors for heart disease, the Preventive Cardiology Program at Lurie Children’s can help set kids on a healthier path,” said Dr. Marma Perak, who is one of the physicians in the program. “We treat children with risk factors like high cholesterol, high blood pressure, metabolic syndrome, or family history of early heart attacks or strokes. Our goal is to improve measures of cardiovascular health and prevent chronic diseases from head to toe.”

    The review also highlighted important gaps in the research on cardiovascular health. Minimal research has focused on how to improve this important measure in kids or in moms during pregnancy. Additionally, there were relatively few studies on mental health, particularly in kids and teens, even though results suggested that it is a key factor for achieving ideal cardiovascular health.

    Source:

    Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago

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  • To be creative, you have to be brave

    To be creative, you have to be brave

    Andrea Fuentes: The “Insanity” of an artistic swimming coach

    Serious. Professional. Level-headed. These are some of the adjectives people typically hope to be associated with during their first weeks in a new job. Andrea Fuentes went for a different word: insane.

    Team Spain’s “Insanity” free routine, which made its winning debut at the World Aquatics Artistic Swimming World Cup in April 2025, is still creating a buzz. And that’s just how Fuentes likes it.

    “I don’t want to remain indifferent,” the mastermind behind the routine said. “What I really want is to create something truly special, something no one has ever seen before.”

    At the start of “Insanity”, one of the swimmers tries to go their own way and is therefore deemed the “crazy one”. The other swimmers, who represent society, try to hold them back, but with time the crazy one’s fight inspires them and they start supporting them too.

    “So if they want to call you crazy? Fine. Show them what crazy can do,” the voice of Serena Williams rings out over the routine’s music, a line taken from the tennis legend’s 2019 “Dream Crazier” ad campaign.

    That line might as well be directed straight at Fuentes who is watching the team from the sidelines. The “Insanity” routine is a good representation of her own approach to the sport – taking risks, innovating, creating programs that are memorable and, just as often, unsettling.

    “The number one goal is to make sure this team will be remembered for life. Like our team from (London) 2012, everyone still remembers it,” Fuentes said, referencing Spain’s bronze-medal winning team from her last Olympic appearance and their now iconic “El Oceano” (The Ocean) routine.

    While there are many daring programs in artistic swimming, “Insanity” stands out on its own. Everything from the storyline to the unexpected details, such as scratching noises and voices of the team’s athletes as well as Fuentes’ daughter shouting variations of “crazy” in different languages, seem to challenge the audience members to embrace the strange, the unusual, the insane.

    For Fuentes, being so creative is a risk. But one that is well worth the extra effort.

    “I always say, ‘If you want to do something that’s never been done before and you give up on the third day, how is something so difficult going to work out?’,” she said. “You have to be patient, especially with acrobatics, because we’ve developed so many new ones. If you give up after the first week, you will never succeed. So, patience, courage, and let your mind fly.”

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  • Kate Middleton secretly meets King Charles as Prince Harry ‘ready to make peace’

    Kate Middleton secretly meets King Charles as Prince Harry ‘ready to make peace’

    Kate Middleton secretly meets King Charles as Prince Harry ‘ready to make peace’

    Princess of Wales Kate Middleton has reportedly held a secret meeting with his father-in-law King Charles amid reports of peace summit between the monarch and Prince Harry’s aides.

    The King has also assigned the major role to his beloved daughter-in-law.

    According to a report by the Blast, the Princess of Wales met privately with the King to promise him she would do everything within her power to fix the rift between the royal family and Prince Harry.

    The royal insider says, “She believes time is running out, and she’s not going to stand by and let this family fall apart.”

    The source went on saying, “Charles has had enough of the fighting. He wants Harry back in the fold before it’s too late.”

    King Charles sees Kate Middleton as the “key to making that happen”, the insider said and added “William isn’t on board, but Charles believes Kate can change his mind.”

    Meanwhile, the insider told RadarOnline “Harry is ready to make peace. He knows the clock is ticking. Kate believes he and William will regret it forever if they don’t fix this now.”

    Kate Middleton’s meeting with King Charles comes amid claims the monarch and Harry both desire to forget the past and focus on the future.

    The insider says, “Everyone just wants to move on and move forward now. It was finally the right time for the two sides to talk.”


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  • ‘Catalyst for progress’: Nvidia CEO hails China’s AI at Beijing expo | Science and Technology News

    ‘Catalyst for progress’: Nvidia CEO hails China’s AI at Beijing expo | Science and Technology News

    An estimated 650 companies from 60 countries have gathered at the China International Supply Chain Expo in Beijing.

    Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has called China’s open-source artificial intelligence a “catalyst for global progress” and says it is “revolutionising” supply chains.

    In a speech during Wednesday’s opening ceremony of the China International Supply Chain Expo in Beijing, Huang – whose firm last week became the first to touch $4 trillion in market value – hailed China’s role in pioneering AI, describing Chinese AI startup DeepSeek as “giving every country and industry a chance to join the AI revolution”.

    Huang made the comments a day after Nvidia announced it will resume sales of its H20 AI chips to China after the United States government pledged to remove licensing restrictions that had halted exports.

    “AI is transforming every industry from scientific research and healthcare to energy, transportation and logistics,” said Huang, who also praised China’s “super-fast” innovation, powered by its “researchers, developers and entrepreneurs”.

    The California-based company produces some of the world’s most advanced semiconductors but cannot ship its most cutting-edge chips to China due to Washington’s concerns that Beijing could use them to enhance its military capabilities.

    Nvidia developed the H20 – a less powerful version of its AI processing units – specifically for export to China. However, that plan stalled when US President Donald Trump’s administration tightened export licensing requirements in April.

    “Huang says he’s now free to sell to the Chinese market thanks to negotiations with China on trade,” Al Jazeera’s Katrina Yu said, reporting from Beijing. “The Trump administration has confirmed that in exchange for rare earths, it will allow the chip to now be sold into China.”

    “The US government has assured Nvidia that licenses will be granted, and Nvidia hopes to start deliveries soon,” the company said in a statement on Tuesday, adding that it was “filing applications to sell the Nvidia H20 GPU again”.

    Nvidia has also announced it is developing a new chip for Chinese clients called the RTX Pro GPU, which would also be compliant with US export restrictions.

    The announcement from Nvidia boosted tech firm stocks around the world with Wall Street’s Nasdaq Composite index rising to another record high and stocks in Hong Kong also rallying.

    The tightened US export curbs were imposed as China’s economy wavers. Domestic consumers are reluctant to spend, and a prolonged property sector crisis is weighing on growth.

    President Xi Jinping has called for greater self-reliance in the face of increasing external uncertainty.

    “China is really fashioning itself as a champion for free trade and this global supply chain expo is about positioning China as a crucial part of that global logistic infrastructure,” Yu said. “Beijing is trying to make a statement, and that statement is unlike the Trump administration would have the world believe – China is not replaceable” as evidenced by the roughly 650 companies from 60 countries represented at the expo.

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  • ‘Bad pub reviews’ and ’17th Century galleon’

    ‘Bad pub reviews’ and ’17th Century galleon’

    Bristol Harbour Festival A historic wooden ship with about half a dozen large white sails billowing in the wind. The ship is on the open ocean, with no land visible on the horizon. It is a sunny day, with a clear blue sky above it.Bristol Harbour Festival

    A 17th Century Spanish galleon will be on show at Bristol Harbour Festival

    Here’s our daily pick of stories from across local websites in the West of England, and interesting content from social media.

    Our pick of local website stories

    A mother living in Haywood Village, Weston-super-Mare, says she has been left terrified and unsupported after months of harassment and threats from her neighbours, the Weston Mercury reported.

    Bristol Live reported on a Bristol pub that has embarked on a marketing campaign with a twist, putting up a giant billboard featuring some less than complimentary customer reviews.

    The A30 closure on Tuesday was a top post for Somerset Live, with a dramatic picture of a car engulfed in flames.

    Our top three from yesterday

    What to watch on social media

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