missing

The biggest international stars missing from the 2026 World Cup

Post author:Alaa Shamali
Post published:4 June 2026
Post last modified:9 June 2026

Although the 2026 World Cup will go down in history as the biggest edition ever, featuring 48 teams and co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, the tournament’s expanded format has not been enough to guarantee the presence of all the world’s football stars. Whilst fans prepare to follow an unprecedented edition in terms of the number of teams and matches, qualifiers, injuries and tactical choices have shaped another side of the World Cup: the absence of names that have played a significant part in the game’s landscape in recent years. Whilst the tournament has opened its doors to new…

Mandelson and the missing messages

Post author:Jody McIntyre
Post published:3 June 2026
Post last modified:9 June 2026

On Monday, I suggested that the Labour front bench would be dreading the release of further Peter Mandelson files. But instead of leaving things to chance, some ministers have followed the “missing phone” route of Morgan McSweeney fame. On June 2nd, Keir Starmer’s office confirmed that the Prime Minister had used the “disappearing messages” function in his communications with the disgraced Epstein-associate, who he gleefully appointed as US ambassador despite the objections of UK Security Vetting. Furthermore, we now learn that Mandelson refused a government request to hand over communications from his own phone, with an explanatory note attached to three…