gshc2020.com

Meanwhile, plans for 14 other areas will also be reviewed and paused.

Reorganisation in Surrey, where councillors for two new unitary authorities were elected in May, will not be affected by the review.

The government confirmed local elections in May 2027 would go ahead on existing council boundaries.

Confirming the review in Parliament, Local Government Secretary Angela Rayner told MPs that "in light of legal advice, I want to satisfy myself firstly that the right process is in place, that it is robust, and of course complies with the law".

She added: "And secondly, I want to fully test whether our proposals for local government reorganisation meet the priorities of a new administration and a new prime minister and any additional considerations."

Rayner acknowledged the announcement was "disappointing" but insisted the government was "determined more than ever to devolve power closer to the people we represent" - a key priority of new PM Andy Burnham.

The plans originated under Sir Keir Starmer's government, when Rayner was also local government secretary, before she was replaced by Steve Reed.

The government was already facing legal challenges over proposals to reorganise councils in Essex, Hampshire, Norfolk and Suffolk.

In June, Reform-led councils in Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk launched judicial reviews against the plans, while the Conservative-led administration in Hampshire did the same.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said: "Reform UK not only argued that this government's plans for local government reorganisation were an unmitigated disaster, but we once again put our money where our mouth is."

He added: "Thanks to our judicial reviews in affected Reform-led councils, the government has backed down on their plans yet again."

Conservative shadow local government minister David Simmonds said it was a "humiliation" for the government.

He said: "Ministers are only backing off because they have been found out in the face of relentless Conservative opposition to their gerrymandering."

Liberal Democrat local government spokeswoman Zöe Franklin said: "This is an embarrassing and chaotic climbdown, which has resulted in already cash-strapped councils wasting huge sums on plans the government told them were legally watertight."

Sean Matthews, from the County Councils Network, welcomed the move, adding: "Many of our members will be relieved that the decisions they viewed as damaging to local services and financially unsustainable have been withdrawn or are being reviewed."

A spokesperson for the Local Government Association, which represents councils, said that while local authorities hold different views on the reorganisation plans "there is no excuse for the government's mishandling of this process".

The spokesperson added that Rayner's announcement "will have caused significant uncertainty, after councils have invested scarce public money and countless hours" in the reorganisation programme.

Local government in England is currently covered by a complicated patchwork of arrangements.

In some places, responsibility for local services is shared between county councils, which manage areas including social care and education; and district councils, which cover smaller areas and are responsible for services such as bin collections.

Some areas, particularly larger towns and some cities, have "unitary" authorities responsible for both - while the regions surrounding big cities are increasingly covered by regional mayors and multi-council "combined" authorities, with greater powers in areas such as transport policy, planning and housing.

In late 2024, as local government secretary, Rayner announced plans to move towards unitary councils across all of England, with council boundaries redrawn and smaller district councils abolished.

The government argued the proposals would make the system simpler and produce savings by making the delivery of services more efficient, while also handing new powers from Westminster to regions across the country.

However, critics said the plans would not save money, while diverting resources from front-line services and leaving councils more remote from their communities.

Under Sir Keir, the government had been pushing ahead with the proposals.

In July – just days before Burnham became prime minister – Rayner's successor as secretary of state, Reed, had announced plans for new councils in 14 areas. %!s()

A lot of people love the idea of traveling to new places and experiencing something exciting. What excited me about living abroad was the adventure. When I was younger, I'd taken a few short trips, but there was still so much more of the world I wanted to see.

For years, I tried to make it happen. In high school and college, I looked into exchange programs and studying abroad, but my family was always like, "No way."

Eventually, a friend mentioned a government-run teaching program in Spain that had an open call for applications. I jumped at it, even though I was working in a completely different industry. I figured it was finally a way to get to Europe.

I thought I'd spend just one year abroad, then return to Texas and live my life as I always had. But that year turned into many, and I stayed, though in different ways over time.

I was terrified to move to Europe

Preparing to leave for Europe was really scary. I had never lived abroad, and I didn't know anyone else who had. I remember thinking, "How practical is this, really?"

The visa process was stressful. My teaching program gave me permission to come, but I still had to handle the visa process myself. I got through it by diving deep into Facebook groups and random blogs, piecing everything together and learning as much as I could.

I was really worried about whether I could afford the cost of living in Spain. Yes, I was moving with a job contract, but I would earn only €700 ($813) a month. Even in 2015, that wasn't much. I didn't know whether it would cover my rent, let alone leave money for anything else.

There were so many other things I had to figure out, like whether to cancel my US health insurance — my government contract came with Spanish coverage — and what to do with my phone plan, car, dishes, furniture, and everything else in my apartment.

In the end, I left the US with nothing but two suitcases, filled with all the wrong things, and a visa. The truth is, I was totally freaked out. But I went for it because I saw that other people had made it work — and, ultimately, I did, too.

Lyon was the perfect place for me

I feel like I've become an expert at starting over. After living in Spain for five years, I spent two years in Germany, a year in Argentina, a year in Brazil, and now I've been in France for a year.

I live in Lyon, about two hours from Geneva, near the Swiss border. It's very close to the mountains, so within an hour or two, you can be skiing in the Alps, or you could be swimming in the Mediterranean Sea.

Lyon is quintessentially what you'd imagine traditional France to be. It's a really nice second option to living in Paris. While it's a large city, it has a small-town feel.

I've traveled and lived around Europe, and in some places, I found people a little closed off or hard to build relationships with. That was a real struggle for me because, as a Texan, I'm outgoing and want to make friends and build a community. But since moving here, I've found it much easier to make friends.

My life feels pretty affordable

Finding a place to live in Lyon can be competitive, but I got really lucky. I found my apartment within two days through word of mouth. I was chatting with someone who knew a person with an available apartment, and that's how I got it.

I pay €950 ($1,104) a month in rent for a beautiful 678-square-foot one-bedroom apartment in a historic building dating back to the 1500s. It has fantastic stone walls, tall ceilings with wooden beams, and massive French windows overlooking the old town. I can even hear the clock tower ring every half hour.

My utility bill varies a lot. It's pretty affordable in the summer, since I don't use air conditioning, and I might pay only €50 ($58) a month. But winters can be expensive because it gets chilly, and I live in an old building. During the coldest months, my heating bill can be around €350 ($407).

Overall, I'd say living in Lyon is pretty affordable. I cook a lot and spend about €60 ($70) a week on groceries. I usually eat out only twice a week, and getting a glass of wine or a beer might cost €5 ($6). I also don't have a car, nor do I need one. I spend less than $10 a week getting around on the train. Taking trips can be really cheap, too. It might cost me around €50 ($58) round trip to fly to Germany.

I don't think I'll ever move back to the US

I've had a lot of different jobs during my time abroad. When I first arrived, I was teaching. Then I switched to a student visa and went back to school. For a while, I worked remotely for a US-based company. Now, I own a business that helps other remote workers relocate to Europe.

Even so, I've visited my family in the US many times over the years and considered moving back, but it just hasn't worked for me.

It's so expensive, especially in Texas, where things are booming, and rents have gotten crazy. It always blows me away to see people paying $2,000 a month for a one-bedroom apartment.

Healthcare is another reason Europe suits me better. The quality is great, but it doesn't feel like it costs a million dollars, as it does in the US. That feels especially valuable as I get older and think about having kids.

Of course, there are things I miss about the US, like my family and friends. I miss the ease of conversation, too — being able to crack a joke without worrying that it'll be misunderstood. And honestly, I miss the food, especially steak and Tex-Mex. Texas has the best food in the world, if you ask me.

I do think France is my permanent home, but it's hard to say for sure. Can anyone really tell you where they'll be in 10 years? Of all the moves I've made, though, I'm happiest here. It feels like home, and I'm at a point in my life where I'm ready to settle down.

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Alcynna Lloyd

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Alcynna Lloyd is a real estate reporter with Business Insider.  She writes about homebuying behavior, tiny homes, multi-generational housing, migration trends, and housing affordability.Prior to joining Business Insider, Lloyd was the Digital Media Manager at HousingWire.Do you have feedback or a tip?  Find her on X/Twitter, LinkedIn, or email [email protected]. 

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The first flag-adorned trucks made their way across the one-kilometre (0.6-mile) two-lane ⁠bridge spanning the Tumen River on Monday.

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The two countries, which previously were only connected by air and rail routes, announced that the link marks an important milestone in their relations, which have grown considerably stronger since Russia launched its war on Ukraine.

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and North Korea’s Premier Pak Thae-song tuned in by video link to address workers and government officials from both countries.

The Russian official said that up to 300 vehicles would be able to cross every day and that the bridge would be linked to Russia’s federal road network.

“I am convinced that the expansion of cross-border transport infrastructure will provide a powerful impetus for the further development of trade, economic, scientific, technological and cultural cooperation,” said Mishustin.

Trucks would begin to use the bridge immediately to transport cargo, the Russian government said. At the ⁠end of this year, the bridge would be fully operational and could ⁠be used for passenger traffic, too.

Construction of the new bridge, which had been under discussion for years, began in April last year after being agreed during a visit by Russia’s President Vladimir Putin to North Korea in 2024.

There ‌are already direct air and rail links between Moscow and Pyongyang, but until Monday there had not been a proper road link.

The project sits close to the “Friendship Bridge” – a rail link that was commissioned in 1959 after the Korean War and for decades was the sole border crossing point.

Symbolically, the new bridge is named after Yakov Novichenko, a Red Army soldier who Pyongyang credits with protecting the life of North Korea’s first leader ‌Kim Il Sung in 1946 by intercepting a grenade thrown at him.

The opening of the link marks the deepening of relations between Moscow and Pyongyang, with cooperation having accelerated since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

That conflict has alienated Moscow from much of the Western world, a diplomatic status that North Korea has endured for years.

Pyongyang sent thousands of troops to Russia’s ‌Kursk ‌region to help repel a 2024 Ukrainian incursion there.

Mishustin alluded to that in his speech on Monday, referring to “the Korean heroes who, only recently, fought shoulder to shoulder with our soldiers and defended Russian soil”.

The bridge is not merely an engineering project, but “a new symbol of friendship”, the Russian prime minister added, calling the opening of the link “a genuinely historic event”.

Pak Thae-song said that the bridge will further cement the two countries’ cooperation “which fulfils the hopes and aspirations of the peoples of both countries as they seek shared development and prosperity”, according to Russia’s TASS news agency. %!s()

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He was kidnapped by Israeli settlers at gunpoint on August 29 after intervening to protect Palestinian children playing football in the village in Masafer Yatta.

Umm al-Khair is an area of the southern West Bank under Israeli administrative and security control, which was designated as Area C under the Oslo Accords. Palestinian communities there have been under continuous attack by Israeli settlers in recent months and years.

“I had just taken a seat on the side of the pitch when maybe five or six teenagers arrived and attempted to kind of take over the pitch from the Palestinian kids,” Joughin told Al Jazeera.

“Soon the parents and settler families surrounded the pitch and were egging the kids on, shouting at the Palestinians.

Local and foreign activists intervened to protect the children, with young settlers trying to force open the gates of the home of one of Umm al-Khair’s residents.

Joughin tried to block the settlers from tearing down a fence but was kicked and shoved by the group. Adult settlers arrived and put Joughin in a chokehold and twisted his arm around his back. Videos shared on social media showed him being taken back to the illegal Carmel settler outpost at gunpoint.

“I was placed in I what I’d call a concrete shed, which I was later told was a bomb shelter. They took my phone and wallet off me. They demanded to see my passport. They were kind of making accusations at me,” he said.

Settlers accused him of being an “anarchist” and commented on his supposed “friends in Iran”.

Joughin was held captive by armed settlers for around 30 minutes before the Israeli army arrived and he was taken to a police station in the settlement of Kiryat Arba in Hebron.

When he told soldiers that he had been kidnapped by settlers, he said he was insulted and shouted and spat at.

“This was my first realisation that the Israeli police and military were going to be no less cordial or sympathetic to my situation than the settlers themselves,” he said.

“So, I realised it was best not to try and resist or make any strong moves and to hope that maybe I could wait it out. But once I heard the police arrived, maybe half an hour later, it dawned on me that I was about to be arrested.”

A lawyer told Joughin that police were investigating him on suspicion of assault. However, police later told him that a “higher authority” had decided to keep him in custody, before he was formall arrested.

The next day, he was taken in handcuffs to the magistrate’s court in occupied Jerusalem. His lawyer and the public prosecutor agreed that instead of continuing legal proceedings, he would be deported to the UK.

At an immigration detention centre near Ben Gurion International Airport, investigators questioned his reasons for being in the West Bank, his positions on Israel and the war on Gaza and Iran.

During his detention, Joughin saw a badly bruised Palestinian detainee begging his mother not to protest, fearing she would also be arrested.

“My escort officer witnessed this and kind of laughingly turned to me and went, ‘Welcome to Israel’,” he said.

“Whether he meant that somewhat bittersweetly or whether he was entirely laughing at the situation, I couldn’t quite tell, but either way it felt pretty real.”

After being threatened with extended detention, he signed deportation papers and waived his right to appeal. He was deported to Britain on August 31 and has been barred from returning to Israel or the occupied Palestinian Territory for 10 years.

“It’s scary and of course it was a surreal experience to go through, but it’s something I don’t regret at all doing. It’s something that I am proud to say that I was there for… after seeing some of the bravest people I’ve ever met,” he told Al Jazeera.

“I’m working as quickly as possible on trying to clear my name, repeal my ban, and, if I can, return to Umm al-Khair.”

The village has been repeatedly targeted by settler attacks in recent years. A local Palestinian activist was shot dead last year and a settler has been charged with his death.

Masafer Yatta is among the Palestinian communities in the West Bank to suffer a series of pogroms by Israeli settlers in recent weeks.

Settlers and Israeli troops have carried out 11,074 attacks in the West Bank during the first half of this year, according to the Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission.

When reached for comment, a UK Foreign Office spokesperson said: “We provided consular support to a British man who was detained in Umm al Kheir and were in contact with his family and the Israeli authorities.”

Al Jazeera approached the Israeli military for comment. %!s()

Since the Ballon d'Or was first awarded in 1956, performances in the game's biggest competitions have consistently shaped the outcome.

World Cup years, in particular, have followed a remarkably clear pattern and recent editions have shown just how difficult it is to win the award without lifting a major global or continental tournament.

Once the nominees are announced, an international jury of specialised journalists will cast their votes, with one representative per country from the men's top 100 having their say.

So, can Kane, who has never finished higher than 10th in the battle to be the world's best player, become one of the rare exceptions?

The World Cup effect

Created by France Football journalist Gabriel Hanot, the Ballon d'Or was first presented in 1956, with England's Sir Stanley Matthews the inaugural winner. Originally voted for by journalists, the award was restricted to European players until eligibility was expanded to all nationalities in 1995.

Raymond Kopa became the first Ballon d'Or winner in a World Cup year after helping France reach the 1958 semi-finals. To mark the award's 60th anniversary in 2016, France Football revisited every pre-1995 edition, external. Its retrospective review concluded Pele would have claimed the award after inspiring Brazil to their first World Cup triumph at the age of 17.

Four years later, Josef Masopust officially won the Ballon d'Or after captaining Czechoslovakia to the World Cup final. Again, France Football judged Brazil's Garrincha to have been the standout performer after leading his country to successive World Cup titles.

It reached the same verdict for Pele in 1970 after he inspired Brazil to a third World Cup crown. By then, a clear pattern had emerged. Bobby Charlton (1966), Paolo Rossi (1982), Lothar Matthaus (1990), Zinedine Zidane (1998), Ronaldo (2002) and Fabio Cannavaro (2006) all won the Ballon d'Or after lifting the World Cup.

Even among the official exceptions, players still tended to enjoy deep runs at the tournament. Johan Cruyff collected the Ballon d'Or after leading the Netherlands to the 1974 World Cup final, while Luka Modric repeated the feat with Croatia in 2018.

World Cup success has never been an absolute requirement. Kevin Keegan won the 1978 Ballon d'Or despite England failing to qualify for the World Cup, although France Football later concluded Argentina striker Mario Kempes would have been the deserving winner after finishing as the tournament's top scorer and helping the hosts lift the trophy. The publication reached the same verdict for World Cup winners Diego Maradona in 1986 and Romario in 1994.

France Football's review ultimately reinforced the World Cup's influence on the Ballon d'Or. In essence, had the prize always been open to players from all countries, each South American World Cup-winning side between 1958 and 1994 would have supplied the winner.

The biggest prizes matter

The World Cup is not the only competition to shape Ballon d'Or voting.

Recent history suggests success in one of football's biggest tournaments has become almost a prerequisite. Only four of the previous 19 Ballon d'Or winners failed to lift either the Champions League, World Cup, European Championship or Copa America during the year of their triumph.

Those exceptions underline just how extraordinary Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo had to be. Messi won despite Argentina's quarter-final exit at the 2010 World Cup, and again in 2012 and 2019 without lifting a major international or continental trophy.

Ronaldo also prevailed in 2013 after Portugal failed to progress beyond the World Cup play-offs, thanks largely to another remarkable individual season with Real Madrid.

Conversely, Wesley Sneijder's treble with Inter Milan and run to the 2010 World Cup final, Franck Ribery's role in Bayern Munich's 2013 treble and Mohamed Salah's record-breaking 2017-18 season all proved insufficient when voters favoured different narratives.

Rightly or wrongly, modern Ballon d'Or voting has consistently rewarded football's biggest occasions. That presents Kane with another obstacle.

Unlike Ronaldo in 2014 or Luka Modric in 2018, he cannot point to Champions League glory as Bayern Munich's European campaign ended in the semi-finals against eventual winners Paris St-Germain.

Nor is he alone, with Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappe, Michael Olise, Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham all potential rivals and attempting to buck one of the award's strongest recent trends.

Why Kane's case is different

History points towards major honours being important to winning the Ballon d'Or but Kane's 2025-26 season suggests this may not be a typical race.

The England captain scored 73 goals for club and country - 61 for Bayern Munich and 12 for England - in a season in which Bayern won the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal and England finished third at the World Cup.

Among players representing clubs from Europe's top five leagues, only Messi has scored more goals for club and country in a single season, the Argentine striking 82 times for Barcelona and Argentina in 2011-12.

Kane's tally places him ahead of Bayern great Gerd Muller (72 in 1972-73), Cristiano Ronaldo (66 in both 2011-12 and 2014-15), Ronaldo (66 in 1996-97), Haaland (64 in 2022-23) and Luis Suarez (64 in 2015-16).

Kane or Spain?

Voters might face a familiar dilemma.

Rodri appears Kane's strongest rival. The former Ballon d'Or winner was arguably Spain's standout performer throughout the tournament, collecting the Golden Ball after helping his country secure a second World Cup title.

Lamine Yamal also added a World Cup winner's medal to a season in which he helped Barcelona reclaim La Liga, although it was teenage team-mate Pau Cubarsi who claimed the Fifa Young Player Award after a series of outstanding performances.

Mbappe and Messi are also expected to feature prominently. Mbappe finished as the World Cup's top scorer with 10 goals, while also claiming the Champions League Golden Boot and La Liga's top scorer trophy, despite France falling short of the final and Real Madrid ending the season without a major honour. Messi, meanwhile, captained Argentina to a second successive World Cup final and at the age of 39 scored eight goals during the tournament.

Should Kane prevail, he would become only the fifth Englishman to win the Ballon d'Or after Matthews, Charlton, Keegan and Michael Owen. He would also become the first player representing a Bundesliga club to lift the trophy since Matthias Sammer in 1996.

History suggests the odds remain stacked against him but few players have entered a Ballon d'Or election with stronger individual credentials.

Voters must now decide if one of the most prolific goalscoring seasons of the modern era outweighs football's biggest prizes, and if Kane can join one of the most exclusive groups in Ballon d'Or history. %!s()