Ben

[Tom Harwood @tomhfh]

Blue dots represent pictures taken by locals. Red dots are pictures taken by tourists. Yellow dots might be by either.

Fascinating from Erica Fischer.

[The Telegraph @Telegraph]

Europe has handed Vladimir Putin a €6bn (£5bn) boost this year after buying a record amount of gas from a key Siberian plant.

Russia’s Yamal export hub sent 136 tankers of liquefied natural gas to European buyers in the first half of this year, with the largest volumes going to France, Belgium and Spain ⤵️
https://t.co/rN0xthajtN

[Sir William Browder KCMG @Billbrowder]

I agree with this. Not to be a conspiracy theorist, but Lindsay Graham was the leading driver of the devastating sanctions bill against Russia. Yesterday, he announced that president Trump agreed to it. He had just returned from Ukraine where it’s not unknown for Russian agents to operate. Russians are expert at administration of poisons that look like heart attacks. All tests should be done immediately to rule out foul play. I’ve seen enough Russian related suspicious deaths to know this is the only course of action

[Ben @BenBelcher_]

is no one calling or at least investigating foul play from the Russians? poisoning, novichok etc etc? way too coincidental.

[Visegrád 24 @visegrad24]

Just a day ago, Lindsey Graham announced in Kyiv that he had reached an agreement with Trump to pass the Russia sanctions bill that would make it possible for Trump to impose sanctions on third-countries buying Russian oil:

GRAHAM:

“We've reached an agreement with the White House on a version of the Russian sanctions bill that they will support. It means it's going to become law.

So, when I get back to Washington, I'm going to go with Senator Blumenthal to the Republican and Democratic leaders to see if we can find time to move this Russian sanctions package that would give tools to President Trump to help end this war.

There are some things we can do on the technology front to build on the lethality of Ukraine to protect itself from ballistic missile attack.

If we did that, combined with creating tools to punish those countries that prop up Putin and make money off this war, then I think we've got the best chance since I've been coming here in the last five years to get Putin to the peace table”

[Ben @BenBelcher_]

have said it for a long time, ITV should be barred from showing live England games at major tournaments. it should solely be for the national broadcaster and ITV can then split the remainder of the games with the BBC.

[Skits @SkitsB4ck]

Sack Gabriel Clarke immediately.

Fucking idiot.

[Mal @UtdMaI]

When Cape Verde started taking control, every major decision suddenly went Argentina’s way.

When Egypt looked ready to go three goals clear, the referee found a reason to wipe one off.

When Switzerland threatened to complete the turnaround, a Swiss player was conveniently sent off.

You can look away all you want, but the pattern is becoming impossible to ignore. The favouritism is glaring, and the stench of corruption is everywhere.

[Ben @BenBelcher_]

Jude Bellingham.

[Ben @BenBelcher_]

I hate to be that guy on twitter jeering from the cheap seats, but.

Fery reaching the semi finals at Wimbledon has to be the low water mark for the level of the men’s tour. It cannot go any lower, surely?

[thefedexpress @thefedexpresss]

2009 Wimbledon:

Round 2:
Hewitt vs Delpotro
Ferrer vs Fognini
Cilic vs Querrey

Round 3:
Berdych vs Davydenko
Ferrero vs Gonzalez
Haas vs Cilic

Round 4:
Federer vs Soderling
Murray vs Wawrinka
Roddick vs Berdych

Now in 2026 we get “Fery” make the SEMI FINAL 😭😭😭

[Riath Al-Samarrai @riathalsam]

Andre Agassi on BBC comms a moment ago: “As in life, hope is fragile but hard to kill.”

Every line sounds like it’s delivered between sips of expensive whiskey by a fireside. Great signing for the Beeb.

[Ben @BenBelcher_]

england against the world

[Kris Wigfield @kr62209]

Different referees have different tolerance levels but they should in theory referee consistently between teams in the same match.

Do some teams seem to get away with more than their opposition?

So far, quite markedly.

England don’t seem to be able to lay a glove on their opponents before a booking is given. The opposition have on average fouled France an incredible 22 times before a booking is issued.

Norway look to have, in general, had lenient referees for and against.

Argentina and Spain can do what they want but touch them and you’ll likely get booked.

FPB = Fouls per booking (straight red equals two yellows)
FOPB = Fouls per opposition booking
Diff = FPB − FOP

[Mohamed Wehliye, MBS @WehliyeMohamed]

There are 8 countries left in this year's @FIFAWorldCup. No referee should come from any of these 8 countries.

[Ben @BenBelcher_]

Liz Truss is comedy every single time

[Ben @BenBelcher_]

i think the only viable position is to remove VAR completely. as Winter says, it is probably the ‘correct’ decision. but with VAR this is the only outcome - just keep rewinding the play until you find something. otherwise both sides just keep arguing ad infinitum for more checks

[Henry Winter @henrywinter]

If VAR had gone any further back in that Egyptian move Tutankhamun would be involved. How far do you go back? Probably right decision but what a pity, what a goal that would have been. 80 yards, majestic move, precise passing, would have been one of the goals of the tournament,

[Telegraph Football @TeleFootball]

Jürgen Klopp led a furious backlash against Fifa president Gianni Infantino, who now faces calls to resign after overturning Folarin Balogun’s World Cup suspension.

“This is our sport, not theirs. If Donald Trump and Gianni Infantino really sorted this out between themselves, it is madness; it calls everything into question.”

@ben_rumsby, @TelegraphDucker and @Tom_Morgs have more ⤵️
https://t.co/cFgcBqGhZh

[José Morgado @josemorgado]

The Royal Box has FOUR people there at the start of the Zverev vs. Lehecka match at 9pm.

One of them, front row, is Roger Federer.

You gotta love him.

#Wimbledon

[Bastien Fachan @BastienFachan]

Roger Federer x Kimi Antonelli 💫

[Ben @BenBelcher_]

FIFA have lost control of this World Cup.

they have also - if I might say - somewhat lost control of the referees who - after hardly intervening at ALL in the group stage - have wanted to be front and centre of the majority of the games since the knockout rounds have started.

[Adam Crafton @AdamCrafton_]

The appeals just keep coming:

France have appealed to FIFA to request Michael Olise’s yellow card against Paraguay is rescinded.

Increasingly feels like FIFA have lost control of their World Cup here.

https://t.co/gGN3ssMkMB

[England @England]

Iconic.

[Erling Haaland @Erling]

Well well well 😂

[Ben @BenBelcher_]

how does the rest of the world sleep at night when Ukraine lives like this everyday

[Klitschko @Klitschko]

Today Kyiv is in mourning after one of the most devastating attacks on July 2nd.
30 people killed, the number keeps rising. 92 wounded, including 4 children.
Residential buildings, businesses, energy infrastructure — the same targets, the same terrorism, the same russia.

We mourn because behind every number there is someone’s world that will never be the same.

Condolences do not stop missiles. And “peace at any cost” only costs more lives.

Ukraine needs more air defense — not after the next strike, but now. The world has the power to make this terror stop. The question is whether it has the will.

May the memory of every life lost endure. My deepest condolences to their families and loved ones.

True justice and lasting peace can only be secured when those responsible for these systemic violations of international law are held fully accountable through intensified global sanctions, complete diplomatic isolation, and decisive defensive reinforcement.

Glory to Ukraine!