betfred super league fixtures NoneSir Keir Starmer will set out a “plan for change” this week as part of what he is calling the next phase of government after a tumultuous start in No 10 – but Britain’s top pollster has raised serious doubts about whether he can convince the public. After five months which have seen the prime minister ’s poll rating plummet, Sir Keir is planning to set numerical targets for the economy, the NHS, public safety, energy security and social mobility against which the public can judge him and his government at the next general election, expected in 2029. The milestones will run alongside public sector reform, Downing Street said, and will include a focus on reforming Whitehall, spearheaded by an as-yet-unannounced new chief civil servant and cabinet ministers, so it is geared towards the delivery of Labour’s missions. But polling guru Sir John Curtice has warned that Sir Keir’s government has “hit significant political trouble rather early on in its life”, adding that “the fundamental question is whether a politician who has shown so far absolutely no ability to construct a narrative can suddenly construct a narrative”. Speaking to The Independent , Sir John Curtice said the government “lacks a story of what it is about”. “There is an appreciation that what you need to do is improve things, and if you improve things, people will vote for you,” he said. “That is not sufficient, because you had to persuade people you have done things. “I presume part of the idea of ‘plan for change’ is that all they had to say during the election was ‘change’ and that is all they campaigned on, and now they have to be a wee bit more specific on what kind of change they have in mind – which was an obvious gap six months ago.” Since being elected in July with a landslide majority, Sir Keir has made a series of hugely unpopular changes, including cutting winter fuel payments to millions of pensioners, hiking national insurance contributions for employers and extending inheritance tax to cover agricultural properties, which farmers claim will force a generation of family farms out of business. Next week, he will claim to have made the moves after inheriting the “unprecedented twin challenge of crumbling public services and crippled public finances”, framing changes including the winter fuel cuts and family farm tax as “difficult decisions” Labour had to take. The PM will claim that despite the challenges, his government has acted to stabilise the economy, crack down on illegal immigration and ploughed an extra £22bn into the NHS since coming to power. The reset comes after Sir Keir’s transport secretary Louise Haigh was forced to quit for making a false report to police over a stolen mobile phone 10 years ago, becoming the first major cabinet casualty of his government. Ahead of the speech, Sir Keir said: “This plan for change is the most ambitious yet honest programme for government in a generation. Mission-led government does not mean picking milestones because they are easy or will happen anyway. “It means relentlessly driving real improvements in the lives of working people. We are already fixing the foundations and have kickstarted our first steps for change, stabilising the economy, setting up a new Border Security Command, and investing £22bn in an NHS that is fit for the future. “Our plan for change is the next phase of delivering this government’s mission. Some may oppose what we are doing and no doubt there will be obstacles along the way, but this government was elected on a mandate of change and our plan reflects the priorities of working people. “Given the unprecedented challenges we have inherited, we will not achieve this by simply doing more of the same which is why investment comes alongside a programme of innovation and reform.” Since the general election, which saw Labour win a 174-seat majority with 34 per cent of the vote, Sir Keir’s party has fallen within touching distance of the Conservatives in the polls, with just a three-point lead. Responding to Sir Keir’s plans, Tory co-chairman Nigel Huddleston mocked the prime minister for launching his “17th reset”, a reference to his repeated changes of direction in opposition. He said: “Keir Starmer’s 17th relaunch will do nothing to hide the chaos Labour have unleashed on the country. “In four short months, his Labour government has been engulfed in a cronyism row, cut the winter fuel payment for 10 million pensioners, hit farmers with the family farm tax and hammered businesses and working people with higher taxes. Keir Starmer has serious questions to answer about why he let someone serve in his cabinet who he knew had a fraud conviction. “The British people will rightly be wondering why they have been short-changed by the party that claimed to offer change.” The Reform UK party – which Nigel Farage said on Thursday now numbers more than 100,000 members – was equally sceptical. A Reform UK spokesperson said: “We are a matter of months into this new government and it would appear they are already trying to have a reset. After freezing pensioners, hiking taxes and risking the future of British farming, the damage has already been done. “We were promised growth and change, instead we have had sleaze, dishonesty and more of the same that failed the Tories.” Sir Keir will promise his priorities will be at the heart of an upcoming spending review, vowing to ensure “every pound the government spends” goes toward improving peoples’ living standards. And he will promise to charge his new cabinet secretary and ministers with a Whitehall shake-up to focus departments on the delivery of Labour’s missions, rather than “working in the traditional silos that focus on fiefdoms not outcomes”.The Israeli government confirmed on Monday that Omer Neutra, a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen, was killed during Hamas' attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Neutra, 21, was a tank platoon commander in the IDF. He was thought to be alive in captivity. His parents, Ronen and Orna Neutra, spent the last year campaigning for his release and the release of the remaining hostages thought to be held in Gaza. They spoke at the Republican National Convention in July, wrote op-eds, stayed in steady communication with the Biden Administration and the White House, and made regular media appearances, including with Scripps News . The whole time, they sought to pressure U.S. and Israeli leadership to resolve the hostage crisis. RELATED STORY | Families of Gaza hostages bring their message to both the current and upcoming White Houses "In the 423 days since October 7th, we expected our leaders to demonstrate the same courage displayed so bravely by Omer and rise to the occasion on behalf of those who were killed and kidnapped, just as our beloved Omer showed until the very end," Ronen and Orna Neutra wrote in a statement released Monday. "Leadership will only be revealed in actions and results going forward. We call upon the Israeli government to work with President Biden and President-elect Trump, to use all of their leverage and resources to return all 101 hostages — living and the deceased — to their families as soon as possible." A propaganda video released by Hamas Saturday showed Edan Alexander, an Israeli-American held hostage who was also captured while serving in the IDF. In the video, Alexander calls on Trump to keep negotiating for the freedom of the hostages remaining in Gaza. Trump on Monday demanded release of the remaining hostages, writing on Truth Social: "Please let this truth serve to represent that if the hostages are not released prior to January 20, 2025, the date that I proudly assume office as President of the United States, there will be all hell to pay in the Middle East, and for those in charge who perpetrated these atrocities against humanity."

STANFORD, Calif. — Andrew Luck is returning to Stanford in hopes of turning around a struggling football program that he once helped become a national power. Athletic director Bernard Muir announced Saturday that Luck has been hired as the general manager of the Stanford football team, tasked with overseeing all aspects of the program that just finished a 3-9 season under coach Troy Taylor. “I am a product of this university, of Nerd Nation; I love this place,” Luck said. “I believe deeply in Stanford’s unique approach to athletics and academics and the opportunity to help drive our program back to the top. Coach Taylor has the team pointed in the right direction, and I cannot wait to work with him, the staff, and the best, brightest, and toughest football players in the world.” Luck has kept a low profile since his surprise retirement from the NFL at age 29 when he announced in August 2019 that he was leaving the Indianapolis Colts and pro football. Cardinal alum Andrew Luck, left, watches a Feb. 2 game between Stanford and Southern California on Feb. 2 in Stanford, Calif. In his new role, Luck will work with Taylor on recruiting and roster management, and with athletic department and university leadership on fundraising, alumni relations, sponsorships, student-athlete support and stadium experience. “Andrew’s credentials as a student-athlete speak for themselves, and in addition to his legacy of excellence, he also brings a deep understanding of the college football landscape and community, and an unparalleled passion for Stanford football,” Muir said. “I could not think of a person better qualified to guide our football program through a continuously evolving landscape, and I am thrilled that Andrew has agreed to join our team. This change represents a very different way of operating our program and competing in an evolving college football landscape.” Luck was one of the players who helped elevate Stanford into a West Coast powerhouse for several years. He helped end a seven-year bowl drought in his first season as starting quarterback in 2009 under coach Jim Harbaugh and led the Cardinal to back-to-back BCS bowl berths his final two seasons, when he was the Heisman Trophy runner-up both seasons. Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck throws a pass during the first quarter of a Nov. 27, 2010 game against Oregon State in Stanford, Calif. That was part of a seven-year stretch in which Stanford posted the fourth-best record in the nation at 76-18 and qualified for five BCS bowl berths under Harbaugh and David Shaw. But the Cardinal have struggled for success in recent years and haven't won more than four games in a season since 2018. Stanford just finished its fourth straight 3-9 campaign in Taylor's second season since replacing Shaw. The Cardinal are the only power conference team to lose at least nine games in each of the past four seasons. Luck graduated from Stanford with a bachelor’s degree in architectural design and returned after retiring from the NFL to get his master’s degree in education in 2023. He was picked No. 1 overall by Indianapolis in the 2012 draft and made four Pro Bowls and was AP Comeback Player of the Year in 2018 in his brief but successful NFL career. - Seasons coached: 23 - Years active: 1981-2003 - Record: 190-165-2 - Winning percentage: .535 - Championships: 0 Dan Reeves reached the Super Bowl four times—thrice with the Denver Broncos and once with the Atlanta Falcons—but never won the NFL's crown jewel. Still, he racked up nearly 200 wins across his 23-year career, including a stint in charge of the New York Giants, with whom he won Coach of the Year in 1993. In all his tenures, he quickly built contenders—the three clubs he coached were a combined 17-31 the year before Reeves joined and 28-20 in his first year. However, his career ended on a sour note as he was fired from a 3-10 Falcons team after Week 14 in 2003. - Seasons coached: 23 - Years active: 1969-91 - Record: 193-148-1 - Winning percentage: .566 - Championships: 4 Chuck Noll's Pittsburgh Steelers were synonymous with success in the 1970s. Behind his defense, known as the Steel Curtain, and offensive stars, including Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris, and Lynn Swann, Noll led the squad to four Super Bowl victories from 1974 to 1979. Noll's Steelers remain the lone team to win four Super Bowls in six years, though Andy Reid and Kansas City could equal that mark if they win the Lombardi Trophy this season. Noll was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993, two years after retiring. His legacy of coaching success has carried on in Pittsburgh—the club has had only two coaches (Bill Cowher and Mike Tomlin) since Noll retired. - Seasons coached: 21 - Years active: 1984-98, 2001-06 - Record: 200-126-1 - Winning percentage: .613 - Championships: 0 As head coach of Cleveland, Kansas City, Washington, and San Diego, Marty Schottenheimer proved a successful leader during the regular season. Notably, he was named Coach of the Year after turning around his 4-12 Chargers team to a 12-4 record in 2004. His teams, however, struggled during the playoffs. Schottheimer went 5-13 in the postseason, and he never made it past the conference championship round. As such, the Pennsylvania-born skipper is the winningest NFL coach never to win a league championship. - Seasons coached: 29 - Years active: 1960-88 - Record: 250-162-6 - Winning percentage: .607 - Championships: 2 The first head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, Tom Landry held the position for his entire 29-year tenure as an NFL coach. The Cowboys were especially dominant in the 1970s when they made five Super Bowls and won the big game twice. Landry was known for coaching strong all-around squads and a unit that earned the nickname the "Doomsday Defense." Between 1966 and 1985, Landry and his Cowboys enjoyed 20 straight seasons with a winning record. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1990. - Seasons coached: 29 - Years active: 1991-95, 2000-23 - Record: 302-165 - Winning percentage: .647 - Championships: 6 The most successful head coach of the 21st century, Bill Belichick first coached the Cleveland Browns before taking over the New England Patriots in 2000. With the Pats, Belichick combined with quarterback Tom Brady to win six Super Bowls in 18 years. Belichick and New England split after last season when the Patriots went 4-13—the worst record of Belichick's career. His name has swirled around potential coaching openings , but nothing has come of it. Belichick has remained in the media spotlight with his regular slot on the "Monday Night Football" ManningCast. - Seasons coached: 40 - Years active: 1920-29, '33-42, '46-55, '58-67 - Record: 318-148-31 - Winning percentage: .682 - Championships: 6 George Halas was the founder and longtime owner of the Chicago Bears and coached the team across four separate stints. Nicknamed "Papa Bear," he built the ballclub into one of the NFL's premier franchises behind players such as Bronko Nagurski and Sid Luckman. Halas also played for the team, competing as a player-coach in the 1920s. The first coach to study opponents via game film, he was once a baseball player and even made 12 appearances as a member of the New York Yankees in 1919. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1963 as both a coach and owner. - Seasons coached: 33 - Years active: 1963-95 - Record: 328-156-6 - Winning percentage: .677 - Championships: 2 The winningest head coach in NFL history is Don Shula, who first coached the Baltimore Colts (losing Super Bowl III to Joe Namath and the New York Jets) for seven years before leading the Miami Dolphins for 26 seasons. With the Fins, Shula won back-to-back Super Bowls in 1972 and 1973, a run that included a 17-0 season—the only perfect campaign in NFL history. He also coached quarterback great Dan Marino in the 1980s and '90s, but the pair made it to a Super Bowl just once. Shula was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1997. Story editing by Mike Taylor. Copy editing by Robert Wickwire. Photo selection by Lacy Kerrick. You may also like: The 5 biggest upsets of the 2023-24 NFL regular season Before the 2023 National Football League season started, it seemed inevitable that Bill Belichick would end his career as the winningest head coach in league history. He had won six Super Bowls with the New England Patriots and 298 regular-season games, plus 31 playoff games, across his career. Then the 2023 season happened. Belichick's Patriots finished 4-13, the franchise's worst record since 1992. At the end of the year, Belichick and New England owner Robert Kraft agreed to part ways. And now, during the 2024 season, Belichick is on the sideline. He's 26 wins from the #1 spot, a mark he'd reach in little more than two seasons if he maintained his .647 career winning percentage. Will he ascend the summit? It's hard to tell. Belichick would be 73 if he graced the sidelines next season—meaning he'd need to coach until at least 75 to break the all-time mark. Only one other NFL coach has ever helmed a team at age 73: Romeo Crennel in 2020 for the Houston Texans. With Belichick's pursuit of history stalled, it's worth glancing at the legends who have reached the pinnacle of coaching success. Who else stands among the 10 winningest coaches in NFL history? Stacker ranked the coaches with the most all-time regular-season wins using data from Pro Football Reference . These coaches have combined for 36 league championships, which represents 31.6% of all championships won throughout the history of pro football. To learn who made the list, keep reading. You may also like: Ranking the biggest NFL Draft busts of the last 30 years - Seasons coached: 25 - Years active: 1946-62, '68-75 - Record: 213-104-9 - Winning percentage: .672 - Championships: 7 The only coach on this list to pilot a college team, Paul Brown, reached the pro ranks after a three-year stint at Ohio State and two years with the Navy during World War II. He guided the Cleveland Browns—named after Brown, their first coach—to four straight titles in the fledgling All-America Football Conference. After the league folded, the ballclub moved to the NFL in 1950, and Cleveland continued its winning ways, with Brown leading the team to championships in '50, '54, and '55. He was fired in 1963 but returned in 1968 as the co-founder and coach of the Cincinnati Bengals. His other notable accomplishments include helping to invent the face mask and breaking pro football's color barrier . - Seasons coached: 33 - Years active: 1921-53 - Record: 226-132-22 - Winning percentage: .631 - Championships: 6 An early stalwart of the NFL, Curly Lambeau spent 29 years helming the Green Bay Packers before wrapping up his coaching career with two-year stints with the Chicago Cardinals and Washington. His Packers won titles across three decades, including the league's first three-peat from 1929-31. Notably, he experienced only one losing season during his first 27 years with Green Bay, cementing his legacy of consistent success. Born in Green Bay, Lambeau co-founded the Packers and played halfback on the team from 1919-29. He was elected to the Hall of Fame as a coach and owner in 1963, two years before his death. You may also like: Countries with the most active NFL players - Seasons coached: 26 - Years active: 1999-present - Record: 267-145-1 - Winning percentage: .648 - Championships: 3 The only active coach in the top 10, Andy Reid has posted successful runs with both the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City. After reaching the Super Bowl once in 14 years with the Eagles, Reid ratcheted things up with K.C., winning three titles since 2019. As back-to-back defending champions, Reid and Co. are looking this season to become the first franchise to three-peat in the Super Bowl era and the third to do so in NFL history after the Packers of 1929-31 and '65-67. Time will tell if Reid and his offensive wizardry can lead Kansas City to that feat. Get local news delivered to your inbox!Amid widespread protests in Kenya this summer over a controversial finance bill, the country's Communications Authority announced it did not intend to shut down internet access. The next day, however, Kenya experienced a countrywide loss in internet connectivity. The main internet service providers said the outage on June 25 was caused by an issue with undersea cables. But the incident caught the attention of digital rights groups, who said the timing of the outage "strongly suggests" an intentional action. Various governments have used such shutdowns to maintain control, these groups say. Many governments justify the shutdowns as moves to promote public order and safety, Nompilo Simanje, Africa advocacy and partnerships lead at the International Press Institute, told VOA. "The key reasons really are to restrict communication, restrict free expression, restrict online mobilization, restrict online freedom of assembly and association, and also restrict access to information," she said. Access 'could be about life and death' Digital watchdogs have documented several cases across the African continent in recent months where access to the internet or social media was blocked or cut off at crucial moments. It isn't always clear if the cases are the result of a direct order, but the timing often suggests it is, analysts say. Within the past year, digital rights group Access Now has documented shutdowns in Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania, Mauritius and Equatorial Guinea. Nearly all take place alongside events such as protests or elections. But these shutdowns can be harmful to the country's residents, Felicia Anthonio, campaign manager at Access Now, told VOA. "It not only disrupts the flow of information, it also makes it impossible for people to access information in a timely manner," Anthonio said. "When we are talking about crisis situations, information can be like a lifeline, and so, disrupting access could be about life and death in conflict situations." Governments that restrict internet access in one instance are likely to do so again, Anthonio said. Before the June incident in Kenya, access to the messaging app Telegram was blocked in November 2023 during national examinations. At the time, the move was presented as a way to prevent cheating during exams. Access to Telegram was stifled again last month during national examinations, which lasted over three weeks and extended into the week after examinations finished, according to James Wamathai, advocacy director for the Bloggers Association of Kenya. "It was really a huge inconvenience," Wamathai, who lives in the capital, Nairobi, told VOA. Local media reported that Kenya's Communications Authority had ordered the block to prevent cheating. Many people were unable to contact friends or relatives who lived in countries that had banned WhatsApp. Kenyans do not have a lot of experience with internet shutdowns, Wamathai told VOA, and many residents do not know how to install workarounds like virtual private networks or VPNs. The current government under President William Ruto is the first to enact such restrictions, he said. Kenya is a part of the Freedom Online Coalition, a group of 42 countries that advocate for online freedom around the world. Anthonio said it is "depressing and sad" to see a member of the coalition engage in such practices. The Kenyan Embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment. Anthonio said democratic and repressive regimes alike have enforced restrictions similar to those experienced in Kenya. "It's really hard to tell what the motivation is, aside from the fact that the government just wants to exert control to show that they are in authority and can restrict people's rights when they please," Anthonio said. Mauritius for example, planned to impose an internet shutdown for 10 days ahead of its November election. Authorities said the block was an effort to control illegal publications that may "threaten national security and public safety," Anthonio said. She added that this rationale is just "jargon" that governments use to justify shutdowns. The shutdown in Mauritius came as a direct order from the government. After protests from media and opposition parties, the ban was lifted after 24 hours. The ban was troubling to rights groups. Simanje of IPI said Mauritius "has generally had a very good track record of internet access, online safety and promotion of digital rights." Periodic outages Other African countries have experienced shutdowns on several occasions. In Tanzania, Access Now has documented several internet and social media outages or blocks. Access to the social media platform X was blocked in late August, around the same time that online activists began a campaign highlighting murders, kidnappings and disappearances within the country. This suggested the block was an official order, Access Now reported at the time. Tanzania's embassy in Washington refutes that claim. "We would like to assure you that this information is false," a spokesperson told VOA via email. In July and August, the island of Annobon in Equatorial Guinea experienced a total internet shutdown, leaving its residents "completely cut off from the world," according to Access Now. This came as a response to protests against the deterioration of the country's environment due to mining activities, Anthonio said. Similarly in late October, Mozambique experienced internet connectivity problems after national election results were announced. These shutdowns took place in the middle of violent protests against the reelection of the party in power, which left at least 11 people dead, according to a report by Al Jazeera. The Equatorial Guinea, Mozambique and Mauritius embassies in Washington did not respond to VOA's requests for comment.

NoneAir Force secures 69-61 win against Stony Brook