England’s national football team found solace in the company of their partners after a stalemate with Ghana left their World Cup hopes hanging. The squad managed only a goalless draw in what was their second match of the tournament.

Captain Harry Kane and his team struggled to find a breakthrough against the 65th-ranked Ghanaian side. Kane missed a crucial opportunity to seal the game, sending the ball soaring over the goal in the closing moments.

The Three Lions’ efforts didn’t satisfy some of the 30,000 dedicated fans who braved rainy weather, as a few voiced their disappointment with chants about the expenses of attending the match.

In the midst of the crowd at Boston Stadium, Jordan Pickford’s wife, Megan, was spotted giving the goalkeeper a supportive kiss as the game concluded with the final whistle.

Prior to kickoff, Megan appeared cheerful, engaging with cameras by waving and blowing kisses. She sported a white mini dress paired with a poncho to brace the weather.

Bukayo Saka also sought comfort from his fiancée Tolami Benson, 25, who donned a custom England outfit. The pair were pictured embracing in the family box at the end of the match. 

Other WAGs in attendance included Ashlyn Castro, the 28-year-old girlfriend of midfielder Jude Bellingham, and defender John Stones’ wife Olivia, who wore a Three Lions top. 

Ellie Watkins, wife of striker Ollie Watkins, also donned an England cap, and was seen cheerily waving at the camera.

While last night’s result was a huge disappointment for fans, England are still expected to get through to the knockout stages of the World Cup as they are heavy favourites to beat Panama in their final group game on Saturday. 

With kick-off not until 9pm, millions packed into pubs across the country to watch the game. 

Thousands of venues were allowed to extend their opening hours so fans could enjoy the match with a drink, with projections saying 25 million pints would be pulled.

Millions more cheered on Kane and his team from home, watching the coverage on BBC1. 

TV insiders had expected ratings to soar after England’s thrilling 4-2 victory in their opening World Cup match against Croatia last week. 

But while fans in England battled the heatwave, those who’d made the journey to Boston had to wade through puddles and dodge heavy downpours before the game.

After the searing heat and humidity of Dallas, where England kicked off their campaign, the Boston clash took place under typically English leaden skies.

Among those splashing through the rain outside the 65,000-capacity stadium in Foxborough was James Reid, 35, from Guildford in Surrey, who said: ‘I can’t believe everyone in England is getting the sunshine. 

People in Boston are saying we’ve brought them the British weather.’

David Beckham cheered on the team in a navy suit as he joined best pal Dave Gardner to watch the game.

Beckham’s son Cruz, 21, and girlfriend Jackie Apostel, 30, were also spotted in the stands.

US officials have faced criticism for hiking the price of public transport, with train fares costing $80 (£60) instead of the usual $20 (£15). 

But England supporters copied their Scottish counterparts by hiring a fleet of iconic yellow school buses to take them to the stadium some 35 miles from downtown Boston and 20 miles from Providence.

At least a dozen coaches and school buses transported fans from Providence to the ground with fans paying a bargain $35 (£26) for the return journey.

Among them was retired British Army officer Lt Colonel Nick Rowles, 68, his wife Gail, 67, travelling with friends. 

The couple estimate the trip is costing over £10,000, but they have managed to bag cheaper seats as members of the England Supporters Travel Club.

‘I doubt we will drink Providence dry like the Scots, maybe the younger ones will but we are happy to have a nice, quiet relaxed evening,’ he said.

Paul Scott, 48, is spending £10,000 to watch all three of England’s group matches – a Christmas gift from his wife, Claire. 

He said: ‘She knows just how much I’ve wanted to come here.’

The couple run a builders’ merchant in Rotherham, South Yorkshire. Mr Scott said: ‘I love America, and the welcome here has been phenomenal.’

Elsewhere, a group of eight fans from Stoke-on-Trent paid £1,900 for two taxis to get them to Boston after their flights from Montreal were cancelled.

England fans booed Ghana’s Thomas Partey – an alleged rapist – before the whistle was blown. 

Partey, 33, who used to play for Arsenal, was charged with seven counts of rape and one of sexual assault, and he faces trial in London. 

The midfielder, who has since moved to Spanish side Villarreal, denies the charges.

TV pictures cut away from the handshakes as Partey passed each England player. Defender Djed Spence appeared to refuse to shake hands with him.

The England fans also booed the hydration breaks – taken in the rain. 

England’s next game is against Panama on Saturday in the stadium in New Jersey, also the venue for the World Cup final on July 19.

Four cities in California have emerged as the nation’s latest economic hotspots, attributed to their significant growth over the past few years.

According to a report by SmartAsset, three of these cities are based in the northern part of California, an area where the tech industry explosion has dramatically spiked both population numbers and real estate values.

Interestingly, the top spot on the list is held by a city far removed from Silicon Valley’s influence.

Menifee, located in Riverside County, leads with a staggering 29% rise in housing units projected from 2019 to 2024, as highlighted in the study.

SmartAsset’s report notes, “Achieving boomtown status does not imply that every resident benefits equally, but it does indicate an increasing economic potential for the city, along with the myriad of opportunities it presents.”

The analysis evaluated over 400 cities with at least 65,000 residents, whittling it down to the 75 highest-scoring cities.

Here’s how California stacked up:

Menifee(65th on the list)

Menifee, which was only incorporated as a city in 2008, saw a 45% increase in its labor force between 2019 and 2024.

Rancho Cordova (70th)

Rancho Cordova, in Sacramento County, saw a 21% increase in housing units between 2019 to 2024, while its labor force jumped 17%, according to the study.

Santa Clara (72nd)

Home to the oldest institution of higher education in the US, Santa Clara University, the city is famous for its booming tech economy and cultural attractions. Santa Clara recorded an 11% increase in housing units and a 7% increase in labor force, the report found.

Sunnyvale, CA (75th)

Major tech giants including Yahoo and LinkedIn are headquartered in Sunnyvale, while Google, Meta and Apple have massive footprints in the city. Sunnyvale saw an 11% increase in housing units and a 6% increase in labor force, according to the study.

The overall list was topped by two Texas cities — Georgetown and New Braunfels — which both saw five-year increases of more than 30% in both labor force size and housing units.

In Northern California, officials reported Tuesday that a gunman responsible for a deadly attack inside a library was motivated by infamous past mass shootings, including the 1999 tragedy at Columbine High School. The shooter killed two people in a shocking act of violence that took place on Monday.

The Chico Police Department identified the suspect as 18-year-old Bradley Scott Sayer. It was noted that he had no known links to either the library or the individuals who fell victim to the attack.

Authorities revealed that, prior to the assault, Sayer allegedly surveyed the library before returning to his vehicle to retrieve a shotgun. He then proceeded to the front entrance of the Butte County Library’s Chico branch, where he fatally shot a man at the door before taking the life of another person inside the building.

Following multiple 911 calls, officers arrived at the scene and set up a perimeter. Sayer then exited the building and was taken into police custody.

“From the first 911 call to having him in custody was less than four minutes,” said Chico Police Chief Billy Aldridge, who noted that gunshots and screams could be heard on one 911 call and that the fast police response prevented the taking of more lives.

The man at the entrance was shot in the leg and head, and another man inside the building was shot in the head, police said.

The victims were identified as 46-year-old Jacob Hull and 74-year-old Robert Johnson. An underage girl was injured and treated at a hospital. In total, eight shots were fired, police said.

Sayer had just graduated from Chico High School on June 5, said Sid Patel, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Sacramento office.

A search of Sayer’s vehicle, located in the library parking lot, uncovered two additional firearms. Investigators were looking into how he acquired the weapons.

At the time of the shooting, Sayer was wearing a white T-shirt inscribed with the words “natural selection,” mimicking a T-shirt with the same slogan worn by Eric Harris, one of two shooters in the 1999 Columbine massacre in Colorado, Patel said, The Associated Press reported.

“He had been a fan, and a fan for a long time” of the Columbine shootings on social media, Butte County District Attorney Michael Ramsey said.

Sayer is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday, Ramsey said.

Renowned American Olympic skier Bode Miller has come forward to declare his innocence following his recent arrest on two misdemeanor drug charges.

‘I was pulled over for accelerating while passing another vehicle on a highway in Idaho,’ Miller said in a statement posted to his Instagram account.

“A friend accompanying me was in possession of a small quantity of cannabis and a cannabis pipe, which I wasn’t aware of. We fully cooperated with law enforcement,” he stated.

Miller expressed optimism, saying, “I am confident that the misdemeanor charges will be dropped upon review of the facts.”

Miller’s account contradicts earlier reports by TMZ, which alleged that the 48-year-old was apprehended for possessing psychedelic mushrooms.

The gold medalist from the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics faces two misdemeanor charges related to the June 6 incident. After posting a $5,000 cash bond, Miller was released and has entered a plea of not guilty to both charges.

The 48-year-old is due back in court on July 29. The case is still active. 

Miller won six Olympics medals over the course of his legendary career, making him one of America’s most decorated alpine skiers.

The Easton-born athlete, who also won two overall World Cup titles, bowed out from skiing in 2017. 

His arrest came almost exactly eight years after he and wife Morgan suffered the devastating loss of their baby daughter Emeline, who died after drowning in a neighbor’s swimming pool on June 9, 2018. 

Emeline was only 19 months old when the tragic incident occurred, with Morgan recently opening up on the agonizing regret that still haunts her in an exclusive interview with Daily Mail.

‘I never thought to be hyper aware of the pool in the backyard, but that’s where this is most likely to happen,’ she said. ‘When I think of what I could have done differently, I would have locked all the doors so she couldn’t get outside. I would have moved Emmy in front of me instead of the playroom to the right of me. I think about this all the time.’

One of Morgan’s biggest regrets is that Emeline used a puddle jumper – a life jacket with arm floaties – during family swims in the pool, which she believes conditioned her to believe she could swim and gave her a false sense of security.

‘She didn’t understand that it was the puddle jumper that kept her afloat,’ she said. ‘We’re putting our trust in these puddle jumpers and are exacerbating the problem. Every parent I’ve ever connected with who has lost a child to drowning used them.’

Bode and Morgan, who got married in 2012, share six other children together, including two twin boys, while the Olympian also has a son and daughter from a previous relationship.

Five years after Emeline’s heartbreaking death, the Miller family had another major scare when three of their children were hospitalized with carbon monoxide poisoning.

The terrifying incident occurred when a broken hot tub was being replaced at their home, with the three kids standing on their front step when a lack of air flow in the driveway caused them to inhale too much carbon monoxide. Fortunately, all three of them made a full recovery. 

It came seven months after one of their twin sons, Asher, was previously hospitalized after suffering a seizure.

Morgan revealed on her Instagram story that she rode in the back of the ambulance with her son after he had a seizure that ‘scared us half to death.’

She shared a photo of Bode lying in the hospital bed with Asher, while adding a heartfelt caption.

‘Life is constantly walking a knife edge and it’s not something we are unfamiliar with,’ Morgan began in her Instagram story post.

Miller is not the first Team USA Winter Olympics icon to be arrested on drug charges in recent months, nevertheless. 

Ryan Wedding, who represented Canada at the 2002 Winter Olympics, is accused of leading a billion-dollar drug-smuggling operation and orchestrating several murders. 

He has been labelled a ‘modern-day iteration of Pablo Escobar’ and was among the FBI’s 10 most-wanted fugitives until late January, when he was brought back to the US to face 17 felony charges, including murder. 

Wedding pleaded not guilty in court and now his legal team are planning to raise questions around ‘the legality of Mr. Wedding’s arrest and the circumstances surrounding his apprehension’ that could even lead to charges being dismissed. 

As the NHL offseason surges forward with notable developments, teams across the league are vying to bolster their rosters in preparation for the upcoming season.

The Capitals are among those hopefuls in the Eastern Conference, optimistic that they’ve secured a vital addition to enhance their lineup.

In a significant move, the Capitals announced on Tuesday that they had acquired forward Jordan Kyrou from the Blues. The trade includes sending forwards Connor McMichael and Milton Gastrin, along with a 2026 first-round pick, to St. Louis in exchange for Kyrou.

Kyrou, who is currently 28, made a name for himself during the 2021-22 season when he amassed a career-best 75 points and earned a spot in the All-Star Game. He followed that breakout with three consecutive seasons scoring over 30 goals, topping the team’s scoring charts each year.

Nevertheless, the previous season saw a decline in his numbers. Kyrou closed the season with 18 goals and 28 assists, rounding out his performance with 46 points—the lowest since his third year in the NHL.

The Capitals, who finished with 95 points and missed the playoffs this year, made clear they are thrilled to acquire a player of Kyrou’s goal-scoring and offensive ability.

“Jordan is an exceptionally talented and dynamic offensive player who will make an immediate impact on our club,” general manager Chris Patrick said in a statement. “His skill, creativity, and ability to generate offense at an elite level will be a tremendous addition to our group. At just 28 years old and under contract for the next five seasons, Jordan is entering the prime years of his career. We believe he is an ideal fit for our team both now and for the long term.”

Kyrou signed an eight-year extension worth $65 million before the 2022-23 season, so he’s under contract through the 2030-31 campaign, in theory giving Washington a top-flight forward for years to come.

In McMichael, the Capitals lose their 2019 first-round pick, who, ironically enough, finished with 46 points last season. Gastrin, a center from Sweden, was a second-round pick last year and has yet to make his NHL debut.