For today’s UK49s Lunchtime draw, the hot booster balls or bonus balls to watch are 8, 11. These numbers have frequently appeared in the last 20 draws, making them noteworthy contenders for today’s results: Number 8 was drawn a total of 2 times in the last 20 draws, with its last appearance on 5 June […]
The post UK49s Lunchtime Bonus Predictions: Friday, 6 June 2025 – Best Bets appeared first on Political Analysis South Africa.
SCOTTISH Labour have won a shock victory in the Holyrood by-election – defying bookies’ odds.
And the win is a major boost to Anas Sarwar’s hopes of beating John Swinney to Bute House at next year’s Holyrood election.
Scottish Labour had been written off by many, with bookies putting them third most likely to win the seat behind both the SNP and Reform.
Punters were offered odds of 11-1 on Labour before polls opened, and the SNP were 1-6 favourites, with Reform second favourites.
However the party has defied expectations and lived up to the quiet confidence from some insiders that they were always in the race.
The victory is a stunning defeat for the SNP who believed the seat was an easy victory following the death of popular local Nats MSP Christina McKelvie.
Labour’s campaign was seen as low key and Mr Russell came in for criticism from rivals for swerving TV appearances.
MCVITIES has rolled out a new flavour of Jaffa Cakes and shoppers are divided.
Over the years, the brand has launched plenty of alternatives to the classic orange, but this one has been accused of taking the biscuit.
Jaffa Cakes have jumped on the Hot Honey trend and have unveiled the first-ever ‘swicy’ flavour.
In case you are yet to become acquainted with the latest culinary slang, the term swicy is used to describe foods that are sweet and spicy.
The new flavour combines the sweetness of honey with a chilli kick, which is sandwiched between the signature crackly dark chocolate and the famous sponge cake.
The controversial hot cakes are exclusively on sale at Asda stores nationwide for £1.50 for a box of 10.
They will be rolled out to other retailers from the end of July.
Over on Facebook, the Hot Honey snacks have caused a stir, and some fans have bees in their bonnets.
“I love Hot Honey and I love Jaffa Cakes but I think this will be a miss,” one wrote.
“Not a chance mate,” added another.
One person raised a good question: “They will do everything but not a white chocolate Jaffa Cake.”
But not everyone was against the latest addition.
“I am definitely intrigued,” a Facebook user wrote.
“Oh might have to try these,” agreed a second, while another echoed: “That sounds like an acquired taste.”
On Dansway Gifts and Bargain UK’s Facebook post, followers tagged friends to share the news.
Some added heart-eye emojis to the comment section.
Jessica Woolfrey, Marketing Manager for Jaffa Cakes, says: “At Jaffa Cakes, we’re known for doing things a little differently.
“As the only cake in the biscuit aisle, it makes sense that our newest flavour brings an unexpected twist.
“We’re super excited to introduce Hot Honey Flavour to the Jaffa Cakes family – tapping into the viral ‘swicy’ trend with a perfectly balanced sweet-meets-heat flavour.”
Last year, the brand unveiled another unusual flavour based on retro childhood sweets.
The Cola Bottle flavour was the first ever non-fruit flavour since the first Jaffa Cake was made in 1927.
It had a similar response from snackers, who either loved or hated them.
McVities has also rolled out raspberry and cherry flavours – which have both gone down well with customers.
SARINA WIEGMAN rejected suggestions of England being in crisis after naming her squad for this year’s Euros.
The Lioness chief backed her group to ignore outside noise following player retirements and a surprise withdrawal.
Wiegman was speaking yesterday, a day after England vice captain Millie Bright, 31, announced her decision to withdraw from being selected for the contest.
This follows goalkeeper Mary Earps, 32, and playmaker Fran Kirby, 31, both calling time on their Lioness careers three years after helping the team become Euros champions.
On the Daly Brightness podcast yesterday, Bright opened up on the reasons behind her choice and including wanting to get back to her very best physically and mentally.
The 88-capped centre-back, and Chelsea captain, played an influential role in her club treble trophy win this season with the Blues going unbeaten in 22 top-flight games
Bright’s withdrawal and Kirby’s and Earps’ retirements before the July 2 start of the Euros in Switzerland, prompted questions on whether all is well behind the scenes with England.
When asked if England are in crisis, Wiegman said: “For me, it doesn’t feel like a crisis at all.
“That is not the case. We know what is happening in the team and there is competition going on in the team.
“My experience (as England head coach) is that there is always noise.
“We expect noise until we go into the tournament.
“The difference between the 2015 (World Cup) and 2017 (Euros) to now is that the visibility of the women’s game has increased so it seems like there is more noise.
“What we say all the time is that the level of the game has increased so much so the demands on the players have increased a lot.
“The demands in the WSL and also internationally and also with the Nations League.
The level and demands have increased there too.
Then the attention around – the players are household names now – that is lifechanging.
When asked about Bright’s withdrawal Wiegman revealed she was saddened by it.
And she hopes the Lioness heroine will be back to her best soon.
The Englad boss added: “It was sad and disappointing.
“It’s not nice when you don’t feel well physically and mentally and I just hope she feels better soon.
“Players are not robots. We try to support them as well as possible. Hopefully many players stay fit and healthy.
“They (Bright, Earps and Kirby) have done so much for us and for English football.
“They have been playing in the tournaments since I have been here so that’s hard to replace.
“But there are also other players who have done really well.
“They get the opportunities now to step up and show [what they can do].”
Wiegman’s squad selection involved the head coach looking to the future with seven players appearing in their first major tournament.
Six of whom are aged from 19 to 23.
Among them is Arsenal’s Michelle Agyemang whose call-up followed her stunning international debut goal during England’s 3-2 Nations League loss to Belgium in April
Her cameo performance after coming on in the 80th minute of that game is her only senior England appearance to date.
And Wiegman backed the striker to add a new dimension to England’s attack
The Lioness chief said: “We will see what she can bring.
“I have seen her in training sessions and what she did in Belgium – she can bring something different. I hope she can show that.”
England took the unexpected route of revealing their Lionesses Euros squad via a video
Three Lions stars Harry Kane and Bukayo were among the celebs naming selected players.
Among the players who made the cut is Chelsea’s Lauren James with the forward battling to be fit in time for the tournament.
On July 5 England will begin their fight to remain Euros champions with a Group D clash with France.
Wiegman said: “I hope Lauren will be available for the first game of the tournament.
“I don’t know for how many minutes yet, we need to see that.
“We still have one friendly against Jamaica, I hope that she’ll make that one too.”
England’s squad includes six Arsenal stars with Leah Williamson, Lotte Wubben-Moy and forwards Beth Mead, Alessia Russo and Chloe Kelly all selected.
With Earps retiring there were also call-ups for goalkeepers Anna Moorhouse and Khiara Keating as back-up options to England’s new No1 Hannah Hampton.
DO you believe the only way is up – and that you can land a better job than your parents?
Today is Social Mobility Day and a chance to chase that dream.
It highlights the companies and charities helping working-class people to climb the career ladder and build life opportunities.
But with a challenging economic climate and AI taking over many entry-level professional roles, times are tough.
Last year the Institute for Fiscal Studies said social mobility at work was its worst for 50 years, while a report from think tank Demos and the Co-Op found this is setting back economic growth by £19billion a year — and so reducing tax revenue too.
Shirine Khoury-Haq, CEO of the Co-op, said: “This is an important moment in the UK’s productivity debate and puts social mobility at the heart of that discussion. The benefits are too great an economic prospect to ignore.”
With many organisations cutting back on diversity, equality and inclusion initiatives, championing talent from less advantaged backgrounds has never been more vital.
Consultants McKinsey suggest organisations that are more socio-economically diverse can outperform rivals by as much as 36 per cent — so it makes sound business sense too.
Tunde Banjoko OBE, from the charity Making The Leap, which organises Social Mobility Day, is urging firms to “shift mindsets” and look at the benefits of a more varied workforce.
He says: “Social mobility is about investing in a breadth of perspectives and skills, giving firms an edge and empowering individuals from less advantaged backgrounds to overcome imposter syndrome.”
Here are Making The Leap’s tips to rocket-launch your upwardly mobile career . . .
1. YOUR NETWORK IS YOUR NET WORTH: Start expanding yours. Go to career fairs, your local Jobcentre Plus or skills organisations such as Making The Leap.
Also tap into family and friends if they can provide help and advice — or perhaps know who might be able to.
2. IF YOU DON’T HAVE EXPERIENCE, GET IT: Reach out to volunteer organisations, as well as charity shops and volunteer websites.
3. UPSKILL YOURSELF: Practise public-speaking and presenting — even just reading things out to your family can help to build confidence.
4. DON’T WAIT, DO IT: Want to get into marketing or content creation? Set up a TikTok profile. Want to do make-up? Start doing make-up now.
5. THE ‘STAR’ METHOD: If working on a job application or preparing for an interview, always think: Situation, Task, Action, Result. Also give examples that are not just work-related — and know your CV like the back of your hand.
6. GET RID OF ANY SELF-LIMITING BELIEFS: You are worthy — and deserve to be in the room.
JOSHUA RUDDOCK landed his dream job as a football social media journalist at broadcaster Sky, thanks to help from social-mobility charity Making The Leap.
Joshua, 23, from Ealing, West London, said: “So many people would assume a job at a place like Sky would be inaccessible to them, so they wouldn’t even apply.
“I had applied twice before, but taking Making The Leap’s ACE training programme, and their first-class support on a daily basis, led me to an apprenticeship at Paramount, which gave me critical experience to reapply to Sky.
“Without Making The Leap, I wouldn’t have been at Sky this soon.
“To encourage more social mobility, we need to make sure companies are offering information, work experience and time to people from every background.
“Not only will this help open doors for more people to chase their dreams, it also increases talent levels.”
IT’S National Volunteering Week and an opportunity to champion a good cause while also boosting your career.
More than three in five firms offer staff ways to help in the community but last year over 140million hours’ worth of placements were unfilled, says the Royal Voluntary Service.
DR SAM PARRETT is founder of goodformegoodforfe.co.uk, a site encouraging volunteering in further-education colleges.
Here she tells why volunteering can boost your job prospects . . .
1. IMPROVE YOUR CV: Volunteering shows employers you are proactive and committed. It can give you experience of the workplace and make your CV stand out, especially if you are starting out in employment or wanting to change careers
2. BUILD SKILLS: It develops communication and team-work, valued by all employers. Even just supporting a neighbour or helping at your child’s school is valuable.
3. GROW YOUR CONFIDENCE: Trying something new and being part of a team can boost self-esteem. This will help prepare you for interviews and networking in future.
4. MAKE CONNECTIONS: You will meet people of all ages and walks of life, which can open doors to both training and jobs.
5. SHOW WHAT YOU STAND FOR: Employers want people with purpose, and volunteers tick that box.
6. BOOST MENTAL HEALTH: Helping others can leave you feeling less stressed, and happier about life.
PETROL station operator BP RETAIL has jobs on offer nationwide, including for assistant store managers and customer service assistants. See bpretailjobs.co.uk.
A NURSERY childcare chain is offering work experience to TODDLERS – after a new report revealed the qualities employers value most such as trustworthiness, adaptability and teamwork, can be learnt from the very early years.
The Your Co-op Little Pioneers programme sees little ones help with caring for animals at Hoo Zoo in Telford, Shrops, and with welcoming visitors to Warwick Castle.
Bethany Patrick from Your Co-op Little Pioneers says: “Early-years education is so much more than just childcare.
“Research shows the importance of skills developed during those formative years, including empathy, communication and teamwork, for ensuring the strongest start in life.”
GAMING chain GAME is recruiting for sales assistants, including casual staff, plus buyers. Search at frasers.group/careers/jobs.
FRIED chicken is the UK’s fastest growing food market, worth £31.billion a year – and KFC is creating 7,000 new jobs, with major new investment in restaurants and suppliers.
They are looking for kitchen workers, restaurant managers, and front-of-house staff to improve customer experience.
All new starters will benefit from training and development opportunities to support fast career progression.
Rob Swain, head of KFC UK & Ireland, said: “We’ve been serving customers in the UK for 60 years but have never seen such strong demand as there is today.
“That’s why we’re doubling down with major investment.”
For more information, and to apply, see kfc.co.uk/careers.
SPORTS DIRECT shoppers are being tricked into thinking they are getting a bargain by misleading pricing, according to consumer campaigners.
Which? accused the High Street giant of using “dodgy” Recommended Retail Prices (RRPs) to make discounts seem better than they really are to boost sales.
The chain could be breaking the law, says Which? and has reported the business to regulators.
An item’s RRP should reflect the price at which shops usually sell a product for, according to the Advertising Standards Authority.
This is so customers can easily work out how much of a saving they are making when buying at a knockdown price.
Investigators at the consumer rights group checked the pricing of 160 popular products on SportsDirect.com.
And said it was unable to find 58 of the 160 products on sale anywhere for Sports Direct’s claimed RRP – or Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) – raising questions over whether those prices were genuine.
The items included a green Jack Wills Hunston graphic logo hoodie on sale with Sports Direct for £24 with an MSRP of £54.99.
Researchers could only find it on sale for £40 on Amazon and for £24 elsewhere, with no-one apparently selling it for £54.99.
And a pair of Slazenger men’s drive tennis shoes were being sold by SportsDirect for £32.99, nearly half the MSRP of £64.99.
Which? found the trainers for sale on eight other websites – all run by SportsDirect’s parent company – for either £32.99 or £33.
Only one retailer, Slazenger itself, sold them at the RRP but that price is supposed to represent what retailers generally sell a product for.
At the same time, a Whitaker Somerford long sleeve baselayer was on sale for £8 with an RRP of £35.
Which? could only find it listed elsewhere for £18 –a long way short of the supposed RRP.
The consumer champion reckons Sports Direct’s use of RRPs and MSRPs could be “misleading actions” under a 2008 Unfair Trading law to protect shoppers.
It has presented its findings to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).
Which? legal expert Lisa Webb said: “If Sports Direct is misleading customers by inappropriate use of RRPs to dupe them into thinking they are getting a good deal, then the competition regulator needs to step in and take strong action to stop this from happening.
“In the meantime, shoppers should take any big discounts at SportsDirect.com with a pinch of salt and make sure they compare prices with other retailers before parting with any hard earned cash.”
This is not the first time the chain has been accused of using misleading RRPs.
In 2015 Channel 4’s Dispatches said the firm was hiking RRPs to lead customers into believing they were getting a bargain.
Sports Direct’s owner, Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group, has a large portfolio of brands under its umbrella including Jack Wills, Slazenger, Everlast and Lonsdale. Frasers Group also owns various retailers such as USC, Studio, and Get the Label, which sometimes appear to be the only sellers of these particular brands, Which? added.
Sports Direct was founded by Mike Ashley, 60 – now the UK’s 52nd richest man with a £3.12bn fortune – when he opened his first sports shop in Maidenhead in 1982 aged just 18.
The firm has been contacted for comment.
A Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) spokesperson said: “We’ll carefully consider the findings from Which?’s research.
“All businesses need to ensure that they comply with consumer law, which includes not misleading their customers over pricing.”
Finding deals and offers can be tricky if you don't know where to look.
Here’s a list of hacks you can use to become a bargain-hunting pro and save on your shopping bill:
Join Facebook groups – Extreme Couponing and Bargains UK, Latest Deals and Reduce Your Supermarket Spend are all Facebook groups helping you reduce your spending and find good deals
Get following – Follow your favourite shops on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and sign up to its newsletters to get the latest on any offers
Check hotukdeals – The deal-sharing website lists offers as they’re spotted by savvy shoppers
Use barcode scanners – Retailers such as B&M let shoppers scan the barcodes on its app to see if it’s cheaper than the price listed on the shelf