England boss Sarina Wiegman is awed by her World Cup hopefuls’ advocacy away from competition but readily recognises their performance on the pitch is what ultimately provides the platform. Just days after winning their first major tournament at last summer’s home Euros, the Lionesses collectively released a letter to then-Conservative leadership candidates Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss with a host of demands including a school football provision for girls identical to that offered to boys. Their campaign paid off in March when the government responded with a new package of measures designed to grant equal access to all school sport, backed by over £600million in funding over the next two academic years. “I’m incredibly proud of their social consciousness,” said Wiegman, speaking from England’s team hotel in Queensland as the Lionesses prepare for their World Cup opener in Brisbane on July 22nd. “It’s so powerful, so strong and they articulate themselves so well. And they were ready the day after the final to put that letter in…. wow! “There’s so much leadership in this team. They really want to have a positive impact on society and a positive change and I think they’ve done really, really well because things have changed. “Now what we try to do is keep performing, keep being visible and keep using our voices to also sustain and make positive changes.” With the continent conquered, both England and Wiegman, who also led the Netherlands to their first European glory in 2017, have set their sights on the world. The Lionesses drew 0-0 with Canada in a behind-closed-doors friendly on the Sunshine Coast on Friday – in their final warm-up match before the finals get under way – with 21 members of the 23-woman squad featuring. Next up is an opening encounter with tournament debutants Haiti followed by meetings with group D rivals Denmark and China. To date, England’s best finish at the World Cup was in 2015 when they finished third, while Wiegman and her Dutch side were runners-up to defending champions the United States at the 2019 tournament in France. When you go to the grocery store and people tell you, 'my daughter was wearing that shirt, but also my son is wearing that shirt now too'. We've changed society Sarina Wiegman Last summer’s victory at Wembley launched the Lionesses into World Cup favourite territory and quickly made household names of the winning squad and their boss, who has tried to turn the spotlight towards causes she believes in, like paving better pathways for female coaches or working as an ambassador for the charity Plan International to advance equality for girls and women around the world. When compared to the “serious”, almost myopically win-focused player she once was, Wiegman said: “I think about the bigger picture a little more – absolutely. “But my main focus stays on my job. And with that job, doing well in that job, then you get those opportunities. I’m aware of that too. “You can’t change that because this is how you are. But I would not, like, do that first and then think of performance. That’s because that performance is my job and that gives me the most joy. “Yes, of course, I really love the medals, but what I’m proud of most, absolutely most, is now, young girls have perspective, and young girls can play football, and young girls can wear shirts to show whichever (player’s) achievement, and that makes me the most proud. “When you go to the grocery store and people tell you, ‘my daughter was wearing that shirt, but also my son is wearing that shirt now too’. We’ve changed society.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Michal Kwiatkowski storms to Tour de France stage win on Grand Colombier Sarina Wiegman ‘grateful’ for Women’s World Cup growth 35 years after experiment Benjamin Mendy weeps as he is cleared of sex charges

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A new mum has been praised for her bravery on TikTok after she revealed her plans to leave a toxic marriage. The woman, called Marta (@officialmarta_xo), shared a video of herself decked out in blue scrubs sitting down at a desk and looking determined. In an overlay to the clip, she accused her husband of prioritising his friends over his family, despite her constant pleas for help with their young baby. She wrote: “I've been begging for the bare minimum for MONTHS. He has time for his friends but not his wife.” She also suggested that he was dismissive of her, complaining: “[He] didn’t believe I’d put our newborn in daycare and start working.” Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter But, she confirmed, she had taken control of her life and got herself a job and financial independence. “Here’s to my first day at work and secret bank account,” she said. In a separate caption, she added: “Can’t wait to move [the f**k] out.” @officialmarta_xo Cant wait to move tf out #forthemen #forthemenonly Marta's video racked up more than 1.5 million views and nearly 130,000 likes in three days as commentators showered her with support or shared their own similar experiences. “Proud of you for this!! It's a huge step that many women including me are scared to take,” one wrote. “As someone who just got blindsided by their spouse with no money to myself… make the secret account. Trying to leave with nothing is so stressful,” another advised. “I got tired of expecting the bare minimum from a narcissist so I left and three years later I started my own business!” a third wrote. “I left with nothing, started from the bottom. I graduate in [seven months]. With a BA. Going for my master's. No regrets,” said a fourth. And a fifth confessed: “I’m trying to leave a relationship. I’m ok with starting from nothing. I had two job interviews this week. Here is to proving I deserve better.” Meanwhile, others stressed the importance of financial backups, even in the case of happily married people, with one writing: “I'm a firm believer of a secret bank account even if the relationship is okay because you never know.” Others offered tips on how to create a secret safety net. “Put the secret bank account in a trusted person's name. Mom or grandma,” one recommended. “Make the bank account a custodial account,” said another. “It can only have one parent on it and that parent stays the custodian of the account when you divorce.” Others expressed concern that Marta’s husband would see her post and that she would suffer as a result. “I hope he [doesn’t] see this,” one wrote. Marta replied simply: “He’s aware.” Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

A proposal to compensate US airline passengers for delays and cancellations is announced by Joe Biden.

Banking stocks in Italy and elsewhere in Europe rebounded Wednesday after the country watered down a plan to whack its banks with a surprise one-off 40% tax on their windfall profits.

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Apple has revealed a 15-inch version of the MacBook Air, a big version of its smallest laptop. The new MacBook Air is the smallest 15-inch laptop ever, at just over 11mm, Apple said. It is the first time Apple has made a version of its most powerful computer at such a size. Recently, Apple has only sold it in 13-inches, requiring users to pay up for a much more expensive MacBook Pro for a larger display – though it once offered the MacBook Air at 11-inches, too. Follow The Independent’s live coverage for all the latest updates Read More Apple is about to update all its products – and release a very big new one Apple is about to launch its biggest product in years. Here’s what you need to know Apple is about to hold one of its biggest ever launches. Follow everything live here

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