Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter tour is officially here, and Mirror’s shopping writer Grace has found the perfect £60 boots that are stylish and comfy enough to dance all night in
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‘I’ll be wearing these £60 western boots to Beyoncé ‘s Cowboy Carter tour’(Image: Mirror)
Beyoncé officially kicked off her Cowboy Carter tour this week, and although she won’t be heading to the UK for another month, it’s the perfect chance to get your outfit prepped.
Of course, you can wear whatever you want to the concert, but with the cowboy theme front and centre, why not have fun and play around with some western fashion? And arguably, the most prominent piece of cowboy fashion is cowboy boots.
I’m heading to the tour in June, and I’ve already got my boots ready and broken in so I can dance all night long. The pair I’ve opted for are New Look’s Black Faux Leather Boots, priced at £59.99. I’m a big fan of New Look boots for their comfort and affordability.
The tour is a great chance to wear some slightly more out-there clothing, but what I appreciate most about this pair is that they’re still fun while remaining wearable.
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Shop our favourite cowboy boots
New Look Black Faux Leather Stitch Detail Cowboy Boots
Available for £59.99 here
New Look Black Faux Leather Stitch Detail Cowboy Boots(Image: New Look )
You can’t go wrong with a classic pair of black boots, and I love how the white contrast stitching adds to the western vibe and makes this pair feel a little more interesting.
Pull&, Bear boho tassel suede western boots in tan
Currently available for £47.99 here
Pull&, Bear boho tassel suede western boots in tan(Image: Pull&Bear )
Go full on Cowboy Carter with these suede fringe boots from Pull &, Bear. Suede is a huge trend this year, as well as an integral part of the cowboy core trend and these are perfect for dancing the night away.
Boohoo Western Studded Detail Boots
Currently available for £29.40 here
Boohoo Western Studded Detail Boots(Image: Boohoo)
If you want to stray from the typical tan and black cowboy boots we see a lot of, why no try out an on-trend burgundy with this pair from Boohoo? The longer length of these makes them perfect for pairing with mini skirts and dresses, as well as still fitting under jeans and trousers.
Off The Hook Hoxton western knee boots in dark brown
Available for £74.99 here
Off The Hook Hoxton western knee boots in dark brown(Image: Off The Hook )
England look set to begin a defining year with one of their most inexperienced pace attacks in the past two decades when the squad for the Test against Zimbabwe is named on Friday.
The England hierarchy have identified the pace department as key to their success in marquee series against India and Australia, but a number of seamers will be unavailable for the one-off Test against the Zimbabweans.
England’s two most experienced pacemen, Mark Wood and Chris Woakes, are out injured, while there will be limited expectations for captain Ben Stokes ‘ workload following hamstring surgery.
The attack will be led by Gus Atkinson, who had not made his Test debut this time last year and has 11 caps. He is likely to be joined in the squad by Matthew Potts (10 caps), Josh Tongue (two) and uncapped Essex man Sam Cook.
A combination in the XI of Atkinson, Tongue and Cook would have 13 caps between them. Not since Zimbabwe’s last Test in this country 22 years ago has England’s pace attack looked so callow at home, when Steve Harmison, James Anderson and Richard Johnson had a combined seven caps.
Indeed, England have played only one home Test without any of Woakes, Anderson or Stuart Broad in the past 18 years.
Although Zimbabwe are improving – they have just earned a creditable 1-1 series draw in Bangladesh – England will be overwhelming favourites to win the four-day Test when it begins on 22 May.
Woakes has not played yet this season because of an ankle problem, while Wood is out until July following knee surgery.
Brydon Carse remains sidelined with a foot problem and Olly Stone will not play before the back end of the summer after his own knee operation. Ollie Robinson, who has won 20 Test caps, has not played for England in more than a year and lost his central contract in October.
All-rounder Stokes, with 210 Test wickets, has more scalps than any other active England bowler, though his bowling is likely to be restricted. An injury sustained in the third Test against New Zealand in December was the second time in five months the talismanic captain had hurt his left hamstring.
Stokes will look to build his bowling in the run-up to the India series, when England will hope to have Woakes and Carse available. Jofra Archer could play his first red-ball game in four years for England Lions against India A in June. Speaking on Wednesday, Wood did not rule out a return for the conclusion of the India series.
For now, Atkinson will lead the attack following his stunning debut year in Test cricket while Potts played in England’s last Test in New Zealand.
Tongue has not played for England for two years because of injuries but has enjoyed a superb start to the season with Nottinghamshire.
Cook, 27, has been the outstanding bowler in domestic cricket for some time, grabbing 318 first-class wickets at an average under 20.
He is not blessed with high pace and has had to wait for his chance, yet an indication an England call-up was on the horizon came when it was requested he be rested from Essex’s Championship match against Somerset last month.
If England feel they want further pace cover in the squad, it could come from 20-year-old left-armer Josh Hull, who made his Test debut last summer, or Hampshire’s exciting prospect Sonny Baker. Baker has played only three first-class matches but was given an England development contract in February.
Other areas of selection look more straightforward. Jamie Smith will return behind the stumps after missing the tour of New Zealand on paternity leave, while there is no suggestion Shoaib Bashir’s place as the number one spinner is under threat.
Graham Norton has put his luxurious London home up for sale for a cool £4.5million after admitting he wanted a change and said he was ‘ finally feeling brave enough ‘ to make that step
Graham said he wanted a change(Image: Matt Crossick/PA Wire/PA Images)
Graham Norton has put his luxury London home on sale for nearly £5million. The Eurovision host has reportedly decided to put the four-bedroom home up for sale and it is being listed for a huge £4.95million.
The sprawling property is on the banks of the River Thames and he has been living there for two decades but Graham is believed to fancy a change. The incredible property is four storeys tall and has a stunning view of the river as well as a riverside garden.
The property features no less than two reception rooms and five bathrooms and it has some stunning double height ceilings as well a rather unique feature; an internal patio courtyard garden, the Mail Online reports.
Speaking about making the decision, he told The Sunday Times recently: “We’ve been thinking about it for a couple of years and I finally feel brave enough to make a huge change to my life.
Eurovision favourite Graham Norton is selling his home(Image: Anthony Devlin/Getty Images)
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“My favourite times have definitely been enjoying a drink sitting by the river on a summer’s evening. My least favourite memory in the house was that time one of the dogs got stuck in a neighbour’s shrub.”
The stunning property is described by estate agents Knight and Frank as a” beautifully presented and unique home “which is” in a prime and central Wapping setting “and is” incredibly rare “to the market.
The property has the charm and character of a period Georgian town house whilst there is also lots of open space – mainly thanks to the additional detached former warehouse, which gives it a loft-like space.
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Describing the property, they write:” This Georgian home offers versatile space over four floors, comprising eight main rooms and currently features a welcoming and generously sized entrance lobby, two reception rooms, a principal suite with a vast ensuite bathroom that occupies the entire top floor, there are two double bedrooms both with ensuite shower rooms, a further double bedroom, a guest W/C, and a well-planned kitchen.
“The rear adjoining building incorporates extensive space over two floors, offering double heights ceilings, lots of natural light and plenty of charm. There is large open plan living accommodation dominating the upper floor which has vaulted ceilings, views of the river and direct access to the rear garden. The lower part features a shower room, a useful large storage room and a lounge.The generously sized riverside garden is owned and well-maintained by the residents’ management company.”
More than 540 people have been killed in Sudan’s North Darfur in just three weeks as paramilitaries intensify their attritional battle for the regional capital of el-Fasher, according to the United Nations.
“The horror unfolding in Sudan knows no bounds,” said Volker Turk, the UN high commissioner for human rights, in a statement on the devastating impact of the two-year civil war published on Thursday, signalling that the death toll of 542 over the past three weeks was likely “much higher”.
Darfur in particular has been a key battleground in the brutal war that erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which has left tens of thousands dead, uprooted more than 12 million and created what the UN describes as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
The RSF, which lost Khartoum last month, has in recent weeks mounted multiple attacks on el-Fasher and the nearby refugee camps of Zamzam and Abu Shouk, triggering an exodus of hundreds of thousands of people 60km (37 miles) across the desert to the town of Tawila.
Sudan’s presidential palace in central Khartoum was shelled Thursday by the RSF, a military source told the AFP news agency, the second such attack on the capital in a week.
Turk pointed to a new attack three days ago by the RSF on el-Fasher and Abu Shouk that killed at least 40 civilians.
He said he feared further violence after the RSF issued a warning of further “bloodshed” ahead of “imminent battles”, adding that civilians “trapped amid dire conditions” in and around el-Fasher needed to be protected.
Turk’s statement came as the RSF was on the cusp of seizing control of the strategic city of al-Nuhud in West Kordofan, a gateway to the Darfur region, held by Sudan’s army since the start of the conflict.
Reporting from Khartoum, Al Jazeera’s Hiba Morgan said that both sides viewed the city as crucial for gaining the upper hand in the conflict.
“It’s clear that the RSF does not want the army to try to launch attacks on its positions in Darfur, especially since the army has been saying that it wants to retake cities in Darfur … and they want to break the RSF’s siege of el-Fasher,” she said.
‘Extremely disturbing’
Turk also highlighted “reports of extrajudicial executions in Khartoum state”, which he described as “extremely disturbing”.
He described videos circulating on social media that showed at least 30 men in civilian clothing being rounded up and shot by armed men in RSF uniforms in the al-Salha area in the country’s second-largest city, Omdurman.
In a subsequent video “an RSF field commander acknowledged the killings”, he said.
The videos followed “shocking reports” of the “extrajudicial execution of dozens of people accused of collaborating with the RSF in southern Khartoum in recent weeks”, which had allegedly been committed by the Al-Baraa Bin Malik Brigade, a pro-SAF armed rebel group, according to Turk.
The conflict between SAF, led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the RSF’s Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Daglo has divided Sudan in two, with the army holding sway in the north and east, while the RSF controls most of Darfur and parts of the south.
One of the world’s most endangered amphibians – the primordial and fish-like axolotl – has successfully adapted to a new environment after being released into artificial wetlands in Mexico, scientists say.
In a study that provides hope for the survival of the Ambystoma mexicanuma, a creature that has been pushed to the brink of extinction by pollution and human activity, scientists recently released 18 captive-bred axolotls into two artificial wetlands close to Mexico City.
Researchers fitted the smiley-face amphibians with trackers and found they were feeding at both sites. Lead researcher Alejandra Ramos from the Autonomous University of Baja California told the BBC it was an “amazing result”.
The findings were published in the journal PLoS One and suggest the axolotl can be successfully restored to its native habitat.
What is the axolotl?
Legend has it that the axolotl was not always an amphibian. Long before it became Mexico’s most beloved salamander, it was believed to be the embodiment of the Aztec god of fire and lightning, Xolotl.
While there are no official estimates on its current population, the species – which is endemic to central Mexico – was classed as “critically endangered” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species in 2019.
They breathe through their gills and skin, which allows them to adapt to their aquatic environment. They can also regenerate parts of their heart, spinal cord and brain.
The salamander’s skin is typically dark although an albino variety can be bred. They can stay stock still for hours in their natural habitat, buried in mud to conserve energy and wait for prey.
In their main stronghold, Lake Xochimilco, located in the southern part of Mexico City, axolotl numbers have plummeted by 99.5 percent in less than two decades. In 1998, researchers estimated there were 6,000 axolotls per square kilometre in Lake Xochimilco. By 2014, this number had dropped to just 36.
An albino axolotl [Shutterstock]
How at risk is the axolotl?
Mexico is a biodiversity hotspot for amphibians and reptiles owing to its unique and varied habitats from tropical rainforests and deserts to cloud forests and temperate woodlands.
The waters of Xochimilco, once used for traditional farming and flushed with spring water from the mountains, used to teem with large, smiley-faced axolotls.
But pollution from Mexico City’s expanding urban sprawl has damaged the water quality of the city’s canals, which flow into the lakes. Furthermore, rainbow trout, which have escaped from nearby farms, have displaced axolotls in lakes around the capital and eaten their food.
Researchers have also found that increasing numbers of axolotls have died from chytrid fungus, a skin-eating disease causing a catastrophic reduction in amphibian numbers in other parts of the world from Europe to Australia. The fungus has also been found in Mexico although it is not yet a major problem.
Climate change is another factor threatening the axolotl as even small shifts in temperature and rainfall can disrupt ecosystems and erode biodiversity.
In 2013, scientists voiced fears that they might disappear altogether by 2025.
The axolotl isn’t the only species in Mexico facing an uncertain future. The pine forest stream frog, the clarion night snake and the Mexican alligator lizard are some of the other species that are also critically endangered.
How was the conservation effort for axolotls carried out?
To lay the foundations for the rewilding project, researchers meticulously monitored the ecology of the axolotls to establish their ideal living conditions.
Then they worked with local farmers and a team of volunteers to create wetland “refuges”, or artificial wetlands, near Xochimilco by installing natural filtering systems to clean the water.
The scientists then released the amphibians into two types of wetland environments: restored natural wetlands and the artificial wetlands designed specifically for conservation purposes.
These environments differ in their ecological structure, water chemistry and temperatures, variables that are critical determinants of amphibian physiology and behaviour.
The axolotls were tagged with radio tracking devices to keep tabs on the amphibians. One of the key findings from the study was the axolotls’ ability to navigate and inhabit both artificial and restored wetland ecosystems effectively.
While biologists and officials have led efforts to save the species and its habitat from extinction, a parallel, unexpected preservation phenomenon has emerged in recent years as the creature has benefitted from an unexpected resurgence of interest.
The axolotl attracted international attention after the Minecraft computer game added the creature in 2021. That same year, the Bank of Mexico also decided to print an image of the animal on the 50-peso bill.
Axolotls can now be spotted all over Mexico on murals, clothing and as children’s toys. Some bakeries have caused a sensation with their axolotl-shaped cakes and biscuits.
“If we lose this species, we lose part of our Mexican identity,” co-lead researcher Luis Zambrano from the National University of Mexico told the BBC.
The axolotl and Lake Xochimilco are represented on Mexico’s 50 Pesos 2021 Banknotes [Shutterstock]
Could other amphibians be saved too?
Climate change, habitat loss and outbreaks of disease have taken their toll on amphibians around the world. Half of all amphibian species are in decline while a third are threatened with extinction.
The team overseeing the axolotl study said public funding is key to preventing the loss of other species as well.
Over his six-year term, however, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who was in office from 2018 to 2024, reduced funding to the Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources by 35 percent.
While scientists involved in the project hope to restore the axolotl’s population, they also highlighted the need for government, business and individual engagement.
The sound of the alboka cascading through Basque villages once acted as a call to neighbours that a festival was about to begin. These days, with Athletic Club hitting the right notes in Europe and La Liga, the thrum of the traditional horn usually precedes a carnival atmosphere at San Mames.
As it peters out the txalaparta begins, the clunk of sticks on a wooden plank echo around the 53,000-capacity arena before the iconic club anthem kicks in: “For all of us you are ours. Because you were born from the people…”
“It sums up the core idea and philosophy of Athletic, this idea that players have a closer tie to the club they are representing,” explains Basque journalist Benat Gutierrez.
“The link is tighter because you generally know someone who knows someone whose kid or neighbour has climbed the different levels of Athletic before playing for the first team.”
Manchester United head to Bilbao on Thursday for a semi-final first leg knowing if they are to win the Europa League two of their potential three remaining games in the competition will come at San Mames, which will also host the final on Wednesday, 21 May.
It is a truly unique and iconic stadium. One that bears an almost spiritual aura and has thus been nicknamed The Cathedral – fans still worship Saint Mammes at the site of an old shrine next door, the third-century orphan who pacified the lions sent to kill him. It’s why Athletic are known as “Los Leones”, The Lions.
San Mames is a symbol of Basque identity, just as Athletic have become a Basque institution through their philosophy of only fielding players who are born or raised in the region. “Unique in the world,” they call it.
Families visit together, club memberships are passed down through generations like heirlooms. The players representing Athletic on the field were once those decked in red and white in the stands.
“Every time I step on the pitch I feel like I’m living the dream of that little boy who used to go to the stadium with his parents and who dreamed of one day being able to play football at San Mames,” explains young midfielder Mikel Jauregizar. “You know what the club means to everyone who’s there. I feel a very strong connection with our fans.”
It is a stadium where tradition prevails. From Basque rituals such as the alboka and txalaparta, to the ‘Txoria Txori’, when players embrace after the game and sing in unison with the fans, to other chants in the language about “losing your beard”.
Getty Images
“Fans are close to the pitch and really in sync with the players,” explains Gaizka Atxa, founder of a supporters’ group named after Fred Pentland, a legendary former English coach of the club.
“The environment is usually overwhelming for rivals that come to San Mames. It’s intimidating, especially in La Liga. In Spain, I don’t think there’s a similar type of environment.”
The San Mames experience, though, begins long before kick-off. On the bar-lined ‘Poza’, supporters dripping in red and white go through their pre-match routines, meeting for drinks and pintxos, buying their sandwiches for half-time, something of an Athletic tradition.
“When Athletic is performing really well, the pre-match atmosphere is second to none,” says Atxa. “People are always socialising, friends getting together and trying to have a good time and enjoy themselves, that experience of hanging out before the match, that’s really what a lot of fans really like.
“Once you get into the Athletic culture, people really enjoy the socialising before the match and that really gets you into a good spirit.”
Built on the site of the old stadium, the new San Mames, opened in 2013, is both ideally located within walking distance of the city and a stone’s throw from the River Nervion.
It’s a site packed with history and one where legends are celebrated.
A statue of former goalkeeper and captain Jose Angel Iribar stands in front of the ground – it was Iribar and Real Sociedad captain Inaxio Kortabarria who carried a banned Basque flag on to the pitch before a derby in December 1976, following the death of Spanish general Francisco Franco.
Meanwhile, the bust of Rafael Moreno Aranzadi, better known as Pichichi, Athletic’s prolific forward in the early 20th century who La Liga’s top goalscorer award is named after, sits at the entrance of the players’ tunnel.
“With Pichichi, we are talking about a legend, one of the most iconic players for Athletic and someone who transcends Athletic to be an important piece of Spanish football culture,” says Gutierrez.
“Iribar goes even beyond that. He is a legend, but he is currently the embodiment of the values of Athletic. He is the most important representative of the club.
Getty Images
Manchester United of course have their own history at San Mames. Matt Busby’s side lost 5-3 in the European Cup quarter-final first leg during rare snowfall in Bilbao in January 1957, but won the reverse leg 3-0 – at rivals City’s Maine Road – to progress.
The clubs met again in the 2012 Europa League last 16, a year before the new ground opened, when Marcelo Bielsa’s side beat Sir Alex Ferguson’s outfit over two legs on their way to the final, where they were beaten by Atletico Madrid.
It was the second time the Basque side have finished runners-up in the competition, having lost over two legs on away goals to Juventus in 1977.
This season, having ended the club’s 40-year trophy drought with the Copa del Rey last summer, there is the added incentive of trying to win a first European trophy at their own, iconic home.
“Even though we’re a humble team, we are very competitive and we always want to win,” says Atxa. “We need to show the world of football that Athletic can stand out with its philosophy against the best.
“Every time we play in San Mames, the first thing I think is ‘let’s make it another 100 years like this’. Every game is another in which we can compete at a high level with a unique philosophy.
