Prices Down, Demand Down: Leicester Shoe Firm Faces Possible Closure as Scottish Politician Passes, Joshua Mourns Friends, and English Clubs Dominate Champions League

EXCERPT: A Leicester-based family shoe firm with a 73-year history, known for making Prince George's baby shoes, warns it might close due to decreasing demand and increasing prices. Meanwhile, Scotland's first deputy first minister, Lord Jim Wallace, passed away at the age of 71. Anthony Joshua paid an emotional tribute to his late friends, while English football clubs dominated the Champions League with their financial power and strategic know-how.

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A Leicester-based family-owned shoe company, known for producing Prince George's baby shoes, faces the possibility of closure due to decreasing demand and increasing production costs. The firm, which has been in business for 73 years, has been hit hard by economic changes, according to a BBC report.

Meanwhile, in Scotland, Lord Jim Wallace, the former Scottish Liberal Democrat leader, passed away at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh after undergoing a procedure. He was 71 years old. Wallace's political career spanned several decades, and he served as Scotland's first deputy first minister from 1999 to 2001.

In other news, Anthony Joshua, the British professional boxer and two-time heavyweight world champion, shared an emotional YouTube video expressing gratitude to his fans for their support following the tragic deaths of his two close friends in a car crash in Nigeria.

In the world of football, BBC Sport football expert Chris Sutton took on boxer Francesca Hennessy and an AI in predicting this week's Premier League fixtures. Sutton's predictions faced stiff competition from the AI's data-driven analysis.

In more legal news, Diezani Alison-Madueke, a former Nigerian oil minister, denied five counts of accepting bribes and a charge of conspiracy to commit bribery in a London court.

Crystal Palace's £50m move for Wolves striker Jorgen Strand Larsen was in jeopardy after the Eagles suggested they might back out of the deal, according to multiple sources.

English football clubs have dominated this season's Champions League with their financial power and strategic know-how, as reported by The Guardian. Premier League clubs have always had the money, but now they also have the brains and the game plans to outmaneuver their European rivals.

Planning applications for new homes in England have risen significantly, but home building remains low, according to new data, as reported by The Times. The data suggests that while there is a growing demand for new housing, the actual construction of new homes is lagging behind.

Jofra Archer, the English cricket star, was named in the England side to face Sri Lanka in the first T20 match after recovering from injury. Archer's return to the team was met with excitement and anticipation.

Finally, the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, will face no action over a sexual abuse case, according to the Church's president of tribunals. Cottrell "had no power to remove or suspend David Tudor from ministry," the tribunals president stated.

Sources:

• BBC (Sources 1, 2, 4, 9)
• The Guardian (Source 6)
• The Times (Source 8)
• The Telegraph (Source 5)
• The Mirror (Source 3)