Gary Lineker has "apologised unreservedly" for sharing a social media post critical of Zionism that included an illustration of a rat.

After critics accused the BBC football presenter of propagating antisemitic imagery, Lineker insisted he hadn't noticed the rat, was unaware of its use in anti-Jewish propaganda and would "never knowingly share anything antisemitic".

Why are rats thought of as an antisemitic symbol?
Jews were frequently represented as pestilent species such as rats and cockroaches in Germany as the Nazi Party rose to power. Der Stürmer, a weekly newspaper notorious for its antisemitism, depicted a Nazi gassing Jewish "rats" huddled around the base of a tree in one cover image from as early as 1927. "When the vermin are dead," the caption said, "the German oak will flourish once more."

Rats have frequently been used to dehumanise other targets, most notably migrants and refugees. 

What other animals have been used?
Snakes are often associated with "malevolence" and "hidden unfriendly intentions", said the Dangerous Street Project. Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, US propaganda depicted Japan as a snake attacking an American bald eagle. 

During the 1994 Rwandan genocide, Hutu media referred to Tutsis as "snakes" and "cockroaches". More recently, Palestinians have been compared to snakes on Israeli social media, to "dehumanise" them, said Turkey's Anadolu news agency.

The comparisons can also be more general. In Hungary, Roma people have been described as animals "not fit to live among people", said Der Spiegel.

Why are animal metaphors so common?
Depicting enemies as subhuman dates as far back as Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, author David Livingstone Smith told NPR. But the strategy gained prominence in the 18th century, when white Europeans "placed themselves at the very pinnacle" of a hierarchy, portraying sub-Saharan Africans and Native Americans as "soulless animals". This "dramatic dehumanisation" enabled "great atrocities".

Studies have confirmed that when we ignore or deny a human's capacity to feel, it is easier to be abusive towards them. "Once someone is dehumanised", said psychology researcher Allison Skinner-Dorkenoo on The Conversation, we "deny them the consideration, compassion and empathy" that we would usually give other human beings.

Everton's motto declares that "nothing but the best is good enough" – and the Premier League club's move to a "sparkling new stadium" in Liverpool puts that to the test, said The Guardian.

After 133 years at Goodison Park, the men's team will play their final match there on Sunday before moving to nearby Bramley-Moore Dock. 

'Birth of a new club'
A new stadium has become "akin to a financial free kick" for clubs, promising increased capacity and "chunky revenue streams for decades to come", said The Guardian. After years of languishing mid-table or worse in the league, Everton fans are hoping for the "birth of a new club", while the women's team move into Goodison Park.

Everton's new "52,888-seater behemoth" is already being considered as a venue for non-sporting events such as concerts, said Liverpool's The Post. That income could go towards signing new players and new contracts for existing ones.

Everton forecasts that Bramley-Moore Dock will bring a "£1 billion boost to the city's economy", said Sky Sports, and provide "up to 15,000 jobs for local people". An estimated 1.4 million people are expected to visit Liverpool each year to attend matches. 

'Glory of Goodison Park'
But that boost comes at a cost. Liverpool was stripped of its Unesco World Heritage status in 2021 because of the development along the city's historic waterfront, which includes the new stadium.

Rival club Liverpool FC chose to forego the "profitable opportunities" offered by a new stadium in favour of redeveloping their existing ground, and got the best of both worlds. Anfield retained its reputation as a football "fortress" while the investment cemented a future of "sustained success", said Football Ground Map.

It's also unlikely fans will find the "glory of Goodison Park" elsewhere, former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy told the Daily Mail. West Ham's transfer from Upton Park to the London Stadium in 2016 delivered a "very dull atmosphere", said The Athletic. The nostalgic aroma of "onions, burgers and chips" was replaced by a "sanitised" and "apathetic" experience for fans.

Opening up about Arsenal's move from Highbury to the Emirates Stadium in 2006, the manager at the time, Arsène Wenger, later admitted: "We left our soul at Highbury."

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Wiltshire: Old School House, Fisherton De La Mere, Warminster
A spacious and charming Grade II period residence occupying a stunning elevated position in the heart of the picturesque Wylye Valley.3 beds, 2 baths, kitchen/dining room, 2 receps, gardens, parking. £1 million

Devon: Warren Cottage, Noss Mayo, Plymouth
This Grade II retreat once served as a coastal pavilion. 3 beds, family bath, shower room, kitchen, breakfast/dining room, 2 receps, summer house, approx. 1.1 acres of grounds. £750,000

Devon: St Pancras, The Rousdon Estate
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Saudi Arabia is executing more people than ever
Taha al-Hajji in Foreign Policy
Donald Trump "said the quiet part out loud" when he promised Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman no more "lectures" on "how to govern your own affairs", writes human rights lawyer Taha al-Hajji. That "translates as 'kill as many people as you want, for whatever reason'". Executions are surging in Saudi but the US president has "made it clear" that, as far as the White House is concerned, the regime has "total impunity".

Leaving the ECHR can become Badenoch's big cause
Sebastian Payne in The Times
When it comes to illegal migration, Keir Starmer is "writing cheques that his government can't cash", writes Sebastian Payne. The prime minister is stymied by "the UK's adherence to the European Convention on Human Rights", yet his "youthful idealisation of human rights law" means he's "never going to countenance" leaving the institution. This is where Kemi Badenoch should swoop in, if she can come up with a "viable plan" for tackling this "crisis".

Beckxit is the celebrity soap opera we didn't know we needed
Judith Woods in The Telegraph
Beckxit is the "new portmanteau du jour", writes Judith Woods. It perfectly "encapsulates the pity party being held" by "over-privileged, under-achieving" Brooklyn Beckham amid reports of a family bust-up. Yes, the tabloid "tittle tattle" is "beneath all of us" but "the nation needs gaiety". Since Ancient Greek times, "blood feuds" have been "the stuff of high drama", so "is it so very wrong to enjoy the spectacle, even if occasionally from behind the cushions on the sofa"?