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"Goalden Girls" reads the front page of the Metro, the day after England put three past Australia to reach the Women's World Cup final. They will play Spain in Sydney on Sunday for a shot at the biggest prize in the sport.
The Daily Mirror crowns the England team "The History Girls". The semi-final win against Australia makes them the first England women's team to make it to the final.
The front page of the i is dominated by an image of England's "wonder women". It also carries a story about an expected rise in appeals from A-level students when they get their results on Thursday, with marking boundaries back to pre-Covid levels for the first time.
England are "dreaming of 66", says the Daily Star, harking back to the men's World Cup victory 57 years ago.
Australia's Matildas "wilted" before England, the Sun says. England had to beat the co-hosts in front of a hostile crowd to reach the final.
"Dare we dream?" asks the Express. England fans are already starting - London's fan zones sold out in eight minutes on Wednesday.
The Mail leads with the announcement that artefacts at the British Museum have been reported "missing, stolen or damaged". A member of staff has been sacked after gold, jewellery and gems of semi-precious stones went missing.
The Daily Telegraph describes the stolen artefacts as "priceless". Its front page also features an interview with Education Secretary Gillian Keegan, who has used A-level results day to urge absent pupils to return to school, with the numbers not attending still higher than before the pandemic.
The Times leads on an interview with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who has pledged to end the cost of living crisis. It also says Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman is "expected" to make an official trip to the UK later this year.
Prices did not fall as quickly as expected in July, the Financial Times reports. The news will put pressure on the Bank of England as it decides whether a further interest rate rise is needed to dampen inflation, the paper says.
Rishi Sunak remains committed to the pension "triple lock" despite "surging" costs, says the Guardian. It says the guarantee will cost the Treasury £2.5bn more than it had forecast next year.
England's victory over Australia to reach the final of the women's World Cup dominates the front (and back) of Thursday's papers.
The headline in the Daily Mirror reads: "The history girls." The i calls them "wonder women". "Goal-den girls" reads the front page of the Metro.
The Daily Express says the Lionesses "look ready to end England's 57 years of hurt" - a reference to the fact this is the first time either the men's or the women's side has got to a World Cup final since 1966. The thought prompts the paper to ask "dare we dream?" about Sunday's final. The Daily Telegraph is more confident, with the headline "football's coming home", saying only a fool would bet against England.
Some papers also report that the tournament is expected to give the UK economy a £185m boost as fans head out to celebrate. The Times says some pubs are struggling because, while the final against Spain kicks off at 11am UK time, their licences do not permit the sale of alcohol before noon on a Sunday. Hospitality groups say there is nothing to stop these venues opening for breakfast and serving soft drinks.
Image source, PA Media
Image caption,England triumphed over Australia on Wednesday to progress to the final of the women's World Cup
Education Secretary Gillian Keegan is urging absent pupils to return to school, saying in the Daily Telegraph that it is her top priority for the next academic year.
Figures show more children than ever are missing from the classroom after the Covid pandemic. Ms Keegan says she would not describe what is happening with attendance as truancy, more that some young people have lost their confidence - but stresses support is available.
Defending his economic plans, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has told the Times he is "really optimistic" that people across Britain will feel better off next year. He says he "passionately" believes he can bring down inflation and revive economic growth. Figures published on Wednesday show inflation went down from 7.9% to 6.8% in July.
"PM stands by pension triple lock despite surging costs," is the headline in the Guardian. The paper says there are signs the scheme could cost the Treasury an extra £10bn next year - £2.5bn more than was estimated in the spring budget. Mr Sunak says the government is committed to the policy.
Image source, Reuters
Image caption,Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, is to visit the UK for the first time since the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, according to the Times
The Times reports that Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, is expected to visit Britain this autumn. The paper says the move to, as it says, "welcome the prince back into the international fold" could be contentious. It would be the Crown Prince's first trip to the UK since the murder of the journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, who was killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018. A Downing Street source says no date is in the diary.
The Daily Mail features a story about pen pals who have met for the first time - 68 years after they started writing letters to each other.
For her 80th birthday, Patsy Gregory from Lancashire was given tickets by her children to make the 4,000 mile journey to visit Carol-Anne Krause at her home in the US state of South Carolina. They described meeting each other as emotional but natural - as they had discussed their daily lives with each other for almost seven decades.

2 years ago
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