Hero
England footballer Mason Mount, who gave a 10-year-old girl his shirt after the team’s semi-final win against Denmark at Wembley. Belle McNally had been infatuated with the midfielder, 22, since he waved at her from the team’s bus at the start of the tournament. He then spotted her at the front of the stands during his victory lap. Her father told The Times that she cried into the shirt all the way home, then wore it to bed and to school the next morning.
Villains
TikTok mumfluencers, who have been placing their children on railway tracks to nab the best selfies and videos. They rake in nearly a million views each, but Network Rail says there have been 433 serious incidents since the start of the pandemic.
Hero
The orange peel lamp, created by the Milan design studio Krill. The orange skin is mixed with fermented vegetable starches to make a compostable lamp that gives off a faint citrus aroma when switched on. There’s no shortage of raw materials in Italy: Sicily produces 3% of the world’s oranges.
Hero
Future Meat Technologies, the world’s first lab-grown meat factory, which has just opened. The company claims to generate 80% fewer greenhouse gases and use 96% less water than traditional producers, providing a “guilt-free” meat-eating experience.
Villain
Edinburgh’s new W Hotel, which is “poking its faecal peak above the historic skyline”, says Oliver Wainwright in The Guardian. Despite objection from seven heritage groups, the turd emoji-shaped building now mars the skyline from all angles.
Hero
The sun, which is coming out for our exit from lockdown on 19 July. The Met Office is predicting a two-week heatwave in the latter half of the month.
Hero
Former Eastenders actress Tamzin Outhwaite, who has saved three young children from drowning at a friend’s birthday party in north London. She plunged in with her clothes on, plucked the youngest out first, then rescued the other two before any other adults present had even made it to the pool.