When it comes to decorating our homes, there are the obvious key pieces we simply can’t live without, like a comfortable couch and great bedding. And while we could spend all day picking out affordable art, coffee tables, and house plants to decorate our spaces, there's one item that weaves all of these design elements together into one cohesive aesthetic: the area rug. Considering Amazon is already our one-stop virtual shop for all things fast, easy, and affordable, we scoped out its current floor-covering decor stock to find the best within-budget buys.

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Max Verstappen took pole position for Sunday’s Qatar Grand Prix as the indomitable Dutchman closes in on his third world title. Verstappen will be crowned champion of the world if he finishes at least sixth in Saturday’s 19-lap race at the Lusail International Circuit. And the Red Bull driver started his quest to become just the 11th driver in history to win the title on more than two occasions in typically irresistible fashion by clocking the fastest time in qualifying. In terms of the championship mathematics, Verstappen’s pole lap for Sunday’s main event will be redundant if he secures three points in Saturday’s sprint – the starting order for which will be determined by a second qualifying session here on Saturday afternoon – or Sergio Perez fails finish inside the top three. The probability of both are high. As Verstappen raced to top spot, with George Russell and Lewis Hamilton securing second and third on the grid for Mercedes, Perez failed to make it out of Q2. His best lap, which would have been fast enough to see him sneak through to Q3, was deleted for exceeding track limits at turn five. Perez, in equal machinery to the driver dominating the sport, will start 13th on Sunday. Perez threatened to fight Verstappen for the championship by winning two of the opening four rounds of the season, but the Mexican’s challenge has faded. He has not won since the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on April 30, with Verstappen winning 11 of the next dozen races. Indeed, only a Singapore blip for Red Bull has thwarted this most one-sided of seasons for the Dutchman. He bounced back in impressive fashion to win in Japan last time out and his form under the Lusail lights, 18 miles north of Doha, indicates he will wrap up his third championship in as many years in style. Qualifying did not pass without incident for the 26-year-old following a duel with the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz, who, like Perez, was a surprise casualty in Q2. “What is he doing, man?” Verstappen yelled over the radio. “He is defending. You see that? I almost crashed into him.” The stewards are investigating the Spaniard for erratic driving. Verstappen then aborted his final lap after making a rare mistake, but his first effort was good enough for first place, and he is primed to celebrate his probable title triumph on Saturday by claiming his 14th win from the 17 rounds so far 24 hours later. Behind Verstappen, Lando Norris looked to have taken second place, but his lap was scrubbed after he put all four wheels of his McLaren over the white line, relegating him to 10th. Russell was bumped up to second, one place ahead of Norris’ McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri. However, the Australian’s lap was also chalked off, dropping him to sixth and promoting Hamilton to third. Mercedes will take some comfort from being best of the rest, but Russell still finished four tenths off Verstappen, with Hamilton half-a-second down. Read More Max Verstappen fastest in Qatar practice as he closes in on world championship Fernando Alonso lauds Max Verstappen as best F1 driver since Michael Schumacher Fernando Alonso lauds Max Verstappen as best F1 driver since Michael Schumacher Max Verstappen pips Oscar Piastri to pole after tense qualifying for Japanese GP Lando Norris narrows gap on Max Verstappen at final practice in Japan F1 Qatar Grand Prix LIVE: Qualifying updates and results at Lusail

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 27, 2023--

Parents can go online to find out what childcare they are eligible for under plans which will see nurseries expanded to provide more places and funding given to councils for wraparound care. Further details of the previously-announced reforms to allow some families of children as young as nine months to claim 30 hours of free childcare a week – set out by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt in the March Budget – have been announced. The Department for Education said parents in England can visit an eligibility checker online to see what they are entitled to, depending on their earnings and their child’s age. The Government said £100 million is being made available for nursery and early years places, with funding intended to support childcare settings to increase their physical space, which the department said is anticipated to add thousands of new places across the country. Following Mr Hunt’s target for all schools to be able to offer care either side of the school day by September 2026, local authorities will also now be getting details of how much of the £289 million wraparound fund they will receive – based on “anticipated need”. Early years leaders had previously expressed concerns that nurseries and childminders could struggle to deliver additional places for younger children from next year if the funding provided by the Government does not meet rising costs. The offer of free childcare for working parents will be available to those with two-year-olds from April 2024, covering around half a million parents, but it will initially be limited to 15 hours. From September 2024, the 15-hour offer will be extended to children from nine months, helping a total of nearly a million parents, and the full 30-hour offer to all under-fives will come in from September 2025. This is the largest investment in childcare in our history, so I encourage people with young children or those thinking about starting a family to visit the Childcare Choices website to find out what they’re eligible for Education Secretary Gillian Keegan Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said: “No-one should have to choose between having a career and having a family, so I’m determined that every parent who wants it should have access to the childcare they need. “Flexibility is at the heart of our plans to transform childcare for families, whether it’s offering quality childcare out of school hours or making sure there are more early years places where they’re needed most. “This is the largest investment in childcare in our history, so I encourage people with young children or those thinking about starting a family to visit the Childcare Choices website to find out what they’re eligible for.” Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, said that far more investment is needed. “Unfortunately, the money behind this expansion is a fraction of what is required. Our members are also questioning where they will find the additional staff,” he said. “There is a real danger that the Government’s promises could fall short in reality if they don’t urgently look again at the funding and resources.” Helen Hayes, Labour’s shadow children and early years minister, added: “Without more details about whether this is new money, how many places it will provide and how new childcare will be staffed this pledge isn’t worth the paper it’s written on. “The Conservatives have overseen a dramatic fall in the number of childcare providers and places – they simply cannot be trusted to deliver the change in childcare that families need and deserve.” The department also said the childminder start-up grant scheme will open for applications by the end of November. The grant – £600 for those who register with Ofsted and £1,200 for those who register with a childminder agency – is aimed at boosting the numbers of childminders working to offer parents more flexible childcare. Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride said: “Boosting employment is key to growing our economy, and the extra money provided for parents on Universal Credit will give them the flexibility and security they need to find a job, support their children and reap the benefits of work. “I encourage every parent to access this resource to see what help is available and to talk to one of the thousands of Work Coaches in our Jobcentres who are there to help them find work or enhance their skills.” Parents can visit childcarechoices.gov.uk to use the eligibility checker. Read More Is scalp exfoliation the key to healthier hair? Why do some people love horror movies? TikTok influencers warn about ‘potent’ steroid cream risks among black women – dermatologist explains the risks House of the Year 2023 shortlist revealed by Royal Institute of British Architects Fatima Whitbread supporting new fostering campaign, as research finds ‘misconceptions put people off’ 5 key coat trends to complete your autumn/winter wardrobe

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Max Verstappen recorded a dominant victory at the Spanish Grand Prix as Lewis Hamilton and George Russell finished second and third for Mercedes. Verstappen led all 66 laps at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya to record his fifth win from the opening seven rounds and extend his championship lead. Hamilton started fourth but finished runner-up, with team-mate Russell completing the podium places on a strong afternoon for the Silver Arrows. Sergio Perez secured fourth spot after moving ahead of Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz with a dozen laps remaining. Verstappen’s title lead over his Red Bull team-mate now stands at 53 points, with a week off before the next round in Canada on June 18. A day on from crushing his opposition to take pole, Verstappen held off the advances off Sainz on the long run to the opening corner and from there, his 40th career victory, which takes him just one shy of Ayrton Senna’s career tally, never looked in doubt. Red Bull have won all seven rounds this year, and 17 of the last 18 races contested, and their stranglehold on the sport shows few signs of easing. Mercedes have endured a turbulent season in their pursuit of Red Bull, but the Brackley team will take significant pleasure from their performance here. The seven-time world champion, who started fourth, survived a prang with Lando Norris on the second corner. Hamilton leapfrogged his countryman off the start-line before Norris nibbled at the Mercedes’ gearbox, and broke his front wing in the process. The McLaren man was forced to stop for repairs. Hamilton lost a position to Lance Stroll, but on lap eight he was back ahead of the Aston Martin driver. Further behind and Russell, who started 12th following a bizarre collision with Hamilton in qualifying, was on the move, too. After ending the opening lap in seventh, Russell cleared Fernando Alonso, before slipstreaming his way ahead of Alpine’s Esteban Ocon. On lap 15, Sainz stopped for rubber, promoting Hamilton to second, with Verstappen eight seconds up the road. Nine laps later, Hamilton made his first stop, dropping him back behind Sainz, with Russell pitting for fresh rubber on the next lap. But the Mercedes men, in their upgraded machines, were flying on new tyres, and on lap 28, Hamilton roared past Sainz to assume second position. Seven laps later, Russell was also ahead of the Ferrari man following a fine move down the Spaniard’s inside at Turn 1. “Solid work,” was the verdict of Russell’s race engineer, Marcus Dudley. “Just solid?” replied Russell. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff was next on the radio. “It was pretty good,” the Austrian said. Mercedes hauled Hamilton and Russell in for a second pit-stop, but the team-mates, hung on to second and third on the road, with both Verstappen and Perez also needing a second change of tyres. Verstappen was handed the black and white flag for exceeding track limits, but took a bonus point for setting the fastest lap, and crossed the line 24 seconds clear of Hamilton, who finished eight seconds ahead of team-mate Russell. Stroll was sixth, one spot ahead of home favourite Alonso, who, despite a move on Ocon in the latter stages, provided the packed grandstands with little to cheer as he registered his worst finish of the season. Charles Leclerc finished only 12th on a weekend to forget for the Ferrari driver, with Norris, who qualified third, 18th, following his first-lap accident. “It is a big pleasure to drive a car like this,” Verstappen said afterwards. “It showed again today. A win here is incredible. “I had another strong weekend and that is what I like and hopefully we can keep that up throughout the year.” Hamilton said: “What a result for our team. We definitely did not expect that, so I want to take my hat off to the team and everyone back at the factory. “The Red Bulls are still ahead but we will keep working at it and chasing them down.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Max Verstappen tops rain-hit final practice for Spanish Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton toils in 12th as Max Verstappen and Red Bull dominate in Spain Fernando Alonso: Hamilton can win eighth title but Verstappen can break records