Connect with us
DAPA Banner

NewsBeat

Meningitis vaccine update as health response expanded following outbreak

Published

on

Daily Record

The UK Health Security Agency has confirmed a meningitis outbreak in Kent with two deaths reported

Health officials have released an urgent update regarding the meningitis outbreak in Kent, deciding to expand a targeted rollout of antibiotics and vaccines. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has confirmed that the outbreak, which has sadly resulted in two fatalities, involves the MenB strain and is connected to a student nightclub.

Advertisement

Authorities have announced that eligibility for antibiotics, capable of halting the infection, and the MenB vaccine has been broadened in an attempt to control the spread. Updates on the situation are being provided daily.

Nightclub link and urgent antibiotic push

The outbreak has been partially traced back to people who visited Club Chemistry in Canterbury on March 5, 6 or 7. Anyone who was present – or who has had close contact with a confirmed or suspected case – is strongly encouraged to come forward for preventative antibiotics, which can prevent infection in up to 90% of cases.

Supplies are available at various locations including the University of Kent campus, hospitals and community clinics. Those who have since travelled elsewhere in the UK are being advised to immediately contact their GP to access treatment.

Advertisement

The UKHSA said: “A single course of antibiotics is highly effective in preventing the contraction and spread of this disease in 90% of cases. For MenB, prompt treatment with antibiotics is critical – which is why seeking urgent medical help at the first sign of symptoms is so important.”

Content cannot be displayed without consent

Who will get the vaccine

A targeted immunisation programme is currently in progress, initially concentrating on students residing in halls at the University of Kent’s Canterbury campus. Health officials have indicated that this could be broadened in the forthcoming days depending on the progression of the outbreak.

Importantly, authorities have emphasised that Brits should not hastily seek to pay privately for the vaccine, as current measures – including antibiotics – are deemed the priority.

The UKHSA, which refuted claims of a vaccine shortage, said: “The vaccination programme may be expanded … and further advice on additional cohorts will be provided in the coming days. There are sufficient MenB vaccine stocks and we are working with local partners to ensure effective distribution to those who need it.”

Advertisement

What is MenB – and why it’s dangerous

Meningococcal disease is rare but extremely serious. It can lead to:

  • Meningitis (infection of the brain lining)
  • Sepsis (blood poisoning)

The illness can develop rapidly and become life-threatening within hours.

Unlike highly contagious infections such as COVID-19, MenB spreads through close and prolonged contact, such as:

  • Living together
  • Kissing
  • Sharing drinks or vapes

Key symptoms people must not ignore

Officials are urging the public to remain vigilant and act fast if symptoms appear.

Warning signs include:

  • A rash that does not fade when pressed
  • Sudden high fever
  • Severe headache
  • Stiff neck
  • Vomiting and diarrhoea
  • Sensitivity to light
  • Cold hands and feet
  • Confusion or extreme drowsiness

Anyone experiencing these symptoms is told to seek urgent medical help by calling 999 or going to A&E immediately.

Risk to public ‘low’ – but vigilance essential

UKHSA said the overall risk to the wider public remains low, with efforts focused on tracing close contacts and preventing further spread. However, the agency stressed that speed is critical, with early treatment often lifesaving.

Advertisement

The MenB vaccine – introduced for babies in 2015 – has already led to a 75% reduction in cases amongst vaccinated groups, although it does not protect against all forms of meningitis.

Where to get help and advice

NHS guidance – here

Meningitis Research Foundation (24/7 helpline): 0808 800 3344

Meningitis Now: 0808 80 10 388

Advertisement

Officials say updates will continue to be published daily as the situation evolves.

Source link

Continue Reading
Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

NewsBeat

Swinney says UK Government security briefing cancelled over lack of ‘babysitter’

Published

on

Swinney says UK Government security briefing cancelled over lack of ‘babysitter’

Hitting out at the “unjust and unjustified conflict which is taking place in the Middle East”, Mr Swinney told MSPs during First Minister’s Questions: “If I was to prevent flights from entering Scotland by the appropriate steps that would be necessary, I would need to exercise national security, aviation, air transport, defence and foreign affairs powers.

Source link

Continue Reading

NewsBeat

ABC cancels ‘Bachelorette’ season with Taylor Frankie Paul

Published

on

ABC cancels 'Bachelorette' season with Taylor Frankie Paul

LOS ANGELES (AP) — ABC has scrubbed the upcoming season of “The Bachelorette,” starring Taylor Frankie Paul, three days before its planned premiere, citing a newly released video from 2023 in which she appears to punch, kick and throw chairs at her former partner as her young daughter watched and cried.

Thursday’s cancellation of the already filmed 22nd season of the reality show is unprecedented. While ABC parent company Disney cited the older video, the move comes amid a current domestic violence investigation involving Paul and Dakota Mortensen, father to a son who is the youngest of her three children.

“In light of the newly released video just surfaced today, we have made the decision to not move forward with the new season of ‘The Bachelorette’ at this time, and our focus is on supporting the family,” a statement from Disney Entertainment Television said.

A Paul representative responded that she has been abused for years while remaining silent about it.

Advertisement

Before her “Bachelorette” casting, Paul had already become a reality star through “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” whose production is paused.

In 2023 video published by TMZ Thursday, Mortensen is apparently trying to stave off Paul with one hand while he shoots phone video. She is shown punching him, kicking him then throwing three chairs at him while repeatedly screaming “You did this!”

Advertisement

“The only thing you know how to do is hurt me,” Mortensen says, while repeatedly pleading with Paul and reminding her that her daughter was watching. A child can be heard sobbing, screaming and shouting “mommy!” Paul’s daughter would have been about 5 at the time.

The video was consistent with Paul’s arrest in 2023, when she was charged with aggravated assault and other offenses, including domestic violence in the presence of a child. She pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor assault charge; the other counts were dismissed.

A spokesman for Paul said in a statement Thursday that she is “very grateful for ABC’s support as she prioritizes her family’s safety and security. After years of silently suffering extensive mental and physical abuse as well as threats of retaliation, Taylor is finally gaining the strength to face her accuser and taking steps to ensure that she and her children are protected from any further harm.”

The statement said “Taylor has remained silent out of fear of further abuse, retaliation, and public shaming” and that she is now “exploring all of her options, seeking support, and preparing to own and share her story.”

Advertisement

Mortensen denied wrongdoing.

“As anyone who has seen the video will understand, this is a deeply upsetting situation. I am, unfortunately, used to these baseless claims about me and our relationship, which I categorically deny. I am focusing on our son and his safety, and hope that Taylor will do the same,” his statement said.

A police spokesperson in Draper City, Utah, told People magazine earlier this week that there was an open domestic violence investigation of Paul and Mortensen, and that both have made allegations.

Mortensen’s representatives didn’t immediately answer requests for comment.

Advertisement

ABC will air an “American Idol” rerun Sunday instead.

Paul was promoting “The Bachelorette” as recently as Wednesday on “Good Morning America” and on the red carpet before Sunday’s Oscars.

She was an unusual choice to helm “The Bachelorette,” the reality TV institution that started in 2003. Most leads are cast from previous runners-up from “The Bachelor.”

Her selection instead offered synergy with “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” on Hulu, also owned by Disney. In a statement confirming her “Bachelorette” casting in October, ABC credited Paul with “igniting ‘MomTok’ and going viral for pulling back the curtain on Salt Lake’s soft-swinging scene.”

Advertisement

Paul became known as an influencer in the #MomTok community, a group of women from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sharing their lives on TikTok. She made news when she announced, in 2022, that she had “stepped out” of an agreement with her husband on relationships with other couples and they were getting divorced.

Season 4 of “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” was released last week. Filming of Season 5 has been put on pause.

“It was a decision that all of us girls came up with,” Paul’s co-star Mikayla Matthews said Wednesday on Instagram. “We didn’t feel comfortable filming with everything that was happening.”

Paul posted on Instagram in December that filming had wrapped on “The Bachelorette.”

Advertisement

Her casting was essentially an experiment gone wrong, said Kate Casey, a former crisis communications specialist who has covered unscripted television in more than 1,500 episodes of her podcast “Reality Life with Kate Casey.”

“I think they were trying to shake things up, and it makes sense because the ecosystem is saturated with dating shows like ‘F-Boy Island’ and ‘Love Island’ that push the boundaries and ‘The Bachelor’ and ‘The Bachelorette’ historically have been saccharine,” said Casey.

Casey says network executives probably believed casting Paul would also tap into her 6.1 million-strong TikTok following.

“The thinking was probably, ‘We’re going to get a new audience’ and the new audience is really the most coveted in all of entertainment,” she said.

Advertisement

___

Rancilio reported from Detroit.

Advertisement

Source link

Continue Reading

NewsBeat

Iran-US war live: Israel launches fresh attack as Trump tells Netanyahu not to repeat strikes on Iranian energy

Published

on

Iran-US war live: Israel launches fresh attack as Trump tells Netanyahu not to repeat strikes on Iranian energy

Iran warns of ‘zero restraint’ if energy infra attacked again

Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran will not exercise any restraint if energy facilities were attacked in the war with United States and Israel again.

“Our response to Israel’s attack on our infrastructure employed FRACTION of our power. The ONLY reason for restraint was respect for requested de-escalation,” said Mr Araghchi in a post on X.

“ZERO restraint if our infrastructures are struck again.”

Advertisement

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar20 March 2026 04:27

Father of dead serviceman says he never told Hegseth to ‘finish the job’ in Iran

The father of a dead U.S. serviceman has denied claims by Pete Hegseth that he told the Defense Secretary to “not stop until the job is done” – referring to the war in Iran.

“No, I didn’t say anything along those lines,” Charles Simmons told NBC News in an interview Thursday, recalling his encounter with Hegseth at the Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. “I can’t speak for the other families. When he spoke to me, that was not something we talked about.”

Advertisement

Simmons is the father of 28-year-old Master Sergeant Tyler Simmons, who was among the six crew members killed last week when their refueling plane crashed in Iraq.

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar20 March 2026 04:00

Netanyahu says Israel ‘acted alone’ in Iran gas field attack

Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had acted alone in the bombing of the South Pars gas field and confirmed that US president Trump had asked Israel to hold off on such attacks.

Advertisement

Israel targeted South Pars, prompting Tehran to retaliate with strikes on an energy complex in Qatar and other sites across the Gulf.

Iran is being “decimated” and no longer has the capacity to enrich uranium or make ballistic missiles, but a revolution in the country would require a “ground component,” he said, without elaborating.

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar20 March 2026 03:45

Advertisement

US governor says service members and average Americans will ‘suffer’ from Iran war

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has said US service members and average Americans will “suffer” from the war in Iran.

“I’m very fearful that there will be more troops sent there, that they’ll go into combat”, the Democrat told CNN’s Erin Burnett Thursday night local time. “We’ve got Illinois National Guardspeople, men and women, on the front lines out there. We’ve got members of the military from Illinois also in harm’s way”.

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker in Chicago on November 12, 2025 (Getty Images for Vox Media)

“We don’t need to be in this war. This should end. Now everybody’s gonna suffer, not just the people who are on the front lines, but also people all across the United States who are paying higher prices for gas”, Pritzker added.

Rachel Dobkin20 March 2026 03:30

Advertisement

Israel launches new wave of attack on Iran

Israel launched a fresh wave of attacks on Iran this morning, a day after president Donald Trump told it not to repeat its strikes on Iranian natural gas infrastructure, which sharply escalated the US-Israeli war on Iran.

The conflict has killed thousands of people, spread to neighbouring nations and hit the global economy since the US and Israel launched strikes on 28 February, after talks about Tehran’s nuclear program failed to yield a deal.

“The IDF has just begun a wave of strikes against the infrastructure of the Iranian terror regime in the heart of Tehran,” a spokesperson for the Israeli Defense Forces said, without providing details.

Advertisement

Bahrain, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates said they were dealing with missile attacks in the early hours of Friday, following days of Iranian strikes on regional energy infrastructure that has roiled global markets.

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar20 March 2026 03:20

Full story: Japanese Prime Minister says she and Trump are ‘best buddies’ in remarks following his Pearl Harbor joke

“A stronger Japan and a stronger America, a more prosperous Japan and a more prosperous America. I am very confident that Donald and I are the best buddies to realize this shared goal”, Takaichi said Thursday evening, speaking via a translator before a dinner event at the White House.

Advertisement

The prime minister went on to praise Trump further and even wish his youngest son, Barron Trump, a preemptive “happy birthday” ahead of his 20th birthday on Friday.

It appeared that the awkwardness of the earlier exchange had disappeared.

While answering questions from reporters in the Oval Office, the president was asked by a Japanese reporter why he had not warned U.S. allies, including Japan, about the Iran airstrike campaign, which began on February 28.

Trump replied that he had wanted the strikes to be a “surprise”, before adding, “Who knows better about surprise than Japan?” — in reference to the devastating attack on December 7, 1941, in which Japanese troops bombed the US military base on Oahu in Hawaii.

Advertisement

Mike Bedigan20 March 2026 03:15

US oil prices fall as treasury secretary floats lifting sanctions on Iranian oil

US oil prices fell after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent floated the idea of lifting sanctions on Iranian oil already at sea.

“In the coming days, we may unsanction the Iranian oil that’s on the water. It’s about 140 million barrels”, Bessent said on Fox Business Thursday morning local time.

Advertisement
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in Dallas, Texas, on February 20
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in Dallas, Texas, on February 20 (Getty Images)

US oil prices then dropped 1.56 percent to $94.64 a barrel, CNBC reported.

Oil prices have surged amid the growing conflict in the Middle East as Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway that carries about a fifth of the world’s oil supply.

Rachel Dobkin20 March 2026 03:00

CENTCOM shares photos of US military in action

US Central Command has shared photos of American forces in action amid the Iran war.

Advertisement

Rachel Dobkin20 March 2026 02:30

Qatar shares guidelines for worshippers going to Eid al-Fitr prayer

Qatar has shared guidelines for worshippers going to Eid al-Fitr prayer services amid the Iran war:

  • Arrive at services early to avoid traffic
  • If a mosque is full, go to another mosque. Don’t pray outside
  • If a national warning is issued, those inside a mosque should remain in place. Those outside a mosque should go to the nearest building.
  • At the end of prayer services, leave the mosque in an orderly fashion, avoiding crowding and pushing.

Eid al-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan, the most sacred time of the year for Muslims.

Rachel Dobkin20 March 2026 02:00

Advertisement

UAE says it disrupted ‘terrorist network’ backed by Hezbollah and Iran

The United Arab Emirates has said it disrupted ”a terrorist network funded and operated by” Iran and Lebanon’s Iranian-backed militant group, Hezbollah, the Associated Press reported.

The UAE said the arrested terrorist network operatives were “operating within the country under a fictitious commercial cover and sought to infiltrate the national economy and carry out external schemes threatening the country’s financial stability.”

Rachel Dobkin20 March 2026 01:34

Advertisement

Source link

Continue Reading

NewsBeat

Meningitis outbreak: Students turned away for vaccines in Kent

Published

on

Meningitis outbreak: Students turned away for vaccines in Kent

– Louise Jones-Roberts, who owns Club Chemistry, told PA: “I’m really pleased, I’m over the moon there are more vaccines. I’d like to see it given to all under-25s though. It needs to be looked at right across the country. As for reopening the club, there will come a time when it feels OK to open and we will know when the time is right, but it’s definitely not going to be this weekend.”

Source link

Continue Reading

NewsBeat

What to expect next from the ‘special relationship’ as Trump again lashes out at Keir Starmer

Published

on

What to expect next from the ‘special relationship’ as Trump again lashes out at Keir Starmer

Operation Epic Fury unleashed overwhelming firepower on Iran and a Trump broadside against Britain’s prime minister. The president belittled Keir Starmer as being no comparison to Winston Churchill, raged against caveated British support and placed Britain’s standing as America’s “greatest ally” firmly in the past tense.

Starmer refused the bait. His government is privately contemptuous of the Trump administration. But he still needs to deal with the US president and how he should do that following the recent vitriol is a very live question.

Winston Churchill appropriated the term special relationship after the second world war to refer to the myriad Anglo-American connections. Some were government-to-government, spanning privileged diplomatic, economic, military, nuclear and intelligence cooperation. Others were historical and cultural, from which evolved a sentimental myth of special relations based on uniquely entwined histories, a common language, similar values and so forth.

For 80 years, Britain and the US stood shoulder-to-shoulder in defence of a liberal international order they fashioned from the ruins of war. The US became a hyperpower. Post-imperial Britain settled as a leading medium-sized power. But the song remained the same – at least until the Trump administration’s discordant note.

Advertisement

Brexit made Britain even more dependent on US power. Starmer, therefore, followed almost every prime minister since the second world war in seeking close personal relations with US presidents and the preservation of Britain’s standing as America’s foremost ally.

In fairness, of all the national leaders aspiring to be a “Trump whisperer”, Starmer has been one of the more successful. Routine extensive government-to-government dialogue has been combined with carefully choreographed leveraging of cultural connections to massage the president’s ego. Particularly noteworthy has been recruitment of British royalty to the cause, including the president’s historic second state visit in September 2025.

Still, Trump’s personality and his administration’s policies remain challenging. Starmer risks association with Trump’s political toxicity if he gets too close and will be questioned about whether any rewards from such courtship outweigh the costs.

Fidelity above all else

The Trump administration is anomalous. Unlike previous administrations, it does not consistently work with the British government to put a positive face on Anglo-American relations. The feel-good sentiment generated by the second state visit, for example, dissipated rapidly once Trump carelessly attacked British policies shortly afterwards in the United Nations.

Advertisement

Meanwhile, Trump’s prioritises fidelity above competence and centralises power in his White House. These tendencies, and his suspicion of expertise within the “deep state” weaken Britain’s ability to feed into the American foreign policymaking process.

Trump’s inconsistency, preference for diplomacy by social media, and frequently provocative and erroneous statements often trap Starmer between trying to smooth consequent tensions (in which case he appears as a Trump apologist) or rebutting the president. This was clear when Trump threatened Canadian sovereignty, when he repeatedly implied he would invade Greenland and when he attacked the commitment of British troops in Afghanistan.

Finally, and most importantly, the Trump administration is undermining the liberal international order, casting its anti-liberal, anti-modernist and anti-globalist tendencies against Britain’s preferences for international law, multilateral institutions, collective security and international free trade.

What should Starmer do now?

On balance, Starmer’s best option for now is to hope, hedge and wait. In the short term, Downing Street will hope that US mid-terms return a Congress less pliant to Trump’s ambitions and that legal actions through American courts continue their disruption.

Advertisement

In the longer term, the next three years will constitute a damage-limitation exercise while the world waits for Trump’s successor to arrive. The hope will be that whoever the next president is, Anglo-American relations will improve simply from being liberated from the personal and organisational chaos wrought by Trump.

During this interim, Starmer will routinely align Britain with the US provided doing so neither overly compromises British interests nor further weakens the liberal international order. He will also probably swallow bile and continue to woo Trump. That will potentially include leveraging the 250th anniversary celebrations of American independence. Even this, however, will need balancing against the risk of inferred endorsement of Trump ahead of the midterms.

Meanwhile, the British government will de-emphasise the significance of personalities to the robustness of Anglo-American relations and hedge against over-reliance on the US. This means building ever closer relations with Europe, continuing cautious engagement with China and outreach to other centres of economic power.

Starmer should also seek stronger relations with Canada’s Mark Carney, who has emerged as the most capable leader of the world’s medium-ranking powers and who most shares Britain’s conundrum of needing close but not over-dependent relations with Washington.

Advertisement

One final cautionary note. Trump dominates headlines, but he is merely an awkward symptom of the biggest challenge to the special relationship since its inception. The international order is in flux. How it is reshaped will determine whether Britain and the US remain shoulder to shoulder or return to being the distant cousins of the interwar period.

The latter is a scenario that ought to cause British officials sleeplessness. A US retreat to a neo-isolationism that broadly embraces the Maga logic would pass the mantle of principal guardianship of the liberal international order to the European Union. Britannia would then face a not-so-splendid isolation, self-exiled from the union and powerless to prevent retreat of the Atlantic shoreland.

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

NewsBeat

Rylan Clark tipped to be next host of Strictly Come Dancing in would-be ‘dream job’

Published

on

Wales Online

Strictly Come Dancing is on the hunt for two new presenters to replace Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman

A British daytime television host has been tipped to become one of the new faces of Strictly Come Dancing.

It is believed that Rylan Clark, host of This Morning, would be “a ratings winner” for the BBC programme. The show is on the hunt for two new presenters to replace Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman after the duo left at the end of the last series.

Advertisement

Tess and Claudia served 21-year and 15-year stints on Strictly Come Dancing respectively, and speculation has swirled about their replacements, The Mirror reported.

Ensure our latest headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as Preferred Source.

Rylan, 37, is thought likely to succeed one of their roles, having enjoyed a successful career in presenting since 2013 when he had is first role on This Morning.

A source said: “He has so many loyal fans. If he gets the job they will most certainly tune in to Strictly. He will be a ratings winner and the BBC know it.”

Advertisement

Rylan could team up with The One Show host Angela Scanlon, who we reported is also set to have an audition for one of the show’s openings. Insiders believe the pair would have strong chemistry and give the show an exciting revamp.

Rylan already anchored Eurovision coverage for the BBC and is said to be “very keen” to be paired with Angela, who was a contestant on Strictly in 2023.

“Rylan has a long-standing association with the show, and Angela has been a contestant. The main thing is they’d be a totally new pairing – no baggage, no former shows, uniquely Strictly,” one insider told the Daily Mail.

Advertisement

“On top of that, they want to be sure that an all-female presenting line-up isn’t replaced by an old-fashioned male-female duo where the man takes on a dominant role.”

Another source told the outlet that the role on Strictly Come Dancing would be “his dream job.”

It is believed Rylan still faces screen tests in April for producers to assess his chemistry with any possible co-stars, including Angela.

But other names in the frame are One Show host Alex Jones, Zoe Ball and Bradley Walsh, presenter of The Chase. Speculation has already linked the current professional dancer Johannes Radebe to the presenting gig.

Advertisement

Source link

Continue Reading

NewsBeat

Tenerife snow chaos as Storm Therese cancels flights and jeopardises Easter holidays

Published

on

Daily Record

The popular Canary Islands hotspot was hit by orange weather warnings just days before Easter getaways

A beloved British holiday destination famed for its year-round warmth has been transformed into a winter wonderland just days ahead of the Easter break.

The Canary Islands were placed under an orange weather alert following days of torrential rain and gale-force winds, with forecasters warning the miserable conditions could persist for at least another five days – potentially disrupting the plans of countless holidaymakers. Astonishing footage from Tenerife showed the popular resort island blanketed in snow, with icicles forming in various locations.

Advertisement

Bewildered tourists captured videos of the whiteout at Teide National Park, where several roads were forced to close due to the unexpected conditions. Further snowfall is anticipated across areas of the island above 1,800-2,000 metres.

Storm Therese has battered the archipelago with severe rainfall, triggering flash floods and landslides across multiple regions. Meteorological authorities issued warnings on Wednesday (March 18) for the Canary Islands covering various extreme weather phenomena, including storms, flooding, powerful winds, heavy downpours and dangerous sea conditions, reports the Mirror.

Wind speeds have astonishingly surpassed 74 miles per hour in certain areas, with the glorious sunshine British visitors typically anticipate conspicuously absent from forecasts for the coming days. The dreadful weather has also sparked travel disruption, with no fewer than seven flights to the Canary Islands cancelled or diverted on Thursday – following 36 cancellations the previous day.

Advertisement

Friday is set to see a worsening of conditions, potentially marking the most severe phase of Storm Therese. Orange rain warnings have been issued for Tenerife, El Hierro, La Palma and La Gomera, as reported by Canarian Weekly.

The popular holiday destination is bracing for up to 11mm of rainfall within a mere 12-hour period. An amber rain alert has been declared for Gran Canaria, where 80mm of rain is anticipated.

Weather experts are also forecasting perilous sea conditions between Tenerife and Gran Canaria, with waves predicted to reach up to six metres and winds of up to force eight.

Advertisement

Ensure our latest stories always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as your Preferred Source in your Google search settings.

Source link

Continue Reading

NewsBeat

EU’s aid to Ukraine blocked | World News

Published

on

Viktor Orban is considered one of Putin's closest allies in Europe. Pic: Reuters

Hungary is blocking the European Union from providing Ukraine with a loan to help its war effort.

Viktor Orban, the right-wing prime minister in Budapest, has been a constant critic of the bloc’s commitment to supporting Kyiv and is seen as one of Vladimir Putin’s closest allies in Europe.

His country is a member of the EU, and he has been accused of undermining the bloc’s position on the war.

Brussels agreed a deal worth €90bn in December to help Kyiv keep fighting for up to two more years, but Mr Orban is blocking the money from being provided.

Advertisement

Speaking after a summit on Thursday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz accused him of an act of “gross disloyalty”, while the European Council’s president, Antonio Costa, said his opposition constituted “blackmail”.

Advertisement

Ukraine is ‘gently losing’ the war

How is Orban blocking the money?

The implementation of the interest-free loan requires unanimity among the EU’s 27 member states.

Advertisement

Ukraine’s allies within the bloc had been keen to show they’re serious about stumping up big money to help due to America’s waning support under Donald Trump. The US had been a major provider of aid under Joe Biden.

Mr Orban has justified blocking the €90bn package by citing a dispute over a pipeline damaged by the war. It carries Russian oil through Ukraine to Hungary and Slovakia.

Kyiv and Brussels say a Russian attack in January was the cause of the damage, and it will take another six weeks to repair. Hungary claims it’s already functional and accuses Kyiv of withholding the oil.

Mr Orban posted on X following the Thursday summit: “As long as Zelensky ‌does not lift the oil blockade, they will not receive any money from Brussels.”

Advertisement

Read more from Sky News:
Angela Rayner under fire
Nicola Sturgeon’s farewell advice

Advertisement

Was Zelenskyy’s UK visit a success?

What happens now?

Some in the EU hope Hungary will change its position once the pipeline is repaired, or following the country’s election next month.

Advertisement

Mr Orban has been prime minister since 2010 and is seeking another term in office. Mr Trump has endorsed him.

But Germany’s Mr Merz has suggested the European Commission look into whether the loan can be implemented without relying on Budapest, which has already been excluded from even having to contribute towards the costs.

Advertisement

Zelenskyy says loan is ‘critical’

EU officials have warned Kyiv could run short of cash within weeks without the loan. Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the money was “critical” for his country’s war effort.

“It is a resource ​to protect lives,” he told EU leaders in a video address.

Without foreign aid, Ukraine’s government would likely have to start cutting spending on things like pensions, public sector wages, and welfare in order to keep funding defence.

Advertisement

Source link

Continue Reading

NewsBeat

European tourist hotspots at risk due to safety concerns

Published

on

European tourist hotspots at risk due to safety concerns

Bad weather, tourism protests, and war conflicts have had drastic financial implications for holidaygoers worldwide.

But where is it safe to travel to in Europe at the moment?

Which European countries may currently be at risk due to conflict or safety concerns?

Jason Margulies, a personal injury lawyer, maritime, cruise ship and resort/vacation injury lawyer at Lipcon , Margulies & Winkleman, said: “Risk can vary drastically by country and region, and understanding what those risks are is key to trip planning.”

Amid Do Not Travel warnings for Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus, he also highlighted how France, Belgium, and Germany also have elevated terror concerns, especially for public areas, tourist hotspots, and transit hubs.

He added: “Some areas, like Cyprus and Turkey, have seen recent incidents related to the conflicts, and those may also give you pause for travel.

“Even when the risk is low, it should come down to your own comfort level for the risk you want to take on.”

Advertisement


What factors contribute to elevated risk in these destinations?

Margulies continued: “The current advisories for Western Europe are elevated due to terrorism, and attacks can happen with little warning in areas frequented by tourists, from markets and train stations to hotels, restaurants, and major events.

Advertisement

“Proximity to active conflict areas elevates the risk for travelling into these areas, though travellers shouldn’t forget that the usual crime-related risks that tourists face are always around.

“As for those going on cruises, check your itinerary to decide if you feel comfortable sailing to European ports that are close to the conflict zones, particularly Izmit, Turkey.

“While it is concerning, it’s not a crisis, and awareness, along with travel insurance in the event you want to cancel or change plans, is the best focus for any of these destinations.”

Tenerife and Lanzarote placed on warning list for tourists

The Canary Islands have been placed on the Fodor ‘No List’ amid anti-tourism protests, environmental concerns and pollution impacting beaches.

Fodor provides travel guides and online tourism information for English-speaking tourists.

Advertisement

During the first six months of 2025, the Canary Islands welcomed more than 7.8 million tourists and more than 27 million airport passengers.

But residents have protested in the streets of Tenerife, Gran Canaria, and Lanzarote over the past two years against the usual influx of travellers to the sunny, hot islands.

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

NewsBeat

Games Inbox: Is Crimson Desert worth getting?

Published

on

Games Inbox: Is Crimson Desert worth getting?
Crimson Desert – out now, for better or worse (Pearl Abyss)

The Friday letters page is surprised GTA 6 no longer has the most watched trailer record, as one reader laments the death of Red Storm Entertainment.

Games Inbox is a collection of our readers’ letters, comments, and opinions. To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.uk

Crimson letter day
Can’t say I’m surprised at the negative Crimson Desert reviews. Although I guess I should call them ‘mixed’ which seems to be what we’re supposed to say when all the trustworthy sites mark it down and the ones you’ve never heard of give it 9/10.

The graphics do look good, and I can’t pretend I wasn’t swayed by them when I was watching the trailers, but I’m very suspicious of any game that’s claiming to be the next big thing, and it’s made by a developer with very little experience in the genre.

Advertisement

When you know they’ve only ever made an MMO before the whole game seems like exactly what you’d expect from that. Its Metacritic score is lower than some people seem to have expected, so I think it’s clear it’s not a great game, but from what I’ve read the score isn’t low enough.

I also have a really bad feeling about the console versions. The fact that there’s not a single review of the PlayStation 5 version is giving me Cyberpunk 2077 vibes and that’s not going to be a pretty sight.
Hammeriron

Expert, exclusive gaming analysis

Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning.

Advertisement

Not awful
Can anyone explain to me why anyone thought Crimson Desert was going to be amazing? I’m going to assume it was nonsense whipped up by streamers and YouTube, since as I write this it’s doing really well on Twitch, but why? Surely they haven’t run out of things to talk about or were they just doing advertising for the company?

It may seem harmless but they’re talking people into paying £50+ for a game that doesn’t sound like it’s any good. And we haven’t even seen what it looks like when it runs on consoles, so I can’t wait for that obvious disaster to be revealed.

Of course, the second stage will be people who were tricked into buying it pretending to everyone else that it’s actually really good or ‘not that bad’. I don’t know about you I demand a bit more than that for my entertainment.
Lee Perrin

Advertisement

Losing the crown
Interesting that GTA 6 had its trailer record broken by what I would’ve thought was a relatively ordinary new Marvel movie. I’m sure it will do well, but it won’t do as much as the last Spider-Man film (because it was a crossover) and I doubt it’s going to be a cultural moment like Avengers: End Game or something like The Force Awakens. GTA 6 is absolutely on par with those sort of things though, so I’m surprise it’s not still number one.

I guess population growth alone will mean the number always goes up but with cinema attendances down… it’s just not something I would’ve betted on. I’m not going to say something daft like GTA 6 isn’t going to do well but this is the first sign we’ve had that it does have its limits. But to be fair that surprisingly sensible Take-Two boss does seem to realise that.
Dustin

Email your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.uk

Beyond monsters
Been playing Pokemon Pokopia since launch. My, that game is a compulsive one, right?

Advertisement

Anyway, got me thinking, when is a pocket monster not a pocket monster and it’s just an animal? When a bird can fly and dart about quickly, isn’t it just a bird? No room for you in my pocket, pigeon! And if a squirrel doesn’t have a flaming tail or the ability to bend spoons with its mind then isn’t that just a fluffy rodent?! Kicked from the team ya furry rat!

Is there a discernible difference, or was Ash just going around enslaving wildlife for 25 years?
big boy bent
Currently playing: Pokopia and Thank Goodness You’re Here!, was chuckling away as I mowed the park with the daisies because I knew what was coming… I love you… I love you… I love you…. ha ha ha! Looking forward to more.

GC: Pokémon are fully sapient, unlike ordinary animals. No more so than in Pokopia, where they communicate with each other like a human would and perform complex tasks.

Advertisement

BSAA Dispatch
I hope Leon and Ada have hooked up, I think that would be neat. I think other than Barry Burton none of the other characters are confirmed to have a partner of any kind? I love Resident Evil and I would very much support a game that was not a survival horror. Something that was more comedic, sure, but also something that was more dramatic, with time for everyone to sit around and chat.

I don’t even know if half of these people have even met each other. Does Leon know Jill? Does Claire know anyone that isn’t Chris? Why has Sheva never come back and do they keep in touch?

I’m imagining some kind of visual novel/point ‘n’ click thing. Maybe something like Dispatch, where action is happening but it’s all about how the people are behind the scenes, I think that’d be a great idea.
Lobbie

La fin
Very sad to hear about the death of Red Storm Entertainment. I used to love the early Rainbow Six games, back when they were primarily tactical games, with action only as a minor aspect. Those days are obviously long gone but then so too is the whole franchise. Splinter Cell and Ghost Recon are both dead, and so is all the experimental stuff like EndWar and H.A.W.X.

Advertisement

Rainbow Six itself is essentially dead, with Siege being all that’s left of it, and it has nothing in common with the old games. The only other thing is The Division, which I would’ve sworn is also dead but apparently has a third game on the way, but either way it’s just another live service game.
As an adult, I have to admit I do look on the games in a different light.

They’re very right wing (as Tom Clancy was himself, even if he wasn’t a nut about it) and the whole gun fetish thing is kind of distasteful in the current age. As was said, it’s completely different to what Ubisoft used to be about and in that sense I’m not as sad to see the end of it all.

Let’s face it, if they were to bring these franchises back it’d be in name only, like Ghost Recon Wildlands, so what’s the point? I wouldn’t have shut down Red Storm but I would’ve had them making something that was a bit more political nuanced and not so much trying to appeal only to Americans.

I don’t have much faith that Ubisoft can make it through the next few years but if they do I hope they can get back some of what made them interesting in the early 2000s. Military games are fine, but they have to make them more than just shooting galleries. They need a more European perspective, not an American one.
Claborn

Advertisement

Petition for a petition
Can confirm that boost mode on the Switch 2 is really good. It’s the only thing that’s got me off Pokémon Pokopia (for a while) and while it is a shame that not all games are affected equally, I do think it’s a good start.

I would definitely sign the petition for a Switch 2 edition of Astral Chain, but I realise that’s never going to happen. I would love to hear of a sequel though, because I thought the original did better than expected. PlatinumGames seemed like they were in trouble for a while there but Ninja Gaiden 4 reviewed well, so hopefully they’ve still got the juice.
Luminous

Don’t miss Gaming news! Add us as a Preferred Source

As a loyal GameCentral reader, we want to make sure you never miss our articles when searching for gaming stories. We have all the latest video games news, reviews, previews, and interviews, with a vibrant community of highly engaged readers.

Click the button below and tick Metro.co.uk to ensure you see stories from us first in Google Search.

Advertisement

Add us as a Preferred Source

GameCentral collage of Mario Kart, Ghost of Yotei, and Halo
GameCentral has been delivering unique games news and reviews for over a decade

Cheap graphics
I found the DLSS 5-ified images revealed the other day a bit off putting to be honest.

While clearly a lot better in the amount of detail over the original images I do think they all were overly bright and had that artificial, unnatural feel you see with a lot of AI.

Advertisement

While not AI, the first thing that sprang to my mind was the awful, garish, pimped up remaster of Halo: Combat Evolved. I’ve played the game several times since and always use the original graphics, just at a higher resolution, as I think they look much better and atmospheric than the technically better, more detailed, retina burning newer graphics.

I’m sure DLSS 5 and its implementation will improve though and look more natural. It’ll probably be useful for a lot of smaller devs to punch above their weight in the graphics department.

I quite like that Take-Two guy but GTA 5 is generally considered the highest grossing entertainment product ever, with something like $10 billion in revenue. He’s got a bit more resources at his disposal than nearly everyone else.
Simundo

GC: That doesn’t seem like a good reason to put up with AI slop. Many lower budget and indie titles are visually impressive already, the idea of losing that in favour of a generic AI look is an awful thought.

Advertisement

Inbox also-rans
Why would Sony change the name of PlayStation Network? PSN is a perfectly good acronym and unlike most Xbox names it means what is. I’ll put it another way: I’m jealous of how many millions of dollars some marketing consultant charged to change it to PlayStation Online, or whatever it’ll be.
Cinder9

I am also very keen to know what Persona 6 is like. I’d be going through the roof now, annoyed at the lack of news, but I remember it was exactly like this waiting for Persona 5. That was worth it so hopefully this will be too.
Tater

Email your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.uk

The small print
New Inbox updates appear every weekday morning, with special Hot Topic Inboxes at the weekend. Readers’ letters are used on merit and may be edited for length and content.

Advertisement

You can also submit your own 500 to 600-word Reader’s Feature at any time via email or our Submit Stuff page, which if used will be shown in the next available weekend slot.

You can also leave your comments below and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter.

Advertisement

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © 2025