In the wake of the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, top Republicans want to use $400 million in taxpayer funds on President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom project, arguing the new building is vital for national security. This comes despite past promises from the president the ballroom would be entirely funded by private donations.

“It’s very difficult to have a bunch of important people in the same place unless it’s really, really secure,” Sen. Lindsey Graham told reporters on Monday. “The times in which we live are unusual. I’ve been up here for a while now. I’ve never felt the sense of threat that exists today.”

Graham and his GOP colleagues Sen. Eric Schmitt and Sen. Katie Britt are pushing a bill to fund the ballroom and offset costs by using customs and national parks user fees. The proposal includes building new military and Secret Service infrastructure within the ballroom complex.

Graham said the White House supports his effort, despite the president’s frequent claims that he and private donors were personally funding the entire ballroom project. The White House has previously said major tech corporations, including those that do business with the federal government and donated to Trump’s inauguration, have committed millions to funding the ballroom.

The Independent has contacted the White House for comment.

Fellow Republicans have joined the effort to boost the ballroom, which the White House argues is more crucial than ever after the security breach at the Correspondents’ Dinner.

Sen. Rand Paul has said he will bring a bill to the floor Tuesday that moves the ballroom project forward without using additional taxpayer funds, while allowing Congress to give expedited reviews to major White House projects.

In the House, Rep. Lauren Boebert is working on companion legislation, she said Monday.

She told the MeidasTouch network that “hardly any” taxpayer money would be involved in the effort. The main obstacle remaining, she said, was an ongoing lawsuit by a preservation group against the ballroom project.

“He has it funded,” Boebert said of the president. “We just have to get it approved and get the lawsuit over with.”

The president has argued Saturday’s shooting underscores the need for a new secure, large-scale meeting space on the White House grounds.

“What happened last night is exactly the reason that our great Military, Secret Service, Law Enforcement and, for different reasons, every President for the last 150 years, have been DEMANDING that a large, safe, and secure Ballroom be built ON THE GROUNDS OF THE WHITE HOUSE,” Trump wrote early Sunday morning in a Truth Social post.

Influential Democrats say they will oppose efforts to fund the ballroom with taxpayer dollars.

“At this point no,” Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin told The Hill. “There’s obviously a lot of questions about how much it costs, how many people will be accommodated.”

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez accused the president of making shifting claims about the ballroom in recent months.

“He demolished the East Wing of the White House, a historic jewel of the American people, and he started to build this ballroom long before any incident,” the New York congresswoman told reporters on Monday. “He also promised the American people that this was going to be built with private dollars, and so the idea that they are trying to change the rationale for this in retrospect doesn’t quite add up.”

Others argued it would be inappropriate for the White House to host an event like the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, regardless of the facilities.

“By the way, the White House hosting the correspondents dinner in its own ballroom is arguably a violation of the First Amendment: it’s government control over press access and expression and could have a chilling effect on criticizing the president,” former Obama administration under secretary of state and TIME editor Richard Stengel wrote on X on Monday.

Sen. John Fetterman has been a rare Democratic voice in favor of the ballroom. He called on opponents of the project to end their “Trump Derangement Syndrome” and get behind the ballroom effort.

“After witnessing last night, drop the TDS and build the White House ballroom for events exactly like these,” he wrote on X on Sunday.

Outside of Congress, the National Trust for Historic Preservation has sued to stop construction on the ballroom, arguing the president illegally embarked on the effort without consulting Congress.

On Sunday, the Justice Department urged the group to drop the suit, citing the shooting at the Correspondents’ Dinner, but the trust plans to move ahead with the complaint.

Earlier this month, a federal appeals court ruled that construction can continue while the lawsuit plays out.

The video game highlights of May include exclusives from Xbox and Nintendo, as well as new Batman and James Bond adventures.

April was a stacked month for new video games, with Capcom’s golden streak continuing with the wholly original Pragmata, Xbox’s uniquely quirky multiplayer game Kiln, and Sony’s Returnal successor, Saros.

Meanwhile, on the indie front, Vampire Survivors spin-off Vampire Crawlers successfully translated its moreish formula into an old-school dungeon crawler and Xenonauts 2 helped to fill the XCOM 3 shaped hole in our lives.

Looking ahead, May stands to be just as packed with hotly anticipated games, both from big publishers and indies, which we’ve highlighted below along with their release dates and platforms.

Mixtape

PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, PC

While Mixtape undoubtedly radiates Life Is Strange and Lost Records: Bloom & Rage vibes, Mixtape is not the next game from either Don’t Nod Entertainment or Deck Nine Games, but instead Australian studio Beethoven & Dinosaur.

Much like Lost Records, Mixtape aims to tell a coming of age story set in the 1990s, but the similarities end there as Mixtape centres around a group of teens reminiscing on their school years as they head for a party after their final day of school.

It also features stop motion inspired animation and is billed as being very ‘soundtrack driven,’ complete with music from artists like Devo and The Smashing Pumpkins.

Release date: May 7

Directive 8020

It’s been four years since the last entry in The Dark Pictures Anthology series, Supermassive Games’ horror franchise that has seen multiple releases since it kicked off in 2019.

The fifth game, Directive 8020, has long been promised and we have high hopes for this one since after a rough start, The Dark Pictures has steadily improved with each entry.

This game is sci-fi themed so it’s obviously taking inspiration from the likes of Alien, The Thing, and Event Horizon, with a group of astronauts trapped inside a crashed spaceship with a shapeshifting monster.

Release date: May 12

Call Of The Elder Gods

PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, PC

In 2020, Spanish studio Out of the Blue released its debut title Call Of The Sea, a first person adventure game that saw you solve puzzles as an explorer in search of her missing husband.

It reviewed well and was clearly enough of a success for the studio to move onto a sequel; one that looks to be doubling down on its Lovecraftian inspirations.

Out of the Blue is promising more mind-bending puzzles, with you able to swap control between two playable protagonists, though there’ll be adjustable difficulty settings for anyone who finds themselves struggling.

Release date: May 12

Forza Horizon 6

Xbox Series X/S, PC

The first major Xbox release of the year, Forza Horizon 6 at long last takes the series to Japan, with developer Playground Games boasting a massive open world inspired by the real-life Kantō region.

550 cars will be available at launch for all your racing needs, and you’ll also have access to an estate that you can freely customise and decorate. The trailers hint at some kind of giant robot too, but it’s still not clear if it’s just a decoration or something more.

Forza Horizon 6 is scheduled for PlayStation 5 as well but, unlike other recent Xbox releases, this version won’t be launching until later in the year, despite how successful Forza Horizon 5 was on Sony’s machine.

Release date: May 19

R-Type Dimensions 3

PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PC

R-Type and its sequel remain the best 2D shooters of their time, and the R-Type Dimensions EX remasters are perfect for newcomers to the genre and nostalgic fans alike.

So, it’s about time that SNES R-Type 3: The Third Lightning got the same treatment, with R-Type Dimensions 3 promising another modern remake – although thankfully not without the option to swap to the original graphics and music.

Given the original SNES version was famous for its crippling slowdown this could easily be the definitive version, even if the remake graphics seem a bit clinical.

Release date: May 19

Coffee Talk Tokyo

PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PC

Visual novel Coffee Talk is among the most darling-est of indie darlings and a go-to for those looking for cosier and chiller vibes in their games, although it lacks the cyberpunk dystopian atmosphere of the similarly structured VA-11 Hall-A.

Instead of cocktails, Coffee Talk has you making coffee for the fantastical cast of characters who visit your shop. As you can guess from the name, the usual Seattle setting has been swapped out for Tokyo and your customers are Japanese yōkai though they’ll still have woes and worries you can help with.

A free demo is already available across all platforms, except for Switch and Switch 2, for some reason.

Release date: May 21

Yoshi And The Mysterious Book

Nintendo Switch 2

After the last couple of Yoshi-centric platformers, expectations were rather low for Yoshi And The Mysterious Book, but after our preview session, this promises to be far more interesting than expected and equally entertaining for little kids and adults.

Discovering and naming the various creatures you encounter is amusing enough, but each one interacts with the environment in different ways, opening up a lot of potential for puzzle-solving and elevating Yoshi And The Mysterious Book above being a perfunctory platformer.

It’ll be interesting to see how this performs, since it’s coming hot off the heels of Yoshi’s appearance in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, which itself has been another huge money maker for Nintendo.

Release date: May 21

Zero Parades: For Dead Spies

PC

The new game from Disco Elysium studio ZA/UM, the developers have made it clear that Zero Parades: For Dead Spies is neither a sequel nor a spiritual successor.

It certainly looks like one though, retaining very similar presentation and role-playing gameplay where progress is determined by dice rolls and skill checks. However, instead of an amnesiac cop, you play as a spy haunted by her failures and caught in a three-way power struggle.

A PC demo is available now but console owners will need to wait for a PlayStation 5 port, which only has a vague 2026 release window at the moment.

It’s worth noting that behind the scenes troubles means many key figures in Disco Elyisum’s development are no longer at ZA/UM, making Zero Parade’s ‘From the creators of Disco Elysium’ blurb a big point of contention.

Those former staff members have all split off to form their own studios and have announced completely separate Disco Elysium successors, such as Tangerine Antarctic.

Release date: May 21

Bubsy 4D

PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PC

Amid all the failed 90s platformer mascots, Bubsy has only maintained relevancy into the 2020s thanks to a mix of internet memes and irony, while his games remain amongst the very worst of the era.

Under normal circumstances, we’d be quick to write off Bubsy 4D – the character’s first crack at a 3D platformer since the infamous Bubsy 3D in 1996 – as a bad joke, were it not for the pedigree of developer Fabraz.

The indie studio is responsible for the excellent Demon Turf and its sequel Demon Tides, and while we’re shocked it’d want to associate itself with Bubsy, its track record means we’ll very likely see the first genuinely good Bubsy game. Especially since first impressions of the free demo sound positive.

Release date: May 22

Lego Batman: Legacy Of The Dark Knight

PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC

After a surprisingly long period of no Batman-centric video games, just mandatory appearances in other DC fare like Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League and Warner Bros. crossover Multiversus, the Dark Knight is finally retaking centre stage.

Based on our preview, Legacy Of The Dark Knight is shaking up the Lego games formula quite a bit. Developer Traveller’s Tales is using Batman’s entire history to build an original story, albeit one that riffs on the live action movies, from the 1966 camp classic up to 2022’s The Batman, and various famous comic book stories.

It draws its combat inspirations from the Arkham games by Rocksteady and promises to be chockful of fan service. We just hope it’ll be consistently funny throughout, which it should be when it’s got Matt Berry voicing Bane.

While the game is scheduled for the Switch 2 as well, it still lacks an exact release date.

Release date: May 22

007 First Light

PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC

Hitman developer Io Interactive and James Bond felt like a match made in heaven when 007 First Light was announced back in 2020. This will be the first proper Bond game since 2012, and everything shown so far has us cautiously optimistic.

007 First Light tells a wholly new origin story for Bond, featuring a younger iteration of the character (played by Patrick Gibson of Dexter: Original Sin fame) and showing how he became a 00 agent.

While the game retains the Hitman series’ propensity for stealth and subterfuge, there promises to be plenty of high octane Bond-esque action set pieces and nods to the films.

007 First Light has been confirmed for Switch 2 as well, but it’s not slated to launch until summertime.

Release date: May 27

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The consultation, which was overseen by the research company TONIC and received 38,445 responses, found 86 per cent of those who took part favoured maintaining the existing access arrangements, with just 13 per cent wanting the Men’s and Ladies’ ponds to become single-sex spaces.

Indie rock band Embrace and Britpop favourites Ocean Colour Scene will take centre stage at Sunderland’s Cliffe Park Live in Seaburn on Friday, August 14, and Saturday, August 15, as part of the city’s One Big Summer programme.

The events are part of a broader season of entertainment organised by Sunderland City Council, with Embrace headlining on Friday as part of their 30th anniversary celebrations.

Embrace have been described as ‘one of the country’s most powerful and emotional live bands’ (Image: Sunderland City Council)

Peter McIntyre, executive director of economy and place at Sunderland City Council, said: “We’re delighted to be expanding One Big Summer to the seafront, with Embrace and Ocean Colour Scene at Cliffe Park joining the exciting programme already lined up for Keel Square over the summer.

“Building on our reputation as an events city, and offering everything from Britpop and dance to country and western and K‑POP, One Big Summer has something for everyone in Sunderland this summer.”

Embrace, who have sold more than two million records and secured three UK number one albums, are known for hits such as Gravity, All You Good Good People, and Come Back To What You Know.

OCS remain one of the most successful – and most loved bands of the modern era (Image: Sunderland City Council)

Ocean Colour Scene will headline the following night, marking 30 years since the release of their iconic album Moseley Shoals.

The band rose to fame during the Britpop era with nine consecutive top 20 singles, including The Riverboat Song.

Cliffe Park Live adds to an already packed One Big Summer line-up, with two weekends of events planned for Keel Square in August.

Other highlights include DJ legend Armand Van Helden, The Bootleg Beatles, Road to Nashville, and tribute nights celebrating George Michael and the 90s.

Music fans can also look forward to GirlyPop, Family Festival featuring K-POP Live, and more across the city centre.

Read more:

The season begins in May with a community-focused programme alongside BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend at Herrington Country Park.

Other confirmed dates include:

• George Michael tribute on Thursday, August 21,
• Love The 90s on Friday, August 22
• GirlyPop on Saturday, August 23
• The Bootleg Beatles on Friday, August 28
• Armand Van Helden on Saturday, August 29
• Road to Nashville on Sunday, August 30
• Family Festival featuring K-POP Live on Monday, August 31.

North Yorkshire Police is appealing for information after an assault which took place in the early hours of yesterday morning in Scarborough town centre.

It happened at around 3am on Sunday (April 26) in Ako Kebab, in St Thomas Street and involved an ‘altercation’ between a man and a woman.

RECOMMENDED READING:

A 32-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of assault, criminal damage and possession of a class-A drug; he has since been released on bail

“We’re particularly appealing for information about anything that had been said such as threats that had been made,” said a spokesperson for the force.

If you have any information that could help the police investigation, please email laurence.mcgregor@northyorkshire.police.uk, call North Yorkshire Police on 101 and ask for Laurence McGregor, or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via their website.

Please quote reference 12260074747 when passing on information.

Contrails, short for condensation trails, are the white streaks often seen in the sky behind aircraft. The international cloud atlas, which classifies clouds, has a category just for them: cirrus homogenitus, an example of man-made clouds.

Contrails contribute to climate change, adding to the warming by the carbon dioxide emitted by aviation. Although the exact amount of warming caused by these wispy-looking clouds is uncertain, what is understood now suggests that reducing the number of contrails has the potential to reduce the climate impact of flights.

Contrails are made of ice crystals. These reflect sunlight, causing the Earth’s surface to receive less energy, but at the same time trapping some of Earth’s outgoing infrared radiation. Depending on the balance between those two opposite effects, a net loss of energy or a gain of energy, individual contrails can be either warming or cooling over their lifetime, but warming dominates once averaged over the global, annual contrail population.

How are they made?

Contrails form behind aircraft at around an altitude of 10-11km. They only form in sufficiently cold and humid regions of the atmosphere, where water vapour condenses on to the soot particles emitted by aircraft engines to form liquid droplets, which freeze into ice crystals. The regions with the most contrails are over Europe, the North Atlantic, and eastern North America. They are rarer in Asia.

Soot particles are needed to form contrails, yet even engines that emit very few soot particles still generate contrails. Other particles, often formed in the engine plume, take over and lead to contrail formation. But some combinations of fuel and engine technology may yet provide a way to form fewer contrails, or at least contrails with a smaller climate impact.

The characteristics of a contrail depend initially on the size, shape and engine position of the aircraft that created it, but atmospheric conditions are ultimately more important.

In a dry atmosphere, contrails only last a few minutes and cover a tiny surface area: their climate impact is negligible. But if the atmosphere remains cold and moist enough, many contrails form, grow, and come together to form fields of ice clouds, called contrail cirrus.

Contrail cirrus impact the climate because they last for several hours and can cover large areas, sometimes spanning entire countries, as has been observed over the UK and France, for example.

Some contrail cirrus clouds can exert the same climate impact as tens, even hundreds, of tons of carbon dioxide.

Two effects make contrails particularly potent. Although they initially form from the few hundred kilograms of water vapour and the
dozens of grams of soot released every minute of flight, contrails then gain mass from the humidity of the atmosphere. Also, ice crystals absorb infrared radiation at virtually all wavelengths, while carbon dioxide only absorbs in narrow wavelength ranges.

However, contrail cirrus strongly affect the flow of energy in and out of the Earth for a few hours. This is in contrast to the comparatively weaker changes caused by carbon dioxide, which last for centuries. So the warming caused by a flight will initially be dominated by contrails, but carbon dioxide will dominate a few years after the flight.

Routing aircraft to avoid flying in the regions where contrails form may slow down the climate warming caused by a growing aviation sector. But there are still many things scientists need to understand about how to predict which flights would see their climate impact reduced the most using this kind of planning.

Weather forecasts of humidity at flight altitude need to improve, and one way to do so is to have more accurate and more frequent measurements of humidity. This is the aim of the Mist research project, where I work with Honeywell Aerospace UK and Boeing UK to develop a humidity sensor to detect contrail formation, see how the sensor can be integrated on commercial aircraft, and evaluate how better humidity measurements affect the predicted climate impact of contrails.

Many research projects are seeking to better quantify the climate impact of contrails and find ways to form fewer warming contrails. Changing fuel or engine technology is slow. But optimising flight trajectories with weather forecasts to avoid the cold, moist regions of the atmosphere where contrails form might be achievable more quickly.

The Tuesday letters page has some ideas for supervillains in the next Spider-Man game, as a reader hopes Assassin’s Creed Hexe keeps its supernatural elements.

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

New guests
Even if there is a new Star Fox annoucement this month or next everyone seems to agree it’ll be fairly low key, so we’re almost definitely looking at the first proper Nintendo Direct of the year being in June. I don’t agree with it, I think it’s very silly, but when did Nintendo ever listen to someone else, or common sense?

My question is will the summer not-E3 one be the mega blowout everyone’s hoping for or will it be another minimum effort, showing as little as possible of as few games as possible? I don’t think there’s any way of knowing.

Amongst the many questions I have is what’s going on with Super Smash Bros.? Surely that’s the most obvious Switch 2 Edition ever and yet we’ve heard nothing.

It also seems obvious that they’d add a few new characters to sweeten the pot, but I can’t think of any new Nintendo characters they could add. That’s a pretty bad sign for Nintendo to be honest but maybe they could add the Ditto from Pokémon Pokopia or Diana from Pragmata?

Capcom and Nintendo seem pretty cozy so why not Grace or Leon from Resident Evil too? Bayonetta is an 18 rated game and she’s already in the game, so I didn’t see why not if they don’t have any gore.
Astrocat

Combo breaker
Knowing how much GC loves Returnal, I am kind of shocked that it’s such a close run thing between Pragmata and Saros. If Pragmata had had a better story maybe it would have passed it!

Capcom has knocked it out of the park yet again and I really hope that Onimusha is a hit and then just think of the combo they’ll have from this year. What’s going to break that combo I don’t know, but I’m going to guess it’ll be something to do with Monster Hunter.

It really annoys me that that’s their biggest franchise, as no matter how much I love most of their stuff I just cannot get into it. But I don’t think it’s time for another one at the moment, so I’m hoping that whatever’s after Onimusha is also interesting. Another new IP would be amazing.
Grayling

Horror sequel
I’m not sure why possessing a witch’s cat would break some kind of rule in the Assassin’s Creed universe, given you’re always seeing the world through an eagle or falcon’s eyes – what’s the difference?

It’s not like I was dead set on being a cat or anything, but I feel after Valhalla and Shadows the series needs a change of pace. It can’t just be another big open world game, not with the Black Flag remake out this year as well.

Or maybe I’m wrong and that’s all people want out of Assassin’s Creed, but I feel with a big open world game you don’t much atmosphere or story, it’s all just shock and awe at the scale. I like the idea of a horror entry but taking all the supernatural stuff out of it sounds like that’s not going to work properly.
Bobly

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

Low risk revival
Apart from just generally looking forward to a new Star Fox, I’m also really interested to see whether Nintendo really will do a low budget sequel. They’ve done plenty of indie-ish type games before, but I can’t ever recall them doing a super cheap sequel for a big name franchise.

Of course, the problem nowadays is that Star Fox isn’t big name, but it was in the Mario movie and it definitely used to be a prominent B-lister at least. I don’t know what it counts as now but it’s somewhere below Fire Emblem, which I’d say is pretty low compared to where it used to be.

If they do put out something and it’s low budget, with an option for a second bigger game later, that could be a great way to try and rejuvenate other lapsed franchises like F-Zero and, dare I say, Metroid.
Lewis

Comedy threat
Seems to me that Insomanic is building up to a new game annoucement, probably quite soon after Wolverine is out – so maybe at The Game Awards in December. That guy the other day was definitely doing something for a Spider-Man game so something is in the works.

My preference for Spider-Man 3 is that they let things get a bit more wacky and let him go somewhere other than New York, but I’m prepared for that probably not happening. I would like to see more silly villains at least. Where’s Paste Pot Pete, Big Wheel, and Walrus? I always like Spidey when he’s been funny with his lamer villains, who he doesn’t really want to hurt.
Caskill

No passion
Looking back at the legacy of Phil Spencer I think the only logical conclusion is that having a passion for video games is not a good idea for the person in charge. The people immediately below them, sure, but not the person at the very top. Is the head of Capcom or Nintendo or Activision or EA a massive gamer? No, and not only that I have no idea who any of those people are, even though I know a lot of their developers by name.

I don’t know what exactly Phil got up to but I’m willing to bet there was a lot of micromanaging and suggesting things and spitballing ideas with developers, like he’s one of the team. Even though he’s never actually made a game himself or anything like that.

This isn’t meant as an attack on Phil, who seemed a decent enough guy, but it’s just to say that if this new boss doesn’t know anything about games and is just talking in soundbites right now, that’s not necessarily a bad thing as long as she’s making the right decisions along the way.

The alternative is that she’s some super eager fan that keeps trying to get a sequel made to her favourite game (Phil kept pretending he was dong this but nothing ever happened) and is making decisions based on their own imagined gaming knowledge, instead of just listening to the experts and going with what they say.

I’m not saying she won’t end up messing things up (apart from anything she still has Matt Booty working with her and he’s always seemed awful) but if she just makes decisions based on facts and stats then that’s probably going to be better than anything we’ve had recently.
Focus

Status quo
I appreciate the Reader’s Feature at the weekend about too much rumours in news but I really don’t see what can be done. The number of rumours are so many, all the time, that it just can’t be ignored. There’s so many it’s obvious publishers don’t care and probably see it as free publicity.

I don’t think it’s good publicity but that example of Activision putting a stop to Call Of Duty leaks with a quick lawyer threat is very interesting to me. Everyone could do that but they just choose not to and I think we’ve got to assume that’s because they like the situation as it is.
Waldo

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Second surprise
I’d completely forgotten they were making an Alien: Isolation 2, which is great as I still can’t believe they are, so I go to have that nice surprise twice! I’d love for them to explain why they’re doing it, more than 12 years after the first one, but I’m guessing maybe it’s because the original became popular with streamers? Although it didn’t seem to me that it reached meme status or anything.

You’re right about saying it was too long, or maybe you could say that the story wasn’t big enough to fill out the game as it was designed, but I think they must know that by now, because it’s what everyone says.

What I’m curious to know is whether there’ll be more action in this game. If the original was Alien will this be Aliens? There’s been plenty of games based on Aliens but none of them have been great, but if you’re wandering around with a pulse rifle the whole time it’s going to be a very different kind of game.

It’s a big question and I’m not really sure which way I’d go, as I could see both options working. I just hope they don’t put any of the rubbish from Prometheus in it, which considering it ended up in Romulus, they probably will.

A good story would be welcome but my priorities for the sequel are being scared and not being bored because it’s the same old android bad guys all the time. I feel these are pretty obviously going to be top of their to-do list, so bring it on.

I hope they get Sigourney Weaver to do a voiceover again too, I really appreciated that she didn’t phone it in last time.
Xane

Inbox also-rans
If I was working at Double Fine I would polishing up my CV right now because there is no way Kiln is going to be a hit and after Keeper they must be target number one for any more Xbox cuts. Considering there are mass Microsoft layoffs meant to be on the way, that could be their last game.
Gorf

So when there’s a sequel to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 are they going to call it Clair Obscur: Something? Is Clair Obscur the name of the franchise? Because I’m still never quite sure how to pronounce it.
Balrog

GC: They’ve implied that’s the idea, yes. Although they could always change their mind.

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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.

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.

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MORE: Games Inbox: Which is better out of Pragmata and Saros?

MORE: Games Inbox: When is The Elders Scrolls 6 coming out?

MORE: Games Inbox: Is Call Of Duty still popular?

In Tripadvisor’s 2026 Travellers’ Choice Awards released today, two of York’s attractions were highlighted amongst the best in the world at a ceremony that aims to celebrate the world’s most popular attractions and experiences, based on reviews and ratings from travellers across the globe.

York Minster was ranked 12th in the UK’s Top Attractions, while the Wizard Walk of York secured fourth place in the Family-Friendly Experiences category worldwide.

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Laurel Greatrix, chief communications officer at Tripadvisor Group, said: “This is hard-won recognition, shaped by millions of travellers who booked, showed up, and rated what was actually worth their time.

“There’s a clear theme in this year’s winners: they bring out what makes a destination unique.

“These aren’t experiences that simply fill an itinerary – they’re the experiences that give you a better way to understand a place.”

UK attractions performed strongly in the global rankings, with the Royal Yacht Britannia in Edinburgh named the number one attraction in the world after rising from 12th place last year.

Other British sites in the top 20 included The Real Mary King’s Close in Edinburgh, ranked sixth, and Oxford’s Bodleian Library at 13th.

Other categories include: Amusements and Water Parks, Cultural & Historic, Food & Drink, Family-Friendly, Nature & Outdoors, Sailing & Day Cruises and Water Sports.

For a full list of this year’s winners, visit https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/TravelersChoice-ThingsToDo 

One objector described the development as ‘totally inadequate’

Locals say that plans for new homes in a Cambridgeshire village are “ludicrous and ridiculous”. Back in February, Burgess and Walker Transport submitted permission in principle plans to Huntingdonshire District Council (HDC) to build new homes along Overcote Lane in Needingworth.

The plans, which were for between seven and nine homes, have been refused by Huntingdonshire District Council after concerns were raised about safety. Proposed access to the site is “unmade” and is around 250m from the nearest footpath.

A planning officer said this didn’t “provide safe and convenient access for future residents” to nearby services. The officer also described the development as “unacceptable”. It added that it would result in “visual harm and encroachment of a small settlement into the countryside resulting in the loss of land” which offers a buffer between the countryside and existing homes.

The plans also received several objections from residents. One person in Ashton Close described the plans as “ludicrous and ridiculous” and that they “totally object” to them. The objector said: “There is no appropriate access to this site, to gain access would mean destroying current hedgerows and trees which would also affect wildlife.

“The infrastructure is totally inadequate for any new developments.”

Another person in Ashton Close also raised concerns about the impact on wildlife. They said the homes would “destroy the peaceful nature” on the nearby field. They added: “The proposed access via the farm track to Lodel Farm is not wide enough and if it was widened then this will require trees and hedges to be removed which as far as I am concerned should never be considered.”

Despite concerns raised, Cambridgeshire County Council’s highways team didn’t raise concerns about effects on the public highway. However, it required further detail on access, layout, visibility splays and traffic impact.

Environmental Health raised concerns about the site. It stated that the site for the proposed development was used on a former plant nursery, which is used for contaminants such as fertilizers and pesticides.

An Environmental Health spokesperson said the substances could “pose a potential risk to the health of future occupiers”.

John Lee punched the victim causing him to lose consciousness before shouting at his wife

This is the moment a driver punched someone in an “extremely aggressive and shocking” attack while his kids watched.

The incident took place in Conwy county where John Lee attacked the victim as he sat in his car in the Llanrwst area, on June 15, 2025.

Dashcam footage, shown to Caernarfon Crown Court, during Lee’s sentencing hearing last week, shows how Lee attacked the victim. NorthWalesLive reports he then began verbally abusing the victim’s wife outside.

The court heard the victim had pulled over to collect eggs from a store and stopped his vehicle suddenly upon hearing a loud beep, fearing something was wrong with his car. Lee, who was driving the vehicle directly behind, exited his car and approached the victim’s window, shouting “what are you doing?” before delivering a punch.

The force of the blow caused the victim to lose consciousness as he sat in his driver’s seat. Prosecution barrister Rabia Tariq told the court Lee also grabbed and shook the man during the assault.

When the victim’s wife stepped out of the car dashcam footage captured Lee verbally remonstrating with her in an aggressive manner. The physical impact on the victim included a bruised eye socket and a grazed eyelid, alongside the loss of consciousness.

In a personal statement, the victim described the attack as “extremely aggressive and shocking,” noting that he has suffered from increased forgetfulness since the incident. He added the ordeal has had a lasting emotional impact on his wife and family.

Defending Lee, Richard Edwards stated his client had pleaded guilty at the first opportunity and “bitterly regrets” his impulsive actions. The court was told that Lee’s own wife and children were in his vehicle at the time and had been upset by the evasive driving required when the victim stopped. The defence characterised the assault as a “single, isolated” moment of madness.

The court further heard Lee is a self-employed carpenter and joiner who had previously served in the military before an injury cut his career short. Mr Edwards highlighted Lee’s struggles with mental health, noting he had even established a mental health football team to support himself and others in the community. His only previous conviction was a referral for common assault in 2005.

Judge Nicola Jones, sentencing Lee, highlighted the gravity of the incident, particularly as the victim’s elderly parents were watching from the back seat. She also criticised Lee for being “verbally aggressive” toward the victim’s wife while his own children watched the violence unfold from his car.

Judge Jones sentenced Lee to eight months in prison, suspended for 12 months. He must undertake 10 rehabilitation activity requirement days.

He must also pay £500 compensation and a statutory surcharge.

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