Apple has shared three straightforward ways iPhone users can adjust their settings for peace of mind

Fed up with constant spam calls? There’s a simple fix to halt them entirely or drastically cut down their frequency. Taking swift action could be important if you want to safeguard your hard-earned cash from being drained.

Some scammers are incredibly convincing and can extract your personal details within moments, leaving your bank account nearly empty before you’ve even cottoned on to what’s happening. So what’s the solution?

Apple has advised iPhone owners that they can switch on the built-in Silence Unknown Callers feature, and if that’s not for you, there are two other methods available. Here’s everything you need to know, reports the Mirror.

Screen or silence unknown callers

• Phone app: Scroll to Screen Unknown Callers, then select Never, Ask Reason for Calling or Silence. Never means calls from unsaved numbers ring like any other call; Ask Reason for Calling means these calls are screened (the caller is asked why they’re calling before your phone even rings); and Silence automatically silences these calls and sends them to voicemail.
• FaceTime: Tap to turn on Silence Unknown Callers. Calls from unknown numbers are silenced and sent to voicemail.

Filter unknown callers

• Go to Settings, then tap Apps. Tap Phone or FaceTime
• Scroll down to Call Filtering, and turn on Unknown Callers. Missed calls and voicemails from unknown numbers are moved to your Unknown Callers list
• If you want to see your Unknown Callers list in the Phone app or FaceTime, tap the Filter button, then tap Unknown Callers. In the Phone app, this appears in the Recents tab in Classic view, and in the Calls tab in Unified.

Silence spam callers

• Navigate to Settings, then select Apps. Select Phone or FaceTime.
• Scroll to Call Filtering and activate your spam filter: FaceTime: Toggle on FaceTime Spam. Calls flagged as Spam or fraud are muted and transferred to the Spam list.
• On your phone app: Toggle on Spam. Calls marked as Spam or fraud by your mobile network provider are muted, directed to voicemail and shifted to your Spam list.
• To access your Spam list, simply tap the Filter button, followed by Spam. Within the Phone app, you’ll find this in the Recents tab when using Classic view, or in the Calls tab if you’re using Unified view.

Contacts warning

Apple stresses that when activating these features, it’s essential to add trusted contacts to your address book to avoid missing important calls from family, friends, your child’s school, workplace, or GP surgery. “If you call the emergency services, call screening turns off for 24 hours”, the company cautions.

Telephone Preference Service

Following Apple’s latest guidance for users, the technology firm isn’t the only one working to tackle nuisance calls. Citizens Advice specialists suggest registering with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) as a helpful step.

After registering, your number is placed on a database of individuals who don’t want to receive sales and marketing calls. It’s against the law for salespeople, whether operating from the UK or overseas, to ring numbers registered with TPS.

It adds: “Registering won’t stop automated marketing calls, also known as ‘computer-generated calls’. This is because the law only applies to people, not computers. You should talk to your telephone provider about how to stop these calls.”

The fastest method to register is by completing the TPS online registration form on the TPS website. To register with TPS you’ll need your: It’s worth noting that registering with the TPS won’t stop scam calls from getting through.

Details on how to report scams can be accessed here. Information about reporting fraudulent activity is available here.

UK consumers go through an estimated 14 billion plastic drinks bottles per year, according to Defra, but single-use plastic is falling out of favour, thanks to efforts from David Attenborough and Greta Thunberg. More people are turning to reusable water bottles and in return, bottles are getting smarter. The best water bottles these days are insulated, leak-proof, filtered and BPA free.

BPA stands for Bisphenol A, an industrial chemical compound used in the manufacturing of strong plastics. Some research suggests BPA can leak into food and drink and cause health problems. “When looking for a bottle, look for non-toxic materials. Stainless steel is one of the most eco-friendly materials for a water bottle. Not only is it safe, but it is very durable and infinitely recyclable,” says Natalie Byrne, marketing manager at Go Outdoors.

For this guide I’ve tested a number of the best water bottles on the market – including gym water bottles, water bottles with straws and even the Air Up water bottle which uses scented pods to trick your brain into thinking you’re drinking squash. Whether you’re looking for a durable water bottle for hiking or simply one that’s dishwasher-safe, you should find something to suit you below.

The best water bottles: At a glance

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How we test best water bottles

To find the best water bottle, I tried and tested dozens over the period of a month. I threw them in my backpack on my daily commute to test if they were leak-proof and I sipped them at my desk. I bundled them into my gym bag along with my gym leggings and yoga mat and even took them on runs. I left them for hours at a time to test how insulated they really were, using a thermometer to measure both cold and hot water, and I researched the materials each is made from to check for toxic materials.

I really wanted to find a water bottle that was both lightweight enough to carry around all day, insulated enough to keep water cold for hours and durable enough that it could take a few knocks and scratches. I want one water bottle that does everything, so I don’t have to have a separate bottle for home, work and the gym. I also looked at value for money. You wouldn’t believe the cost of some water bottles I looked at.

Emergency services were called to Ellesmere Street overnight from Friday into Saturday.

At 1.30am today, a Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Services spokesperson said there was a fire in an abandoned building, believed to be the former King Street School.

Then at 9am this morning, a Greater Manchester Police spokesperson said Ellesmere Street is closed along with King Street, between Spinning Jenny Way and St Helens Road.

There are not believed to be any injuries as a result of the incident according to the emergency services.

A police spokesperson said: “The emergency services will continue to be in the area for the foreseeable.”

Steve Tandy is the man attempting to mould something out of the mess.

The 46-year-old, who represented Neath and Ospreys – the tradition most under threat as the Welsh Rugby Union streamline their regional system – became Wales head coach in September.

His reputation was built on forging suffocating defences for teams to build from. Scotland and the British and Irish Lions have both benefited.

Leicester have too. Tandy came in for a short stint while Wigglesworth was coaching there.

“He seemed like a really good bloke and very switched on for what he did,” said Wigglesworth.

“I’ve always been really impressed with the teams he’s been involved in. All the coaches who have worked with him as well, speak highly of him – he’s a good coach.”

England have predicted that, as such, Tandy will attempt to level the pitch by taking to the skies.

Head coach Steve Borthwick suggested as many as 50 contestable kicks could be coming the way of his back three.

A lot of them would need to fall Wales’ way for the visitors to emerge victorious on Saturday, though.

If they do, it would rank as arguably the biggest shock in the fixture’s 145-year history.

If, more feasibly, England – with title aspirations – inflict another thrashing, those nip-tuck, nose-to-nose inferno finishes of years gone by would seem even more distant.

Damage limitation instead of dreams of victory occupy the minds of most Wales fans.

George says he has no fears over the long-term competitiveness of the rivalry.

“I don’t think it’ll be a problem,” he said.

“I think Wales are going to be a good team moving forward. I think they’re going to be a good team on Saturday.”

Good enough? By the high standards set by this match in the past? That still seems some way off.

LYING awake at night, as her then-husband and teenage boys slept, April Balascio racked her brain for missing remnants of her childhood.

Images swirled – of missing people, dead bodies and quick getaways at 12am.

Teacher April, then living in Ohio, USA, was trying to piece together her fragmented past. But it was tricky. Her dad, Edward Edwards ensured they were always on the move.

By 18, she’d been to 17 schools and lived in states including Wisconsin, Florida, Arizona, Georgia, Colorado, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

“I remember Dad regularly waking me in the middle of the night and saying ‘we’re going now’,” says April, now 56. “But it wasn’t unusual. We never stayed too long in one place, constantly moving to where the work was.”

Ten Most Wanted

Edwards also did some motivational speaking about “choosing the right path” having once been on the FBI’s “Ten Most Wanted” list for a string of petrol station robberies in the 1960s, for which he had served a prison sentence.

SO EVIL

Dad’s girlfriend was serial killer Joanna Dennehy, she taught me POLE DANCE at 13

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SICK STRIKE

How Hammer Killer lured me into twisted world while drawing up ‘paedo’ hit list

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As an adult April became incredibly uneasy about her childhood. “Dad was very hot and cold,” she says. “On special occasions like Christmas, he would go all out decorating and was giddy with excitement watching us kids rip open the gifts he had picked. Other days, he had a raging temper which he would take out on us.

“We would leave places so suddenly, me, my mum, him and my four siblings all crushed in the vehicle. I remember setting up in various places such as farmhouses, tents, mobile homes and once a barn.

“But what really stuck with me was, seemingly, wherever we went there were missing people cases.”

But she couldn’t remember exactly where they’d stayed. So, for 18 months in 2009, having left home, married and had children, she would wake and try desperately to recall the locations. Until one day – a match.

“I typed in ‘Cold Case, 1980, Waterford, Wisconsin’,” she says. “And there it was.”

Researching online, she found articles on “The Sweetheart Murders”, the name given to a cold case involving couple Kelly Drew and Timothy Hack, both 19, who vanished in August 1980.

“I read about how they had been celebrating a friend’s wedding reception at a venue called Concord House before vanishing,” says April. “Then I felt a jolt of recognition because I knew that place… we camped nearby, and Dad had worked there as a caretaker.

“I recalled him, like everyone in the town, tuning into the nightly news for updates on the missing couple.

“‘I bet they find those kids in a field,’ he had said over and over again. We left town not long afterwards and moved hundreds of miles away. But as I read on, I was horrified to discover their bodies had been located in a field more than two months after they had disappeared.”

‘I bet they find those kids in a field’

The news articles reported Tim had been stabbed. Kelly had been bound, strangled and possibly raped.

April continues: “Police never found the killer, and all the leads dried up. But thinking back, I recalled Dad coming home with a busted nose around the same time. He told me he had injured himself hunting, but even as a kid I remembered thinking it was odd.”

April called the old article’s hotline number, not expecting anyone to answer – but police did… and they were interested.

“I told the police everything I knew,” she says. “I wasn’t sure if it was the right thing to do, or if I had sent them on a wild goose chase. I wondered, ‘Am I a horrible person doing this to my Dad?’”

About a month later, the police went to visit Edwards, who agreed to a DNA sample – and it was a match.

“I felt sick,” says April. “I couldn’t believe my Dad had killed that couple. Soon afterwards, he was arrested, pleaded guilty to two counts of murder and was handed a double life sentence. I didn’t speak to him again.”

However, in April 2010, he went on to admit to the murders of couple Billy Lavaco, 21, and Judy Straub, 18, in 1977 in Ohio.

They were found in a park, shot at point blank range in the back of the neck.

Sickest confession of all

“Then came the most chilling confession of them all – Dad had killed my brother’s friend, ‘Dannie Boy’,” says April. “After I had left home, my parents had taken in Dannie and encouraged him to join the Army. He admired Dad so much he even took our surname. But in 1996, shortly after Dad signed up Dannie for the maximum military life insurance of $382,412, he had been found dead by a gunshot wound, aged 24.”

In March 2011, having admitted five murders and hinted at more, Edward Edwards, then 76, from Kentucky, appeared in court and was sentenced to death.

“I wanted him jailed so he would suffer,” says April. “What he did was awful. I knew he was a volatile man, but he was also charismatic and could be charming.

“I imagine that’s how he got away with being a secret serial killer.”

In April 2011, while on death row, he died of diabetes. “I felt relief that our family was spared the media circus, but the weight of Dad’s actions hung over me like a dark cloud,” says April. “Not wanting to burden my family with the agony I felt, I would muffle my screams in the shower with a washcloth.”

In 2019, she created a podcast, The Clearing, detailing the journey to discovering the truth about her father.

Meeting a victim’s family

“In the final episode, I arranged to speak with Tim Hack’s parents, Dave and Judy,” she says. “They shared sweet stories of their son growing up, and their heartache of losing him before his life had truly begun. I was so sorry, but they said I wasn’t to blame.”

In January, she released a book, Raised By A Serial Killer, and dedicated it to Dave and Judy.

“For a long time, I shied away from the parts of myself that reminded me of my father, including my own temper,” she says. “But I’ve learned I don’t have to be a product of my environment, that I can choose my own path – such as by helping people instead of hurting them.

“I may never know why my father did what he did, but I know I’ll do everything I can to leave the world a better place than I found it.”

Fire crews and police remain on the scene this morning

Emergency services remain on the scene after a huge fire broke out in Leigh overnight.

The blaze broke out at a ‘derelict building’ on Ellesmere Street at around 10.50pm on Friday evening (February 6). Six fire engines were called out, as well as an aerial unit.

Police officers and paramedics were also called. Pictures and video clips from the scene showed huge flames engulfing the entire building as thick, black smoke billowed into the sky.

Follow our live blog HERE for updates on the fire

The church-style building where the blaze broke out is believed to the former King Street School. A spokesperson for the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service said no injuries were reported in the fire.

Local residents were advised to keep their windows and shut are the fire took hold of the building in the early hours. Crews remain on the scene this morning dampening down hotspots.

A number of road closures are in place, including on King Street and on Ellesmere Street.Emergency services are expected to remain on the scene ‘for the foreseeable’, a spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police said.

A GMFRS spokesperson said in a statement: “At around 10.50pm on Friday 6 February, six fire engines from across Greater Manchester and an aerial appliance attended a fire involving a derelict church on Ellesmere Street, Leigh. Crews arrived quickly and used five jets and two turntable ladders to bring the fire under control.

“Greater Manchester Police managed cordons around the area and evacuated nearby residents. North West Ambulance Service also attended in a supportive capacity. Firefighters remain on scene this morning.”

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A GMP spokesperson said: “#UPDATE | Officers are currently supporting partners following reports of a fire at a church on Wilds Passage, Leigh. There are no reported injuries.

“Emergency services will continue to be in the area for the foreseeable. A number of road closures are in place including King Street from the junctions of Spinning Jenny Way/ Twist Lane to the end of the road bridge over the canal where King Street merges to St Helens Road.

“Ellesmere Street at the junction of Spinning Jenny Way is also closed off. Please be mindful of these and avoid the area where possible. Thank you for your patience whilst emergency services deal with the incident.”

A BOEING 727 that had no clearance to fly mysteriously took off into the night – leaving behind no wreckage, no signal and no answers.

Just before sunset, the ageing jet lifted off from Quatro de Fevereiro Airport in Luanda, Angola with an American engineer and a private pilot on board.

One of the most fascinating things about the NFL, American football played at its highest level, is how important situations are.

Not just moments on the field, like figuring out whether a team is going to run or pass on 3rd & 3 with 1:20 left on the clock, but in the franchises themselves, where a good structure and strong roster can elevate even average players to greatness (paging Nick Foles) while the opposite is also true for even the best players, like Dan Marino, who many believe to be the best quarterback to ever play the game, though he couldn’t win a Super Bowl due to his teammates’ failings.

It is the idea of situations, and being put in a good situation, which really shapes this Super Bowl on Sunday.

Sam Darnold will quarterback the favourites on Sunday night, the Seattle Seahawks, knowing a win at Levi’s Stadium would complete the most unlikely and topsy-turvy career path before he even turns 29.

Darnold was the boy phenom in California, where he grew up. Once he had chosen to go to the University of Southern California, historically the biggest football school west of Texas, the chatter was already starting about which NFL team he would end up with. Tipped as the number one pick in the draft years before he was even eligible, there was talk of teams willing to “Scam for Sam” – lose games at the end of the season to tank their season and be in position to draft Darnold first overall and turn around their franchise.

In the end, Darnold would end up being the third pick in the draft and going to the ever-dysfunctional New York Jets. Wracked by incompetence, the franchise put Darnold behind a holey offensive line, surrounded him with uninspiring talent and he was coached by a succession of playcallers who failed him.

Eventually, after three unhappy years, Darnold was traded to Carolina.

With the equally miserable Panthers, a similar story unfolded. Eventually, Darnold was released to become a free agent, having never been surrounded by anything remotely resembling competence. His confidence was shot, his career was presumed dead, and the Californian was left to look for a backup job wherever it would take him, but for the first time in his career, he had agency. He had a choice.

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Darnold wanted nothing more than to work with an exceptional coach and offensive talent. Kyle Shanahan, arguably the greatest playcaller of his generation, offered him a job as San Francisco’s backup and he jumped at the chance. While Darnold sat behind starter Brock Purdy all season, it was his first opportunity to take stock and to learn. For the first time in his career, he was developing.

When the Minnesota Vikings offered Darnold the chance to compete for a job with rookie quarterback JJ McCarthy under another brilliant playcaller in Kevin O’Connell, Darnold wisely said yes. McCarthy’s injury thrust Darnold into the starter role, and four months later, he had become the first-ever quarterback to win 14 games in their first season with a new team.

What Minnesota presented Darnold with was a great situation. A coach who knew how to get the best out of him, who could scheme up plays that emphasised his strengths but hid his deficiencies, a defensive unit that was stocked with talent, led by another brilliant coach in Brian Flores, and then the best wide receiver in the league, Justin Jefferson, to throw the ball to.

It’s funny how much easier the game gets when you have those things.

Grant Udinski coached Darnold in Carolina and Minnesota, and credits Darnold for his resilience and never-ending positivity in the face of such struggle.

“He had been through a lot, especially in such a short time frame; he had so many experiences that he wasn’t supported the way he should have been,” Udinski said.

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“It’s not like he lacked confidence. I just don’t think he felt the same support or ability to fully be himself that maybe, if he was empowered as a quarterback and a great teammate, he would have felt.”

His season with the Vikings made Darnold an in-demand free agent, and last year he signed a three-year, $100m contract with Seattle. Last month, he became the first quarterback in NFL history to record 14 wins in his first season with two different teams in back-to-back seasons.

For his opposite number, Drake Maye, the path has been a lot more straightforward. A starter for his local college, the University of North Carolina, Maye’s rocket arm and prototypical build had scouts salivating, but in a team bereft of talent that wasn’t competing for honours, there was still doubt.

Even after being selected third overall by the New England Patriots, things weren’t going to be easy. First-time head coach Jerod Mayo struggled, the team went 4-13 and owner Robert Kraft fired Mayo in what he called “an untenable situation.”

New executives and a new head coach, Pats legend Mike Vrabel, who won the NFL Coach of the Year at this week’s annual awards, surrounded Maye with talent. They tweaked the playbook to make the most out of his athleticism and they took advantage of one of the league’s easiest schedules to win 14 games and go from being one of the worst teams in the AFC to the very best.

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“From day one, I feel like the guys have really taken what Coach Vrabel has wanted to do with us and have just really applied it to their lives in every single way,” Maye said yesterday.

“Whether it’s on the field, off the field, getting treatment, doing little things, making great decisions off the field. I think the biggest thing is just – Coach Vrabel always says he treats us how we treat the team. I think that’s how guys have taken this year, and I think it’s just rallying together and wanting to play for each other.”

According to the pre-season odds from the bookmakers, this is the most unlikely Super Bowl in more than 50 years. A Seattle team that bet on a first-round bust to be the final piece of their jigsaw came through one of the most difficult divisions in football to win the NFC. The Patriots drafted a raw talent and improved the situation around him enough to not just compete, but blow away the competition.

“What a journey,” Maye said about Darnold this week.

“What a career he’s had, just to battle the life of the NFL, and knowing that his first opportunity, obviously, he got put in a scenario where they decided to move on.

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“And from there, he’s made ’em pay ever since. He’s battled not playing for years, and being the backup to getting his chance, and just making the most of it. It’s been awesome to see.”

The lesson from this Super Bowl, whoever wins, is that team results and individual struggles do not define a player. In this sport, in this league, the situation that you find yourself in goes a long way to defining how well you can perform. Maye knows that may befall him one day. It is not lost on either of these young men.

And now these two young quarterbacks are both playing in their first Super Bowl, where one of them will write their name into history and both of them will be forever remembered for their part in two memorable turnarounds.

Now that’s a good situation to be in.

I assess ski socks, quite simply, by trialling them on the slopes. I’m a ski equipment expert, and I tested the men’s models, while my friend, ski coach and freeride athlete, Ffion Townsend, assessed women’s ski socks. However, many of the models featured are unisex or available in men’s and women’s versions.

There’s a range of socks available for skiing and snowboarding, so we’ve tried a large assortment and whittled that longlist down to bring you this winter’s top picks. We’ve skied in dozens of pairs, spoken with shop staff and chatted with consumers, as well as getting advice from some of the best boot fitters out there. In some cases, we’ve tested the same socks (or socks made by the same brands) for several years, or even decades.

Our reviews factor in fit, comfort, warmth, suitability for high-performance skiing and budget. We’ve also considered the materials used, and how well these control odours, temperature and moisture levels inside your boots.

Norwegian ski jumpers have said their sport does not need “that kind of attention” after it was reported that male athletes were injecting their penises in a bid to improve sporting performance at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina.

In January, German newspaper Bild, external reported that jumpers were injecting their penises with hyaluronic acid before being measured for their suits.

Hyaluronic acid, which is not banned in sport, can be used to increase penis circumference by one or two centimetres.

This would increase the surface area of their suits during competition, which, according to FIS, the international ski and snowboard federation, could increase their flight in the air.

However, some Norwegian ski jumpers have reacted to the reports with scepticism.

“I do not think we need that kind of attention, and on the women’s side we are quite calm about the subject,” Norway women’s coach Christian Meyer said.

“I have not seen anything like it, so I am also wondering whether it is true. I actually do not believe it.”