Boasting 280 horsepower, eye-catching design and an as-tested price of £48,605, this compact crossover aims to marry the Italian brand’s sporty pedigree with zero-emission motoring.

The Junior Veloce is undeniably a head-turner. Measuring 4,173mm in length, it remains compact yet projects genuine visual impact.

Alfa Romeo Junior Veloce 280

The Arese Grey finish paired with a contrasting black roof (a £700 optional extra) proves an attractive combination, while the diamond-cut 20-inch Venti alloys also catch the eye. Nostalgic touches like the rear light bar echoing the classic Alfasud, plus the Progresso grille featuring the marque’s emblem etched into its surface, give the Junior real personality. Finishing the Veloce trim are red brake callipers, privacy glass and an aggressive body kit.

​Power is provided by a 207kW (280hp) electric motor exclusive to Alfa Romeo, pushing 345Nm of torque through the front axle. The 0-62mph dash is dispatched in exactly six seconds, with a top speed of 124mph. Beyond the stats, Alfa’s engineers have invested considerable effort in chassis development, fitting a lowered suspension, widened track, reinforced anti-roll bars, upgraded braking hardware, a quicker steering ratio and a mechanical Torsen limited-slip diff.

A front view of the Alfa Romeo Junior Veloce 280

​On a winding country lane, the car genuinely entertains the keen driver. It changes direction with enthusiasm, the steering relays useful information about grip levels, and the nose tucks into corners with precision.

Despite the considerable output, power is deployed progressively rather than aggressively, preventing the traction struggles that might otherwise hinder such a powerful front-wheel-driver. The battery pack mounted beneath the floor keeps the centre of gravity low, giving stability in corners.

​What sets the Veloce apart from its front-wheel-drive rivals is the behaviour of the rear axle. Ease off the accelerator as you approach a bend and the tail subtly rotates, helping to point the nose towards the apex, delivering genuine lift-off oversteer that feels deliberate rather than wayward.

Alfa Romeo Junior Veloce 280

The Torsen differential further enhances this playfulness on corner exit. Apply power as you unwind the steering and the car noticeably tightens its line, the diff working to pull the Junior through the bend rather than pushing wide into understeer.

The compromise appears in comfort. The suspension tuning that permits such dynamic ability means rough surfaces transmit noticeably into the cabin.

The cabin presents a mixed picture. The front sports seats deserve particular praise, delivering excellent lateral support. A 10.25-inch touchscreen manages entertainment functions, matched by an equally sized digital instrument display, while wireless smartphone connectivity offsets the absence of factory-fitted satnav.

​Plastics dominate, especially across the door trims and fascia, and the buttons and stalks will be recognisable to anyone familiar with recent Peugeots or Vauxhalls. Space for rear passengers is restricted, particularly for those with longer legs, reflecting the car’s B-segment foundations.

Alfa Romeo Junior Veloce 280

​Range proves the Junior Veloce’s weakness against rivals. The 51kWh battery pack provides an official WLTP range of 200.1 miles, though everyday driving, especially involving faster roads, will diminish that considerably. Realistically, anticipate somewhere between 150 and 160 miles during typical mixed use.

​Rapid charging reaches a maximum of 100kW, allowing a 20-80% charge in about half an hour. Using an 11kW domestic wallbox, a complete charge requires just shy of six hours.

The Alfa Romeo Junior Veloce stands out as a genuinely rewarding electric car that earns its badge. The dynamic abilities, visual appeal and driver involvement surpass what one might expect from a compact crossover. Nevertheless, the restricted real-world range, cramped second row and patchy cabin quality warrant careful thought given the nearly £50,000 price tag.

The Lowdown: Alfa Romeo Junior Veloce 280

POWERTRAIN: Single electric motor,

POWER: 280hp (207kW)

TORQUE: 345Nm

BATTERY CAPACITY: 51kWh

TRANSMISSION: Single-speed auto, front wheel drive

0-62MPH: 6.0 seconds

WLTP combined range: 200.1 miles

PRICE: £48,605 as tested

MILAN (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday said that it is hard to cheer for American Olympians who are speaking out against administration policies, calling one such critic “a real Loser” who perhaps should have stayed home.

It was the latest and most prominent example of U.S. Olympians at the Milan Cortina Games inviting online backlash with their words.

Reporters on Friday asked U.S. athletes at a news conference how they feel representing the country during the Trump administration’s heighted immigration enforcement actions. Freestyle skier Hunter Hess replied that he had mixed emotions since he doesn’t agree with the situation, and that he is in Milan competing on behalf of everyone who helped get him to The Games.

“If it aligns with my moral values, I feel like I’m representing it,” Hess said. “Just because I’m wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the U.S.”

Among those who piled on Hess were YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul.

“From all true Americans If you don’t want to represent this country go live somewhere else,” he wrote on X, where he has 4.4 million followers. Minutes later, he was photographed sitting beside U.S. Vice President JD Vance at the U.S women’s hockey game in Olympic host city Milan.

Trump said the next day that Hess’ comments make it hard to root for him.

“Hess, a real Loser, says he doesn’t represent his Country in the current Winter Olympics. If that’s the case, he shouldn’t have tried out for the Team, and it’s too bad he’s on it,” he wrote on his Truth Social account.

Hess wasn’t the only athlete voicing discontent — or facing blowback

At Friday’s news conference with the athletes, freestyle skier Chris Lillis referenced Immigration and Customs Enforcement, saying he’s “heartbroken” about what is happening in the U.S.

“I think that, as a country, we need to focus on respecting everybody’s rights and making sure that we’re treating our citizens as well as anybody, with love and respect,” Lillis said. “I hope that when people look at athletes compete in the Olympics, they realize that that’s the America that we’re trying to represent.”

And U.S. figure skater Amber Glenn said the LGBTQ+ community has had a hard time during the Trump administration.

In addition to Paul, conservative figures criticizing the athletes on social media include former NFL quarterback Brett Favre, actor Rob Schneider and U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds — who Trump has endorsed for the Florida gubernatorial race in November. And there was a flood of vitriol directed at them from ordinary Americans.

Glenn posted on Instagram that she had received “a scary amount of hate / threats for simply using my voice WHEN ASKED about how I feel.” She added that she will start limiting her social media use for her well-being.

In response to questions from The Associated Press, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee said in a statement Sunday that it is aware of an increasing amount of abusive and harmful messages directed toward the athletes and was doing its best to remove content and report credible threats to law enforcement.

“The USOPC stands firmly behind Team USA athletes and remains committed to their well-being and safety, both on and off the field of play,” it said.

Anti-ICE protests in Italy

Support for the U.S. abroad has eroded as the Trump administration has pursued an aggressive posture on foreign policy, including punishing tariffs, military action in Venezuela and threats to invade Greenland.

During the opening ceremony, Team USA athletes were cheered on, but jeers and whistles could be heard as Vance and his wife, second lady Usha Vance, were shown on the stadium screens, waving American flags from the tribune.

In Milan, several demonstrations have broken out against the against the local deployment of ICE agents — even after clarification that they are from an investigations unit that is completely separate from the enforcement unit at the forefront of the immigration crackdown in the U.S.

Homeland Security Investigations, an ICE unit that focuses on cross-border crimes, frequently sends its officers to overseas events like the Olympics to assist with security. The ICE arm seen in the streets of the U.S. is known as Enforcement and Removal Operations, and there is no indication its officers were sent to Italy.

A demonstration on Saturday featured thousands of protesters. Toward its end, a small number of them clashed with police, who fired tear gas and a water cannon. That followed another one last week, when hundreds protested the deployment of ICE agents.

___

Associated Press writer Graham Dunbar contributed to this report.

___

AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

The city is set to receive £1.5 million in funding over the next two years

Advertisement

Peterborough city centre will have new public toilets by 2028, says Peterborough City Councillor Mohammed Jamil (Lab). The Cabinet Member for Finance & Corporate Governance responded to recent calls by residents and fellow councillors alike that the lack of centrally accessible toilets was a “major issue”.

“I totally agree,” he said. “We think they are essential [and] crucial and we will go out of our way to make sure this happens. We hear the public’s message to us loud and clear and, as an administration, we are looking to bring public toilets back into use within two years.”

When pressed by the Local Democracy Reporting Service on where the new facilities might be sited, Cllr Jamil said he hoped they would be located “in and around Cathedral Square”.

The Central ward councillor and deputy Labour leader said this was the right time for the City Council to address the absence of centrally located public toilets. “We now see a golden opportunity with the city centre funding,” he said. “The government has given us £1.5m.”

As part of the UK government’s Pride in Place programme announced last year, Peterborough city centre is set to receive funding of £750,000 this year and £750,000 next year. “What we’re looking at with colleagues is how we’re going to spend that money,” Cllr Jamil said.

Re-purposing the Guildhall, greening the Cathedral Square, and creating better infrastructure for markets have been some of the potential ideas explored by councillors and officers.

“Public toilets are very high up on our agenda,” the councillor confirmed. Along with the option of potentially introducing standalone public toilets, Cllr Jamil speculated the new facilities could also be set within a re-purposed shop, in the corner of a shop or within a current council-owned building.

One possibility that is not on the table though is re-opening the old underground toilets which used to be behind St John’s Church.

“They’re not really an option,” the councillor confirmed. He explained: “A lot depends on what we’re going to do with the Guildhall – those [old] toilets were right behind the Guildhall; if we repurpose the Guildhall, say for example, as a restaurant [then] it may not be the best place for them.”

Tutberidze’s official coaching role is with the Georgia figure skating team and she was at Milano Ice Skating Arena for the team event to watch one of her longest-serving pupils, Nika Egadze.

Egadze stormed to victory at the 2026 European Championships in Sheffield, where Tutberidze shared a warm hug with her skater after a gold medal-winning performance, and other athletes spoke positively about the coach.

It was a different story at Milano Ice Skating Arena as Egadze endured two error-strewn routines, with Georgia missing out on a medal.

In the short programme he made two early errors, failing to land the triple toe loop in his first technical element.

As he continued his performance, the TV cameras caught Tutberidze in passing – standing at rinkside, arms folded.

Egadze did enough to pull the performance around and help earn Georgia fifth place in qualifying, progressing to the final. When he came off the ice, the hug from Tutberidze seemed curt.

She joined the Georgian squad as they waited for the results. Generally, waiting teams will laugh and joke, even if they know elimination is coming.

Instead, the 11 skaters and team members sat stony-faced as the scores were announced.

If this was an indicator of the atmosphere in the team, it is certainly not positive, but it may have just been a moment of nervous focus.

Perhaps Tutberidze was minding her body language on Sunday as Egadze struggled even more in the free skate. Three of his first four elements scored negative points, and he nearly tripped over during his triple axel.

His coach gave him a pat on the hand as the numbers came in. Despite Egadze scoring only 154.79 for the free skate – 27 points lower than his season best – there was no berating.

The attention comes at a Games which began for Georgia with their team being roundly booed in San Siro when they entered the stadium during the opening ceremony.

Personal Independence Payment claimants must report certain changes to the DWP or risk court action and financial penalties

Claimants of Personal Independence Payment ( PIP ) have been issued a stark warning that they could end up in court or be hit with fines if they don’t notify the Department for Work and Pensions ( DWP ) about specific changes to their circumstances. PIP supports individuals aged 16 and above living with long-term physical or mental health conditions or disabilities that make everyday activities or mobility challenging.

Crucially, the benefit isn’t means-tested and remains available regardless of employment status. Awards are determined by how a condition impacts daily life rather than the diagnosis itself, with amounts subject to change following routine DWP assessments or when claimants’ situations alter.

There’s a legal obligation to keep the DWP informed of any changes. The government website carries a clear caution: “You could be taken to court or have to pay a penalty if you give wrong information or do not report a change straight away.”

Should you move into a care home, additional reporting requirements apply if:

1. You need more or less help with daily living and mobility tasks
2. Your health professional tells you that your condition will last for a longer or shorter time than you reported before
3. A medical professional has said you might have 12 months or less to live (you could get PIP at a higher rate under ‘special rules for end of life’)
4. You go into a hospital, a hospice, a nursing home or a care home
5. You go into a residential school or college
6. You go into foster care or into the care of a local authority or health and social care trust
7. You’re imprisoned or held in detention
8. You plan to go abroad for more than 4 weeks
9. Your immigration status changes, and you’re not a British or Irish citizen
10. You start or stop getting pensions or benefits from an EU country, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein
11. Your husband, wife, civil partner or a parent you depend on starts or stops getting benefits from an EU country, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein

Furthermore, claimants must ring the PIP enquiry line immediately when personal details change, including name, address, contact numbers, banking details or doctor, and if there’s a change in who represents you, reports the Express.

Those relocating from England or Wales to Scotland need to contact the PIP enquiry line and submit a fresh application for Adult Disability Payment (ADP), which has superseded PIP north of the border. Alterations can be reported by ringing the PIP enquiry line on 0800 121 4433, with assistance available for those who require help using the phone.

Vitaly Janelt (Brentford): He obviously gets a goal – wonderful header – but I actually thought he was just the best player on the pitch in the 3-2 win at Newcastle. I agree with Jordan Henderson in the sense he should have had the man of the match but he played well, kept it simple, broke up the game, broke forward when he needed to. A real solid midfielder’s performance.

Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United): What a difference a manager makes – being able to be free, get on the ball, go wherever he wants and be creative. I think Michael Carrick takes a lot of credit for that but again, another goal for him against Spurs, another win for United – he has to go in.

Rayan (Bournemouth): He was fantastic in the draw with Aston Villa. We have to look at Lucas Digne defensively but everything he did, running forward with pace, power, direct. He caused problems throughout the day. He’s a big strong boy that gets his team up the pitch and he gets at the opposition – and Digne had no answers for him.

Dominik Szoboszlai (Liverpool): We’re going to put him in the 10 even though he played right-back, but when you score a goal like that you’re in. Unbelievable free-kick against Manchester City with pure technique to slice across the ball to make it swing from left to right and leave Donnarumma stranded.

Cole Palmer (Chelsea): His first start back under Liam Rosenior, talking about getting his fitness back up. He loses a few points because he was against a very bad Wolves team. However fantastic, a hat-trick, goals, penalties, confidence. The most important thing is he’s smiling again – that’s great for Chelsea and great for England so he deserves that, as does Rosenior for giving him that.

NURSERIES must stop making parents pay sneaky extra charges to use their “free” childcare hours, the Government has warned.

Ministers are cracking down on hidden fees which can cost families hundreds of pounds per year.

Children aged nine months to four years can get between 15 and 30 hours per week of Government-funded childcare during school term-time, often called “funded” or “free” hours.

Nurseries are not meant to force parents who use funded hours to pay extra charges on top, but parents have reported being hit with extra costs – including top-up fees, upfront registration fees and charges for things like books and craft materials.

Now new guidance issued by the Government is making clear exactly what nurseries can and cannot charge.

The update makes clear nurseries must not charge parents any “top-up” fees to make up the difference between their private rates and the funding they receive from the Government for funded hours.

LIVING THE DREAM

Map reveals best places to live in England – does your town make the list?

Advertisement

WALLET WATCH

We earn £10k a month but struggle to afford holidays – here’s how we spend

Advertisement

Advertisement

They also cannot force parents to buy extra paid-for hours, if they only want to use the free 15 or 30 hours. But if parents want more hours, they are allowed to charge for these at a private rate.

Parents using funded hours must not be charged non-refundable deposits or registration fees to secure a place for their child. Nurseries can charge deposits but these must be refunded, unless parents do not take up the space.

Nurseries are also banned from charging parents for essential learning items, like toys, books, craft supplies, crayons, paper and musical instruments.

They must also not pass on the costs of cleaning, staffing, rent, insurance or fuel bills to parents – or charge for any extra SEND support for children with additional needs during the funded hours.

‘I know how complicated childcare is for parents… they should not be pressured into paying extra’

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson tells The Sun:

“A child’s early years shape so much of their future – but I know how complicated childcare can be for parents.

“When you’re juggling work, family life and household bills, you don’t always have the time to pore over every line of small print or question whether a charge is really optional or not.”

“Parents are saving up to £7,500 a year thanks to our 30 hours of funded childcare, and they should not have the value of these savings quietly chipped away at by small charges building up week after week.

Advertisement

“Every pound matters when money is tight. That’s why we are tightening up guidance and making it clearer what parents should and should not be charged for.

“Funded hours must be delivered without hidden costs, and parents should not feel pressured into paying extra.

“If parents notice a charge they weren’t expecting, they should feel comfortable asking their childcare provider to explain it clearly.

“If concerns remain, they can speak to their local authority, which oversees funded places and has powers to act if the rules are being broken.”

Advertisement

The Government is also cracking down on what it calls “vague” charges for things like “sustainability”, “enhanced ratios” or “enrichment”.

It said all extra charges must be clearly explained and itemised on invoices, so parents know exactly what they’re paying for.

The Sun previously revealed how parents were being stung by extra nursery fees to cover food and admin costs, at the same time free childcare hours was being expanded by the government.

Nurseries can charge for some optional extras – but only if parents can choose to opt out of these without losing their free place.

These include nappies, suncream, snacks and meals. Parents must have the option to supply their own nappies, creams or packed lunches and snacks.

Nurseries can also charge for other optional extras like trips, events and special classes like music or foreign language classes.

The Department for Education said the updated guidance would “stop quiet, recurring charges from chipping away at childcare savings” and make bills easier to understand.

It said parents who think they are being overcharged should ask their nursery to explain and itemise charges. If the issue is not resolved, parents can contact their local council, which has the power to investigate.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A leading U.S. health official on Sunday urged people to get inoculated against the measles at a time of outbreaks across several states and as the United States is at risk of losing its measles elimination status.

“Take the vaccine, please,” said Dr. Mehmet Oz, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator whose boss has raised suspicion about the safety and importance of vaccines. “We have a solution for our problem.”

Oz, a heart surgeon, defended some recently revised federal vaccine recommendations as well as past comments from President Donald Trump and the nation’s health chief, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., about the efficacy of vaccines. From Oz, there was a clear message on the measles.

“Not all illnesses are equally dangerous and not all people are equally susceptible to those illnesses,” he told CNN’s “State of the Union.” “But measles is one you should get your vaccine.”

An outbreak in South Carolina in the hundreds has surpassed the recorded case count in Texas’ 2025 outbreak, and there is also one on the Utah-Arizona border. Multiple other states have had confirmed cases this year. The outbreaks have mostly impacted children and have come as infectious disease experts warn that rising public distrust of vaccines generally may be contributing to the spread of a disease once declared eradicated by public health officials.

Asked in the television interview whether people should fear the measles, Oz replied, “Oh, for sure.” He said Medicare and Medicaid will continue to cover the measles vaccine as part of the insurance programs.

“There will never be a barrier to Americans get access to the measles vaccine. And it is part of the core schedule,” Oz said.

But Oz also said “we have advocated for measles vaccines all along” and that Kennedy “has been on the very front of this.”

Questions about vaccines did not come up later in a Kennedy interview on Fox News Channel’s “The Sunday Briefing,” where he was asked about what kind of Super Bowl snack he might have (probably yogurt). He also said he eats steak with sauerkraut in the mornings.

Critics of Kennedy have argued that the health secretary’s longtime skepticism of U.S. vaccine recommendations and past sympathy for the unfounded claim that vaccines may cause autism may influence official public health guidance in ways contrary to the medical consensus.

Oz argued that Kennedy’s stance was supportive of the measles vaccine despite Kennedy’s general comments about the recommended vaccine schedule.

“When the first outbreak happened in Texas, he said, get your vaccines for measles, because that’s an example of an ailment that you should get vaccinated against,” Oz said.

The Republican administration last month dropped some vaccine recommendations for children, an overhaul of the traditional vaccine schedule that the Department of Health and Human Services said was in response to a request from Trump.

States, not the federal government, have the authority to require vaccinations for schoolchildren. While federal requirements often influence those state regulations, some states have begun creating their own alliances to counter the administration’s guidance on vaccines.

U.S. vaccination rates have dropped and the share of children with exemptions has reached an all-time high, according to federal data. At the same time, rates of diseases that can be protected against with vaccines, such as measles and whooping cough, are rising across the country.

Kennedy’s past anti-vaccine activism

Kennedy’s past skepticism of vaccines has come under scrutiny since Trump first nominated him to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.

During his Senate confirmation testimony last year, Kennedy told lawmakers that a closely scrutinized 2019 trip he took to Samoa, which came before a devastating measles outbreak, had “nothing to do with vaccines.”

But documents obtained by The Guardian and The Associated Press undermine that testimony. Emails sent by staffers at the U.S. Embassy and the United Nations said that Kennedy sought to meet with top Samoan officials during his trip to the Pacific island nation.

Samoan officials later said Kennedy’s trip bolstered the credibility of anti-vaccine activists before the measles outbreak, which sickened thousands of people and killed 83, mostly children under age 5.

Mixed messaging on autism, vaccines

Oz’s comments mark a broader pattern among administration officials of voicing discordant and at times contradictory statements about the efficacy of vaccines amid an overhaul of U.S. public health policy.

Officials have walked a fine line in criticizing past U.S. vaccine policy, often at times appearing to express sympathy for unfounded conspiracy theories from anti-vaccine activists, while also not straying too far from established science.

During a Senate hearing Tuesday, Jay Bhattacharya, the director of the National Institutes of Health, said no single vaccine causes autism, but he did not rule out the possibility that research may find some combination of vaccines could have negative health side effects.

But Kennedy, in Senate testimony, has argued that a link between vaccines and autism has not been disproved.

He has previously claimed that some components of vaccines, like the mercury-containing preservative thimerosal, may cause childhood neurological disorders such as autism. Most vaccines for measles, mumps and rubella do not contain thimerosal. A federal vaccine advisory board overhauled by Kennedy last year voted to no longer recommend thimerosal-containing vaccines.

Administration public health officials often cite the need to restore trust in public health systems after the coronavirus pandemic, when vaccine policy and the general public health response to the deadly pandemic became a highly polarizing topic in American politics.

Misinformation and conspiracy theories about the public health system also spread during the pandemic, and longtime anti-vaccine activist groups saw a swell in interest from the wider public.

Kennedy, who for years led the anti-vaccine activist group Children’s Health Defense, has been criticized for ordering reviews of vaccines and public health guidelines that leading medical research groups have deemed settled science.

Public health experts also criticized the president for making unfounded claims about highly politicized health issues. During a September Oval Office event, Trump asserted without evidence that Tylenol and vaccines are linked to a rise in the incidence of autism in the United States.

With Alisson marooned upfield for a set-piece as Liverpool searched for a late equaliser, Rayan Cherki kicked the ball towards an empty net from just inside his own half.

Haaland gave chase and was clearly going to outpace Dominik Szoboszlai.

The City striker had overtaken Szoboszlai 25 yards from goal and looked certain to win the race – but he was pulled back.

It was a clear foul which referee Craig Pawson identified, but he played an advantage.

As the ball rolled towards the goal with the same two players still jostling to reach it, Liverpool‘s Hungary international was about to slide in and clear it off the line.

Before Szoboszlai could do so, however, Haaland pulled him back, and that stopped the home player from keeping the ball out of the net.

The first pull on the Norway striker muddies the waters. After all, it seemed Haaland was definitely going to score.

But they are two distinct situations. You have to separate the first foul by Szoboszlai and the subsequent offence from Haaland.

Would Szoboszlai have prevented the goal had he not been fouled? There is a high chance.

On that basis it is impossible for the goal to stand.

Remember that Pawson played advantage. Had Szoboszlai been allowed to successfully keep the ball out, the play would have been brought back and he would have been sent off.

The end result would be the same as the outcome of the VAR intervention: no goal and Szoboszlai sent off for denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity.

If you take out the first pull on Haaland, it is hard to see how anyone could have a problem with the goal being disallowed.

This is not the first time, or the last, that the VAR has correctly disallowed a goal and people really struggle to stomach it.

Yes, the goal could be important for Manchester City at the end of the season. But the goal conceded could also turn out to be vital for Liverpool.