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‘Racists don’t speak for the Shankill’ – Arson attack on migrant owned business widely condemned

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Belfast Live

Police are treating the fire at a business in the former Shankill Gospel Hall as a racially motivated arson attack

A “devastating” arson attack at a business in a former gospel hall in Belfast has been widely condemned.

The Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service (NIFRS) attended the scene of the blaze on the Shankill Road at around 2.30am on Saturday, June 6. It was confirmed the fire had been caused by “deliberate ignition to the roof” with the building “totally gutted.”

Police confirmed the incident is being treated as a racially-motivated arson attack. In a statement, the PSNI said the out-of-use building had been “bought by legitimate business people who would have brought jobs to the local community.”

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The owner who bought the building last year is originally from India but has been living in Northern Ireland for 18 years. The building, the former Shankill Gospel Hall, had been developed into a grocery store that was set to open in the coming months. It’s understood the shop had been previously targeted.

People Before Profit MLA, Gerry Carroll, described the arson attack on Saturday morning as “a despicable act of racism.” He added: “A man who has called this place home for 18 years has watched his life’s savings burn to the ground.”

“This is the direct the result of weeks of poison pumped online – cowards warning of an “influx of people” and sneering at “foreign food.” That bile has now ended in arson.

“A shopkeeper trying to make a living is not the enemy of the Shankill. The enemy of working class communities is a system that denies us jobs, housing and hope, and then tells us to blame our neighbour instead of those at the top.

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“This shop would have brought jobs to an area that desperately needs them. Racism puts food on nobody’s table. It only ever keeps working people divided.

“Every migrant family in this city should be welcomed. The vast majority of people stand with them – not with the racists. These thugs don’t speak for the Shankill and they certainly don’t speak for the working class people of Belfast.”

DUP MLA Brian Kingston said he was “appalled” to see the destruction caused. He said: “After lying vacant since it closed five years ago, the Hall was recently purchased by an Indian couple who were in the process of opening an Indian-themed supermarket – primarily vegetables, rices, spices and other Indian specialities.

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“Some people have gone out of their way to engender opposition to this, including intimidation and spreading false information online – it was not going to sell halal meat, in fact there would be no meat as they are Hindu people who are mostly vegetarian.

“Those who carried out this arson attack have done a great disservice to efforts to regenerate the Shankill Road. Would they rather have burnt-out derelict buildings than a retail business providing local employment?

“A depressing morning but I will continue to do I can to help this couple and to work alongside all others working to regenerate the Greater Shankill community.”

The arson attack was also condemned by Sinn Féin MP, Paul Maskey. He said: “Targeting a building because of who owns it is despicable, especially when areas are crying out for jobs and investment.

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“My thoughts are with the owners of the building and all those affected by this appalling incident. There is no place in our society for hate crime, racism, or sectarianism in any form. All political representatives and community leaders should condemn this strongly.

“Those responsible for this attack sought to spread fear and division and do nothing but damage their own communities.

“I would urge anyone with information that could assist the investigation to come forward and contact the PSNI immediately.”

SDLP councillor Carl Whyte visited the premises on Saturday morning to offer support to those affected. He said: “This was devastating for the owners of this business, who have seen the roof completely destroyed by fire and their livelihoods put at risk.

“When I visited there were bags of food still sitting in the doorway, a reminder that these are ordinary people trying to run a business and support their families.

“This is not the first time this business has been subjected to racist intimidation, and it is shameful that the situation has escalated to this point. The owners and staff were providing a service to the community and have much more to offer than those who have targeted their business.

“I know police are investigating and, while it is still at an early stage, I would urge anyone with information to come forward. The PSNI Chief Constable warned this week that many people from our migrant communities are living in fear ahead of the summer and incidents like this only heighten that.

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“Nobody who comes here to build a better life for themselves and their family should feel unwelcome or unsafe. We must challenge racism wherever it appears and work together to ensure everyone can live free from intimidation and hate.”

Alliance MLA, Nuala McAllister, said the attack “must be condemned in the strongest terms.” She added: “There is no place for racism or any hate-fuelled intimidation in our society.

“Those responsible have no regard for human life or property and must face the full consequences of their actions. Their reckless behaviour has had destructive ramifications for the whole community, especially the owner of the business whose livelihood has been destroyed.

“The owner, who dedicated 18 years of his life here and was investing in the community, has been left heartbroken after having to witness all his hard work being selfishly taken away from him. I would urge anyone with any information that may be useful to the PSNI in their investigations to get in touch with them immediately.”

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PSNI Superintendent Finola Dornan said: “This out-of-use building had been bought by legitimate business people who would have brought jobs to the local community and, as with any crime motivated by hate, we will be providing them with an enhanced level of supervision, investigation and support.

“As a Police Service, we do not underestimate the impact hate-related crimes have on victims, their families and wider communities. While we have a key role to play in tackling, preventing and supporting victims of hate incidents and hate crimes, this is a wider societal issue which cannot be resolved by policing alone.

“We continue to work closely with our statutory and voluntary partner agencies and the local community to find solutions.

“We would encourage anyone with information in relation to this arson attack to contact us on 101, quoting reference 187 06/06/26. We would be particularly keen to hear from anyone with relevant CCTV, dashcam or other footage.”

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Alternatively, you can submit a report online using the non-emergency reporting form via www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/

Information can also be provided anonymously to the Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111 or online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

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Dancing train as live music fills Easingwold Market Place

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Dancing train as live music fills Easingwold Market Place

Easingwold’s regular free Summer of Music concert in the Marketplace featured a captivating performance by vocalist Carla, better known as the Northern Soul Sista, who filled the air with Tamla Motown and Northern Soul classics.


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Carla’s set included ‘Get Ready’ by The Temptations and ‘Needle in a Haystack’ by The Velvelettes, alongside favourites like Tommy Hunt’s ‘Loving on the Losing Side’, Shirley Ellis’s ‘Soul Time’ and Arthur Conley’s ‘Sweet Soul Music’.

A dancing train formed in Easingwold during its weekend of live music. (Image: Submitted)

The musical afternoon concert concluded with an encore of The O’Jays’ ‘Love Train’, with attendees forming a dancing train that wound through the Marketplace.

Sunday saw the town come alive once more, as Easingwold hosted its annual 10K road race, with the  event drawing hundreds of runners and supporters who cheered them on.

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Easingwold Town Band entertained the runners after the annual 10K race. (Image: Submitted)

After the race, the live entertainment resumed, with performances from the Easingwold Town Band, followed by The Young Ones.

Their lively set of 1950s and 1960s favourites, including classics by The Beatles, The Tremeloes, The Hollies, and The Everly Brothers, provided the perfect soundtrack to wrap up the weekend.

The Young Ones entertained onlookers with firm favourites. (Image: Submitted)

Town Councillor  Frank Johnston-Banks said the Summer of Music programme, with its mix of genres and talented performers, had been a hit with the community, with the Northern Soul Sista’s performance hailed a highlight of this year’s programme.

He said: “Weekends such as this remind us what makes our town of Easingwold so special: great music, a wonderful community spirit and people coming together to enjoy everything Easingwold has to offer.” 

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George Michael’s estate in legal row with friend over release of ‘lost’ album’s unseen footage

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George Michael's estate in legal row with friend over release of 'lost' album's unseen footage
The estate of late singer George Michael is suing his cousin and former best friend (Picture: Michael Putland/Getty)

George Michael’s estate is suing his former best friend for charging fans to watch footage of the late star online from the recording of a lost album.

Andros Georgiou, 63, believes his old friend would be ‘turning in his grave’ at the legal action, which came in response to the online release of his film Trojan Souls – The Greatest Album That Was Never Made.

It features almost 90 minutes’ worth of recordings of the late Careless Whisper singer in the recording studio, shot in 1992 and 1993.

A website was launched last month to host the film, which asks fans to pay £4.99 for 48 hours access to Trojan Souls – The Greatest Album That Was Never Made, while distributor Tribe Media is also selling a £19.99 VIP tier, which promises access to previously unheard recordings of Wham! star Michael’s unreleased songs from the record.

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George’s estate has lodged a case at London’s Intellectual Property and Enterprise Court, claiming its rights have been breached, according to The Sun, with Georgiou saying he had ‘no idea’ the estate planned to sue him until he was contacted by the newspaper about it.

Andros has branded this move ‘a case of sheer greed’.

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - DECEMBER 1: George Michael performs on stage at the 'Concert Of Hope', in Wembley Arena on December 1st, 1993 in London, England. (Photo by Pete Still/Redferns)
Andros Georgiou has released a film with unseen footage of Michael recording his ‘lost’ album Trojan Souls, which was never finished (Picture: Pete Still/Redferns)

He told Metro in a statement: ‘First and foremost – my brother in arms, my best friend, George Michael to you, Yog to me – would turn in his grave knowing what Russells (the estate’s lawyers) are attempting – and spending his money to do it.

‘It is well known Yog and I were working on Trojan Souls through my record label, Hardback Records.

‘The film I have released was shot by me, with Yog’s full approval – trust me, he would never have allowed anyone else into that studio.

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‘This was a home video leaked over 30 years ago.’

Georgiou added that as it kept ‘resurfacing’ on YouTube and then other social media sites he decided to ‘put the film out myself, since others were already profiting from my home video’.

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Shutterstock (11787144es) George Michael with cousin Andros Georgiou 1997 Various - 1997
Georgiou and Michael grew up together after their fathers moved to the UK from Cyprus in 1953 (Picture: Shutterstock)
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Eugene Adebari/Shutterstock (103007d) Wham - Andrew Ridgeley and George Michael WHAM - 1983
Michael (pictured with Wham! co-star Andrew Ridgeley in 1983) would ‘turn in his grave’ if he knew about the legal action, Georgiou has said (Picture: Eugene Adebari/Shutterstock)

He had shot the video in Japan on George’s Faith tour, using a camcorder given to him by Sony.

Trojan Souls was set to feature duets with a remarkable number of musical stars including Sir Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Janet Jackson, Aretha Franklin, Bryan Ferry, Seal and Sade, but Michael – who died in December 2016 – is said to have lost interest in the record after his then-partner Anselmo Feleppa’s health declined.

Following Feleppa’s death in March 1993, he never completed the record.

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According to The Telegraph, the film shows Michael playing the piano, performing vocals with backing singers and talking to producers about his track list in a studio in Los Angeles.

Georgiou and Michael grew up together as second cousins, whose fathers moved from Cyprus to the UK together in 1953, sparking ‘37 years of an unbreakable friendship’, according to the film’s website.

They co-founded the label Aegean Records together in 1996, but fell out after Michael’s arrest in an LA public toilet in 1998.

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - OCTOBER 9: George Michael performs on stage at 'NetAID' in Wembley Stadium, on October 9th, 1999 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Pete Still/Redferns)
Trojan Souls was set to feature duets with iconic pop acts including Elton John, Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin (Picture: Pete Still/Redferns)

While still estranged before his death, they had planned to reconcile and Georgiou said they had spoken on the phone in the final weeks of Michael’s life.

Georgiou added in his statement: ‘Yes, we fell out, but we loved and cared for each other deeply, and I find the baseless claims and the constant attempts to erase me from history both disrespectful and, frankly, a bit desperate.’

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Michael died of natural causes at his home in Goring-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, on Christmas Day in 2016. He was aged just 53.

Robobuild Limited and Big Geoff Overseas Limited, the holding companies George used to manage royalties and world tours, have brought the claim against Georgiou and Tribe Media, the production house distributing the film.

Michael’s Wham! co-star Andrew Ridgeley is currently promoting a new documentary titled Wham! 10 Days in China, which focuses on their 1985 visit to China as part of their 1984–85 tour, The Big Tour.

They were the first Western pop act to visit the country.

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Metro has contacted lawyers for George Michael’s estate for comment.

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Scarborough beach toy library plan ditched by councillors

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Scarborough beach toy library plan ditched by councillors

A beach toy library allowing visitors to borrow toys for the day will not be set up in Scarborough after “legal and practical difficulties”, town councillors have said.

Similar free beach toy libraries have been set up in Devon, Somerset, and Essex but members of Scarborough Town Council voted to scrap the plan at a full meeting on Tuesday, July 29.

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Deputy mayor, Cllr Sarah Mason, said the council’s community and place committee considered the beach toy library proposal but “found too many unresolved practical, safety and responsibility issues” for the authority to manage.

“They made a recommendation that we cease taking this matter forward,” she added.

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The town clerk added that some of the issues raised by the council’s insurance company included liability concerns “if someone was to fall over the box or to cut themselves on a broken toy”.

She added that use of land owned by North Yorkshire Council and a lack of response from the authority had further hindered the proposal.

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“We have spent a significant number of staff hours on it, and there have been recommendations from the community and place committee that we should potentially not look at this any further,” the clerk noted.

Cllr Rich Maw, who originally proposed the idea of a beach toy library, said he was disappointed by the recommendation to scrap the plan, adding that the scheme was also backed by a prominent beachfront business owner.

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He told the meeting: “Instead, we’ve reached the conclusion that the idea is somehow unsustainable, without even testing whether or not the partnership could work. I also struggle with the suggestion that a beach toy library somehow conflicts with our environmental ambitions.

“The whole purpose of the scheme is to encourage the reuse of plastic toys that already exist, reducing waste, and discouraging the purchase of new disposable items, and this is despite the involvement of the business that sells those items.”

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Scarborough South Bay Beach. Courtesy Anttoni Numminen Ldrs

However, Cllr William Stuart said that the “difficulties we’ve heard about are not caused by any lack of effort from this council” and suggested that littering on the beach was “the main issue”.

“We need to look carefully at what is actually causing the problem. From the discussions that I’ve had with residents and beach users, the main concern is litter,” he told the meeting.

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Cllr Stuart said: “If someone leaves litter on the beach, rather than taking it to one of the many bins already available, how likely are they to take toys to a dedicated collection point that they may not even know exists?

“The priority should be in improving beach cleanliness and addressing the litter problem as a whole.”

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Zendaya stuns in a plunging white gown with silver web design as she joins husband Tom Holland at the Spider-Man premiere – as impressed fans declare ‘Marvel is SO back!’ in first reviews

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Zendaya continued her stylish Spider-Man: Brand New Day press tour alongside husband Tom Holland at Wednesday's star-studded premiere in London

Zendaya continued her stylish Spider-Man: Brand New Day press tour alongside husband Tom Holland at Wednesday’s star-studded premiere in London.

The actress, 29, who portrays MJ in the film, turned heads as usual in a plunging white gown from Tamara Ralph with a silver sequin web design.

The stunning dress featured sparkly straps and cinched her in at the waist before flowing out into a chiffon train. 

The pair put on a typically loved-up display as they posed together at the premiere after confirming last month that they were indeed married. 

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Meanwhile Tom, 30, – whose performance in Christopher Nolan‘s $250million epic The Odyssey was recently roasted by critics as ‘comic book basic’ – wore a dark purple Anderson & Sheppard suit and bespoke Pragnell spider brooch.

Tom steps back into the iconic suit as Peter Parker for the latest installment – which is already impressing fans -, taking on the legendary web-slinger role once played by Tobey Maguire.  

Zendaya continued her stylish Spider-Man: Brand New Day press tour alongside husband Tom Holland at Wednesday’s star-studded premiere in London

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The actress, 29, who portrays MJ in the film, turned heads as usual in a plunging white gown with silver sequin detailing on

The actress, 29, who portrays MJ in the film, turned heads as usual in a plunging white gown with silver sequin detailing on

Florence Pugh, 30, meanwhile stunned in a silver tassel dress with a statement structured neckline. She will reprise her role as Yelena Belova in the film.

A host of other stars were also at the premiere and all stuck with a mostly black theme including Myleene Klass, Laura Whitmore, Cat Burns, Lottie Moss and Nadiya Bychkova.

The new film was released in cinemas on Wednesday and the fan reviews are already very positive.

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Fans penned on X after wasting no time in heading to the cinema: ‘I’ve just returned from watching Brand New Day, it’s genuinely one of the best Spider Man movies ever, and if we’re talking about Tom’s, this one takes the crown alongside No Way Home. I also wanna add this, marvel is SO back.’,

‘Just came out of Spider-Man Brand New Day… I can’t lie I enjoyed it very much. I loved it. Spider-Man is still my GOAT superhero and Tom Holland has done a great job. Super excited for the future.’,

‘NO SPOILER My first immediate thoughts on Spider-Man Brand New Day This is by far the best live action spiderman best spiderman fights they had me feeling like i was watching montage from insomniac spiderman such a good movie tom holland is the goat.’,

‘Just saw Spider-Man: Brand New Day. This is the best one for Tom Holland’s Spidey Quadrilogy (imho) & I really like how well the emotion is handled in this.’,

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‘Tomorrow is a Brand New Day. Man, it feels emotional. I’ve always loved Marvel, but there’s something diff about Tom Holland’s Spider-Man. Watching Peter go from Infinity War and Endgame to losing almost everyone in No Way Home… that journey hits hard. It feels personal.’,

The stunning dress featured sparkly strap detailing and cinched her in at the waist before flowing out into a chiffon train

The stunning dress featured sparkly strap detailing and cinched her in at the waist before flowing out into a chiffon train

The pair put on a typically loved-up display as they posed together at the premiere after confirming last month that they were indeed married

The pair put on a typically loved-up display as they posed together at the premiere after confirming last month that they were indeed married

They shared a sweet moment holding hands at the event

They shared a sweet moment holding hands at the event 

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She wore her long dark tresses in curly waves

She wore her long dark tresses in curly waves 

The Tamara Ralph design clung perfectly to her figure

The Tamara Ralph design clung perfectly to her figure 

She looked stunning as she posed up a storm in the white gown

She looked stunning as she posed up a storm in the white gown 

The pair looked every inch the perfect couple as they posed together

The pair looked every inch the perfect couple as they posed together 

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She commanded attention as usual in the white dress

She commanded attention as usual in the white dress

Meanwhile Tom, 30, - whose performance in Christopher Nolan's $250million epic The Odyssey was recently roasted by critics as 'comic book basic' - wore a dark purple suit

Meanwhile Tom, 30, – whose performance in Christopher Nolan’s $250million epic The Odyssey was recently roasted by critics as ‘comic book basic’ – wore a dark purple suit

Tom steps back into the iconic suit as Peter Parker for the latest installment, taking on the legendary web-slinger role once played by Tobey Maguire

Tom steps back into the iconic suit as Peter Parker for the latest installment, taking on the legendary web-slinger role once played by Tobey Maguire

L-R: Florence Pugh, Tom Holland, Zendaya and Marisa Tomei

L-R: Florence Pugh, Tom Holland, Zendaya and Marisa Tomei

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Zendaya and Tom posed with their co-star Marisa Tomei

Zendaya and Tom posed with their co-star Marisa Tomei

She also flashed a glimpse of her huge Jessica McCormack engagement ring

She also flashed a glimpse of her huge Jessica McCormack engagement ring

‘Brand new day isn’t the beginning, it’s the ending of the movie. Best spider man movie!

‘Just watched Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and yeah this is the best Spider-Man movie ever. I definitely need a rewatch asap.’

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Zendaya and Tom famously met on the set of Spider-Man: Homecoming in 2016.

Fast forward ten years, and the pair are now married and back on the promotional trail for their latest Spider-Man film.

The new film follows the ending of No Way Home, in which a spell cast by Dr. Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) caused everyone in the world to forget the existence of Spider-Man’s secret identity, Peter Parker (Holland).

Florence Pugh meanwhile stunned in a silver tassel dress with a statement structured neckline

Florence Pugh meanwhile stunned in a silver tassel dress with a statement structured neckline 

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She looked sensational in the gorgeous number which she teamed with strappy heels

She looked sensational in the gorgeous number which she teamed with strappy heels 

She will reprise her role as Yelena Belova in the film

She will reprise her role as Yelena Belova in the film

Myleene Klass looked stunning in a backless black gown
She posed up a storm

Myleene Klass looked stunning in a backless black gown

Myleene was joined by her daughter Ava, 18, for the premiere

Myleene was joined by her daughter Ava, 18, for the premiere 

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Laura Whitmore and her husband Iain Stirling looked smart in all black looks

Laura Whitmore and her husband Iain Stirling looked smart in all black looks

Cat Burns looked stylish as she arrived

Cat Burns looked stylish as she arrived

Clara Amfo wore a web-inspired silver dress

Clara Amfo wore a web-inspired silver dress

Strictly's Nadiya Bychkova showed off her toned abs in a black co-ord

Strictly’s Nadiya Bychkova showed off her toned abs in a black co-ord

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Lottie Moss meanwhile wore a red mini dress and towering heels

Lottie Moss meanwhile wore a red mini dress and towering heels 

Tom Fletcher wore a pink shirt and black trousers

Tom Fletcher wore a pink shirt and black trousers 

Tom's co-star Marisa Tomei wore a strapless navy dress. Marisa portrayed May Parker (Aunt May) in the Marvel Cinematic Universe

Tom’s co-star Marisa Tomei wore a strapless navy dress. Marisa portrayed May Parker (Aunt May) in the Marvel Cinematic Universe

Marisa and Tom posed together

Marisa and Tom posed together

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The new film follows the ending of No Way Home, in which a spell cast by Dr. Strange caused everyone in the world to forget the existence of Spider-Man's secret identity, Peter Parker

The new film follows the ending of No Way Home, in which a spell cast by Dr. Strange caused everyone in the world to forget the existence of Spider-Man’s secret identity, Peter Parker

Brand New Day picks up four years later, after Parker has largely given up on his connection to the world around him and has devoted himself entirely to fighting crime as Spider-Man, even as his former girlfriend MJ (Holland’s real-life wife, Zendaya, who stunned in a black arachnid-theme gown at the film’s premiere on Monday in Los Angeles) has moved on with a new love interest after forgetting that they were ever a couple.

Amid the turmoil in his life, Parker’s superpowers begin to undergo a sometimes disturbing evolution, which several critics compared approvingly to the direction taken by the popular original trilogy starring Tobey Maguire as the web-slinger.

Critics have called it one of the best of the iconic web-slinger’s films – and a return to form for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

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Critics had high praise for Brand New Day’s returning star, Tom, and they largely applauded the film’s move away from the confusing bloat of the previous entry in the series, Spider-Man: No Way Home.

The New York Post’s Johnny Oleksinski wrote that the current Spider-Man series is the only part of the greater Marvel Cinematic Universe that he still looks forward to.

Oleksinski called Brand New Day a ‘welcome reunion’ with Holland and Peter Parker, though he noted that it was ‘much darker’ than previous Spider-Man entries.

He agreed with the comparisons to the Maguire years, writing, ‘Tonally, Brand New Day is a lot more like Tobey Maguire’s aughts films, which to my mind are not only the gold standard of Spider-Man movies, but Marvel films as well.’

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Writing for RogerEbert.com, Brian Tallerico gave Brand New Day a middling 2.5 stars out of four.

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The new film was released in cinemas on Wednesday and the fan reviews are already very positive

The new film was released in cinemas on Wednesday and the fan reviews are already very positive

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Like others, he saw a negative influence from the MCU and worried that the film was only a transitional piece to set up a bigger payoff.

‘Affection for the characters who have been around for four movies now goes a long way to holding Brand New Day together,’ Tallerico wrote, ‘but it ultimately succumbs to one of the biggest problems of late-stage MCU: The feeling that it’s just preparation for more movies.’

The premiere comes as Tom and Zendaya’s latest movie The Odyssey has already set critical and audience review records. 

Figures show from just under one week of The Odyssey’s wide release, July 17, the movie’s total haul is $303million worldwide, with likely another $15-20million coming in when Wednesday’s figures arrive.

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But with the couple’s upcoming Spider-Man movie set to be released in days, fans will have to see which film becomes the top-grossing film of the year, as Brand New Day is currently breaking ticket pre-sale records for the opening weekend and first week.

It comes after last month Supergirl was projected to face a staggering $100million loss after it bombed at the box office on its opening weekend.  

The film, which stars Milly Alcock, 26, as the superhero, was released globally in June.

It marked a major setback for Warner Bros and the rebooted DC Universe as Supergirl cost $170million to produce and $120million to take to market. 

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Warner Bros had a hopeful beginning last summer when Superman became the highest-grossing superhero movie of the year. 

But poor tickets sales on the opening weekend saw Supergirl take in $38million in U.S. and Canadian theaters and $30million in overseas markets. 

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Study suggests the threat of mold-associated illnesses may be underappreciated

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Study suggests the threat of mold-associated illnesses may be underappreciated

A first-of-its-kind U.S. study suggests invasive mold infections may be an underappreciated — and potentially deadly — threat.

The researchers detected about 450 cases in Atlanta-area hospitals over five years. About a third of the patients died in the hospital.

The findings, published this week by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, come from an attempt to better gauge how common these kinds of illnesses are. The government does not require doctors to report the illnesses.

“It’s kind of the first time we’ve had an estimate like this,” said the CDC’s Dr. Jeremy Gold, the study’s senior author.

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And it’s important to understand it now, because the problem may grow in the future, he added. Mold exposure is a recurring problem in the wake of hurricanes, floods and other natural disasters influenced by climate change, researchers have found.

“I agree that the frequency of fungal infections will likely increase with climate change,” said Dr. Jeffrey Jenks, an infectious disease researcher at Duke University.

Meanwhile, there’s a growing population of older people who are more susceptible to such illnesses, Gold said.

Invasive mold diseases are rare infections caused by certain species. Most people who get infected inhale mold spores, but they can also enter the body through cuts or wounds or from contaminated medical equipment.

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The spores don’t cause health problems for most people, but they can be life-threatening to some, including the elderly, cancer patients and others with weakened immune systems.

Previously, CDC researchers estimated more than 15,000 hospitalizations a year could be tied to invasive mold disease.

To better understand how common cases might be at a local level, the research team worked with four Atlanta-area hospitals and their affiliated outpatient clinics to look for potential cases from 2020 to 2024.

They initially identified nearly 1,000 potential cases, but winnowed the number down to about 450 by ruling out patients who may have had signs of exposure but didn’t qualify as having invasive mold disease.

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The researchers found that hospitals can expect to see 3 to 5 cases per year for every 100 inpatient beds. The rates were higher at larger academic hospitals that tend to see more complicated illnesses.

Most patients had impaired immune systems or — in a number of cases — were weakened after falling sick from COVID-19.

Mold exposures can occur in hospitals or other healthcare facilities, but the study did not try to determine where each patient was first exposed, Gold said.

It’s hard to generalize what was seen in the Atlanta area to other parts of the country where mold may be more or less of a problem, he said. But it should give hospital administrators at least a rough idea about whether the number of cases they see is what might be expected or whether it’s an outbreak, Gold added.

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Jenks called the study’s findings “valuable,” but said “seeing results from similar studies done in different parts of the United States would be helpful.”

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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Saudi Arabia’s dilemma as it tries to stay out of US-Iran war

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A care worker helps a woman down a flight of stairs

In response, the Saudis pumped as much oil as they could – around five million barrels per day – through their east-west pipeline to their export terminal on the Red Sea, on their opposite coast, at Yanbu.

From there it was loaded onto tankers that headed south, out into the Arabian Sea and off to markets in Asia.

So far so good.

But on 13 July, the Saudis bombed Sanaa airport just outside the Yemeni capital. The strike was claimed by Yemen’s Saudi-supported government, which said it wanted to prevent an Iranian plane from landing. In retaliation, the Houthis attacked regional Saudi airports at Abha and Jizan.

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More worryingly for Riyadh, the Houthis have begun attacking Saudi shipping in the Red Sea, making it extremely dangerous for ships to pass through the narrow Bab El Mandeb strait at the southern end of the Red Sea. That in turn chokes off Saudi oil exports to Asia.

Saudi Arabia spent seven years trying to bomb the Houthis into submission and failed.

The war that raged across Yemen was one of the worst humanitarian disasters of our time and its effects are still being felt.

In 2022, Saudi Arabia agreed to an uneasy truce with the Houthis and there were reports of payoffs, but now the richest country in the region, Saudi Arabia, is once more facing the threat of drone and missile attacks from its southern neighbour at the same time as attacks from Iraq to the north.

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None of this was envisaged in the plans for Vision 2030.

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Conflicts can spread infectious diseases while making outbreaks harder to detect

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Conflicts can spread infectious diseases while making outbreaks harder to detect

The Ebola outbreak that emerged in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and crossed into neighbouring Uganda may have been killing people for weeks before the alarm was raised. When Médecins Sans Frontières investigated in May 2026, it reported that at least 55 people had died since the beginning of April.

On May 17, the WHO Director-General declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, signalling that countries needed to coordinate their response. By then, the virus had been circulating in a conflict-affected region where fighting had weakened the clinics, laboratories and reporting systems needed to detect and contain it.

This collision between conflict and disease extends far beyond one country. A review of previous research found that war can help infectious diseases spread by damaging healthcare, interrupting vaccination and sanitation, forcing people from their homes and preventing aid workers from reaching them. Violence can also make outbreaks harder to detect.

Spotting an outbreak early gives health authorities a better chance of containing it before it becomes a larger crisis. Yet our research suggests that countries may be least able to spot outbreaks in precisely the places where the danger is greatest.

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We examined infectious-disease outbreaks reported through the World Health Organization’s disease outbreak news (Dons) between 1996 and 2024. We then compared where and when those outbreaks were reported with records of armed conflict across 236 countries and territories.

The WHO archive does not include every outbreak worldwide. It contains selected events that were detected, reported to the WHO and considered important enough to publish. Researchers have also found inconsistencies in disease names, case numbers and other details. If an outbreak goes unnoticed, or is noticed but never reported internationally, it cannot appear in the archive.

Our results therefore show patterns in reported outbreaks, not every outbreak that occurred. Even so, they suggest that conflict may affect both how diseases spread and which ones become visible to the wider world.

Many of the diseases reported more often during conflict were linked to the collapse of basic services. Reported polio outbreaks, for example, became more common during civil wars. This fits with evidence that conflict reduces vaccination coverage by displacing communities and making it dangerous or impossible for health workers to reach them.

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The naturally occurring “wild” poliovirus now continues to circulate routinely in only Afghanistan and Pakistan, where insecurity has repeatedly obstructed efforts to eliminate it. Other countries can experience outbreaks linked to the weakened virus used in oral polio vaccines. These rare outbreaks occur when vaccination rates are so low that the weakened virus circulates for a long time and changes into a form capable of causing illness.

Reported cholera outbreaks followed a similar pattern, but the clearest rise came one and two years after fighting began. This may be because clean-water supplies, sanitation and healthcare deteriorate gradually during a prolonged conflict. Our study found a pattern – but it can’t prove that this was the cause.

The war in Yemen contributed to one of the largest recorded cholera epidemics in recent history. More than a million suspected cases were recorded as conflict damaged water and sanitation systems, disrupted healthcare and displaced communities.

Many of the patterns we found were strongest in sub-Saharan Africa. This may partly be because some of the diseases studied are already more common there as a result of climate, wildlife and other local environmental conditions – not conflict alone.

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The pattern remained after we allowed for differences in countries’ income. But income does not tell us everything about how well a country can detect and report disease. We therefore cannot say how much of the result reflects the places where particular diseases naturally occur and how much reflects differences in reporting.

When outbreaks disappear from the records

One result ran in the opposite direction: influenza was reported less often during conflict.

History gives us little reason to assume that war prevents flu from spreading. During the first world war, mass troop movements and crowded military camps helped the 1918 influenza pandemic spread around the world. It infected an estimated 500 million people and is thought to have killed at least 50 million.

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Crowding in shelters and camps could similarly help respiratory infections spread during modern conflicts. But war can also change how people travel and make it harder for them to visit a clinic. Laboratories may close, testing supplies may run out and health authorities may no longer be able to collect or share results. Flu could therefore continue spreading while becoming less visible in official records.

Tracking influenza depends on laboratories and national reporting systems connected through the WHO Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System. Damage to this network could help explain why fewer influenza outbreaks were reported during conflict.

There is another complication. Disease outbreak news is not the WHO’s main record of routine flu activity, and the types of influenza events selected for publication have changed over time. The decline could therefore reflect weaker testing and reporting, a real change in transmission, or changes in what the WHO published. Our data cannot determine which explanation is correct.

We also grouped conflicts according to how many people were killed in fighting each year. Reported outbreaks did not continue to rise as conflicts became deadlier, while reported influenza fell further.

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One possible explanation is that disease monitoring continues to work during less intense conflicts but starts to collapse in the most violent ones. Yet this is not proof. Counting deaths across a whole country cannot capture every local effect of war, and changes in how diseases spread or what gets reported could also have shaped the result.

Pandemic-preparedness programmes developed since the COVID-19 pandemic have placed great emphasis on laboratories and disease-monitoring networks. But these systems still depend on something more basic: health workers who can reach people safely, clinics that remain open and institutions capable of reporting what they find. When those foundations collapse, even advanced warning systems may receive too little reliable information.

An outbreak map is often read as a picture of where disease exists. It is also a picture of where the world can still see outbreaks. In places fractured by conflict, that visibility may be fading precisely when the need for it is greatest.

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Roberto De Zerbi hails ‘special’ Tottenham talent as hype grows: ‘Precious diamond’

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Roberto De Zerbi hails 'special' Tottenham talent as hype grows: 'Precious diamond'

The academy graduate is taking full advantage of more first-team exposure with Tottenham missing a whole host of senior players due to a mixture of injury, lack of match fitness and post-World Cup holidays, having previously established a reputation as one of English football’s brightest youth talents.

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France wildfires live: 42C heatwave threatens nuclear plant after shock arrests

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Daily Mirror

A British family have told how they were left sleeping on a beach and then in a tent in a garden after the wildfires in Gironde forced them to evacuate.

Melissa Sood, 33, and her family were evacuated from the seaside town of Biscarrosse, around 40 miles south-west of Bordeaux.

The GP practice manager had been on a trip to visit her grandmother alongside her husband Sunny, 42, a police officer, her daughter, 14, and her brother and sister.

Melissa said she and her family were initially left stranded on the beach, sleeping on cardboard boxes, until a family friend reached out and said they could camp in their garden in Sanguinet, around seven miles away.

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She said: “The fire looked like a scene from a disaster movie, it was terrible. We started to hear explosions, from the gas canisters in people’s barbecues, it was really eerie. My daughter was really scared.

“Our house was evacuated; we had to pull some cardboard boxes out of a recycling bin and use them to try and sleep on the grass. There’s no hotels anywhere, we’ve been sleeping in a tent in a kind French person’s garden since Friday, we’ve had no sleep at all.”

A kind person offered to put the family up but their only option was a tent in the garden(Image: Melissa Sood / SWNS)

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Phone of British woman, 38, who was found in a suitcase in an abandoned building in Athens ‘was being used after she died to make it seem as if she was alive’

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Elizabeth Jane Ross was found dead with her body stuffed inside a suitcase in Athens, Greece

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The phone of a British woman whose body was found inside a suitcase in an abandoned building in Athens was being used in attempts to cover her death, it is understood. 

The body of Elizabeth Jane Ross, from Scotland, was found by a homeless man in the district of Kypseli in the Greek capital on Saturday, July 18.

The alarm was raised around 1pm after he notified the authorities that he had spotted a suitcase and something coming out of it, which ‘looked like a human limb’. 

The body was later identified as 38-year-old Ms Ross, who had flown from Cyprus to Athens where she was staying with friends. She had flown from America to Europe on June 29.

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Ms Ross was last seen just before the alleged murder on July 15, and around the time that forensic scientists believe the crime took place.

It has also emerged that the British woman’s phone was being used up until the point she was identified by media. 

One Greek Officer said: ‘The phone was being used. Text messages were even sent obviously with a view to making people believe she was still alive. 

‘We are treating the building as a crime scene.’ 

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Elizabeth Jane Ross was found dead with her body stuffed inside a suitcase in Athens, Greece

Local outlets released a photo of the 38-year-old, as investigations are ongoing to determine her cause of death

Authorities are waiting for the result of toxicological tests saying they are likely to uncover how Ms Ross died. 

The initial examination of the body showed no obvious injuries or signs of struggle, while no identification was found on the woman. 

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Greek authorities then took fingerprints but found no match in the national database. They then discovered they were registered in American databases.

According to police, the victim was around 5ft 4in with reddish hair tied in a bun, wearing black shorts and a T-shirt. 

Her shorts bore the name of a French university, prompting Interpol to be alerted.

Her identity was then confirmed by the Interpol office America, which informed the Hellenic Police that the body belongs to a British woman with the initials E.P, born in February 1988. 

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Greek news outlets released photos of the 38-year-old woman on Wednesday.

Investigators have established that the woman flew to Greece on June 29 from the United States after travelling via Cyprus.

Police have requested passenger information from the airline she travelled with to determine if she was with anyone, and are checking local accommodation registries for reservations under her name. 

Police estimated that her death occurred between five and seven days before the body was found.

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One Greek police officer told The Sun that authorities were shocked at the discovery.

He said: ‘To find a foreign national dead in a suitcase here in the heart of Athens is a first. In the history of Greek British relations, it is unprecedented.’

Greek authorities will be working closely with the Cyprus Police on this investigation, while an autopsy is expected to be carried out to determine the cause of death. 

The British Embassy in Greece and the woman’s father have been notified of her death. 

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Police wish to speak to her father to gather information about her recent activities.

An FCDO Spokesperson told the Daily Mail: ‘Our thoughts are with Elizabeth’s family during this difficult time. We are providing consular support and are in contact with the local authorities.’

A Police Scotland spokesperson told the BBC: ‘We are aware of the death of Scottish woman in Athens and are liaising with authorities in Greece. Officers are providing support to her family in Scotland.’

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