It is hailed as one of the best thrillers that fans ‘devour’ in no time

Devoted period drama enthusiasts are racing through a ‘masterpiece’ series at breakneck speed.

Viewers are also hailing the programme, The Americans, as amongst the finest espionage thrillers television has ever produced. Every episode is available for streaming on Disney+.

Though spanning six complete seasons, audiences report finding themselves unable to resist marathon viewing sessions. For the uninitiated, The Americans is categorised as a period drama chronicling the marriage of two KGB operatives masquerading as an ‘ordinary’ American household in suburban Washington D.C.

The action unfolds against the Reagan administration era of the 1980s. What begins as a strategic union between the pair for operational purposes gradually evolves into something far more authentic and intense, reports OK!

Yet as professional obligations intensify and become increasingly burdensome, the emotional cost proves nearly unbearable, particularly regarding the safeguarding of their American-born offspring, Paige and Henry. They must also navigate the constant threat of exposure by their friend and neighbour, FBI agent Stan Beeman, whose mission involves identifying Soviet operatives concealed within everyday society.

The programme stars Welsh performer Matthew Rhys, recently appearing in Widow’s Bay, alongside The Diplomat’s Keri Russell as the wedded agents. Their central performances receive widespread acclaim as a key factor maintaining audience engagement.

Rhys secured an Emmy for his contribution to the concluding season. Throughout its initial broadcast from 2013 to 2018, it established itself as one of television’s most critically acclaimed programmes.

This is reflected in its overall Rotten Tomatoes score of 96%, with the third season achieving a flawless 100% rating. Numerous fans have posted their endorsements for the programme online, encouraging others to give it a watch. One wrote: “I simply devoured this series.”

Another declared: “I genuinely think this is up there with the best things ever created on TV. No year’s complete without a 6-season binge of this thrilling masterpiece.”

A fellow viewer concurred: “One of the greatest series of all time. Action, suspense, thought provoking drama and politics are all combined in what I think is the best spy series I’ve ever seen. Can’t get better then this.”

Echoing similar sentiments, one viewer warned others will find themselves compelled to binge-watch. They commented: “The Americans is one of the best spy shows ever created. I can’t recommend this show enough. Just go watch it, but make sure you give yourself a lot of time because you’re going to want to binge it as fast as you can. I loved every second of every episode!”.

One enthusiast even suggested it surpassed their previous favourite: “Homeland is the best, the king of spy series. Well, that’s what I thought before. The Americans is better.”

Highlighting its quality, one person wrote: “There’s a reason that The Americans is one of the best reviewed shows and that’s because it’s fantastic! There have been a ton of spy shows over the years but The Americans is without a doubt one the best of them! It’s easily one of the two or three most thrilling spy shows ever created! Loved it!”.

Another viewer confessed: “We wanted a series to binge watch and we’re so glad we chose this one! We probably stayed up way later than we should have watching episode after episode many nights in a row, but we couldn’t stop. I will not give anything away. I will just say that this is the best show we have ever watched and we were very sad that it came to an end.”

The Americans is streaming on Disney+.

More than 100 development schemes in Pembrokeshire, representing in excess of 2,300 homes, face delays due to Natural Resources Wales’ nitrogen neutrality assessment requirements

More than 100 development proposals across Pembrokeshire, totalling in excess of 2,300 homes, remain stuck in limbo owing to the continuing nitrogen neutrality guidelines from Natural Resources Wales, councillors have been told.

During the June meeting of Pembrokeshire Council’s services overview and scrutiny committee members were briefed on the persistent issue of nitrogen neutrality, which has caused hold-ups for numerous housing projects throughout the county since being introduced last June.

The zone where development must demonstrate nitrogen neutrality covers roughly 75% of the county encompassing Haverfordwest, Narberth, Pembroke, and Pembroke Dock. Read the biggest stories in Wales first by signing up to our daily newsletter.

The report, delivered by councillor Jacob Williams, cabinet member for planning and highways, examined the ramifications of Natural Resources Wales’ (NRWs) nutrient neutrality requirements regarding dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) for development within the Milford Haven Inner waterbody catchment of the Pembrokeshire Marine Special Area of Conservation (SAC) alongside the actions being pursued by the council locally to tackle this matter and the council’s involvement in regional and national initiatives.

The report revealed that, as of May, there were 21 planning applications lodged prior to the introduction of nitrogen neutrality requirements that are now subject to these rules and remain unresolved alongside a further 66 undetermined since that date and an additional 15 applications caught by nitrates requirements that have yet to reach their eight-week determination deadline.

The 102 developments affected by the nitrates issue accounted for approximately 35% of all outstanding applications – a proportion that climbed even higher when refused schemes were factored in.

Cllr Williams, who last year secured full council backing to write to the First Minister expressing the authority’s “great concern over Natural Resources Wales’ recent river nitrates guidance in relation to development and the serious effects this is having,” said this equated to 2,376 of 6,741 potential housing units, noting that “Pembrokeshire County Council cannot approve development which is unable to demonstrate nitrogen neutrality”.

Last October the council’s cabinet approved an action plan to tackle the nitrates issue for affected developments within its planning jurisdiction with the initial stages already completed and a final report due for cabinet consideration this September to establish how identified mitigation opportunities might be progressed.

Members supported a recommendation to acknowledge the action plan’s progress ahead of the forthcoming cabinet report.

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Manchester United have been linked with a move for Real Madrid’s Trent Alexander-Arnold but would require a lot of stars to align to make a swap transfer happen

Manchester United’s chances of completing a potential move for Trent Alexander-Arnold could rest on one player moving in the opposite direction. And while Jose Mourinho might favour the move, Michael Carrick may not be as keen as he looks to maintain his current momentum.

Ex-Liverpool star Alexander-Arnold, 27, struggled to shine in his first season at the Bernabeu and was picked apart in the Spanish media as a result. Injury curtailed his progress in the first half of the campaign before he developed some consistency in the starting XI, ending his debut campaign with five assists in 30 outings.

There’s an added sense of mystery to the situation now Mourinho has returned to Madrid. ‘The Special One’ has never worked with Alexander-Arnold and has already hinted change is coming amid reports Denzel Dumfries is on the verge of joining from Inter Milan.

At the same time, Diogo Dalot has been mooted as another Mourinho signing and could move as part of a swap deal. Multiple Old Trafford icons have spoken positively about Alexander-Arnold making the jump to United, which has only encouraged talk of a Premier League return.

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Speaking to Hajper, Antonio Valencia was the latest to talk up the prospect of Alexander-Arnold crossing the forbidden divide: “Trent is a player I like a lot. He has a very good right foot, he crosses well, and he is a player who defends well.

“He would be very good for Manchester United. He knows the Premier League. He knows what it means to win the Champions League and the Premier League. He is a passionate player, and I would like to see him at Manchester United.”

A potential swap deal for Dalot seemingly doesn’t have much legs following reports Carrick wants to keep the Portugal international. Mourinho signed his countryman when he was at Old Trafford and has been linked with a reunion at Real.

Dalot, 27, hasn’t necessarily become the right-back enforcer many United fans wanted but holds value given he can cover both full-back positions. The defender joined from Porto in 2018 and could bring up a decade at United if he sees out his contract until 2028, with the option of an additional year.

Upon bringing his compatriot to England, Mourinho was gushing in his praise of Dalot and said at the time: “In his age group, he is the best full-back in Europe.

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Sky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix and Disney+ with Ultimate TV package

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Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of the Premier League and EFL.

Sky broadcasts more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more with at least 215 live from the top flight alongside Formula 1, darts and golf.

Valencia’s former team-mate, Wes Brown, has also advocated for United to make a move on Alexander-Arnold and recently told Compare.bet: “Manchester United would be a very good move for Trent Alexander-Arnold. What a player. He would really help how Michael Carrick wants to attack teams.

“I think it is clear he is not really enjoying himself at Real Madrid. He would be a great player to have, and I think anyone in the Premier League would want to sign him. Who wouldn’t have Trent in their team?”

Carrick deployed Amad Diallo as a wing-back for portions of last season, with Noussair Mazraoui also in that rotation when fit. However, there is a sense United could do with a standout upgrade in the position.

Alexander-Arnold could well be that, just as Dalot may be a useful bargaining chip for any potential deal. However, the logistics of pulling off such a controversial switch this summer appear too great for United to overcome.

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The blaze comes just two days after North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service issued a “don’t spark disaster” warning to the public in a bid to avoid a repetition of last year’s devastating fire on Langdale and Fylingdales Moors.

They urged anyone using a disposable BBQ to take particular care and for everyone to be aware that a discarded cigarette or match can start a fire.

“Barbeques – disposable or gas – and campfires can wreak havoc in surprising ways,” they warned.

Shortly before 8pm yesterday (Friday), Harrogate crews answered a 999 call to land near Fewston reservoir near Harrogate yesterday evening after a member of the public spotted a grass fire.

The firefighters found the blaze – and a disposable BBQ with no-one nearby.

They put out the fire with a bucket of water.

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Last summer’s devastating fire is believed to have been started by someone using a campfire or burner.  

 It burned for 40 days, at its height covered 10 square miles and closed the A171, and took a concerted effort by firefighters from several services, farmers and the local community to finally bring under control.  

The land is expected to take decades to recover and was not declared safe for walkers until months afterwards.

A criminal gang was smashed after one of its members shared a photograph of himself holding a balloon. Colin Jones, Kevin Martindale, Kevin Smith, Leon Phillips, Jack Jones, Brandon McCann, Gary Holding, Colin Dolman and Peter Jensen formed part of a Widnes-based Organised Crime Gang (OCG).

An investigation codenamed Operation Dominating into their criminal activities started after officers from Cheshire Police’s Serious and Organised Crime Unit discovered an EncroChat profile operating under the alias “Mexican Nova”. For months, officers tracked the profile, carefully examining each message sent via the encrypted network.

The exchanges disclosed “Mexican Nova” was behind supplying multiple kilograms of illegal drugs for circulation.

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Using the Mexican Nova alias, Jones also revealed his involvement in aiding another high-level organised crime syndicate with orchestrating a plot to bring large amounts of drugs into the UK.

As well as drug trafficking, messages showed Mexican Nova was actively attempting to buy a firearm magazine and ammunition, making several enquiries for what he described as “9mm sweets”, reports the Liverpool Echo.

Just three days later, he finalised a deal and arranged for an associate to collect 85 rounds of 9mm ammunition from another EncroChat user in the Grappenhall area of Warrington.

As the investigation progressed, it became increasingly clear the individual behind the account was Colin Jones. Growing more confident in the security of the EncroChat platform, Jones began revealing his identity within messages, referring to himself in one instance as “Col from Widnes” and in another as “three phones Jones”.

The evidence became definitive when Jones sent a photograph of himself, holding a balloon and a gas canister, to another user on the platform. This image enabled detectives to conclusively link him to the EncroChat account and the associated drug supply network.

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Following this significant breakthrough, detectives then began to investigate Jones’ wider OCG.

During this period, detectives established the group was responsible for sourcing and supplying more than 50kg of cocaine and 220kg of cannabis nationwide between September 2024 and November 2025.

Jones was also linked to the importation of at least 49 litres of cannabis distillate (oil) from Los Angeles. The substance was shipped in multiple smaller parcels to addresses across Widnes and Liverpool, disguised as everyday items such as honey, cosmetic products such as shampoos and conditioners, and even lava lamps.

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Further enquiries revealed Jones was managing the OCG alongside his associate, Kevin Martindale. Together, they controlled a stash house and oversaw a network of couriers responsible for transporting drugs and cash across England and Wales.

Covert officers observed Jones and Martindale conduct regular meetings at local cafés. Martindale, a plasterer by trade, used his legitimate work to try and conceal his criminal enterprise.

Leon Phillips was also identified as a key member of the group. Surveillance at his home address showed multiple OCG members visiting regularly, collecting packages before making significant journeys, indicating they were collecting drugs from the stash for onward distribution.

Peter Jensen and Jack Jones acted as the primary couriers for the group. They hired vehicles to transport multi-kilo amounts of drugs and large quantities of counterfeit cigarettes to locations across the UK, including North Wales, South Wales, Cheltenham, Birmingham, and Manchester.

Meanwhile, Colin Dolman was identified as a street-level dealer, regularly supplying drugs to users in the local area.

Brandon McCann was one of the OCG’s major customers, controlling a supply line within Widnes. During the conspiracy he purchased at least 10kg of cocaine from Jones and Martindale. He then controlled dealers to distribute the drugs throughout the town.

Jones and Martindale would go on to pool these profits from their criminal enterprise to fund lavish lifestyles, including property renovations, luxury holidays, and high-end designer clothing and jewellery.

Detectives also recovered detailed notes kept by Jones, revealing he had been involved in the transfer of at least £1.2 million worth of cash and commodities during the conspiracy.

In May 2025, Jones travelled to Dubai. In his absence, another member of the OCG, Kevin Smith, was entrusted with the ‘graft’ phone, used to manage the supply network. Acting on Jones’ instructions, Smith directed Jensen to collect a significant quantity of drugs from Kent on June 6 2025.

Jensen hired a car from Liverpool John Lennon Airport and travelled to Kent. After collecting the package, and securing it in the back seat, he began the return journey to Widnes, maintaining regular contact with Smith and even sent him a voice note asking how much he would receive in wages for the pickup. However, while travelling on the M6 near Sandbach, Jensen was stopped by officers from Cheshire Police.

He was arrested and the package, containing 20kg of cocaine, was seized. He was later charged with possession with intent to supply Class A drugs and pleaded guilty as a result of the overwhelming evidence gathered against him.

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The drugs were analysed by a force specialist who estimated their wholesale value at between £340,000 and £600,000. At street-level distribution, their value could exceed £2.8m.

Startled by Jensen’s arrest, Martindale booked a last-minute flight from Manchester to Malta. Two weeks later, he travelled to Cyprus to meet with Jones and remained out of the country for a number of weeks, before returning home to Widnes.

On October 28 2025, Jones flew back into the UK via Manchester airport.

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With the OCG once again operating on UK soil, Cheshire Police conducted coordinated dawn raids at 11 addresses on November 8 2025, resulting in the arrest of seven men.

Colin Jones, Kevin Martindale, Leon Phillips, Jack Jones, Colin Dolman, Brandon McCann, and Kevin Smith, were all subsequently charged for their respective roles in the drugs conspiracy.

On November 11 2025, officers arrested Gary Holding at a hotel in Leeds. He was identified as a cannabis supplier for the OCG, using the imported cannabis oil to produce THC vapes and edibles, as well as supplying large quantities of cannabis. He was also charged in connection with the conspiracy.

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Faced with a comprehensive case file of evidence, all men were left with no option but to plead guilty to the charges put to them.

Eight of the men appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday, June 26. They were each individually sentenced to the following:

• Colin Jones, 38, of Parklands, Widnes, was sentenced to 17 years• Kevin Martindale, 40, of Browning Avenue, Widnes, was sentenced to 15 years• Kevin Smith, 37, of Goodall Street, Liverpool, was sentenced to eight years and four months• Leon Phillips, 43, of Liebig Court, Widnes, was sentenced to eight years• Jack Jones, 29, of Melville Close, Widnes, was sentenced to five years and three months• Brandon McCann, 23, of Milton Avenue, Widnes, was sentenced to four years and five months• Gary Holding, 48, of The Glen, Runcorn, was sentenced to three years• Colin Dolman, 53, Stewards Avenue, Widnes, was sentenced to two years and eight months

The ninth member of the OCG, Peter Jensen, 38, of Parbold Court, Widnes, was sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison at Chester Crown Court on Thursday, July 31 2025, after he had earlier pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply Class A drugs (cocaine).

Hayden Jones-Powell got into difficulty in the water on Thursday when he was at the lake with friends

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A family is mourning their ‘gorgeous’ and ‘cheeky’ boy after he was tragically pulled dead from a lake. Hayden Jones-Powell went missing yesterday (June 25) after entering Meynell Lake, in Fosse Way, Syston.

Police were called just after 1.30pm, with Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service and East Midlands Ambulance Service also attending. Specialist dive teams launched a search of the lake where they found Hayden, according to LeicestershireLive.

The 13-year-old has been remembered by his family as a cheeky, gorgeous boy who loved animals. Hayden, a keen West Bromwich Albion supporter with a wide circle of friends, had gone to cool off in the water with friends after school when he got into difficulty.

Speaking to LeicestershireLive on behalf of the family, his aunt, Charlotte Powell, paid tribute to him.

“He was just a really lovely little cheeky boy,” she said, adding that he had lots of friends and “did really, really well at school.”

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She said Hayden leaves behind two older brothers and a sister.

Describing the day Hayden died, Charlotte, who has set up a fundraising page for his funeral, said: “Hayden was like any other teenage boy who just went to the lake to paddle with his friends.

“He wanted to cool off from the heat and enjoy the cool water, getting some respite from the heatwave after school.”

The family said they had been left devastated by the news.

“It’s horrific, absolutely horrific,” Charlotte said. “When my husband rang me yesterday to say, are you sitting down? Hayden’s gone missing.

“It’s the thing that happens to other people, doesn’t it? It doesn’t happen to your family.”

Charlotte has thanked the community for their support since Hayden’s death.

“The family are so, so grateful for all the support, really, really grateful,” she said.

“We know that in times like this, there’s so little that people can do, but if anybody can just give a fiver to our fund, just to give us the best send-off for Hayden that we can possibly do.”

Police said the person recovered from the lake was the same teenager known to have entered the water, adding that his family are being supported by specialist officers. Officers said there is no suggestion of any suspicious circumstances, and that a file will be prepared for the coroner.

Friends of Hayden are organising two balloon releases in his memory. The first is due to take place at Central Park in Syston at around 12.30pm on Saturday, with a second planned for the following Saturday in Mountsorrel.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the family give Hayden “a beautiful send off,” with a target of £6,000. You can donate here.

During their first two games, Panama have taken a dynamic approach depending on the phase of play the game is in.

From opposition goal-kicks, Panama have stepped up to press aggressively in a 4-4-2 shape.

If the opponents have quality on the ball and find themselves in possession higher up the pitch, Panama’s high press falls into a mid-block, and they move from a 4-4-2 into a 5-3-2. Their focus is on making it hard for teams to play through them.

As Croatia, in particular, grew into the game, Panama took an even more defensive approach.

Their 5-3-2 became a 5-4-1, a shape they adopted with a deeper defensive line for large parts of the game.

So what does this mean for England?

Sarah Steele said Cambridgeshire’s police force did not contact her until months after the incident

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Downing Street has said it is “very concerning” that an American fighter pilot was able to avoid a trial under English law for strangling a woman in Cambridge. Captain Jacob Wulfson was tried at a court martial on a US airbase despite his alleged crime taking place while he was off-duty.

The case was not investigated by the local police and was instead handed to the US military, as first reported by the Guardian. Mr Wulfson’s victim Sarah Steele said she was treated “incredibly aggressively” by the pilot’s defence team and felt like she was the one on trial.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman questioned why the case never reached the CPS (Crown Prosecution Service). He said: “This is clearly a deeply distressing case, our thoughts are with the victim. She’s shown incredible bravery not only in her initial report to police, but also in coming forward to speak to the media to help get justice for others.”

He said the Government was “going to look really carefully at what’s happened here, and we must stress that we’re still establishing the facts”. He added: “But of course this is very concerning that a case like this never reached the CPS, but was investigated by US airbase police and heard in front of an all-male panel of air force officers.”

Cambridgeshire Constabulary said that, in December 2023, information shared by the US air force (USAF) “indicated that the victim did not wish to be contacted” by them.

“Following a welfare visit in February 2024, the victim directly confirmed to Cambridgeshire Constabulary officers that she wished the matter to remain under the investigation of the USAF,” a spokesperson added.

But Ms Steele told the Guardian that Cambridgeshire Constabulary did not get in touch to discuss whether she wanted the case to be handed over. When they spoke to her months later, she feared the investigation would have to start again or the pilot might flee the country if the case if local police took over, she said.

Justice minister Jake Richards earlier described the case as “really serious” and said there are “issues” around the military courts system. He told BBC Radio 4’s Today: “It’s a really serious case. It’s very good that it’s being raised by yourselves and others. I’m going to take it away back to the Ministry of Justice and make sure that we are looking into the details of this later.”

He added: “There are issues around military courts, whether that is in America or indeed our own, and how that interplays with our criminal courts and our civil courts. That’s always an area that we look at.” He said there should be a “really thorough and objective look at this case”.

Ms Steele, an academic, met Cpt Wulfson on a dating app and eventually arranged to meet at his flat while he was working at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk. She left his flat the next morning feeling that something was wrong, later accusing him of non-consensual sex, drugging, and strangling her, the Guardian reported.

He was charged with sexual assault and aggravated sexual contact, and was ultimately found guilty of strangulation, but acquitted of the other charges. The judge in the court martial was a US air force colonel and the jury was a panel of eight air force officers.

Some British terms had to be explained to the panel, and Cpt Wulfson’s “enemies killed in action count” as an F-35 pilot was used as mitigation for his sentence, the newspaper said.

Speaking about the trial, Ms Steele said: “It was a very difficult system to be in, and at times I was treated incredibly aggressively, and I felt like I was on trial, and it became a character assassination. People are attacking you with assertions that are trying to undermine, say that you’re lying, say that you’re a problem, say that you’re all manner of evil things and that you’re creating this, and you’ve got to wade through that staring in the face of the accused.”

Ms Steele’s case would likely have been tried at a crown court had it been handled by the CPS. The court martial handed Cpt Wulfson a sentence of six months at a correctional facility at RAF Lakenheath.

Calling for clearer guidance on who should prosecute such cases, she said: “I think it’s really important that for the interests of justice and for the rights of victims, that we have clear framework discussion around this.”

There are around 12 active US air force bases across the UK. The US military justice system has a distinct legal framework and is separate from British civilian courts.

Shadow justice secretary Nick Timothy called on David Lammy to “urgently review” the case. In a letter to the Justice Secretary, he said: “Under the Nato Status of Forces of Agreement 1951, US military authorities only have primary jurisdiction to prosecute in cases where an offence was committed on duty, towards another armed forces member, or towards a dependent.

“This case should have been fully investigated by the English police and prosecuted in our courts, with the defendant tried by a jury and the sentence determined by a judge. Therefore, I ask you urgently to review what happened in this case, confirm who decided to relinquish UK jurisdiction, and ensure that justice is served.”