The 24-year-old strangled his victim twice

A rapist strangled his victim until she was unconscious and then attacked her. Jacob Negus, 24, began speaking to a woman on a dating app and then met her the following day.

After a month of dating, Negus became controlling. He told the woman to remove men from her social media accounts or he would stop seeing her. The woman chose to end contact, but Negas later sent flowers and apologised. The pair were then on-and-off dating for a couple of months.

In 2023, at his then home in Maxey, near Peterborough, Negus became violent. On one occasion, he strangled the woman until she lost consciousness, leaving her with a burst blood vessel in her eye. When she regained consciousness, the victim realised she was being raped. When Negus saw she was awake, he pulled her hair, forced her to stand and strangled her again.

During their relationship, Negus also left bruises on the woman’s thighs after grabbing them, subjected her to verbal abuse and made threats to harm her. The woman later told a family member and reported the abuse to police.

On Thursday, June 25 at Cambridge Crown Court, Negus, of Leofric Close, Crowland, Lincolnshire, was sentenced to 15 years in prison. He was found guilty of rape, intentional strangulation and engaging in coercive and controlling behaviour in an intimate relationship.

DC Frankie Enticknap said: “This was a sustained and deeply traumatic campaign of abuse, where Negus used control, violence and intimidation against his victim.

“It takes a great deal of courage to come forward and report offences of this nature, and I would like to commend the victim for the strength she has shown throughout this investigation. We are committed to supporting victims of sexual offences and domestic abuse, and we will do everything we can to bring offenders to justice.”

By JON MICHAEL RAASCH, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT

Published: 15:05 BST, 2 July 2026 | Updated: 15:49 BST, 2 July 2026

Donald Trump posted a bizarre AI-generated video of himself as a doctor trying to heal his celebrity detractors for their ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome.’

The video portrays nearly half a dozen celebrity critics of the President, including Rosie O’Donnell, Whoopi Goldberg, Robert De Niro, Julia Roberts, John Leguizamo and Edward Norton. 

Advertisement

‘Have you or someone you know been diagnosed with TDS? The symptoms can be relentless,’ an AI-generated Trump dressed in a white doctor’s coat says.

‘Fortunately, I’m Dr Trump, and I have a treatment plan. Let’s hear what some of my patients have to say.’

Trump has for years said that those who oppose him suffer from ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome’ (TDS). Republican Congressman Warren Davidson took the joke a step further last year, proposing a bill to study TDS. 

The clip then cuts to testimonials from the AI-generated celebrities in a doctor’s office as soft piano music plays in the background. 

Advertisement

‘I have been suffering for over a decade, and after listening to Dr Trump, I can see some results,’ a fake O’Donnell says. 

AI Leguizamo goes next, saying, ‘Man, I’ve been suffering for years. I really didn’t believe that there was help out there. That was when I came across this video on TV.’

The President appears as a doctor in the AI-generated video 

Advertisement

The clip features a half dozen celebrities offering fake testimonials about how Dr Trump healed them from TDS 

‘I really thought I was a lost cause,’ says the fake Goldberg. ‘This was gonna affect me for the rest of my life, but after using the treatment plan, I can see a difference.’

Trump has a penchant for posting AI-generated content on his social media, some of which has caused an uproar from his supporters. 

Earlier this year, the President published an AI image of him appearing as Jesus Christ healing a sick man, outraging his evangelical Christian supporters who called the post blasphemous. 

Advertisement

The backlash was so severe that the President later deleted the image of him appearing as Christ. He later said that he thought he was a doctor in the image, not Christ. Within days Trump posted another AI image showing him embracing Jesus. 

In February, the President again stoked anger with an AI-video showing Barack and Michelle Obama as apes. It sparked fury from his own Republican senators and was later deleted by Trump who blamed it on a technical glitch. 

‘I really wasn’t sure I could help some of these people. They were so far gone, I wasn’t really sure,’ the AI-generated ‘Dr Trump’ continues in the clip posted just before midnight on Wednesday. 

Fake De Niro then chimes in: ‘I had no idea how much this was affecting my life. My work has slowed down. I’m hardly recognizable anymore. I just needed help. I couldn’t eat, I couldn’t sleep. Constantly angry, I made everyone miserable around me.’ 

Advertisement

‘I feel like I’ve aged 20 years in the last two years. I’ve been so concerned, I was really starting to worry about my future,’ says AI Roberts. 

‘I feel like I’ve aged 20 years in the last two years. I’ve been so concerned, I was really starting to worry about my future,’ says AI Roberts

AI-generated Edward Norton

Dr. Trump then prescribes his AI-generated celebrity patients a strict regimen to recover from their TDS. 

Advertisement

‘The treatment is simple: turn off fake news, say your prayers, and if you ever feel anxious, just have a Diet Coke like me, and you’re going to see a remarkable difference in your life,’ Dr. Trump concludes. 

The EastEnders and Holby City actress, 54, revealed on Tuesday that she underwent the procedure two weeks ago and she has since had the all clear from her doctors.

She said she still needs to undergo radiotherapy, however reassured her 372,000 followers on Instagram that she is feeling better.

Faulkner said: “I’ve had to have surgery because I’ve had the very early stages of breast cancer.

“I had surgery two weeks ago, and it was quite a big op, but it’s all good, and I’ve had my results back, and they’ve got everything out, and so it’s all clear, and I just need now to have some radiotherapy in a few weeks.

“I’ve still got quite a bit of healing to do, but I’m good, I’m well, and feeling so much better.”

She urged others to go for check-ups adding that if she did not go for her breast screening, the cancer would not have been picked up.

“I am so grateful that I went for my mammogram,” she said.

“Don’t put them off, go, because they found this and without that mammogram it wouldn’t have been picked up.”

Faulkner ended her video by thanking the “wonderful NHS” for the scan and early treatment.

The actress has four children and married the former MasterChef presenter in 2019. She recently appeared in Single White Female in Manchester after returning to the stage after 21 years.

The news comes nearly a year after Torode was sacked from the cooking competition show after an allegation that he used “highly offensive racist language” was upheld in a review looking into his former co-presenter Greg Wallace, who was also fired due to alleged misconduct.

Two powerful, back-to-back earthquakes shook Venezuela Wednesday evening, collapsing buildings, killing hundreds and leaving thousands more missing across the northern part of the country. Many more are feared dead.

Governments, nonprofits and members of the Venezuelan diaspora around the world are mobilizing to respond after the magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 quakes. Help is needed for search and rescue efforts, emergency shelter for displaced families and emergency health care, followed by safe water and sanitation, according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

Humanitarian organizations will face many challenges, including airport closures and the need for fast-tracked visas for aid workers, said Michael Capponi, president of Global Empowerment Mission (GEM).

“No single organization can meet all the needs alone,” he said. “Collaboration across governments and NGOs is critical to ensuring we cover all ground efficiently and swiftly.”

Here are some of the responding organizations you can support. The nonprofit evaluator Charity Navigator recommends donors avoid fraudulent fundraising campaigns by assessing whether an organization has a history of working on the specific type of disaster and in the affected region, and if it is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

How to help those affected by the Venezuela earthquakes

Global Empowerment Mission: The Doral, Florida-based humanitarian relief organization is collaborating with its long-term partner We Love Foundation, which supports Venezuelans. GEM immediately began packing emergency supplies for shipment Thursday to Caracas, where it has set up a distribution hub. GEM has responded in Venezuela before, including in 2018 and 2019.

CORE: The humanitarian nonprofit is deploying personnel and partnering with The Wayuu Taya Foundation, a nonprofit that supports Indigenous Wayuu communities in Venezuela and Colombia and who has staff on the ground in Caracas. They aim to support impacted families with food, drinking water, hygiene kits and other critical resources. CORE was founded after the 2010 Haiti earthquake.

Direct Relief: The California-based medical humanitarian organization is funding the deployment of a team from Spanish Bomberos Unidos Sin Fronteras (BUSF) to assist search-and-rescue efforts, and is poised to send medical supplies to local healthcare partners as needed. Direct Relief has responded to multiple earthquakes, including the 2023 disaster in Syria and Turkey.

International Red Cross: Despite experiencing damage to its own headquarters, the Venezuelan Red Cross’ nationwide network of hospitals and clinics remains active and continues to deliver care. Rescue teams are supporting evacuation and search efforts as well as mobilizing prepositioned relief supplies. Red Cross Societies in Ecuador, Colombia, Mexico, Costa Rica, Honduras and Argentina — countries home to large Venezuelan communities — have activated services to restore family links and help people find news of their loved ones.

Children’s Bereavement Center/Lift from Loss: The Miami-based group offers free bereavement counseling to children and adults. It is offering free online support in Spanish and English to those impacted in Venezuela and in the diaspora. Those seeking support can sign up online.

Airlink: The global humanitarian organization helps facilitate transport and logistics for other nonprofits needing to send relief and personnel to disasters worldwide. It will mobilize airlines and logistics companies to send search-and-rescue teams, medical responders and supplies to Venezuela.

World Central Kitchen: The nonprofit founded by Chef José Andrés is mobilizing to serve hot meals to affected families and first responders as quickly as possible. WCK has led multiple responses in Venezuela, most recently in 2024 when families in the state of Sucre were displaced by Hurricane Beryl.

Catholic Relief Services: The international aid agency of the U.S. Catholic Church is working with local partner Caritas Venezuela to deliver emergency shelter, food, water and medical care to impacted families.

Global Impact: The philanthropy adviser and intermediary has set up a Venezuela Earthquakes Response fund that will funnel aid to multiple vetted organizations, including UNICEF USA and Save the Children, which has had a team in Venezuela since 2019.

——

Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP’s philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy.

The EastEnders and Holby City actress, 54 said ‘I’ve still got quite a bit of healing to do’

John Torode’s wife, actress Lisa Faulkner, has said she had to have surgery because she was diagnosed with the early stages of breast cancer. The EastEnders and Holby City actress, 54, revealed on Tuesday that she underwent the procedure two weeks ago and she has since had the all clear from her doctors.

She said she still needs to undergo radiotherapy, however, reassured her 372,000 followers on Instagram that she is feeling better. Faulkner said: “I’ve had to have surgery because I’ve had the very early stages of breast cancer

“I had surgery two weeks ago, and it was quite a big op, but it’s all good, and I’ve had my results back, and they’ve got everything out, and so it’s all clear, and I just need now to have some radiotherapy in a few weeks.

“I’ve still got quite a bit of healing to do, but I’m good, I’m well, and feeling so much better.” The actress and TV presenter sis encouraging people to educate themselves for the signs of the potentially lethal disease.

She urged others to go for check-ups adding that if she did not go for her breast screening, the cancer would not have been picked up.

“I am so grateful that I went for my mammogram,” she said. “Don’t put them off, go, because they found this and without that mammogram it wouldn’t have been picked up.”

Faulkner

the “wonderful NHS” for the scan and early treatment. The actress has four children and married the former MasterChef presenter in 2019.

The news comes nearly a year after Torode was sacked from the cooking competition show after an allegation that he used “highly offensive racist language” was upheld in a review looking into his former co-presenter Greg Wallace, who was also fired due to alleged misconduct.

Breast Cancer Org lists the following early symptoms:

In general, any of the following can be an early symptom of breast cancer:

• swelling of all or part of the breast
• the breast feeling tender, warm, or hard
• skin irritation or dimpling
• breast pain
• nipple pain
• an inverted nipple (the nipple turning inward)
• redness, scaliness, or thickening of the nipple or breast skin
• a nipple discharge other than breast milk
• a lump in the underarm area

The number of cases of breast cancer in women under 50 has risen by 5% in one year, according to new analysis. It comes as the charity CoppaFeel! claimed younger people with symptoms of the disease are “routinely dismissed” by health professionals.

It is now calling for a seven-minute risk assessment, which looks at factors such as family history, to be adopted, in a bid to spot those who need earlier or more frequent breast screening. The NHS invites women for a mammogram – an x-ray of the breast – from the age of 50 until their 71st birthday.

However, analysis by CoppaFeel!, which was founded by twin sisters Kris and Maren Hallenga after Kris was diagnosed with breast cancer at 23, suggests rates of the disease are rising in younger people.

According to its new report, one in six people diagnosed with breast cancer are aged 49 and under. Diagnoses in people under 30 jumped by 78% from 2001 to 2019 and from 2022 to 2023, breast cancer rates increased by 5% among 25 to 49 year olds.

The charity said patients diagnosed with breast cancer under 50 are almost twice as likely to have late-stage cancer compared with someone in their 60s, while under 25s are more than twice as likely to be diagnosed with late-stage disease.

Sophie Dopierala-Bull, director of services and engagement, CoppaFeel!, said: “Early diagnosis depends too heavily on whether young people know their bodies, whether they feel confident seeking help, whether they can access healthcare, and whether they are taken seriously when they get there.

“Awareness matters – CoppaFeel! has spent more than 15 years helping young people know their bodies and feel confident seeking help.

“But awareness alone cannot carry the weight of a system that was not built with young people in mind.”

The NHS says the symptoms of breast cancer include a lump or swelling in the breast, a change in breast skin, a change in size or shape of breasts or nipples, or a pain in the breast or armpit which does not go away.

See a GP if:

• you have a lump or swelling in your breast, chest or armpit
• you have any changes in your breasts or nipples that are not normal for you
• you have pain in your breast or armpit, and there are other people in your family who’ve had breast cancer or ovarian cancer

Symptoms of secondary breast cancer

If breast cancer spreads to other parts of the body it’s called secondary breast cancer.

The symptoms depend on which part of the body the cancer has spread to. It can spread anywhere, but it most commonly affects the bones, liver, lungs or brain.

You may also have general symptoms including:

• feeling tired or having no energy
• loss of appetite or losing weight without trying to
• feeling unwell with no clear cause
• feeling or being sick
• difficulty sleeping

For more information from the NHS click here.

Hundreds of rescuers had been working against the clock to free Gil since he was found on Saturday.

Teams from Venezuela, Chile, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Mexico, Portugal and the United States helped to free him.

Parts of the access ducts rescuers built to reach him collapsed several times, highlighting the dangers the work poses to the rescuers as well as Gil.

Overnight, the search teams were finally able to establish visual contact with Gil.

In footage recorded by a small camera inserted into the rubble where Gil was trapped, a Chilean firefighter could be heard asking Gil to turn his head towards the camera.

One of his eyes was bloodshot and he was wearing a face mask, which rescuers had earlier passed to him through a small hole to protect him from the dust and debris created by their efforts to free him.

The firefighter also asked him to don goggles to protect his eyes as rescuers continue to carefully dig away at the rubble surrounding him.

The messaging platform’s new privacy feature will mean you can message others without using phone numbers, but through usernames.

The new feature is being rolled out to more than three billion users over the next few months.

However, those looking to secure a username will be able to create and reserve one from this week – here’s how.

WhatsApp new username feature explained

WhatsApp says that usernames are the app’s “latest step to make WhatsApp even more private”.

Those wishing to contact you will need to know your exact username, as there will be no directory to browse and no suggestions.

Once usernames are launched, when you message a person or business for the first time they will no longer see your phone number if you have enabled your username.

Head of product for WhatsApp, Alice Newton-Rex, posted to LinkedIn: “For the first time in WhatsApp’s history, you’ll be able to message someone without your phone number.

“Starting this week, you can reserve a username to use later this year when we launch this feature.

“We’re opening reservations globally at the same time, so everyone has the opportunity to select the username they want.

“People have been asking for this for years and we’re excited to finally get it into their hands.”

Usernames are being gradually rolled out over the coming months, and users will receive an in-app notification when the feature becomes available.

How to choose and secure a WhatsApp username

You can already secure your username from this week, and here is how.

Before anything, you will need to have the latest update of the app installed.

Once done, head to Settings > Account > Username, where you can select one.

Usernames must be between three and 35 characters and WhatsApp has a generator to help anyone who needs inspiration.

Reserving a username can be done through users’ accounts or profile settings in the app, and can only be done on a phone, not on WhatsApp Web or Desktop.

A select number of usernames are also being held back for high-profile people or groups to prevent any risk of impersonation.

Usernames can also be changed or deleted at any time, but if you change your username, the original one you chose may become available to others.

What do you think of WhatsApp’s new username feature? Let us know in the comments.

Two boys initially spared custody after being convicted of raping two girls have been jailed after their original sentences were quashed.

The Court of Appeal ordered the two 15-year-olds to be sent to young offender institutions after their violent attacks in Fordingbridge, Hampshire.

Two boys known as X and Y were initially given community sentences with rehabilitation requirements after being convicted of 10 counts of rape and seven indecent image offences relating to the victims, ‘vulnerable’ girls aged 14 and 15.

The boys were involved in both attacks and received three-year youth rehabilitation orders, while a 14-year-old, who encouraged the rape of the second victim, was handed an 18-month term. Parts of both assaults were filmed on the boys’ mobile phones.

Court of Appeal judges Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr, Ms Justice Norton and Lord Justice Edis today ruled to increase the older boys’ sentences after the Attorney General Lord Hermer referred them under the ‘unduly lenient’ scheme.

The trio – who cannot be named because of their ages – appeared at the London court via video link from Southampton Crown Court, where they were originally sentenced in May.

X and Y were given four-year sentences in youth detention. The youngest boy’s sentence remained unchanged. 

Baroness Carr told the boys: ‘We have thought very hard about everything we have read, and everything we have been told. 

‘Having done so, we have decided that we do need to change your sentences, and that both of you do need to go into detention. 

‘We have made this decision because we think that what you both did was so bad that we have no other choice.

‘You both raped two girls on two different occasions. You were enjoying it and egging each other on. You made it worse by filming what you did, which was a horrible thing to do.’

Addressing Z, Baroness Carr said: ‘We have decided that because you were very young and find some things really very difficult to understand, and because you were only involved on one occasion, we do not need to change your sentence.’

She added that trial judge His Honour Judge Nicholas Rowland’s ‘assessment of seriousness’ was the issue at the heart of the appeal. 

But she said he had erred in this regard, because he did not properly consider the age and vulnerability of the girls, or the ‘severe’ psychological harm caused to them.

X and Y would have each been jailed for terms ‘substantially in excess of 10 years’ had they been adults at the time, she said.  

Yesterday, Tom Little KC, for the Attorney General, said Judge Rowland was ‘wrong’ to spare the trio custody, and said detention was the ‘only appropriate sentence’ for them.

One of the rapes took place in this underpass in Fordingbridge in Hampshire, in November 2024

Judge Rowland had said the offences of the two 15-year-olds ‘crossed the custody threshold’, but he should ‘avoid criminalising these children unnecessarily’.

Mr Little said the judge failed to properly consider the psychological impact on the young victims, or the girls’ vulnerability, as he set out the case for harsher punishments.

He said the judge also appeared not to properly consider the ‘clear evidence of extensive harm’ suffered by the girls.

Addressing the Appeal Court judges, Mr Little said parts of Judge Rowland’s approach to sentencing were ‘fundamentally flawed’ and that he demonstrated a ‘failure to grapple with the seriousness of the offending’.

Mr Little added: ‘A community sentence could simply not be justified for each of these child offenders despite their ages and any intellectual limitations.’

He said ‘no sentence other than detention was appropriate’ for the trio.

Edward Henry KC, for Y, told the Court of Appeal the strength of public outcry was in part down to an error in a Crown Prosecution Service press release which wrongly stated a knife was used during one of the rapes.

He said Y, whose IQ is in the bottom 1% of children his age, had ‘behaved deplorably and disgracefully’, but that ‘the opprobrium, the sheer force of hatred on social media’ had made his punishment worse.

The boys’ sentences were considered at the Court of Appeal

Advertisement

Tracy Ayling KC, for Z, the youngest defendant, said publicity based on inaccurate information was ‘particularly unfortunate’.

And Clare Wade KC, for X, said that Judge Rowland ‘approached the sentencing exercise correctly’.

The Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr – the most senior judge in England and Wales – criticised the CPS for including inaccurate information and demanded answers, particularly given claims the errors were not corrected until two weeks after they were spotted.

Baroness Carr said: ‘I would like to know what steps are being taken to prevent things like this ever happening again.’

She said that the court was ‘considering what our options are’ in relation to the error.

A CPS spokesperson said: ‘Following the trial, the CPS issued a press release which reflected the prosecution case at trial, but did not accurately reflect the judge’s findings in relation to the offending. We later amended the release to correct this and regret the error.

‘It is essential that our public communications accurately reflect court findings. We have reviewed the circumstances of this case and we will identify lessons for the future.’

The case provoked a strong reaction from politicians and members of the public aghast that the teens had been spared jail. 

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said afterwards: ‘These despicable youths should have been jailed. 

‘This is a sickening case of soft justice.’

Boys X and Y were also handed lifelong restraining orders not to contact either victim again.  

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — A court in Belarus has convicted a journalist and sentenced him to 3 1/2 years in prison in the latest step against free speech in the country, the Belarusian Association of Journalists reported Thursday.

Kiryl Pazniak, 49, who hosted a popular political show on YouTube, has been convicted on the charges of discrediting Belarus and forming an extremist organization, the group said — accusations widely used by authorities to stifle critical voices. Pazniak has also been ordered to pay a fine, roughly equivalent to $8,500.

Pazniak was arrested in September 2025. His ex-wife Elena said he has fallen seriously ill behind bars, suffering from pneumonia and COVID-19, and was placed in a prison hospital in serious condition.

He has been designated a political prisoner by human rights defenders.

Belarus’ authoritarian president, Alexander Lukashenko, has governed the nation of 9.5 million with an iron fist for more than three decades. The country has been sanctioned repeatedly by Western nations — both for its crackdown on human rights and for allowing Moscow to use its territory in the full-scale invasion of Ukraine that began on Feb. 24, 2022.

Lukashenko’s government was challenged after a 2020 presidential election, when hundreds of thousands took to the streets to protest a vote they viewed as rigged. In an ensuing crackdown, tens of thousands were detained, with many beaten by police. Prominent opposition figures fled the country or were imprisoned.

Since U.S. President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January 2025, Lukashenko has released hundreds of political prisoners as part of American-brokered deals that lifted some U.S. sanctions, part of the isolated leader’s efforts to improve ties with the West.

Human rights groups say, however, that Belarusian authorities have continued their crackdown on dissent. Belarus still has 863 political prisoners, according to the Viasna human rights center.

“Pazniak nearly died behind bars, but was convicted and is forced to continue suffering simply for fulfilling his professional duty,” said Andrei Bastunets, leader of the Belarusian Association of Journalists. “Repressions against journalists in Belarus are not abating, and the situation with freedom of speech remains the worst in Europe.”

“While it can be difficult to pinpoint those responsible for DDoS attacks, editors and journalists at the outlets targeted in the recent wave told CPJ they believed Belarusian authorities might have sought to squash reporting on particular political topics, including events linked to Belarus’ exiled opposition,” CPJ said in an online statement.