Prime Minister’s Question took place eight hours before the World Cup semi-final between England and Argentina – and references to the match came thick and fast.

Conservative MP Graham Stuart joked that the prime minister had been given the “red card” by “400 dodgy referees”.

Liberal Democrat MP Will Forster asked Sir Keir if his last act would be to declare a bank holiday if England wins the World Cup.

The prime minister replied that he didn’t want to “tempt fate” and suggested Forster ask him again on Sunday.

There were also several references to the by-election in Clacton, triggered by the resignation of Reform UK leader Nigel Farage.

The main parties are not taking part in the election, accusing Farage, who is re-fighting the constituency, of pulling a stunt, as he stands again in the Essex constituency.

The boycott means Farage’s opponents are largely either independent or novelty candidates.

Sir Keir suggested people in Clacton should “put your vote in the bin”.

Lib Dem leader Sir Ed said he could not “back joke figures with ridiculous policies” adding: “Which is why I’m supporting Count Binface.”

Reform UK MP Danny Kruger hit back at the jibes, arguing that a “comedian with a dustbin on his head” was a suitable substitute for the major parties.

Cabinet members had a whip round, organised by deputy prime minister David Lammy, to buy Sir Keir a vintage silver carriage clock as a leaving gift.

The clock, made in the 1920s by the firm responsible for building Big Ben, was presented to Sir Keir at his final cabinet meeting on Wednesday morning.

It included a plaque engraved with “Change promised, change fought for, change delivered. Thank you Keir – The Cabinet,” Downing Street said.

Lord Kinnock, the former Labour leader, has told the BBC he advised Sir Keir earlier this year to “stand fast” against challenges to his leadership.

In an interview with BBC Newsnight and 5 Live, he revealed he had been texting the prime minister before and after the local election results in May.

Pierce Brosnan and his wife Keely Shaye Smith enjoyed lunch together at celebrity hotspot E. Baldi in Beverly Hills on Tuesday. 

The actor, 73, appeared in high spirits as he left the eatery with a bag of goodies and a drink in hand. 

Keely, 62, looked lovely in a yellow cardigan, white floaty dress and Chanel sandals for the outing. 

They paid a visit to the upscale Italian restaurant which has seen a flurry of Hollywood stars walk through its doors in recent years. 

It was a rare appearance for Pierce and Keely, who have been married for 25 years. They first started dating in 1994. 

Keely, 62, looked lovely in a yellow cardigan, white floaty dress and Chanel sandals for the outing

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They paid a visit to the upscale Italian restaurant which has seen a flurry of Hollywood stars walk through its doors in recent years

Keely told People she immediately found the Bond actor ‘captivating’ when they met and that he had a ‘mischievous sparkle in his eyes’.

In the same interview, the actor said of his wife: ‘I found a great woman in Keely Shaye. Not if I searched a million times over would I find one as good.’

The couple have two sons, Dylan, 29, and Paris, 25. 

Last year, Pierce said that Keely still makes his ‘world turn’, telling Fox News: ‘She still makes my heart sing and she still makes my world turn.

‘She allows me to go out into the world and create what I do as an actor, and that takes strength and stamina. We just enjoy each other’s company.’

In January, fans rushed to defend Keely after a vile troll shared comparison snaps of her to act as a ‘reminder to avoid marriage’. 

The couple are often deemed one of Hollywood’s great love stories, with their lengthy love defying the lore of short-lived romances, however on Sunday a vile X user claimed the couple showed marriage should be ‘avoided’. 

The comment was made alongside images of the couple on the red carpet at the Governers Ball for the Academy Awards in 1996 alongside a snap of the duo posing at the Mamma Mia! premiere in 2008.

Swarming with defensive messages, many insisted they were an advert for true love, with one user stating: ‘I don’t get some men on X devotion to degrade Brosnan’s wife. They’re both happy, aging gracefully, and she was & is absolutely gorgeous.’

One fan stated that Pierce had ‘won the lottery of life’: ‘Pierce Brosnan’s won the lottery of life. Dude’s been married 30 years and they’ve both aged gracefully.’ 

The couple are still very much in love and have been together since 1994 – they married in 2001 – (pictured in 1996) 

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In January, Pierce’s fans hit out at a vile troll who shared comparison snaps of the star with his wife to act as a ‘reminder to avoid marriage’, with many saying they had been very lucky to have found such an enduring love 

 

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Swarming with defensive messages, many insisted in response, that they were an advert for true love

Last week teaser images were released of Pierce in MobLand, after Tom Hardy’s ‘unexpected’ exit from the Paramount+ show 

Frequent rowing with directors over a delay in filming the third series of the drama had led to the actor, who plays fixer Harry Da Souza, walking away after its second run

Further messages from fans read: ‘Agreed. If you’re this shallow and stupid, you should avoid marriage at all costs. Sincerely, women everywhere… 

‘She is such a beautiful woman. How lucky they are to share that bond over so many years. Beautiful… Marriage is beautiful when you’re with the right person… he seems happy. they are lucky… This is unacceptable… 

‘Why? They are happy and value one another ? I don’t see what you’re getting at here ?… You couldn’t pick the worst example. First, she’s beautiful in both pictures and second they are glowing with organic happiness… 

‘Why, his wife is beautiful, intelligent, a loving partner and quality mom… What’s wrong with the picture?… Dear men and women. This is what lifelong love looks like…. Enjoy it. It’s hard to find. But you know when you do…’

Pierce was previously married to wife Cassandra Harris for 11 years but she died from cancer in 1991.

He adopted her two children, Charlotte and Christopher, from her previous marriage and they had one biological son together, Sean.

Last week teaser images were released of Pierce in MobLand after Tom Hardy’s ‘unexpected’ exit from the Paramount+ show.

Frequent rowing with directors over a delay in filming the third series of the drama had led to the actor, who plays fixer Harry Da Souza, walking away after its second run.

Despite fears that a second run could be delayed following claims that bosses were planning a hasty re-write in the wake of Tom’s exit, a new trailer released on Thursday confirmed the show will return on September 18.

New teaser images also showed Pierce, who plays the ruthless patriarch Conrad Harrigan, is being patched up by his wife Maeve following a nasty scuffle.

Once again the couple find themselves at the centre of rivalries that threaten to topple their empire.

The ten-episode second season will see the Harrigans struggle to show a unified front as rising rivals threaten their fractured criminal empire.

Harry Da Souza, their street-smart and formidable ‘fixer’ who is played by Tom, must walk a dangerous tightrope when tensions within the family intensify. 

As violence spills into every corner of their lives, loyalties snap, safety proves temporary, and the battle for power leaves no room for mercy. 

The second series will be released on Friday September 18,. 

Actor Sam Neill died at the age of 78 from pneumonia, it has been confirmed.

Neill’s manager, Philip Grenz, told TMZ that the Jurassic Park star had succumbed to the illness.

Neill had previously battled lymphoma with success after undergoing CAR-T therapy, a new treatment, Neill’s manager told the outlet.

In 2023, Neill disclosed that he had been diagnosed with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, a rare type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. He died on Monday in Sydney, according to a statement posted to the actor’s social media page.

His death was ‘sudden and unexpected,’ the statement said, adding that he ‘remained cancer-free’ at the time of his death. A cause of death wasn’t specified at the time. ‘Sam was surrounded by family and passed with the dignity that has characterized his whole life,’ his family wrote.

In terms of funeral plans, Grenz told the outlet that his family is putting together a small service at his farm in New Zealand with a select number of friends and relatives set to attend.

Neill’s manager Philip Grenz confirmed the Jurassic Park actor’s cause of death to TMZ following his passing on Monday in Sydney. Pictured 2025 in Auckland, New Zealand

There will not be a large public gathering or celebration of life in accordance with the wishes of the actor, who preferred to keep things low-key, his manager said.

Neill had worked on four consecutive projects in the past year, his manager told the outlet, noting that they are expected to be released in the next few months.

Following announcement of Neill’s passing, tributes were paid by fellow actors and directors, including Steven Spielberg, who helmed the first Jurassic Park movie.

‘I adored making all the Jurassic movies with him. Along with Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum, we will always have our Jurassic family and Sam will never be forgotten by us or his many millions of fans around the world,’ Spielberg said in a statement.

Actor Sharon Lawrence wrote on Instagram: ‘Condolences and appreciation for the immense joy and mastery Sam Neill brought our industry.’

Neill was one of a host of actors and directors who achieved international fame after an explosion of Australian films that began in the late 1970s, along with Paul Hogan, Mel Gibson, Geoffrey Rush, Russell Crowe, Jane Campion, Peter Weir and Gillian Armstrong. 

His range was remarkable, playing opposite Helena Bonham Carter in the Alan Ayckbourn comedy Sweet Revenge to chopping off Hunter’s finger in The Piano to poking his own eyes out in the sci-fi horror Event Horizon. 

He portrayed both saintly and sinner: In Omen III: The Final Conflict, he played Damien the Antichrist, and he also played Cardinal Thomas Wolsey in The Tudors. 

The actor first came to the attention of international audiences in Armstrong’s 1979 film My Brilliant Career, which also introduced Judy Davis. He later appeared in Phillip Noyce’s Dead Calm, a classy thriller set at sea and co-starring the then-relatively unknown Nicole Kidman.

Neill twice co-starred with Meryl Streep, in Australian director Fred Schepisi’s Plenty  and – again for Schepisi – in A Cry in the Dark, a film about the sensationalized aftermath of a dingo killing a baby in the Australian Outback.

Neill played paleontologist Alan Grant in the Jurassic Park film franchise 

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Following announcement of Neill’s passing, tributes were paid by fellow actors and directors. Pictured 2019 

He earned an Emmy nomination for his performance in the title role of the 1998 miniseries Merlin and another as narrator of 2017’s Wild New Zealand. 

Neill also earned three Golden Globe nods – for Merlin, One Against the Wind and Reilly: Ace of Spies.

Richard E. Grant, a longtime friend who co-starred with Neill in 2019’s Palm Beach,  described him in a post on Instagram as ‘an officer and a gentleman in the truest sense.’ 

Grant said Neill had ‘guided and helped me through a very difficult time in my life.’

Perhaps Neill achieved his highest level of fame in Jurassic Park, playing paleontologist Alan Grant, who is summoned to an island off Costa Rica where a theme park has been built to house herds of cloned dinosaurs.

His character was thoughtful and reasonable, a scientist who warned the mastermind of the theme park before the chaos: ‘Dinosaurs and man, two species separated by 65 million years of evolution have just been suddenly thrown back into the mix together. How can we possibly have the slightest idea what to expect?’

Grant survived the harrowing events when the creatures get loose, but didn’t return for The Lost World: Jurassic Park II in 1997. He came back for the third episode in 2001 and Jurassic World: Dominion in 2022.

‘It’s probably a little late to learn these things,’ he told the New York Daily News in 2001, ‘but I finally feel I’ve worked out how to be an action hero. I’m happier with Grant this time. He’s gnarly and grizzled, but he looks like he knows what he’s doing.’

Cara Delevingne has described what it was like shooting her raciest magazine cover to date for Playboy.

The supermodel, 33, put on a very racy display as she wore red heart-shaped pasties in one shot, before covering her modesty in foam.

Cara went topless and modelled a series of sexy lingerie sets in the sizzling photoshoot.

The actress, who was the first lesbian to grace Playboy magazine, declared: ‘It’s so fun being naked’, as she reflected on the shoot.

She added: ‘I love the sense in the freedom of owning my sexuality and owning my body and I think for the first time instead of getting naked for a brand or an editorial, this felt more like my choice.

‘Like, of course it’s always been my choice, but it felt like something so liberating. That to me is sexy.

The supermodel, 33, put on a very racy display as she wore red heart-shaped pasties in one shot, before covering her modesty in foam

‘I was texting my girlfriend earlier and I was sending her the photos and she was like “Oh my god, you look so pretty”. And I was like “But I’m just a silly baby pretending to be a sexy lady and sometimes that’s how it feels.

‘You know, everyone has that kind of polarity and dichotomy and so kind of playing within that and still having fun while trying on this, like I’m a sexy woman because you can be all of those things.’

Playboy detailed: ‘In her prime, Delevingne is also making history. She’s the first out lesbian woman to appear on the print cover of Playboy…

‘To mark the occasion, she also dons the iconic Bunny Suit, becoming the first supermodel to do so for the magazine since Kate Moss in 2014.’

In the shoot, Cara was lighting up a cigarette with a match while pulling a smoldering pose and showing off her tattoos along her arms. 

Another shot saw the musician prowling towards the camera in red lingerie while her image was displayed on a vast screen alongside.  

Cara was sending temperatures soaring in the snaps, as she bowed into the sizzling nature of the saucy bible – with very little left to the imagination. 

Another image saw her slip into the classic Playboy ensemble comprising a corset, bowtie, bunny ears and cuffs. 

She gave a further nod to the Playboy look of days gone by as an image gave a full shot of her bunnytailed bottom, cuffs and Playboy cufflinks. 

Cara went topless and modelled a series of sexy lingerie sets in the sizzling photoshoot

The actress, who was the first lesbian to grace Playboy magazine, declared: ‘It’s so fun being naked’, as she reflected on the shoot

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It was her raciest shoot yet 

Cara deemed her cover appearance ‘powerful’, saying: ‘Of course, Playboy is very much a heterosexual institution. That’s why it felt like a bit of a “f**k you” and a rebellious thing to do, and to have an incredible female-led creative team – a lot of them being queer – felt really fun and different.’

Speaking about stripping off, she said: ‘I’ve been naked before in shoots, in movies. But it always made me feel a bit gross when it was for someone else – of course, it was my choice and I agreed to it, but it never felt empowering…

‘I didn’t feel great after it. But today I had so much fun. I’ve never felt more comfortable in my body and in my sexuality. I feel like I’m in more of my prime as a woman and as a sexual being.’

Alongside her shoot, she spoke about her music career and how she wanted her music to go out under a different name to avoid ‘preconceived ideas’. 

Away from her modelling and on to her music, Cara reflected on her new career. In April, she launched her music career, as she announced a tour and posted clips of her songs I Forgot and Out of My Head on social media.

She said: ‘Originally, I wanted to release the music under a different name so no one would know it was me, because I just wanted it to go out there…

‘But I didn’t want the preconceived ideas – how many people are going to say it’s bad without even listening to it?

‘Of course, I accept that – people might think it’s bad whether they know or care if it’s me or not. But that’s not why I’ve done it.’

Cara was truly back to her best in the shoot, which comes after she revealed she suffered a near-fatal overdose at the height of her drug addiction, after admitting she lost multiple modelling jobs due to her struggles.

The model has previously opened up about her battles with addiction, which led her to check herself into a 12-step program after photos emerged of the star looking dishevelled and jittery at Van Nuys airport.

Another shot saw Cara prowling towards the camera in red lingerie while her image was displayed on a vast screen alongside

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Another shot saw her slip into the classic Playboy ensemble comprising a corset, bowtie, bunny ears and cuffs

She wore the PVC corset while posing on a red carpet while using dark lighting to protect her modesty 

She gave a further nod to the Playboy look of days gone by as an image gave a full shot of her bunnytailed bottom, cuffs and Playboy cufflinks

Another image saw the stunner with grungey hair while holding a lit match in her mouth 

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Cara has now shared that she was taken to hospital and given a dose of naloxone after overdosing on what she believed was ‘opiates in cocaine.’

She also reflected on the ‘horrible’ fallout from the snaps, admitting she’d had a ‘seizure’ just minutes before due to the drugs she had taken at Burning Man Festival.

Sharing the impact her drug addiction had on her career, Cara said: ‘Yeah, it’s not a good look. As a model, you’re meant to upkeep the brand’s standards in some way. Like, it’s in contracts that you sign.

‘It went super quiet. Everyone went very silent. And I knew I needed to get sober, so I medically was weaned off GBL [gamma-butyrolactone], which probably is the hardest one to come off.

‘But I couldn’t do it at home. I couldn’t deal because the more sober I got, the more I realised how badly I f***ed up, and that just was too much.’

Speaking on The Louis Theroux Podcast, Cara added: ‘So, I couldn’t stay sober, and then I overdosed because I think there was opiates in the cocaine I think I’d bought or something.

‘So I was narcanned [given a dose of naloxone, which reverses the impacts of opioid overdose], was in hospital, and that’s really when everything happened because when I woke up.’

Louis explained: ‘For people who don’t know, it’s the kind of quick fix, knocks the fentanyl off your neuroreceptors. You’re revived almost in the middle of overdosing.’

During a talk at the Great Yorkshire Show on Wednesday (July 15), the TV star let the audience know that he’s currently filming the 23rd series of The Yorkshire Vet and has a four-part ‘At Home with the Greens’ series in the pipeline too.

He has also been over to India recently to film ‘A Passage to India: A Yorkshire Vet Special’, which saw him join colleague Rohin to explore Punjab, where he said that he had a “fantastic time,” despite calling part of the journey “utter chaos”.

During the trip to India, Peter said that he and Rohin went to a festival dressed in traditional Punjabi outfits, but thought he “looked like a dog’s dinner,” which also saw the pair have a go at traditional dancing and customs over there.

Joking about the experience, he said: “It reminded me of Del Boy and Rodney when they dressed as Batman and Robin in Only Fools and Horses.”

GYS26 Peter Wright visits the Primary Schools Veg Box competition at the Great Yorkshire Show (Image: GREAT YORKSHIRE SHOW)

He admitted that the main TV series almost didn’t happen after he told producers when it first started, “I don’t think it will work”.

However, 22 series later, he was proven wrong and has claimed “it’s the most unusual but most rewarding job”

Talking to host Christine Talbot, the vet said: “I didn’t think the concept would work; plenty of people have done TV shows on animal hospitals and vet practices, and I told producers I didn’t think it would work.

“But producers said to me, ‘You have to trust us, Peter’. They always recall this story back to me.”

GYS26 Peter Wright visits the Primary Schools Veg Box Competition at the Great Yorkshire Show. Pictured with kids from Richard Taylor primary school, Harrogate (Image: GREAT YORKSHIRE SHOW)

GYS26 Peter Wright visits the Primary Schools Veg Box Competition at the Great Yorkshire Show. Pictured with Sophie McCandlish (Image: GREAT YORKSHIRE SHOW)

Host Christine even asked Peter if he’d like to have a go on Strictly Come Dancing, which he firmly replied “no” to.

He went on to praise India and its culture, saying that “everyone was happy and the people are so resourceful.”

Later in the conversation, he opened up about the fact that he was the only one of the crew who went over to India who avoided illness, crediting avoiding “dicey” items at McDonald’s as his saving grace.

The conversation ended with Peter talking about his connections to the TV show All Creatures Great and Small, while also saying that it’s “lovely” to meet the future generations of vets that he’s helped to inspire along the way.

“I tell them the same thing, it’s brilliant that you want to be a vet but you must work hard.”

The Belarusian dictator, Alexander Lukashenko, spoke at a ceremony for military graduates and officers on July 6. He predictably mentioned the war in neighbouring Ukraine. “No one is going to send you into this slaughter,” he assured them, “we do not need war; it is tragic that it is going on in Ukraine.”

Yet, arguably, Lukashenko has in fact needed the war. After almost being toppled by mass street protests in August 2020 following a flagrantly rigged presidential election, it was Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine a year and a half later that finally helped him cow his domestic opponents. He claimed to offer stability where political unrest could turn Belarus into another Ukraine.

Nowadays, however, the opposite might be the case. It is the exiled Belarusian opposition that could be helped by the tragedy in Ukraine, with Lukashenko facing reported pressure from Russia to become more deeply involved in the war and Ukraine ratcheting up the pressure on him not to.

Belarus is already involved in the war in many ways. Russia used Belarusian territory as a staging area for its full-scale invasion in February 2022 and, throughout that year, fired missiles into Ukraine from Belarus. Ever since, Lukashenko has sought to take advantage of the conflict while keeping his own troops safely in their barracks.

The war has boosted an economy weighed down by western sanctions. Belarusian factories produce weapons and ammunition for the Russian military, while others work on repairs or routine maintenance. More recently, as Ukraine has stepped up drone attacks on Russian oil and gas infrastructure, it has made sense for Russia to increase its use of two large oil refineries in Belarus which have been safe from attack.

For Lukashenko personally, the war provided an opportunity to reassert control over society. Having almost ousted Lukashenko in 2020, Belarusian citizens resigned themselves to the status quo. Chatham House opinion polls suggest that people swallowed Lukashenko’s claim that he was keeping Belarus out of the war.

The authorities could also take advantage of international observers’ distraction to double down on repressions inside the country, where hundreds of political prisoners remain. Silencing domestic dissent has been a wartime benefit to Lukashenko. But he has also had to walk a tightrope, giving enough support to Russia’s war effort to convince it he is a loyal and valuable ally and not enough for hostilities to spread to Belarusian territory.

Treading between two fires

Throughout 2026, as Russia has struggled on the battlefield, speculation has grown that the Kremlin wants Belarus’s involvement in the war to increase. In May, Ukrainian officials said their intelligence agencies had information that Russia wanted to mount a new offensive against Ukraine from Belarus.

With the impetus in the war on Ukraine’s side, the Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, might welcome the opportunity to open a new front in northern Ukraine. But there are drawbacks. The Belarusian oil refineries, which have not been treated as military targets while Belarus’s troops have stayed out of the war, would be vulnerable to attack. And as integrated as Belarusian troops are into Russia’s military planning, their lack of combat experience might create problems were they directly involved.

Lukashenko is also feeling a lot more pressure from Ukraine, which recently accused him of letting Russia use signal relay equipment in Belarus to guide drones towards targets. On June 19, the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, gave an ultimatum. He told Belarus to dismantle the relay stations or else Ukraine “would do it” itself.

This was understood as a threat to strike targets inside Belarus, and reports suggest the relay stations were switched off on June 22. In the meantime, Lukashenko hurried to Russia for closed-door discussions with Putin. The Wall Street Journal cited sources stating Moscow was trying to coax Belarus to abandon its pretence of neutrality.

The less noticed aspect of these developments is the Ukrainian side’s growing engagement with the exiled Belarusian opposition. After February 2022, the Ukrainian authorities steered a pragmatic course in an effort to persuade Lukashenko to stay out of the fighting.

This meant not provoking the authorities in Minsk. As a corollary, the Ukrainians limited their contacts with the exiled opposition – the Belarusian democracy movement, as it prefers to be known – and its figurehead Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. However, from the beginning of 2026, Ukrainian officials have changed tack.

In late January, Zelensky and Tsikhanouskaya had their first official sit-down meeting. Tsikhanouskaya then travelled to Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, for a series of high-level meetings in May. These included meetings with Zelensky and the Ukrainian foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha.

She has also opened a “diplomatic mission” for the Belarusian democracy movement in Kyiv, and meetings between Ukrainian officials and Tsikhanouskaya’s office are becoming commonplace.

As Lukashenko’s highwire act teeters, Ukraine seems keen to aid his opponents. They have, in turn, become more adept at drawing attention to Lukashenko’s possible war preparations, pointing to military modernisation and the militarisation of society in Belarus.

The deeper Lukashenko involves Belarus in the war, the greater the motivation for Ukraine to support the Belarusian democrats, who share its objective of resisting Russian imperialism. It is a bold bet by Ukraine. But after years of resisting Russia, it would be a mistake to underestimate their odds of success in helping Lukashenko’s opponents prevail.

“From what started at a meeting in a local bar just a few years ago to where the project is now, is truly remarkable.”

A Co Antrim shared sports hub has scored major planning progress with a deadline for public views closing this week.

A pre-application notice (PAN) has now been approved by Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council to develop the Glenavy cross community project.

The Ballypitmave Community Development is a unique partnership between Crewe United Football Club and Loch Mór dal gCais Hurling Club.

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A Glenavy Community social media post by the named applicant, reads: “The Ballypitmave Community Project, is a long-term vision aimed at creating enhanced community, sporting, recreational and well-being facilities for the people of Glenavy and the surrounding area.

“The project seeks to address identified needs within the community by providing improved facilities, creating new opportunities for participation in sport and recreation, supporting health and well-being, and developing welcoming spaces where people of all ages and backgrounds can come together.”

In chambers, Lisburn North SDLP councillor Pat Catney said: “I want to welcome the cooperation between the sporting bodies to bring about this PAN and I am looking forward to the public consultation on this.”

A council officer responded: “The public consultation took place on 22 June and comments remain open to 17 July on the portal (NI Planning Portal).”

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Killultagh Sinn Fein councillor Gary McCleave said: “The Ballypitmave Community Development is a unique partnership between Loch Mór Dál GCais and Crewe United FC.

“The project aims to create a shared, inclusive and sustainable community hub that will benefit people of all ages and backgrounds.

“From what started at a meeting in a local bar just a few years ago to where the project is now, is truly remarkable.

“I can’t wait to see this progressing in the time ahead.”

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

The business had promoted its CastleCourt outlet as a “paradise for chocolate lovers”

A chocolate shop, which went viral for its luxury Dubai-inspired desserts, has closed its Belfast store less than a year after opening.

Shoppers visiting CastleCourt Shopping Centre this week were met with the shutters down at Taste of Belgium.

The closure comes exactly two years after the company opened its Belfast premises in July 2024, following the closure of its original Newry café in June of that year.

Taste of Belgium built up a loyal following on social media thanks to its extravagant desserts, including its £12 Dubai chocolate strawberries and £8 Dubai hot chocolate, as well as handmade Belgian chocolates and speciality coffees.

The business had promoted its CastleCourt outlet as a “paradise for chocolate lovers”, serving handcrafted Belgian chocolates alongside drinks, desserts and gift boxes.

The move to Belfast came after the owners shut their Newry premises, telling customers at the time they were relocating to a larger site in CastleCourt Shopping Centre.

However, customers arriving at the city centre shopping centre this week found the unit closed.

A spokesperson for CastleCourt Shopping Centre confirmed to Belfast Live that Taste of Belgium has permanently ceased trading at the shopping centre. No reason has been given for the closure.

The business had become one of several local retailers to capitalise on the viral Dubai chocolate trend, with its pistachio-filled chocolate strawberries and rich hot chocolates attracting queues and widespread attention online.

Its website continues to advertise Belgian chocolates and click-and-collect in Belfast, although it is unclear whether this will continue following the closure of the CastleCourt store

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

Nishika Samaratunga is believed to be concealing the whereabouts of her two children, five-year-old Blaine Baier and three-year-old Nathaniel Baier, known as Nate

A dad has urged his ex-wife to ‘do the right thing’ after she abducted her two sons and has been on the run in the UK for over three months.

Nishika Samaratunga, a 34-year-old British citizen originally from Sri Lanka, is believed to be concealing the whereabouts of her two children, five-year-old Blaine Baier and three-year-old Nathaniel Baier, known as Nate.

The boys were born in the United States and were being cared for by their father, Ben Baier, who lives near Denver, Colorado.

Blaine and Nathaniel visited their mother in the UK in March as part of court-ordered contact following their parents’ divorce but Ms Samaratunga failed to return them to Mr Baier at a UK airport on March 29, and she and the boys have not been located since.

Mr Baier, 43, has begun High Court proceedings to try to secure his sons’ return, with his lawyers raising concerns that the two boys do not appear to be attending school or nursery and are not receiving medical care.

Mr Baier said: “The collapse of my marriage has been an incredibly trying time, but I never believed that Nishika would abduct Blaine and Nathaniel and then conceal their whereabouts in an effort to keep them from me, uprooting them from their home in Colorado.

“Both our children have autism, and such abrupt changes to their routine are incredibly damaging to their development and health.

“I’m calling for her to do the right thing and return them to me so they can return to their life as normal, and for anyone who knows where they are to help return them to their home. I can only pray for their safe return.”

The High Court has allowed the publication of details of the case to help locate the children.

Mr Baier and Ms Samaratunga married in 2020, with Ms Samaratunga moving to the US, but their relationship broke down in 2024. Ms Samaratunga then applied to a Colorado court to relocate the children to London in August last year but returned to the UK the following month after this was refused.

She made further requests to relocate the children but a Colorado court ordered in October that Mr Baier become their sons’ primary custodial parent.

While the Colorado court ordered that the children must remain in the state, it also ordered Mr Baier to take the children to England so they could spend time with Ms Samaratunga, with a first visit taking place between December and January. But when Mr Baier went to the airport to take his sons back to the US following the second visit in March, Ms Samaratunga failed to return them, in breach of the order of the Colorado court.

The High Court in London has since issued orders against several companies to trace Ms Samaratunga, including JP Morgan Chase, HSBC, Thames Water and the NHS, but no information has become available as to her whereabouts.

A judge in Colorado also authorised American law enforcement to take custody of the children in April, citing a “credible risk that the children are in imminent danger”.

They added that Ms Samaratunga had “engaged in activities indicating a planned abduction” and had “unilaterally prevented the children’s court-ordered return”. This meant the children were “presently physically and emotionally endangered”.

Amy Rowe, partner at Hunters Law LLP, representing Mr Baier, said: “The court has rightly recognised the deeply harmful impact of abduction on Blaine and Nathaniel. These are two very young, vulnerable children and every day that they remain missing increases the concern for their welfare. It is imperative that they are found and returned home safely as soon as possible.”

Those with information concerning Ms Samaratunga and the boys’ whereabouts can contact Amy Rowe or Safina Mitha at Hunters Law confidentially.