After a frenetic end to the second-half, though, Ireland could not come away with a bonus point, further denting their hopes of challenging for the title this year. Despite coming away with victory against a really spirited Italy, whose wait for a first win in Dublin will continue for at least another year, there was plenty of problems with the Ireland performance. Their scrum was abject and their defending at times subpar.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s trip to Washington on February 11 appears not to have achieved what many observers saw as its central purpose: to persuade Donald Trump to harden his demands on Iran to the point that negotiations between the countries fail. According to reports, Trump told Netanyahu he wanted talks with Iran to continue.

What will be concerning Netanyahu is that while he can probably rely on Trump to take a hard line on limiting Iran’s nuclear programme, it is less clear where his unpredictable ally stands on limiting Iran’s ballistic missile capabilities and ending its support for regional armed groups.

Trump had previously indicated that any deal with Iran had to include missiles. But more recently, he has suggested the US may be open to dropping this demand. On February 10, when asked by a reporter if an agreement with Iran would be acceptable if it only covers nuclear issues, Trump said: “Yeah, that would be acceptable, but the one thing and right up front, no nuclear weapons.”

This, as well as positive statements by US and Iranian officials about their brief indirect talks in Oman days earlier, will have spooked Israeli officials. Both Iran and Israel understand that it is missiles, not nuclear enrichment or even Iranian regional proxies, that underpin Iran’s increasingly shaky deterrence.

For the moment, Trump seems to think that a deal limited to the nuclear issue may be preferable to going to war to tackle everything else. Yet opponents of US military action, which include all of Washington’s Middle Eastern allies except Israel, should still be worried.

It is far from clear whether Iran will offer the kind of nuclear deal Trump would find acceptable, and Trump himself does not seem to know what else to do other than double down on military threats. That alone may scupper the talks.

Netanyahu is also a seasoned political operator who showed how adept he is at manoeuvring Trump into supporting military action in 2025, when the US joined Israel in striking Iranian nuclear facilities. And the current US military build-up in the Persian Gulf has now reached a point where that option is on the table.

Trump’s Iran policy

The uncertainty over whether Trump will strike Iran underscores how shallow his Iran policy is. He does not have a conventional, institutionalised policy apparatus of the kind the Obama administration relied upon to negotiate a deal to limit Iran’s nuclear programme in 2015.

Instead, Trump is pursuing indirect talks with Iran that are being overseen by two officials with no prior diplomatic experience. These two officials, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, have simultaneously been tasked by Trump with ending the war between Russia and Ukraine.

Trump also seems undecided about whether any deal should focus narrowly on the nuclear issue or whether he should pursue something resembling a grand bargain. Nor has he articulated what he is prepared to offer Iran as part of a deal or how he would justify incentives such as sanctions relief for a regime that has just murdered thousands of its citizens in a brutal protest crackdown.

His approach to Iran is so ad hoc that it allows different groups with access to him, Netanyahu on one side and increasingly assertive regional states such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey on the other, to influence key decisions. It was this latter group of Middle Eastern states that intervened recently to press Trump to proceed with talks when they threatened to collapse over Iran’s refusal to discuss issues beyond the nuclear file.

These states are cautioning Trump that US strikes might precipitate the collapse of the Iranian regime. However desirable that might seem, experience in Iraq, Libya and Syria suggests that state fragmentation, mass displacement, violence and regional destabilisation would be more likely than any orderly democratic transition.

And if strikes fall short of toppling the regime, even a weakened Iran could inflict serious economic and strategic damage on Gulf oil shipping and infrastructure.

Trump’s ad-hoc approach to diplomacy is in stark contrast to the Obama administration’s negotiations in 2015. Then, the International Atomic Energy Agency provided compliance verification and technical expertise, and the EU chaired the joint commission that oversaw the deal’s implementation.

The UN security council formalised the agreement under international law and established a mechanism for reimposing sanctions in the event of noncompliance. There was also a clear, if largely unfulfilled, strategic rationale related to Obama’s desire to reduce the US’s regional footprint and pivot towards Asia.

Trump’s approach is radically different. He withdrew the US from the nuclear deal in 2018 without a clear plan for what would replace it beyond something he could describe as better and attach his name to. He has no interest in brokering a multilateral agreement and does not appear to have a coherent set of demands or strategic aims that could anchor one.

A thin deal without substance, institutional anchoring and clear mechanisms for handling the inevitable disputes over sanctions relief and compliance is unlikely to endure, even if Trump can push the Iranians into signing it.

Burton Albion: Collins, Lofthouse, Godwin-Malifé, Vancooten, Armer, Revan, McKiernan, Evans, Krubally, Shade, Beesley
Subs: Dudek (GK), Chauke, Sibbick, Tavares, Moon, Sraha, Larsson, Adom, Cannon

West Ham United: Areola, Walker-Peters, Mavropanos, Kilman, Mayers, Scarles, Magassa, Kanté, Lamadrid, Adama, Wilson
Subs: Herrick (GK), Wan-Bissaka, Diouf, Disasi, Potts, Orford, Summerville, Taty, Ajala

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The International Space Station returned to full strength with Saturday’s arrival of four new astronauts to replace colleagues who bailed early because of health concerns.

SpaceX delivered the U.S., French and Russian astronauts a day after launching them from Cape Canaveral.

Last month’s medical evacuation was NASA’s first in 65 years of human spaceflight. One of four astronauts launched by SpaceX last summer suffered what officials described as a serious health issue, prompting their hasty return. That left only three crew members to keep the place running — one American and two Russians — prompting NASA to pause spacewalks and trim research.

Moving in for eight to nine months are NASA’s Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, France’s Sophie Adenot and Russia’s Andrei Fedyaev. Meir, a marine biologist, and Fedyaev, a former military pilot, have lived up there before. During her first station visit in 2019, Meir took part in the first all-female spacewalk.

Adenot, a military helicopter pilot, is only the second French woman to fly in space. Hathaway is a captain in the U.S. Navy.

“Bonjour!” Adenot called out once the capsule docked to the space station 277 miles (446 kilometers) up.

A couple of hours later, the hatches swung open and the seven space travelers hugged and exchanged exuberant high-fives. “Let’s get rolling,” Meir said.

NASA has refused to divulge the identity of the astronaut who fell ill in orbit on Jan. 7 or explain what happened, citing medical privacy. The ailing astronaut and three others returned to Earth more than a month sooner than planned. They spent their first night back on Earth at the hospital before returning to Houston.

The space agency said it did not alter its preflight medical checks for their replacements.

___

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

The beloved William Shakespeare film adaptation starring Kate Winslet and Kenneth Branagh has received rave reviews

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Viewers seeking a compelling period drama need look no further, after one adaptation of a William Shakespeare play streaming on Prime Video and Apple TV+ has garnered outstanding praise on IMDb. This follows others enjoying a historical series likened to HBO’s gripping Chernobyl and an “excellent” period drama adaptation, reports the Express.

The film has attracted glowing reviews on IMDb, with one viewer posting a 10/10 critique titled: “The Bard would be proud”. The reviewer continued: “What I really liked about this film is that you don’t have to be a Shakespeare scholar to enjoy it. This is a must see for anyone and everyone. It may be four hours long, but it’s definitely worth it.”

A second viewer wrote in their top-rated review: “This is the only film of “Hamlet” that contains the full four hours of William Shakespeare’s masterpiece and gives a unique feel to the whole story.” Echoing the first review, they concluded: “This is a must see for everyone who enjoy’s good story telling, brilliant acting, and incredible direction. All of these part of William Shakespeares greatest triumph.”

A third viewer praised the production as a “masterpiece” in their 8/10 review and noted: “I’m pleased to tell you that this adaptation is every bit as good as the intense and dramatic play.” Another viewer commented in their 9/10 review that this film was amongst the “best” Shakespeare adaptations that actor and director Kenneth Branagh had created and described it as a “masterpiece”.

They elaborated: “The cast is great too. No weak link in the acting, and everyone holds their own.” The reviewer added in their piece: “The Cinematography shows off the world well and fits most scenes, same with the music [sic].” Branagh’s 1996 adaptation of The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or simply Hamlet, delivered an epic and devastating story to cinema audiences.

The Belfast and Wallander star penned and helmed the film, whilst also portraying the titular character in Hamlet. This interpretation of Hamlet was remarkable for being the first complete film version of William Shakespeare’s tragedy and its lengthy running time clocked in at four hours. Hamlet chronicled the story of the Prince of Denmark following his devastation over his father’s passing, with his uncle Claudius (Derek Jacobi) rapidly wedding his mother Gertrude (Julie Christie) to claim the throne.

Following an apparition of his deceased father, the prince set out to exact retribution for his father’s killing at the hands of his uncle.

Hamlet feigned insanity whilst investigating his father’s death, though this ultimately resulted in further losses, including Ophelia (played by Kate Winslet).

Yet, whilst pretending to lose his mind, it appeared Hamlet genuinely descended into madness as he contemplated existence and mortality.

As with all of Shakespeare’s tragedies, numerous other fatalities occurred in Hamlet as the prince pursued his vengeance. Hamlet boasted a star-studded ensemble, which also included Richard Briers from The Good Life, Nicholas Farrell from The Crown, Michael Maloney of The Trial of Christine Keeler, and Rufus Sewell from ITV’s Victoria.

There were also some big names that took on minor roles in Hamlet, including the late Robin Williams, Gérard Depardieu, Timothy Spall, Jack Lemmon, Ray Fearon, Brian Blessed, Billy Crystal, Simon Russell Beale, Don Warrington from Death in Paradise, Charlton Heston, Richard Attenborough, John Gielgud, and Judi Dench.

Hamlet went on to garner a host of award nominations, including four Oscars and two BAFTA Film Awards.

Hamlet (1996) is available to watch on Prime Video and Apple TV+ for a fee

Four new astronauts have arrived at the International Space Station to replace their colleagues who pulled out early over health concerns.

SpaceX delivered the US, French and Russian astronauts to the orbital research laboratory 277 miles (446km) up in space, a day after they launched from Cape Canaveral.

The new crew members include NASA‘s Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, France’s Sophie Adenot and Russia’s Andrey Fedyaev.

The last group of astronauts were forced to evacuate after one of them suffered what officials described as a serious health issue.

The withdrawal left only three crew members on board the space station – one American and two Russians – prompting Nasa to pause space walks and reduce research output.

Ms Meir, a marine biologist, and Mr Fedyaev, a former military pilot, have previously lived on the space station.

On her first mission to the station in 2019, Ms Meir took part in the first all-female spacewalk.

Ms Adenot, a military helicopter pilot, is only the second French woman to fly in space.

Mr Hathaway is a captain in the US Navy.

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Moment new astronauts blast off to International Space Station

Video of the crew’s arrival shared by NASA shows the four newcomers floating through the hatch from the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft into the space station.

“Bonjour,” Ms Adenot said.

Read more from Sky News:
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The seven space explorers hugged and exchanged exuberant high-fives in the zero-gravity environment before posing for photos.

“Let’s get rolling,” Ms Meir said.

The crew will spend eight to nine months on board the International Space Station.

Last month’s medical evacuation was NASA’s first in 65 years of space exploration.

NASA has declined to divulge the identity of the astronaut who fell ill in orbit on 7 January or provide details of what happened, citing privacy concerns.

The ailing astronaut and three others returned to Earth more than a month sooner than planned.

They spent their first night back in a hospital before returning to Houston.

With the game now available on consoles, a reader gives their verdict on indie hit A Game About Digging A Hole, which does exactly what it says on the tin.

You’re on a sunny, suburban street. A van draws up. An unidentified someone jumps out of the van and nails a notice to a public noticeboard. The van and the unidentified someone drive off. Close in on the noticeboard and the newly attached notice. It’s a brightly coloured advert. The advert reads:

House For Sale. Only 10,000 $. With Gold Treasure In the Garden! Buy Now & Get Rich!

This is how A Game About Digging A Hole begins. Played in first person view, what you see first is the back garden of the house that you’ve bought and a box containing a Super Mega Digger 3000 Ultimate 2.0 Detector Set. This battery powered tool is the primary component of a game that’s played out in two locations. Your back garden and your garage. Unfortunately, you can’t enter the main part of the house that’s now yours, or at least I never managed to.

Go into the garage and you’ll find a workbench and a computer. The computer allows you to sell the ore/items that you obtain and by selling ore you accumulate funds. The workbench is where you spend the funds that you’ve accumulated. The workbench offers upgrades for your shovel, the aforementioned Super Mega Digger 3000.

Upgrades are also available for your inventory, battery and you can buy a jetpack which will become an essential item later on. Charge can be bought for your battery on the workbench screen and you can replenish your personal health there too. Dynamite and lamps are useful extras for when you want to take your digging to new depths.

Exit the garage, stroll into your sunlit back garden and you’ll see an X on the grass. X marks the spot, or so they say. In actuality you can begin your treasure hunt anywhere, so long as it’s on the back lawn.

On the PlayStation 5, digging involves pulling the right trigger of the joypad. Do this and your battery powered shovel takes a single bite out of the ground. While your back lawn steadily gets taken away chunk by chunk, various ores are uncovered. At first, you’ll find stones and coal. When you uncover these items they’re sucked straight into your inventory, which quickly fills up because at the start of the game your inventory is small.

Once your inventory is full you can keep digging but any ores that you uncover will be destroyed, so it’s best to turn those unearthed items into money so that you can buy upgrades and recharge your shovel battery. Without an upgrade the shovel battery’s charge soon runs out.

Initially this game seems repetitive. Do a bit of digging. Fill up your small inventory with stones, coal, iron, etc. Nip back into the garage. Sell what you’ve extracted from the ground on the computer. Spend your earnings on upgrading your equipment if you’ve earnt enough, then go back outside and carry on digging.

However, the steps that I’ve just described become compulsive, or at least they did for me, due to pressing questions inside my head. How deep can I actually go? How powerful are those $100 sticks of dynamite? Where did the previous owners of this house put that buried treasure?

Your current depth is shown on the left side of the screen. Anticipation serves as a magnet, drawing you downwards. What will you uncover next and how much cash are you going to receive for selling it?

When I earned $100 I bought some dynamite and put it to good use. The ground dropped further. I dug, and I dug, and then I dug some more. I got so involved with digging, with the race to earn money and to reach new depths, that I virtually ignored changes around me. That cheery birdsong had gone, replaced by eerie low notes that unsettled and brought no comfort at all. Before I knew what I’d done I’d placed myself in…darkness.

Turning around I saw only more darkness. I tried looking up. Darkness. Where was that nice blue sky? Who stole away the heavens when I wasn’t looking? Sensible miners stock up on $25 lamps before they get trigger-happy with their battery powered shovels. When you’re disorientated and many metres below the ground a light source can really alleviate attacks of panic and claustrophobia.

I won’t spoil what happens when you keep on digging. I will say that at depth minerals become more precious. Your Super Mega Digger 3000 has extra sensors that appear when you’re close to certain objects of interest. Subterranean structures wait to be discovered, and near the end of the game you realise that you’re not alone in the pit of your own making. A bestial grunt sent a shiver of fear through me. Time to make use of that jetpack and escape back up to the surface.

A Game About Digging a Hole is short and probably doesn’t have much replay value once you’ve learnt its secrets. But for the money, about the same price as a film rental, A Game About Digging A Hole is well worth a few hours of your time. Just remember, however deep you dig your hole, make sure you can get out of it again.

By reader Michael Veal (@msv858)

The reader’s features do not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.

You can submit your own 500 to 600-word reader feature at any time, which if used will be published in the next appropriate weekend slot.

Just contact us at gamecentral@metro.co.uk or use our Submit Stuff page and you won’t need to send an email.

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MORE: Why did Sony and Valve fall out of love with making video games? – Reader’s Feature

The Prime Minister insists he will lead Labour into the next election after another turbulent week in office.

Sir Keir Starmer has insisted he will lead Labour into the next general election but admitted that appointing Lord Peter Mandelson as US ambassador was a “mistake”.

The Prime Minister has endured a turbulent few weeks amid controversy surrounding the appointments of Lord Mandelson and Lord Matthew Doyle despite their association with sex offenders, three departures from Downing Street, and a call from Anas Sarwar to resign.

Speaking to the Sun on Sunday at the Munich Security Conference, Sir Keir came out fighting against suggestions he should resign, and reports of plots within Labour to oust him.

He told the newspaper: “I won the leadership of the Labour Party when people said I wouldn’t. I changed the Labour Party when people said I couldn’t. I won an election when people said we wouldn’t.

“And now I intend to change the country – whatever other people say.” Sir Keir then insisted he would “absolutely” lead the Labour Party into the next election.

Elsewhere in the interview, the Prime Minister was asked if appointing Lord Mandelson as US ambassador was his biggest mistake since he took office. He replied: “I’m not going to list mistakes in rank order. It was a mistake.”

Sir Keir previously said at the conference that he had “ended the week much stronger” than he started it after a period of political turbulence.

Asked in a panel discussion after his speech whether the turmoil left him vulnerable to challenges from Reform UK and the Tories, the Labour leader replied: “No, I reject that. I ended the week much stronger than I started it.

“And that’s a very good place to be, and my party and my government is completely united on the question of Ukraine and defence and security and the need for stronger relations with Europe on defence, on security and on economy as well. And so I think that there is real strength in the position I’ve now set out.”

Attacking Nigel Farage’s “pro-Putin” Reform UK party, Sir Keir suggested it was the only faction in the House of Commons not behind the UK’s support for Ukraine.

He said: “Imagine if they were in government in the United Kingdom. The Coalition of the Willing could not exist without UK participation in it. We would not be seen as a leader on the European or international stage.

“We would be seen as a country that people couldn’t do business with. So it’s not universal across our Parliament, but there’s a very strong feeling amongst right-minded politicians that we stick together on Ukraine.”

Anas Sarwar said on Monday that Sir Keir should quit in the wake of the scandal around the appointment of Lord Mandelson as British ambassador to Washington despite his links to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

But the attempt to oust Sir Keir failed, with members of the Cabinet publicly backing the Prime Minister in the hours after Mr Sarwar’s statement.

Further questions about Sir Keir’s judgment were thrown up later in the week in a row over the appointment of his former spin doctor Lord Doyle to the House of Lords after the aide campaigned for a paedophile councillor.

The departure of the head of the Civil Service Sir Chris Wormald prompted criticism of negative briefings in Government, while senior Labour women suggested the string of scandals had exposed a “boys’ club” within Downing Street.

Sir Chris was the third senior figure to quit the Government in the past week, following Sir Keir’s chief of staff Morgan McSweeney and communications director Tim Allan.

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In March, Mark Farrow, a computer expert from Scorton, and Stephen White, an administrator from Richmond, will drive 1,318 miles over three days across Europe to deliver the vehicle to Ukraine, where it will be donated for work on the Ukrainian frontlines.

Mark and Steve are joining the Driving Ukraine team for their fourth mission to deliver a vehicle, but they still need help in the way of donations for the mission.

Mark Farrow (right) with Stephen White (left) (Image: MARK FARROW)

So far, people have helped to raise more than £30,000 for the missions that Mark and Stephen have embarked on.

“While the news channels may not talk about Ukraine as much these days, their need for our help is greater than ever,” Mark said.

We haven’t forgotten our Ukrainian friends, and each vehicle we can provide for them saves lives, bringing Ukrainian men and women safely home to their families.

Mark Farrow (centre) with Stephen White (right) (Image: MARK FARROW)

“This will be our fourth trip, and with your help, the fourth evacuation vehicle we take them.

“Thanks to everyone who has donated to us in the past (an incredible almost £30,000 so far!), as we couldn’t do any of this without you, it really is a team effort.

“Having met some of the Ukrainians whose lives have been changed by your and our help, I can say for sure this is the most worthwhile thing I have ever been part of.”

The route that the pair will take (Image: MARK FARROW)

Driving Ukraine vehicles, 4×4 pickup trucks and ambulances, are purchased in the UK and modified by dedicated volunteers, before being placed with essential teams in Ukraine, including: ambulance crews, 4×4 evacuation teams, first-aid responders, international volunteer medics, air defence teams, humanitarian bomb disposal units, and hospitals, among others.

The current fundraiser from the pair aims to collect £7000 worth of donations, with the current total just below £4,000.

If Mark and Stephen get more than £7,000, it will go towards upgrading the vehicle with a Чуйка 3.0 (Chuyka) drone signal detector.

Two of the aid vehicles donated to Ukraine (Image: MARK FARROW)

This is a tool that allows teams on the front line to stay one step ahead of Russian drones.

Mark added: “The urgent need for international support in Ukraine is undeniable, particularly today, even as some sort of peace is discussed.

Mark and Stephen with other aid workers (Image: MARK FARROW)

“The longer this invasion persists, the more challenging it becomes for Ukraine. The war is now in its fourth year.

“The future of Ukraine’s survival hangs in the balance with new international leaders in power.

“The Ukrainians need more vehicles, aid, and international support from volunteers than ever before.

“The toll of this conflict is staggering, with tens of thousands of civilians killed, countless more injured, and hundreds of billions of dollars in infrastructure damage.

“4,000,000 Ukrainians have lost their homes, 10,000 missiles have been launched at the country, and over 1,000 medical facilities have been destroyed.”