Jon McConnell and Kaci Rock both applied for Love Island before the Commonwealth Games but turned down interviews with the show’s producers, with McConnell going on to claim boxing gold in the men’s 60kg category in Glasgow

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Jon McConnell’s choice to turn down Love Island in favour of pursuing Commonwealth Games glory proved worthwhile as he stormed to victory in the men’s 60kg boxing division in Glasgow.

The 23 year old from Belfast’s renowned Holy Trinity club had previously disclosed during the Games that both he and Northern Ireland colleague Kaci Rock had submitted applications for the popular ITV programme before declining interviews with the show’s producers.

McConnell emerged victorious from an enthralling bout against Wales’s Orlando Holley-Sotomi and confirmed he would reject any future temptation to reapply in order to chase his ambition of competing at the 2028 Olympics.

McConnell said: “If I hadn’t got through the early rounds, maybe I’d have thought I didn’t make the right decision, but I’ve got the gold medal now.

“He put me under a lot of pressure but I have a lot of belief in myself. Everybody thinks I’m just this pretty boxer type of thing, but I’m a hard, hard man to beat – and I showed it today.”

Meanwhile, Rock suffered a unanimous points loss to England’s Sacha Hickey in the women’s 65kg category, extending the 22 year old Londoner’s remarkable rise in the sport.

Millwall supporter Hickey began boxing aged six after trying it on her Nintendo Wii. She was brought to the celebrated Fisher club in Rotherhithe where she quickly flourished despite being the sole female participant.

“I’ve gone from Nintendo Wii to the big leagues,” Hickey joked following a commanding display against her Northern Irish opponent. “I remember shadow-boxing in front of the TV and somehow I’ve ended up here today.

“It’s put me in a great position. I’m sixth in the world rankings now and I’ve got the European Championships next, where I’m going for gold. After that it’s all about the World Championships and qualifying for LA.”

England’s Patris Mughalzai secured gold in the men’s 65kg category with a unanimous decision over Australia’s Jacob Cassar, while Isaac Okoh dominated Connor Williams of Wales to complete a hat-trick for his nation within an hour at 90kg.

Northern Ireland’s Michaela Walsh claimed her fourth successive Commonwealth Games gold medal but had to be content with silver after losing on points to India’s Jaismine Lamboria at 57kg.

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CAIRO (AP) — For Palestinians in Gaza, President Donald Trump’s announcement that Hamas had agreed to disarm was a small sign of hope that Israel’s attacks might end, allowing them to rebuild their lives and what remains of their homes.

But it also clashed with the reality on the ground, where Israeli strikes have continued since Trump first touted the deal late Thursday in Washington, and where few steps have been taken to advance a broader ceasefire agreement that went into effect in October.

Most of Gaza’s 2 million Palestinians are still displaced or live in tent camps, where poor conditions and overcrowding have led to rodent infestations and outbreaks of infectious diseases such as chickenpox.

“They can talk about withdrawal and disarmament,” said Abdel Moneim Aboul-Roos, 24, a tuk-tuk driver who lost his leg in an Israeli airstrike. “I don’t care about any of it as long as there is no food or medicine.”

Israel and Hamas signed a U.S.-backed ceasefire plan last year that ended major combat operations, saw the return of Israeli hostages and allowed for an increase in humanitarian aid to the Palestinian enclave. It also called for the gradual withdrawal of Israeli troops, the creation of an international stabilization force and a program to decommission weapons held by Hamas.

But as each side accused the other of violating the ceasefire, negotiations stalled. Hamas held onto its weapons and the Israeli military refused to withdraw. Since October, Israel has killed more than 1,200 Palestinians in Gaza and expanded the amount of territory it controls. Five Israeli soldiers have also been killed in militant attacks.

Many Palestinians don’t trust Israel or Hamas

The road map Trump announced — and that Hamas confirmed — addresses in more specific terms the type of weapons the militant group and its allies will be required to hand over to a new technocratic government. The document says Israel will not be involved in the decommission of Hamas’ weapons and that it should halt all military operations in Gaza so the transition can proceed and recovery can begin.

But residents in Gaza say they have been repeatedly promised that the war will stop and their lives will improve. They see the road map as a positive development but remain skeptical that either Israel or Hamas will adhere to the terms.

“This is enough. We need improvement in our lives,” said Ayman Ahmed, a displaced Palestinian living in southern Gaza. He said he hopes Hamas gives up its arms but does not see it happening anytime soon.

“They don’t care about Palestinians’ lives,” he said.

The war began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 others back to Gaza as hostages. Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 73,300 people, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which was part of the Hamas-run government.

Modern spiritualism began as a religious movement in the 19th century. It promised to bring the living and dead together in conversation, usually through a medium – a person who claimed an ability to directly contact the deceased.

The core foundational belief of spiritualism was that death was not the end – a typical tenet of many religions – but was the point at which a person departed their physical body and ascended to the spiritual realm.

As a faith, spiritualism was an innovation of Christianity. It drew on spiritual communications referenced in the Old Testament and adapted them for those who had become disillusioned with the traditional faith by integrating it with mysticism and science.

In Victorian Britain, new rituals that became attached to death expected more from the living. Mourning periods were longer and identifiable by the clothing people wore. Funerals became more elaborate and ritualised. Mourners could also pay for memento mori photographs that captured keepsake images of the dead. Within this exaggerated culture of morbidity, spiritualism became an appealing movement for those who were overcome with grief.

In the United States, the movement was galvanised by the huge loss of life and loved ones in the civil war. Many of the dead were unidentified, leading to a lack of closure for those grieving.

Making contact

The methods spiritualists and mediums used were varied. Seances were conducted where the methods of communication ranged from knocking sounds to levitation, while spirit photography claimed to capture images of the dead standing by their living loved ones.

The first spirit photo was taken in 1861 by William Mumler in Boston. It led to a decade of his studio being frequented by bereaved people who hoped to have an image showing that their departed were still with them.

Mumler’s studio produced these photos for the price of US$10 (£280 in 2026). They featured the same ghost for multiple images – faded and vague enough to convince those looking for comfort. Mumler was tried for fraud in 1869, but acquitted due to lack of evidence. He went on to photograph Mary Todd Lincoln with the apparent apparition of Abraham Lincoln.

Spirit photography was convincing in the 19th century in part because of the lack of likenesses that were left behind when a person died. A shaded photo or likewise a knock at a table, perhaps with a message of assurance from the mouth of a medium, were a balm that gave mourners comfort.

Our 21st-century ghosts

In the present day, our existence is preserved on phones, cameras and social media. There are recordings that keep peoples’ voices alive after they leave us. But for some, as with those who were drawn to spiritualism, that limited snapshot isn’t enough.

AI grief tech is developing to patch the holes that bereavement leaves – and clearly when so much remains of a person’s life, a spirit photo will no longer do. These systems, known as griefbots, AI ghosts, deathbots or postmortem avatars, offer services from text interaction to phone calls to full video calls.

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In 2020 the South Korean documentary Meeting You showed a grieving mother being reunited with her deceased daughter through the use of a VR headset and gloves. The documentary showed Jang Ji-sung trying to touch the projection of her daughter – an action reminiscent of Victorian séance attendees reaching to try to touch the glowing ghosts that had seemingly manifested.

Since 2020, grief tech has developed significantly and caters to a range of budgets. Grief tech companies like You, Only Virtual allow users to build and chat with a virtual personality for US$20 (£15) a month.

AI-generated photos and videos of deceased or missing serviceman have meanwhile increased in popularity in Russia. They cost between 200 and 10,000 roubles (£2-£100), with significantly varied quality.

There are also systems that offer enhanced “companions”, depending on someone’s budget. AI ghosts can be pre-made by the living, recording their voice and image for their loved ones to aid with grief therapy. These set ups can cost up to US$15,000.

There are concerns and studies discussing both the ethics of AI griefbots and the impact that these services may have on the grieving process. Issues of consent are a key consideration. Where Victorian mediums represented the deceased through words and actions, griefbots are a recreation of a person’s life based off their data. These concerns are lessened when the deceased has pre-consented, but not for those that are created by living loved ones.

In a way reminiscent to followers of spiritualism continuing to pay to attend séances, the subscription nature of some of these AI systems keep the bereaved coming back. This raises a concerning question: are you losing your loved one again if you cancel the subscription? The onus lies with the living users to be able to know when they have grieved enough.

Similar concerns were raised over exploitation by spiritualists of their patrons when they were most vulnerable. English author M. E. Darby wrote his 1888 book An Investigation of Modern Spiritualism: An Exposé “a warning and guide to the innocent and over-credulous young men”, who were “a ready prey for the unscrupulous and inhuman professional practitioner of legerdemain, who cruelly, out of the most tender ties, feelings, and emotions of human bosoms, make a harvest and find a ready spoil”.

Concerns over the financial exploitation of the spiritualism movement were still being raised in the early 20th century by the illusionist Harry Houdini, who tried to expose frauds. One of Houdini’s earliest acts, with his wife Bess, had been a séance show through which Houdini became familiar with the ways in which a medium could deceive their audience. By the 1920s, he used his reputation to demonstrate how electrical wires created floating objects, how mediums used their feet to ring bells, and other tricks immediately familiar to a fellow magician.

Houdini’s scepticism of spiritualism led to him promising that upon his death, if possible, he would return on a set date and give his widow Bess a code phrase to identify himself. No such contact was made.

The rise of grief tech, with its parallels to spiritualism, confirms one consistency in the human condition: a desire to minimise the pain of loss. While understandable, the latest advancements add a confusing twist to the process and psychology of grief, without data currently available to better understand the long-term impact. Until we have better clarity, and have navigated the ethics more thoroughly, we should consider closing the parlour doors on grief tech.

EXCLUSIVE: The Government will provide staff with real-time electronic monitoring data to follow offenders more closely and identify potential risks or breaching of compliance

Probation staff are set to be given real time data and powers to issue offenders random drug tests to help beat crime and keep communities safe.

The Government will provide staff with real-time electronic monitoring data to follow offenders more closely and identify potential risks or breaching of compliance.

Electronic tagging uses devices, usually worn around the ankle, monitor whether people under probation supervision comply with conditions, such as house arrest.

Under the plans, there will also be random tests for 1,000 offenders on licence each month for drugs for both the welfare of those being monitored and the public.

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Currently being piloted in London, officials believe the new Electronic Monitoring Data Insights service will give frontline probation teams faster access to information from offenders’ tags.

The real-time monitoring will go live across London, the West Midlands and the East of England in mid-August.

Once the pilots finish, the technology will be available to all probation staff nationwide by the end of 2026, strengthening offender supervision and helping to keep communities safe across the country.

A Government source said: “The new Justice Secretary wants to look at ramping up the use of technology to protect the public and ensure probation officers are always one step ahead of offenders.”

New PM Andy Burnham has said “keeping the public safe” will be his top priority, and last week announced he would pause the early prisoner release scheme in a dramatic intervention.

The controversial programme was set up in response to the prison overcrowding crisis left behind by the Tories – but criticised by the widow of PC Andrew Harper in recent days.

Under the new Sentencing Act – set to come into force in September – some 6,000 criminals were due to be released under the early prison release scheme.

Earlier this year Napo, the union representing probation staff, passed a no-confidence motion in HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) leadership.

They warned excessive workloads, understaffing, and burnout posed a “direct risk to the public” because staff were unable to manage clients’ risk effectively.

Chris Gascoyne, aged 58, who played Peter Barlow on Coronation Street, will star in the BBC’s upcoming daytime drama The Northumbria Mysteries, set in the North East.

The series, led by Robson Green, follows Joe Ruby, an ex-convict and gambler who teams up with Oxford-educated DI Rose O’Connell to solve crimes in the region.

Coronation Street’s Chris Gascoyne teases new TV show on BBC

Filming has been taking place across the North East, including in the village of Earsdon, just outside Whitley Bay.

Mr Gascoyne shared behind-the-scenes photos from the shoot on Instagram, writing: “I’m back – lots to catch up on…”

One of the photos, showing the actor holding a pint, appeared to be taken at The Red Lion pub in Earsdon.

Landlords at the Red Lion said: “What an incredible day here at The Red Lion.

“We were delighted to welcome the cast and crew of a brand-new BBC drama, who spent the day filming at the pub.

“It was fantastic to see our newly refurbished restaurant transformed into a TV set, with parts of our beautiful beer garden also featured.”

On the series, Mr Green said: “Set against this amazing backdrop, you have this really unusual, likeable and oddball pairing, who slowly realise they have a connection.

Robson Green will star in the new BBC series The Northumbria Mysteries (Image: BBC/Rivers Meet Productions/Signpost Entertainment/Zoila Brozas)

“They’re trying to work out what that connection is and then later on through the series, what to do with that connection.”

The Northumbria Mysteries will also feature Liz White, known for her roles in Life on Mars and Call the Midwife, as DI Rose O’Connell.

Simon Callow, best known for Four Weddings and a Funeral, is also set to appear.

Mr Gascoyne played Peter Barlow on Coronation Street from 2016 to 2023, having first left the soap in 2003 and returned briefly in 2007.

He is the seventh actor to portray Ken Barlow’s eldest son.

Coronation Street star’s new career after exit

Chris Gascoyne may be enjoying more acting roles since leaving Corrie, but another star is trying out a new creative venture since their exit.

Luca Toolan, known for his role as school bully Mason Radcliffe, was killed off in a January storyline last year.

Now, the actor is making strides in his post-Corrie career with the launch of his own production company.

Speaking in a recent TikTok interview with Phil Roberts on Cheshire’s Mix 56, the 22-year-old said: “Life after Corrie, I’m not actually dead.

“Life continues, I’m making my own stuff now, I’ve got my own production company so that’s my passion is making projects.”

He continued: “It’s a dream come true, that’s the stuff that really excites me, having that creative licence and writing, directing, making, hearing stuff.

“Honestly, that’s the most fun stuff.”

Who is your favourite character on Coronation Street? Let us know in the comments.

The Arts Council has been accused of ‘an appalling waste of taxpayers’ money’ for funding ‘woke‘ projects such as tackling the ‘divisive’ use of the St George’s flag – at a time when traditional museums are being forced to close due to lack of funds.

Recent awards by the organisation – which dishes out more than £840 million a year in taxpayer cash and the National Lottery – included £100,000 for the Migration Matters Festival in Sheffield in June, which featured a flag-making workshop ‘exploring identity, protest and belonging’.

The organisers of the workshop said that its purpose was to push back against public displays of England’s national flag, which has been condemned by left-wing groups as indicative of racism and xenophobia rather than patriotism. The organisers said: ‘Responding to the divisive use of the St George’s flag, this project reclaims public space with inclusive narratives’.

The festival also featured ‘The Bull and the Moon’, a dance show for children aged three and over about ‘Lolo’, a Spanish bull who dreams of becoming ‘Lola’, a flamenco-dancing cow, in a story its makers billed as a ‘celebration of gender diversity’ and being oneself.

Other recipients of Arts Council England largesse included £29,950 to The Bitten Peach Ltd, which calls itself the UK’s only queer, pan-Asian cabaret collective: its shows have featured puppets, whips and a poppadom-eating contest. 

Curl Girl Productions received £35,434 for ‘Panjabi Princesses,’ about two Queer Panjabi princesses, while playwright Aisha Zia was awarded £32,547 for Refugee! – a theatre production in which characters uncover evidence of the Government’s ‘complicity’ in war crimes.

Playwright Aisha Zia was awarded £32,547 for Refugee! – a theatre production in which characters uncover evidence of the Government’s ‘complicity’ in war crimes

Other recipients of Arts Council England largesse included £29,950 to The Bitten Peach Ltd, which calls itself the UK’s only queer, pan-Asian cabaret collective

Curl Girl Productions received £35,434 for ‘Panjabi Princesses,’ about two Queer Panjabi princesses

A gay retelling of Romeo and Juliet in which Shakespeare’s hero falls for a Muslim man named Mohammed at a rave in Croydon has secured £30,807 in taxpayer funding after being deemed ‘culturally significant.’

The production will run for a single week at Riverside Studios in Hammersmith, with an Arts Council grant covering mental health support and industry-standard wages for its seven-strong cast.

Promotional material for the show describes it as ‘feral, sexy and unafraid to ask difficult questions’ and ‘unlike anything currently on London stages.’

The script, written in ‘relentless, lyrical verse,’ is said to surge with ‘a pounding soundtrack’ and ‘huge emotional swings.’

The Council says it is ‘the national development agency for museums in England… to help develop museums for as many people as possible across the country’.

But a total of 16 museums across the UK were forced to close in the same 12 month period that those grants were awarded.

These included the RAF Signals Museum, which told the history of RAF signals and communications equipment from the First World War to modern times.

Others which shut their doors included Durham Museum, which closed in 2024 after it could not meet the cost of repairs to the building, Llancaiach Fawr Living History Museum in south Wales, Westbury Manor Museum in Hampshire, and Alyth Museum in Perthshire, which told the story of the town through local industries such as farming and weaving and celebrated its working-class culture.

Reform UK’s Treasury spokesman Jenrick told the Mail on Sunday: ‘This is yet another appalling waste of taxpayer money. A Reform government will end this gravy train and restore common sense. We will unashamedly promote and defend our history and culture and root out this divisive woke nonsense.’

Tory shadow minister Neil O’Brien OBE MP said: ‘It is disgraceful that the government is handing out hundreds of thousands of pounds of taxpayers’ money to fund its culture wars, at the same time as it is slashing funds for historic churches and letting museums of genuine national significance fall by the wayside. 

‘It’s time the government got its priorities straight, and started acting as proper custodians of our history and traditions, rather than wasting taxpayers’ cash on a narrow set of ideological interest groups.’

An Arts Council England spokesperson said: ‘We support a wide range of artists and organisations to produce work that caters to the broad interests, tastes, voices and experiences of people across the country. 

‘Projects can often explore different issues through their work, including social and political subjects.’

EastEnders’ Shane Richie has been charged with a drink-driving offence after being arrested at an Essex petrol station.

The actor, 62, was filmed arguing with staff at a Tesco garage on Wednesday (29 July) after being asked to stop vaping on the petrol station forecourt.

The police were subsequently called, with the EastEnders star – whose real name is Shane Roche – being arrested for drink-driving. A spokesperson for the Essex Police told The Independent: “Officers were called to reports of a suspected drink driver in the area of Church Langley Way, Harlow, shortly before 11.20pm on Wednesday 29 July.

“On arrival, officers arrested a man. A charge of drink driving has subsequently been authorised against Shane Roche, 62, of Tadworth, Surrey. He is due to appear at Colchester Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday 9 September.”

In footage obtained by The Sun, the Alfie Moon actor was seen holding a vape by his car and telling staff: “It’s not smoking, it’s a vape.” After being asked not to use his e-cigarette by the staff, he is heard telling them to “f*** off”.

“I don’t give a f***,” he added, before later telling them: “Someone is coming to change my tyre.”

The Independent has contacted Richie’s representative for comment.

The comedian and actor is best known for playing Alfie Moon on BBC soap EastEnders, having first joined in 2002. In recent years, he’s appeared on Michael McIntyre’s Big Show, Benidorm and I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here – coming in fourth place in the 2020 series.

Last year saw Richie become the focus of a big storyline in Albert Square, with Alfie marrying Kat Slater (Jessie Wallace) for the third time. The well-known Walford couple had previously wed in 2003 and again in 2014 despite multiple infidelities.

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Richie was previously married to Loose Women star Coleen Nolan from 1990 until 1999, with the pair sharing sons Shane Jr, 38, and Rixton frontman Jake Roche, 33.

He went on to remarry in 2007, tying the knot with actor Christie Goddard. The couple welcomed three daughters: Mackenzie Blue, 20, Lolita Bell, 18, and Romanie-Skye, 15.

Tucked away in the Ozarks of Arkansas is a small community of around 40 residents.

Homestead developments like this are not unusual in rural America, but what sets this one apart is who is allowed to live there.

Applications are open exclusively to white candidates who are of full European ancestry, reject homosexuality and embrace what founder Eric Orwoll describes as traditional European values.

Orwoll leads Return to the Land, a private white-separatist membership association with over one thousand members.

Only a handful of families, however, are selected to live in its 165-acre Arkansas settlement near the town of Ravenden, where idyllic social media videos show goats and chickens roaming the grounds, children playing, and members building wooden homes and churches.

But behind the tranquil homestead lies a community whose leaders promote hard-Right ideology online, while its children are homeschooled and taught that even historical atrocities such as the Holocaust and slavery have ‘two sides to the story’.

At a time when much of the Western world celebrates diversity and multiculturalism, Orwoll has emerged as one of the most outspoken advocates of racial separation.

Orwoll doesn’t believe his movement is racist. Speaking to the Daily Mail, he repeatedly insisted Return to the Land is about ‘preserving’ European identity, rather than promoting white supremacy.

Only a handful of families, however, are selected to live in its 165-acre Arkansas settlement near the town of Ravenden

While Orwoll’s community is happy to accept those with white supremacist views, they draw the line at those who he says hold ‘non-traditional’ religious outlooks (Pictured: Members of Return to the Land)

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‘I think what we actually advocate is tolerance, free association, and self-determination. I don’t think the movement itself is white supremacist. Are there people within the association who hold white supremacist views? Probably. 

‘It’s a large organisation, and some people undoubtedly believe their own group is objectively the best.’

While Orwoll’s community is happy to accept those with white supremacist views, they draw the line at those who he says hold ‘non-traditional’ religious outlooks.

‘We wouldn’t automatically reject someone for being Christian, pagan, or agnostic, but if someone holds what we’d consider a non-traditional religious outlook – for example, they’re a militant atheist who is intolerant of traditional religious beliefs – they’re probably not a good fit for the association.’

To join Return to the Land, applicants complete a questionnaire and then have a 15-minute phone interview. 

During this call, candidates are asked about their views on various topics, including same-sex marriage, gender identity, vaccines and abortion.

‘The interview also focuses on values. It’s not solely about race. For example, we ask how often someone thinks about the Roman Empire because we see it as part of a shared European heritage and want people who value preserving it,’ Orwoll explains.

‘After the interview, the association’s board votes on the application. If accepted, members are added to our online discussion groups and can attend our national events.’

Those discussion groups paint a starkly different picture from the moderate one Orwoll presents.

He insists Return to the Land is a peaceful movement concerned with preserving European identity and says he has nothing against Black and Jewish people and would support them creating their own separate communities.

Yet posts and videos shared by senior figures in the organisation’s online channels perpetuate Holocaust denial, claims of ‘Jewish infiltration’ into society and rhetoric that downplays the harms of racial segregation.

Among the most prominent voices is Peter Csere, one of Return to the Land’s leading figures and a close associate of Orwoll.

In public Telegram channels, Csere has posted the number ‘1488’, a reference widely associated with white supremacist and neo-Nazi ideology. 

The number combines the ’14 Words,’ a white supremacist slogan, with ’88,’ a code for ‘Heil Hitler,’ as H is the eighth letter of the alphabet.

Orwoll himself has also spoken of the prospect of a ‘second Hitler’ and has praised former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke.

He is closely connected to a wider network of hard-Right influencers and extremists, including white nationalist commentator Nick Fuentes.

Posts shared to their channels and social media also frequently refer to what members describe as ‘Jewish propaganda’ and ‘Jewish infiltration.’

One post shared reads: ‘Generations of men raised on Jewish propaganda and consumer culture have been taught to be soft, weak, and self-indulgent.’

Another states: ‘Even though towns are apparently White, the effects of Jewish infiltration and subversion can be seen, heard and felt.’

‘Sheltered Max’, an X user who says he’s living on the compound, has written in favour of ‘cannibalising’ and ‘eradicating’ Jews and posted that ‘Jew hatred is the great unifier.’ 

Orwoll, who uses the name Aarvoll online and has amassed almost 100,000 followers across social media platforms, has repeatedly warned that America’s changing demographics pose an existential threat to white Americans.

Ironically, the 36-year-old’s upbringing in a diverse community near Los Angeles helped shape the beliefs he now champions. 

He attended an arts high school and grew up surrounded by neighbours from different backgrounds, including many Jewish families, experiences he says pushed him toward his current worldview. 

‘As I started learning about demographic change and correlating it with my own experience growing up in California, and seeing that different groups of people have different behaviors and tendencies, I concluded that things would continue moving toward greater racial diversity, and that this would affect the ability of white Americans to preserve the kind of lifestyle we’ve built over the last few centuries.

To join Return to the Land, applicants complete a questionnaire and then have a 15-minute phone interview

Among the most prominent voices is Peter Csere, one of Return to the Land’s leading figures and a close associate of Orwoll

Orwoll’s philosophy extends beyond who is allowed to join the community. It also shapes how its children are educated

Homes being built in the Return to the Land community in Arkansas

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‘If current demographic trends continue, I think Europeans should ask what their societies will look like in the future,’ he said.

He also cited what he described as ‘sociological data’ that ethnic diversity erodes social cohesion.

‘If you can’t predict what someone is going to do, you can’t really trust them. That’s an observed characteristic of multiracial societies.’

‘It’s really about preserving some sense of sovereignty and maintaining control over our own culture and society,’ he said.

Orwoll’s philosophy extends beyond who is allowed to join the community. It also shapes how its children are educated.

The Arkansas settlement, where residents work in nearby towns, remotely, or through businesses established within the community, is home to several homeschooled children.

There, they are taught subjects including the Holocaust, slavery and segregation in what Orwoll describes as an ‘even-handed’ way.

‘I think the problem with public education is that it’s very focused on what it presents as the sins of Europeans throughout history, whereas I think there are multiple sides to these issues,’ he says.

When teaching about American slavery, he says he would explain its wrongs while also discussing the Barbary slave trade, where many white Europeans were enslaved by Muslims and sold into Africa and other regions.

‘When it comes to segregation, I’d explain that America was explicitly founded as a white country. Once formerly enslaved Black Americans became citizens, society faced the question of how to reorganize itself, because that wasn’t part of what many people originally envisioned for the country.

‘I’d explain that the separate-but-equal system was one attempt to address that, but that it went too far by coercively imposing segregation. At the same time, I’d argue that the integrationist policies that followed also overstepped.’

As for the Holocaust, Orwoll says the death toll numbers have been ‘exaggerated’, and children have been taught ‘a very one-sided narrative’ through ‘Hollywood propaganda,’ which he would work to change.

‘In my view, many people who advocate violence against Nazis haven’t actually read the writings of figures such as Rosenberg, Goebbels, or Hitler. Instead, they’re relying on portrayals from films and popular culture.’

Orwoll claims many people died in the Holocaust due to ‘terrible conditions,’ but that ‘historical records contain less evidence of an intentional, centrally directed campaign to exterminate all Jews’.

‘I don’t believe there’s an order from Adolf Hitler explicitly directing the killing of all Jews. I also believe that some stories commonly associated with the Holocaust – for example, claims about lampshades made from human skin – have been shown to be false, and I think some survivor testimonies include accounts that are physically impossible.’

‘I’d also explain what I see as the German perspective toward Jewish people at the time, namely that they viewed Jews internationally as opponents in a military conflict.’

He added that the Nazis had ‘redeeming qualities,’ and he believes children should be given ‘all the evidence’ and allowed to make their own ‘informed historical opinions’ instead of being ‘brainwashed’.

Last Autumn, the Daily Mail spoke to Tess Ulrey, executive director of the Coalition for Responsible Home Education (CRHE) nonprofit, who said Arkansas law leaves the Return to the Land youngsters highly vulnerable.

‘In a radically insular group like Return to the Land, the educational environment may uphold white supremacy ideology, promote speculative and fictionalised sciences, encourage harmful and unhealthy practices, and easily deny children access to the tools to form their own beliefs, or hear from a different viewpoint,’ Ulrey said.

‘We believe that kind of homeschooling is a violation of children’s rights, and harms their ability to thrive in a diverse and connected world.’

Outsiders have been rattled by evidence of extremist influence. During a media visit last year, Hitler’s notorious manifesto Mein Kampf was spotted on Orwoll’s office bookshelf.

In advocating for ‘traditional European values’, Return to the Land also discourages interracial marriages.

‘There’s a fair amount of evidence that interracial marriages tend to have worse outcomes. They don’t last as long, have higher rates of domestic abuse, and are more likely to result in single-parent households.

‘I simply think the more typical and adaptive pattern is for there to be continuity between extended families, traditions, and psychological tendencies. When people are more similar in those respects, I think things tend to harmonise more easily.’

In advocating for ‘traditional European values’ Return to the Land also discourages interracial marriages

Orwoll claims many people died in the Holocaust due to ‘terrible conditions,’ but that ‘historical records contain less evidence of an intentional, centrally directed campaign to exterminate all Jews’

The movement also rejects what Orwoll describes as a ‘homosexual lifestyle’.

‘It’s harmful for the people who adopt that lifestyle. I believe they have shorter lifespans, higher rates of sexually transmitted diseases, more sexual partners, and more psychological problems. 

‘I think it’s unhealthy, and I don’t want the society I belong to to affirm it or encourage people toward it because, in my view, it leads to worse life outcomes.’

He says that if ‘God forbid,’ his son turned out to be gay, he would not disown him, but he would no longer be able to remain in the community as an adult. 

However, Orwoll’s emphasis on ‘traditional values’ marks a striking difference with his own past.

Before embracing his current lifestyle, Orwoll appeared in live webcam sex shows for money, the Daily Mail revealed last year.

His former wife of 11 years, Caitlyn Smith, with whom he shares four children, was also his online porn partner. The couple divorced in October 2024.

On her Chaturbate profile under the username ‘Openmindedsexualencounters,’ her listed interests included ‘Men, Women, Trans, Couples.’

Despite that, Smith still lives in the Arkansas settlement, where the community attempts to shield children from exposure to LGBTQ lifestyles.

The Daily Mail previously spoke with several people familiar with Orwoll, all of whom refused to have their names disclosed for fear of what they said is his short temper and erratic ways.

‘This image he has created for himself as an upstanding Christian conservative is bulls**t, total bulls**t,’ one said.

Another urged current and prospective residents of the Arkansas compound and future Return to the Land developments to beware of the slippage between who Orwoll purports to be and who he actually is.

‘Eric’s behaviour follows a clear pattern. Whether he’s filming graphic content or adopting extremist personas, it’s all part of the same spectacle-seeking drive. The goal is attention, disruption, and control,’ that person added.

Although Orwoll told the Daily Mail that he ‘discourages victim narratives’ and does not believe they are ‘a productive mindset,’ he argues that Return to the Land has itself become the victim of a broader campaign of vilification.

The organisation is currently facing a legal battle after being sued by Michelle Walker, a woman of Jewish ancestry who alleges that Return to the Land discriminated against her based on race and religion by denying her the opportunity to purchase land in the community.

‘We’re being threatened with potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages or fines simply because we want a rural community where we feel comfortable and can preserve our culture,’ Orwoll says.

‘I think that’s absurd and actually cruel. We’re portrayed as the villains simply because we want our own culture, our own neighbourhood, and to raise our children the way we choose. 

‘We’re not aggressing against anyone else, yet coercive legal action is being used to try to make us, and our children, homeless.’ 

Yet, despite widespread condemnation, Orwoll says the movement is growing, and there are plans in place to create more separatist communities around America.

‘Many of our members are interested in creating communities similar to ours, and I’m happy to help them do that,’ he says.

On behalf of the movement, Orwoll emphasises that ‘we don’t want anything for ourselves that we wouldn’t want for every other group.’

‘I think every group should have the freedom to form its own voluntary communities, uphold its own values, and do so without legal harassment or media harassment.’

‘There are many other examples of Asian, Jewish, Black, Native American, and other communities that have their own associations and communities dedicated to preserving and celebrating their cultures. 

‘In my view, they don’t face the same level of scrutiny or harassment that we do.’

A mum is warning parents about the dangers of multiple children using a trampoline after her six-year-old son suffered a double leg break

A mum claims her schoolboy son will have to relearn how to walk – after breaking his leg on a trampoline when a ‘heavier girl’ sent him flying. Lucas McVeigh, six, was playing at another child’s house on May 9 and followed his friend and a nine-year-old girl onto the trampoline.

Just 20 seconds into standing on it, the girl did a ‘hard’ bounce that sent Lucas flying into the air due to their weight difference. He says he then came crashing down and heard a ‘crack’ as he landed oddly on his right foot. Lucas’s mum Jessica Kerr said he had only been playing out for 30 minutes when she got the dreaded phone call about the accident.

The 29-year-old rushed over to the house and was ‘distraught’ when she found her son whimpering, pale and falling in and out of consciousness. After bundling him into the car to take him to their nearest hospital, an X-ray confirmed he had ‘completely snapped’ his fibula and tibia.

Lucas then had to have his bones manually reset by a doctor before a full leg cast was put on his right limb. Jessica says he is too scared to ever go on a trampoline again.

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The beautician is now raising awareness about Lucas’ accident to warn other parents about the dangers of child weight differences and having multiple bouncers on a trampoline at one time. Jessica, from Portadown, Northern Ireland, said: “There were three of them on the trampoline.

“The little girl on the trampoline was nine and Lucas was only six so there was a weight difference. Lucas has never been on a trampoline before. I got a phone call to say I needed to come and get him as he had really hurt himself.

“He had been lifted off the trampoline and brought him back into (the) house. He was in and out of sleep due to the pain he was in. I knew straight away it was something bad, I was distraught.

“He went pale and was whimpering. His teeth started to chatter from the adrenaline and so I knew straight away there must have been a break.

“Both of his bones were completely snapped. The doctor cut his trousers to look at the leg before the x-ray and you could clearly see the leg was disfigured. His leg was like a snake. It was sideways and you could tell it was broken straight away.”

Jessica has been told Lucas will have to wear this cast for six weeks before getting a smaller cast fitted for another six weeks. He will then have to undergo physio to help him learn to walk again as he is currently in a wheelchair.

Jessica said: “He has been in a wheelchair the whole time so has had no movement in either leg and will need physio to help him learn how to walk.

“Lucas won’t go on a trampoline again. Even when we try to talk about what happened, sometimes he says, ‘Mummy I don’t want to talk about it, it makes me feel weird’.

“I think this is him remembering the pain he was in and he gets uneasy. He said he had only been on the trampoline for about 20 seconds when it happened.

“All he remembers is that the girl jumped and bounced really hard, he went flying into the air and was scared and when he came down his foot went inwards and he heard the crack.”

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents states that 60% of injuries occur when more than one person is on a trampoline. They also say the person weighing less is five times more likely to be injured and garden trampolines are not suitable for children under six years old.

Following Lucas’ accident, Jessica is now raising awareness about the potential dangers to avoid it happening to anyone else. Jessica said: “Everyone needs to be educated on what can happen. You should only let one child on a trampoline at a time. Anything more than that and it’s going to end in disaster.

“Ensuring you have a safety net and it’s zipped up is also important. Most trampoline accidents happen when there are two or more bouncers at the same time.

“The biggest risk is when trampoline users have different weights so let children take it in turns and you should avoid adults and children jumping at the same time.”

Mr Carr, who has become a household name thanks to his recent win on The Celebrity Traitors, will lead a new “rival panel” of detectives on the show, competing against the regular judges as they try to guess the famous faces behind the masks.

The main panel, made up of Jonathan Ross, Davina McCall, Mo Gilligan, and Maya Jama, will return for the upcoming series alongside the new additions.

Alan Carr joins The Masked Singer as new judge

Alan Carr said: “I can’t wait to play detective – so excited to be shouting ‘take it off’ in the actual studio rather than on my settee at home.

“A dream come true.”

ITV’s Katie Rawcliffe welcomed the news.

Ms Rawcliffe said: “We are thrilled to welcome Alan Carr to The Masked Singer. His wit and energy are the perfect addition to our new ‘rival panel’ and we can’t wait for viewers to see the sparks fly.”

Reports suggest that Alan’s run on Celebrity Traitors has made him a highly-desired name for shows.

“Triumphing on The Celebrity Traitors changed everything for Alan because the international success of the show brought him to a global audience,” an insider told The Sun.

“That saw him bombarded with offers from the big streamers, and shows with the likes of Disney, Amazon and Netflix account for almost half his current workload.

“But the traditional TV channels are keen not to lose him completely which is why they’re also offering him deals too.

“He is one of the hardest working people in the industry and isn’t afraid of taking on the challenge of juggling multiple shows.”

The Masked Singer’s current format sees celebrities perform in elaborate costumes while a panel of judges tries to guess their identities, with the audience voting for their favourites.

Fans recently speculated about possible changes to the judging line-up after the show posted “clues” on social media.

Other famous faces are also expected to join the series as part of the new Wild Card team, though their identities have not yet been confirmed.

Who was unmasked in the last series of The Masked Singer?

ITV’s beloved gameshow returned for its seventh series in 2026, and there was plenty of guessing to be done before Moth was crowned the winner.

From Can of Worms to Red Panda, there were 12 characters taking part in the last series.

Here are the celebrities behind the main characters that were unmasked on last series:

• Disc Jockey – Alex Jones – TV presenter on BBC’s The One Show (episode 1)
• Teabag – Professor Green – Rapper, singer and songwriter (episode 2)
• Yak – John Lydon – Sex Pistols frontman (episode 3)
• Gargoyle – Marcella Detroit – singer from Shakespears Sister (episode 4)
• Monkey Business – Kate Nash – singer and actor (episode 5)
• Artic Fox – Anton Du Beke – Strictly Come Dancing judge (episode 5)
• Red Panda – Harry Hill – comedian (episode 6)
• Sloth – Ben Fogle – TV host (semi-finals)
• Can of Worms – Marvin Humes – Radio host and singer (semi-finals)
• Toastie – Mica Paris – singer and presenter (final)
• Conkers – Ben Shephard – This Morning host (final)

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The most recent winner was Sugababes singer Keisha Buchanan, who was revealed as Moth in the season finale.

She said: “Honestly I’ve had the best time, I’m more of an introvert than an extrovert, and without the girls by my side it’s really brought me out my shell.”

Are you a fan of The Masked Singer? Let us know in the comments.