Titled Sisters In Arms, it will serve as a three-part prequel to the hit BBC drama.

Set in Poplar in September 1939 during the outbreak of the Second World War, the special introduces a new cast including Julie Hesmondhalgh, Helena Wilson, Ellie McKay, Liv Andrusier, and Lizzie Back.

The BBC has shared the first look of Call the Midwife’s Christmas special for 2026 (Image: Neal Street/BBC/PA Wire)

Heidi Thomas, writer and showrunner, said: “Call The Midwife has a long and noble history of filming Christmas specials during heatwaves, and this year we welcomed the snow-machine back to the Nonnatus House set like an old friend.

“But I was surprised how many new emotions Call The Midwife: Sisters In Arms sparked.

“In particular, the evacuation of Poplar’s children, and the fear that they may not make it home for Christmas had us all in tears.”

The series, which has aired since January 2012, follows nurse midwives in east London.

Each of its 15 series has featured a Christmas special and this year is no different.

What to expect from Call the Midwife Christmas special 2026

A synopsis for the special from the BBC reads: “Sister Monica Joan is in her prime, Sister Julienne and Sister Evangelina are young and zealous, and Nonnatus House is the beating heart of Poplar.

“Together with Sister Alice, and local GP Dr Kit, the nuns dedicate their lives to mothers, babies and those in need.

“But there is no gas and air, no penicillin, no cure for TB, and no welfare state.

Top 10 Best British TV series

“Then war is declared – and life gets even harder.

“The three young secular midwives who complete the team – Sybil, Olive and Marianne – receive a baptism of fire as the blackout and the Blitz take hold.

“While bombs rain from the sky, women give birth underground, families are shattered, children run wild, and whole streets are reduced to rubble.

“But courage, compassion and resilience triumph as the community unites in its efforts to survive.”

An exact broadcast date for the special has not yet been confirmed, but it will air during the festive season this year.

If you’ve not watched the series or want to rewatch episodes, BBC iPlayer currently hosts previous series of Call The Midwife.

Who is your favourite Call the Midwife character? Tell us in the comments below.

Bradley Dack‘s new girlfriend Emily Moloney has showed off a huge bunch of red roses, presumably from the footballer amid their recently rekindled romance.

Taking to Instagram on Thursday, the stylist included the image of the flowers amongst a carousel of snaps documenting her summer. 

And while she didn’t specifically name Bradley as the sender, the timing of the post is coincidental as it comes just weeks after his ex Olivia Attwood received a strikingly similar bunch from her new boyfriend Pete Wicks.

In June, the Love Island beauty revealed she was sent a large bouquet of red roses to nurse her nasty hangover after partying in Ibiza, days after Pete spoke about their romance for the first time.

Meanwhile, Bradley and Emily are said to have quietly reunited following his shock split from Olivia in January, amid her secret romance with Pete. 

And while Olivia is loved up with the ex TOWIE hunk, with their romance hard launched on social media last month, she didn’t react well when new photos of Bradley and Emily emerged recently.

The timing of the post is coincidental as it comes just weeks after his ex Olivia Attwood received a strikingly similar bunch from her new boyfriend Pete Wicks

In a series of scathing posts, Olivia branded Emily Bradley’s ‘bit on the side’ and called her a ‘professional benchwarmer’ after the couple were seen together. 

The photographs enraged Olivia who suggested they came as confirmation of what she has believed all along, that Bradley had been seeing Emily.

Emily denied four months ago that she was in a relationship with the Gillingham midfielder, but the photographs appeared to tell a different story.

Last week, Olivia went on a seven-hour bender after teasing she would share screenshots about Brad.

The TV star said that she was going to share ‘messy’ screenshots as she made a dig at Emily amid the photos.

After her manager told her to be the ‘bigger person’, Olivia went on a spontaneous boozy day – and night – out where she sipped champagne in Selfridges, purchased Christian Louboutin heels and ended up at Freedom Bar in Soho.

She said after fans begged her to post the ‘messy’ screenshots: ‘So the screenshots are on pause because my manager wanted me to be the bigger person.

‘So I’m going to have a spontaneous night out but I’m wearing vans so obviously we’re going to go and buy some shoes.’ 

Taking to Instagram on Thursday, the stylist included the image of the flowers amongst a carousel of snaps documenting her summer

Earlier this week Olivia went on a seven-hour bender after teasing she would share screenshots about Brad (pictured together in 2021)

While Olivia is loved up with Pete, with their romance hard launched on social media last month [pictured], she didn’t react well when new photos of Bradley and Emily emerged recently

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On Thursday, Olivia admitted she had a ‘mini nervous breakdown’ this week, before she drunkenly promised to share screenshots about her cheating ex Bradley.

The former Love Island star reflected on her ‘frantic’ week with her fans on Instagram, after teasing ‘no one knows what I’m going to do next, especially not me!’

In just the past week, Olivia has partied in Ibiza and St Tropez, enjoyed a spontaneous seven-hour bender in London, purchased designer gifts for herself and launched a magazine cover where she spilled all about her split from Brad.

The presenter jokingly asked fans on Instagram ‘What shall I do next… marriage, shave my head or get a neck tattoo’, to complete her hectic week. 

She said: ‘I was just reading my diary… [I] landed back from 24 hours in Ibiza. [Then] had a mini nervous breakdown, threatened to release everything from my receipts and screenshots folder.

‘Go to [Christian] Louboutin to calm my nervous system with new shoes, didn’t calm me enough so I went dancing in a gay bar until 5am.

‘Got up the next morning, I thought f*** this. Got on a plane to St Tropez and partied in St Tropez for three days.

‘Land in the UK, appeared on breakfast television to promote my new show. Said new show Price Of Perfection goes to number one on ITVX, the most watched show on the platform.

‘Drives to Wales to collect my two dogs from doggy residential and back. Had a meeting to find out four major supermarket chains want to stock Savano.

‘My Cosmopolitan magazine cover has launched… it’s not even been a week.’

Olivia teased: ‘There’s actually 10 more hours left until it’s one week, what shall I do? Neck tattoo, shave my head, get married, come on!’

Robert F Kennedy Jr revealed that his niece’s tragic death in 2019 was caused by a fentanyl overdose as he paid tribute to her on the anniversary of her passing. 

The Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary shared a touching tribute to his late niece Saoirse Kennedy Hill on Friday – but revealed never-before-reported details of how she passed away in 2019 aged 22. 

Kennedy wrote: ‘Remembering my beloved niece Saorsie (sic) Kennedy Hill, a luminous soul who died 7 years ago this week of an accidental fentanyl overdose.’

The post featured several photographs of Saoirse from her childhood, including beaming family photos and lavish yachting vacations. 

Kennedy promptly deleted the Instagram post soon after sharing it to his millions of followers, however it is unclear if he was aware of revealing her cause of death. 

The Daily Mail has contacted the HHS for comment. 

At the time of Saoirse’s passing in August 2019, toxicology reports found methadone, fluoxetine, norfluoxetine, diazepam, nordiazepam and alcohol in her system.

Fluoxetine is an anti-depressant, and diazepam is medication to treat alcohol withdrawal symptoms and alcohol withdrawals. 

Kennedy shared a touching tribute, but released never-before-reported details of how she passed away in 2019 aged 22

Kennedy wrote on Friday that his late niece was ‘a luminous soul who died 7 years ago this week of an accidental fentanyl overdose’

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Saoirse – the granddaughter of assassinated presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy – was found unresponsive at the Kennedy family compound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts on the night of August 2, 2019. 

She was the daughter of Courtney Kennedy Hill and Paul Michael Hill, who was imprisoned in Ireland for 15 years after being falsely accused of involvement in Irish Republican Army (IRA) bombings. 

Aged just 22, the heir to the Kennedy dynasty was at home with many of her family members, including grandmother Ethel Kennedy, when she overdosed. 

She was raced to Cape Cod Hospital, and she was pronounced dead soon after. 

Ethel Kennedy, then-91, shared a heartbreaking statement following Saoirse’s death, saying that ‘the world is a little less beautiful today.’

Saoirse had been open about her struggles with mental illness, depression and anxiety, including sharing an op-ed in her student newspaper at the prestigious Deerfield Academy in 2016. 

She wrote at the time that her depression ‘took root in the beginning of my middle school years and will be with me for the rest of my life.’

The political scion indicated that the weight of her family name wore on her, as she said she suffered from ‘deep bouts of sadness that felt like a heavy boulder on my chest.’ 

Saoirse’s sudden death seven years ago marked one of the most heartbreaking chapter’s in the Kennedy family’s long list of tragedies, which have become commonly known as the ‘Kennedy curse.’

Saoirse’s uncle RFK Jr. shared several photographs of his late niece from her childhood, including beaming family photos and lavish yachting vacations

Kennedy family members at Saoirse Kennedy Hill’s funeral on August 5, 2019 in Massachusetts

The so-called ‘Kennedy curse’ began with the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963, when he was gunned down in Dallas, Texas by Lee Harvey Oswald. 

Just months before the assassination, the president’s son Patrick – who was born prematurely – died at just 40-hours-old in August 1963. 

In the decades since, the family has suffered numerous tragedies and unexpected deaths, including another assassination, four fatal plane crashes, and several overdoses. 

Five years after JFK’s shock assassination, his brother and then-presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy was also assassinated in 1968 in California. 

The next year in July 1969, the presumed heir to the Kennedy throne, brother Ted Kennedy, was involved in a controversial car wreck on Chappaquiddick Island in Massachusetts. 

While Ted Kennedy survived the crash, his friend Mary Jo Kopechne died inside the car when it crashed into a pond, and his political reputation never fully recovered.  

In 1994, former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis passed away aged just 64, following a battle with lymphoma. 

In 1997, JFK’s son Michael, a lawyer and activist, was killed in a skiing accident after smashing in to a tree while playing football on skis without any protective equipment on. He died aged just 39. 

The family’s troubles hit the headlines yet again in 1999, when JFK’s son, John F Kennedy Jr., died alongside his wife Carolyn Bassette and her sister Lauren in a plane crash off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard. 

Saoirse Kennedy Hill is also not the only family member to die by drug overdose, as Robert F Kennedy’s son David, then-28, passed away in a Palm Beach hotel in 1984. 

The most famous death in the Kennedy family was that of President John F Kennedy who was shot by Lee Harvey Oswald in Dallas on November 22, 1963

Robert F Kennedy was killed on June 5, 1968, at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles shortly after he won the California Democratic presidential primary (pictured in March 1968)

JFK Jr crashed his small plane into the ocean around seven miles from Martha’s Vineyard in 1999, killing his wife Carolyn Bessette Kennedy and her sister Lauren Bessette

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Robert F Kennedy’s son David, 28, was found dead of an overdose in a Palm Beach hotel in 1984 (pictured in New York in 1984). Right: Saoirse Kennedy Hill, the granddaughter of RFK died following an accidental overdose in 2019 at the family compound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts

Tatiana Schlossberg, 35, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, a type of blood cancer, in May 2024, and she died last year 

In 2020, Maeve Kennedy Townsend McKean, 40, the granddaughter of RFK, and her son Gideon, 8, drowned. 

The pair disappeared as they were canoeing in Chesapeake Bay, Maryland, when they climbed into the canoe to retrieve a lost ball from a waterfront home, but failed to return to shore.

In 2011, Ted’s daughter Kara died from a sudden unexpected heart attack while working out at a health club in Washington DC. 

It’s believed that the heart attack may have been brought on by the aggressive cancer treatment she was undergoing at the time. 

Last year, the family was struck by its latest heartbreak as Tatiana Schlossberg, John F. Kennedy’s granddaughter – died from cancer aged just 35. 

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal prosecutor fired last year over critical comments he had written as a private citizen about President Donald Trump sued the Justice Department on Friday, saying his termination violated his First Amendment rights.

Will Rosenzweig was two weeks away from trying a multimillion-dollar Medicare fraud case when a blog he had written years earlier covering a broad range of topics was publicized online by a conservative political commentator who also included a screenshot of Rosenzweig’s LinkedIn account and tagged senior Justice Department officials for their awareness.

Less than three hours after the post, the lawsuit says, Rosenzweig received an email signed by then- Attorney General Pam Bondi informing him that he had been fired. The news came as Rosenzweig was out of town with his family observing the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashana.

The September 2025 termination was part of a sweeping personnel purge over the last year and a half inside the Justice Department, which has fired prosecutors who worked on investigations into Trump and others seen as being against the administration’s efforts.

A lawsuit filed in federal court in Miami, where Rosenzweig worked as a federal prosecutor for five years, seeks reinstatement to the job as well as a court order declaring his firing unlawful. The complaint says Rosenzweig was a highly respected prosecutor who received “consistent praise and awards” and was so highly valued in his office that he was told just weeks before his firing that he would be getting a special parking spot.

The blog Rosenzweig had written had been defunct for over six years at the time of his firing and included his thoughts on travel, sports and other “apolitical, anodyne topics,” in addition to critical observations about Trump and other political candidates, the lawsuit says. The comments that the conservative commentator, Natalie Winters, chose to highlight in her post on X specifically highlighted his thoughts on Trump, according to the complaint, which says the firing was a direct assault on Rosenzweig’s free speech rights.

“The Department’s conduct rests on a single premise: a citizen must forever refrain from criticizing the government and its leaders to remain eligible to serve it,” the lawsuit says. “That rule would force every American who might one day serve to choose between speaking freely now and working for the government later. Conditioning public employment on political loyalty, where a party card rather than merit opens the door to a government job, is a way of life in Havana and Caracas. It has no place here.”

A Justice Department spokeswoman declined to comment, citing pending litigation.

By JADA BAS, REPORTER and SHANNON MCGUIGAN, NEWS REPORTER

Published: 20:40 BST, 7 August 2026 | Updated: 20:52 BST, 7 August 2026

A mother and father have been pictured for the first time after they were charged over the death of their one-year-old son from ‘severe malnutrition’.

Police were called after Maero Johnson was rushed to hospital, where despite the best efforts of staff he passed away in the early hours of August 23, 2023. 

The baby died from ketonic hypoglycaemia and severe malnutrition, a Home Office postmortem confirmed. 

The condition is typically caused by long periods without food or a viral illness. It most commonly affects toddlers and young children.

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A second child was also found by Merseyside Police officers to be ‘neglected and underdeveloped’. 

Adam Johnson, 26, and Kylie Smith, 25, both of St Helens, have been charged with causing/allowing the death of a child, child neglect and possession of a Class B drug, cannabis. 

Johnson and Smith are scheduled to appear at Liverpool Magistrates Court on August 13. 

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Kylie Smith, 25, has been charged with causing/allowing the death of a child, child neglect and possession of a Class B drug, cannabis

Adam Johnson, 26, of St Helens, has also been charged for the same crimes

Police were called after Maero Johnson (pictured) was rushed to hospital, where despite the best efforts of staff he passed away in the early hours of August 23, 2023

By CHARLOTTE DEAN, ASSOCIATE SHOWBIZ EDITOR

Published: 18:59 BST, 7 August 2026 | Updated: 20:44 BST, 7 August 2026

A teaser for Sir Cliff Richard‘s 2027 calendar has dropped with a look at the singer’s silly side as he posed in an array of wacky looks from exotic locations.

The pop veteran, 85, has been releasing his annual poses since the seventies and regularly outsells the likes of the former One Direction star and Taylor Swift.

This calendar marks the 49th edition of Sir Cliff’s annual offering, which includes a shot of him sporting a tuxedo T-shirt holding a ‘his lordship’ mug.

Sir Cliff leaned into the psychedelics of the 60s and 70s, sporting a funky rainbow T-shirt and round yellow-tinted sunglasses, posing in front of a series of vibrant bottles.

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The latest edition of the calendar also includes a tribute to Sir Cliff’s late friend Cilla Black, who passed away aged 72 in 2015.

A teaser for Sir Cliff Richard’s 2027 calendar has dropped with a look at the singer’s silly side as he posed in an array of wacky looks from exotic locations

Sir Cliff leaned into the psychedelics of the 60s and 70s, sporting a funky rainbow T-shirt and round yellow-tinted sunglasses, posing in front of a series of vibrant bottles 

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The latest edition of the calendar also includes a tribute to Sir Cliff’s late friend Cilla Black, who passed away age 72 in 2025

Sir Cliff, who was wearing a tie dye jacket and shorts, stood at the back of the boat with the name ‘Cilla’ and two glasses of champagne. 

Sir Cliff and Cilla had a very close, long-lasting friendship, from when they first became friends in the 1960s, when both were among Britain’s biggest pop stars.

Their friendship lasted for around 50 years and continued well beyond their chart success into their television careers.

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They spent time together in Barbados, where both owned homes, and were also seen dining together in places like Marbella, which are likely where Sir Cliff’s snaps for this year’s calendar were taken.

Speaking about the calendar, Sir Cliff said: ‘My favourite pastimes are travelling and spending quality time with friends and the pictures in the 2027 calendar are a small snapshot of some wonderful times in May and June this year in various locations. 

‘I am delighted to be sharing these with you in my 2027 calendar, of which, I am so proud. It might be a bit early but a happy 2027 to you all.’ 

Sir Cliff’s total calendar sales since 1979 are reportedly around the £2million mark – beating the likes of David Beckham.

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His 2022 release was the best-selling of any music star’s calendar, according to Calendar Club, which had Elvis Presley in second, followed by Styles.

Sir Cliff was reading a book titled It’s Great To Be Young which he authored

Sir Cliff’s 2026 calendar is now available here

Sir Cliff and Cilla had a very close, long-lasting friendship, from when they first became friends in the 1960s, when both were among Britain’s biggest pop stars

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In one image, Sir Cliff proves he knows exactly how to give his fans exactly what they want, by offering up two images of himself sat on a chair in front of the sea.

Danilo Promotions, which tracks sales of all calendars, put Sir Cliff’s 2024 in fourth, with Taylor Swift top. Harry Styles didn’t make the top five. 

In 2023, the singer left fans disappointed when he announced that he would be breaking with tradition by not stripping for his calendars going forward.

Fans had become accustomed to him posing topless, as he did in a swimming pool in 2022. 

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‘I suspect I have done my final topless photo for my annual calendar… it’s time to gracefully exit the Chippendales market,’ he said.

Sir Cliff’s 2026 calendar is now available here

Manchester United’s transfer business is not over this summer, and scouts have watched an enticing prospect to improve the club’s forward line

Manchester United reportedly scouts watched on as Shakhtar Donetsk forward Kaua Elias scored a perfect hat-trick on Monday. The 20-year-old sparked his side’s 5-1 thrashing of Kudrivka in Lviv and put in a convincing performance in front of some of Europe’s biggest clubs.

United and Arsenal took in Elias’ performance, according to The Sun, with an official bid now expected for the Brazilian. Shakhtar are said to rate him at £30million.

The young striker has scored 12 goals and provided three assists in 39 appearances in his short time at the club, having joined from Fluminense in 2025. The Premier League sides are set to face competition from AC Milan and Porto.

Rossoneri chiefs are said to be weighing up a bid. Elias’ representatives have already received ‘concrete signals’ from interested parties.

United’s scouts were tasked with observing Elias up close after assessments of his recent performances. It is claimed that Old Trafford bosses were told that the Shakhtar ace holds the ‘potential to develop into a top-level centre-forward’.

It was also said that Elias would slot into United’s system well. He is said to have been described as ‘highly compatible with United’s press-heavy, fast-transition system’.

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But United will not necessarily have it all their own way, with Arsenal reportedly monitoring the striker for several weeks. Elias is said to be open to a move to an elite European league.

Michael Carrick may have a vacancy in his forward line with only Benjamin Sesko recognised as an out-and-out forward among the senior squad. Joshua Zirkzee is also set to leave the club with interest from Serie A side Juventus.

United moved quickly to improve their midfield with the additions of Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans but require further improvements. With weeks of the transfer window remaining, the club have been linked to a third midfielder, a full-back and a striker.

Friday saw goalkeeper Altay Bayindir join Celta Vigo on an initial loan. The La Liga side can make the Turkey international’s move permanent for £3.5m.

Thousands of Man United fans upgraded their matchday last season. This is how they did it.

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Earlier this year, Levy, 40, was found guilty by a jury at Inner London Crown Court of groping 10 women on the Tube and an 11th while in prison.

Details of this trial can now be reported after his conviction at the Old Bailey.

The offences took place between April 2022 at the prison, followed by the Tube assaults between 24 October 2023 and May 2025.

He had already been convicted of sexually assaulting two women in 2018, which was why he was in prison in 2022.

The sex offender had lost sight in one eye in an attack in May 2024 and played on this, claiming that his partial sight made him unsteady on his feet and all contact was accidental on these crowded trains.

Levy’s tactic was to tie a jumper or hoodie around his waist, strap his arm down, and then back towards his victim with his hand fully or partially covered so he could grope them.

One of the Tube assault victims told the court: “It wasn’t long before I learned that my attacker was already known to the police for sexual violence and is a convicted sex offender.

“You could not begin to understand the horror I felt at hearing this.

“How could a male who does this so often and so brazenly be allowed to repeat his attacks?

“Knowing this made me feel even more unsafe, the possibility that I could encounter Simon Levy again made me fearful and the idea that he would harm more women and that there would be many more victims was unthinkable.”

During the sentencing hearing in June for the Tube attacks, Judge Michael Evans told Levy : “You were on the Tube for one purpose only, to sexually assault women.”

Levy was convicted of 11 counts of indecent assault, including grabbing the prison guard in 2022, and given an extended sentence consisting of a six-year jail term plus a three-year period on licence.

Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, external, X, external and Instagram, external. Send your story ideas to hello.bbclondon@bbc.co.uk, external

It’s Friday night and that means you could be minutes away from becoming a multi-millionaire. Below you’ll find the winning numbers for tonight’s Euromillions and Thunderball draws. The Euromillions jackpot for Friday, August 7 is worth a life-changing £94m.

The Euromillions draw occurs every Tuesday and Friday, with tickets priced at £2.50. This includes automatic entry into the UK Millionaire Maker draw, which creates new UK millionaires every week.

The maximum jackpot can climb to €190m (roughly £167m).

The Thunderball game also took place this evening at 8pm. The winner of this draw pockets £500,000 if they match five numbers along with the crucial Thunderball number.

How many numbers do you need to win?

Those who have got two numbers or one number and two lucky stars or better, are the winner. Players must match all five main numbers and two lucky star numbers to claim the jackpot.

In May 2022 Joe and Jess Thwaite, from Gloucester, became the UK’s biggest-ever Euromillions winners after netting £184m with a lucky dip ticket. Their record did not last long, though, after another UK winner came forward in July 2022 to claim a jackpot of £195m.

However they have not gone public. Prior to Mr and Mrs Thwaite’s win the previous record was held by an anonymous winner who scooped £170m in October 2019. On June 4, 2021, a ticketholder in the UK scooped the £111m jackpot in the Friday-night draw, matching all seven numbers to become the country’s ninth-biggest lottery winner ever at that stage.

In June 2019 a single ticketholder in the UK won £123m in the Tuesday night Euromillions draw. It was the third-biggest Euromillions jackpot in the UK since the draw launched in 2004. It meant they instantly became as rich as Fifty Shades of Grey author E. L. James (£127m) and Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page (£125m).

June 2023 was a lucrative month for UK players with a ticketholder bagging a £117.1m jackpot on June 2 while another winner scooped the £55m jackpot on June 20. Euromillions is played in nine European countries.

The winning numbers for both draws can be found below:

Mohammed Al Masri, 25, has been jailed for eight years after tricking a young mum into getting into a taxi and raping her after a night out in Manchester

A predator who “posed as a good Samaritan” before tricking a young mum into getting into a taxi and raping her after a night out in Manchester has been jailed.

Mohammed Al Masri, 25, told the “vulnerable lone woman” he would take her home in an Uber, but instead took her back to his HMO where he subjected her to a terrifying attack in December last year.

Officers arrested him moments after the attack as the victim had managed to send her live location to her boyfriend via WhatsApp, who then alerted the police.

On Friday, a judge sentenced Al Masri to eight years in prison at Manchester’s Minshull Street Crown Court and ruled him to be a dangerous offender, the Manchester Evening News reports.

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The victim, in her 20s, had been out drinking with a friend in Manchester city centre on December 21 last year, the court was told.

At the end of the night, they “went their separate ways” and the woman tried to get a taxi, Lewis Hazeldine, prosecuting, said.

“She was followed by the defendant and an associate,” Mr Hazeldine said. The men “offered to get her an Uber home”, and she saw them type her postcode into the Uber app and was therefore “satisfied they were taking her home”, the prosecutor said.

But as soon as she got into the car, she began “to feel unsafe” and the effects of alcohol, saying her “head was starting to spin”, he added.

The Uber driver told police she “fell asleep on the defendant’s shoulder” and later “with her head in his lap”. She had the “presence of mind” to share her live location with her boyfriend, the court heard.

Rather than take her home, the men took her to the house of multiple occupancy (HMO) in Abbey Hey, Gorton, where Al Masri was living. The victim was so intoxicated, she had to be “lifted and carried out of the taxi by the two men” and was taken to the defendant’s bedroom, Mr Hazeldine said.

Victim ‘jumped into arms’ of female officers after terrifying attack

Al Masri told the woman “she was safe” that her boyfriend was “on his way to collect her”.

After falling asleep on the bed, the woman became aware that Al Masri was raping her. She said the other man was in the room, at the end of the bed, and believes he was recording the attack on his mobile phone.

After seeing her live location, the woman’s boyfriend rang 999 and officers rushed to the address on Gordon Street, Abbey Hey, in the early hours of December 22. She was “extremely distressed” and “jumped into the arms” of the female officers who responded, the court heard.

Al Masri accepted he had had sex with the woman but told police it was consensual and that she had initiated it.

Al Masri, of no fixed address, denied one count of rape but following a trial was last month found guilty by a jury, on a majority of 10-2.

‘I remember thinking: I am going to die’

In a statement read to court on Friday, the victim said: “It should have been a night I remember for all the right reasons. However, now, it is a night I never want to think about.

“I will never forget the fear that I felt when this man took me to his house. I had no idea who he was. I had no idea where I was. I genuinely questioned if I would leave this place with my life.

“There were so many thoughts running through my mind when I arrived at his house. However, this man tried to reassure me and tell me that I was going to be safe and my boyfriend was coming. This was all a sick lie.

“I don’t remember much of what happened in the room. I don’t want to remember. I do, however, remember how I felt. I remember not being able to move my body because I was so frozen with fear. I remember thinking: ‘I am going to die.’”

The victim added: “The next thing I remember is the police entering the room and I have never felt relief like it. I knew I was going to live. This was not the end of what happened to me. I feel like this was only the beginning.

“After it all happened, I felt like I was a zombie. I could not speak to anybody. I was numb. I was emotionless. I felt nothing. I couldn’t interact with my children and felt like I was unable to be a real mum.”

Keith Harrison, defending Al Masri, said he was a “political refugee from the Assad regime” in Syria and that he had been granted five years leave to remain, which expires in 2029. He said he was “not a person who is work shy” and that he had worked both in Syria and in the UK. He said he had no previous convictions and described the offence as a “one-off”.

‘Al Masri posed as a good Samaritan but his motives were far more sinister’

Judge Recorder Alexandra Simmonds said there were “elements of abduction” as the woman was “deceived her into thinking she was being taken home”.

She said the victim was “in a vulnerable state” and was “in no condition to make any free and informed decision about sexual activity”.

The victim also had to suffer the “degradation and humiliation” of the presence of the second man, the judge added.

In addition to his sentence, Al Masri was made subject to notification requirements for life, a 10-year sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) and a restraining order. He may be deported but that would be a “matter for immigration, not this court”, his barrister said.

In a statement issued following the hearing, Anna Mackenzie, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “Mohammed Al Masri posed as a ‘good Samaritan’ when he offered to help the woman get a taxi home after a night out, but his motives were far more sinister.

“The way he targeted a lone woman who he believed would be vulnerable through alcohol was both calculating and insidious. Al Masri’s vile actions have had a lasting impact on the woman. I truly hope today’s sentence will help her move forward knowing that without her bravery and support, this dangerous man would still be in our community.”