Brad Pitt surprised fans this week when he revealed he is drinking again after seven years of sobriety. 

The actor, 62, has been candid about his alcohol consumption over the years, going teetotal after his split from Angelina Jolie amid accusations that he flew into an intoxicated rage and poured alcohol over his family while on a private jet in 2016.

On Thursday, a source close to Brad’s camp told the Daily Mail that the star’s return to drinking was a ‘gradual process in recent years’. You can read more about that here.

Yet his journey with sobriety first began in the Noughties, when he gave up marijuana after becoming a father. 

Brad adopted Angelina’s adopted children Maddox, Zahara and son Pax in 2006 before welcoming daughter Shiloh later that year and twins Knox and Vivienne in 2008.  

During an appearance on Real Time With Bill Maher in 2009, Brad revealed that he no longer smoked cannabis, explaining: ‘I’m a dad now. You want to be alert and my eyes used to glaze over when I did that.’

Brad also revealed that his marijuana habit had impacted his education, previously revealing he was two credits short of graduating college. 

He explained: ‘All I had to do was write a paper. What kind of guy is that? That guy scares me, the guy who always leaves a little on his plate. For a long time, I thought I did too much damage – drug damage. 

‘I was a bit of a drifter. A guy who felt he grew up in something of a vacuum and wanted to see things, wanted to be inspired. I followed that other thing. I spent years f**king off. But then I got burnt out and felt that I was wasting my opportunity. It was a conscious change.’

His marijuana use had threatened to spiral out of control, with Brad saying in 2012: ‘I got really sick of myself at the end of the Nineties.

‘I was hiding out from the celebrity thing; I was smoking way too much dope; I was sitting on the couch and just turning into a doughnut; and I really got irritated with myself. I got to: “What’s the point? I know better than this.”‘

Brad credited a trip to Morocco where he witnessed ‘extreme poverty’ and other social injustices with inspiring him to clean up his act, saying: ‘I stopped grass then – I mean, pretty much – and decided to get off the couch.’

In 2017, Brad touched on his sober journey again when he revealed that he ‘stopped everything except boozing when I started my family.’

Speaking about six months after Angelina filed for divorce, he confessed: ‘I can’t remember a day since I got out of college when I wasn’t boozing or had a spliff, or something. Something. 

‘And you realize that a lot of it is, cigarettes, you know, pacifiers. And I’m running from feelings. I’m really, really happy to be done with all of that. I mean I stopped everything except boozing when I started my family.’

‘But even this last year, you know, things I wasn’t dealing with. I was boozing too much. It’s just become a problem.’ 

On giving up alcohol, he continued: ‘And I’m really happy it’s been half a year now, which is bittersweet, but I’ve got my feelings in my fingertips again. I think that’s part of the human challenge: You either deny them all of your life or you answer them and evolve.’

On the winery he owned with Angelia Jolie, Brad said: ‘I enjoy wine very, very much, but I just ran it to the ground. I had to step away for a minute’ (pictured at his Château Miraval vineyard)

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On the winery he co-owned with Angelia, Brad added: ‘I enjoy wine very, very much, but I just ran it to the ground. I had to step away for a minute. 

‘And truthfully I could drink a Russian under the table with his own vodka. I was a professional. I was good.’

Yet he said it was time for a change because he didn’t ‘want to live that way anymore’, noting that he’d replaced alcohol with ‘cranberry juice and fizzy water.’ 

Brad later credited Bradley Cooper – who got sober two decades ago after struggling with alcohol and cocaine addiction – with helping him give up alcohol. 

When introducing Bradley at the 2020 National Board of Review Annual Awards Gala, Brad shared: ‘I got sober because of this guy. And every day’s been happier ever since.’

The Fight Club star also revealed on a separate occasion that he used alcohol ‘as a disservice to myself, as an escape.’

Asked if he found it ‘necessary’ to quit drinking altogether, Brad replied: ‘To some degree, yes.’

He went on to tell the New York Times in 2019: ‘I had taken things as far as I could take it, so I removed my drinking privileges.’

In AA, he said: ‘You had all these men sitting around being open and honest in a way I have never heard. It was this safe space where there was little judgment, and therefore little judgment of yourself.’

Brad later called AA a ‘wake up call’, explaining how he went from being ‘shy’ to ‘pretty much on my knees and I was really open.’ 

Brad later credited Bradley Cooper – who got sober two decades ago after struggling with alcohol and cocaine addiction – with helping him give up alcohol (pictured in 2024)

Speaking on Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast last year, he mused: ‘I was trying anything and everyone. Anything anyone threw at me. It was a difficult time. I needed rebooting. I needed to wake the f**k up in some areas.

‘I just thought it was just incredible men sharing their experiences, their foibles, their missteps, their wants, their aches, and a lot of humor with it. I thought it was a really special experience.’

He went on to note that meetings soon became ‘something I’d look forward to.’

This week, however, Brad revealed he had begun drinking again – but insisted he is now more mindful of his consumption.

In a wide-ranging interview with Esquire, the actor admitted he had gotten ‘back off the wagon’ after the interviewer noticed the star had offered him a glass of wine.

When asked if the beverage was for guests, Brad responded: ‘No, I got – I was sober for seven years. And then I got back off the wagon,’ he said, offering a little laugh.

He continued: ‘In a more restrained manner. I got overconfident a couple times, went, “Yep, nope, not good for me.” Not in big quantities.’

Brad then clarified he is now able to ‘have a few’ glasses of wine but is unable to indulge any further, stating: ‘Well… I can have a few. But I can’t have a lot. I have to be professional about it.

The interviewer then noted that Brad had becoming something of a morning person in recent years and ‘you can miss a lovely morning when you drink too much the night before, and it’s just not as interesting.’

Following the admission, a source told The Daily Mail: ‘This was a personal decision. He has spent years reflecting on his relationship with alcohol and knows what works for him.’

Angelina was said to have reacted to the news that Brad was off the wagon by saying she was ‘not surprised’, with a source adding ‘she knew this was always a possibility’ (pictured in 2015)

Angelina was also said to have reacted to the news, with a source claiming to Rob Shuter’s Naughty But Nice column that the actress was ‘not surprised’, adding, ‘she tried to warn people. She knew this was always a possibility.’

The insider added that Jolie had ‘long believed that sobriety did not necessarily mean the underlying problems [Brad had] had disappeared.

‘She doesn’t believe Brad has fundamentally changed. She believes Brad is who Brad is, and no amount of sobriety or reinvention changes that,’ they claimed.

The Daily Mail has contacted Brad and Angelina’s representatives for comment. 

For help and support with alcohol issues in the UK, contact Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) for free on 0800 917 7650 or email help@aamail.org 

In the US, AA can be reached on 212–870–3400

It has been recommended by many viewers as the ‘most binge-worthy show to watch’ on the streaming platform, according to viral Reddit threads

A Netflix series has managed to seize everyone’s attention, with a significant number of people putting it forward as the ultimate recommendation for ‘binge-worthy shows to watch’ on the streaming platform.

Many people have taken to Reddit to sing the praises of one particular Netflix series, with the show having successfully enthralled audiences across the globe.

Across multiple Reddit threads that have gone viral, one show recommendation appears to be the common thread, with countless people listing it as a ‘must-see’ suggestion. The series in question is none other than The Queen’s Gambit.

Starring Anya Taylor-Joy in the lead role, the series landed on Netflix during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic and propelled Anya to stardom, turning her into a household name.

The coming-of-age period drama – based on Walter Tevis’ 1983 novel of the same name – soared to extraordinary levels of popularity during the devastating pandemic, providing an absorbing and compelling escape for people the world over, reports Wales Online.

Since its release on October 23, 2020, the Netflix original series has only continued to accumulate admiration and affection from viewers with each passing year.

So much so, that endless recommendations on viral Reddit threads persistently cite it as the most binge-worthy series available. As someone who devoured the series herself the moment it was released, I can vouch for the merit of that recommendation.

In the Netflix subreddit, one popular post with 1.9k comments asks: “The most binge worthy Netflix show or movie you’ve ever watched. You ever start a show or movie on Netflix thinking you’ll just watch one episode, then suddenly it’s 3am and you’ve watched the whole thing? Just curious what people’s recommendations are for ones that really had you hooked.”

Countless users flocked to the comment section of the thread, with a number singling out The Queen’s Gambit as their top pick.

One of the highest-rated comments simply reads “Queen’s Gambit” and the suggestion itself garnered 466 upvotes. Fellow Redditors appeared to echo the recommendation, as one wrote: “Watched in one night, rewinded after every microsleep. The book was also a great experience.”

Another user described it as ‘one of the best shows I’ve seen’, while a further Redditor agreed: “Me too! I’ve watched it three times so far!”.

The Queen’s Gambit takes its name from a chess opening, and follows the remarkable life and rise to prominence of fictional American chess prodigy Beth Harmon, portrayed by Taylor-Joy. It traces Beth’s journey as the rising star of chess during the 1950s and 60s, all while she secretly battles a drug and alcohol addiction.

The Queen’s Gambit was written and directed by Scott Frank, who co-created the series with Allan Scott, who owns the rights to Tevis’ book. From the very outset, The Queen’s Gambit began to garner widespread acclaim, and in an unprecedented first, the Netflix original series went on to win a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series – the first streaming service production to ever win the category.

The Queen’s Gambit scooped a total of 11 Primetime Emmys, two Golden Globe Awards for Best Limited Series or Television Film and Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film for Taylor-Joy. She also went on to win the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie during that awards season.

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One Redditor said on the thread: “I slept not a moment that night. A perfect show.”

While another added: “Yep that was absolutely binge material!”.

Yet another user echoed the show’s binge-worthy sentiment: “Damn, this is the only series here I have actually watched! And it was excellent, watched it all in 1-2 days, as I recall.”

In a separate viral Reddit thread, a user asked: “What’s that one Netflix show you think is an absolute must-watch? The kind where you’d say, “I can’t believe you haven’t seen this yet. ” Looking for something great to start next, classics or hidden gems both welcome.”

Once again, recommendations for The Queen’s Gambit flooded the comments section, with one Redditor writing: “Great show, one of those ‘I watched it because everyone said it was great’ and it really was!” Another viewer commented: “I watched it with two other friends and all of us have completely different TV viewing preferences. We all loved Queen’s Gambit!”.

While one fan of the series described it as ‘probably the best that I watched in the past decade’, another Redditor remarked, “I’d heard it was great but otherwise didn’t know what it was, my roomie put it on one day and I was hooked. Really well done.”

One Reddit user added: “If you only want one [recommendation], Queen’s Gambit.”

Taylor-Joy is joined by Bill Camp, Moses Ingram, Christiane Seidel, Rebecca Root, Chloe Pirrie, Akemnji Ndifornyen and Marielle Heller alongside a larger ensemble cast, all of whom have garnered glowing praise from both critics and viewers alike.

The Queen’s Gambit is streaming now on Netflix.

The monarch, who lives with Queen Camilla at their Cotswolds home Highgrove House, expressed his sympathy to those dealing with loss, injury and uncertainty after the disaster.

Writing alongside his wife, he issued a personal message to the people of Colombia following the devastating earthquake that struck the country.

King Charles expressed his sympathy to those dealing with loss, injury and uncertainty after the disaster.

His message also recognised the work of emergency teams helping communities in the aftermath.

The King wrote: “My wife and I were so dreadfully saddened to learn of the devastating earthquake that has struck your country, and the tragic loss of life and suffering it has caused.”

He continued: “At this most difficult of times, our special thoughts are with the bereaved and injured, those awaiting news of family and friends and the emergency responders working tirelessly to support those in need.”

Charles and Camilla then praised the response and spirit of those affected.

The royal couple said: “We greatly admire the resilience and strength of the Colombian people, and we send our deepest sympathy and heartfelt condolences during this most challenging and distressing period.”

The message, signed “Charles R.”, was published by the Royal Family on August 11 in a Buckingham Palace release.

Other European royal households have also offered messages of support following the tragedy.

The King’s words also offered a recognition of the challenge facing survivors and the wider country as it responds to the impact of the earthquake.

The full message was shared in English by the Royal Family, with Charles issuing it jointly with the Queen.

A killer who raped and murdered a five-year-old girl asked for his execution to be moved up to avoid harsh prison conditions, according to the sheriff who worked on the case.

Jeremy Tremaine Williams, 42, died by lethal injection on Thursday after he was convicted of killing Kamarie Holland in December 2021.

Williams raped and strangled Kamarie after offering her mother $2,500 for the child to perform a sex act. He filmed the attack and kept the girl’s body to continue abusing her.

Her naked body was found in Williams’ duplex in Phenix City, Alabama, concealed beneath a car tarp.

Despite his depravity, Williams used his last words to insist he had been absolved for the crime.

‘I want to thank God for forgiving me for my sins so I can meet him in peace,’ he said, according to the Associated Press. 

The twisted killer swayed his head back and forth before he smiled and appeared to sing or speak. He finally became still and was pronounced dead at 6.16pm.

His death came after he wrote to ask for his execution to be expedited, a move Russell County Sheriff Heath Taylor said was to avoid violence in jail.

Williams raped and strangled five-year-old Kamarie after allegedly offering her mother $2,500 for the child to perform a sex act, prosecutors said

Kamarie’s naked body was discovered in Williams’ basement underneath a car tarp with a rope around her neck

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‘He didn’t want to look over his shoulder for 30 years, in my opinion,’ Taylor said. 

Russell County District Attorney Richard Chancey described Kamarie’s final moments as ‘horrific.’

‘That baby didn’t die in peace,’ said Chancey at a news conference, referring to Williams’ last words.

Governor Kay Ivey said in a statement after the execution that the nature of Williams’ crimes is the reason they have the death penalty.

The girl’s mother is serving a 20-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to sex trafficking.

Williams was also a suspect in the 2005 death of his infant daughter in Alaska, but charges were not filed until 2022.

It was Alabama’s first execution of 2026 and coincided with two others in the US, marking the first triple execution in 16 years.

In Tennessee, 66-year-old Byron Black Hines died by lethal injection for the 1985 murder of 54-year-old motel maid Catherine Jean Jenkins.

Williams was also a suspect in the 2005 death of his infant daughter in Alaska, but charges were not filed until 2022 

Kamarie’s own mother is also behind bars, serving a 20-year sentence after pleading guilty to sex trafficking

Hines checked into the motel in Kingston Springs and brutally raped, robbed and stabbed Jenkins to death while she was cleaning a room.

Her body was found wrapped in a bedsheet in one of the motel rooms with knife wounds, while her car keys and wallet had been stolen.

He eventually surrendered to police and was sentenced to death in 1986.

Hines initially said he had no final words before requesting: ‘Tell my son hello,’ according to AP. 

He was injected and, after a few minutes, Hines asked his spiritual adviser, ‘How long do I have?’ before witnesses heard groans and heavy breathing.

He was pronounced dead at 10.43am.

His son and Jenkins’ family both watched him be executed, as per the outlet. 

‘I hope he felt severe pain because what he did to my mother is nothing compared to what he may have just gone through,’ Dennis Jenkins said.

In Oklahoma, 70-year-old Carlos Cuesta-Rodriguez was executed at the state penitentiary in McAlester for murdering his girlfriend at their Oklahoma City home in 2003.

Anthony Darrell Hines, 66, was executed hours before Williams in Tennessee for the 1985 murder of Catherine Jean Jenkins, a motel maid he stabbed to death

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In Oklahoma, 70-year-old Carlos Cuesta-Rodriguez was set to face lethal injection for murdering his girlfriend at their Oklahoma City home in 2003 

Olimpia Fisher, 43, was planning to leave the relationship when Cuesta-Rodriguez shot her in one eye, then waited eight minutes as she screamed for help before firing the fatal shot into her other eye.

‘He made her suffer because she dared to live beyond his control,’ Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond told the state’s Pardon and Parole Board last month.

Rodriguez has since said he regrets killing her and said that he didn’t want any clemency or mercy.

He attended his clemency hearing only to apologize to his victim’s daughters.

Reading out a statement in Spanish, he said: ‘I know that nothing I say will be enough to erase your pain, to offer some kind of comfort or get her back.

‘But I do want to tell you that I regret it, and I am truly remorseful from the bottom of my heart. My time has come, and I want to leave in peace. And if I am forgiven someday, well, I will be forgiven. But it’s time for me to pay for what I did.’

In his final moments, he had no last words but turned his head toward two relatives watching and mouthed, ‘I love you,’ according to the outlet. He was declared dead at 10.13am.

Eleven states carried out executions in 2025 in the US, and six states have had executions in 2026.

The last time three executions were held on the same day was January 7, 2010, when Louisiana, Ohio and Texas put inmates to death.

Three executions were scheduled on the same day in 2018, but only one went forward after a Texas man was granted a reprieve and prison officials in Alabama had problems with the IV line.

Nigel Farage will return as MP for Clacton after sealing a convincing victory in yesterday’s by-election against Count Binface.

The result means the Reform leader’s resignation gamble last month – triggering what he pitched as a ‘people versus the establishment’ fight – appears to have paid off.

But it is unclear how he will argue that victory in a heavily Reform-friendly constituency should ease the scrutiny over his finances that appears to have contributed to a slide in his and his party’s popularity.

Farage managed to increase his vote count from the last general election by just over 1,000 though he faced no serious competition from other major parties.

Count Binface, a comedy candidate who wears a bin on his head and describes himself as an ‘intergalactic space warrior’, won 26.7% of the vote.

The Reform leader did not turn up to the count, telling supporters that Essex Police had told him there was a plan to ‘disrupt and degrade’ him if he went along.

BBC News later reported that Essex Police had not advised any candidate that they should not attend the count.

A victory speech planned by Farage for later this morning has been cancelled, with no reason provided by Reform.

Today’s result also means the investigation into his financial affairs by the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner will automatically restart.

Daniel Greenberg had been looking into whether Farage broke parliamentary rules by not declaring a £5 million ‘gift’ given to him by the crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne ahead of the 2024 general election.

If he finds that he did, it could prompt another by-election in the constituency – one in which Farage may face stiffer competition.

In the speech announcing his resignation last month, Farage said he believes he ‘absolutely obeyed’ the rules dictating how MPs should behave.

He told Metro earlier this week: ‘I did not want to resign as your MP and have this by-election. But the political establishment forced it upon me.’

None of the parties that might typically be considered the ‘political establishment’ opted to take part in the Clacton by-election.

Within hours of Farage wrapping up his speech last month, his five biggest potential rivals – the Conservatives, Restore Britain, Labour, the Lib Dems and the Green Party – all pulled out, branding the move a political stunt.

That left Count Binface as his unlikely top opponent in the race.

The novelty candidate – who has previously run against Boris Johnson, Sadiq Khan, Rishi Sunak and Andy Burnham – had his most high-profile campaign so far in Clacton.

In the five weeks since the contest started, he has made appearances on Newsnight and popular podcast The Rest Is Politics, as well as earning a profile piece in the New York Times.

Under the costume, he is played by comedian Jon Harvey, who has written for shows including Have I Got News For You and The Thick of It.

Ahead of the result, Farage said: ‘Binface is backed by the three biggest parties in Britain, historically. He is the establishment candidate.’

A More in Common poll published on Wednesday found that 37% of Brits wanted Binface to win the by-election, compared to 32% who backed Farage.

However, victory would have required overturning Farage’s 8,400 majority from the previous general election in a constituency that previously voted 70% for Brexit.

There was also the intimidating spectacle of 34 names on the ballot paper – a record for a British parliamentary election. It took the returning officer almost six minutes to read out the full results.

Alongside Farage and Binface, they included the actor turned right-wing activist Laurence Fox, who came sixth with 347 votes, and three separate candidates from the Official Monster Raving Loony Party who achieved a total of 61 between them.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

MORE: Why Binface vs Farage has turned into Clacton vs ‘ridiculous’ by-election

MORE: What will happen if Count Binface beats Nigel Farage in Clacton?

MORE: Reform says ‘don’t drink and Tweet’ and its members are its ‘biggest threat’ in leaked videos

Track engineers carried out a safety inspection on the line 24 hours before a train derailed and injured more than 20 people.

Three carriages of a Southern Rail service from London Victoria to Eastbourne came off the track just before 4pm on Thursday, August 13 close to Lewes station.

The cause of the crash on the line between Lewes and Haywards Heath has not yet been established.

Train company Southern said in an X post on Wednesday evening a safety inspection of the track was taking place between Lewes and Haywards Heath.

Just under 24 hours later, Southern said on X a train had derailed ‘in the area between Haywards Heath and Lewes.’

It has not been confirmed whether the section of track inspected on Wednesday was the same piece of railway where Thursday’s derailment happened.

Images from above the scene appeared to show parts of the track that had buckled.

A local resident at the scene said he had seen a long and heavy freight train pass through the same section of track earlier in the day.

Speaking at the scene, a local resident called Mike described seeing a large freight train pass over the same section of track today.

He said: ‘I was going fishing this morning. I crossed over the track on a bridge, when a cargo train went through with about 20 carriages on it.

‘It must have had 20 tonnes on each carriage. That’s not going to do the railway line any good is it?’

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Since 2013, Vladimir Putin has argued that Ukrainians and Russians are “one people”. It’s an attempt to erase Ukrainian identity, part of an assault that has been ongoing for centuries.

Since the full-scale invasion in 2022, Russia has regularly targeted Ukraine’s cultural institutions and publishing ecosystem. This summer alone, Russian attacks have destroyed nearly 10 million books, eliminating approximately 74% of Ukraine’s 2026 book output according to analysis by Chytomo, Ukraine’s largest digital media platform for books, publishing and culture.

Russia is weaponising language and culture as part of its “Russian World” (Russkii Mir) agenda. Originating in the 1990s, it is a deliberately flexible concept that encompasses a geopolitical justification for interventionist policies, an ideological basis for conservative forces and a platform for soft power strategies. However, Ukrainian resolve has hardened in the face of it, with national unity strengthened and an ongoing reversal of Russification through a linguistic shift from Russian to Ukrainian.

Ukrainian culture has flourished despite Russia’s military onslaught, serving as a shield against efforts to erase Ukrainian identity. An increased understanding of Ukrainian culture around the world can help sustain international support through a deepened appreciation of Europe’s largest country.

Measures to protect Ukrainian cultural heritage are in place, albeit with limitations. A basic international legal framework for protection of tangible and intangible cultural heritage during armed conflict is set up through Unesco’s cultural conventions.

Ukrainian literature in translation

Bookstores and libraries around the world have begun to offer visible proof of Ukraine’s growing presence on the global stage on their shelves. However, there is still much work to be done to put Ukraine on people’s mental maps.

Olesya Khromeychuk, author, historian and director of the Ukrainian Institute London (UIL) stated in a recent newsletter, that when “politicians, journalists, and intellectuals place Europe’s largest country within Russia’s ‘sphere of influence’ in their minds, that has real-world consequences, as we continue to see”.

Khromeychuk, along with Uilleam Blacker, literary translator and scholar of Ukrainian and East European culture at UCL, launched The Ukraine Shelf podcast. The series features discussions with leading authors, scholars and journalists about what to read to understand Ukraine. Meanwhile the Chapter Ukraine campaign produces a growing list of recommended books translated into English (and several other languages, too).

Supporting circulation

International initiatives building the infrastructure needed for Ukrainian literature to circulate globally are underway. The government entity, the Ukrainian Book Institute (UBI) has five objectives that seek to: shape state policy in the book publishing sector; promote book reading in Ukraine; support the book industry; provide incentives for translations; and popularise Ukrainian literature abroad.

The UBI supports translation projects and maintains a catalogue of publications in all languages. Organised by language, the catalogue consists of all the publications in translation supported by grants from the institute. So far in 2026, 100 translations of Ukrainian books in 33 countries have been supported. To help address the global shortage of translators, the Translating Ukraine Alliance Council is an international initiative that supports the development of translators from Ukrainian into English.

The number of foreign publishers of Ukrainian writing is growing, with independent publishers leading the way. Arguably the most influential institutional publisher of Ukrainian literature in translation in North America is HURI Books, which releases scholarship in the field of Ukrainian studies as well as Ukrainian literature.

The Ukrainian Book Challenge is a campaign initiated by HURI Books, aiming to build a global community of readers. Readers are encouraged to buy one book in English about Ukraine, or from Ukraine, once a year and post a photo on social media with #UkrainianBookChallenge. Then, they’re asked to tag five friends and invite them to purchase a Ukrainian book for their shelf, community, a school or a public library.

In doing so, people support Ukraine by learning more about its culture, spotlight publishers and help to add Ukraine to the bookshelves of world literature.

As Kotsyuba stated on the Ukrainian Book Challenge website: “Every book sold is a vote for Ukrainian culture, because what Russia’s war on Ukraine is really about is eradicating Ukrainian culture and erasing Ukrainian identity as a result.”

Publishers need hard sales data to commit to investing in Ukrainian literature. Ultimately, one book and one post once a year helps support that – but it also brings Ukraine onto the global stage not simply as a country under attack by Russia, but as a country with a rich and ancient cultural heritage.

Nigel Farage today won the Clacton by-election after being forced to defend his seat against a string of comedy candidates led by Count Binface . 

Mr Farage won 22,239 votes, 62.8% of the total vote, more than the 21,225 votes he secured when he was elected at the 2024 general election.

Count Binface, a comedian standing as a 5,900-year-old space warrior whose key policy was to freeze the price of ice cream in Clacton at 99p, was second with 9,455 votes, 26.8% of the total vote. 

The Reform UK leader had triggered the poll and cast it as a ‘people versus the Establishment’ contest amid mounting questions over a £5million donation from cryptocurrency tycoon Christopher Harborne.

However, the inquiry into Mr Harborne’s donation has yet to conclude, and Mr Farage could still face another by-election within months if he is found to have broken parliamentary rules.

Mr Farage, 62, sparked chaos and confusion today when he declared himself the winner and then took the unprecedented step of missing the count to hear the result, with his party claiming police had advised him to stay away due to a ‘credible threat’.

‘I’m not scared of these people, far from it. But I’m damned if I’m going to stand on a stage, having won a resounding victory, and be demeaned and humiliated by nobodies, and I will not, sadly, be attending the count,’ Mr Farage told supporters. 

A Reform UK spokesman said: ‘Essex Police advised Nigel not to attend the count due to a credible threat against him’, adding his planned ‘victory lap’ of Clacton and speech later today have also been cancelled.

However, Essex Constabulary then denied that it had told any of the 34 candidates that they should not attend Clacton Leisure Centre, insisting security at the venue was ‘robust’.

Mr Farage had instead delivered his victory speech at a fairground-style rally with Ferris wheel nearby dubbed ‘Farage Fest’.

He said: ‘The verdict is now in, and it is a convincing, overwhelming win with more votes than we got in the General Election of 2024. Today the voters in Clacton have stuck up two fingers to the entire political establishment.’

The major parties boycotted yesterday’s by-election, branding it a ‘farce’ and a ‘stunt’, leaving Mr Farage to face 33 rivals on the longest ballot paper in British electoral history. They included Count Binface, Howling Laud Hope, Nick the Incredible Flying Brick and Baron Von Thunderclap.

Count Binface celebrates as he came second in the Clacton by-election. He kept his deposit for the first time after winning 9,455 votes, 26.8% of the total votes cast

Mr Farage said his victory vindicated his decision to resign as an MP last month and seek a fresh mandate from voters, despite Binface securing one in five votes.

‘I was right to do this. This is an overwhelming endorsement of me,’ the Brexiteer said.

Asked about the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner’s investigation into his finances, he replied: ‘Who cares? Who cares? The voters of Clacton don’t care.’

He added: ‘Labour, Lib Dem and Conservative canvassers have been out for Binface. They aren’t going to win. The uni-party aren’t going to win. They won’t call a second by-election here. They would be stupid to do so.’

But Count Binface said today’s result did not matter because ‘we’ll be back again in a few weeks anyway’.

Mr Farage faces awkward questions after the result because, while he increased his share of the vote from 46.2 per cent to around 62.8 per cent, around a third of voters backed novelty candidates with no policies and no realistic prospect of winning.

With the £250,000 by-election sowing seeds of discontent even among some of Farage’s most loyal supporters, his 8,405 majority in 2024 increased to around 11,000.

Count Binface, whose key pledges included keeping ice creams with flakes at 99p, making arcade grabber games fairer and filling potholes with the 2024 Labour manifesto, won more than 26 per cent of the vote, with 9,455 votes.

He became the first comedy candidate in parliamentary history to save his deposit after pulling in thousands of votes in the record-breaking 34-candidate contest, which featured three Monster Raving Loony Party hopefuls and former actor Laurence Fox.

The turnout was slightly higher than expected, at 44.37%, lower than the 52.5% at Andy Burnham’s Makerfield by-election victory last month.

But Mr Farage was not in the hall to hear the result – and the first election winner to miss the declaration since IRA member Bobby Sands, who had died in prison after a hunger strike.

Acting returning officer Ian Davidson, for Tendring District Council, announced over the tannoy system that Mr Farage would not be attending.

‘I just want to say we work very closely with Essex Police and have done so throughout this process and continue to do so tonight,’ said Mr Davidson.

‘We will continue with the count as we always do in a safe and secure manner.’

‘I will not comment on security matters, but I am going to say that we are working closely with Essex Police and we have just had a further meeting and there is no issue in terms of completing the count tonight,’ he said. 

Essex Police denied they advised him to stay away and said in a statement: ‘We have a proportionate and robust policing operation to ensure the safety and security of all participants in the count.’ 

Clacton by-election acting returning officer Ian Davidson declined to comment on the claims, but said officials worked closely with police and that he was confident the count was safe to continue. He admitted he ‘didn’t know’ Mr Farage was not attending until he announced it himself, adding: ‘I am not aware of what that threat is.’

Mr Farage had declared himself the ‘fairly convincing’ winner at around 1am while celebrating at his ‘Farage Fest’ in the Essex Countryside, which included fairground rides and a Ferris wheel.

The Reform UK leader’s re-election to Parliament was confirmed at around 6am when the count was completed at Clacton Leisure Centre.

In a barbed comment aimed at Binface, Mr Farage said: ‘I have managed to beat the establishment candidate.’

Binface hit back, saying the by-election had shown that a huge number of people in Clacton ‘would rather vote for a space warrior shaped like a bin than Nigel Farage’.

He added: ‘It says more about what the actual population thinks about Nigel Farage than maybe this election.’

Former Reform UK parliamentary candidate Pamela Walford, who stood as an independent, said Mr Farage’s by-election had turned Clacton into the ‘laughing stock of the world’. 

The leader of the Monster Raving Loony Party, Howling Laud Hope, said: ‘Binface is the poor man’s loony. We’re the most sensible part of the lot.’

Mr Farage may yet face another by-election there in 2026 if he is found to have broken parliamentary rules by taking millions from Mr Harborne before taking his seat in the Commons two years ago.

He also faces a second investigation over undeclared donations from his close friend George Cottrell, who was convicted of wire fraud in the US, with the sleaze inquiries not expected to conclude until September at the earliest.

‘Do you know, if I made one sin, if I haven’t filled in a piece of paper, I’ve broken no law, I’ve broken no tax law, I’ve taken no public money,’ he said of the donation this morning.

‘Maybe I haven’t filled in a piece of paper. I’m confident that I’m right, we’ll see where we go. I put this to the people of Clacton, said ‘you decide my future’, and tonight they will.’

If the committee recommends suspending Mr Farage for more than 10 days, and he loses any appeal, his constituents would have the right to trigger another Clacton by-election that the major parties are more likely to contest.

Count Binface said: ‘It might just be that this election is the start of a two-legged match, like the Carabao Cup or the Cold War. The game isn’t over yet, because we’re going to be back again in a few weeks aren’t we? We’ll see what happens then.’

Police officers outside the count for the Clacton by-election at Clacton Leisure Centre in Essex

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Candidates including Binface are briefed on the result, but Mr Farage stayed away

Neither Labour, the Conservatives nor the Liberal Democrats fielded candidates on Thursday, dismissing the contest as an expensive ‘farce’ called because the Reform leader is allegedly ‘up to his neck in sleaze’. 

Mr Farage had triggered the by-election by resigning as Clacton’s MP in early July, insisting voters should decide whether he deserved to continue in office amid scrutiny of his financial affairs.

The Reform leader argued a fresh mandate was the only way to break the ‘paralysis’ engulfing Reform UK as questions swirled around crypto-currency donations, undeclared benefits and his personal finances.

But while Mr Farage claimed vindication after securing re-election, critics accused him of turning the Essex seaside town into a ‘circus’ featuring Count Binface, Reclaim Party leader Laurence Fox and dozens of independents and novelty candidates.

The result came at a difficult time for Reform, with recent polls suggesting Labour has edged ahead of Mr Farage’s party nationally.

Mr Farage is under investigation by Parliament’s standards commissioner over a £5million donation from crypto entrepreneur Christopher Harborne that was not declared after the 2024 general election.

The Clacton MP has also faced questions over support provided by long-time ally George Cottrell, who reportedly funded staff and accommodation used by the Reform leader before and after last year’s election.

Mr Farage insists he has done nothing wrong and says all support he received complied with the rules.

However, if the standards commissioner were to uphold complaints against him, it could potentially trigger further political consequences and renewed scrutiny of his position and another by-election in Clacton is locals demand it.

The Reform leader defended his decision to force yesterday’s by-election, saying it gave residents the chance to act as ‘the judges of my actions’.

Announcing his resignation last month, he said: ‘I have done nothing wrong. I have not broken the law in any way at all.’

He added: ‘This will be a people versus the Establishment by-election. It’s a chance to stick two fingers up to the entire Establishment.’

But opponents argued the move backfired.

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch mocked the contest, saying: ‘If it’s the people versus the establishment, I think Nigel Farage might be looking like the establishment, and Count Binface may be the people. This whole thing is a farce.’

A spokesman for Andy Burnham described the vote as a ‘gimmick designed to distract from serious allegations about Farage’s funders’.

Keir Starmer previously claimed Mr Farage had ‘run himself into a cul-de-sac’ by quitting as an MP and forcing a by-election and was ‘up to his neck in sleeze’.

One of the biggest talking points of the contest was the performance of Count Binface, who became the first comedy candidate ever to retain a parliamentary deposit.

The self-described ‘5,900-year-old space warrior’ won thousands of votes after campaigning on promises including ‘building one affordable house’ and ‘nationalising Adele’.

Before Thursday’s result, the late Screaming Lord Sutch was widely regarded as Britain’s most successful novelty election candidate.

In the 1994 Rotherham by-election he secured around 1,100 votes and 4.2 per cent of the vote, still short of the 5 per cent threshold required to recover his deposit.

Mr Farage had repeatedly accused the major parties of secretly ‘working together’ by refusing to contest the seat and undermining his attempt to frame the vote as a battle against the establishment.

He comfortably won Clacton at the 2024 general election with a majority of 8,405 and 46.2 per cent of the vote.

The by-election is also likely to prove expensive.

The average cost of a Westminster by-election is around £240,000, but Clacton’s bill is expected to be significantly higher because it featured the longest ballot paper in British electoral history.

Tendring Council admitted printing costs were around four times higher than normal because of the 34-candidate field.

Alongside Count Binface, an intergalactic space warrior played by Jonathan Harvey who has stood at elections since 2017 and has never received more than 308 votes, the people of Clacton were largely presented with a string of eccentric oddballs.

Questions over Mr Farage’s finances have continued to dog him throughout the campaign.

The £5million donation from Mr Harborne was not declared when Mr Farage entered Parliament, with the Reform leader arguing the money was a personal payment linked to security costs and his role in Brexit.

Today’s by-election had 34 candidates – making it the longest ballot paper in British electoral history at around 3ft long. But it was a two-horse race between Farage and Binface

He has also refused to distance himself from Mr Cottrell, saying he will not abandon his friend.

Meanwhile, Reform’s position in the polls has slipped since the by-election was announced.

A recent Daily Mail poll-of-polls put Labour on 25 per cent, narrowly ahead of Reform on 24 per cent, with the Conservatives on 20 per cent.

Mr Farage’s personal ratings have also come under pressure amid the row over his finances and his decision to trigger the vote.

One recent poll suggested his net approval rating had fallen sharply in the weeks after the by-election was called, leaving him with his lowest rating since returning as Reform leader more than two years ago.

Yet despite the criticism, Mr Farage will argue that voters in Clacton have delivered the verdict that matters most, handing him another victory in the seat he risked everything to defend.

TransPennine Express, which runs services between York and Manchester, said the customer was caught using a child ticket for the second time and replied: “It wasn’t me, it was my twin brother.”

Another TransPennine Express customer ate their ticket in front of a member of the team so it could not be used as evidence – “much to the shock of onboard staff”, the rail firm said.

A company spokesperson said other explanations included people claiming: “I’ve got no battery on my phone”, “I was running late and didn’t have time to buy a ticket”, “I haven’t got any money” and even “do I need to buy a ticket?”

They said the excuses “can raise a smile” but urged customers that they “should buy a ticket before boarding where facilities are available”.

It comes after TransPennine Express said more than 20 million ticket checks were carried out on its services and at automatic ticket gates between April 2025 and April 2026.

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Of those checked, around 75,000 customers were found travelling without a valid ticket, with approximately 6,000 penalty fares issued.

The rail firm said ticketless travel continues to be an issue, with around 2.5 per cent of journeys made without a valid ticket in both 2024 and 2025.

Ian Humphreys, head of retail strategy at TransPennine Express, urged customers to “buy before you board”.

“We appreciate that the vast majority of our customers do the right thing and buy the correct ticket for their journey,” he said.

“But for those who don’t, our message is simple – buy before you board.

“Our revenue protection teams carry out checks across our trains and stations every day, and while they might hear some memorable excuses along the way, it’s important that everyone has a valid ticket for their journey.”

A binman has shared advice on what you should and shouldn’t put in your recycling bin. It’s reported placing a common item inside can prevent rubbish from being taken away

Putting the bins out is a job nobody really likes to do, but it’ll likely feel better if you at least know where to place certain items, as simple errors can cause your rubbish to be left behind.

Placing the wrong items in your recycling can create a number of issues, and can even result in smelly rubbish being left uncollected outside your home. Not to worry though, as a binman known on TikTok as The No1 Binman, has shared some expert guidance that is likely to prove invaluable to many households.

What you may not be aware of is that including certain items in your recycling waste could land you in difficulty, as collectors are within their rights to refuse collection if a few basic rules are not observed, and a certain item can cause you a problem.

What did the binman say?

In a video posted online, he said: “Plastic, not all plastic is the same. Ok, so you have thin plastics, you have soft plastics, you have hard plastics, and it depends on the council which they actually take.

“Most of them just take normal bottles, or tins and stuff like that in your plastic bin. [They are] the only things they’ll take. They won’t take anything like carrier bags, black bags, they also won’t take any films.

“All that sort of stuff, it ruins the machines they send the stuff to. Every recycling centre is different, so they get told what they can take and what they can’t take, and they’re the ones who make the rules. Not the binmen.

“It’s not our choice. We just get told. So, if there are any plastics that you’re unsure about, maybe ask your council website or maybe you can ask the binmen. They might know.”

Many people are unaware that certain items should never be placed in your recycling bin, with carrier bags being a prime example — and there is a significant reason why this rule exists.

Can binmen refuse to take your rubbish?

It may come as a surprise, but refuse collectors are within their rights to decline picking up your waste. The most common grounds for doing so include contaminated recycling, excessive amounts of waste (either too heavy or bags left beside the bin), or a bin that has not been presented correctly.

That said, collectors are generally obliged to remove household waste unless there is a legitimate reason not to, as councils have a duty to provide this service.

Where collection is refused, it typically comes down to safety concerns, contamination, or failure to comply with council guidelines — leaving “side waste” beside the bin, for instance, can be problematic.

It is also worth noting that carrier bags should not be placed in your household recycling. While they are recyclable, they must be taken to dedicated collection points, which are typically located at larger supermarkets such as Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Morrisons and Waitrose.

These retailers provide in-store drop-off bins for “soft plastics”, including bread bags, films and pouches. Should carrier bags be found in your recycling, there is a real possibility your collection will be refused, as they risk contaminating the entire load.

For more details, make sure you visit your local council’s website to find out the specific rules applicable to your area. Regulations can occasionally vary from one council to another.