Seaside classics in Northern Ireland include Whiterocks Beach and its dramatic limestone cliffs, White Park Bay with its wild, isolated arc and resident cattle, and Downhill Beach, famous for the clifftop Mussenden Temple overhead

Advertisement

A lesser-trod spot on the Causeway Coast has been named the world’s third most underrated beach.

Along the 115miles of glorious coastline that make up the northern-most reaches of the country, there are plenty of spots that’ll be familiar to anyone who’s spent time heading to the beach.

Portstewart Strand, with its golden miles and drive-on access, is perhaps the most famous. Other classics include Whiterocks Beach and its dramatic limestone cliffs, White Park Bay with its wild, isolated arc and resident cattle, and Downhill Beach, famous for the clifftop Mussenden Temple overhead

But it’s none of these that have been named the third most underrated in the world.

“Along Northern Ireland’s dramatic Causeway Coast, Castlerock Beach offers a kilometre of golden sand backed by sweeping views and a relaxed seaside atmosphere. Whether you’re walking the shoreline or simply taking in the Atlantic views, it’s an easy reminder that some of the best beach days happen away from the spotlight,” writes SkyScanner in its Paradise Guide.

For those who have never been, Castlerock is a lovely, low-key alternative to the bigger-name Causeway Coast spots. It has golden sand, dunes, and enough nearby history and golf to fill a day without ever feeling touristy.

The beach itself is slightly less than a mile of golden sand, with fresh air, breathtaking views and a friendly, low-key atmosphere. It’s a genuine Blue Flag/quality beach, having won the Rural Award Beach Seaside Award in 2014 under Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful’s criteria, according to Visit Portrush.

The dunes that run toward the Lower River Bann Estuary are among the oldest in all of Ireland, which gives the landscape a wild, untouched feel. With or without a pair of binoculars, you’ve a decent chance to spot marine life such as porpoises and seals in the water, plus the beach draws rare seabirds.

Advertisement

Although it doesn’t have the same access as Downhill Beach, Mussenden Temple is nearby. The circular stone building sits dramatically on the cliff edge overlooking Downhill Strand, built in 1785 as a library and open to the public year-round via the National Trust, writes Causewaycoast.

Another nearby point of interest is Hezlett House, which is one of Northern Ireland’s oldest buildings, now run by the National Trust, where you can explore a well-preserved late-1600s cottage and grounds.

For those who like to tee off, Castlerock Golf Club has an 18-hole championship links course right behind the beach and dunes, which is considered one of the oldest and most iconic courses in Northern Ireland.

The beach is surprisingly easy to reach. It’s a two-minute walk north from Castlerock railway station, making it one of the more accessible North Coast beaches if you’re not driving.

Essentially, Castlerock is a quieter, more residential seaside village than Portrush or Portstewart, but with beach, dunes, cliff-top history, and golf all within easy walking distance of each other — and it works well as a stop on a wider Causeway Coast route toward the Giant’s Causeway or Downhill Demesne.

​The Marisco Lounge in Scarborough’s South Bay is seeking a new pavement licence from North Yorkshire Council.

​Located at 11-12 Sandside, the business wants permission to place chairs and tables outside the business.

​Loungers UK Ltd’s proposal states: “The application is for outdoor seating to the front of the premises for the service of food and drink.”

​The café and bar is at a “prime location” in the South Bay and according to its website, it has “plenty of outdoor seating and really big windows on both floors that open up all the way to the fantastic views looking out across the harbour”.

Marisco Lounge, Sandside, Scarborough. Google Maps

​The business has a 4.2 rating out of five on Tripadvisor and is listed as the 79th best restaurant in Scarborough out of 299.

​The company also operates The Pescado Lounge at the site of Whitby’s former Star Inn the Harbour.

​Marisco Lounge previously applied for a pavement licence from North Yorkshire Council in 2024.

​The deadline for representations by members of the public is Monday, August 31.

​Anyone wishing to make representations regarding the application should give notice in writing to: North Yorkshire Council, Licensing Services, Town Hall, St Nicholas Street, Scarborough, YO11 2HG.

​​The authority can also be contacted by email at licensing.east@northyorks.gov.uk.

​

​The council’s website states: “It is an offence knowingly or recklessly to make a false statement in connection with an application punishable on summary conviction by an unlimited fine.”

Thursday’s Inbox is pleased by CeX’s rumoured retro plans, as one reader mocks Sony’s attempts to make a successful live service game.

Games Inbox is a collection of our readers’ letters, comments, and opinions. To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.uk

Negative waves
Great preview and interview of Marvel’s Wolverine, although I give equal kudos to the Insomniac guy for answering honestly. I don’t imagine Sony was expecting all the negativity from the first wave of hands-on, so I’m surprised they didn’t just cancel this second one once they found out.

I think it raises some interesting questions about what happens when the person playing a game isn’t very good at it and, more importantly, the intense negativity of fans online. I’m not trying to defend Wolverine – I liked the Spider-Man games but can take or leave this new one – but the way people just unleash their negativity for no good reason is not healthy for anyone.

I believe that’s basically what the other Insomniac guy said already. There’s enough going wrong in gaming right now without dogpiling on new games before you’ve had chance to play them. If Wolverine is no good then don’t buy it, but starting a hate campaign months before is not on.
Clovis

Unidentified leak
Well, this business with the GTA 6 leaks is very strange. For a start I don’t understand where they’re getting the information and clips from. It’s implied to be hacking but they don’t seem to talk about that and why are they only getting year old clips of the unfinished game?

And surely they don’t think that Rockstar will actually give in to their demands and release the game on disc? They’d be more likely to give GTA 6 away for free than do that. And I don’t think they can anyway, because Sony’s turned off their disc factory. There literally won’t be any discs soon.

I think these people are going to greatly regret all this, when they end up being sued to hell and back by Rockstar. And all for some pointless videos that barely show anything of interest.
Ragnor

Talking it up
I’ve really enjoyed the recent run of previews and interviews over the last week or so. Star Wars Zero Company has moved right to the top of my watchlist – had a great time with Marvel’s Midnight Suns and if they’ve tidied up some of the bloat, it sounds like a GOTY contender.
The Light Knight
PS: I trust young Jenkins took the rest of the day off after that potted plant line in the Wolverine preview.

GC: Thanks.

Email your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.uk

Final mistake
Absolutely ridiculous that Sony has cancelled yet another live service game (or turned it into a normal game, which is basically the same thing). Turns out forcing single-player developers to make highly monetised multiplayer games is not something that works. Sony has tried it often enough now that they’ve proven that beyond doubt.

With luck we’ll find out that Fairgames has been cancelled soon and then that will hopefully be it for the whole ridiculous saga, that has ruined a whole generation of gaming for Sony.

I find the Horizon game particularly stupid because who asked for a multiplayer game of that in the first place? Especially one that changes the art style for an ugly cartoon style. The detailed graphics and creature designs were the best bit of the proper games and that’s completely ruined by this game.

We could’ve probably had a proper sequel by now if it wasn’t for this nonsense.
Kinder

Bad management
Another Star Wars game is cancelled. This is why they’re saying the cost of games need to go up. They either make a game that no one really wants and doesn’t sell enough or start to make a game and then cancel it, this is why they’re losing money. This is why they want more for games.

Maybe if they ran the company properly they wouldn’t be losing so much money and you know when the PlayStation 6 and the new Xbox comes out they’re going to be saying prices are going up because more is going into making the games. And they will still be moaning after that. Games don’t earn enough; they just need to stop wasting time and money.
David

Loss of attraction
Playing through quite a few big releases recently (it’s been a great year to be a Switch 2 owner in my opinion), especially modern Capcom titles such as Pragmata, Monster Hunter Stories 3, and the Final Fantasy 7 remake I noticed how bland the opening menus are for these games and it got me thinking about how much I miss a classic gaming staple: the attract mode.

As gaming has developed away from its arcade roots the attract mode/intro seems to be a lost art. Whether it was the awe-inspiring, iconic intro to Soulcalibur on the Dreamcast (oh the memories!) or the infectious energy of Daytona USA, a good attract screen was designed to grab you by the collar and make you drop a 20p coin.

Arcade games had to fight for your attention, so it became something of a necessity to have a draw – something to pull you in, show off the graphics and gameplay as effectively and impressively as possible. Perhaps one of the more iconic attract screens is the one of Ryu throwing a fireball towards the player in Super Street Fighter 2 or the intro to Dragon’s Lair that boomed out across an arcade floor.

There are more modern exceptions of course and I am sure readers are thinking of some now – the into to Dragon Quest 11 comes to mind.

Nowadays, with modern games leaning so heavily into cinematic storytelling, filmic pacing, and shoehorning sprawling role-playing progression systems into almost every genre, you’re usually just greeted by a sterile, almost silent start menu.

In my opinion, arcade-rooted genres like fighting and racing games always did this best, and modern gaming can at times feel like it has forgotten how to show off right out of the gate.

Do any other readers miss attract screens, and which ones from back in the day stuck with you the most?
Bristolpete

When and why
I think that theory about no Zelda: Ocarina Of Time remake news until after Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave is out makes a lot of sense. Who can ever predict Nintendo, but I know for a fact they don’t like to nobble their own games if they can help it, unlike EA (I’ll never forgive Titanfall 2).

The question of why they’ve left it so late I have no idea though. I wonder if they’re regretting it now because the summer Direct was already one of the weakest ones they’ve ever had, and a proper reveal would’ve made it a lot better. But too late for that now.
Paulie

Don’t miss Gaming news! Add us as a Preferred Source

As a loyal GameCentral reader, we want to make sure you never miss our articles when searching for gaming stories. We have all the latest video games news, reviews, previews, and interviews, with a vibrant community of highly engaged readers.

Click the button below and tick Metro.co.uk to ensure you see stories from us first in Google Search.

Advertisement

Add us as a Preferred Source

Enter the Collector
I’m glad to see CeX are trying to get a grasp on the retro market.

That is my bag and I love retro gaming.

As a single parent of two young girls I’ve actually relied on CeX while selling old games to get us through the week.

Their buy back is not the best, to the point they would rather give me £5 less for a NES than what they say on their website.

I had no choice, I needed the money.

I understand they need to make a profit but buying something for less than half it is worth and selling it for over double leaves a stale taste in the mouth.

This is a little bit bittersweet for me as they have helped me out, so I have no ill will towards that company and after all they are just a company just making money.

But in the same sense, I have a lot of retro Zelda and Mario stuff, from balloons and rubbish cardboard McDonald’s Mario board games to exclusive Zelda: Ocarina Of Time figures exclusive to Target (an American store) and Zelda shop demos in my collection.

I wouldn’t dream of selling these items to CeX, for how much they lowball you.

What I’m getting at is retro collectors like me are of a certain age and we quite like our collections, we are knowledgeable on how much they are worth and won’t settle for being low-balled.

I wish CeX the best but they are delving into collectors territory now and collectors can be very stubborn indeed.
freeway 77

Inbox also-rans
I really hope GTA 6 doesn’t have the dumb role-playing bits from San Andreas in it. I would’ve thought it was pretty clear that nobody liked that, so I don’t know why Rockstar would bring it back.
Mike

If Insomniac actually end up making a Squirrel Girl game, or at least putting her in another one, I think we’ll all know who to thank for that.
Manger

Email your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.uk

The small print
New Inbox updates appear every weekday morning, with special Hot Topic Inboxes at the weekend. Readers’ letters are used on merit and may be edited for length and content.

You can also submit your own 500 to 600-word Reader’s Feature at any time via email or our Submit Stuff page, which if used will be shown in the next available weekend slot.

You can also leave your comments below and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter.

MORE: Games Inbox: How much disruption will GTA 6 launch cause?

MORE: Games Inbox: What is the best The Simpsons video game?

MORE: Games Inbox: Should Call Of Duty become free-to-play?

Stop! That! Train! is a very silly film – in the best possible way. It’s a disaster-action movie parody in the vein of The Naked Gun (1988), Hot Shots! (1991) and Airplane! (1980). In fact, Stop! That! Train!’s relationship to the latter is a little bit like a drag queen lip synching to their favourite diva’s famous belter: there’s space for interpretation, but the lyrics and the voice are pretty much set in stone.

Consequently, quite a few gags, not to mention the main narrative thrust of the plucky underdogs saving the day, are virtually lifted (with updates and variations) from Airplane! But as RuPaul Charles, the undisputed ruler of the Drag Race universe from which Stop! That! Train! has emerged, once wisely advised the Drag Race queens lip synching for the crown: “Good luck, and don’t fuck it up!”

À lire aussi :
RuPaul’s Drag Race: our research shows how it helps destigmatise the LGBTQ+ community

This very sensible piece of advice couldn’t ring truer for Tess and DeeDee (played by drag queens Ginger Minj and Jujubee), two spirited train stewardesses working for the decidedly downmarket Stank Rail. When the duo spots an opportunity to better themselves and wangle their way into the far more prestigious Glamazonian Express, they realise that they will need all the luck they can get.

Not only do they face a gaggle of snooty first class mean girl stewardesses, demanding passengers and hapless train conductors; they also come up against faulty brakes and an unprecedented weather event called Stormaganza. To tackle this smorgasbord of challenges, they team up with the country’s commander-in-chief – President Gagwell, played by RuPaul.

Stop! That! Train! is a lot of fun – so long as you’re someone who doesn’t take yourself too seriously. Minj and Jujubee are both Drag Race veterans. Their performances are gloriously camp, ridiculous, over the top and very watchable. The film also sports a head-spinning number of celebrity cameos and bit parts. This includes Sarah Michelle Gellar, living in constant expectation and hope of being recognised and The Real Housewives’ Lisa Rinna, who is billed, rather splendidly, as “Sceney Celebrity”.

Given all this, you could be forgiven for thinking that Stop! That! Train!, among all its high jinks, may offer a robust critique of celebrity culture. And, to an extent, it does. But it is surface deep; definitely shallower than the layers of a drag queen’s make-up.

The limits of pastiche

Pastiche and parody are hard to do well. And it can also be hard to know what you can reasonably expect from them. On the one hand, the very nature of the spoof genre (and its reliance on exaggeration, ridiculousness and snubbing realism) prevents the viewer from caring about the characters too much. On the other, it allows comic artistry to expose the constructed, mawkish and cheaply sentimental nature of caring encouraged by the very genre that’s being parodied.

While Stop! That! Train! feels sanitised for mainstream audiences, it does have moments of real, bawdy edge and darkness that would probably not pass muster (or the morality test) in a “straighter” or more serious context. The merciless and sustained mockery of straightness, encapsulated in the hunky himbo of a co-conductor, Cal (played by the excellent Brian Jordan Alvarez), is particularly funny. It feels like a fitting payback for the numerous caricatures of non-straight characters in mainstream films.

Perhaps it’s an unrealistic expectation, but I wanted more paybacks and more subversion. Good queer, camp humour – and good drag, too – can take stereotypes and rigid social norms used to marginalise queer people and exaggerate or appropriate them, turning them into tools for mocking and challenging those norms.

If, as the American critic Susan Sontag claimed, camp is all about “artifice and exaggeration”, it is also – especially in recent years – about fighting back. This feels particularly important now, when attacks on drag performers have reached new heights. Drag, it has been argued by researcher Ella Greenhalgh, has become a force of queer resistance.

This resistance is not very visible in the largely depoliticised Stop! That! Train!, any more than it is visible in RuPaul’s Drag Race.

Maybe that’s too much to ask. After all, the same expectation of social commentary is relatively rarely placed on actual disaster-action movies (although some, such as 2021’s Don’t Look Up, have done a pretty good job in engaging with wider issues). But the current trend of revisiting the parodies of the 1980s — which includes the recently revived The Naked Gun (2025) — feels like an opportunity to update them. And giving them some teeth wouldn’t be the worst way to drag them (not necessarily kicking and screaming) into the 21st century.

Radley London will close its website on August 19 at midnight, with customers having only a few hours left to shop for online bargains in its clearance sale.

In May, Gordon Brothers, which also owns Poundland, bought Radley, but now all of the Radley stores in the UK will reportedly close by the end of August, Retail Week reports.

At the time, Gordon Brothers, which also owns LK Bennett, purchased the Radley brand, intellectual property and some assets in a pre-pack administration deal.

However, the takeover didn’t include Radley’s retail operations, which include 21 stores across the UK.

It confirmed that 42 jobs would also be lost “with immediate effect”, as a result.

The clearance sale has been seen in UK stores too, with customers able to get up to 70% off handbags, meaning some of the sale items have more than £100 off their usual price tags.

Customers at the Radley store at Somerset’s Clarks Village have been told it will be closing its doors.

The handbag retailer put up signs in the shop windows confirming the closure.

Newsquest has approached Gordon Brothers for comment.

What happens when a company goes into administration?

UK companies that have closed or entered administration/liquidation in 2026

This year, the British high street has seen various retailers closing stores and filing for administration.

Major high street brands LK Bennett, Claire’s and Quiz have been forced to close all their remaining stores after falling into administration.

UK fashion retailer Leading Labels is also set to close its remaining 15 stores after falling into liquidation.

Recommended reading:

Whitbread recently confirmed it will be closing all its UK restaurants in September:

• Brewers Fayre (89 locations) – September 7
• Beefeater (106) – September 10
• Bar + Block – September 3
• Table Table – September 3
• Cookhouse + Pub – September 3

TG Jones and the British Heart Foundation will both be closing around 150 stores across the UK.

A variety of other businesses have entered administration or liquidation this year, including construction firms and travel companies.

Will you miss Radley if it closes all its UK stores? Tell us in the comments.

Harry and Meghan have already secured a new secret home in Britain following their shock announcement that they would be returning to the UK this month. 

Harry, 41, and Meghan, 45, are understood to be returning for an ‘extended period’ later this month, with Archie and Lilibet set to enrol at a British school. 

The family are understood to be moving into a non-royal residence and will not be working royals.

And the Duke and Duchess no longer require accommodation for their patronages, as the whole family is believed to be returning within the next two weeks.

And while they are set to retain their £11million Montecito home and their residence in Portugal, it is not yet known whether their UK move will be permanent. 

While the couple have secured a property to reside in, the exact location has been kept tightly under wraps for security reasons. 

Before departing to the US in a shock move that was dubbed ‘Megxit’, the couple lived in Frogmore Cottage in 2020.

And despite living there for less than a year, the Sussexes still splashed £2.4million on renovations and decor inside the Grade-II listed building. 

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex resided in Frogmore Cottage (pictured) for less than a year – but the home still underwent £2.4million worth of renovations

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (pictured in 2019) gave viewers a glimpse inside their Frogmore Cottage kitchen in their Netflix documentary

Advertisement

It comes as: 

 The home was said to be filled with furniture from the luxury store Soho Home, while ceiling beams and floor joists were replaced.

Meanwhile, the property’s electrical system was rewired, new gas and water mains were installed, as well as £50,000 soundproofing to reduce noise pollution.

Soho House club designer Vicky Charles – a close friend of the Beckhams and the Clooneys – was also enlisted to help decorate the property with vegan paint.

The pair also joined the two pre-existing semi-detached houses into one big family home after the late Queen gave the property as a wedding present.

Currently, the Grade-II listed property’s future is said to be under consideration, as separating the building was being assessed for viability.

And while construction has not yet begun, insiders claim it would be a major and expensive renovation.

In January 2020, the couple stepped down as working royals and moved to Montecito, California, where they lived until now with their children.

Six months later, Harry paid back the £2.4million and was officially evicted by King Charles in 2023, weeks after publishing his controversial memoir Spare.

However, the royal residence is not the only UK home the couple shared before departing across the pond.

Following their 2018 wedding, the couple signed a two-year lease on a £4.12million Cotswolds property nestled near Chipping Norton.

The four-bedroom farmhouse, situated on the Great Tew Estate, boasted a converted barn as well as another two-bedroom cottage.

The four-bedroom farmhouse called Westfield Large came with four acres of land as well as a heated patio, House and Garden reported.

However, it was not always grand million-pound renovations and quaint cottages in the Cotswolds for the Sussexes.

During their engagement in November 2017, the Suits actress moved to be with Harry in Nottingham Cottage after the famed TV series came to an end.

At the time, a source told UsWeekly: ‘With Suits over, so is Meghan’s life in Toronto.

‘It’s the end of a really precious era, so she’s definitely sad to see it come to an end, but she’s also really excited about starting a new chapter with Harry.’

But the 17th-century residence within Kensington Palace was not as glamorous as one may think, Meghan previously shared.

The kitchen in the Duke’s two-bedroom flat had black-and-white tiles, a dining room, and a small living room, which was around 1,300 square feet in size.

In the Netflix documentary Harry & Meghan, the Duchess previously said: ‘Kensington Palace sounds very regal, of course it does.

‘It says “palace” in the name. But it was so small.’

Harry chimed in: ‘The whole thing’s on a slight lean, really low ceilings. I don’t know who was there before; they must have been very short.’

Ukraine’s campaign to target Russia’s e-commerce giant Wildberries has had impacts far beyond the Russian federation. For Russia, Wildberries is comparable to Amazon, accounting for about 50% of the country’s online retail market. But its market place is used by manufacturers as far afield as Central Asia.

Founded in 2004 as an online clothing retailer, it has 98,000 pick-up points and supplies a vast network connecting more than a million sellers with consumers across Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia, Georgia, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.

In 2025, the Wildberries-Russ group recorded 6.1 trillion roubles (about £55 billion) in sales – up 49% on the previous year. Reuters estimates that Russian online marketplaces now handle goods and services worth the equivalent of 8.5% of the country’s GDP.

What makes Wildberries more than a retailer is its reach. Since 2009, it has offered equal prices for deliveries, no matter whether they are in the Russian heartland or as far as the Kamchatkan peninsula in the Russian far east, or Barentsburg in the high Arctic.

Ukraine justifies targeting Wildberries by pointing to the fact that since Russia’s full-scale invasion, the retailer has also become a military-adjacent commerce platform. It carries tactical clothing, body armour, medical kits and communications equipment. Recent investigations have also found first-person-view drones and drone components listed on the platform.

Until the company reportedly removed the relevant tags in July, searches for “everything for the SVO” (the Russian acronym for spetsialnaya voyennaya operatsiya, special military operation) produced military-related goods. This does not establish Wildberries as a military logistics provider. But it shows how wartime demand can respond through infrastructure originally built for civilian commerce.

Since July 18, Ukrainian drone strikes have hit at least 20 Wildberries facilities, including three in the past week, damaging or destroying more than 1.18 million square metres of warehouse capacity as of August 7.

À lire aussi :
Ukraine assault on Russian retail giant Wildberries brings war home to consumers and retailers

Wildberries is especially vulnerable as it concentrates goods in large warehouses. This makes distribution effective but also creates targets that are directly felt by thousands of businesses and millions of consumers. A successful strike travels through the retailer’s commercial network long after the strike hits.

Cross-border trade

That network also crosses Russia’s borders. In Kyrgyzstan, Wildberries has become an important export channel for small and medium-sized businesses, particularly the country’s burgeoning clothing sector. In March 2026, Wildberries and Kyrgyz Export agreed to create a “Made in Kyrgyzstan” section on the platform across all eight of its markets.

A July survey cited by Kyrgyz business media found that 55% of Kyrgyz Wildberries entrepreneurs said the platform had enabled them to enter foreign markets.

The model has changed the geography of Kyrgyz trade. For decades, the massive Dordoi Bazaar in Kyrgyzstan’s capital, Bishkek, connected sewing workshops with wholesalers, traders and transport companies serving Russia and Kazakhstan.

But digital commerce has added another route: producers can sell directly to Russian consumers while using Wildberries’ warehouses for storage and fulfilment.

That arrangement also creates a new vulnerability. Once Kyrgyz sellers transfer their inventory to a Russian Wildberries warehouse, the goods are physically outside their control. A destroyed warehouse can therefore turn a Russian military strike into a loss for a Kyrgyz business.

Kyrgyz media have already documented such cases. After the first strikes, Kyrgyz sellers reported destroyed inventories and the risk of bankruptcy. One entrepreneur that I interviewed for this article estimated that the volume of goods in his business had fallen by half. A family acquaintance, he said, had lost inventory worth about US$42,000 (£32,200). Another seller went from offering roughly 100 product types to just four.

Around 800 Kyrgyz e-commerce retailers issued an appeal to the government to support them in their compensation claims. While these accounts cannot establish the overall scale of the Kyrgyz losses, they illustrate how quickly a disruption at a distant logistics node can reach businesses in Bishkek.

Tightening supply chain regulations with Russia have already created significant distress for Kyrgyz garment producers for whom Russia is the main market. The Wildberries attacks have exacerbated this stress, which the Wildberries attacks have exacerbated. In response, Kyrgyz authorities have announced financial support in terms of preferential loan agreements and a “tax holiday” for small and medium-scale garment producers from August 1 until the end of the year. Compensation, however, remains largely a promise.

Wildberries’ seller agreement treats damage caused by drones and other military activity as force majeure (an uncontrollable and unforeseeable event) which limits the company’s liability. As one seller told me, Wildberries may be more likely to compensate Russian sellers with direct ties to the company’s financial infrastructure. For Kyrgyz entrepreneurs, even those holding substantial inventories in Russian warehouses, the risk and loss are more likely to remain their own.

War comes to Kyrgyzstan

So, given the ongoing attacks on Wildberries warehouses across Russia, the question for Kyrgyz entrepreneurs is bigger than whether Wildberries can restore its Russian warehouses. It is whether concentrating inventory inside a foreign logistics network remains a viable business strategy during wartime. The people I interviewed for this article argue that alternative storage and shipment opportunities will eventually emerge, but given the sheer scale of the current cash flow gap and the lack of trust in the business, things are unlikely to return to how they were before the attacks.

One possible answer would be to keep more inventory in Kyrgyzstan, diversify fulfilment providers and expand domestic warehousing. Wildberries itself has announced testing alternative “partner hubs”, by relocating them in countries that are outside of Ukraine’s drone range. For Kyrgyzstan, this could reinforce its position as a logistics hub.

But decentralisation has limits. Cross-border friction between Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan tends to disrupt flows and lengthen delivery times, despite both countries being part of the same customs union. Building new warehouses also requires substantial time and investment – while a Russian company expanding its logistics infrastructure brings with it concerns about sanctions evasion.

This is not only an economic, but a wider geopolitical issue. While the e-commerce sector appeared to reduce the role of physical distance, in practice, it reorganises dependence around physical warehouses, roads, borders and political alliances. For Kyrgyzstan, the Wildberries strikes demonstrate that the logistics of war can reach Central Asia without a single missile or drone crossing the Kyrgyz border.

A wave of overnight Russian missile strikes has killed at least five people in the capital Kyiv and the surrounding region, Ukrainian authorities say.

Apartment blocks and warehouses were targeted in the “massive attack” on Thursday, according to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (DSNS). At least least 23 people were injured in the strikes.

Authorities are scrambling to rescue anyone trapped underneath the rubble of demolished buildings, with crews already pulling one survivor from debris.

Meanwhile, Poland’s army has announced it will launch “preventative military aviation operations” amid the Russian strikes on Ukraine.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said a children’s hospital had been damaged in the overnight strikes, where windows were broken and cars set ablaze nearby.

An industrial centre in the Solomyanskyi district, south-west Kyiv, was also hit by missiles, the mayor said.

An attack in Brovary district of the broader Kyiv region killed one man and wounded another, Kyiv regional governor Tymur Tkachenko said.

The regional administration issued an alert earlier in the night warning residents to take shelter. It continued: “Air defense operations are possible in the area”.

More missile alerts are still being issued throughout the night from regional authorities.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are reportedly set to return to the UK later this month, more than six years after their move to California

Advertisement

Harry and Meghan are reportedly planning a return to the UK. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex intend to relocate back to Britain more than six years after they first moved to California, according to the Press Association.

The Daily Telegraph reports that the couple will make their return to the United Kingdom later this month, settling into a private residence outside of London rather than a royal property.

It is understood that there will be no alteration to Harry and Meghan’s standing as private individuals and non-working members of the royal family.

The King was informed of the planned move on Sunday and is said to welcome the prospect of spending more time with the family on both a private and personal basis.

However, their status is set to remain unchanged, with the couple not being extended a “half-in-half-out” arrangement regarding their royal roles, PA reports, reports the Irish Mirror.

The Telegraph — which first broke the story — also reports that the couple’s children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, are enrolled to begin attending British schools in September.

He was said to be acting strangely before pouring lighter fluid on the floor

A man who tried to set fire to a council building has been jailed. Matthew Howson, 33, appeared at the reception of Huntingdonshire District Council’s offices at Pathfinder House in St Mary’s Street, Huntingdon, at around 1.30pm on April 14.

A man who was also at the reception with his dog said Howson was “acting very strange”. Howson then shouted “stop calling me a paedo”.

At Peterborough Crown Court on Wednesday (August 19), the court heard that Howson reached into a bag and produced a “can of lighter fluid”. The prosecution told the court that Howson then poured the fluid out onto the “floor in front of him” and “flames [were] seen coming from the floor area”.

The man with his dog went over to the fire to “stamp out the flames”. Howson then walked back to reception and produced a Stanley knife.

Prosecution told the court that this incident “happened in just over a minute”. Cambridgeshire Police were then called with reports of an “intruder” in a nearby disused fire station.

There, Howson was found with the lighter fluid and Stanley knife and arrested at around 2.30pm. He was later charged.

Howson was also found to be in breach of a condition of a stalking protection order. He failed to notify police that he had moved from his property in Newmarket, therefore breaching one of the conditions.

During the investigation, Howson admitted to the arson and possession of a knife. He said he was “unaware” that he breached the stalking order.

The court heard from the defence lawyer that the incident was a “short-lived event” and that there “didn’t appear to be serious alarm or distress caused”. However, the defence acknowledged that there may have been a “risk of alarm or distress”.

The court heard that mental health concerns were raised over Howson, as he had autism, ADHD, and an “unspecified mental disorder”.

The defence said Howson’s actions were “spontaneous”. He was also said to be carrying around items such as the lighter fluid as he was homeless, and the Stanley knife for “protection”.

Howson, who had been remanded in prison since April, was heard to be finding it “difficult”. The court heard that he wished to gain employment after serving his sentence and hoped to move to Bury St Edmunds to work with the church.

Howson was sentenced to a total of 22 months in prison. He was sentenced to 10 months in prison for arson with the intent to endanger, and a 12-month consecutive sentence for possession of a knife in a public place. No penalty was given for the breach of stalking protection order.

In giving his sentence, His Honour Judge Enright said that although distress was not caused, this event still would have been “frightening” for those who witnessed it.

Howson had 10 previous convictions for 15 offences. One of these was a caution for arson in 2012.