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Welsh gardeners urged to do vital check now to help roses beat black spot this autumn

Published

5 minutes ago

on

10 September 2026

By

NewsAdmin

Gardeners may find that their roses are affected by black spot, a fungal disease that can be a major detriment to your flowers’ health and longevity

With autumn drawing ever closer, and many flowers preparing to cease blooming, keeping on top of garden maintenance has never been more crucial. Gardeners may well find themselves confronted with a number of unwelcome and unsightly problems affecting their plants and flowers.

Gardening expert and TikTok creator Michael Griffiths has issued a warning to gardeners about a plant disease that could be wreaking havoc on their plants, with September being the ideal time to address the problem. In a recent video, Michael outlined a series of gardening tasks that fellow green-fingered enthusiasts should be carrying out this month, ranging from lawn preparation to tackling unsightly fungal diseases.

One such concern is black spot, a fungal disease that can pose a serious threat to the health and lifespan of your flowers.

In the video, he said: “Check roses for black spot and remove anything that’s affected.”

What is rose black spot?

For those unfamiliar with the condition, rose black spot is a fungal disease in which affected blooms develop purple and black spots on their leaves, ultimately causing them to drop prematurely.

According to the Royal Horticultural Society, where leaves are infected, the markings will typically appear in spring, persisting over time and potentially causing significant damage to plants.

In addition to the purple and black spots, further symptoms of the disease include yellowing of leaf tissue, leaf drop, and small, black, scabby lesions that may emerge on young stems. There is also the possibility of finding signs of powdery mildew.

How to eliminate rose black spot

Michael’s removal technique is remarkably straightforward to implement. If the disease is confined to a single area, such as the foliage, all that is required is to pinch off any leaves showing signs of black spot.

If you prefer not to use your hands to remove the diseased leaves, you can employ a pair of secateurs instead. Secateurs must then be cleaned thoroughly to minimise any risk of transmitting the disease.

If you notice any affected leaves on the ground, collect them. In an earlier video on the subject, Michael said: “You can pull (the leaves) in the opposite direction to the growth to easily remove them by hand.”

Everything that you collect or remove must be destroyed; do not add it to your compost heap. To minimise the chances of your roses developing black spot again, follow these steps: Prune at the appropriate time, in an open bowl configuration to an outward-facing bud to lessen the likelihood of mould, mildew and black spot establishing themselves.

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Water thoroughly so the plant does not become stressed. Apply mulch to approximately three inches depth, retaining moisture and inhibiting weeds.

If the disease is especially severe, you may discover that flowers and plants will shed all of their foliage. Nevertheless, if you have observed that the black spot has spread throughout the plant, you may need to take more drastic measures to maintain the health of the roses.

Gardening expert Ish recommended using a bicarbonate of soda solution to tackle fungal disease. In a spray bottle, combine one teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda with 500ml of water.

Mix the solution thoroughly and apply a light mist to any plants suffering from powdery mildew or fungal infections on a weekly basis.

Gently spray the plant every week or so, and the solution should eliminate the black spot. This mixture creates a natural antifungal spray capable of targeting mould, black spot, and powdery mildew.

A small dash of washing-up liquid can also be added to the spray. This helps the solution adhere to the plants’ leaves more effectively.

As an antifungal agent, bicarbonate of soda alters the pH level on the leaf’s surface, rendering it less acidic and less hospitable to black spot fungus. The washing-up liquid assists the solution in spreading and sticking to the leaves, ensuring greater coverage across their surface.

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NewsBeat

For these Venezuelans living in the US, June’s earthquakes still reverberate across daily life

Published

11 minutes ago

on

10 September 2026

By

NewsAdmin

For these Venezuelans living in the US, June’s earthquakes still reverberate across daily life

Kelly Granado, whose parents died in Venezuela's June 24 earthquakes, poses for photos at her restaurant in downtown Los Angeles, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

2026-09-09T12:14:16Z

LOS ANGELES (AP) — After her parents went missing under the rubble of their Venezuela apartment building, Kelly Granado Montano spent her days here “lost, worried, on the phone,” her body in one country, her mind in another.

“The desperation, the pain, and the anguish grew — from not knowing” their fate, she said.

She was among the more than one million Venezuelans living in the United States who watched one of the worst disasters to hit the South American country unfold from afar.

The powerful back-to-back earthquakes that struck north-central Venezuela on June 24 killed more than 6,500 people, left an untold number missing and damaged thousands of buildings.

As the news overtook social media feeds and family WhatsApp chats, survivor’s guilt, anger toward Venezuelan authorities and a devastating feeling of powerlessness overcame many in the diaspora, a group whose numbers doubled to 1.2 million between 2019 to 2024, as people sought relief primarily from economic hardship.

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More than two months later, some Venezuelans in the U.S. still navigate the earthquakes’ aftermath — confronting loss and leading recovery efforts — against a backdrop of deepening uncertainty in both countries, largely tied to White House policies.

As President Donald Trump tightens his grip on Venezuela’s domestic affairs following the stunning U.S. military operation that deposed then-President Nicolás Maduro in January, his administration is narrowing paths to remain in the U.S., ending programs that allow more than 700,000 Venezuelans to live and work here legally.

Some immigrants feel a responsibility to keep shining light on Venezuela’s ongoing needs and unique challenges. “People think we are fine, but we are not,” said Dariela Merchan, an emergency room nurse in Austin, Texas.

Four Venezuelans living in the U.S. shared how they experienced the last two months, and what their futures might hold. This story is a collaboration with Caplin News in Miami and Phoenix-based Conecta Arizona.

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A restaurant owner searched for her parents from Los Angeles

Granado Montano called her parents over and over the evening of June 24, but there was no answer.

Marina, 66, and Jesús, 80, had last been seen in the underground parking of the building where they kept a beach apartment, about to leave from a family vacation. The 10-story building in the coastal state of La Guaira had completely collapsed.

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Granado Montano, 43, last saw her parents 11 years ago. Unable to leave the U.S., and with so little help from Venezuelan authorities, looking for her parents alongside relatives and volunteers on the ground became “an odyssey.”

She fundraised for the search efforts and pleaded on social media for more help to reach their building, one of 190 that completely collapsed. A group searching for their loved ones spent thousands hiring a machine to move debris, to little avail. Progress began when someone donated an excavator and a drone operator helped locate missing remains.

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In the midst of everything, Granado Montano turned her Los Angeles restaurant, Full Arepas, into a relief hub, filling shipping containers with donations to be sent to Venezuela. “Knowing we are helping people who are going through something similar … it brings me a little relief,” she said.

And so 57 days passed, until the afternoon of Aug. 19. Granado Montano was at work when a cousin sent her a video of her parents’ van, covered in rubble.

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Inside, volunteers found her mother and father; her cousin and her 9-year-old daughter; her daughter’s friend; her cousin’s boyfriend and his 13-year-old son. Her father had his seat belt on.

Learning they’d been found was “bittersweet,” she said. Her family had been recovered, but “it wasn’t the way we had wanted – alive.”

She processes one day at a time – keeping busy at the restaurant and establishing a foundation to continue helping Venezuelans. Unable to attend the memorial for her parents in Venezuela, Granado Montano and her sister held their own service at a Los Angeles church.

“They were together for 45 years and into eternity,” said Granado Montano. “Because they were found just as I had hoped they would be. Together.”

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An Austin, Texas nurse ships medical supplies between shifts

Dariela Merchan longed to put her medical skills to use on the ground. But an expired Venezuelan passport prevented the emergency room nurse from returning to the country she first left 14 years, a common issue after Venezuelan consulates in the U.S. shuttered years ago.

With her father and sister safe in Venezuela, her concern shifted to overwhelmed and underresourced medical workers, and the patients who badly needed their help. The healthcare system was already so weakened before the earthquakes that medications were scarce and a hospital’s electricity and water could go out at any time.

“They’re trying to survive and trying to work with what they have,” said Merchan, 28. She asked doctor friends in Venezuela what they needed. They told her, “Literally anything.”

A prolific content producer on TikTok whose nursing-related videos sometimes yield millions of views, Merchan called on her network there. She connected healthcare workers with platforms where they could volunteer free telehealth sessions for those affected. A single TikTok post garnered 500 signups, she said.

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When Merchan called on brands to contribute, a medical apparel company mailed her 200 sets of new scrubs. Wary of theft by officials or others, she resolved to ship the scrubs door-to-door to a health nonprofit working in the hard-hit state of La Guaira. She crowdfunded part of the $1,200 shipping fee, covering the rest herself.

Between night shifts, Merchan packs more donated supplies for shipment, including packets of electrolyte powder for first responders. She tucks in handwritten notes thanking the health workers, reminding them they’re not alone. “We’re watching and we’re with you,” she wants them to know, “from all over the world.”

A South Florida student grieves relatives while contemplating an uncertain future

One week after his aunt Yolanda died under the rubble of her apartment building, Alejandro Marquina discovered an Instagram message from her, congratulating him on a recent work accomplishment.

He hadn’t seen it and never replied.

The unanswered message is a painful reminder of his grief after the earthquakes killed five of Marquina’s family members in his home state of La Guaira.

“I felt like a really bad person,” said Marquina, 22. “She was really proud of me. And now, she’s gone.”

In the weeks after the earthquakes, recurring nightmares plagued Marquina. He rarely left his house, racked with survivor’s guilt. The Florida International University senior struggled to attend classes and stopped driving – afraid something bad would happen. Going out with friends or his girlfriend sometimes triggered panic attacks.

“I was just feeling like, I’m here having fun, but my family is dying,” he said. “Many people in Venezuela, not even just my family, they’re fighting for their lives.”

Marquina, his parents and sister moved to South Florida in 2015 as his family fled oppression and sought better opportunities outside Venezuela. They landed in Doral, a city in Miami-Dade County with such a large Venezuelan population its nickname became “ Doralzuela.”

Now the faraway tragedy weighs on Marquina as he confronts uncertainties over his future and that of many others as the Trump administration tightens immigration and citizenship policies.

Marquina enrolled in therapy after the earthquakes, which he said helped him begin working through what happened. But it was sending aid that kept him moving forward.

The journalism major used his social media skills to raise awareness. He’s collected $2,000 so far for earthquake survivors, including his own displaced family members.

“I needed to do something,” he said. “I couldn’t just stay in my house.”

From Tucson, Arizona, she watched a second disaster impact her family

Diana Ramos had trouble reaching her parents and grandmother at first, but they were ok, save some minor damage and shattered sentimental dishware.

Overwhelmed by the flood of GoFundMe campaigns and volunteer drives, Ramos, 27, reflected on how to make a difference from Tucson, Arizona, where she first arrived as a recruited college athlete.

Some of her fondest memories of childhood in Guatire, a city 45 minutes east of Caracas, were from school. She messaged one of her teachers and learned her elementary school was shut down after being badly damaged. Ramos raised $4,000 from friends and family to help repair the building.

But weeks later came a new blow: Another huge earthquake in Colombia, home to 2.8 million Venezuelans, including her sister Duneida. Both of her sister’s workplaces in the hard-hit city of Cali were damaged, one totally destroyed, wiping out part of her income. For a while, Ramos heard less from her sister, who was overwhelmed and upset.

“It just feels like I have my heart in two parts of two different countries,” said Ramos. “So that’s just been sad.”

Ramos wonders how much more her people can take after two decades of political turmoil and economic crisis. “All these things are accumulating without anything being solved,” she said.

The recent deal that gives the U.S. access to roughly a fifth of Venezuela’s oil reserves — which some tout as an economic lifeline, while others criticize it as an affront to Venezuelan sovereignty — didn’t change Ramos’ outlook.

She’s moving forward, clutching to her routine in Tucson and the hope of seeing her family again soon. “The earthquakes put into perspective how life can go within a second.”

——

This story is supported by the AP Fund for Journalism and is a collaboration with Caplin News in Miami and Conecta Arizona in Phoenix.

Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP’s philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy.

DORANY PINEDA

Pineda writes about water, climate and the environment in Latino communities across the U.S.

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GABRIELA AOUN ANGUEIRA

Gabriela covers philanthropy’s role in disaster resilience and recovery. She is based in San Diego, California.

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NewsBeat

Our Yorkshire Farm star launches major new project for fans

Published

24 minutes ago

on

10 September 2026

By

NewsAdmin

Our Yorkshire Farm star launches major new project for fans

Cosy Bedtime Stories from the Farm is a collection of 10 bedtime stories for readers aged six and above, inspired by her family’s real-life adventures on Ravenseat Farm in North Yorkshire.

NewsBeat

Ex-partner of ‘Gisele Pelicot 2.0’ husband whose wife died after ‘being drugged and raped by other men’ describes horrific abuse he subjected her and their pet dog to

Published

59 minutes ago

on

10 September 2026

By

NewsAdmin

Pictured: Robert Aichinger, who has been arrested after he allegedly drugged her so that other men could rape her

The ex-partner of a man whose wife died after he allegedly drugged her so that other men could rape her has revealed the horrific abuse he put her through.

Daniela Aichinger, 39, died on June 25 after sustaining injuries while being sexually abused.

Police are investigating her 51-year-old husband, Robert Aichinger, who was found to have exchanged messages with men revealing that he had drugged his wife repeatedly and handed her unconscious to men for payment.

The disturbing case has been called ‘Pelicot 2.0’ by prosecutors, in reference to Gisele Pelicot, a French woman who was raped by dozens of men on numerous occasions after being drugged by her husband.

Now, the man’s ex-wife has revealed shocking details of their marriage, telling of her then-husband’s violent outbursts – which saw him abuse their pet dog and punch her in the face.

The 48-year-old woman, who has not been named, said in a police interview that her husband at the time became increasingly violent following the birth of their first son, Austrian newspaper Krone reports.

She said her husband asked her to have sex with other couples, to which she refused.

‘As a result, he sat down on me…and punched me in the face alternately with both fists,’ she said.

Pictured: Robert Aichinger, who has been arrested after he allegedly drugged her so that other men could rape her

Daniela (pictured with her husband) died on June 25

Pictured: The exterior of the home where the alleged absue took place

‘I had never experienced him like that before. Eventually he let go of me and went to sleep.’

The woman was left with a broken jaw, as well as bruising to her jaw and cheekbone.

She also described an incident in which her ex-husband had ‘severely beaten’ their dog, saying that the incident left the pet trembling in fear at the sight of the man.

The woman’s claims come after her ex-husband was arrested following the death of his current wife, who was found lifeless and covered in blood on a waterbed by her teenage daughter back in June.

Her husband, who was intoxicated, initially told first responders his wife had an accident during ‘rough sex’, news outlet 20 Minuten reports.

Police did not initially suspect the 51-year-old husband. However, an autopsy and a search of his phone revealed that the woman’s death was linked to something more sinister.

Following his wife’s death, police found that the man disposed of the waterbed and deleted an app on his phone.

Cops discovered that just days before his wife’s death, the man had allegedly looked up how to drug someone on his device.

Pictured: Robert’s mugshot following his arrest

The couple’s neighbour (pictured) has been arrested and stands accused of sexually assaulting Daniela twice

He subsequently drugged his wife repeatedly over an extended period and handed her, unconscious, to men for payment, including on the night she died, local media reports.

The woman’s husband was paid up to 500 Euros per session and would refer to his wife as ‘dead meat’ in text messages.

Her husband has been arrested alongside a neighbour, who is accused of sexually assaulting the woman twice, including on the night of her death.

He is understood to have left the house before she died.

Text messages between the two men were found to mention the alleged abuse of the woman, newspaper Krone reports.

On the night of her death, her husband allegedly sent his neighbour a photo of his unconscious wife.

In one text, the woman’s husband wrote: ‘I’ll get her properly drunk. Then you can have sex with her again. The way she was whining the other day was amazing.’

His neighbour responded: ‘She almost screamed. You cover her mouth again.’

He also thanked the woman’s husband for ‘allowing me to use her’.

In another text, the husband revealed his wife had not consented to the acts. He wrote: ‘She’s not participating willingly.’

He also said: ‘If it worked, if I had date rape drugs, I would regularly make her available for you to rape.’

The day before the woman’s death, her husband also allegedly shared photos of his wife with the man, and in a separate text message wrote: ‘But he does know that it’s a real rape and she would never go along with it?’

The case has been likened to that of Gisele Pelicot (pictured in October 2025) who was raped by dozens of men on numerous occasions after being drugged by her husband

More suspects remain under investigation as a police probe continues.

The case follows the high-profile trial that shocked France in 2024, in which Dominique Pelicot admitted to drugging his wife Gisele for almost a decade and inviting dozens of men to rape her while she was unconscious.

He was found guilty on all charges last year and sentenced to 20 years in prison, which was the maximum possible.

He admitted his role and did not appeal.

All 50 of his co-defendants were also found guilty of various charges related to the case.

The trial drew international attention after Gisele opposed a closed hearing, a demand made by several defendants.

The court sided with her. Her courage inspired campaigners against sexual and sexist violence, and the shocking case spurred a national reckoning over rape culture in France.

The evidence included stomach-churning homemade videos of rapes and assaults that Dominique Pelicot filmed in the couple’s home in the small Provence town of Mazan and elsewhere.

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NewsBeat

Why the versatile PB&J remains king of the lunchbox after 125 years

Published

1 hour ago

on

10 September 2026

By

NewsAdmin

Why the versatile PB&J remains king of the lunchbox after 125 years

A peanut butter and jelly sandwich is prepared in New York in August 2026. (Katie Workman via AP)

2026-09-09T12:28:51Z

If there is a single sandwich associated with childhood and school lunches in the U.S.A, it has to be the PB&J.

Sweet and salty, inexpensive, easy to make (maybe the first sandwich many kids make for themselves?), peanut butter and jelly is as close to iconic as a sandwich can get.

It’s been 125 years since the first known written recipe, and the PB&J concept is still going strong. In its simplest form, it’s a lunchbox staple, but it’s also a jumping-off point for creative takes in eateries from delis to high-end restaurants.

It’s nothing if not versatile: When peanut allergies led to school bans, alternative nut butters like almond and seed butters like sunflower, flaxseed and pumpkin seed stepped in.

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The combo began as a tea sandwich for the wealthy

The recipe that appeared in 1901 in The Boston Cooking School Magazine was written by Julia Davis Chandler. It called for current or crab-apple jelly and was viewed as a fancy tea-time snack for wealthy people.

In the 1920s and ‘30s, commercial peanut butter and machine-sliced bread became widely available. Peter Pan and Skippy were early brands, and then Jif came along in the 1950s.

Natural peanut butter has also carved out a niche, though what “natural” means is up for debate. Many people think of it as peanut butter that allows the natural oil to separate, and requires stirring to emulsify.

The classic old-school sandwich would have to be two slices of soft bread, probably white, maybe wheat, with a layer of peanut butter (crunchy or smooth) on one side, jelly (often grape, maybe strawberry or raspberry, probably seedless) on the other. Simple and perfect.

Not so long ago, a kid who lugged sandwiches to school made with heavy natural peanut butter and sugar-free jam on multigrain bread wouldn’t have found anyone who wanted to trade. (Trust me on that.)

But times and tastes have evolved, and now a sandwich like that would no longer feel crunchy-granola-weird.