The extreme right-wing Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) has won a decisive victory in a regional election in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, gaining nearly 44% of the vote. However, it fell just short of the outright majority needed to govern alone, so negotiations are underway to determine who will run the state.

One small party, the Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW), stands as possible kingmaker. Formed in 2024 by high-profile figures who broke away from the radical left-wing Die Linke, the BSW won five seats in Saxony-Anhalt’s parliament. During the election campaigns, BSW founder and eponymy Sahra Wagenknecht signalled an openness to work with the AfD in the state.

She remarked in August that the BSW’s election goal was “to remove the incumbent Christian Democratic Union minister [Sven Schulze]” and “end this firewall idiocy”. Germany’s mainstream political parties have long refused to work or form coalitions with the radical right. This is known as the “firewall”.

On election night itself, the lead candidate for the BSW in Saxony-Anhalt, Claudia Wittig, stopped short of endorsing the AfD’s Ulrich Siegmund as minister president. But she said: “there are, of course, projects that we can very well imagine doing with the AfD”. She made these remarks in a television broadcast while stood beside the AfD’s leader, Alice Weidel.

The BSW and AfD sit on different ends of the traditional left-right political spectrum. But they share more common ground than you might imagine. Both parties are anti-establishment and firmly against immigration, making the argument that immigration numbers need to be reduced.

This is despite Germany already widening deportations as part of a nationwide shift towards stricter migration controls. Germany resumed deportation flights to Afghanistan in 2024, for example, initially focusing only on people with criminal records before widening the policy.

Despite a significant overlap, their anti-immigration stances are not entirely aligned. While the AfD has proposed mass deportations and ending the right to asylum entirely, the BSW is less extreme. It does not propose ending the right to asylum or deporting people solely due to their ethnic background.

Instead, it argues that restricting immigration numbers is important in order to keep the welfare state alive. This is a core principle in the party’s ideology, which experts call “left-conservative”.

Another area of common ground is Russia. Both parties demand a stop to Germany’s weapon deliveries to Ukraine. They argue that military support is prolonging the war there, draining domestic economic resources and escalating the risk that Germany is dragged into direct conflict with Russia.

The AfD and BSW are also closely aligned on proposals to end Russian sanctions, which have been in place since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. They want to resume energy imports from Russia and begin receiving Russian gas again via the Nord Stream pipelines. These proposals are also related to both parties’ scepticism of renewable energy.

Not a straightfoward relationship

There are similarities between the two parties at the state level, too. But these are less clear cut. The AfD has announced that, if it does lead the next government in Saxony-Anhalt, it intends to terminate the public broadcasting arrangements. It claims public broadcasters are government mouthpieces biased towards mainstream parties.

The BSW similarly argues that public broadcasting is part of a “cancel culture” and should inform, rather than try to push an agenda. However, the BSW advocates for reform rather than the outright abolition of public broadcasting.

Other AfD proposals include changes to the school curriculum to end “inclusion” in mainstream education, where children with special needs currently learn alongside other students. Its manifesto in Saxony-Anhalt also included plans to place refugees in separate classes at school rather than teaching students together.

The BSW, on the other hand, advocates greater inclusion of children with disabilities in mainstream classrooms and calls for funding specialised classroom support. And while the AfD advocates for culture war projects like banning LGBTQ+ flags, the BSW does not explicitly support a ban or mention LGBTQ+ issues in their Saxony-Anhalt manifesto.

The BSW’s national party platform has, however, adopted positions that critics characterise as transphobic.

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Saxony-Anhalt may well become the first German state to be led by a radical right government since the second world war. But the context is important. Saxony-Anhalt is a small state made up of 1.7 million voters, just 2.5% of the German electorate. As such, its political landscape should not be taken as representative of the country as a whole.

The conditions for an absolute AfD majority in Saxony-Anhalt were also favourable. The east German state has a higher unemployment rate than the national average and there is widespread dissatisfaction there with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz. Many voters in the state blame the federal government for feeling left behind and unrepresented.

Yet the AfD did not succeed in securing their electoral goal, an outright majority, leaving it reliant on other parties to form a government. All eyes should thus be on the BSW, its most likely partner – not only in Saxony-Anhalt but also in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Berlin, where voters head to the polls later in September.

Neighbours also fear the development could cause parking issues

New homes are set to built at a warehouse site despite sewage fears after a nearby pumping station “flowed for a month”. Plans for two one-bed bungalows and five three-bed homes in Fulbourn were brought to South Cambridgeshire District Council’s planning committee on Wednesday (September 9).

A new office would also replace an old one, offering a greater number of jobs than before. David Chaplin, the applicant, said he’d worked “positively” with council officers to address concerns and “significantly amended” the plans such as by reducing the number of homes from nine.

He added that the local highways authority did not object on parking grounds, even with the narrowing of Rushden Close from 7.2m to 5m. But a written statement on behalf of neighbours asked the number of homes to be further reduced to five, arguing that drivers will “invariably park on the pavement”, blocking the footpath.

David Cottee, secretary of the Fulbourn Forum, said the plans would lead to more parking on adjoining road Home End which has a “blind corner” with Manor Walk. He said: “Any on-road parking outside the proposed offices will force vehicles and cyclists into the middle of the road just before the blind corner. Fulbourn deserves better – a less dense scheme for both housing and offices would enable a more appropriate and better quality development.”

David Smith, chair of Fulbourn Parish Council, said sewage overflow had been a problem before on nearby Stonebridge Lane where the pumping station is. He said: “At the beginning of the year, that road was absolutely covered in raw sewage.

“That backs onto the side of the recreation ground – we had to stop the under 15s playing football there in case the ball went into the raw sewage. It’s a really, really, serious concern because it literally flowed for a month before they got the problem sorted.”

He questioned whether the pumping station would be able to cope with the extra sewage from another seven properties. Council officers clarified that, although Anglian Water objected to the plans, the developer has a legal right to connect to the sewer system. They also said they were unable to add any conditions relating to streets outside the application site.

Cllr Anna Bradnam, chair of the planning committee, said parking was a “major concern” but could be dealt with by a management plan. The Liberal Democrat councillor said: “So the residents are going to have to understand there are sometimes days of the week when the refuse vehicle is coming, and they don’t park on the street otherwise they’ll cause confusion.

“But actually I think this is an improvement on the previous application – it has reduced in size.” The application was granted with nine votes in favour and one against.

Vladimir Putin and Russia have a maximum of two years left to fight, according to Ukraine‘s top spy chief. 

Lieutenant General Oleh Ivashchenko claimed this week that a loss of troops, dwindling morale and a struggling economy may impact Russia’s ability to wage war by 2028.

Western intelligence services suggest Putin’s nation is losing 6,000 more soldiers than it can recruit every month. Figures produced by Ukraine, meanwhile, estimate that Russia has lost more than 1.5million troops – with as many as 450,000 deaths – since 2022. 

Speaking at the Ukrainian military’s intelligence service headquarters in Kyiv, Ivashchenko told The Times: ‘Russia has military and economic resources for the next year, but we estimate it will end in 2028.

‘Russia recruits roughly 1,000 people every day, sometimes 1,200, but look at these casualty figures. Yesterday it was 1,410, the day before it was 1,511. Of those, around 60 per cent are killed in action.’   

Another 18 months of fighting would likely result in a further 765,800 Russian casualties, with 459,480 dead and 306,320 wounded, statistics suggest. 

And such startling figures, according to Ivashchenko, have resulted in a lack of enthusiasm for the war effort across the border in Moscow. 

‘Morale is very low because nobody wants to fight,’ he added. ‘Also the morale of the Russian population is very low: most people do not really want war.’ 

Western intelligence services are reported to suggest that Russia is losing 6,000 more soldiers than it can recruit every month

The spy chief dubbed Putin ‘subnormal’ for waging a war in such conditions. ‘Draw your own conclusions about a person who wants to kill other people to seize their territory,’ he said. 

In a separate interview, Ivashchenko suggested that Russia is considerably weaker economically than it was when the full scale conflict launched four years ago. 

Much of Kyiv’s war-time strategy has centred around long-range drone strikes against refineries, oil depots, factories and tankers. 

Only this week, reports suggested an oil refinery in Rostov-on-Don as well as three Russian air defence assets were struck by Ukrainian forces in an overnight operation. 

It came a matter of days after a fire was recorded at the Ryazan Oil Refinery – one of Russia’s largest oil-processing refineries.

Around 40 per cent of Russia’s oil-refining infrastructure has been disabled, according to the Kyiv Independent, leading to fuel shortages and a ban on exports of diesel and gasoline. 

Ivashchenko told the Ukrainian news agency: ‘The main problems facing the Russian economy are a shortage of labour resources, a growing budget deficit and a deteriorating situation in the banking system. 

‘At the same time, it still has enough resources to wage war against Ukraine. We do not rule out that these resources will last through 2027 to 2028.’ 

The lieutenant’s comments came hours after Ukrainian officials claimed five people were killed and 67 others wounded by a Russian drone which targeted a shopping mall in Pavlohrad, a city in Dnipropetrovsk region.

Shops and vehicles were hit in the attack, which Ukrainian Interior Minister Ivan Vyhivskyi said took place ‘when the streets were full of people’.  

Volodymyr Zelensky later echoed that sentiment, accusing Russia of ‘using drones to kill people who were simply standing near shopping centres’. 

Firefighters work at the site of an alleged Russian drone strike on a shopping mall in Pavlohrad, a city in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region

Cars are seen destroyed as smoke billows above the shopping centre on Thursday afternoon

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It comes after two other malls – in the cities of Zaporizhzhia and Sumy – were also reported to have been hit by Russian air strikes earlier this week. 

On Tuesday, Zelensky said: ‘Russia deliberately tried to calculate for maximum damage to life. No strike against Ukraine and against life can be left unpunished. Russia must be stopped.

‘Every day we make the case to our partners for our need for interceptors. Ballistic missiles remain particularly difficult to intercept.’

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha meanwhile described Russia’s decision to target his country’s civilians as a ‘tactic of coercion’. 

He added: ‘Russia believes that relentless attacks on civilians can exhaust Ukrainians and force Ukraine into coercion.’ 

Together, Together is the third concert tour by the English singer-songwriter, supporting his fourth album, Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally.

Dates have already taken place in 2026 in Amsterdam, London, Brazil and Mexico City.

A 30-night residency at Madison Square Garden in New York City is ongoing, before this year’s shows finish in Australia in December.

Harry Styles announces new UK tour dates for 2027

Now, Harry Styles has revealed that he will be returning to the UK for more shows next year.

The tour will take place across America, in cities such as Dallas, LA and Chicago, before coming to Europe, in Berlin, Paris, Madrid and Rome.

Styles has also confirmed dates in Dublin and London in August.

The shows will take place on August 18 and 20 at Croke Park in Dublin and August 25, 27 and 28 at Wembley Stadium.

Baby Rose will support the shows in Dublin, with Tears for Fears supporting at Wembley, which will be the final shows of the tour.

The announcement comes after the former One Direction star sent an email to fans yesterday teasing new 2027 dates.

In the message, he said: “When we decided to do the 2026 tour I knew it would be special but what you turned it into was far beyond what I could have imagined.

“I love playing music, I love being with all of you and being a part of the love and joy you all create together every night.

“That’s why I wanted you to be the first to know we will be adding 2027 dates, which honestly, at first I found daunting.

“Being an artist is the only life I’ve ever known really, I have been doing this since I was 16 years old, and I feel like the luckiest person in the world to still be sharing these moments with you.”

Styles shot to fame as a teenager in One Direction alongside Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson after the group was formed on ITV singing competition The X Factor in 2010.

They went on hiatus in 2016, almost a year after Malik left, and the Worcestershire-born star launched his solo career.

Until this year, he had kept a relatively low profile since the end of his 2023 tour and recently explained this stemmed from the pressures of a life in the spotlight and needing to take a break from music.

“Tomorrow’s announcement will be the final cities of Together, Together,” Styles continued.

The star hinted about his plans for the future, and added: “After that, I don’t know what comes next for me, but I know that I’m excited to find out.

“I can’t wait for us to keep dancing with all our friends, I hope to see you there.

“Thank you for coming out to see us, and for all the love and support you’ve given me over the years.

“All my love – H.”

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When do Harry Styles tickets go on sale?

Tickets for Harry Styles’ Wembley shows are on Amex Presale on Tuesday, September 15.

This will be followed by a Fan Presale on Wednesday, September 16.

General sale is the following day, on Thursday, September 17, with all sales beginning at 11am.

Will you be trying to get tickets to Harry Styles’ tour next year? Let us know in the comments.

By ISABELLA MACHIN, REPORTER

Published: 23:22 BST, 10 September 2026 | Updated: 02:11 BST, 11 September 2026

Israel has blown up a key tunnel network built by the Hezbollah group in Lebanon, causing a 4.1 magnitude tremor from a blast that filled the night sky with flames and billowing plumes of smoke. 

The explosion on Thursday, which sent shockwaves rippling across the region for miles, obliterated the major underground complex built by the Iran-backed terrorist organisation.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Thursday evening it had demolished the strategic Ali al-Taher ridge in southern Lebanon. It is understood 1,100 tons of explosives were used.

Footage released by Israel’s defence minister Israel Katz shows the dark night skies emblazoned with orange fire as smoke billows out from the destroyed tunnels. The video was captioned: ‘We promised and we delivered. The terrorists were eliminated and the Ali Taher tunnels were destroyed. Kudos to the IDF.’

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Meanwhile, the operation was captured by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). Israeli sources said dozens of Hezbollah fighters were found dead inside the tunnels – which have long been seen as a flashpoint in the Israel-Hezbollah war. 

‘This is strategic terrorist infrastructure that was built over two decades, with Iranian funding and planning,’ said a joint statement by Netanyahu and Katz.

The destruction ‘completes the achievement of operational control over the Ali al-Taher ridge – above and below ground,’ the statement added.

The United States Geological Survey meanwhile reported a 4.1 magnitude tremor in the area, after Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported that Israel carried out a ‘massive explosion’ on the Ali al-Taher ridge in the Nabatieh region, ‘causing tremors and a powerful rumble’.

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Israel has blown up a key tunnel network built by the Hezbollah group in Lebanon on Thursday

 The explosion on Thursday, which sent shockwaves rippling across the region for miles, obliterated the major underground complex built by the Iran-backed terrorist organisation

Footage released by Israel’s defence minister Israel Katz shows the dark night skies emblazoned with orange fire as smoke billows out from the destroyed tunnels

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AFP journalists in south Lebanon also said they heard ‘huge explosions’ on Thursday evening. ‘We were sitting there and everything shook,’ Joelle Fares, who recently moved to Majayoun, said.

The Israeli army said the Hezbollah infrastructure extended for more than two kilometres (1.2 miles) and contained ‘dozens of Iranian-made rockets, missiles, and UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles), as well as machine guns, dozens of anti-tank missiles, and hundreds of mines and explosive devices’.

The underground compound also included a command centre of Hezbollah’s ‘Badr’ unit, the army added.

A military official said that some of the militants that had operated in the area of the ridge had abandoned it, while others were ‘eliminated by aerial strikes and artillery fire’.

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Israel announced last week that it had captured the Ali al-Taher ridge. Located about 15 km (10 miles) from the Israeli border, the hills have a commanding view of a broad sweep of southeastern Lebanon.

In March, Hezbollah dragged Lebanon into the Middle East war in support of its backer Iran. There had been a lull in violence after the understanding reached between Iran and the United States in June, followed by an agreement between Lebanon and Israel.

But strikes have increased in intensity in recent days. During negotiations, the United States, which sponsored the talks, proposed that the Lebanese army take control of the Ali al-Taher ridge, but Hezbollah refused, a source close to the parties told AFP.

Beirut authorities say Israeli strikes have killed more than 4,300 people in total since March, and Israeli forces continue to occupy a so-called ‘security zone’ in the south.

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The Ali al-Taher ridge was controlled by the Israeli military from 1982 to 2000 during its occupation of southern Lebanon. Hezbollah is believed to have built an extensive underground network following the Israeli withdrawal. 

Reuters reported earlier this month that Iran had warned the United States against an Israeli attack on the ridge. 

READ MORE: Inside the weapon-filled tunnels beneath a Lebanon castle which was long a Hezbollah stronghold and used to launch deadly strikes and drones

By SOPHIE CHURCH – POLITICAL REPORTER

Published: 22:04 BST, 10 September 2026 | Updated: 02:17 BST, 11 September 2026

China could bring Britain to a ‘standstill’ by switching off access to our power grid, a former MI6 chief has warned.

In an ominous address, Sir Richard Dearlove claimed on Wednesday that Beijing could hold the UK to ‘ransom’ by growing our dependency on Chinese steel and tech – then cutting our supplies when it chooses.

Speaking to MPs and peers in Parliament, the former chief spy said: ‘Peacetime dependencies give China strategic leverage, and in a crisis it gives them weapons of mass disruption which could literally bring this country to a complete standstill.’

He added: ‘Britain and its allies do retain the capacity to design and assemble the apparatus on which the grid depends.

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‘But the material without which none of this can be built is now concentrated in the hands of the very country which the director general of MI5 has identified as the most serious threat to Britain’s national security.’

This comes as Andy Burnham on Tuesday spoke to President Xi for the first time since becoming Prime Minister.

Sir Richard Dearlove claimed on Wednesday that Beijing could hold the UK to ‘ransom’ by growing our dependency on Chinese steel and tech – then cutting our supplies when it chooses

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Sir Richard warned that President Xi is fulfilling his dream of global domination by 2049 ‘under our very noses’

Andy Burnham on Tuesday spoke to President Xi for the first time since becoming Prime Minister

A Downing Street statement said the leaders committed to ‘a long-term and consistent comprehensive strategic partnership between the UK and China’.

But Sir Richard warned that President Xi is fulfilling his dream of global domination by 2049 ‘under our very noses’.

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And he said that Britain ‘complacently deindustrialising’ had become a ‘chronic danger’ as China exerts control over critical minerals markets.

‘In ceasing to manufacture it has exported its exposure to the energy systems of its suppliers, some of whom are strategic adversaries.

‘Our foreign policy is therefore fettered and could even be held to ransom.’

China has been steadily increasing its global steel exports as Britain and other countries in Europe have seen their industrial bases decline.

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And Britain last year raced to save British steel after its Chinese owners Jingye sought to close the blast furnaces at Scunthorpe.

Shadow home office minister Alicia Kearns blasted Labour last night for ‘making our country less resilient and less safe’ by relying on China for essential materials.

She said: ‘Ministers should be taking measures to protect the grid and the British people’s access to energy.

‘Instead, they are insisting on overground electricity, making it much easier for foreign powers and terrorists to take down the grid.

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‘This demonstrates their denial about the scale of the threat.’

This comes as Labour was branded the ‘Welfare Party’ after Mr Burnham on Wednesday said that national security ‘cannot come at the expense of social security’.

Ms Kearns added that Labour’s ‘failure to fund defence leaves us exposed, and their obsession with net zero leaves us reliant on other countries’.

Labour MP Graeme Downie, who chairs campaign group the Coalition on Secure Technology, told the Mail: ‘The government needs to show it is aware of this threat and is defending against it, and through that, they need to better inform the public about what they should do to prepare for the possibility of power interruptions should they occur.’

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And North Durham Labour MP Luke Akehurst said: ‘We need to take Sir Richard’s warning about dependency on China for key products and technologies extremely seriously.’

Japan has protested a new world map adopted by the UN after it showed the disputed Kuril Islands as part of Russia.

Japan’s government demanded a correction to the map, known as the Equal Earth cartographic projection.

The UN General Assembly voted on Friday to adopt a new map of the world, passed with the support of 164 nations, including France and the UK, while the US voted against it.

The new map fixed the discrepancy with the Mercator map, which was created in 1569 and showed the African continent as being of similar size to Greenland – even though it is in reality about 14 times larger.

However, Japan is among several countries that have disputed the new map because it shows the Kurils, known in Japan as the Northern Territories, in the same colour as Russia.

Japanese government spokesperson, Minoru Kihara, said the new map “contained a depiction contradicting the Japanese government’s position”.

“We lodged a protest with the map site’s operator through our diplomatic channel to demand the correction of this depiction,” Mr Kihara told reporters.

He said Japan “needs to prevent misconceptions of our territories and geographical names from spreading”.

The island has remained a bone of contention between Russia and Japan after a chain of islands was seized by the former Soviet Union in 1945, which then expelled the Japanese population.

Last month, Japan protested after Vladimir Putin made his first visit to the disputed Kuril Island in August. It marked his first visit to the island, sparking condemnation from prime minister Sanae Takaichi, who said the Russian president’s visit “offends the sentiments of the Japanese people”, and that it was “absolutely unacceptable”.

She insisted the islands were “an inherent part of Japan’s territory, both historically and under international law”.

Moscow responded by “categorically” rejecting the statement, “which we consider politically inappropriate, insulting and, of course, legally unfounded”.

Relations have deteriorated sharply since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, after which Japan joined its Group of Seven partners in imposing sanctions on Moscow.

Ukraine last week abstained on the map in the UN vote after it showed annexed Crimea in a different colour to the rest of the country. Ukraine said it opens a “Pandora’s Box” violating the UN Charter and international law.

While India voted in favour of the map the foreign ministry said “an inaccurate or misleading depiction is unacceptable” after the new map showed India’s border with Pakistan, the Line of Control, as a separate dotted line.

The map carried a disclaimer that the final status of Jammu and Kashmir has not been agreed upon by India and Pakistan, even as India depicts Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh within its boundaries.

Plans to join a row of three shops in Church Lane, off Spurriergate, together to form a single unit have been approved by City of York Council.

An application from Bench Mark Designs stated the works would see detritus including wall lights, artwork and graffiti-style rendering removed and the buildings’ crumbling façades rebuilt.

Council planning officers stated the changes would help preserve and enhance the features of the buildings and the wider area.

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Plans approved by the council would see access to the upper floors of the buildings created from Church Lane.

Dividing walls on the ground floor would be removed, with the application stating that a larger space would be more attractive to potential tenants.

Toilets and kitchen facilities would also be provided.

Shop fronts would be altered including by creating a new shared entrance, removing the current graffiti-style paintwork and repainting the render.

Plans stated the shop fronts were currently a mixed bag of styles.

The application stated: “At present the shops are in a very poor condition, various tenants have embellished them.

“The intension is to remove all the detritus.”

Council planning officers stated the latest plans were an improvement on ones for the works which had previously been refused.

Officers stated: “The revised design would be in keeping with the character of the building and the surrounding conservation area.

“The works would support the reuse of the commercial unit and enable a complaint access to the upper floors.

“The reoccupation of the vacant ground floor units would contribute positively to the appearance of the streetscene.”

There are also concerns the doctors are already under pressure and schools are ‘oversubscribed’

Plans for just six new homes near a hospital have been slammed by neighbours over traffic fears. Residents living near Doddington Hospital have raised concerns that more traffic will make walking “more dangerous because of the lack of passing areas”.

Mr Cutteridge is seeking permission in principal from Fenland District Council to build the homes on land south west of The Stables in Hospital Road. Doddington Hospital is located about five-minutes away from the site location by walking or a short drive away.

According to a planning document, the site is not within a flood zone, conservation area or within ground of a listed building. The application said the development would deliver more “executive type properties”, meaning ones that are intended to provide its occupants with higher-than-average levels of comfort, quality and convenience.

All properties would feature a third garden area, the applicants propose. The planning documents state there is a “significant planning history” along Hospital Road under Fenland’s current Local Plan with a number of these properties having been built out.

Since its submission in July, the plans have seen local backlash and several formal objections have been lodged with the council. One person said that over recent years, applications have been accepted for “at least 12 properties plus the expansion of the garden centre” along the single track road. They said the council appears to “totally disregard when it comes to upkeep”.

The objector said the single track road should be upgraded before “any expansion that will encourage more traffic”. The resident explained that Hospital Road is also part of the village’s circular footpath and “increased traffic is making walking along Hospital Road more dangerous because of the lack of passing areas”.

Similarly, another resident lodged concerns about increased traffic. They said that the area is “well-known by many in the village and surrounding areas as a lovely place to walk your dogs, take horses out hacking, or to exercise safely while enjoying the scenery”.

They noted that there are reportedly currently no footways in the area and claimed that they have been “forced to significantly reduce using the areas” for exercise. They fear increased traffic flow will result in “someone being struck”.

They also raised concerns that other properties on the rural lane have been separately approved or proposed adding, “surely it must be accepted that this offers itself more as an estate than a small extension to what was a lovely small village”.

Another local lodged an objection regarding concerns that new properties would “destroy” wildlife’s homes as well as the surrounding countryside. Additionally, they said that “doctors are already under immense pressure and are over subscribed” and the local school reportedly “struggles to accommodate those already within the catchment meaning people are having to travel out of area”.

Alternatively, some people have expressed their support towards the plans. One person said it is a “lovely location for new homes”, adding that “they will be an asset to the village”.

Another person said it would be a “gentle expansion of the village” meanwhile someone else said it would “provide several benefits to the village”.

By JAMES COHEN, SPORTS REPORTER

Published: 01:45 BST, 11 September 2026 | Updated: 02:33 BST, 11 September 2026

Furious NFL fans have ripped into the ‘worst rendition ever’ of the Star-Spangled Banner prior to the 49ers-Rams clash in Australia on Thursday. 

Prior to the action getting underway at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, New York-based ‘soft rock’ band Infinity Song took to the stage to perform the national anthem.

However, their performance fell flat among viewers watching back on US soil – with hundreds of them swiftly rushing to social media to offer their criticisms.

‘Is this the worst version of the US national anthem ever??,’ one fan wrote on X.  

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Another disgruntled viewer wrote: ‘This might be the worst performance of a National Anthem ever holy s***.’

‘These people sound terrible singing the national anthem!’, another said online.

Furious NFL fans have ripped into Infinity Song’s rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner 

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They took to the stage prior to the 49ers-Rams clash at Melbourne Cricket Ground

Immediately after Infinity Song took the stage, fellow singer Cody Simpson performed the Australian national anthem – leading to high praise from those same online fans. 

‘Dude who sang the Australian national anthem smoked the boots off the American national anthem rendition,’ one fan said. 

Another wrote: ‘Based on National Anthem performances, its 1-0 Australia. Come on NFL you could have represented the U.S. better than that!’ 

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Infinity Song is an American ‘soft rock’ band based in New York City composed of siblings Abraham, Angel, Israel and Momo Boyd. 

The group has released three albums under record label Roc Nation. 

Their performance came just one day after fans were left baffled by a wordless performance of the Star-Spangled Banner prior to the NFL’s season opener.

Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready performed the unique version of the anthem before the Seattle Seahawks beat the New England Patriots 13-10 in a Super Bowl rematch at Lumen Field.

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The American anthem was performed after Washington native, The Mwango Sisters had delivered a stirring rendition of ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’, better known as the ‘Black National Anthem’ before the game and received a mixed reception online.

But McCready was widely slammed for his guitar anthem, with viewers online even going as far as to call the performance a ‘disrespectful’ way to start the new season.

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Fans were quick to rush to social media and voice their frustrations with the anthem rendition

It came just one day after a wordless performance of the Star-Spangled Banner on Wednesday 

One disgruntled fan wrote: ‘As someone who has played guitar my whole life and loves the instrument… An electric guitar should never be used to play the national anthem in this way. This is a disgrace. 

‘There are many ways to express the anthem uniquely, but also respectfully. Chris Stapleton did that phenomenally well – expressing his own unique angle on the anthem while still articulating it with the dignity and reverence it deserves. 

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‘But this is simply a self-indulgent disgrace. There is no thought behind this. He doesn’t even have the decency to stay in the key as he vandalizes the melody – going to stupid out-of-key canned pentatonic riffs for no reason. 

‘I would be insulted if I bought tickets to see this as a musical performance, let alone listening to this as a rendition of our national anthem. Just terrible.’