Nigel Farage has played down the loss of Reform UK’s last leader in Wales as a “bump in the road”.

The Clacton MP was unveiling the party’s new regional leader after Dan Thomas stood down last Tuesday.

He was arrested on suspicion of assault and controlling or coercive behaviours. He has been bailed and says he has done nothing wrong.

The former Tory councillor is still a member of the Welsh parliament, and has been Reform’s Welsh leader since February.

The role was previously filled by Nathan Gill, who led the party in Wales for two months in 2021. He was jailed for 10 and a half years in 2025 for taking Russian bribes.

Reform’s main leader Farage announced today that his ally Helen Jenner, previously the deputy leader in Wales, would be taking over.

Alluding to Thomas’s exit, Farage said: “I am sorry for his personal difficulties that he is going through. No one’s life is ever seamless and I am quite sure he will come out of these before too long.

“But it was pretty much untenable for him to continue as leader while he had these domestic disputes, so we very quickly and rapidly have moved to electing a new leader.”

Farage said elections for a new Reform deputy leader in Wales would follow to fill Jenner’s old role.

He added: “We will carry on as if nothing has happened, waiting for Dan who is going to stay a member of this place, to come back more actively with us.

“We could have done without this bump in the road. But it has happened, we are making the best of it.”

Thomas announced last weekend that he had been released without charge.

“I stress that I have done nothing wrong, but I do not want the coming headlines to be a distraction from the fantastic work our Senedd team is doing in holding this government to account,” he said.

Gwent police confirmed a 45-year-old man from Aberbargoed area was arrested on September 13 “on suspicion of assault and engaging in controlling/coercive behaviour. He has been bailed pending further inquiries”.

The announcement comes amid heightened scrutiny on Reform and its finances.

The party received £72 million in 48 hours from crypto-billionaires earlier this month, though Reform insists the donors want nothing in exchange.

Farage is also subject to a parliamentary sleaze probe after he failed to declare a £5 million donation from Thailand-based Christopher Harborne once he became an MP in 2024.

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Donald Trump appears to be concerned about Ukraine’s ongoing attacks on Russia’s oil refineries – even though Kyiv is only retaliating again Moscow’s aggression.

Vladimir Putin is expected to “intensify” attacks on the Ukrainian capital after Ukrainians forces tried to “disrupt” Russian elections by firing drones at the Moscow region over the weekend while the public were voting.

It comes more than four and a half years after the Kremlin invaded Ukraine in a land grab, triggering a long and bloody war as Kyiv consistently pushes back.

Putin continues to illegally occupy a fifth of Ukraine’s sovereign territory.

Ukrainian allies in Europe have been weaning themselves off Russia’s cheap energy experts to punish the Kremlin for its violence.

But the US president, who caused global oil prices to rise after his war against Iran triggered the effective closure of a major shipping lane, seemed to blame Ukraine for the decline of Russia’s own fossil fuel industry.

“Russia has unfortunately lost control of its Diesel Oil Industry due to its War with Ukraine,” he wrote on his social media platform TruthSocial.

“A large number of their Diesel refineries have been blown up and are, at least temporarily, out of commission.

“This ridiculous and never ending War with Ukraine must be ended.

“The whole World suffers as 25,000 people, mostly soldiers, are being killed each month. What a shame! President DJT”

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy hit back at Trump’s statement.

He wrote on X that the war must end, adding: “Every new week of this war, let alone every new year, adds more and more problems.

“ From the very first minute, Ukraine has sought peace. We have already made dozens of diplomatic proposals on how to end this war with dignity, guarantee security, and prevent new Russian invasions.

“Right now, there is a dialogue with President Trump and America.

“There are also ideas on the table for bringing peace closer, starting with strong de-escalation steps.

“Ukraine’s energy sector, critical infrastructure, and our food exports must stop being targets for Russia, and this will lead to matching de-escalation steps on our part. Solutions are possible.”

He continued: “We are ready to work on this, and we will discuss it with our partners on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

“I thank everyone who is helping! It will no longer be the case that only the country under attack suffers. The nature of war is now such that the aggressor will suffer as well. Technology makes this possible.

“The strength of countries’ leadership can – and must – deliver de-escalation, security, and peace. Thank you!”

The elections – widely disregarded as a sham vote to bolster Putin’s authoritarian rule – already appear to cement the Kremlin’s dominance over the country amid speculation Russia may need to call up more reserves for the war effort.

Zelenskyy is set to meet Trump at the United Nations’ General Assembly on Tuesday.

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Ever heard of the “rete ovarii”?

If you answered “no”, you have every reason. Even though it was discovered and described in humans over 150 years ago (drawings of it appear in early copies of Grey’s Anatomy, an anatomy reference book that’s been running since 1858), scientists quickly dubbed it purposeless.

The structure, which lies near the ovaries, became so ignored that it was eventually removed from textbooks altogether. It was considered a “functionless vestige” of the adult ovary, meaning experts decided it was a useless evolutionary holdover.

But a study from Duke University suggests that the body part might play a role in fertility and ovarian health and maintenance for those with wombs.

While the research was conducted on mice, researchers think the findings could apply to humans too; the structure has been seen in lots of other mammals, and our sex organs develop in a manner very similar to those of a mouse.

Sometimes shortened to RO, the rete ovarii is a horseshoe-shaped “network of tubules and cords” that is attached to the ovary.

As it happens, those with penises have an equivalent: the rete testis, which we know helps to transport sperm.

We don’t know yet – but new imaging technology has offered exciting suggestions which would render the rete ovarii far from useless.

The “rediscovered” rete ovarii was found to have three distinct regions in both living mice and animals’ dissected tissue:

1. The intraovarian rete (IOR), found in the ovary
2. The extraovarian rete (EOR), made up of that network of tubes we mentioned earlier
3. The connecting rete (CR), which joins up the IOR and CR

The EOR seems to contain and produce proteins like insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 2 (IGFBP2), which may play a role in ovary function.

And after placing fluorescent dye in the EOR, they found it seemed to propel liquid towards the ovary, too. That suggests it may have a role in how the appendage operates or maintains itself.

Not only that, but experiments pointed to the possibility that the rete ovarii might switch on genes that affect how hormone receptors work.

The paper reads: “The direct proximity of the RO to the ovary suggests that it is functionally linked to the ovary and may play an important role in ovary development and homeostasis [self-regulation].

“Based on the cell biology, transcriptome and proteome of the RO, I hypothesise that the RO acts as an antenna for the ovary and plays an important role in ovary homeostasis and fertility.”

More research is needed to confirm or disprove that hypothesis, or indeed to find any other possible uses of the rete ovarii.

Speaking to Live Science, the study’s lead author, Dilara Anbarci, said: “There’s still so much we can’t even begin to comprehend about female anatomy.

“I hope this encourages more investigation in reevaluating what we don’t already know about the ovary.”

It’s well-known that many celebs like to maintain a “finsta” account, which allows them to post on social media without the world seeing it.

But what happens when an A-lister gets caught in the act on their burner page?

Well, that’s what some people thought was going on over the weekend, when it appeared that Channing Tatum’s alternative account had been exposed.

An anonymous account named Nonya Bidness became the subject of much speculation on social media in recent days, as people began to wonder if it was actually the Magic Mike star incognito.

Fuelling the rumour mill was the fact that the page in question appeared to have been commenting on a number of Channing-related goings-on – in particular relating to his ex, Zoe Kravitz, and her subsequent relationship with Harry Styles – with the US actor notably being the only person to follow the account.

However, it seems that this is a case of not believing everything you read on social media.

While the account itself has ruled out the suggestion that it is secretly Channing Tatum (telling those who believe otherwise to “go read a book” before disappearing from the internet completely), Metro has also reported that the account is not the 21 Jump Street actor, nor is it associated with him in any way.

One potential explanation that’s been put forward is that Channing hit “follow” on what he thought was a fan page devoted to him and his work, which he’s previously been known to do, only for the owner of the account to then change its name and get a bit busy in the comments of other people’s posts.

HuffPost UK has also contacted Channing Tatum’s team for comment.

Channing is currently gearing up for the release of his new movie Josephine, in which he and Gemma Chan play the parents of a young girl whose life is drastically changed when she witnesses an assault in Central Park.

Later this year, he’s also expected to reprise his role as Gambit – a role he finally originated in the comedic superhero outing Deadpool & Wolverine after years of rumours – in the Avengers movie Doomsday, which will bring together a host of big names from across the MCU and beyond.

Just weeks after a major air traffic control issue caused widespread disruption to travellers in the UK, another issue has prompted delays and cancellations in Scotland, Ireland and northern England.

On 21 September, National Air Traffic Services (NATS) said a technical issue at its Prestwick centre in Scotland was causing disruption.

NATS has since confirmed the issue has been fixed – yet some UK airports are experiencing knock-on delays and cancellations.

The new issue was unrelated to the technical problems experienced earlier this month, with a NATS spokesperson adding that air traffic regulations had been applied to manage traffic demand and maintain safety.

National Air Traffic Services (NATS) serves 15 UK airports including Heathrow, Newcastle, Manchester, Gatwick and Stansted.

NATS said airports south of Manchester had been “largely unaffected” by the issue.

However, flights heading north – and those departing Scottish airports – were subject to delays and cancellations.

• Manchester Airport said the technical issue was causing delays to flights and urged passengers to “keep an eye out for updates from their airlines”.
• At Belfast City Airport, several arrivals and departures had been cancelled.
• Belfast International Airport also reported delays. An update on its site reads: “Passengers who are due to travel should check with their airline for latest information on their flight status. If you do not have a confirmed flight please do not travel to the airport.”
• Edinburgh Airport has noted there are delays. Some flights have also been cancelled.
• Per the BBC, Highlands and Islands Airports said all 11 of its airports are affected and passengers should contact the airline they’re flying with for the latest updates.
• Glasgow Airport is also impacted with some flights delayed or cancelled. The airport said on its website that further disruption is expected due to the knock-on impact across the network and passengers should check with their airline for the latest flight information.
• Newcastle Airport is also experiencing a number of delays as well as a couple of cancellations.

Transport secretary Heidi Alexander shared on X that engineers have now fixed the problem impacting NATS systems.

She said: “I know this will be deeply frustrating for passengers after the previous issue. There may be some delays as things reset. Please check with your airline for updates.”

A NATS spokesperson said: “We are working with airports and airlines to safely lift air traffic regulations as quickly as we can to minimise any further disruption.

“Passengers should still check the status of their flight with their airline. We apologise for the disruption.”

Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel, advised passengers who are due to travel today or tomorrow to “check the advice from your airport, tour operator, airline apps, or airport social media feeds for the most up to date advice”.

“If your flight is cancelled or delayed, you’re unlikely to be owed compensation by the airline as the technical issue is considered an ‘extraordinary circumstance’,” he said.

“However, your airline is still responsible for looking after you during a delay. This includes food and drink after two to four hours (depending on how far you are flying) and a hotel if you are stuck overnight.

“If you end up having to pay for these things yourself, be sure to keep the receipts as you will need to claim this back from the airline.”

The BBC has addressed its recent decision to remove controversial scenes from the sketch series That Mitchell And Webb Look on its iPlayer service.

In honour of the comedy show’s 20th anniversary, That Mitchell And Webb Look – starring the titular comedians David Mitchell and Robert Webb, alongside cast members that included Sarah Hadland and future Oscar winners Olivia Colman and Daniel Kaluuya – was made available to stream on the BBC’s iPlayer platform.

However, fans of the duo quickly spotted that around 11 scenes had been pulled from this new edition of the series, including some that included the use of blackface.

One such sketch depicted Robert and Olivia as the hosts of a makeover show, introduced to a woman in a burkha. Later, in a faux behind-the-scenes cutaway, David takes off this garment to reveal that he is in blackface.

Another showed the Peep Show stars as Civil War re-enacters, who then use blackface as part of a re-staging of a conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with the pair – again in a faux behind-the-scenes cutaway – debating whether or not what they’re doing is “racist”.

In a statement, the BBC said: “That Mitchell and Webb Look has been made available on BBC iPlayer.”

“This is a 20-year-old sketch show,” they continued. “In consultation with the programme makers, we have included the ones that still work today and not the ones that don’t.”

HuffPost UK has contacted representatives for David Mitchell and Robert Webb for comment.

Back in 2020, in light of the protests in support of the Black Lives Matter movement that came after the murder of George Floyd, the BBC announced it was removing sketches making use of blackface from the sketch shows Little Britain, Come Fly With Me and The Mighty Boosh.

“There’s a lot of historical programming available on BBC iPlayer, which we regularly review,” a BBC spokesperson said at the time.

However, a key figure closely associated with the 007 franchise doesn’t exactly seem to have been won over by the latter’s credentials.

Charlie Higson – who took over at the helm of the James Bond book series from the late Ian Fleming in the 2020s – told The Times he’s “not sure” he can imagine the Slow Horses actor taking over from Daniel Craig.

“I like him, but it’s like when Tom Hiddleston was in the running – not a convincing hand-to-hand fighter,” the writer claimed.

“With Daniel Craig you can believe him kicking the shit out of someone. And you’ve got to believe that with Bond.”

As well as writing the 2023 book On His Majesty’s Secret Service, Charlie Higson has been closely associated with the James Bond franchise for some time, having penned a series of books dubbed Young Bond, about the iconic secret agent’s student days.

Rumours about who could pick up the mantle as 007 have been circulating for the better part of a decade now, with film studio Amazon MGM confirming earlier this year that the casting process was officially underway.

Producer Amy Pascal shared more recently that the team was looking for “something really different” when it comes to the next James Bond, and was keeping an eye out for someone “stirring and exciting and different”.

Besides Lowden and Barton (best known for his work in Heartstopper and SAS Rogue Heroes) other names still thought to be in the frame for the role of James Bond include Callum Turner, Jacob Elordi, Harris Dickinson and Paul Mescal.

In his Times interview, Higson ruled out Jacob Elordi for being “too tall” but said that Callum Turner’s “unconventional looks” could work in his favour. Unfortunately, he was not asked about Jack Barton, so didn’t offer his take on the other rumoured frontrunner.