According to the Australian Government, there are currently more than 1.1 million Brits living in the country, drawn by the beautiful beaches, sunny weather, and generally higher standard of living

A British woman who has made a new life on Australia’s spectacular Gold Coast has revealed a “tricky situation” leaving her uncertain about what to do. But everyone on social media has said the same thing.

According to the Australian Government’s Department of Home Affairs, there are currently more than 1.1 million Brits living in the country, drawn by the beautiful beaches, sunny weather, and generally higher standard of living. This makes people born in the UK Australia’s largest migrant community, representing 14 per cent of foreign-born residents, and 4.3 per cent of the country’s total population.

Abs Roberts, who is living on the Gold Coast on the east of Australia, regularly posts content on TikTok, where she has more than 8,000 followers, about her life Down Under as a British ex-pat. In a recent video, she shared what she described as a “tricky situation”.

“Honestly, living my best life out here,” she said. “I absolutely love the lifestyle, I can never, ever see myself living back in my hometown, ever.

“The only thing that’s holding me back is family and friends. But I’m just in two minds. I’m like, I want to be here forever, I know that for a fact.”

Continuing, she said she misses her family and friends back home, but flights to any destination from Australia are “so expensive. “It’s just so far,” she said. “It’s really not that easy just to jump on a flight home and go home. Like, I just cant fork out type of money.

“I haven’t seen anyone in over a year now, no one from my hometown is here or visited or seen me, and I’m just in two minds. Do I stay somewhere forever where I genuinely am so, so happy and the best version of myself, or go back home?”

Abs added she doesn’t think she’d be “miserable” in the UK, but can’t deny she is “so happy” in her new home. “The only thing pulling me back is family,” she said.

“Do I go back to my hometown and be by everyone who I grew up with and surround myself by people who genuinely love me, or live my best life here? Obviously I’ve made some amazing friends here, of course, I genuinely love them to pieces too, but I’m just stuck in two minds because it’s very tough.

“Australia is so far and I’m in two minds what to do because I really, really, really miss my family and friends so much, and I just really don’t know what to do.”

People in the comments were unanimous in what she should do. One said: “STAY THERE TRUST ME!!!!!! You come home you won’t go back!!” They added: “Gen don’t come back, you get roped into stuff and before you know it you’re back a year and plans are in place, you got your s*** sorted there LOCK IT IN.”

Replying, Abs said: “That is what I’m thinking, I don’t want to get stuck in and never come back… Built a whole new life, wasn’t easy but it was something they grew me as a person x.”

Another, who said they were from London originally, and had lived on the Gold Coast for the past 16 years, said: “I miss all my friends and family but the lifestyle here is so much better. I went home in October and nothing really changes. Stay here I think as your life will be so much better.”

And someone else wrote: “If you go back to the UK you’ll have an amazing time seeing everyone but it probably wont be long until you just want to be back in Aus again! You’re glowing.”

Wolves boss Rob Edwards might have been thinking his bottom-of-the-table Premier League side have a chance of ‘the great escape’ after they beat Liverpool on Tuesday.

So, seeing two of the three teams immediately above them, West Ham and Nottingham Forest, pick up points on Wednesday was a shame for Wolves, just when they had given themselves that little bit of hope.

Still, their recent results and performances have been much improved. Edwards has given Wolves fans something to smile about, and he will want to maintain that positivity here.

This is a big game for Liverpool boss Arne Slot, too.

The FA Cup could be important for him this season, so he cannot just focus on Tuesday’s last-16 trip to Galatasaray in the Champions League.

After three successive Premier League wins, Tuesday’s loss was another stumble for Slot’s side in the race for the top four.

They were fortunate Manchester United and Aston Villa lost as well, but Chelsea’s win at Villa meant the Reds are outside the top five now too.

With the heat that is around him, I don’t think Slot is in a position where he can afford to play a weakened side here – he has to go strong to try to avoid another shock result.

I still think we will see another surprise, though.

Wolves are going to throw everything at Liverpool. They are still going down, but can they make it to Wembley too?

Sutton’s prediction: 2-1

Steven’s prediction: A couple of weeks ago, I would have said it is obvious what is going to happen here. Now, it isn’t. 2-2 after extra time, Liverpool win on penalties

AI’s prediction: 1-3

For the first time in almost 200 years, giant tortoises are roaming the Galapagos island of Floreana again, thanks to one of the most ambitious ecosystem recovery initiatives undertaken on the archipelago.   

Intensive exploitation by whalers and other seafarers, as well as the introduction of invasive species, wiped out the Floreana giant tortoise in the mid-1800s. For more than a century, the lineage was presumed lost forever.

That was until 2000, when ecologists identified a hybrid tortoise with Floreana ancestry on neighbouring Isabela island. The discovery prompted a long-term selective breeding programme to maximise Floreana ancestry in the offspring. 

This week, that programme reached a milestone as 158 giant tortoises were reintroduced to Floreana, which has been cleared of invasive goats and rats. The tortoise’s reintroduction will be mutually beneficial for the species and the island. 

“Giant tortoises are a critical part of this [ecosystem],” said Rakan Zahawi, executive director of the Charles Darwin Foundation, which supported the release. “By dispersing seeds, shaping vegetation, creating microhabitats … and influencing how landscapes regenerate, they help rebuild ecological processes that many other species depend on.” 

Image: Galapagos Conservancy  

Work is taking place to improve signalling along the railway line

Major engineering work is set to disrupt some trains travelling through Cambridgeshire. Engineering works will be taking place along the East Coast Main Line on Sunday, March 15, which will affect some Great Northern and Thameslink lines through Peterborough and St Neots.

Work is taking place to improve signalling along the route. A Great Northern spokesperson said: “We’re working with colleagues and partners across the rail industry to modernise signalling on some of our Great Northern and Thameslink routes.

“This means that traditional lineside signals, many of which were installed in the 1970s, will be replaced by state-of-the-art digital signalling – creating a better performing East Coast Main Line for our customers and everyone else who uses it. There will be engineering works to allow this to be carried out.”

On Sunday, no trains will run between:

• Potters Bar and Letchworth Garden City
• Potters Bar and Peterborough until midday
• Potters Bar and St Neots from midday
• Hertford North and Stevenage

A limited bus replacement service will run between:

• Hitchin and Letchworth Garden City
• Bedford and Peterborough via St Neots until midday
• Bedford and St Neots from midday
• Hitchin and Peterborough via St Neots until midday
• Hitchin and St Neots from midday
• Stevenage and Luton Airport Parkway via Hitchin
• St Albans City and Stevenage via Hatfield
• Hertford North and Stevenage
• Potters Bar and Hitchin

An amended train service will run between:

• London King’s Cross / Moorgate and Potters Bar
• London King’s Cross / Moorgate and Hertford North
• Letchworth Garden City and Cambridge / Ely / King’s Lynn
• St Neots and Peterborough from midday
• Finsbury Park and Brighton

Tickets will be accepted on Thameslink trains between Bedford and London, as well as Greater Anglia trains between London Liverpool Street and Cambridge, Cambridge North, and Hertford East.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is set to keep the Freedom of the City of London honour, after a review concluded it could not be removed.

It is one of the few remaining honours bestowed upon the disgraced former prince, who has been stripped of his royal titles due to his friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Mr Mountbatten-Windsor received the honour in 2012 by “virtue of patrimony” due to his father Prince Phillip being a Freeman.

The Freedom is typically awarded to individuals nominated by corporation councillors, and allows recipients to walk sheep over London Bridge.

The City of London Corporation, which bestows the honour, had considered the rules dictating “the circumstances in which, and procedure by which, it can be removed”.

However, a spokesperson for the authority confirmed to the Local Democracy Service that the historic honour cannot be taken back, after he inherited the status which constitutes a legal right.

open image in gallery

The corporation said: “Applications via patrimony are not considered by our elected members.

“We have carefully considered whether it is possible to remove a Freedom granted by patrimony and understand that we are not able to do so.”

The ancient but largely ceremonial honour is usually awarded to individuals for contributions to London or public life, with Sir Ian McKellen, Colin Firth and Dame Judi Dench among those to receive it.

Mr Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office following allegations he shared sensitive information with Epstein during his time as trade envoy.

He spent around 11 hours in custody as searches were conducted at his home on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk and at his former home, Royal Lodge in Windsor, Berkshire.

Ministers have agreed to release files related to his appointment to the trade envoy role, as the former prince was described as “a rude, arrogant and entitled man”.

However, MPs were told the government is unable to publish material that police need for their inquiries until officers are “satisfied”.

Prince William reportedly wanted his uncle to be axed from the line of royal succession in the autumn, alongside the stripping of his other titles.

The Prince of Wales is said to be frustrated that the process of his uncle’s removal from the line to the British throne, which the government is now weighing up, was not resolved at the time.

The former prince has always vehemently denied any wrongdoing.

The Food Standards Agency said major improvement was needed at the city centre store

A major Welsh Sainsbury’s has been given a damning food hygiene rating in its latest inspection.

The store, located at 129-139 Queen Street in Cardiff, received a zero with major improvement needed across the board.

The city centre store was inspected on December 8, 2025. Never miss a Cardiff story by signing up to our daily newsletter here.

On the Food Standards Agency website it states that “major improvement is necessary” in management of food safety, hygenic food handling, and cleanliness and condition of facilities and building.

According to aterate.com the latest inspection is the first time the store has slipped below a five with previous ratings in January 2024 and August 2016 giving it the highest score.

The FSA describes hygienic food handling as the preparation, cooking, re-heating, cooling and storage of food.

Cleanliness and condition refers to having the appropriate layout, ventilation, hand-washing facilities, and pest control to enable good food hygiene.

The management of food safety is described as being the system or checks which ensure food sold or served is safe to eat, evidence that staff know about food safety, and confidence that standards will be maintained in the future.

In response to the report Sainsbury’s said they had acted promptly to make improvements and set out four ways they had done so.

The supermarket giant said the store had been temporarily closed to allow “proactive maintenance” which included enhanced cleaning and structural improvements.

They also said staff had received extra training and management procedures had been enhanced while they continue to independently review their standards.

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Rob Foreman is set to run the half marathon wearing 20kg of PPE and breathing apparatus

A Cambridgeshire fire officer will be taking on the Cambridge Half Marathon on Sunday (March 8) – wearing 20kg of firefighting kit. Station Commander Rob Foreman is taking on the challenge to raise money for Magpas Air Ambulance.

A Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS) spokesperson said: “He’s swapping sportswear for fire kit – and running the 13.1 mile race wearing CFRS fire kit – including personal protective equipment (PPE) and breathing apparatus, weighing around 20kg.”

Rob said: “I’m supporting Magpas because their specialist team saves lives every day, but they can only do it with public support. I’ve witnessed the incredible care Magpas provides at the toughest moments of people’s lives. They give people the very best chance of survival long before they reach a hospital.

“Running in full Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and breathing apparatus is my way of honouring their resilience and helping them continue their lifesaving work.”

He continued: “This challenge is about more than just endurance. Firefighting kit adds significant extra weight, traps heat, and makes every step tougher, but that’s the point. It’s a way of honouring the strength and resilience.”

Magpas Air Ambulance covers Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, and the East of England – a population of more than 10 million. The charity’s mission is to “save lives and limit disability by taking enhanced emergency care to patients in their moment of need”.

To support Rob, visit his donation page: Robert Foreman is fundraising for Magpas Air Ambulance.

Talking of Stockley Park, I can honestly say that place is having the biggest impact on professional football in my lifetime – and not, I may add, in a positive way.

Every week, I watch games with an open mouth, wondering how so-called refereeing experts can get so many decisions wrong.

The nature of football means subjective decision making is always going to be contested – handballs, penalties and what is or isn’t a booking. It’s impossible to agree on everything, and we have to understand that.

But red cards have to be given a more rigid framework for referees to work with, which would hopefully bring more consistency to decisions.

The laws around everything I have mentioned above in this column are far too ambiguous at the moment, and I think we have to remember what VAR was originally brought in for.

It was meant to protect and correct major or blatant wrong decisions – things like Thierry Henry’s handball versus the Republic of Ireland, Diego Maradona’s handball against England and Frank Lampard’s goal which crossed the line but wasn’t given against Germany, in the 2010 World Cup.

Incidents like that are examples of the kind of major wrong decisions which we can all agree on.

Unfortunately, VAR has become a monster, which is driving supporters away from the game, and things are getting worse – it seems to be involved more and more now, in every game I watch, and it is still not getting things right.

What grates with a lot of people in the game is that they are not asked what they think the problem is with VAR.

There are two other governing bodies of people in English football – the League Managers Association and the Professional Footballers’ Association – with members who have actually played the game or are currently playing and managing in it.

Even if the referees don’t want either of them involved in operating VAR, have they been asked how VAR could be improved – because they are the people it is affecting, not just the supporters.

If not, why not?

The fighter pilot who did not want to be identified said the mission was ‘just like training’ and celebrated with a sunrise beer

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An RAF fighter pilot who shot down two Iranian drones over Jordan said he has not properly celebrated yet, and just wants to get back on the job. He did however enjoy an ice cold beer at sunrise.

The pilot had been flying for four hours in his F-35B with two Typhoon jets when his radar detected two Shahed drones in the skies over Jordan. The Mirror reports he homed in on the targets and fired Amraam air-to-air missiles, destroying the enemy drones and blowing them out of the sky.

It is reported to be the first time a British F-35B pilot flying the UK’s deadliest warplane had destroyed a target during operations. He said it was “like training” and does not want to be identified for security reasons, he was concerned about positively identifying it before taking any shots.

He said: “But we had a good time to do that between me and the Typhoons that were airborne at the time to get that done”.

Asked what it was like when he struck the targets on Monday night, he said: “You are kind of more concerned about making sure you’ve shot the right thing. Making sure you positioned the aircraft in the right places.

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“It’s not a euphoric sense of success, I suppose. I just get out the way and get back on to doing the job again.”

RAF Akrotiri had been struck by a drone a day before he flew, creating a hole in a hangar home to two US U2 spy planes. He knew the stakes were high if either he or his fellow airmen and women let any drones slip through.

He added: “What we don’t know, is because they, they’re so small and difficult to detect, we don’t know if there’s any more out there. When you have to turn your aircraft around to shoot them down, what you’re not doing is turning your radar back to where they came from to try and find the next.”

He said what he shot down was “very different” to the kamizake one-way attack drone that hit RAF Akrotiri, without explaining why. He is among thousands of troops at the base who are on high alert for any incoming drone or missile, nobody wanting to be the one to miss anything.

Asked if he did anything to celebrate his win, he said: “We had one beer at sunrise and then I had to go to bed because I was on duty the next day.

“We’re kind of a pretty high operational tempo at the moment. So, when this is all over, whenever it ends, then I’m sure we’ll celebrate appropriately.”

The illness can turn serious

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued an alert to parents over an illness that ‘spreads faster than the common cold’ and is ‘a lot more serious’.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, it said: “Remember believing the wildest playground rumours? Sadly, measles spreads even faster than the gossip. Keep your child protected by staying up to date with their vaccines.”

The update continues: “Playground rumours spread fast, but playground illnesses spread faster. Illnesses like measles can spread a lot faster than the common cold, and are a lot more serious.

“Make sure your child is up to date with their vaccines.” Initial symptoms of measles include a runny or blocked nose, a high temperature, a cough, sneezing, and red, sore, watery eyes.

A rash typically emerges a few days afterwards, beginning on the face and behind the ears before spreading across the rest of the body. The rash’s spots are occasionally raised and join together to form blotchy patches, and they’re not usually itchy.

The rash appears brown or red on white skin and may be more difficult to spot on brown or black skin. NHS guidance adds: “It’s unlikely to be measles if you’ve had both doses of the MMRV or MMR vaccine or you’ve had measles before.”

Request an urgent GP appointment or contact NHS 111 if:

• you suspect you or your child may have measles
• your child is under a year old and has come into contact with someone who has measles
• you’ve been in close contact with someone who has measles and you’re pregnant or have a weakened immune system
• you or your child have not had measles or two doses of either the MMRV or MMR vaccine and you (or your child) have been in close contact with someone with measles
• you or your child have a high temperature that has not come down after taking paracetamol or ibuprofen
• you or your child have difficulty breathing – you may feel more short of breath than usual
• your baby or young child is not feeding well, or taking less feeds or fluids than usual
• you or your child are peeing less than usual (or your baby has fewer wet nappies)
• you or your child feels very unwell, or you’re worried something is seriously wrong

Measles can spread to others easily. Call your GP surgery before attending.

They may suggest a phone consultation or make arrangements for you to visit a section of the surgery where you’re kept separate from others.