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NewsBeat

bad week on the home front for Volodymyr Zelensky

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bad week on the home front for Volodymyr Zelensky

Just as reports from the front lines in Ukraine are giving Volodymyr Zelensky some reasons to be cheerful, his government has descended into turmoil. Within a matter of days he sacked his defence minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, before having to fire his commander-in-chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi.

Fedorov’s dismissal was very much Zelensky’s decision. Syrskyi’s, however, appears to have been forced on the Ukrainian president, after hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets across Ukraine to protest the departure of the defence minister. Fedorov is widely credited with masterminding the success of Ukraine’s drone strategy, which, apart from helping to even up the odds on the front lines, has wreaked havoc inside Russia and Crimea.

Using drones to target Russian energy infrastructure has led to petrol shortages, and power outages across the country. Crimea, meanwhile, is under a state of emergency thanks to a bombing campaign targeting bridges, rail lines, roads and other infrastructure.

So it’s unsurprising that so many people are angry at Zelensky’s decision to dismiss Fedorov, writes Stefan Wolff, an expert in international security at the University of Birmingham. It seemed to make very little sense to defenestrate someone whose modern approach and nimble thinking have enabled this success.

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Zelensky’s choice of replacements will, however, go some way to placating the protesters, Wolff believes. The military commander brought in to replace Syrskyi, Mykhailo Drapatyi, is thought of as part of a new generation of strategists very much aligned with Fedorov’s hi-tech approach. The acting defence minister, Yevhenii Khmara, is on the same page. This will be critical if Ukraine is to maintain its momentum.




À lire aussi :
Ukraine’s defence shake-up exposes rift in Zelensky’s inner circle


The crisis began when Fedorov called for Syrskyi’s removal, saying the commander was blocking his attempts to reform Ukraine’s defence establishment. In the event, it was Fedorov that Zelensky sacked. The president opted to back his most senior military officer rather than his political colleague.

This is par for the course for Ukraine, say Sarah Whitmore of Oxford Brookes University and Bettina Renz of Nottingham University. The pair have spent some years researching the relationship between the government and the military in Ukraine. They have traced this pattern back to well before Zelensky acceded to the presidency in 2019.

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Which is remarkable when you think that Nato and the EU, which have been encouraging reform in Ukraine as a condition for joining those alliances, require civilian control of the military. It hasn’t helped that previous defence ministers have been caught up in corruption scandals (three former defence ministers are accused of treason for allegedly selling off vital defence supplies). But Zelensky has also shown he is also more likely to side with his military commanders, write Whitmore and Renz. And this is unlikely to change while Ukraine remains under existential threat from Russia.




À lire aussi :
Ukraine war: inside the longstanding conflict between politicians and military commanders


Putin under pressure

Someone else under existential threat, if you believe some of the more breathless commentary on the state of Russian politics during the war, is Vladimir Putin himself. Certainly Ukraine’s recent successes and the hardships they are imposing on the Russian people, coupled with the terrible death toll among Russian troops and the prospect of further rounds of conscription, have affected the Russian president’s popularity.

Putin’s approval ratings have fallen steadily this year and the Kremlin has been forced to deal harshly with a couple of outspoken Putin critics. But whether this is a sign that the president is losing his grip on power in Russia is debatable, to say the least. Since taking office on the last day of 1999, Putin has assumed almost complete control of the levers of power in Russia.

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Opponents have been ruthlessly liquidated, the media stifled and big business – once a potentially powerful source of opposition to Putin – largely tamed.

Besides which, as Bo Petersson of Malmo University points out, history tells us that Russian (and Soviet) leaders tend to die in office. Petersson suggests this is likely to be Putin’s destiny too.




À lire aussi :
Putin under pressure but history tells us most Russian leaders die with their boots on


Flies on the White House wall

I’ve spent the past couple of weeks reading a fascinating new book about the first year of Donald Trump’s second presidency. Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump, by New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan is a detailed, almost fly-on-the-wall report of goings on in the White House. It’s irresistible stuff for what our reviewer Colleen Murrell calls “political nerds and Trump obsessives” (guilty as charged).

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All the president’s men: Donald Trump with secretary of war Pete Hegseth, vice-president JD Vance and secretary of state Marco Rubio.
EPA/Carlos Barria/pool

And it’s the fly-on-the-wall aspect that Murrell homes in on. Haberman and Swan are seriously credentialed reporters of the Trump era, and their access to the US president’s inner circle is extraordinary. Most of the information in this 496-page book has been sourced on what journalists call “deep background”, an agreement between a reporter and their source that they can use information without attributing it.

But some of the direct quotes, including plenty of rather florid language from the 47th president about various of his political enemies, almost makes you feel as if you are in the room with him. Which, as Murrell observes here, feels like an invitation to play the time-honoured journalists’ parlour game: who blabbed?




À lire aussi :
New Trump book will have readers playing the parlour game: who blabbed?


One of the themes that anyone following the first 18 months of Trump’s second term will have identified is the way that the US president has sought to increase the power of the executive at the expense of the US Congress. Last month he took to his Truth Social platform to boast of a recent Supreme Court judgment that: “90 years of precedent has been COMPLETELY AND UNEQUIVOCALLY OVERRULED, greatly increasing Presidential Power at a time when it is most needed!”

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The US Supreme Court ruled in June that the president was entitled to sack federal trade commissioner Rebecca Slaughter “at will”, despite an act of Congress and a Supreme Court precedent establishing that the power to appoint and remove the heads of various independent agencies should lie in the hands of Congress.

It’s a big deal which hands US presidents almost monarchical powers, writes Andrea Loux Jarman, an expert in US constitutional law at Bournemouth University. She highlights the words of Associate Supreme Court justice Sonia Sotomayor in her dissenting opinion that the decision “gives the President a power unknown even to the English Crown against which the Founders revolted”.




À lire aussi :
Supreme Court ruling hands Trump sweeping new powers and limits Congressional oversight


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Prison worker assaulted woman before his brother collapsed his trial with vile texts

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Wales Online

A man working at a prison in south Wales bit his partner and poured a bottle of milk over her to humiliate her, a court has heard.

After Jordan Roberts was charged with the assault, his older brother Corey sent threatening and intimidatory text messages to a member of the complainant’s family in a bid to stop her giving evidence against his sibling.

The texts worried the victim so much that she reconsidered whether she should go ahead with the case and the trial of the younger brother had to be abandoned.

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A judge at Swansea Crown Court told Jordan Roberts that biting was something toddlers did, not grown men, and told Corey Roberts that he had no doubt that when he sent the messages in question he had intended they should deter the complainant from giving evidence.

Regan Walters, prosecuting, told the court that Jordan Roberts and the complainant in the case had been in a relationship for some three years when, in September 2023, she went to the defendant’s home to confront him about being unfaithful.

The prosecutor said the defendant became aggressive towards the complainant and bit her on the forearm before grabbing a bottle of milk and pouring it over her in an act of “gratuitous degradation”.

The court heard Roberts then called his victim’s mother and told her to come and collect her daughter. When the mum arrived at the Croeserw property she found her daughter sitting on the floor crying and with “dripping wet hair”.

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The complainant was subsequently taken to the Princess of Wales Hospital where medics found circular bruising on her right forearm.

The prosecutor said Roberts was arrested and in interview claimed the victim had attacked him, and said he had been acting in self-defence. For the latest court stories sign up to our crime newsletter

Roberts was subsequently charged and pleaded not guilty, and on the day the trial was due to start the complainant disclosed that the defendant’s brother Corey had been intimidating her by sending text messages to her sister-in-law abusing her and her family.

She said the messages had caused her to be afraid and to reconsider whether she wanted to go ahead with the prosecution.

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The court heard those disclosures meant the trial was abandoned and police began to investigate Corey Roberts.

Jordan Roberts, 30, of Penhydd Road, Croeserw, Cymmer, had previously pleaded guilty on the day of trial to assault occasioning actual bodily harm when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has no previous convictions.

Corey Roberts, 31, of Alma Street, Treherbert, Treorchy, had previously pleaded guilty to witness intimidation when he appeared in the dock alongside his sibling. He has three previous convictions for nine offences.

In June 2022 Corey Roberts was given a 33-week suspended sentence for battery, criminal damage, and dangerous driving, and was subject to this suspended sentence when he sent the threatening text messages.

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In August 2025 Corey Roberts was given a 13-month suspended sentence for possession of an offensive weapon, possession of a bladed article, possession of an imitation firearm, possession of a prohibited weapon, and possession of a offensive weapon in a private place.

Joseph Hocquard, for Jordan Roberts, said the defendant had lost his job – a non-uniformed support role – at HMP Parc as a result of the conviction but had subsequently found alternative work with Dyfed Steels in Port Talbot docks. He said his client was remorseful for his behaviour and accepts there was no excuse for what he did on the day in question.

Matt Murphy, for Corey Roberts, said the defendant accepted that drug misuse was a factor in his life which needed addressing. He said his client realises he should not have behaved in the way he did, and he said Roberts’ life had changed since the offending before the court and his focus was now on working as a mechanic for a national company and providing for his partner and children so he could improve their lives.

Judge Paul Thomas KC told Jordan Roberts that he had carried out a “cowardly, bullying attack” on his partner and told him biting was something which toddlers did, not grown men.

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With a 10% discount for his guilty plea Roberts was sentenced to 12 months in prison suspended for 18 months and was ordered to complete a rehabilitation course and do 200 hours of unpaid work in the community.

Judge Thomas told Corey Roberts that he had no doubt that when the defendant had sent the threatening messages he had intended they should deter the complainant from giving evidence against his brother.

He said at the time of the offence Roberts was subject to a suspended sentence, and said following the offence he had been handed another suspended sentence for “concerning” weapons matters.

The judge said the defendant had shown little genuine remorse, and said any idea of rehabilitation at the present time was “fanciful”.

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With a 10% discount for his guilty plea Corey Roberts was sentenced to 14 months in prison, and the judge activated 20 weeks of the suspended sentence which he was in breach of to run concurrently.

Roberts will serve 40% of the sentence in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community.

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Trainline weighs in on Love Island ‘job-shaming’ row after Priya mocked co-star Elicia’s job at National Rail – and there’s even more drama in store as another love triangle is brewing

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Love Island contestant Priya Jaswal's 'job-shaming' comments about her co-star Elicia Bailey's role at National Rail have been the talk of the show this week - and now ticket sales operator Trainline have had their say

Love Island contestant Priya Jaswal’s ‘job-shaming’ comments about her co-star Elicia Bailey’s role at National Rail have been the talk of the show this week – and now ticket sales operator Trainline have had their say.

The remarks made about Elicia’s £30,000 per year job upset viewers who branded Priya ‘cruel’ for her personal attack on the dumped Islander, who left the villa last week and then appeared on AfterSun on Sunday.

During her appearance on the spin-off show, Elicia was asked who she believes the ‘biggest game player’ left on the show is and named Priya, which was then shown to her back in the villa during a game.

Reacting to Elicia’s claim during a discussion the following morning, Priya said: ‘I don’t care what Elicia says. I don’t care. It’s cringy. Go back to the National Rail. Elicia, you work for the National Rail, why are you f***ing sitting in Aftersun? … But just go back there and save your breath.’

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Priya’s comments did not go down well with viewers, who branded her ‘vile, classist and tone deaf’, as they demanded for her to be removed from the show.

Viewers took to X with outraged responses, with one fan writing: ”Go back to the national rail’ may seriously be one of the most disgusting things said on love island, get priya off now #loveislanduk #loveisland’.

Love Island contestant Priya Jaswal’s ‘job-shaming’ comments about her co-star Elicia Bailey’s role at National Rail have been the talk of the show this week – and now ticket sales operator Trainline have had their say

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The remarks made about Elicia's £30,000 per year job upset viewers who branded Priya 'cruel' for her personal attack on the dumped Islander, who left the villa last week and then appeared on AfterSun on Sunday (pictured Elicia)

The remarks made about Elicia’s £30,000 per year job upset viewers who branded Priya ‘cruel’ for her personal attack on the dumped Islander, who left the villa last week and then appeared on AfterSun on Sunday (pictured Elicia)

Trainline have now had their say on the matter, telling Priya ‘come for Elicia, come for us all’, in a tongue in cheek TikTok video shared on Wednesday.

In a clip which used Priya’s remarks as the voiceover, showed a member of the social media team holding up a selection of train merchandise.

In the text of the video, it said: ‘It’s an honest job, Priya’. 

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During Priya’s rant, Aidan’s brother Kavan interjected by saying: ‘There’s nothing wrong with working for National Rail, alright?’ yet fellow Islanders Jasmine Müller and Mica Harris giggled at the remarks – leading to further backlash. 

Reaction from various X users read: ‘Priya job shaming people and their jobs? What’s wrong with working on a railway?? What does Priya even do???… There’s absolutely nothing wrong with working on the railway…

‘Every honest job deserves respect, and judging someone’s career says more about the person doing the judging than the person earning a living…

‘Your profession doesn’t determine your worth… Damn she just messed up any potential brand deals with that comment… Railway workers literally keep Britain running and Priya’s job shaming them?? Girl what do YOU do Get a grip…

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Priya's comments did not go down well with viewers, who branded her 'vile, classist and tone deaf', as they demanded for her to be removed from the show (pictured Priya and Aidan)

Priya’s comments did not go down well with viewers, who branded her ‘vile, classist and tone deaf’, as they demanded for her to be removed from the show (pictured Priya and Aidan)

‘She’s so f***ed up for saying that… This is so out of pocket. Hardworking people are the backbone of society. Acting like a railway job is ‘cringy’ just shows how shallow Priya’s mindset is. No job that puts food on the table deserves disrespect!’ 

After her insult, Elicia branded Priya ‘bitter’ following her ‘personal attack’, when she appeared on the Debrief podcast with hosts and former Islanders Shakira Khan, Toni Laites and Yasmin Pettet.

She said: ‘The comments that she made tonight, she said that I attacked her character, but I was asked a question on Aftersun.

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‘I didn’t call them like begging them to get me on. Everybody goes on Aftersun.

‘I was asked a question, it wasn’t an attack on anyone’s personality, anyone’s character but the comments she made was a personal attack, like where I work.

‘That’s crazy, I’m the target. She also obviously hasn’t seen other interviews of other people saying the exact same thing, I’m the easy target tonight because I was there.

‘I’m really surprised by the bitter and jealous comment because her reacting the way she did seemed quite bitter – I called out what everyone else was thinking,’ Elicia divulged.’

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This wasn’t the only drama for Priya this week as the fallout from Not Another Podcast continued to ripple through the villa on Friday.

The episode will see Priya and Aidan reflect on what they’ve heard and where it leaves their connection.

This wasn't the only drama for Priya this week as the fallout from Not Another Podcast continued to ripple through the villa on Friday

This wasn’t the only drama for Priya this week as the fallout from Not Another Podcast continued to ripple through the villa on Friday

But the conversation soon turns to Aidan's admission during the podcast, as Priya asks him directly about his lingering feelings for Yasmin (pictured Yasmin and Priya)

But the conversation soon turns to Aidan’s admission during the podcast, as Priya asks him directly about his lingering feelings for Yasmin (pictured Yasmin and Priya)

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Taking on board the public’s opinions, Priya admits she can understand why their relationship featured in so many categories, telling Aidan, ‘I’m not sure I even back us,’ before acknowledging, ‘We’re in a bit of a sticky situation right now.’

But the conversation soon turns to Aidan’s admission during the podcast, as Priya asks him directly about his lingering feelings for Yasmin. 

She tells him, ‘Had she not been with Tommy right now, you would be with Yas.’

Aidan admits, ‘I would potentially look to explore it…’ leaving Priya questioning whether his feelings for Yasmin have ever really gone away.

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She tells him, ‘I don’t think you’re over it, your heart is elsewhere.’

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Pompeii archaeologists reconstruct frescoed ceiling of a banquet hall

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Pompeii archaeologists reconstruct frescoed ceiling of a banquet hall

ROME (AP) — Archaeologists in Pompeii, the ancient city buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79, have unveiled the partially reconstructed frescoed ceiling vault of a banquet hall featuring detailed images of Greek mythology.

The curved vault was presented late Thursday at the end of an international workshop on new discoveries and restorations in the excavations of Pompeii, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is one of Italy’s most visited tourist attractions.

The archaeological park said Friday that it used an innovative method to reconstruct the ceiling, which is believed to have been from a banquet hall on the upper floor of a house with an adjoining bakery.

Experts created a curved support structure to place the fragments in the design that replicates the original shape of the vault. As new fragments of frescoes are found and restored, they can be added to the scene, the park said in a statement.

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Archaeologists determined that the main theme of the work was of Dionysus and Ariadne, whose union is one of the best-known Greek myths.

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Force of Nature shows how extreme weather pushes wildlife to its limits

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Force of Nature shows how extreme weather pushes wildlife to its limits

A chimpanzee digging for water in a dried-up Senegalese riverbed. A colony of 40,000 flamingos scattered by a hurricane. A polar bear hunting on ice that is disappearing beneath its feet. These are not scenes from some distant climate-altered future. They are happening right now. And this year they are coming to Sunday night television.

Extreme weather is often told as a human story. A new ITV documentary series, Force of Nature reminds us that it is an ecological story too.

Between us, we have spent decades studying the atmosphere and the extremes it produces. One of us flies through it onboard a research aircraft, measuring dust, smoke and pollution plumes. And two of us have spent our careers unpicking how a warming climate is supercharging rainfall, floods and heatwaves, and how societies can better prepare for weather extremes.

So when ITV announced Force of Nature, a new six-part wildlife series narrated by actor Andrew Lincoln that puts extreme weather at the heart of the story, we all paid attention. For scientists like us who study the atmosphere for a living, this is the series we have been waiting for.

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Three years in the making by Plimsoll Productions, the team behind some of the most-watched natural history on television, Force of Nature follows animals around the world as they face hurricanes, floods, droughts and wildfires. Executive producer, Mark Brownlow, who previously produced Blue Planet II, calls this “the most important story of our time”. Watching the series, it is hard to disagree.

Scientists can now measure a changing climate with extraordinary precision. The UK exceeded 40°C for the first time in July 2022. Scientists have found that, if the legendary summer of 1976 happened again in today’s climate, it would peak at 38 or 39°C.

Wreckage in Valencia, Spain, on October 31 2024 after severe floods.
Vicente Sargues/Shutterstock

Evidence shows that the short, intense bursts of rainfall that drive flash flooding are becoming more severe in a warming climate. Valencia-style flooding, which killed more than 200 people in 2024, is perfectly possible here in Britain.

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Wildfire smoke can travel can travel thousands of miles with Canadian wildfires turning UK skies vivid hues in summer 2023. This summer, smoke from Canadian wildfires shrouded the Statue of Liberty in New York, US, raising concerns about delays at the World Cup final.

Scientists can trace soot and dust across continents, even to Greenland, where they feed microbes that darken the ice sheet and accelerate melt. Yet knowledge alone rarely changes behaviour.

Global transport of smoke from Australian bushfires from August 2019 to January 2020. Nasa’s Goddard Space Flight Center.

As authors Dan and Chip Heath wrote in their 2007 book Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die, “people may need statistics, but they believe stories”. Climate scientists often hope that more evidence will change minds. In reality, people only act on risks they can imagine. And that is exactly what Force of Nature does.

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People struggle to act on risks they cannot picture. A warning of 40mm of rain in three hours means little until you have watched water pour through someone’s front door.

Force of Nature takes the same extreme weather that fills our scientific journals and shows what it means for creatures that have no forecasts, no warnings and no insurance.

Weather does not distinguish between us and them. The drought that ruins a harvest is the same drought pushing chimpanzees to the edge of their ingenuity. The storm surge that floods a coastal town is the same surge that scours a flamingo nesting ground. The smoke that turns skies orange is rolling over forests and everything living in them. Watching animals confront these events strips away the abstraction. It makes the risk tangible, and tangible is what climate communication desperately needs.

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smoky woodland scene, firefighter kneeling next to baby wombat with plastic bottle of water to drink

A firefighter helps a baby wombat after it emerges from its burrow during Australian wildfires.
© ITV

What makes the series particularly effective is its focus on resilience. These animals are not presented as passive victims of a changing climate. They adapt, improvise and survive against the odds. That matters, because fatalism is almost as dangerous as denial. If people believe nothing can be done, they are less likely to act.

The UK is built for a climate that no longer exists. The word unprecedented is increasingly used with abandon to describe extreme weather. Hope, grounded in an honest understanding of the risks ahead, is what is needed to drive action to make homes more resilient, to strengthen flood defences and early warning systems, and to rapidly reduce fossil fuel emissions.

Television has changed public attitudes before. In 2017, the BBC series Blue Planet II turned plastic pollution from a niche environmental concern into a kitchen-table conversation almost overnight.

Force of Nature, made by some of the same hands and backed by ITV’s climate content pledge, has the potential to do the same for extreme weather.

Millions of people who would never open a scientific paper will watch a sea otter ride out a marine heatwave. That reach matters.

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But a television series will not stop the storms from coming. We need to cut fossil fuel emissions rapidly, adapt our infrastructure and prepare for weather extremes that are already becoming more common.

Societies rarely prepare for risks they cannot imagine. For too long, extreme weather has existed at the edge of our collective imagination: something that happens elsewhere, or sometime in the future. Force of Nature shows that it is here now, shaping the lives of animals and people alike.

Showing the immediacy of the need to act may be the programme’s most important achievement.

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At first it only felt like a sore shoulder. The I learnt the devastating truth

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Wales Online

The dad-of-two underwent a six-hour operation, after learning about the devastating diagnosis

A school caretaker has spoken of the devastating moment he was told what initially felt like a sore shoulder was in fact being caused by a rare type of cancer. Lee Brain, from Caerau in Bridgend county, said he “couldn’t believe it” when doctors diagnosed him with sarcoma this year.

The father-of-two, who works as a caretaker at Coleg Cymunedol y Dderwen in Tondu, first noticed a pain in his shoulder in February while helping to organise staging for a school concert. A small lump developed, but he initially thought nothing of it.

By April, however, the lump had doubled in size. Concerned by the rapid growth, Lee’s wife, Emaleen, urged him to see his GP. He was referred for scans and a biopsy, which confirmed the devastating diagnosis. Stay informed on the latest health news by signing up to our newsletter here

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“When the doctor told me, I thought he was wrong,” Lee said. “Then it sunk in and I started crying. I thought, ‘This can’t be real.’”

Sarcoma is an uncommon cancer that develops in the body’s connective tissues, including fat, muscle, nerves, blood vessels and bone. Patients with confirmed or suspected soft tissue sarcoma across South and Mid Wales are cared for by the South Wales Sarcoma Service, hosted by Swansea Bay.

Consultant plastic, reconstructive and sarcoma surgeon Thomas Bragg carried out the six-hour operation at Morriston Hospital on June 2 after Lee’s tumour was found to be growing rapidly.

“He had a microsurgical reconstruction which involved taking soft tissue from his thigh and placing it onto his shoulder,” Mr Bragg shared. “This involved suturing blood vessels into his shoulder using a microscope.

“Because we operated so quickly we hope we have managed to save structures in the shoulder to not only clear the tumour but also maintain function. The next step will be recovery, physiotherapy and radiotherapy.”

Despite facing weeks of recovery before beginning radiotherapy, Lee was determined not to miss two of the biggest family milestones of his life.

“I had some incentives,” he said. “I had the operation on June 2 and on June 6 our youngest daughter, Bethan, had a little boy, Cian Lee Joseph Page, our first grandchild.

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“Then on June 13 our older daughter married her partner, Sean, and I was determined to walk her down the aisle. It was a bit of a struggle and I was in a lot of pain, but I did it.

“So there was a lot happening and if I hadn’t had the surgery so quickly I don’t think I’d be here now.”

While his recovery continues, Lee said he is focusing on staying positive.

“You’ve got to think positive,” he said. “You can’t just go and sit in the corner and try not to think about it.

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“I’m so grateful to Mr Bragg and all the staff here. They’ve been amazing. I have felt like I’m in really good hands.”

Lee has shared his story to coincide with Sarcoma Awareness Month, which takes place throughout July, and hopes it will encourage others to seek medical advice if they notice anything unusual.

He will also be taking part in the Rare But Real Walk in Swansea on August 22, organised by the South Wales Sarcoma Service in partnership with Sarcoma UK. The event aims to raise awareness of what is often described as the “forgotten cancer”, which accounts for fewer than two per cent of adult cancers.

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Mr Bragg said early diagnosis could make a significant difference.

“The message is a very simple one. If you have a lump which is growing rapidly, or is bigger than five centimetres, or feels deep, or is painful, go and see your GP,” he said.

“You might need an ultrasound scan to further characterise it. In maybe two or three per cent of cases it might be sarcoma, in which case you will be referred into our MDT team.

“For most people, though, it is a benign lump. They are reassured and can get on with life. But the earlier the diagnosis, the better for the patient.”

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Lee echoed that advice, admitting he may never have sought help had it not been for his wife.

“Get it checked out if you have any concerns,” he said. “If it hadn’t been for Emaleen telling me to go to the GP I would have just let it drag on.”

Main symptoms of soft tissue sarcoma

According to the NHS, the most common symptom of soft tissue sarcoma is a lump somewhere on your body. This is usually found deep under your skin and the patient may feel the lump before even seeing it.

The lump is typically solid to the touch, painless and hard to move around under the skin.

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It will continue to grow and as it does, it can become painful.

Other symptoms

You may also get other symptoms depending on where in your body the lump is.

These can include:

  • Tummy pain and constipation if you get a sarcoma near your tummy
  • A cough that does not go away if you get a sarcoma near your lungs

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Summer heat warms up consumers to frozen desserts at home

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Summer heat warms up consumers to frozen desserts at home

A trip to the ice cream store has turned into a trip to the freezer for cost-conscious consumers looking to save money on frozen treats.

Some 72 percent of American adults said keeping their home stocked with ice cream and treats like popsicles saves money over going out for dessert and is a convenient way to quell a craving, according to a new study of 2,000 U.S. adults by the National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association published Thursday.

“Frozen treats give people an easy way to create a small moment of enjoyment at home,” the association’s CEO, Tricia Greyshock, said in a press release. “What matters is that it feels special without requiring a lot of planning or expense.”

True to the season, the survey found that 43 percent of adults say that hot weather and summer cravings are the most cited reasons for buying a frozen dessert from the grocery store.

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Consumers’ preference for at-home frozen treats during the summer is an inflation-busting choice. The cost of ice cream and related desserts fell by 2.1 percent month on month in June and 1.3 percent year on year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The cost of grocery-store ice cream and related desserts fell by 2.1 percent year on year in June, while the cost of eating out rose 3.4 percent year on year
The cost of grocery-store ice cream and related desserts fell by 2.1 percent year on year in June, while the cost of eating out rose 3.4 percent year on year (AFP/Getty)

Meanwhile, the cost of eating out rose 0.2 percent month on month and 3.4 percent year on year.

Americans’ preference for at-home frozen desserts is part of a larger trend in dining. Some 32 percent of consumers eat out less than they did six months ago, with higher rates of cutbacks from low-income households (40 percent) and Gen Z (37 percent), according to a February study from Boston Consulting Group.

In recent weeks, fast food restaurants have suffered a loss in foot traffic linked to outbreaks of a nasty gastrointestinal illness, caused by contamination of produce with the cyclospora parasite.

Foot traffic at Taco Bell, which has been linked to an outbreak, saw year-on-year foot traffic decline by 29.8 percent last Saturday.

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Panera saw traffic fall by 7 percent, while salad and grain bowl restaurant Sweetgreen dealt with a 3 percent traffic dip.

Burger King and other fast food restaurants are trying to meet customers’ needs for affordable meals by selling value meals that include multiple entrees or combinations of sandwiches, chicken nuggets, fries and a drink
Burger King and other fast food restaurants are trying to meet customers’ needs for affordable meals by selling value meals that include multiple entrees or combinations of sandwiches, chicken nuggets, fries and a drink (AFP/Getty)

Parasites aside, there’s a general feeling among consumers that food quality and portion sizes are the biggest disappointment for diners, according to a January study from research firm McKinsey.

Restaurants have responded by introducing value menus and paying attention to portion sizes, the National Association of Convenience Stores pointed out in a June analysis of inflation’s impact on restaurant menus.

Some of the top values at fast food chains include McDonald’s $5 meal deals for the brand’s app users that serve a sandwich, small fries, four chicken nuggets and a small drink, and Burger King’s $5 Duo and $7 Trio promotions that let customers pick two or three entrees.

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Brew York and Goose Beck Vineyard speakers at free event

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Brew York and Goose Beck Vineyard speakers at free event

The free networking event is designed to encourage collaboration and spark new opportunities.

Among the speakers is Paul Chasney of the Goose Beck Vineyard at Bilton-in-Ainsty.

Paul will highlight the development of the UK wine growing industry and to showcase Goose Beck Vineyard’s position in that industry.

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He said: “Goose Beck Vineyard had its first commercial harvest in 2025. We commenced the sale of the wines made in 2025 only six weeks ago.

“My talk will explain about the background to developing Goose Beck and the environmental objectives it seeks to achieve. It will seek to start ‘putting Goose Beck on the map’.  The talk will also highlight the growth of the UK wine making industry and touch on how it can be an important element to help UK exports and tourism.”

Lee Grabham of Brew York is also speaking at the Thursday networking event. (Image: Darren Greenwood)

Paul added: “Running a growing business, particularly a small one, can be a lonely business. Whilst advisers play an important role, there is a great deal to be learned from one’s contemporaries through sharing ideas and benefiting from others’ experience. What better forum to do that than at an event organised by The Press, York St John University and York College.”

Another speaker is Lee Grabham, co-founder and production director of Brew York.

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Lee said: “Events like these are important to us because Brew York is proudly part of the York business community and has been for 10 years now. It’s always a pleasure to share our story and experiences as well as hear from others and make new connections.”

Other speakers include Phillipa Symington of accountants Clive Owen LLP, who will explain how her company can help with business growth and help with tax matters.

Rob Brown and Emily Grimes of Northern rail and York College will look at T levels and how Northern Rail partners with York College.

The event is at York St John University from 5pm to 7pm on Thursday July 30. Book via EventBrite or using the QR code below.

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Moment Henry Nowak’s killer is caught on video telling his mother to take the knife he used to stab student to death away from murder scene

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Vickrum Digwa's mother Kaur (seen far right) and father Moga Singh (in the doorway) at the scene when the killer secretly told his mother to take the dagger home

New footage shows the moment Henry Nowak’s murderer told his mother to take the knife he used to stab the student to death away from the crime scene.

Vickrum Digwa’s mother, Kiran Kaur, was jailed last week for three years at Southampton Crown Court for assisting an offender.

The 53-year-old, of St Denys Road, Southampton, had been found guilty by jurors in May after taking the weapon back to the nearby family home on the night of the murder on December 3, 2025.

Digwa, 23, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 21 years on June 1 for the murder of the 18-year-old finance student, after falsely claiming Mr Nowak had racially abused him.

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In the video clip taken on Digwa’s phone, which is pointed at the ground, he can be heard speaking to Kaur in Punjabi asking her to take away the weapon.

A transcript released today by the CPS details how Digwa is speaking in Punjabi and then said: ‘Take this’, which they say was referring to the knife.

Sentencing Kaur on July 17, Judge William Mousley KC said when Digwa told her to take the murder weapon away, ‘by then you knew or believed that he had stabbed and injured Henry’.

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Vickrum Digwa’s mother Kaur (seen far right) and father Moga Singh (in the doorway) at the scene when the killer secretly told his mother to take the dagger home

Grainy footage captured the moment Digwa told his mother to take the knife. The footage only shows the ground and a brief flash of her dress

Grainy footage captured the moment Digwa told his mother to take the knife. The footage only shows the ground and a brief flash of her dress 

Digwa murdered Mr Nowak then shamelessly sought to blame the unarmed student for what happened

Digwa murdered Mr Nowak then shamelessly sought to blame the unarmed student for what happened 

Kaur was found guilty of assisting an offender after her son Vickrum Digwa murdered student Henry Nowak with a dagger after a chance encounter last December

Kaur was found guilty of assisting an offender after her son Vickrum Digwa murdered student Henry Nowak with a dagger after a chance encounter last December

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He also told her: ‘A responsible parent would have challenged their son over their actions and encouraged them to do the right thing.’

Instead, Kaur took the knife home and put it with a ‘larger collection of ceremonial and other weapons in your son’s bedroom’, which would have helped to conceal its use because she wanted him to ‘avoid being caught’, the judge said.

The judge said her actions at Belmont Road before and after taking the dagger away ‘added to your son’s pretence that he had done nothing wrong and that he was the victim’.

He said her role added to the ‘degradation of Henry being arrested when he was dying’.

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Following her sentencing, Mr Nowak’s family said in a statement they remain ‘incredibly disappointed’ and said they will ‘never give up in our campaign for justice for Henry’.

The statement added: ‘Our focus is on making sure the ongoing investigations leave no stone unturned as we fight for the full truth about what happened last December, and we continue to urge the Government to deliver the changes our wonderful son deserves.’

Kaur’s family previously claimed the mother had ‘done the right thing’.

Mr Nowak was a finance student at the University of Southampton and was described by his family as 'kind and talented'

Mr Nowak was a finance student at the University of Southampton and was described by his family as ‘kind and talented’ 

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Police bodycam footage showed Digwa as he lied to police at the scene, insisting he was the victim

Police bodycam footage showed Digwa as he lied to police at the scene, insisting he was the victim

Speaking from her home in Southampton, Digwa’s grandmother Bimla Kaur, 75, told the Daily Mail: ‘I’ve been to see her in prison and she’s doing the best she can. She only did what any mother would have done, which is to protect her child. And now she’s going to be punished for this.’

Kiran was described as a ‘devout Sikh’ and housewife who never worked but instead focused on raising her children in a traditional Sikh household. 

Bimla insisted that Digwa’s mother had done ‘a good job’ raising her sons but said that Vickrum had been ‘a difficult boy’ – appearing to blame the environment he grew up in for his troubled behaviour. She said: ‘Vickrum has always been a difficult boy but that’s not unusual for children who are born in Britain.’ 

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The court heard Mr Nowak was making his way home following a night out when he had a chance encounter with Digwa.

A brief scuffle ensued and Digwa removed his dagger from his sheath, which he carried in accordance with his Sikh faith, and plunged it 8cm (3.5in) into the victim’s chest.

Digwa further stabbed Mr Nowak twice to the leg, and once in the abdomen, while the victim also sustained a slash mark to his face.

Digwa, with brother Gurpreet arriving on the scene shortly after the attack, then filmed his victim as he attempted to get away from his attacker.

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Digwa lied when police turned up a short time later, falsely claiming that Mr Nowak was the attacker, had punched and kicked Digwa, knocked his turban off, and had made a racist remark.

Police bodycam footage shows the innocent 18-year-old being handcuffed as he lay dying

Police bodycam footage shows the innocent 18-year-old being handcuffed as he lay dying 

Hampshire Police officers then placed mortally wounded Mr Nowak into handcuffs, despite his desperate pleas – captured on police bodycam – that he could not breathe and had been stabbed.

One officer replied: ‘I don’t think you have, mate.’

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He and a second officer are currently under investigation for potential gross misconduct.

Sir Keir Starmer previously said he ‘felt sick’ watching footage of police handcuffing Mr Nowak as he lay dying, and that there are ‘serious questions’ to answer about the case.

The footage prompted large protests in the streets.

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Tom Holland calls Zendaya his wife publicly for first time | Culture

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Tom Holland referred to Zendaya as his wife for the first time in public, a month after he confirmed that the couple had married.

During an appearance on Nick Grimshaw and Angela Hartnett’s Dish from Waitrose podcast, the 30-year-old actor was asked who he would like to take on a holiday to Greece.

“I think probably my wife would be pretty good,” he said.

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“It would be a bit strange if I went, ‘Sorry babe, I’m gonna take Matt [Damon] actually.”

In June, the actor confirmed that he and Zendaya married whilst addressing fake AI photos that had been circulating online.

Asked by Esquire if he had to inform family members about the false pictures, he replied: “No, because they were all there.”

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Ex-Man Utd star tipped for bright future by Alex Ferguson speaks out on being clubless

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Daily Mirror

Ben Amos, the former Manchester United goalkeeper, has been part of the PFA pre-season programme for the last month after his departure from Port Vale

Ex-Manchester United goalkeeper Ben Amos is still searching for a new club after becoming a free agent. The 36-year-old, who made seven first-team appearances in 14 years at United before his departure in 2015, left Port Vale after his contract expired last month.

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He had spent the previous two seasons at The Valiants, helping them win promotion to League One before the club were relegated straight back to League One. In that time, Amos kept 15 clean sheets in 41 matches and played a part in their run to the FA Cup quarter-final last term.

Although some Vale fans wanted to keep Amos, he left at the end of his contract in June and has since become a free agent. While waiting for his next club, Amos has been part of the PFA pre-season squad.

First launched as a pilot programme in 2023 for unsigned players to maintain fitness, the PFA put together a 10-week pre-season camp for the following year and they have been running it ever since. The camp – based in Leicestershire – is designed to help out-of-contract players regain sharpness and inevitably find their next club.

Former Sheffield Wednesday cult hero Fernando Forestieri, ex-Preston forward Will Keane and Ipswich Town’s 2023/24 promotion-winning campaign Samy Morsy are among those with the PFA this summer.

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Amos is another involved and he has been at the PFA’s Champneys Springs base for the last four weeks, featuring in pre-season matches against a free agents side from France and non-league Hednesford Town.

“It’s been unbelievable,” Amos said, when asked about his time at PFA pre-season. “I think this is like my fourth week I think I’ve been here. Obviously really hard work, they’ve pushed us every day.

“But just invaluable, like the sessions that they’ve put on, the games, obviously the facilities for recovery, everything has been laid on for us, so even to the food, the food has been unbelievable.

“When you’re away from here, if you’re not on the PFA camp, you just can’t recreate it. You can do all the fitness work you want, all the ball work, but you just can’t compare to this kind of training and service.”

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Amos turned 36 in April and is approaching the twilight of his career, but he still feels he can offer something to a club in the Football League ahead of the new season.

“I feel like I’m getting better all the time,” Amos continued. “Yes, I’m without a club in 20-something of July, which I’ve never been in that position before, but I don’t feel like I’ve ever been in a better position in terms of how I feel. It’s just the dynamic at the moment, the market and what have you. Hopefully, I won’t be waiting too much longer.

“I feel like I’ve got a lot more to give. I want to go until I’m 40 and maybe beyond. The market will dictate at the end of the day, it always does. The good thing is I know I’m in a great place, ready for whenever that happens.”

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Amos started his professional career at boyhood club United and came through the ranks at the Reds before making his first-team debut, aged 18, during a League Cup tie against Middlesbrough in September 2008.

At the time, Amos was United’s fourth-choice keeper behind Edwin van der Sar, Ben Foster and Tomasz Kuszczak, but Sir Alex Ferguson spotted the talent and gave him a chance to impress.

Although Amos didn’t do much wrong on his debut, he had to wait more than two years for his next competitive match for the Reds, when he featured in the League Cup against Wolves in October 2010.

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Amos went on to play seven times in total for United – one of which came in the Premier League – before leaving at the end of his contract in 2015. He moved to Championship side Bolton Wanderers on a permanent deal, having spent the second half of the previous season on loan at the Trotters.

Reflecting on his time at United, Amos felt he should have left the Reds sooner than he did.

Amos said: “I’ve been a United fan since I started watching football. Obviously it was always my dream, Peter Schmeichel was my idol and all that stuff when we went to go and watch them when I was a kid. I just kept punishing, working my hardest in the academy. Then I think there was an injury or something and I obviously got an opportunity to play in the League Cup. I think I was 18, so that was amazing.”

“I think I played seven times, but that was all under Sir Alex. If I was performing well, I’d normally get an opportunity in the Cups, League Cup,” Amos added. “He played me in the Champions League and the Premier League. Just one of those things, really.

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“I think [David] De Gea was bought for £20million, which was a big chunk at the time. And obviously a world-class keeper, so it’s pretty hard to get in front of the likes of those guys. I definitely stayed a couple of years too long, with hindsight. I was still hoping for those opportunities, but when Sir Alex left, I didn’t get any more.

“You don’t have regrets if you can help it, but if I could have my time again, I think you’d do that. I’d probably have left when Sir Alex left, and go out and get some more experience.”

Ferguson viewed Amos as “very talented goalkeeper” with a “good future” after promoting him to the senior set-up at Old Trafford. And while his time at United didn’t go as he would have wanted, he has forged out a solid career in the EFL, making more than 350 appearances for some big clubs.

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Charlton Athletic, Hull City, Wigan Athletic, Millwall, Cardiff City and Bolton count as some of Amos’ former employers and he will be hoping to find his next club in the coming weeks.

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