Even without coming to the Winter Olympics in Italy, Donald Trump and his polarising policies and provocations are dominating, even distracting.

Of all the security agents chosen to protect the official US delegation, ICE is in Milan for the expected opening ceremony visits by vice president JD Vance and secretary of state Marco Rubio.

They are the Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel called a “militia that kills” by Milan mayor Beppe Sala following the deaths of two Americans last month in Minneapolis.

There have been attempts by the Italian government to allay fears about their deployment, insisting they won’t have powers to conduct policing in the streets.

But just their presence here has been a concern for protesting locals in Milan.

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Add in how tensions have been stoked in recent weeks between Mr Trump and Europe over his threats to capture Greenland, and it all raises the potential for a hostile atmosphere greeting American officials and athletes in the opening ceremony at the San Siro home of AC and Inter Milan on Friday night.

So, I asked International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Kirsty Coventry: would jeering be freedom of expression, or is there a need for spectators to show respect?

“I hope that the opening ceremony is seen by everyone ⁠as an opportunity ‍to be respectful of each other,” Ms Coventry said, reflecting on seeing athletes from different countries mixing in the official Olympic village in Milan.

“It was a real opportunity to put into perspective how we could be.

“And so I hope that the opening ceremony will do that and will be a reminder for everyone how we could be.”

US Games on the horizon

Ms Coventry is yet to meet Mr Trump despite the Los Angeles Olympics being just two years away.

But Olympic chiefs are facing pressure from IOC members in Africa to tackle concerns about the impact of Mr Trump’s travel bans on delegations.

Officials from Ethiopia and Djibouti challenged LA 2028 chiefs during meetings in Milan about the need for equal access for all countries to the games – beyond athletes.

Ms Coventry’s own Zimbabwe is subject to restrictions for some citizens for entry to the US.

Her lack of contact with Mr Trump after a year leading the IOC contrasts with the US leaders’ regular meetings with FIFA president Gianni Infantino, although his World Cup is sooner – coming this summer.

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For now, the IOC moving towards a ban on transgender women competing in women’s sport is a policy that will placate Mr Trump.

And Ms Coventry has said: “As we get closer to the Olympics you will see the relations continue… and only get stronger.”

But first she has to get through a Winter Olympics that could be a tricky and challenging environment for American athletes in Milan-Cortina.

Moore’s team-mates created just seven chances between them at Hibs on Sunday.

He registered five alone on Wednesday, while his seven dribbles were also higher than any other player.

Game state has to come into that, of course. At the weekend, Rangers were playing against 11 men, away to a top-six side. Struggling Kilmarnock were a man and a goal down after a few minutes on Wednesday.

A goal-scoring performance from the England youth international in the Old Firm derby win at Celtic last month looked set to ignite his Ibrox career, but seven games without a goal contribution followed.

Despite that, the Ibrox side just appear a livelier and more unpredictable proposition with Moore in the line-up.

A mid-season injury and squad rotation has meant Moore has failed to feature in 12 of Rangers’ 25 league matches, but Rohl is now demanding consistency as his side attempt to reel Hearts in.

“We know Mikey, that should be the level for him again and again,” the Rangers head coach told BBC Scotland.

“This is the next step for him, consistency. But I will not speak about individual performances, it’s about the team.”

“Cervical screening can be difficult for some women for many reasons, like if they have had a bad previous experience, they are menopausal, they have a physical or learning disability, cultural barriers, or are a survivor of sexual violence,” says Athena Lamnisos from charity The Eve Appeal.

A man in his 70s has been arrested in connection to the fire.

A man has been arrested after a fire at a barn in Lakenheath. Suffolk Police were called to Back Street by Suffolk Fire & Rescue at around 11:30pm on Thursday, January 29, with reports that a barn that was completely engulfed in flames.

Emergency services attended and a man in his 20s was found inside of the barn. He was taken to hospital for treatment to severe burns, where he remains in a critical but stable condition.

A man in his 70s has been arrested on suspicion of false imprisonment and on suspicion of the cultivation of cannabis. He was taken to Bury St Edmunds Police Investigation Centre for questioning.

He has been released on police bail. Officers are appealing to anyone with information or who had recent use of the building to come forward.

Anyone who witnessed the incident or saw anything suspicious in the area before the incident should contact West CID at Suffolk Police quoting 37/5794/26 via their website or by calling 101.

You can also call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800555111.

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The WASPI campaign is consulting lawyers about a fresh judicial review after the Government refused compensation to 1950s-born women affected by state pension age changes

The WASPI campaign (Women Against State Pension Inequality) has stepped up its calls for DWP compensation, despite the Government recently stating there would be no financial redress. Labour ministers addressed the Commons last week on January 29 to confirm that no compensation would be offered to the 1950s-born women represented by WASPI and similar campaign groups.

Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden told Parliament: “The evidence shows that the vast majority of 1950s-born women already knew the state pension age was increasing thanks to a wide range of public information, including through leaflets, education campaigns, information in GP surgeries, on TV, radio, cinema and online. To specifically compensate only those women who suffered injustice would require a scheme that could reliably verify the individual circumstances of millions of women.”

WASPI condemned the decision as a “disgraceful political choice” that showed “utter contempt” for the affected women. The campaign represents the generation of women who were impacted when the state pension age for women increased from 60 to 65 and later to 66.

They argue that the DWP failed to properly inform them of the changes, with many remaining oblivious until the last moment, upending their retirement plans when they discovered the news. The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman had previously investigated the matter, finding there was ‘maladministration’ by the DWP, as they should have sent notification letters to the women far sooner.

The Ombudsman also recommended financial compensation for the affected women, ranging from £1,000 to £2,950. In December 2024, Labour announced they would not provide compensation, reports the Mirror.

The Government subsequently reversed this position, stating they would reassess the matter due to new evidence they needed to examine. However, in their most recent decision, the Government said once more there would be no financial settlements.

The WASPI campaign is now urging its members to contact their local MPs, pressing them to demand a Parliamentary vote on the issue. In the Ombudsman’s report, the watchdog called for Parliament to address the matter.

Numerous MPs individually support the WASPI cause, as well as some political parties including the Liberal Democrats and Green Party. WASPI had sought a judicial review of the earlier ruling, though this was resolved out of court after the Government pledged to revisit their decision.

Angela Madden, chair of the WASPI campaign, said the organisation is consulting with lawyers regarding a potential fresh judicial review application. She said: “We would welcome it, if the lawyers think there is a different way to go, we would welcome that as well.”

She said they expect to receive guidance from their legal team shortly. If you want to file a judicial review of such a decision, it must be submitted within three months.

Ms Madden said: “The only people who can get this for us are Parliament. So we have to impress on Parliament that they simply must do it. The way the DWP has behaved is undemocratic. They are defending themselves, and the Ombudsman is so that we are protected from departments defending themselves.”

She said the campaigners feel “insulted”, particularly as the Government’s decision relied on a 2014 survey suggesting the women would not remember getting a letter or would not read it if they had received it, and so sending out letters sooner would have made little difference.

CROOKS are using AI to clone victim’s voices and set up unauthorised direct debits over the phone.

That’s according to a watchdog that says the shocking scheme is part of “an organised criminal operation”.

Many Brits will be familiar with AI in form of helpful chatbots like OpenAI‘s ChatGPT or Google‘s Gemini.

But criminals are taking advantage of AI for an entirely different purpose: raiding your bank account.

That’s according to National Trading Standards, which says that the sickening con begins with a “seemingly harmless lifestyle survey phone call”.

This call is actually designed to gather as much info about you as possible, including details about your personal life, health, and finances.

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“The criminals use this data to develop AI-generated voice clones used to simulate consent for direct debits, deceiving even legitimate businesses and financial providers,” the watchdog explains.

“These details appear then to be passed or sold to other criminal operations who, with the details, can easily circumvent the banks and set up payments without the victim’s knowledge.

“Victims often do not realise payments are being taken.”

Scamming is rife: Brits receive seven scam calls or texts on average every month.

And NTS has blocked nearly 21 million scam calls in six months.

As part of that work, the watchdog has shut down more than 2,000 phone numbers.

To make their scams even more convincing for victims and banks, crooks are turning to AI.

“What we’re seeing is a deeply disturbing combination of old and new: traditional phone scams supported by disturbing new techniques,” said Louse Baxter MBE, who heads up the NTS’ scams team.

“Criminals are using AI not just to deceive victims, but to trick legitimate systems into processing fraudulent payments.

“This is no longer just a nuisance – it’s a coordinated, sophisticated operation targeting some of the most situationally vulnerable consumers in society.

“We urge everyone to speak to friends and relatives about scam calls, check bank statements regularly and report anything suspicious.”

NTS says that Brits are being cold-called and then coerced into providing details to the criminals.

This allowed crooks to take “continuous payments” from the accounts of victims.

And because this happens in the background, it’s possible for victims to not even realise their accounts are quietly being emptied.

“This alarming new twist in phone-based fraud shows just how quickly criminals are exploiting emerging technologies to prey on the public,” said John Herriman, the Chartered Trading Standards Institute chief.

“Voice cloning takes scam calls to a sinister new level, making it even harder for legitimate businesses and consumers to distinguish real interactions from fraudulent ones.

“Trading Standards teams across the UK are working tirelessly to disrupt these operations, but we need the public to stay alert, talk to loved ones about the risks, and report anything suspicious.

“Protecting consumers, especially those most vulnerable, requires all of us to stay informed and work together to tackle these modern day and emerging examples of fraud.”

Voice-cloning technology isn’t new – it’s been around for several years.

Tools to clone voices can be accessed cheaply and easily online, making the process relatively straightforward.

An AI tool can capture and replicate your voice with just a few seconds of audio.

STAYING SAFE

We spoke to Louise Baxter from the NTS, who shared advice for Sun readers worried about this kind of con.

“It all starts with one phone call, where you think you’re talking to a real company and they ask for your bank details,” Louise told The Sun.

“So the most important advice is to never give any personal information to anyone who calls you out of the blue and without doing your own checks on who they are, no matter how genuine they sound.

“But the criminals are clever and anyone can be a victim of a scam.

“With the growing use of sophistication and AI in scams, we should all get into the habit of checking our bank statements regularly to make sure we recognise all the payments that are going out.

“We’re also urging people to talk to friends and relatives who may be more vulnerable to scam phone calls, to help them stay safe.”

Louise also recommended visiting their website for advice – http://www.friendsagainstscams.org.uk – as well as instructions for downloading the NTS’ new scam-fighting app.

The incident saw an Audi SQ7 model stolen from Leeds, according to Greater Manchester Police, in the early hours of today, February 4.

The car was driven along the M62 towards Greater Manchester before being spotted by officers who began following it.

The Audi drove onto the M60 and then the East Lancashire Road, where a pursuit ensued. Police cars and the National Police Air Service helicopter followed it.

Officers say it hit “more than 120mph” in some areas, before its two occupants decamped on Milk Street, Tyldesley, and were arrested.

The driver, an 18-year-old man, was arrested on suspicion of burglary, dangerous driving, failing to stop and no insurance.

The passenger, a 20-year-old man, was arrested on suspicion of burglary.

Both remain in custody for questioning.

Sergeant Rebecca McElory from GMP’s Roads Policing Unit said: “This was a fast‑moving incident that began outside our force area, and thanks to the coordinated work between ourselves and colleagues from NPAS, we were able to safely bring it to a conclusion.

“The two suspects in this job showed a complete disregard for the law and for the safety of other road users by travelling at extremely high speeds in a stolen vehicle.

“We are very lucky that we aren’t here talking about a high-speed collision which could have seen innocent members of the public seriously injured.

“I hope these arrests send a clear message to those who think they are above the law that we will not hesitate to take action against these people who strike fear into our communities.”

The president’s name appeared more than 6,000 times in the documents. He was frequently mentioned by Epstein and his associates. The two men, both residents of New York City and West Palm Beach, had by all accounts a friendly relationship for much of the 1990s until, according to Trump, they fell out in the early 2000s.

Emergency services were called to the scene on Roseneath Road in Great Lever, where the incident took place.

A Greater Manchester Police (GMP) spokesperson told The Bolton News: “Shortly before 3.30pm this afternoon (Wednesday, February 4) officers were called to reports of a dog attack on Roseneath Road, Bolton.

“Emergency services attended and a 10-year-old girl was taken to hospital with serious injuries, believed to be life-changing.

“Armed Response Vehicles and GMP Dog Unit were deployed, and two dogs have been detained.

“A 28-year-old man and a 52-year-old woman have been arrested on suspicion of possessing a dog dangerously out of control, and are currently in custody.

“Officers will remain in the area as they conduct further enquiries and to provide reassurance to the community.”

Residents gathered while emergency services attended the scene (Image: Supplied)

In footage shared with The Bolton News, Roseneath Road was taped off, with a police car blocking the road.

Three other police vehicles could be seen further down the residential street.

Details of the attack have not yet been released, and it is unclear at this stage whether both detained dogs were involved.

ARSENAL and Manchester City will face off in the League Cup final next month… pitting apprentice Mikel Arteta against master Pep Guardiola.

Arteta, 43, served as Guardiola’s City assistant for three years before becoming Gunners boss in 2019.

The pair won several trophies together, including a League Cup at Arsenal‘s expense in 2018.

Guardiola continued to win plenty of trophies following Arteta’s Etihad exit, even pipping his former No2 to the title in 2023 and 2024.

But the gap has narrowed in recent years, with Arsenal finally finishing above City last season, albeit still below Liverpool, and currently leading them by six points in this term’s title race.

Arteta managed to claim a big early win over Guardiola in his managerial career, beating him 2-0 in the 2020 FA Cup semi-finals behind closed doors after deploying a back-three formation.

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Arsenal went on to win that season’s FA Cup, Arteta’s first silverware as a boss.

But that semi-final triumph would be his only win over Guardiola in his first nine attempts, with Arsenal losing all eight of the others.

These defeats included a 5-0 hammering at the Etihad in August 2021, as well as a 4-1 Eastlands demolition in April 2023 as Arsenal’s title dream that season was crushed.

Amazingly, that was the last time that Guardiola beat Arteta – with the latter arguably now having the upper hand.

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