Sky News has uncovered new details about the timings and locations of photographs featuring Bill Clinton and paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, forming a comprehensive timeline of their relationship.

The photos, included in the Epstein files and verified by Sky’s Data and Forensics team, were taken on numerous Clinton Foundation trips where Epstein was present.

The former US president has never been accused of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein and has said he did not know about the sex offender’s crimes. Being included in the Epstein files does not imply wrongdoing.

In 1992, records show Epstein donated $2,000 to Mr Clinton’s successful presidential campaign on 30 January and 8 June – a small fraction of the $62m his campaign raised overall.

After being sworn in as president in 1993, Mr Clinton was pictured in September with Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell after an event for donors to a White House restoration project.

The event was said to have been for donors and records list Epstein and Maxwell donating $10,000 to the White House Historical Association the same day as the event. Hillary Clinton hosted the event with her husband Bill Clinton.

Freedom of information (FOI) records show that Epstein visited the White House 17 times from 1993 to 1995.

In 1996, Mr Clinton was re-elected for a second presidential term.

A few years later in 1999, records from the Federal Election Commission show Epstein donated $20,000 on 29 October to Hillary Clinton’s senate campaign. This donation shows no suggestion of wrongdoing.

In 2001, Bill Clinton left office, creating the Clinton Foundation, with the mission to “strengthen the capacity of people in the United States and throughout the world to meet the challenges of global interdependence”.

In 2002, Mr Clinton visited Epstein’s New York residence once, as confirmed by Mr Clinton’s spokesperson Angel Urena.

Sky News has verified numerous photographs taken on Clinton Foundation trips where Epstein was present.

In May 2002, Mr Clinton set off for his trip around Asia for the Clinton Foundation on Epstein’s plane. They visited, Russia, Singapore, China, Bangkok and Brunei in a three-day period.

These photos were taken on 25 May 2002 at Don Mueang International Airport, then with pictures at Wat Phra Kaew, a Buddhist temple.

Thumbnails show what appears to be Epstein’s plane on the platform at the airport.

Many pictures from the Asia trip were already public but have been verified for the first time by the Sky News Data and Forensics team. Using images released by the US Department of Justice (DOJ), Sky News analysed photo thumbnails alongside enlarged photos, to locate and date certain photos on this timeline, cross-referencing them with flight logs and email exchanges.

This set of photographs was in Brunei in the Emperor suite at the Empire Hotel.

The suite is a luxurious accommodation that spans 665 square metres (over 7,000 square feet) and features a master bedroom, private dining area, swimming pool, sauna, steam room, grand piano, and a cinema.

An article in Vanity Fair on Epstein placed a photo of the two on a plane on the Brunei trip. Another photo released by the DOJ shows Mr Clinton in the same seat, with the same clothes, holding his arm around a redacted girl. This photo does not imply any wrongdoing.

A few months later, in July, Mr Clinton and Epstein were pictured together at the royal wedding of King Mohammed VI in Morocco on 12 July 2002. Flight logs show they flew back to Santa Maria together the following day.

Thumbnails from an album released by the DOJ, labelled “Morroco king wedding”, show Mr Clinton on Epstein’s plane.

In Santa Maria on a stopover, before going on a Clinton Foundation trip around Africa, Mr Clinton is pictured with someone who was later identified as one of Epstein’s victims. She is massaging his shoulders in Santa Maria airport. No Epstein victim has accused Mr Clinton of wrongdoing.

At the end of September 2002, Mr Clinton embarked on his Africa trip, alongside Epstein. The trip included locations such as Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda, Mozambique and South Africa.

In the same year, Mr Clinton commented on Epstein in New York Magazine that he “appreciated his [Epstein’s] insights and generosity during the recent trip to Africa to work on democratisation, empowering the poor, citizen service, and combating HIV/AIDS”.

After this trip, Mr Clinton ended up flying to London with Ghislaine Maxwell and other passengers.

Mr Clinton and Epstein visited London in September 2002. Photos verified by Sky News place Mr Clinton at 10 Downing Street and the Churchill War Rooms, alongside Maxwell and others, including the actor Kevin Spacey. Being included or pictured in the files is not evidence of wrongdoing.

A year later, Epstein’s Birthday Book was created by Ghislaine Maxwell. The book is described as a bound collection of birthday letters compiled for Epstein’s 50th birthday. A message signed ‘Bill Clinton’ was left in the book. It praised Epstein’s ‘childlike curiosity’ and ‘drive to make a difference’.

Later that year in November, another Clinton Foundation trip took place in the Far East, once again using Epstein’s jet.

Photos verified by Sky News show Mr Clinton at dinner with Epstein, Maxwell, Mick Jagger and Doug Band in China. The photos can now be placed at China Club restaurant in Hong Kong, a private members’ club.

Flight logs published in the Epstein files show Mr Clinton was in Hong Kong between 6 and 9 November.

On 7 November, the Rolling Stones had a concert in Hong Kong at Tamar Site for the Harbour Festival. Footage from that night shows Mr Clinton was in attendance. Following this, pictures released by the DOJ show backstage photos of this concert where it appears Epstein was also in attendance.

Continuing their relationship, in 2010, Ghislaine Maxwell was a guest at the wedding of Bill and Hillary Clinton’s daughter Chelsea.

Hillary Clinton was questioned about Maxwell attending the wedding during her deposition with the House Oversight Committee. She stated she knew Maxwell “casually as an acquaintance”, and that Maxwell “came as the plus one, the guest, of someone who was invited”.

Bill Clinton has always denied any wrongdoing. In 2019 after Epstein killed himself in jail while facing sex trafficking charges, a Clinton spokesman said that he “knows nothing about the terrible crimes Jeffrey Epstein pleaded guilty to in Florida some years ago, or those with which he has been recently charged in New York”.

“In 2002 and 2003, President Clinton took a total of four trips on Jeffrey Epstein’s airplane: one to Europe, one to Asia, and two to Africa, which included stops in connection with the work of the Clinton Foundation.”

The Data x Forensics team is a multi-skilled unit dedicated to providing transparent journalism from Sky News. We gather, analyse and visualise data to tell data-driven stories. We combine traditional reporting skills with advanced analysis of satellite images, social media and other open source information. Through multimedia storytelling we aim to better explain the world while also showing how our journalism is done.

The 30-year-old man is due to appear at York Magistrates’ Court tomorrow (Saturday, February 28).

It comes after North Yorkshire Police were called to an address in Trinity Lane, off Micklegate, York at around 3.20pm on Thursday (February 19).

Recommended reading:

As The Press reported, a 40-year-old man was subsequently taken to hospital with wounds consistent with a stabbing, where he currently remains.

Two men and three women, aged between 28 and 58, were arrested in connection with the incident.

A force spokesperson said: “One man has been charged with obstructing police, assaulting police and possessing a knife.

“Another man has been released with no further action.

“The remaining suspects have been bailed, with bail conditions in place, while our enquiries continue.”  

Anyone who has information that they have yet to share can contact North Yorkshire Police on 101. Please quote reference NYP-19022026-0285.

The Late Late Show returned to screens with Patrick interviewing Hollywood stars Jessie Buckley and Maggie Gyllenhaal about The Bride and the upcoming Oscars

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The Late Late Show made its return tonight, with audiences thoroughly captivated by a chat featuring not just one, but two Hollywood heavyweights.

Filmed earlier in the week, Patrick jetted to London to sit down with Kerry-born Oscar frontrunner Jessie Buckley and Maggie Gyllenhaal.

The duo are collaborating on the eagerly anticipated The Bride, set to hit Irish cinemas next month.

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Naturally, Patrick couldn’t resist quizzing Jessie about the looming Oscars ceremony, particularly as she’s the runaway favourite to claim the statuette, having already secured a Golden Globe, IFTA and BAFTA for her performance in Hamnet, reported Galway Beo.

Social media was soon awash with reactions to the conversation.

One viewer gushed: “That was so Lovely. She is a role model for all young people. Fantastic Actress.”

Another is already anticipating Jessie’s triumphant return, commenting: “Jessie will be back on it in three weeks’ time with the Oscar in her hand.”

A third chimed in with praise: “like Patrick on Late Late Show and great to have Jessie on it. She is some credit to Ireland and Kerry.”

Enthusiasm overflowed from a fourth viewer who declared: “She is everywhere, just fabulous, what an inspiration and totally herself, I’m obsessed!”.

That said, some expressed disappointment that the segment wasn’t broadcast live. One viewer commented: “You can take it from the picture that it was pre-recorded. Late Late is not the same since they started doing this. And they try miserably to make it look like it is live on the night….who are they trying to fool?”.

Among tonight’s other guests was three-time Major champion Padraig Harrington, who looked back on his illustrious career following his 500th appearance on the DP World Tour.

The sporting theme continued with Irish Winter Olympians Ben Lynch, Thomas Moloney Westgard and Cormac Comerford, who spoke to Patrick about their Winter Olympic journey.

Danny Dyer also made an appearance to talk about his upcoming football agent thriller One Last Deal, which was shot in Ireland and is due to arrive in cinemas next month.

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Horwich residents gathered (on Friday) to remember those who lost their lives in the 1958 tragedy.

On that fateful morning, a Manchester-bound Silver City Airways flight from the Isle of Man crashed into Winter Hill on the moors, killing 35 people.

The plane disintegrated on impact, leaving only the tail section recognisable.

Most of those on board were motor traders travelling to the Exide battery factory at Clifton Junction, and only seven survived.

Members of Horwich Rotary Club were among the first on the scene and played a key role in the rescue efforts, digging through 6ft snowdrifts to reach the injured.

Winter Hill Air Crash, Horwich Heritage

To mark the anniversary, Mayor of Horwich Cllr Victoria Rigby joined Revd David Griffiths, Horwich Heritage, the Rotary Club of Horwich and residents, for a small wreath-laying service.

The service is an annual reminder not only of those who lost their lives, but also of the sterling efforts of the emergency services and Horwich residents who came to help.

On the misty morning, Revd David Griffiths led the memorial, as he has done on many previous anniversaries.

“On this day in 1958, 68 years ago, it was a terrible and bleak day, aptly named Winter Hill,” he began.

“We have come together on this anniversary to remember before God and commend to His sure keeping those whose memory is treasured.

“Rotarians from Douglas, Isle of Man, are also meeting today to remember those who were killed.

“In May, when they come over to share in Horwich Rotary’s Charter Night, they will lay another wreath here.

“Many lost loved ones when the Bristol 170 Wayfarer careered into the hill in atrocious weather conditions.

“The badly cut first officer, William Howarth, managed to free himself and crawl through the snow and mist to the mast to raise the alarm.

Revd David Griffiths leading the service (Image: NQ)

“We recall this tragedy, which claimed the lives of 35 representatives of the Manx motor trade, and the courageous actions of the emergency services and people from Horwich who rushed to help.

“It has become part of our local history, and Horwich Heritage holds an annual exhibition.

“John Sanderson, licensee of the Jolly Crofters and a member of Horwich Rotary Club, was among those involved.

“Alongside Jack Speight, sub-postmaster, and John Shawcross, he drove up George’s Lane to join quarry workers clearing snow so rescue vehicles could reach the site.

“The Wesleyan Methodist Chapel on Victoria Road became a mortuary, and people of Horwich still remember 9.45am on that terrible snowy day.”

Those present observed a silent prayer as wreaths were laid.

Mayor of Horwich Cllr Victoria Rigby, Revd David Griffiths, Horwich Heritage, the Rotary Club of Horwich and residents (Image: NQ)

Stuart Whittle of Horwich Heritage spoke of the memorial’s continued significance.

“It’s always a poignant moment when we come to this wild and often wet site to remember the tragedy of that day,” he said.

“Sixty-eight years is a long time, but we still remember.

“It’s a great credit to Horwich Rotary that they have kept the flame of remembrance alive for all these years.

“It’s our duty to pass this on to future generations.

“They must understand the heartache and hardship suffered by the community in the Isle of Man, as well as the heroism of the emergency services and the people of Horwich.

“It is incumbent on us to carry that flame forward year on year for the benefit of those who died.”

The Winter Hill transmitter (Image: NQ)

Cllr Rigby thanked those in attendance and praised the work of Horwich Heritage and the Rotary Club of Horwich.

Rotary Club president Phil Jones said a memorial was taking place in Douglas at the same time.

District governor Edwin Partridge spoke about Howard Callow, an Isle of Man Rotarian whose father was killed in the disaster, and the continuing link between the two clubs.

On Saturday, February 28, Horwich Heritage Centre will show the Winter Hill Air Disaster DVD at 10.30am and 2.30pm.

Ian Huntley’s mum Lynda Richards reportedly made a secret hospital visit after the Soham killer was bludgeoned in HMP Frankland, with sources claiming she told pals ‘part of me hopes he passes away’

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Ian Huntley’s mother is understood to have visited her son in hospital, telling pals that “part of me hopes he passes away” following the brutal assault on the child killer behind bars.

The Soham double murderer remains critically ill after a fellow prisoner attacked him with a metal bar during a workshop session at HMP Frankland. The notorious killer, responsible for the deaths of 10-year-olds Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, was rushed to hospital with serious head injuries following Thursday morning’s incident, with reports suggesting medics gave him merely a 5% survival chance.

Mother Lynda Richards, 71, made the 175-mile journey from her Lincolnshire residence to be at her son’s bedside, with sources suggesting she subsequently told friends she “just wants to be free of it”.

The former caretaker is serving life imprisonment after murdering the two youngsters, who had left a family barbecue to purchase sweets in Soham, Cambridgeshire, on August 4 2002, reports the Mirror.

According to The Sun, a source revealed Richards and a companion were accompanied to the hospital wing by Prison Service personnel – whilst her son remains under armed police protection. The source further claimed the mother “couldn’t recognise her own son” upon seeing him following the vicious assault.

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The source revealed: “He’s been attacked on so many occasions and she now thinks it might be better if he didn’t pull through. It’s an extraordinarily difficult thing for her to come to terms with.

“Part of her just hopes he passes away this time. But he’s still her son, regardless of what happened, and they have remained very close.”

The same source claimed Richards had spoken with her son just two days prior to the brutal assault, stating she “can’t be at peace until it’s all over – and it won’t be over until he’s gone”.

Durham Constabulary provided an update this morning regarding Huntley’s condition, confirming: “There has been no change in the 52-year-old man’s condition overnight – he remains in hospital in a serious condition.”

The prime suspect in the prison assault was identified last night as triple murderer Anthony Russell, though neither police nor prison officials have verified his identity. The suspect allegedly shouted “I’ve killed him” as warders escorted him from the scene.

This follows revelations from a source who told The Mirror that the Soham killer “knew he was a target” and had become increasingly anxious about being poisoned. The source stated: “He knew that he was a target. That is why he was so paranoid about his food.”

Robert Easom, 57, of Longridge Road, Chipping, appeared before Preston Crown Court charged with GBH with intent, two counts of ABH and two counts of controlling and coercive behaviour.

The charges relate to a period between 2017 and 2025, when the defendant subjected Trudi Burgess to constant verbal, emotional and physical abuse.

It culminated in an incident on February 17, 2025, when Easom launched a sickening attack on his victim, which left her with a broken neck and permanently paralysed.

Laura Magill, prosecuting, said: “He manipulated her body into a position where she was on her knees. With both of his hands and all of his chest onto the back of her head, he pushed back with his entire body weight, pushing her chin into her chest.

“She was trying to scream, but he continued to push. She was trying to say he was killing her, but she could not speak.

“She said she felt like his body was going to crack her skeleton. She heard a crack, and all of the feeling left her body. She thought she was dying, but he did not stop.

“He kept shouting, ‘I will shut you up.’ By the time he stopped, he had broken her neck, affecting all four limbs.

“Doctors would later operate on her, but were unable to undo the neurological damage.

“She realised at the moment he said he had done this that life as she knew it was over.”

Judge Robert Altham said that the injuries she sustained were comparable to those of someone who had fallen from a height.

He added: “She had depression, anxiety and symptoms of PTSD. She suffered flashbacks of the attack on her. She loved to sing for pleasure and professionally. She is someone who likes to look her best, and she now has to leave that to others.

“A third heading is the impact on her family, and the impact of harm is testified to by her children. Her mother cannot come to terms with the impact. Her grandchildren cannot understand where their grandmother has gone.

“The impact upon them is profound. She describes the social impact. She used to be an active person with a normal social life, and getting anywhere, including to court today, is a massive operation.

“Even with the lengthy sentence I am going to impose, you will have a future, unlike your victim.”

Before the incident, Easom subjected the woman he claimed to love to a relentless campaign of coercive and controlling behaviour.

Around seven months into the relationship, during a trip to York, Easom “switched” into a rage, dragged her around a bathroom and threatened her, quoting a line from Rambo: “Don’t push or I’ll give you a war.”

In another incident in 2019, Easom went into a rage after the victim went to get a glass of wine, thinking the defendant was asleep.

Storming down the stairs, Easom berated her, grabbed her by her hair and rammed her head against each of the steps, leaving her with cuts to her nose.

In January 2025, after an evening at a friend’s house, Ms Burgess made a joke about the lack of crockery at the defendant’s house.

Judge Altham said: “It is the hallmark of a sophisticated abuser to combine cruelty and kindness, and that, as you intended, you led this intelligent and articulate woman to doubt her own experiences. It is a chilling insight into your manipulation and control of her.”

Easom then drove at 80mph before stopping and headbutting her.

Ms Magill added: “He did this to frighten her, and it worked. With the car stationary, he headbutted her and dragged his stubble down her face.”

READ MORE: Sentencing of bully who left girlfriend paralysed in vicious attack – updates

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During the relationship, Ms Burgess kept notes to herself in her Apple Notes, which highlighted the levels of gaslighting that Easom imposed on her.

A section of former teacher Ms Burgess’s victim impact statement said: “I am slowly learning how to live with my spinal injury, but the reality is… this is a life sentence.

“Emotionally I have been shattered. I suffer from bouts of depression, daily anxiety and symptoms of PTSD. I have flashbacks of the attack and nightmares that wake me up.

“My sense of safety for my family and me has been taken from me, and the thought of him walking freely is a terrifying prospect. I grieve every day for the life I’ve lost – a life that was stolen from me by someone whom I trusted.

“I feel trapped and powerless. Sometimes I feel like I’m just surviving, not living. Everything that once gave me joy now feels out of reach.

“I also want the court to be aware of my real concern for anyone getting involved with Robert in the future, romantically or otherwise. He has a true Jekyll and Hyde personality.

“He could be a loving and attentive partner and then he could switch in a moment into a truly terrifying monster, restraining me, dragging me round the room, screaming threats at me.

“All of which were dismissed moments later. I am living proof of the devastating effects of his uncontrolled bursts of anger.”

In mitigation, Tobias Smith outlined that his client accepted full criminality; however, Judge Altham said that was not the case due to his failing to admit to anything in his pre-sentence report.

He also added that his client had engaged well whilst in prison and was supporting other inmates with horticultural tasks.

Easom was sentenced to 20 years, of which he will serve a maximum of 16 years in custody.

When I was growing up there were three channels on the telly, which seems quaint now. You watched what was on, like it or lump it. But I have only good memories of children’s TV in the 1970s. Hiding behind a cushion as we watched Dr Who, singing along to Sesame Street, lots of excellent dramas, and a surprising array of weird trippy stop-motion animation that featured stoned rabbits and talking TVs.

But my favourite was a wonderful art show aimed primarily at deaf children called Vision On. (For anyone who’d like a walk down memory lane, listen to the groovy theme tune below and transport yourself back to your 1970s living room.)

Vision On.

A lovely man called Tony Hart shared simple art techniques, and later got his own spin-off show called Take Hart. It was here in 1977 that I first encountered a charming little Plasticine character called Morph who persisted in interrupting Tony has he tried to make art, generally making a mess and causing chaos. But always in the most endearing way.

It was groundbreaking stuff in those days, watching a ball of plasticine unfurl into this funny little figure with big eyes and a bigger heart. Who would have guessed Morph was the beginning of Aardman, one of the most successful stop-motion animation studios in the world? One that would go on to create beloved characters like Wallace & Gromit and even win Oscars?

That success is surely down to a very British sensibility that celebrates quirk and eccentricity, chewy regional accents, DIY and a heroic sweetness that remains untainted by cynicism. I still marvel at the genius of the long-suffering Gromit’s scowl, conveyed only by two indented thumbprints for eyebrows.

Aardman’s work is now rightly being celebrated in an exhibition at the Young V&A in London. We sent along animation expert Christopher Holliday to give us his take as the studio celebrates almost half a century of hi-octane slapstick, unlikely heroes and comical villains.

Two national treasures

It’s a great week for celebrating quintessential Britishness in film, art and fashion. In Edinburgh The Biba Story has just begun at the wonderful Dovecot tapestry studio. The show is a warm, inclusive and affectionate look at the impact of Barbara Hulanicki’s groundbreaking Biba fashion and lifestyle label that brought a splash of excitement to drab postwar Britain in the mid-1960s. Best of all are the vivid memories of women now in their eighties describing the thrill of high fashion at low prices in their teens.

At the Tate Modern in London, the irrepressible Tracey Emin is back with a restrospective called, appropriately, Tracey Emin: A Second Life after she rose like a phoenix from the ashes of her grim encounter with cancer and the life-changing surgery that followed. I adore Emin (even though I don’t always like her work) because she makes art utterly on her own terms. Complicated, contradictory, uncompromising and fearless, many people find that altogether too much in one woman. But Emin mines her life and experience in ways that make her vulnerable which I find brave, honest and admirable.

Films heading for the Oscars

Wagner Moura and Rose Byrne are each nominated for best actor/actress gongs at this year’s Oscars, and both, according to our reviewers, would be worthy winners.

Set in 1977 during Brazil’s two-decade dictatorship, The Secret Agent is a gripping thriller that features an outstanding performance from Moura. The Brazilian actor plays Armando, an academic forced into hiding after clashing with big business interests aligned with the regime who want to get their hands on his research. Kleber Mendonça Filho’s film makes clear that authoritarianism attacks society not only through violence and repression of civilians, but through the silencing of knowledge and learning. This timely and important film reminds us why academic freedom must be protected.

Rose Byrne gives a relentless performance as Linda, an exhausted resentful mother quickly unravelling in If I Had Legs I’d Kick You. Her husband who works away is unconcerned that she is looking after their seriously ill daughter solo. Her unfulfilling but demanding work as a therapist piles on more pressure and her own therapist is deeply unsympathetic. Unsupported and drowning in despair, she is unable to find respite. This dark and unsettling film, says our reviewer Laura O’Flanagan, “is an example of how cinema has become less interested in saccharine, idealised depictions of mothers and more concerned with their inner lives, however messy”.

Robbie Williams was performing at Manchester’s Aviva Studios

Robbie Williams is getting pretty used to breaking records of late and he claimed yet another as he stepped onto stage in Manchester on Friday night. His 16th solo studio album, Britpop, became his record-breaking 16th chart-topper earlier this year (as Robbie was keen to remind us), and this Aviva Studios gig, fans soon discovered, has become the biggest ever selling charity concert for War Child.

It’s also a gig that came as a big, and welcome, surprise to fans when it was announced mere days ago as a special charity gig to tie in with BRITs Week here in Manchester.

Needless to say such is Robbie’s sustained star power, those tickets needed mere minutes to sell out. The show follows his run of just four intimate gigs on the “Long ’90s” tour celebrating both his original debut album, Life Thru a Lens, and his 16th number one album Britpop.

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Once inside, of course, it didn’t really matter how far back you were, because you were still getting up close and personal with Mr Williams.

Last summer, here in Manchester we had him in the vast expanse of Co-op Live, throwing everything bar the kitchen sink at his fans in a blockbuster of an arena show that saw him literally fly out as a rocket man. He described the night as his “love letter to entertainment”.

Here at the slightly more intimate climes of Aviva Studios (although the Warehouse felt pretty vast), there may not be rocket blasters, but there’s never less than the usual Robbie energy.

He walks out on stage with his own T-shirt tribute to all things Manc – a “Roy Division” image blending the famous Joy Division artwork of Unknown Pleasures with the face of, who else, but Man United legend Roy Keane.

Launching into Lazy Days, we were sent straight back into the 90s, with Robbie also quick to talk about his experiences of going solo after the highs and lows of Take That.

He’s also happy to admit his failings, asking the crowd if they’ve seen the recent Netflix Take That documentary.

“I don’t think anyone has seen a man smugger than Robbie Williams in that second episode”, he says. “And you know what I felt really bad I felt really horrible about it, I’d been horrible to Gary, horrible to Howard, I was genuinely thinking about it for days and days I was thinking “I’ve got to apologise again, I’ve apologised 500 times but I’ve got to apologise again. And then I started this little mini tour up in Glasgow and I thought hang on no one has ever left a boy band and gone “they’re a ****, they’re a ****, except me.

“So for this moment I’m just getting rid of shame and guilt of upsetting everybody and lean into “they’re all ****s”, before launching into Ego a Go Go. He later added, to big cheers, that he loves Gary and “Gary loves me”. All very cathartic stuff.

Before Robbie headed onto stage it was down to Leigh’s Lottery Winners to warm up the crowds, as they had done so memorably last summer too. The band have struck up quite the friendship with Rob, and cheeky lead singer Thomas Rylance couldn’t resist paying tribute to the star by leading an early singalong of Angels to the delight of the crowds.

Naturally, when it came to Robbie’s turn to sing the anthem, fairly early on in the show, it nearly blasted the roof off the Warehouse – without him singing a word of it for the first half of the anthem such was the lusty singalong.

The first half of nostalgia is broken up, rather fittingly, with Everything Changes played in the background, before Robbie returns for the second half of new tracks from Britpop.

Rocket is a masterful new anthem from this King of entertainment, to kick it all off.

Introducing his song dedicated to his “favourite ever artist who’s still alive and he’s from Manchester” we get his ode to Morrissey.

He ends the show by telling us all he’s still ambitious, still wants to be out there which is music to the ears of these fans.

And there’s a final reward, an outing of fan anthem Feel leaving the crowd on a high after a special night.

Setlist

Lazy Days

Life Thru a Lens

Ego a Go Go

Angels

South of the Border

Old Before I Die

One of God’s Better People

Killing Me

Let Me Entertain You

Clean

Hello, Sir

[Everything Changes interlude]

Rocket

Spies

Pretty Face

Bite Your Tongue

Cocky

All My Life

Human

Morrissey

It’s Ok Until the Drugs Stop Working

Selfish Disco

Feel

Pocket Rocket

The gut bacterium Bacteroides fragilis has long presented researchers with a paradox. It has been associated with colorectal cancer, yet it also lives quite happily in most healthy people. A new study from a Danish research team offers a possible clue. When they looked beyond the bacterium itself and into its genome, they found a previously unknown virus embedded within it – one that was significantly more common in cancer patients.

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer worldwide and is responsible for the second highest number of cancer-related deaths. Up to 80% of colorectal cancer cases are attributed to environmental factors, with one of the most significant being the gut microbiome – the collection of bacteria, fungi and viruses that live in the human gut.

This means that colorectal cancer could – in theory – be partly preventable. But the precise link between the microbiome and colorectal cancer remains poorly understood. It is much easier to associate two things than it is to show a mechanism.

Most studies of the gut microbiome examine which species of bacteria are present and how abundant they are. But species are not homogeneous. Think of how all domestic dogs belong to the same species (Canis familiaris) yet show enormous within-species diversity – a chihuahua is not the same as a great dane. The same is true for bacteria, even if it is harder to visualise.

Just looking at which species are present may not give us the resolution we need to understand what is going on. Perhaps the answer lies not in which bacteria are in the gut, but in the finer genetic differences between strains of the same species.

Bacteroides fragilis is generally considered a harmless member of the gut microbiome and is found in most healthy people. Despite this, it has repeatedly been found to be more abundant in people with colorectal cancer. So could there be specific genetic features that set some strains of B fragilis apart from others, and could these features be linked to colorectal cancer?

Even bacteria get infections

All cellular life can be infected by viruses. Bacteria are no exception. The specific viruses that infect bacteria are called bacteriophages – from the Greek phagos, meaning to eat or devour. They selectively infect bacteria and, importantly, do not infect human cells.

But not all of these viruses kill the bacteria they infect. Some integrate their own genome within the bacterium’s genome, becoming what is known as a prophage – a hitchhiker within the bacterial cell.

Many prophages carry genes that can alter the characteristics of their bacterial host. Diseases such as cholera, botulism and diphtheria are all the result of toxins carried by prophages within otherwise (mostly) harmless bacteria. The conversion of harmless bacteria to harmful ones by prophages is well documented.

To determine whether specific genetic signatures linked B fragilis to colorectal cancer, a Danish team sequenced the genomes of B fragilis from people with and without a colorectal cancer diagnosis.

First, they looked at whether the cancer-associated bacteria came from a distinct evolutionary lineage. They did not. But not all genetic features of bacteria are passed from mother to daughter. Some are acquired sideways, through a process called horizontal gene transfer – such as infection by a prophage.

When the researchers compared the genomes more closely, they found that bacteria from cancer patients carried two previously unknown prophages that were largely absent in bacteria from people without cancer.

These prophages did not carry any obvious genes that would link the bacteria to colorectal cancer – in the way that cholera toxin genes are readily identifiable – but most prophage-carried genes are very poorly understood and we know little about what they do.

A broader test

This initial finding was based on 48 bacteria collected from patients, so the team wanted to test whether the pattern held more broadly. They screened data from faecal samples taken from 877 people across Europe, the US and Asia – 434 with colorectal cancer and 443 without.

Patients with colorectal cancer were more than twice as likely to have detectable levels of the prophages. It is important to stress that this is an association, not proof that these prophages cause or contribute to colorectal cancer. No biological mechanism by which they might do so has been proposed.

It is also possible that the gut environment in cancer patients simply suits these particular strains of B fragilis – meaning the disease could be creating conditions in which the bacteria thrive, rather than the bacteria helping to cause the disease. An alternative explanation is that the gut environment itself predisposes people both to harbour these prophage-containing strains and to develop colorectal cancer.

The study had limitations worth noting. The bacteria originally examined came from patients with bloodstream infections rather than bowel cancer itself, while the broader validation used stool samples – a different source entirely. And some of the “healthy” comparison group had not been formally confirmed to be cancer free.

Despite these limitations, the finding raises an interesting possibility for cancer screening. The most common non-invasive screening method for colorectal cancer is the “faecal immunochemical test”, which checks stool samples for traces of blood. A test that also screened for these viral traces could, in principle, be performed on the same samples.

A preliminary analysis by the researchers found that a panel based on fragments of the prophage genomes detected around 40% of colorectal cancer cases. This is a very early result and would need considerable further work, but it points to the possibility of using viral signatures alongside existing screening methods.

The broader implication of this work is a shift in how we think about the gut microbiome and its relationship to disease. It may not be enough to ask which bacteria are present. We may also need to look at what is inside those bacteria – and what those hidden passengers might be doing.

She was preaching to a congregation of sorts. Boxing fans, running club members, media and influencers – all hanging on her every word as she fielded questions on everything from her boxing career to a final fight in Dublin and everything in between.

Then a question from the floor, from someone looking for an inspirational message to take back to his church, to share with the congregation there.

He wanted the back-story to Katie Taylor’s journey in Christianity, and how her faith had helped her get through the tough days.

Taylor has never been shy to show her gratitude to God, or throw in a piece of scripture, into an interview.

But what was it that turned the Bray boxer, Olympic champion and world champion to a higher power?

We were at Intersport Elverys in Fonthill for the unveiling of Taylor as Brooks Running’s newest ambassador when mental health advocate Aidan Loughnane posed the question.

There was silence from the floor as she delivered her response.

“My journey in faith has been so connected to how my mam became a Christian,” started Taylor.

“My mam [Bridget], as a young woman, she won’t mind me saying this, she is here today, she was a heavy drinker, a heavy smoker.

“Her life was very, very chaotic, my father’s life was very, very chaotic as well.

“They had four little kids and they were in their early-20s, and it was a bit of a crazy, chaotic home.

“There wasn’t much structure there, there wasn’t any real vision for a good life, just two broken people trying their best to raise four young kids.”

And then she delivered the lines that – like one of her famous uppercuts – KO’d her audience.

“My mam walked into a coffee shop one day after a tragic incident happened,” Taylor explained.

“One of our neighbours, there was this house fire where basically the whole family passed away, it was a family of six and only two people survived.

“And that really deeply affected my mam, that house fire, that made her think there has to be more to life than this.

“The next day she went for a walk, she went into a coffee shop, and a couple were in there that had been very kind to her as a teenager.

“This couple had invited her to Bible studies as a young girl, and they left a deep impression on her, and that the couple just invited her to church.

“She went to church with them and that was the start of the journey for her.

“She started to follow God, she became a Christian, she gave her life to the Lord.

“And honestly it was night and day in the house after that, there was peace in our house for the first time.

“She gave up drinking, she gave up smoking, there was a sense of peace in her as well, there was a sense of life in our house.

“She’d speak of peace and hope and life to us as young kids. She started to tell us that God had a plan for us.

“She started to tell us that with God nothing is impossible, that God could turn humble things into great things.

“This became part of our normal lives. And so from then on my journey as a Christian started.

“I don’t really remember specifically when I became a Christian, it’s just that the God that rescued my mam became my God too.

“I just heard scripture in my house all the way up, I heard my mam praying with such deep conviction as well.

“It became the cornerstone of my life, really.”

Taylor spoke about the hardships, about the 2016 Olympic quarter-final defeat in Rio and the 3 Arena defeat to Chantelle Cameron in May 2023, and how her faith got her through those times.

“I fell in love with the Word of God, and the Word of God has become my cornerstone, I would say,” she said.

“It’s gotten me through so many tough, tough moments in my life as well.

“When things aren’t going well for me I walk through with peace and assurance just because I know that God is walking with me.

“And, yeah, for me living my life with Christ has been the most remarkable journey and I am so grateful for the goodness of God all my life, his faith, he is such a faithful God, he cares about every detail of my life.

“And for me I know, I’m confident that it wasn’t just my hard work or my talent that got me to where I was, but that God literally transformed my family life and he transformed my life.

“And for that I am forever grateful.”

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