The sports shoes that I’m currently wearing are from Puma. They’re very comfortable and have support. I actually wear a basketball shoe at the minute to have more support up the ankle.
A lot of the girls wear Asics as well, which I know is the netball shoe. I’ve worn Puma for the last four years, so I would recommend them.
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But honestly, whatever works best for you, you have to try them out. Whatever is best for your instep and whatever is comfiest. And if you need more ankle support, you can put some ankle braces on.
How has playing for Manchester Thunder helped you develop as a player?
Jason, London
Manchester has massively helped me develop as a player. I’ve been playing here since 2012. As a young girl, it created me as a person, to be honest with you. It’s such a family environment that I think a lot of my values come from this club. So my family values, being connected, creating energy – all those things come rooted from this club, which is incredible.
I think whatever step you are in your career, whether you’re a young athlete or senior, they help you develop. Even now I’m 31, they’re still helping me learn new things on the court. The coaches are incredible, and I’m constantly learning and being inspired by them every single week.
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Do players retire from elite netball quite young?
Helen, South West
I think it depends on the athlete. Some can retire at 40, and that’s because their bodies are so conditioned, and they might not have had any major injuries in their career. They’re able to continue to push themselves all the way until 40.
But I’d say the average is probably mid-30s. Now the Super League has become professional, the younger athletes are getting better training from a younger age. We want to keep pushing ourselves to play as long as possible.
How can netball get more coverage when women’s football is constantly pushed?
Sarah, South West
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I think netball needs to have more sponsors to get more media coverage. Bigger sponsors.
Players need to put their personalities more out there on social media, so brands will want to work with us. Everyone’s got amazing personalities in netball. They [brands] should want to be a part of the netball players’ stories and the netball teams.
But it’s about getting as much exposure as possible, and making sure that everyone is going on YouTube or BBC, so more people are able to learn about the sport.
I loved netball at school. How do I get involved now in my 60s?
Sue, Yorkshire
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Netball is for everyone. I personally love going to walking netball sessions and taking them through classes. You can go to the England Netball website and find out where you can play locally.
There’s also Back to Netball, depending on your ability and what you want to get out of it. Personally, I think walking netball is so much fun. The women who are in those sessions are a huge laugh, and I know when I retire, I’m going to be joining a group, for sure.
Apart from netball, what other hobbies do you have? How do they help you relieve the pressure of competition?
George, London
I feel like over the past few years I’ve really got into some new hobbies. I love reading. I love fantasy reading, like Throne of Glass. I love BookTok, so I’ve really got into that.
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I’m also very crafty. I like making things – I’ve made little crochet bees for all the girls, and I like drawing, and painting occasionally – just wholesome activities to take me away from netball life. As soon as I zone in on an activity, I’m locked in and I have to complete it.
The White House posted a photoshopped image of the viral short-spined raccoon Jimothy wearing a red ‘Trump was right about everything’ hat (White House / X)
But mostly, critics responded with complaints that the White House was using the trending raccoon to promote Trump.
“I swear y’all go out of your way to try to ruin everyone’s fun,” one X user grumbled.
The raccoon named Jimothy has been all over social media, gaining buzz for his uniquely curved back, and stealing the hearts of Seattle locals. In one video posted on Instagram, Jimothy was seen prancing across a lawn before going up concrete steps.
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The woman filming the video can be heard saying, “What am I looking at?”
She then said in the post’s caption that she and her partner “were graced with the presence of Jimothy the raccoon with short spine syndrome. Praise Jimothy!!”
The Daily Beast was the first to report on the Jimothy backlash. The White House often uses its social media accounts to post memes or troll Trump’s opponents – a tactic that can resonate with young people and boost morale, even momentarily.
More recently, the White House social media team has engaged with people online by Trump-ifying trending posts. Earlier this month, the White House posted a version of Madison Square Garden’s wedding announcement for Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce by replacing the original text with: “TRUMP Is Your President.”
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The concept is popular with companies and brands, which are typically doing so to promote a product.
Other Trump administration agencies followed suit on Jimothy. The Office of Personnel Management posted an image of Jimothy “trying to enter public service” and a personal identification badge indicating “Jimothy J. Raccoon” was now working for the government.
Kupor’s tweet referred to Trump’s policy that all hiring in the federal government be “merit-based” after accusing past administration of hiring for diversity, equity and inclusion purposes.
Police Scotland has declared a major incident as fire crews continue to battle a wildfire at the Cairngorms National Park – this is a breaking story
21:05, 24 Jul 2026Updated 21:11, 24 Jul 2026
Police Scotland has declared a major incident as firefighters battle a wildfire at the Cairngorms National Park.
The force said the decision followed a “significant change” in weather conditions, with strengthening winds making the fire more unpredictable and causing it to spread towards Nethy Bridge.
Superintendent Judy Hill said: “The weather conditions experienced within the Cairngorms over the last 24 hours have added further complexities to this situation. With evidence suggesting the fire is spreading towards Nethy Bridge, the decision has been taken to declare a major incident and evacuate residents as a precaution.”
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She said additional police resources are being deployed to help people leave their homes and maintain cordons around restricted areas while firefighters continue to tackle the blaze.
“We understand this is a very concerning time for residents, businesses and visitors to the Cairngorms region,” Supt Hill said. “Please be assured that the multi-agency response remains fully committed to bringing this incident to a safe conclusion as quickly as possible.”
Malton’s monthly Little Bird Artisan Market, organised in partnership with Little Bird Made, was due to take place on Saturday, July 25, from 10am in the town’s central market square.
The event was promoted as featuring a vibrant selection of independent traders offering handcrafted goods, food, and drink, capturing the heart of Malton’s famed “Made in Malton” spirit.
However, a spokesperson for Little Bird Artisan Market, said: “Due to forecasted high wind gusts, we’ve made the tough decision to cancel the Malton Artisan Market for Saturday, 25 July.
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“The safety of our visitors, traders, and staff is always our top priority.
“We appreciate your understanding and can’t wait to welcome you on Saturday, 22 August.”
For more information about Little Bird Artisan Markets, to book a stall, or to apply, contact info@littlebirdmade.co.uk, visit www.littlebirdmade.com, or follow @LittleBirdMade on Instagram or Facebook.
As millions of Brits take to the roads for the summer holidays, new research conducted by Gulf, the leading fuel brand operated by Certas Energy has found that for many drivers, it’s about the journey and not the destination – presenting an opportunity to resolve life’s greatest struggles all from the car seat…
The 25-year-old appeared before a special court sitting on Friday evening
20:40, 24 Jul 2026Updated 20:44, 24 Jul 2026
A 25-year-old law student has been granted bail after appearing before court in the Republic of Ireland charged with possession of explosives.
Isobella Perrie Sullivan, of Abbeylands Park, Clane in Co Kildare, appeared before a special sitting of Trim District Court in Co Meath on Friday evening after a bomb was intercepted in a car near the Irish border.
A Garda officer outlined to the court how Ms Perrie Sullivan had been stopped by Gardaí on the N2 at Aclint, Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan.
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During a search of her vehicle, a bag was found in the rear seat which was found to contain Semtex and a detonator, the court heard.
The court heard that Ms Perrie Sullivan was studying for a law degree and wanted to become a barrister. Gardaí objected to bail.
Defence solicitor Gavin Booth, of Phoenix Law, said his client had been asked to take a bag to the north, and had not been aware what was in it.
Judge Raymond Finnegan agreed to allow bail.
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It came with a number of conditions, which included an independent surety of 15,000 euros, that she surrenders her passport, an address approved by Gardaí, a mobile phone number on which to be available 24/7, to sign in every day at Naas Garda Station and a curfew of 9pm to 7am.
Readers discuss Burnham’s first moves as PM, how good the new Odyssey film really is and whether we’re actually in a cost-of-living crisis (Picture: Toby Melville / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)
Do you agree with our readers? Have your say on these MetroTalk topics and more in the comments
Is removing VAT from domestic energy bills a good move?
Andy Burnham’s first attempt to ease the cost-of-living crisis as prime minister – by removing VAT from domestic electricity bills (Metro, Wed) – may be popular but is, from the point of view of economics, wrong-headed.
Economics and experience tell us price is determined by supply and demand.
Energy prices have increased because supply has been restricted due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. If the price we pay is reduced by the tax cut, demand will rise, putting upward pressure again on price.
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Thus the net effect of the tax cut will be, at least to a degree, to transfer money which would have gone to the government to the energy companies.
A tax increase, conversely, reduces demand and so depresses the market price, so that, in effect, part of the tax is borne by the energy companies rather than the consumer. Bernard Winchester, Norwood
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‘Inflation is down’ so is there no cost-of-living crisis?
We keep reading about the ‘cost-of-living crisis’ but inflation is down to 2.6 per cent. In 1975, soon after I had married, it hit 25 per cent. Let’s get some perspective! Jamie, Chelsea
Right-wing media are resposible for view Burnham is taking is back to the ’70s, says reader
A Martin (MetroTalk, Thu) says Burnham ‘seems to want to take Britain back to the 1970s’. How do we know this? Has Burnham said this? What measures is he introducing that reflect such a view? Or, maybe A Martin just gets ideas from the right-wing media? Martin, London
Sound was an issue with the Odyssey
Having read Tori Brazier’s five-star review of The Odyssey (Metro, Jul 16), I went to see it with high expectations.
First, the sound. During the opening scenes on Ithaca I could hardly understand a word of what was said due to the subdued whispery tone of the actors. This applied to most of the film –except when an actor shouted.
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I was quite bored with scenes leading up to Odysseus’s departure for Troy. Some scenes after the Sack of Troy were good, in particular with the Cyclops.
Other reservations include why Helen of Troy had to be black [Lupita Nyong’o]. She was a Spartan queen, almost certainly white. The goddess Athena [Zendaya] scarcely appears and doesn’t resemble as much of a goddess as Tori seems to think.
Anne Hathaway makes a passable Penelope, though, and Matt Damon is excellent as Odysseus.
However, at nearly three hours, the film is far too long and director Nolan unnecessarily repeats the Sack of Troy a few times. The film also jumps backwards and forwards, which makes it confusing at times. If it’s your first time with the plot, you’ll find it a bit difficult to follow. I was glad to leave when the end finally arrived. Peter, Bradford-on-Avon
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More labelling needed on processed foods
Further to calls for more explicit labelling on ultra-processed foods (UPFs) in light of their link to fatal heart disease (MetroTalk, Mon).
Companies that produce UPFs should by now realise they cause cancers. As a recovering victim of prostate cancer, caused by eating processed food, surely it is incumbent on manufacturers of these dangerous foodstuffs to advertise this on their labels.
They should follow the example of the cigarette companies who print very clearly that smoking kills, because so does eating UPFs. Melvyn Jacobs, Stockport
Do you agree with our readers? Have your say on these MetroTalk topics and more in the comments
Neighbours star Natalie Bassingthwaighte has spoken about a difficult past relationship (Picture: WireImage (Credits: WireImage)
Neighbours star Natalie Bassingthwaighte has opened up about being in a relationship with a married man, 30 years her senior, when she was just 19.
Best known for playing Izzy Hoyland in the iconic Australian soap, the actress, now 50, recently sat down to reflect on life on screen, on stage, as a singer and all-around TV personality.
During one candid moment of reflection, she recounted a difficult situation she found herself in whilst having an affair with a 55-year-old man, when she was just shy of 20.
First reminiscing on her inner troubles while in the age-gap relationship, she said: ‘The hardest part was feeling deceitful because I’ve always felt like that’s not who I am as a person to the core.
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‘But I just fell in love with a person who told me I was amazing and beautiful and talented and funny and what we all want to be told.
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Explaining that the hardest part was knowing that she was hurting his wife. ‘When she came to me, and it was the worst day of my life, it was freaking horrible.’
She appeared as Izzy Hoyland in Neighbours in the 2000s (Picture: Fremantle Media/Shutterstock)
The moment Natalie decided to leave, however, came when she discovered she was expecting a baby.
She continued to the Inherited podcast: ‘I got pregnant to him and I did not want the baby. I was like: “Oh my god I’m a child”,’ but the father did want to keep it.
‘I think he’d been trying with his wife before and that didn’t happen,’ she said, explaining that she eventually said yes to keeping the child but then he started ‘not being very nice’ to her.
‘It was very odd, it was almost like: “Great I’ve got you now.”
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The TV star later suffered a miscarriage.
She spoke about his wife confronting her (Picture: TikTok/ inheritedthepod)
Eventually the couple also parted ways, with Natalie ultimately reflecting that after going to therapy ‘he was a grown man taking advantage of a young woman’.
In recent years she has been open about her dating life, sharing that she was engaged to her partner Pip Loth in October 2025 after they confirmed their romance in 2023.
Nowadays, Natalie – whose main run on Neighbours was between 2003 and 2007 – is putting all her concentration into her theatre career and recently wrapped her role as Jenna in Australia’s national tour of Waitress.
The tour, however, was abruptly cancelled, with Natalie later sharing a message on social media about her gratitude for all the women she’s had the honour to play on stage.
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Nowadays the star is found on stage and engaged to fiancee Pip Loth (Picture: WireImage via Getty)
‘It has been so incredible to sit in the gratitude for all the many amazing women I have had the opportunity to play in my career. These characters spoke to me in ways that are hard to put into words. They always came at a time when I needed them the most.
‘These women were raw and real. Struggling to find their place. But they did. Each story unique, but at the core, a celebration of finding themselves along the way.
‘I was able to share these stories with thousands, nationwide, seemingly at a time when they needed it too. How great to look back with pride and celebrate theatre
‘Keep watching and supporting these stories and experiences. You will be changed for good,’ she concluded.
If you’ve got a soap or TV story, video or pictures get in touch by emailing us soaps@metro.co.uk – we’d love to hear from you.
Coronation Street icon Tracy Shaw, who played Maxine Peacock on the ITV soap, has shared an emotional update on her “excruciating” cancer battle after receiving bad news
20:26, 24 Jul 2026Updated 20:26, 24 Jul 2026
Tracy Shaw has addressed her “excruciating” breast cancer battle after learning that her chemotherapy had not worked as well as she hoped. The actress, 52, who played Maxine Peacock on Coronation Street from 1995 until 2003, announced earlier this year that she had been diagnosed with disease and has been sharing updates ever since.
Earlier this week, the soap icon broke down in tears after discovering that her chemotherapy treatment had not worked as well as she had hoped but took to social media again on Friday to address the “wobble” she suffered.
Speaking in a video posted to Instagram, she said: “Thank you so much for your truly inspiring and encouraging messages. Yesterday was a wobble, and yeah, there are moments like this on this journey. I doubt it’s in the hands of the medical side and it’s by a machine. There was one lady sent me a message about the shape of it is still there because they are the dead cancer cells, and I like that, I’m going to hang onto that one.”
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Tracy who also enjoyed a brief pop career with a cover of the Lonnie Gordon track Happenin’ All Over Again and in more recent years has starred in a string of theatre productions, explained that she has learned to appreciate other things in life since her diagnosis and thanked the community of women who have supported her on social media.
She added: “So today, I woke up at 4am, I sat and waited and watched the most beautiful sunrise. I realised the gifts and the gratitude that I have that although the whole of the whole of this journey is pretty excruciating most of the time, there are some major plus signs to how my life has changed.
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“When I woke up today before the light and now generally my body just goes to sleep when it’s getting dark. I get to sit in stillness and see part of the world that I wouldn’t normally experience, and for that I’m really, truly grateful.
“I also wouldn’t have met you amazing women who have gone through way more than I was crying about yesterday, so thank you. Thank you for shining the light and giving me the courage to get up today, and to keep moving forward. For that, I am really grateful. Thank you.”
On Thursday, Tracy, who has also appeared in Casualty, Doctors and various ITV dramas over the years, told fans that she was expecting that the chemo had worked a bit better given the intense nature of the treatment.
She said: “I had my ultrasounds today to find out if the lesions had shrunk. I also needed to check a lump that I’d found on the other breast, which is on the right breast. The good news is that the lump, well there’s actually quite a lot, are all cysts, so that’s good news and the lesions on my left breast…erm…
“Well, my expectations were that judging by what personally I’ve gone through and what the chemo does, I thought they’d shrunk but basically they’ve gone from being circular to oval but not really shrunk in size.
“I don’t know what I was expecting. I think I’m just expecting some results of what I’ve felt, some results of what the body has had to go through to!” The TV star then let the tears roll as she acquiesced that some sort of miracle will come along eventually.
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She said: “I don’t know…maybe, maybe a few more rounds will be all it takes but I know they can’t operate until they shrink it. I thought I’d give you a live update but I was just expecting some miracularlous miracle. But maybe it’s to come. All my love to you all.”
If you have been affected by this story, advice and support can be found at Breast Cancer Support.
Andy Burnham proved he was not afraid to use his political capital when he finally got the keys to 10 Downing Street.
Within hours of being formally announced as the UK’s latest prime minister on Monday, he had completely torn up Keir Starmer’s cabinet.
Rachel Reeves was sacked as chancellor, while deputy prime minister and justice secretary David Lammy also found himself out of a job.
Chief secretary to the prime minister Darren Jones was fired, as were cabinet office minister Nick Thomas-Symonds, Northern Ireland secretary Hilary Benn and attorney general Lord Hermer.
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Bridget Phillipson was stripped of her education brief, although she will still attend cabinet as the minister for women and equalities.
In all, a dozen cabinet members lost their jobs.
Despite the new PM’s vow to end Labour “factionalism”, there’s no two ways about it: this was a culling of Starmer loyalists.
In their place came close Burnham allies like Louise Haigh, who is now effectively the PM’s deputy, and Anneliese Midgley, who was made chief whip.
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Ed Miliband – the first cabinet minister to tell Keir Starmer to quit – was promoted to foreign secretary, although he did miss out on the job he really wanted, Chancellor of the Exchequer.
In a major shock, that post went to John Healey – whose resignation as defence secretary last month was the final nail in Starmer’s coffin.
Meanwhile, Wes Streeting, who resigned as health secretary in May in protest at Starmer’s leadership, also returned to cabinet as the new defence secretary.
Some members of Starmer’s old team did survive, however.
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They included Pat McFadden, who remains work and pensions secretary, and Yvette Cooper, who is the new health secretary.
One Labour MP described the new cabinet as “a mixed bag”.
“Some of the appointments are merit-based, but some of it pure factionalism,” the MP added.
A senior party figure told HuffPost UK: “It’s a really bad reshuffle. He’s made far too many enemies, and given far too many jobs to his mates.
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“It’s not just the people he’s sacked – he’ll have pissed off Ed, Yvette and Bridget.”
A third source said: “Midgley as chief whip is a disaster, she doesn’t know enough Labour MPs.
“They’ve now got loads of pissed off people who lost jobs or who didn’t get jobs at all. What could possibly go wrong?
“It just felt lik a mess of a reshuffle done by people who don’t know the Parliamentary Labour Party, or any of the dynamics around politics that you have to balance.”
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A Labour veteran defended Burnham’s line-up, however, insisting there was a “clear logic” to his appointments.
“There’s no way he could have made Ed chancellor because he’s too divisive, so making him foreign secretary is a good consolation with the added bonus that it gets him out of the country,” they said.
“Wes is a good appointment at the Ministry of Defence. He’s bright and energetic, a description which does not apply to many of those who have been sacked.
“He just needs to stop riffing on social media. He’s now in a department where they kill people, so he has to calm down and grow up, otherwise he will crash and burn.”
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But not everyone is happy.
One MP was dismayed at the lack of left-wingers in the ministerial ranks.
“This is a hard lesson in power politics and it’s a lesson well received,” he said.
“This is what the cabinet would have looked like if Owen Smith had beaten Jeremy Corbyn in 2016. The left won’t feature apart from the perhaps odd token position.”
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This week’s Commons People podcast explores what kind of message Burnham is trying to send with his appointments – and why he might have added more fuel to Labour’s simmering civil war.
Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.
Disney filed a notice with a stylish Mrs Incredible letterhead to inform California state officials that it was cutting over 100 jobs, according to a report.
The iconic animation company sent a permanent layoff notice to 108 employees on Wednesday, notifying them that their last day with the company is September 26, according to public Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) filings.
American employers are required to disclose mass layoffs of over 100 people to the state under the WARN Act.
A recent filing from this week revealed that employees at Pixar‘s Emeryville studios in California have been impacted. Of the 108 individuals laid off, 71 worked in arts, entertainment and recreation, according to the filing.
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SF Gate first obtained a copy of the notice, which revealed the comical letterhead that replaced the ‘I’ in Pixar with a silhouette of Mrs Incredible in her famous hands-on-hips position.
The notice resulted in a slew of social media reactions, including one that read: ‘I’m assuming it’s the regular company letterhead?’ adding, ‘They’re laying people off while Disney and Pixar are raking in billions. The rich need more money, I guess.’
‘Maybe it’s a *wink* (to those ‘in the know’) about the nature of (and reason for) the layoffs,’ another speculated, seemingly referring to the upcoming highly anticipated Pixar film, Incredibles 3, set for a 2028 release.
Pixar sent a notice about layoffs using a letterhead that replaced the ‘I’ with Mrs Incredible
Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro implemented a ‘One Disney’ initiative. He said in a memo earlier this year that executives were attempting to ‘streamline our operations in various parts of the company to ensure we deliver the world-class creativity and innovation our fans value and expect from Disney’
The layoffs come after a massive much-needed win for Pixar with the box office hit, Toy Story 5
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The Walt Disney Company did not respond to a request for comment by SF Gate. The Daily Mail has also reached out to Disney for comment.
However, the first film Pixar released this year, Hoppers, underperformed at the box office.
A source with knowledge of the layoffs told TheWrap that the film’s perceived underperformance was at least partially to blame.
Hoppers followed the release of Elio in 2025, which clocked in at $154 million worldwide, less than its $200 million budget. Elio became Pixar’s second-lowest-grossing film.
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‘These changes are part of our continual evaluation of how we manage resources and reinvest across the company as our industry continues to evolve,’ a Disney spokesperson told TheWrap.
Disney, which owns Pixar, has ruthlessly cut positions since new CEO Josh D’Amaro implemented a ‘One Disney’ initiative to condense operations.
D’Amaro sent employees a memo earlier this year warning of the layoffs, explaining that they were meant to ‘streamline our operations in various parts of the company to ensure we deliver the world-class creativity and innovation our fans value and expect from Disney.’
‘Given the fast-moving pace of our industries, this requires us to constantly assess how to foster a more agile and technologically-enabled workforce to meet tomorrow’s needs. As a result, we will be eliminating roles in some parts of the company and have begun notifying impacted employees,’ the memo concluded, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
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The layoffs come after the Pixar film, Elio, failed to generate more money at the box office than was spent to make it
The Pixar film, Hoppers, was released earlier this year. A source told TheWrap that the film’s underperformance was part of the blame for recent layoffs
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The initial cuts resulted in around 1,000 job losses. The layoffs have continued, with Deadline reporting that employees of National Geographic and ABC News have been hit.
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