Corrie’s Peter Barlow actor has been seen reuniting with some of his former co-stars from the ITV soap
Coronation Street legend Chris Gascoyne has been seen reuniting with some of his former co-stars, which comes days after he unveiled his TV return.
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The actor is famed for playing Peter Barlow in the ITV soap, which is filmed in Salford, on and off, for 23 years, before he bowed out of the role in December 2023.
His final scenes saw his character, Peter, leave Weatherfield following his involvement in the death of serial killer Stephen Reid, leading to a break-up with his on-screen partner, Carla Connor.
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Chris confirmed his departure in July 2023 to pursue other projects and spend more time with his family, though the soap has suggested the door is open for his potential return.
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And while he’s since been seen on the small screen in the likes of All Creatures Great and Small for its sixth series last year, Chris has taken to social media to tease that he is preparing to return to TV in another new role.
Following the news, Chris has been seen reuniting with his former co-stars, Simon Gregson and Angela Lonsdale, with the latter sharing a string of photos from their time together on Instagram.
Corrie fans will recall that Angela found fame as cobbles policewoman, and Curly Watts’ second wife, Emma Taylor, who met Curly when she arrived to investigate crimes in the area, from 2000 to 2003.
They married on Christmas Eve 2000, and Emma gave birth to their son Ben on Boxing Day 2001. In 2003, the couple put number 7 Coronation Street on the market and moved to Newcastle. But when Curly made a comeback for the 2010 spin-off DVD movie A Knight’s Tale, he revealed that his marriage to Emma had since ended.
Meanwhile, Simon is famed for playing Steve McDonald in Corrie, with his first appearance in Weatherfield siring on December 6, 1989, when he was just 15-years-old.
Sharing pictures of the trio’s outing, which included a dog walk and a visit to a country pub, Angela wrote on Instagram: “Just three old bezzies in pursuit of Big Foot [crying laughing emojis] and belly laughs @fat_dracula @chrisgascoyneofficial! The latter we achieved in abundance… as for Big Foot to be continued!! Special guest appearance by Oscar.”
Corrie’s Tracy Barlow actress, Kate Ford, was among those responding to the post, writing: “Awww love this,” while another former Weatherfield favourite, Ryan Thomas, replied: “Beautiful scenes [heart emojis].”
Dianne Buswell gushing over one of her new Strictly Come Dancing co-stars following her return to work after the birth of her first child
Dianne Buswell has been seen gushing over one of her new Strictly Come Dancing co-stars following her return to work, which comes after the birth of her first child.
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The professional dancer and her YouTube star partner Joe Sugg welcomed their baby boy, named Bowden, into the world in March, having announced their pregnancy joy ahead of the BBC One dance show’s 2025 series, which she competed in with Neighbours legend, Stefan Dennis.
At the end of last month, Dianne shared a picture of herself with her son, Bowden, and appeared emotional as she prepared to head back to work on the popular programme, which is due to return in September for its 2026 series.
She penned alongside the image of her baby boy, who is nicknamed ‘Bowie’ by his doting parents, resting on her shoulder, posted to her Instagram Story: “First day back at work [face holding back tears emoji]. Mummy will miss you so much my boy [heart emoji].”
And the post seemingly got quite the response as she went on to follow up the post with another selfie, alongside which she wrote in view of her Instagram followers: “So many lovely positive msgs from other mummas. Thank you all. Means a lot.”
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Dianne returned to social media later and things appeared to go well, as she shared a photo of her alongside her Strictly co-stars, including the show’s five new professional dancers, and wrote: “What a team! Happy first day pros. And biggest welcome to our newbies. Can’t believe this is my 10th year on Strictly.”
Now, she has been showing her support for one of the five new pros, Aleksandra Isaeva, who is a multiple Ukrainian National Latin Champion and is ranked in the world’s top 21 Latin dancers. Sharing a video of them both smiling for the camera together, Dianne wrote on her Instagram Story: “What an amazing woman you are. So excited for you all to get to know this beautiful girl on Strictly @aleksa_isa_eva.”
The sweet tribute came before Dianne was given a reminder of her pregnancy. She joined in an Instagram trend in which people are asked to a share a photo of themselves from August last year.
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In her image, Dianne could be seen with mascara around on eye as she covered the other with her hand and looked towards the camera. “This time last year I was in my first trimester and nobody knew yet.”
It won’t be long until fans see Dianne back in the ballroom, after it was confirmed in May that she’ll be among the professional dancers returning for Strictly’s 2026 series, which will be hosted for the first time by Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Josh Widdicombe.
Joining Dianne in the famous ballroom this year are Jowita Przystal, Alexis Warr, Amy Dowden, Aljaz Skorjanec, Dianne Buswell, Julian Caillon, Kai Widdrington, Katya Jones, Lauren Oakley, Nancy Xu, Neil Jones, Nikita Kuzmin, Vito Coppola, and Carlos Gu, who won last year’s series with former England footballer Karen Carney.
The nanny of Lindsay Clancy’s children has testified at her murder trial, giving an insight what the mum was really like before the tragic deaths.
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Elaine Rossi took to the stand on day seven of the high-profile trial, where Clancy — who faces life without parole — is charged with three counts of first-degree murder over the deaths of her three children.
Clancy fatally strangled Cora, five, Dawson, three, and Callan, eight months, with exercise bands in the basement of their Duxbury, Massachusetts home on January 24, 2023.
However, Clancy is pleading not guilty to the charges, with her defence team arguing that she was not criminally responsible due to suffering from extreme postpartum psychosis.
Elaine Rossi (left) testified at Lindsay Clancy’s trial (Picture: David L. Ryan/Pool The Boston Gl)
Prosecutors say that Clancy planned the killings and deliberately sent her husband Patrick out of their home on the day of the deaths.
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They argue this gave her enough time to strangle the children to death before attempting to take her own life.
Now, Rossi has provided the jury with a positive character reference for Clancy — a former labour and delivery nurse — describing her as a ‘wonderful mother.’
The experienced nanny began working for the Clancy family in September 2022 after responding to a job advert.
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Her initial role was to look after Callan when Clancy returned to work, which was expected to be around Thanksgiving.
Lindsay Clancy is on trial for the deaths of her three children (Picture: via REUTERS)
Rossi called Clancy a ‘wonderful’ mother (Picture: David L. Ryan/Globe Staff)
According to the nanny, Clancy would leave a sleep schedule for Callan in a yellow notebook, as the mother was reportedly worried about his sleeping and feeding at the time.
Rossi testified that she was never concerned about Clancy’s treatment of her children, or worried about them being left alone with her.
When asked this question, Rossi replied: ‘Not at all. She was a wonderful mum.’
Rossi then gave an example of Clancy’s parenting style. She recalled a situation when Dawson, who she said was ‘full of energy,’ struck his younger brother.
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Clancy reportedly removed Dawson from the room and made sure her baby son was OK. Rossi said Clancy then spoke with Dawson about his unacceptable behaviour.
‘I observed a wonderful mom who loved her kids,’ Rossi said, adding: ‘I did love Lindsay, yes.’
Lindsay’s defence team say she was suffering from postpartum psychosis (Picture: Facebook)
Rossi also provided her perspective of Clancy’s mental health at the time.
She said that the mother of three had confided in her about her decision to stop breastfeeding Callan so that she could start taking medication.
Rossi recalled Clancy also talking to her about her ‘postpartum and insomnia’ struggles.
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What is postpartum psychosis?
According to the NHS, postpartum psychosis is a rare, severe mental illness that causes hallucinations, delusions, and extreme mood swings.
It affects about 1 in 1,000 mothers and is a medical emergency that needs quick hospital care.
Symptoms of postpartum psychosis include:
Hallucinations – hearing, seeing, smelling or feeling things that are not there.
Delusions – suspicions, fears, thoughts or beliefs that are unlikely to be true.
Mania – feeling very ‘high’ or overactive, for example, talking and thinking too much or too quickly, restlessness or losing normal inhibitions.
A low mood – showing signs of depression, being withdrawn or tearful, lacking energy, having a loss of appetite, anxiety, agitation or trouble sleeping.
Sometimes a mixture of both a manic mood and a low mood – or rapidly changing moods.
Feeling very confused.
On the day of the murders, Clancy attempted suicide by jumping from a second-story window.
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Clancy had asked her husband, Patrick, to collect medicine for their children and a takeaway after she said she’d had an exhausting day.
However, less than an hour later, at around 6pm, Patrick returned to find blood on the floor of the couple’s bedroom, a bloody knife on a bedside table and an open window.
Lindsay’s ex-husband, Patrick Clancy testified at the trial last week (Picture: David L. Ryan/Pool The Boston Gl)
He discovered Clancy on the frozen ground outside, having jumped around 20ft from the window. She had also cut her wrists and neck.
Clancy’s fall caused spinal injuries which left her paralysed. She now uses a wheelchair.
Upon finding his wife on the floor, Patrick said Clancy told him that she’d tried to kill herself and said that the children were in the basement.
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Cora and Dawson were pronounced dead at the scene, while Callan was airlifted to hospital and died several days later.
Patrick — who has publicly forgiven Clancy — was visibly emotional on the witness stand, recalling how she was a devoted, loving mother who suffered from severe mental health issues.
If Clancy is found not guilty, she will likely face an indefinite stay in a secure state mental health facility. The trial continues.
Executive Director of Finance and Corporate Resources, Jackie Taylor, said: “We recognise that part of being an open and transparent council is giving people the opportunity to engage with us directly.
“The petitions process, and ultimately the Petitions Committee, gives people that opportunity.”
A number of changes as to how the Petitions Committee will function moving forward was agreed at a recent meeting of the Executive Committee.
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Ross Stewart has completed his move to Swansea City, with the Scotland striker signing a three-year deal after leaving Southampton as a free agent
Swansea City have completed the signing of Scotland international Ross Stewart on a free transfer, with the experienced striker putting pen to paper on a three-year deal.
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The 30-year-old becomes the Swans’ sixth signing of the summer and will wear the No.31 shirt after arriving following his departure from Southampton.
The arrival of the proven Championship goalscorer further strengthens Vitor Matos’ attacking options ahead of the new campaign, competing with Zan Vipotnik and Adam Idah.
Stewart joins having enjoyed an impressive campaign with Southampton last season, scoring 11 goals in 33 appearances in all competitions. That included a return of eight goals in 16 matches as the Saints finished the season strongly to reach the Championship play-offs and the FA Cup semi-finals.
The striker was also part of Scotland’s squad at this summer’s World Cup, making an appearance from the bench against Morocco.
Stewart first made his name south of the Scottish border with Sunderland, where he scored 40 goals in 81 appearances, helping the Black Cats win promotion from League One via the play-offs and lift the EFL Trophy at Wembley before earning a move to Southampton in 2023.
His arrival inevitably raises further questions about the long-term future of star striker Vipotnik, who continues to attract interest from clubs in England and across Europe. However, Swansea have maintained throughout the summer that there has been no change to the Slovenian’s situation despite strengthening their forward line.
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Head coach Vitor Matos believes Stewart’s experience and leadership qualities will prove just as valuable as his goals.
“Ross is an experienced and proven performer in the Championship, and we are delighted to have him as part of what we are trying to build here at Swansea City,” said Matos.
“In our conversations he has made clear his hunger and desire to be an important senior figure and leader in our dressing room.
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“His goalscoring record shows he is someone who relishes responsibility and we look forward to getting down to work with him and settling him into the group.”
Sporting director Ben Stevens added that Stewart’s pedigree made him an obvious target.
“We are delighted that Ross has joined Swansea City. He brings a wealth of experience on and off the pitch.
“His performances last season in the Championship were a standout, and it earned him a deserved place in Scotland’s World Cup squad.
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“We are very excited to see Ross in a Swansea shirt.”
Stewart’s signing is unlikely to be Swansea’s final piece of business before the transfer window closes.
Stevens revealed at Wednesday night’s supporters’ forum that further additions are being worked on, while the Swans remain in talks over Valencia midfielder Andre Almeida. The club also continue to pursue Senegalese youngster Ousseynou Fall Seck as Matos looks to further strengthen his squad ahead of the Championship campaign.
Nearly 10,000 people were referred to the government’s anti-terrorism scheme Prevent in the year to September 2025, Home Office figures show, a record number for the programme.
Figures show 10,293 referrals were made in England and Wales for 9,957 people – up by 39% from the previous 12 months and the highest number in a single year since records began in 2015.
Where the age is known, 393 referrals were for children under 10, the largest proportion concerned 11 to 15-year-olds at 36%, followed by 16 to 17 year-olds at 13% of referals.
The Home Office said the spike was in part due to “heightened public awareness of Prevent” after the Southport attacks in July 2024, where a teenager killed three girls at a dance class.
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Axel Rudakubana was 17-years-old when he stabbed 11 children and two adults, killing nine-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe, and six-year-old Bebe King at a Taylor Swift–themed yoga and dance workshop.
Rudakubana was referred to Prevent on three occasions between 2019 and 2021 due to his interest in terrorist attacks and school shootings, but there was no evidence of a fixed ideology or motivation.
A government review found that his case was closed “prematurely”, and that counter terrorism officers staffing the Prevent scheme had “sufficient information” to escalate Rudakubana’s case to the next stage – known as Channel – which would have included enhanced monitoring for those deemed at risk of radicalisation.
The Home Office said the Southport attacks may have also led to a 117% increase in referrals discussed at a Channel panel, rising from 997 to 2,159.
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It also cited a major review from last year led by Lord David Anderson KC, which found an increase in Prevent referrals from January to March 2025 during Rudakubana’s trial.
The Home Office said it was possible that “a number of operational and policy changes and improvements, along with associated training rolled out” may have also had an impact on referrals.
Thursday’s figures show that 20% of the total referrals were because of concerns over extreme right-wing ideology – an increase from 1,480 to 2,103 in the previous 12 months – while 8% of referrals concerned Islamist extremism.
A further 8% of referrals concerned fascination with extreme violence or mass casualty attacks, 1% concerned Incel extremism, and 0.3% concerned left-wing extremism.
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More than half of the referrals (56%) were for individuals with no identified ideology.
The Home Office also published data showing the ethnicity of those referred to Prevent.
This is not mandatory and can be left blank, and only 5,315 (52%) referrals included the data.
Of these referrals, 68% were white, 18% were Asian, 8% were black, while 7% were listed as “other”.
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Prevent, which forms a key part of the UK’s counter-terror strategy, places a legal duty on public bodies to identify people who may turn to extremism.
The Home Office figures are for England and Wales. Scotland reports its referral figures separately.
Campaigners challenged a ‘carbon bomb’ gas expansion
Conservationists in Australia have taken on the country’s largest gas producer in a landmark court battle that will decide the fate of a giant fossil fuel project.
The Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) and Friends of Australian Rock Art (FARA) challenged the government’s approval of plans to extend the Woodside North West Shelf gas export project.
The permit allows Woodside to operate its Karratha gas plant, on the Burrup Peninsula, 1,260km (783 miles) north of Perth, until 2070. The plant sits next to the sprawling Murujuga Indigenous rock art complex, a World Heritage site which is home to around two million rock engravings dating back 50,000 years.
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FARA claims emissions are degrading the ancient artworks while ACF says environment minister Murray Watt failed to consider “devastating climate change impacts” when he approved the scheme.
ACF estimates the extension will spew 4bn tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere, and both groups also accuse Watt of being biased towards Woodside, a relationship described in court as ‘chumminess or cosiness’ between his department and the fossil fuel giant.
Justice Catherine Button will decide the outcome at a later date. “Depending on what the Court says, this could involve reassessment of impacts on a huge range of protected parts of nature across Australia,” said the ACF.
Image: The ‘Future Man’ rock carving at the Murujuga Indigenous rock art complex. Credit: Marius Fenger
These occasions haven’t always been the most pleasant for Swansea City.
But in comparison to some years, Wednesday night’s fans’ forum was a serene, bordering on routine exercise for all involved.
Swansea City feel in a good place right now. Celebrity investment, a deal to buy their stadium in the pipeline, some moves in the transfer market that look dangerously close to some semblance of competence and a bid to improve the club’s academy.
There’s a lot to be positive about, as evidenced by one supporter using his chance to ask a question from the floor to offer Tom Gorringe, Ben Stevens and Vitor Matos a drink on him.
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But optimism wasn’t the only different about this evening.
Musician Mal Pope, who counts the vocals to the Fireman Sam theme tune among his sterling catalogue of work, was handed the role of hosting in place of Kev Johns, who continues to recover from a stroke earlier this year.
The evening began with a rapturous round of applause for Johns, which largely set the tone for a night that gave fans a first glimpse into what feels, for several reasons, a new era for the club.
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Gorringe alluded to that very point at one stage, casting his mind back to the club he walked into back in March 2025.
“Before I joined I came here for a game against Sheffield Wednesday at home,” he said.
“Luke Williams was still the manager at the time, the stadium was half empty, we lost 1-0 from a mistake. It was two awful teams, it was an awful game of football.
“You could feel the apathy in the air. This club had drifted far too far away from where we want to be.”
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“I came in with my eyes wide open [about] what we wanted to do, to give everybody hope again, to make everybody believe that we can be a force, that we can be true to our past, do things the right way and ultimately that we can move up the leagues and compete at the level we want to compete at,” Gorringe added.
“In order to do that we have to make a lot of decisions, we had to make a lot of changes. We had to make sure we brought the right people in.
“I think I can sit here today, probably for the first time since I joined, and say now all of those foundations are in place.
“I think everything is here that we need to really kick on and improve. We have got the right people in the building.”
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Some have clearly left the building, including several of the club’s homegrown first-team stars, with Liam Cullen, Sam Parker, Ollie Cooper and Cameron Congreve all heading out the door.
It’s another blow to the strong Welsh core that the club had relied upon in previous years, and this point was brought up by one fan, who asked “Are we confident we’ve got enough players in the dressing room that will fight for the badge?”
The selling off of the club’s Welsh contingent has become something of a talking point on social media, with some fans concerned the identity of the club is being lost. Others are adamant it’s the right move to make for the club to progress.
In his own opinion Matos clearly believes in the strength of the senior players still in the building, which he suggested will form the spine of the squad’s ambitions. The seniority of some of the new arrivals too, he claims, will help maintain Swansea’s ability to compete in games where heart, as well as ability, prove important.
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“We have important players. From Vigs, even Paul Farman, from Ben Cabango, from Cam Burgess, from Jay Fulton, even from players now coming in.
“One of the things we tried in the market was to go for players whose character fits the club. That’s quite important because when we sign a player we are signing a human being and we need to understand how they will fit in the squad and the club.
“The other thing we tried is to sign talent and potential, and at the same time sign players that are emotionally stable.
“For example, Elijah Just. He seems a really young kid, but he’s 26, and he can perform already in different kinds of contexts.
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“Players like that bring seniority to the group. They bring experience.”
Bringing young players through the academy, however, is still a big part of how Swansea claim they want to operate, and there are some promising signs that a couple of players are now on their way through.
Matos confirmed Filip Lissah is to stay with the first team next season, and also praised young Carter Heywood for his progress.
“We always dream to have a team built from the ground in the academy,” Matos admitted.
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One of the plans to help keep Swansea’s talent factory ticking over appears to be he move to Category One status.
The academy was downgraded ahead of the 2020-21 season, but Gorringe confirmed on the night that moves are in place to change things.
“We’ve made the formal application now to move back to Cat 1. What that means in practical terms is we will be assessed over the course of next season.
“There’s criteria you have to meet and I think we’re comfortable and confident we can meet that criteria.”
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Gorringe also admits that player trading is likely to remain a key part of the operational model, which he says has helped free up the funds for this summer’s transfer efforts.
“We are operating a player trading model,” he added. “Ultimately that means we will, and always have actually, regularly sell players.
“I think we’ve averaged over £11m profit over a 10-year period and that pre-dates where we are now. If you look at the squad we’ve got, we’ve got more assets in it.
“When I look back to that first game against Sheffield Wednesday, I remember saying to a friend of mine, ‘I’m not sure where the assets are or where the value is’.
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“Now I think you can look through the squad and see value and assets. Ultimately that provides us with opportunities.”
Whether that says anything about any potential appetite to sell star striker Zan Vipotnik, arguably the club’s biggest asset right now, remains to be seen.
Sporting director Stevens insists there is a blueprint in place should they decide to cash in.
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“Yes we have a plan behind the scenes,” he said. “We’re making sure we have all options available if as a board and a club we decided to take an offer for Zan.”
Some might say the imminent capture of Ross Stewart could well be what Stevens is referring to.
Time will tell if that now widely-held presumption is accurate.
It is legal for bus drivers on local routes – those less than 50km – to work ten-hour days, with no weekly or fortnightly limit apart from one day off every two weeks. It is also legal for these staff to work 130 hours over two weeks, with only a 30-minute break after five and a half hours driving.
US President Donald Trump ‘clashed’ with Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth over extreme munition shortages that could limit Washington’s military operations in Iran, sources have claimed.
Two insiders told the Washington Post that Trump lashed out at Mr Hegseth saying that he thought the munitions issue ‘had been fixed’, during a Cabinet meeting at Camp David on Friday.
Shortages of long-range guided missiles and air defence interceptors are among the reasons Trump has held back from launching further large-scale strikes against Iran in recent days, one source said.
When confronted by Trump over dwindling weapons stockpiles, sources said Mr Hegseth blamed his deputy, Stephen Feinberg, for the shortages and for failing to keep the president fully informed.
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The White House has denied the clash ever took place, however, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt saying: ‘This is 100% fake news. Literally never happened. And President Trump has the utmost confidence in Secretary Hegseth.’
Pentagon chief spokesman Sean Parnell also added: ‘Secretary Hegseth did not mislead anyone about our munitions posture, and he did not blame Deputy Secretary Feinberg. These claims about depleted stockpiles, internal disagreements, the Secretary’s position on Iran … are equally fictional.
‘Secretary Hegseth isn’t going anywhere, and he’s going to continue to work side by side with Deputy Secretary Feinberg to execute President Trump’s agenda.’
At a Senate hearing in July, Mr Hegseth clashed with Democratic lawmakers over whether he had given Trump an accurate assessment of the Iran conflict, including the strain a prolonged campaign could place on US weapons stockpiles.
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US President Donald Trump and US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth listen to questions from the press during a Cabinet meeting at Camp David
Trump denied these claims on Thursday, taking to his Truth Social
The US Army has used up much of its stockpile of highly accurate long-range missiles during its five-month war with Iran, according to sources
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He declined to discuss the advice he gave the president, instead blaming any shortages on the Biden administration’s management of the military rather than operations carried out under Trump.
Mr Hegseth, Mr Feinberg and Joint Chiefs Chairman General Dan Caine have asked Congress to approve an additional $67billion in military funding to help cover the cost of the Iran war.
Testifying before lawmakers last month, Mr Hegseth said the request was needed to replenish the US military’s depleted weapons stockpiles.
It comes as the US Army reportedly burned through nearly its entire arsenal of offensive precision missiles during its five-month war with Iran, according to those familiar with the matter.
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Three officials, granted anonymity to discuss sensitive US military matters, told Reuters that the stocks of Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) and Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM) have dwindled to new staggering lows.
Two of the officials said the US has used ‘virtually all’ of these missiles in its stockpile.
All three sources expressed concern that the low stockpiles could hamper Washington’s ability to fend off Russia, China and other adversaries.
But Trump denied these claims on Thursday, taking to his Truth Social to say: ‘The US has massive amounts of “munitions”, especially of certain types.
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‘Additionally, large amounts are being manufactured and shipped to the US as needed. Defense companies are building the largest number of plants and factories in our country’s history.
‘The “leakers” of these treasonous statements are being hunted down. Long term jail sentences will be sought! President DJT.’
General Caine previously warned Trump that dwindling supplies in the region could increase the risks faced by US forces there.
Lawmakers have also expressed concern over General Caine and Mr Hegseth acting as ‘yes men’ for the President.
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A fourth source said that Central Command, which organizes US military forces in the Middle East, has expended nearly all the land-based missiles it had before the war began in February, though it has since restocked from other US stockpiles located across the globe.
Both the ATACMS and the PrSM systems allow for long-range strikes with deadly precision while not putting US pilots at risk.
ATACMS can travel approximately 185 miles, while the newer PrSM system has a range around 300 miles.
They each cost over £1million per missile, with prices ranging far higher depending on the munition’s exact specs.
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The sources refused to reveal exactly how many of each munition remains in US inventories.
The President has met with executives from Lockheed and other major US military contractors as the war with Iran drags on and the military’s thirst for additional munitions appears unquenchable.
‘Our defense companies are, at this moment, making more munitions than they have ever made before, in addition to expanding their plants and equipment at record levels,’ Trump has said.
The surface-to-surface missile systems are crucial for attacking targets at ranges that could only otherwise be targeted by US pilots.
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Given their long ranges, the ATACMS and PrSM systems are favoured for strikes against Iran because it keeps pilots far from the front lines where the regime’s anti-air systems are waiting.
File image: An explosion erupts following strikes near Azadi Tower close to Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran on March 7, 2026
The munitions would also be crucial in any potential conflict with China, experts have warned, noting how any US military strategy near the mainland would need to employ long-range options.
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ATACMS have also been provided to Ukrainian forces so that they could strike deep within Russian territory, further straining the supply of the critical munition.
There are also major concerns among US officials about defensive weapons in the US arsenal.
Patriot interceptor missiles and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) systems, two US-made defensive systems used to shoot down incoming missiles, drones and aircraft, have also seen their supply dwindling.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies released a report last week estimating that 65 per cent of Patriot interceptors had been used since the beginning of the war.
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The study also found that THAAD interceptor stockpiles were at least 38 per cent lower than the levels before the conflict.
The President has repeatedly threatened and then walked back claims he would strike Iran with overwhelming force.
On various occasions, Trump has said that he’s called off the strikes because officials in Iran have signalled they want to make a deal.
Locals applauded as her coffin arrived at St Catherine’s Church, adorned with a green cloth bearing a gold harp and a coat of arms of Dublin
Gráinne Ní Aodha and Kirstie McCrum Deputy Head of News, Live News Network
12:17, 06 Aug 2026
Emotional tributes have been paid to Brenda Fricker as the first Irish woman to win an Oscar is laid to rest in Dublin.
Fricker was returned to the Dublin area of The Liberties where she grew up for her final journey. Locals applauded as her coffin arrived at St Catherine’s Church on Meath Street, adorned with a green cloth bearing a gold harp and a coat of arms of Dublin.
Fricker, 81, died in Our Lady’s Hospice in Dublin’s Harold’s Cross on July 16 after a period of ill-health. Mourners heard that she wanted her funeral to be “no fuss” and full of laughter.
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Her friend Liz Duffy, described as “her rock”, thanked the local shops in the Liberties that Fricker would go to regularly with her dog, Juno. Irish actor Brendan Gleeson, RTÉ director general Kevin Bakhurst and costume designer Joan Bergin were among those who attended the funeral service in the Liberties neighbourhood.
Monsignor Eoin Thynne told mourners there wasn’t “an ounce of airs or graces about her” and that she “marched to the beat of her own drum”.
He thanked her neighbours and friends from the Liberties “where she could be herself and was happiest when she was among her own”.
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“Brenda lived a life full to the brim, full of love, laughter, stories, kindness, and mischief, and she was very clear about what she wanted today: no tears, no sadness, no fuss. This is not a day for sorrow.
“This is a day of celebration, the celebration of a true legend who touched the lives of so many and left us with many, many wonderful memories.”
He added: “The curtain has fallen on this life, but what a performance it was.”
Fricker won a best supporting actress Oscar for her performance as Bridget Fagan Brown in 1989’s My Left Foot, which tells the story of Irishman Christy Brown, played by Daniel Day-Lewis, who was born with cerebral palsy and could control only his left foot.
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Fricker was also known for her role in the 1992 follow-up to Home Alone, where she played Pigeon Lady, a homeless woman in New York’s Central Park.
She was also part of the original cast of BBC medical drama Casualty and featured alongside Cate Blanchett in Veronica Guerin (2003), as well as appearing in ITV drama Upstairs, Downstairs and soap opera Coronation Street.
Her other film appearances included So I Married An Axe Murderer (1993), Angels In The Outfield (1994) and A Time To Kill (1996).
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Her later roles included the TV adaptation of Graham Norton’s first novel Holding, directed by Kathy Burke, and the Channel 5 drama series The Catch.
Fricker also made numerous stage appearances in plays such as Lavender Blue and A Pagan’s Place at theatres including the National Theatre and Royal Court Theatre. Her agent Phil Belfield described the Irish actress as a “legend” whom he was “honoured to know”.
“Dublin-born and bred, Brenda Fricker undoubtedly deserves the noun ‘legend’,” he said.
“We will never see her like again and the world is lesser for the lack of her. I was honoured to know, love and work with her, and she will always have a place in my heart and in the heart of so many film and TV fans the world over.”
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