The British Government will boycott the opening and closing ceremonies of the Winter Paralympics in Milano-Cortina in protest at Russian and Belarusian athletes being allowed to compete under their own flags

The UK Government will snub the Winter Paralympics opening and closing ceremonies in protest at Russian and Belarusian athletes being allowed to compete under their own flags.

Six athletes from Russia and four from Belarus will be directly representing their nations rather than competing as neutrals at the Games in Milano-Cortina. This comes after the International Paralympics Committee (IPC) lifted a partial ban and Russia and Belarus successfully appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against a ban imposed by FIS, the worldwide governing body for skiing and snowboarding.

Russia has been ostracised from international sport since its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with this participation at the Paralympics marking the most significant step back since then. Ukraine and other countries had already signalled their intention to boycott the opening and closing ceremonies, and now the UK has followed suit.

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A spokesperson for the British Government said: “We strongly oppose the decision of the International Paralympic Committee to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under their own flags at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games.

“We have been clear that the Russian and Belarusian states should not be represented in international sport whilst the barbaric full-scale invasion of Ukraine is ongoing.

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“Therefore, no Government ministers or officials will attend the opening or closing ceremonies of the Paralympics.” The UK Government statement further noted that Sports Minister Stephanie Peacock would be in Cortina solely to back British athletes.

The statement added: “They have worked tirelessly over the last four years to be ready for the biggest moment of their sporting lives and deserve to have the nation behind them.”

The Winter Paralympics begins on March 6 and lasts until March 15. The closing ceremony of the able-bodied Winter Olympics only finished on February 22.

One of the most contentious moments of the competition was the decision to disqualify Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych from competing in Milan and Cortina. He was banned from competing for refusing to not wear a helmet which was emblazoned with the faces of Ukrainian athletes killed as a result of Russia’s invasion of his homeland.

While he was allowed to remain in Italy for the Games, he was forbidden from competing, after the IOC said his helmet violated rules against political speech in competition. They also said his helmet went against IOC’s guidelines on athlete expression.

However, Italian snowboarder Roland Fischnaller was allowed to compete, despite a Russian flag, which are forbidden along with the Belarusian flag, appearing on his helmet.

The seven-time Olympian had multiple flags on his helmet representing the countries he has competed in, with the Russian flag understood to represent the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.

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A man was violently thrown to the ground, leaving him inches from being crushed after an elevator in India malfunctioned.

The incident happened in a building in the Gujarat Housing Board residential complex in the city of Valsad, in the Indian state of Gujarat.

CCTV footage showed resident Vatsalbhai Panchal standing inside the lift and beginning to step out as the doors opened.

But after placing one foot outside the lift, it surged upward without warning, flinging him to the ground.

He narrowly avoided being trapped between the moving lift and the wall by seconds.

According to reports, Panchal suffered internal injuries but survived the incident.

Following the incident, the property management said the lift company had been contacted to carry out repairs.

Reports said there had been no major complaints about the lift before the accident.

In 2021, a seven-year-old boy in America was crushed to death in a home elevator accident.

The boy was found stuck between the bottom of the elevator car and the upper door frame of the home in Outer Banks, North Carolina.

The boy’s family, from Canton, Ohio, had arrived at the beach rental home for their vacation earlier that day, Corolla Fire Chief Rich Shortway said.

It appeared that the boy was stuck between the moving elevator’s inner accordion door and an outer door, crushing his neck.

First responders tried unsuccessfully to resuscitate the boy, according to WAVY, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. The Cuttrick County Sheriff’s Office ruled his death an accident.

‘We are not sure exactly how it happened,’ Currituck County Fire-EMS Chief Ralph Melton told The Coastland Times.

‘The child was entrapped in the doors. We were able to free him, but his head and neck were crushed by the elevator. He died of traumatic injuries sustained in the elevator mishap.’ 

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Little Punch, a seven-month-old Japanese macaque living in the Ichikawa City Zoo in Japan, has captured hearts on the internet.

Abandoned by his mother in the first few days of his life and raised by the keepers at the zoo, he has had some trouble integrating into the group of around 60 Japanese macaques.

The keepers gave him a stuffed orangutan, which he carries with him — grooming its plushy fur the way monkeys usually care for one another.

Some monkeys in the group were pushing Punch away, dragging him and reacting negatively to him.

The internet is demanding to know why. And why would his mother abandon him?

As primate researchers who have spent thousands of hours scientifically observing Japanese monkeys like Punch, we wanted to provide a bit of Japanese monkey-world context.

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Wild monkey mothers don’t abandon infants

Japanese macaques or snow monkeys — Macaca fuscata to scientists — are a highly social and intelligent species.

In the wild, these monkeys do not abandon their infants.

We won’t say it has never happened, but it would be an extreme behaviour if it occurred. We have also not seen it in more than 25 years of studying Japanese monkeys at the Awajishima Monkey Center on Awaji Island, Japan, where the monkeys live in free-ranging groups.

Quite the contrary, we have observed mothers caring for their infants and providing extra care for infants with physical disabilities that prevent them from clinging to their mother, and for injured or ill infants.

We have witnessed macaque mothers at Awajishima hold their disabled infants up to nurse and walk on three limbs, using an arm to support the baby, sometimes carrying them for years longer than a mother usually would.

open image in gallery

If an infant dies in the wild, a mother will often carry the body for days, presumably a reflection of her deep attachment.

This also makes sense from an evolutionary perspective because, in rare cases, an unresponsive infant may regain consciousness.

To be a Japanese mother monkey is to be a dedicated mother.

Dedicated, sometimes bewildered, mothers

This is not to say that every wild Japanese monkey mother is immediately good at it. We have seen bewildered monkey mothers holding their infants upside down or becoming distracted while their infants wander into trouble.

We have seen them looking at the new squirming creature they have birthed with expressions of mystified dismay that would be recognizable to any human mother at one time or another.

But in a wild group, those first-time mothers have relatives to help them and to learn from. They usually stay in the same group for their whole lives, and they have a dominance rank order that they pass down to their offspring.

Male Japanese monkeys are usually not directly involved with infants. As the infants get older, though, and gain more independence, the males help out too by socializing with them.

Abandonment in captivity

Punch’s mother either lacked the skills to look after her infant, was stressed by captivity and its associated conditions, or both. We don’t know her full story; she may have been raised by humans herself or experienced other difficulties.

Infant abandonment does happen sometimes in captivity — 7.7 per cent of cases according to one study — primarily in first-time or low-ranking mothers. Human caretakers do their best to raise infants, but it causes challenges.

Adoption can happen in captivity too. But the environment is different in a zoo: groups are not necessarily composed of female relatives the way a wild group would be; the males can’t leave as they would in the wild. Also some zoo monkeys are raised by humans or come from the entertainment industry.

These monkeys may “speak” a different social language. Punch wasn’t able to learn how to “speak Japanese macaque” from his human caregivers.

A behaviourally flexible species

The good news for Punch (and his devoted human followers) is that Japanese macaques are behaviourally flexible and can learn from the monkeys around them, and he is already learning to communicate with other monkeys and to find a place in his group.

In the wild, infant Japanese monkeys will nurse for up to two years. When they are orphaned, they can survive at Punch’s age — especially if they are adopted, or even just befriended, by others.

When Punch was approaching another monkey to play, he may have been inadvertently sending signals such as, “I’m afraid of you,” or “I’m dominant over you.”

The more time Punch spends in his group, the more he will learn how the other monkeys interact. He will learn what behaviours are okay, socially. For Punch, this is the best outcome. Monkeys should not be kept as pets — they are wild animals and need to be part of the rich and stimulating social world of other monkeys.

Punch is part of an intelligent, social and behaviourally flexible species that relies on learning social cues from their mothers and relatives. Punch will likely integrate into his new social circumstances.

Research on wild and free-ranging Japanese macaques helps us understand Punch’s story and demonstrates the importance of research on animal welfare in zoos, on wildlife behaviour and in conservation science.

India beat the West Indies by five wickets in a tense winner-takes-all contest to just make it through the Super 8 stage, having lost to South Africa and beaten Zimbabwe after topping their initial group without losing a game. England, meanwhile, mostly failed to impress in the groups but continued to show impressive resilience in the Super 8s as they stunned Sri Lanka before battling to hard-fought victories over both Pakistan and New Zealand.

Going for a wee in central London just got a whole more luxurious.

Westminster Council has unveiled newly-refurbished toilets in Piccadilly Circus Tube station; loos so pristine and unique, they’ve been described as ‘London’s newest tourist attraction’.

The colourful new bogs are the third of eight public toilets in the borough to be upgraded as part of a £12.7 million council scheme.

Piccadilly Circus follows Victoria Embankment and Parliament Street, whose freshened-up facilities were reopened in 2025.

The ones at Green Park Station are then set for the next makeover, with Carnaby Street, Westminster Bridge, Covent Garden and Leicester Square scheduled after.

However, just know that to enjoy their bold and bright designs (or, you know, use the toilet) you’ll have to cough up 80p.

Opened by the Lord Mayor of Westminster, Paul Dimoldenberg, in an official ribbon cutting ceremony, the new loos have been in the works for four years now.

The project first commenced back in 2022, when Westminster City Council commissioned Hugh Broughton Architects to refurbish the eight central London public toilets.

Wanting to combine ‘architecture, engineering, and art to deliver a holistic vision for equitable space in the heart of the capital,’ the firm’s instructions were to ensure residents and visitors had access to new and improved conveniences.

At the same time though, the council were after some statement loos — and let’s just say the architects filled the brief.

Each set of toilets was given its own design flair, with one of the prominent elements at Piccadilly Circus being Anteros’ arrow; an homage to the winged statue of the Greek god.

Tying this ‘vibrant, immersive space that reflects the creativity and cultural energy of the area’ together is a mural by London-based artist James Lambert, while other design features symbolise the area’s rich entertainment heritage, from theatres and cinemas.

Fun decor aside, they also feature upgraded male and female toilets, a family changing facilities, and baby-changing amenities within both areas.

While sprucing up the place, the refurbishment also improved the historic subterranean structure of the station too, with part of the budget going towards drainage improvements and waterproofing to extend the site’s lifespan.

Sara Hassan, Westminster Cabinet Member for Climate Action, Ecology, Culture, and Air Quality, said: ‘Providing clean and accessible public toilets makes a real difference to people’s experience of our city.

‘By restoring this historic site and enhancing it with contemporary design and public art, the council is improving essential infrastructure and ensuring it reflects the unique character and cultural heritage of the West End’.

What’s been the public’s reaction to the new loos?

Considering public toilets in London aren’t always the cleanest or most inviting (given the number of people using them) these refurbishments have been welcomed on social media.

On X, @MichaelBoltonA wrote, ‘I approve of this initiative!’ while @hardy_lass added: ‘Absolutely stunning decor, I’d visit just for the pink columns!’

However, some hinted that we shouldn’t become too attached to the clean floors and sparkling sinks, including one user who claimed the colour scheme might not be as pretty with ‘the s*** that will be smeared up the walls by the end of the week.’

On top of this, a number of people expressed upset at the 80p charge, with @chunkyboyjames writing: ‘Nobody should have to pay to take a piss.’

Currently, most major Network Rail stations, including Paddington, King’s Cross, Liverpool Street, Victoria, Charing Cross, Cannon Street, and Waterloo, have free public toilets.

Additionally, the Community Toilet Scheme — an initiative introduced in 2008 that encourages local businesses to allow public access to their toilet facilities — has been a crucial help for countless folks stuck in central London desperate for a wee.

Small charges are generally enforced to help with the cost of maintenance and upkeep, and oftentimes to deter vandalism or anti-social behaviour.

However, given it’s become more and more contentious over the years.

So will the 80p charge put tourists and locals off? Or will our Instagram feeds soon be filled up with selfies in front of those iconic pink and blue tiles?

Do you have a story to share?

Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.

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Pupils from Barnard Castle Preparatory School chose to study a cast of famous people, from cinematic and music greats to explorers and scientists, as they celebrated World Book Day in style.

Elton Johns galore vied for attention with Lewis Hamiltons, David Attenboroughs, Queen Elizabeth, and Audrey Hepburn.

On the same page L-R, Francesca Lau, Max Smith and Harry Quaintrell (Image: Supplied)

The ‘Little People Big Dreams’ themed day began in the hall with a catwalk spectacular as pupils of all ages and staff showcased their costumes.

They then returned to class to study their chosen character, stopping randomly to read a book when they heard music over the radio.

Prep School reading lead Katie Shearn said: “It has been a lovely day, from striking a pose onthe catwalk to taking part in character themed sports activities and a big quiz.

Albert Einstein gets his teeth stuck into a World Book Day quiz (Image: Supplied)

“Pupils also took home something new to read after a book swap and it’s been great hearing them talk abouttheir books and characters.

“Reading is at the heart of everything we do; it covers every subject. We strive to inspire alove of reading in children as it is something that opens up new worlds to them.

“There is asbook for everyone, it is escapism and fabulous for mental health and wellbeing.”

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February is such a short month that March comes around rather abruptly – and I always find Mother’s Day arrives out of absolutely nowhere.

I’ve spent many a year pulling together gift guides for various occasions, but now I’m a mum – and have friends who are too – I feel like I’ve got a better grasp of what mothers might actually like come 15 March (that’s UK Mother’s Day, FYI).

Sleep is top of the list (it’s also free, winner), as is ‘me-time’. Personally, I feel like flowers and really good quality chocolates never go amiss.

If you’re after something guaranteed to bring a smile to her face come Mothering Sunday, here’s what’s top of my list…

Always check the fabric composition of a silk pillowcase before you buy. Cheap “silk” pillowcases tend to be made from 100 per cent polyester, mimicking its feel through a satin weave. These may appear shiny but they lack silk’s natural properties, resulting in a fabric that feels hot, uncomfortable and slightly staticky.

For moisture retention, temperature regulation and hair cuticle protection, you need real mulberry silk. Or if you want a vegan alternative, look for pillowcases derived from natural fabrics, such as eucalyptus. Still, Vowler says to be realistic about the results you expect: “They can’t undo breakage, but they can protect your hair from tangles and future breakage.”

Next, consider momme count, the silk equivalent of a thread count. Higher counts feel softer and are more durable. Vowler says to look for between 19 and 22. Silk quality is also graded, with 6A being the finest available. Many brands don’t list this but where possible, we have listed this below.

Finally, silk pillowcases have more slip than standard cotton bedding. If you move a lot at night, choose a zip closure over an envelope for a more secure finish

The three boys were convicted at Southampton Crown Court on Thursday 5 March

Three teenage boys as young as 13 have been convicted of raping two girls in January 2025 and November 2024. The defendants, who were aged 13, 14 and 14 at the time of the offences, cannot be named for legal reasons.

The defendants were convicted on Thursday, March 5, at Southampton Crown Court after two separate incidents of rape, including a knife-point rape and other serious sexual offences, against two teenage girls in Hampshire.

The court heard that the victims, aged 14 and 15, were attacked in separate incidents less than two months apart and were physically overpowered. The girls did not know one another.

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In January 2025, a 14‑year‑old girl was assaulted after becoming separated from her friends. She was threatened with a knife and forced to leave her mobile phone and AirTag in a shop so that her movements could not be tracked, before being taken to a secluded area.

Two defendants took it in turns to rape the victim while the others encouraged the offending and filmed the assaults. The defendants left the scene when they believed they had been disturbed. The victim was later found distressed and reported the incident to police.

Forensic evidence supported the victim’s account, including damage to her trousers consistent with the use of a sharp instrument.

The investigation later identified a second victim, aged 15, who was raped in November 2024 by two of the same defendants, both aged 14 at the time.

The court heard that the victim had met one of the defendants online and travelled alone to meet him. They were later joined by another boy and taken to an underpass, where she was raped by both of them.

Lucy Paddick, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “This is a deeply concerning case which involved a disturbing level of encouragement between young boys, who acted together to rape two young girls in separate incidents.

“These girls were forced into sexual activity by boys who brazenly filmed the deeply distressing incidents.

“After speaking with the victims in this case and reviewing an extensive file of evidence, it was the Crown Prosecution Service’s case that these girls were violated and could not have consented to these terrifying encounters.

“The CPS worked closely with Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary to support the victims and other young witnesses to give their evidence, and we commend them for the courage they showed throughout this trial.

“Our lawyers will work tirelessly to pursue justice for victims, and we will continue to hold those responsible for crimes of this devastating nature to account, regardless of their age.”

The three defendants were convicted at Southampton Crown Court after a five-week trial. The convictions included rape and taking indecent images of a child, and they are to be sentenced at a later date.

World Book Day, March 5, is an annual celebration of authors, illustrators, books, and the joy of reading.

St Paul’s theme was the ‘Wonderful World of Words’, with children demonstrating a word of choice displayed on their costumes.

Mrs Emma Hargreaves, the school’s assistant headteacher and English lead, told The Bolton News: “We had a special parade today, celebrating the wonderful words’ theme.

“The children dressed up as a specific word to help bring vocabulary to life.

“They researched their word, created a costume, and then paraded, promoting literacy and a love of words.”

Year One (Image: NQ)

Mrs Hargreaves explained that the theme allowed the children to explore words without the financial pressure of having to go out and buy a costume.

“It brings out the creativity in our children, and we find that they really engage with it.

“It turns vocabulary into a visual and fun event.”

Year Six (Image: NQ)

Mrs Hargreaves added that this year World Book Day falls within the National Year of Reading 2026, a UK-wide campaign designed to inspire more people to make reading a regular part of their lives.

“It’s all about encouraging a love of reading and reading for pleasure, something that we promote throughout the year with our reading ambassadors, reading café, and reading buddies.

“It builds that love of words, books, and reading for our children.”

The day began with the school gathering in the hall, where pupils showed off their word choices to friends and teachers.

Nursery and the ‘Little Saints’ (Image: NQ)

Each year group took to the stage to parade their words and applaud one another’s hard work.

Even the teachers had the chance to show off, much to the amusement of the children.

St Paul’s staff (Image: NQ)

The Bolton News then went to say hello to each year group, from nursery and the ‘Little Saints’ right up to Year Six.

Along the way, we met Year Three pupil, Precious, who had chosen the word ‘journalist’.

Precious gave us a special St Paul’s report on their World Book Day as she led us around the school.

With bright sunshine overhead, the children of St Paul’s celebrated the joy of wonderful words.