BBC stars Alex Jones and Roman Kemp detailed a schedule change to The One Show

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There’s set to be another change to the BBC schedule this week as The One Show won’t air on Friday night (March 20).

Over the past few weeks, the broadcaster has seen many changes made to its usual shows due to various sporting events. Now, viewers are set to miss an episode of The One Show as Alex Jones and Roman Kemp signed off for the week on Thursday night.

Before wrapping up, Alex said, “We won’t be here tomorrow because, of course, Comic Relief is on at 7 o’clock on BBC One.”

Waving to their viewers, Roman confirmed the programme will resume as usual on Monday night (March 23).

The annual charity event, which has been dubbed the UK’s biggest night of comedy and entertainment, is back once again.

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For three hours, BBC viewers will see hilarious sketches, live performances, big surprises and stunning music acts whilst raising much-needed cash for good causes at home and across the world.

Presenting the event will be Davina McCall, as she’ll be joined by the likes of Joel Dommett, Nick Mohammed and Katherine Ryan, not to mention many more special guests such as Catherine Tate as Nan.

Ahead of the night, Davina McCall was live from Salford as she spoke to Alex and Roman about what viewers can expect.

She said: “Idris Elba will be reprising his role as DCI John Luther alongside a starry line-up in the Bank Job sketch.

“If Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi’s Wuthering Heights got you a bit hot under the collar, wait until you see John Richardson and Katherine Ryan’s interpretation.”

There’ll also be the return of Amandaland, a sketch with Dermot O’Leary and Alison Hammond and a world exclusive of Traitors: The Movie: The Sequel, with an iconic cast.

During the show, people will also see BBC Radio One star Greg James end his epic tandem challenge, which he started last Friday.

With an aim to raise funds, Greg has embarked on a 1000km cycle, starting in Weymouth and ending in Edinburgh.

The One Show is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

The BBC newsreader, who was married for 31 years, was welcomed into homes on television each night and anchored some of the country’s most seismic events

Huw Edwards presented himself as the trusted voice of the nation – off-screen, though, he lived a secret life of depravity.

The BBC newsreader, who was married for 31 years, was welcomed into homes each night and anchored some of the country’s most seismic events – including the death of the late Queen Elizabeth. The Welshman reported on downfalls, scandals and abuses of power. Little did viewers know, though, that he, too, was guilty of his own trangressions.

It started with a report in The Sun alleging he had paid a youth for sexual pictures. The Met Police investigated but found no evidence of crime. Then came accusations that he inappropriately messaged a freelance journalist, a sixth-form student and other staff at the BBC.

He was finally arrested after police learned indecent images of children had been sent to his phone by convicted sex offender, Alex Williams. He pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children and was given just six months imprisonment, suspended for two years, with a requirement to complete a sex offender programme.

A picture slowly began to emerge of a middle-aged man who became obsessed with social media and its ability to bring him both adoration and sexual connection with men and women. As his wife Vicky Flind struggled to care for her ailing mother, Edwards – who was described as a ‘volatile’ man with a ‘history of agitation’ – instead looked to his phone for cheap thrills.

In a report, Dr Appleyard, a Forensic Psychosexual therapist, told a September 2024 court hearing: “His social media engagement presented as an easy way to manage his low mood and provided him with a number of men and women who were motivated to be sexual with him which not only boosted his fragile self esteem but allowed him to re-engage with his sexual interest in men which had been managed since 1994.

“The feelings of being desirable and unseen alongside Mr. Edwards’ unresolved sexual orientation created a perfect storm where he engaged in sexual infidelities”

The sordid saga is now being retold in Channel 5 drama, Power: The Downfall Of Huw Edwards. Martin Clunes stars as Edwards, and executive producer Sam Anstiss has compared reading the raft of text messages sent by Edwards to “going into the heart of darkness.”

“Because here in these messages was, in the most visceral, disturbing way, a very imbalanced relationship of power. They were so disturbing. It was, ‘I love you, but you kill me’,” she told The Sun.

Here, the Mirror have explored the damning texts Edwards allegedly sent…

‘Payments to young man’

Known in the drama as Ryan Davies, the young man says he was highly vulnerable when Edwards allegedly first asked him for explicit photos and messages.

The scandal erupted in the summer of 2023 when it emerged the man’s mum and stepdad had claimed that Edwards paid £35,000 in return for ‘sordid’ pictures. He later told the Mirror he feels the newsreader took advantage of him. “I want to tell the truth about what happened… I’ve stayed silent for so long to protect Huw, but I feel sick at what has happened,” he said.

The young man, now aged 23 and who wishes to remain anonymous, says he feels like Edwards, 64, ‘groomed’ him after they first connected in 2020. At first, Edwards was not named publicly, but within days his identity was revealed by his wife and he was admitted to hospital due to serious mental health concerns.

The man said he was in a very troubled state of mind when he first contacted the television newsreader. Having fallen out with his mother and step-father, he was sleeping on friends’ sofas and had spent a few nights at a homeless shelter, which he described as ‘scary’. He began sending messages to famous people asking for help. He was in a burger bar in Cardiff when he happened to see Edwards on the TV, so decided to message him on social media.

Edwards was the only person to reply to any of the messages. The man said he didn’t ask for money, but Edwards deposited £500 into his PayPal account, which went towards hotel costs for a few days. The man told the Mirror: “Although it was a friendship at the beginning, it did change. He would say things like, ‘Are you going to do something for me then?’ I needed help, so I did. I feel like he sort of fed on my vulnerability… as he knew I needed the money. I felt like I was being groomed.”

Messages seen by The Sun and shared in its documentary, Huw Edwards: Unmasked, are harrowing reading. In one, he allegedly says, “I want a pic of you totally naked head to toe.” After transferring the fan £2,000, he then rages after receiving only a picture of the young man’s naked top half.

“F*** that. F*** that. Really not impressed by you. I believed you were serious. But you’re not. You chase me for cash. But you then ‘forget’ to deliver. F*** that,” he wrote, according to the publication.

After paying for the young man’s train ticket to London, he allegedly teased: “Then you really would owe me.” But the texts take a dark turn. On New Year’s Eve 2022, the documentary states that he sent a string of abuse to the man. “Stop being a kn*b and talk to me tomorrow when you’re sober.”

“Now listen to me. If you want help in future stop this cr*p OK,” he is said to have raged. “You’ve disappointed me… I regret helping you so much… I should have known… You should know better.”

In the February, the film claims that Edwards unleashed another tirade on the young man after worrying that his payments for sexual images could be exposed. “You’re a disaster area,” he is said to have raged. “Why does this happen all the time??!??… Im with family stop being a pain… I’m sick of you getting into a mess all the time… Don’t be stupid… My Monzo is easily traceable. I can do PayPal nothing else.”

“You are really really really trying my patience,” he allegedly continued. “I don’t need this f***ing sh*t… Delete these messages if it’s not your phone OK???… Send me your Monzo details you idiot… You make me so angry… WTF you talking about you f***ing disaster… Go f**k yourself. Get f***ing real. Tell you what. I’ll stop helping you then you can see what no care is. F**k you. You’re an ungrateful t**t.”

Edwards then seemingly softens, apparently adding: “I f***ing love you…but you kill me x” and “I love you seriously x… I will never end you. You idiot. You know that. X… Next time in Cardiff you need to see me x… Good boy… Don’t forget. I love you x”

But there was yet another alleged outburst after the young man called him in the night. “I can’t trust you to respect my situation,” the News at 10 anchor reportedly fumed. “Now leave me alone. Actually calling me at 2am? F**k that. Calling me at 2am even when I told you to stop ?????? You’re so f***ing out of order. Grow up. Just grow up. And when someone helps you – show respect.”

The man told The Mirror how Edwards messaged on an unknown number In October just one month before he was arrested – but was left “staggered” by his reaction. The man said: “I think it was about two weeks before he got arrested. The message said ‘guess who’ or something like that.

“The message said ‘don’t say my name on here… just call me’. So I phoned him and he said download the messaging app Signal. And he said we can catch up on there.” The man said he was staggered by Edwards’ demeanour on the call, adding: “He said, ‘What’s been going on? I really care about you’. He had no remorse for anything at all.”

It was the final time they spoke. A month later Edwards was arrested over the indecent images on his phone in an unrelated case. He stood down from the BBC in April 2024.

‘Strange messages to journalist’

The Express’ assistant politics editor Sam Stevenson has shared his experience of a message exchange with Edwards.

When Sam started his journalism career five years ago, he was keen to make contacts and keep up-to-date with the rolling news cycle. His first port of call was to follow as many “leading industry figures” as he could on Twitter, now X. He said he wanted to follow those he “respected” and “hoped to one day emulate”.

Sam claimed that within minutes of following Edwards, he was followed back “much to his delight”. He stated that he “couldn’t have been more thrilled” to have “perhaps the most famous news anchor in Britain” acknowledge him. Edwards is said to have sent Sam a message just “seconds later”.

It reportedly read: “Latecomers are welcome, Sam” followed by a praying hands and a yellow smirking face emoji. Sam recalled being on holiday at the time and excitedly sharing the news that Edwards had sent him a direct message to his family. He admitted to wondering why “a high-profile celebrity 32 years my senior, with almost 200,000 followers versus my measly 1,000, want to speak to me”.

Sam replied: “Haha, thanks for the follow, Huw! Big fan of your work” alongside a thumbs up emoji. Edwards is said to have reacted to Sam’s message with a thumbs up emoji and added: “Thanks, Sam. Keep in touch. H.”

Writing in the Express, Sam said: “At that moment, I was not sure what to make of it. My immediate thought was what an excellent new contact I had just made. But, knowing what we do now, perhaps the reality was something more sinister. On reflection later that day, it was clear from his playful and casual manner, the coquettish nature of his initial message, the liberal emoji use, the over-familiarity coming seemingly at random, and the plea to ‘keep in touch’, that something was off.”

Sam admitted to feeling “somewhat uneasy” that the “playful tone” had “came from somebody who was so well-respected”. He said: “It did not feel right. Then, the penny dropped. Huw Edwards, the Huw Edwards, was privately flirting with me. Looking back, it makes my blood run cold.” The journalist ended by writing: “For my part, I am relieved I managed to avoid him. Others were not so lucky.”

Sixth-form student ‘exchange’

Welsh TV channel SC4 launched its own investigation into the scandal and interviewed a young man who said he met Edwards while he was performing in a concert. He was an 18-year-old sixth-form pupil and Edwards was the compere.

“I was in my school uniform. He came up to me at the end of the concert and said hello, that the performance was really good. He told me I was very talented. He was interested to have some sort of contact with me,” the student claimed. “He told me if I wanted to come to London to meet him, he could give me a tour of the BBC and maybe meet a couple of musical contacts.”

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The pair connected on Instagram and the teen travelled to the London to visit the BBC but began to suspect that Edwards’ intentions were not admirable. In messages shown by the channel, Edwards signed off messages with a kiss or a heart. In one, Edwards wrote: “Yeah, OK big boy, we believe you.”

“I think it’s clear he was trying to groom me, trying to pull me in,” the young man said. After a few months, however, Huw stopped answering his messages and stopped following him. “He just lost interest in me, I wasn’t giving him what he was looking for,” the student added.

Junior BBC employee ‘sickened’

Victoria Derbyshire shared details about how an ex junior staffer – whose story featured on Newsnight – “felt sick” upon hearing Edwards had child sexual abuse images on WhatsApp. According to Derbyshire, the former employee was in their mid 20s when Edwards allegedly messaged then on Instagram.

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Posting on her X account, Derbyshire wrote: “Here’s what they told me IN FULL today: Huw Edwards messaged me on social media several times, despite us having never met and not knowing each other. Many of these messages were clearly inappropriate, including telling me unprompted what he was doing in the early hours of the morning, asking that I take him for food, and including several kisses at the end of his messages. I was quite junior in the BBC at the time, so just tried to play them off and not pay too much attention to them.

“At the time I was confused as to why he was sending such messages to me, but I had heard stories of other younger employees in the BBC having similar experiences with him. That is why I first got in touch with Newsnight: when the original Sun story came out, I felt like the extent of this inappropriate behaviour was likely more widespread than I knew. I didn’t contribute to the subsequent internal BBC inquiry, mostly as I felt I had already come forward and told the important parts of my story to Newsnight and was very busy at the time. It was not because of a lack of trust in the BBC.

“I didn’t report the inappropriate messages at the time when I was working at the BBC, mostly because I had other important things going on in my life that year, not because of a lack of confidence over the efficacy of raising such concerns.”

Freelance reporter ‘bedroom invite’

He was in Windsor at the height of lockdown restrictions to report on the funeral of Prince Philip when Edwards allegedly tried to get a freelance BBC reporter to his hotel room.

The anonymous employee claims he had initially connected with Edwards on Instagram before switching to WhatsApp, where he says they sent hundreds of messages between April 2021 and August 2022.

The reporter claimed that when told he lived in a house-share, Edwards said: “So I could pop in to have some tea?” and a few days after the funeral, he tried again, suggesting, “‘Or I can come to yours.”

On the eve of the funeral – where the late Queen was forced to mourn her husband alone because of Covid restrictions – Edwards allegedly sent him a picture of his hotel room, featuring just one bed, with the caption: “Missed a good night. You could have stayed here.”

The BBC worker told the Daily Mail : “He sent me a picture of his hotel room. I felt it was very suggestive. There were lockdown restrictions at the time. The Covid rules about households not mixing were still in force, the Queen was all alone on the pews at Philip’s funeral, and then Boris [Johnson] got a hammering for the parties in No.10 – and that was the same night Huw Edwards suggested I stay in his hotel room. Afterwards he said I had missed a good night.”

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The UK Health Security Agency has confirmed a meningitis outbreak in Kent with two deaths reported

Health officials have released an urgent update regarding the meningitis outbreak in Kent, deciding to expand a targeted rollout of antibiotics and vaccines. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has confirmed that the outbreak, which has sadly resulted in two fatalities, involves the MenB strain and is connected to a student nightclub.

Authorities have announced that eligibility for antibiotics, capable of halting the infection, and the MenB vaccine has been broadened in an attempt to control the spread. Updates on the situation are being provided daily.

Nightclub link and urgent antibiotic push

The outbreak has been partially traced back to people who visited Club Chemistry in Canterbury on March 5, 6 or 7. Anyone who was present – or who has had close contact with a confirmed or suspected case – is strongly encouraged to come forward for preventative antibiotics, which can prevent infection in up to 90% of cases.

Supplies are available at various locations including the University of Kent campus, hospitals and community clinics. Those who have since travelled elsewhere in the UK are being advised to immediately contact their GP to access treatment.

The UKHSA said: “A single course of antibiotics is highly effective in preventing the contraction and spread of this disease in 90% of cases. For MenB, prompt treatment with antibiotics is critical – which is why seeking urgent medical help at the first sign of symptoms is so important.”

Who will get the vaccine

A targeted immunisation programme is currently in progress, initially concentrating on students residing in halls at the University of Kent’s Canterbury campus. Health officials have indicated that this could be broadened in the forthcoming days depending on the progression of the outbreak.

Importantly, authorities have emphasised that Brits should not hastily seek to pay privately for the vaccine, as current measures – including antibiotics – are deemed the priority.

The UKHSA, which refuted claims of a vaccine shortage, said: “The vaccination programme may be expanded … and further advice on additional cohorts will be provided in the coming days. There are sufficient MenB vaccine stocks and we are working with local partners to ensure effective distribution to those who need it.”

What is MenB – and why it’s dangerous

Meningococcal disease is rare but extremely serious. It can lead to:

• Meningitis (infection of the brain lining)
• Sepsis (blood poisoning)

The illness can develop rapidly and become life-threatening within hours.

Unlike highly contagious infections such as COVID-19, MenB spreads through close and prolonged contact, such as:

• Living together
• Kissing
• Sharing drinks or vapes

Key symptoms people must not ignore

Officials are urging the public to remain vigilant and act fast if symptoms appear.

Warning signs include:

• A rash that does not fade when pressed
• Sudden high fever
• Severe headache
• Stiff neck
• Vomiting and diarrhoea
• Sensitivity to light
• Cold hands and feet
• Confusion or extreme drowsiness

Anyone experiencing these symptoms is told to seek urgent medical help by calling 999 or going to A&E immediately.

Risk to public ‘low’ – but vigilance essential

UKHSA said the overall risk to the wider public remains low, with efforts focused on tracing close contacts and preventing further spread. However, the agency stressed that speed is critical, with early treatment often lifesaving.

The MenB vaccine – introduced for babies in 2015 – has already led to a 75% reduction in cases amongst vaccinated groups, although it does not protect against all forms of meningitis.

Where to get help and advice

NHS guidance – here

Meningitis Research Foundation (24/7 helpline): 0808 800 3344

Meningitis Now: 0808 80 10 388

Officials say updates will continue to be published daily as the situation evolves.

How many of us can look our dentist in the eye and promise we’ve flossed daily? It’s always the first thing to drop from my morning routine, and the last thing on my mind before bed. Luckily, my tune has changed since testing some of the best water flossers.

Also known as oral irrigators, water flossers are completely different from the painful, harsh and environmentally unfriendly ways of traditional flossing tape, and they can get into spaces that a toothbrush might miss. “These devices use a steady high-pressure, or pulsating stream of water to target the areas between the teeth near the gum line,” Dr Khurrum Hussain, a dentist and clinical periodontist at Bupa Dental Care explains.

They are more effective than tape for hard-to-reach areas, so they are particularly useful for anyone with braces or dental work like bridges. Meanwhile, using a water flosser to dislodge plaque from the gum line and any food particles can also help to whiten your teeth.

The best water flossers: At a glance

How to use a water flosser

Use a water flosser before brushing your teeth with a toothbrush and toothpaste, advises Dr Khurrum Hussain. “This allows debris to be removed from the spaces between the teeth, enabling better fluoride absorption from the toothpaste onto the enamel.”

Always fill the reservoir with water, not mouthwash. Dr Khurrum warns that using mouthwash instead of water can cause staining. He also advises, “If you have sensitive teeth, using lukewarm water can be less triggering.”

In terms of technique, position the end of the tip a few millimetres away from your teeth. “Direct the stream towards the gum, aiming for the spaces between the teeth to remove trapped debris. If you have gaps between your teeth, angle the nozzle towards each tooth,” Dr Khurrum says.

For practicality’s sake, he suggests closing your mouth around the nozzle to prevent splash back. “It typically takes two to four minutes to clean your entire mouth,” he adds.

How I test water flossers

The last 24 hours of eye-wateringly expensive missile duelling over the Persian Gulf has made one point above all.

A prolonged war could do calamitous damage to the global economy.

In just one day and night, Iran has hit energy targets in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and Israel. So much for its military being defeated, or its leadership decapitated after almost three weeks of bombardment.

One attack alone, on the Ras Laffan gas plant in Qatar, using just a handful of missiles did an estimated $26bn worth of damage and will, we’re told, take years to repair.

Iran war latest: Trump says he’s not putting troops in Iran

Even less liquid natural gas will now get to market, jacking up prices. The cost of gas for European consumers has already leapt 30%.

Cue a pell-mell chorus of apocalyptic predictions from analysts and economists, and that’s after just 24 hours of escalated energy attacks. Imagine what weeks of the same could do.

I sat down with one of Iran’s most senior diplomats, Esmail Baghaei, in the foreign ministry in Tehran to ask him if this was a new policy of escalation from his government.

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The World show: What’s it’s like in Tehran right now

“You cannot expect a country that is under military aggression to exercise restraint. You have to direct your call to those aggressors, they started this…” he told me.

Oil and gas facilities have been hit before in this war, but the targets struck over the last day or two are of a different order of significance.

The attacks were not unprovoked. Israel had taken its attacks on the Islamic Republic to a new level with airstrikes on Iran’s south Pars gasfield and Iran responded without hesitation.

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Iran war briefing: Day 20 with Tom Cheshire

No wonder Donald Trump issued what looked like a rather panicky post ordering Israel not to attack gas fields again and warning Iran against the same in no uncertain terms.

I asked Mr Baghaei if rising concern globally would provide some opportunity for diplomacy to prevail and for all sides to step back. Is there any kind of olive branch Iran could offer to its enemies?

“Do you think it would be realistic to offer an olive branch to those who want to behead you? They are killing our elites. They are targeting our leaders. We are facing acts of aggression and terrorism and this is unprecedented,” he said.

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Iran war day 20: Videos from the ground

But the US president is also reported to be seriously considering sending in troops to secure the Strait of Hormuz. That would raise the spectre of weeks, if not months, more war.

If Iran can maintain the potency of its missile arsenal that could spell disaster for the Gulf’s precious energy installations with all that means for the global economy.

It would be as wise as a shootout in a warehouse of crystal.

The prices of oil, gas, helium, plastics and fertiliser have been sent soaring already. But we may have seen nothing yet and if the doomsday scenario unfolds as predicted we will all feel the pain.

Two students have died in the outbreak and there are now 27 cases of either confirmed or suspected meningitis, up from 20 on Wednesday.

In this article I will explain what meningitis B meningitis and sepsis is, how it may present and give a round-up of the issues involved with the outbreak amongst young people in Kent so far and how the outbreak is being tackled, writes Dr Wilcock.

null (Image: Dr Jane Wilcock)

As this is a developing outbreak I will follow up with another article. I have taken medical information mainly from NHS England, UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and NICE NG 240 websites to give best advice.

What is meningococcus B?

Meningococcus B is a bacteria, also called Neisseria meningitidis type B, which can live in the nose and pharynx (the pharynx is the back of the throat) in healthy people and cause no symptoms.

Unfortunately for some people it can cause serious infection, with outcomes being recovery, disability or death.

This is called ‘invasive meningococcal disease’ and may present most commonly in two ways; either as meningitis or as sepsis (also called septicaemia or menigococcaemia).

There are other causes of meningitis and sepsis but the outbreak in Kent at present is due to meningitis type B.

How might it present?

Both illnesses can present suddenly in anyone of any age but are more likely in young children, which is why since 2015 children in their first year of life are vaccinated.

This means that the oldest vaccinated children are not yet teenage.

The person may feel they have some infection, like a flu, occurring.

Meningitis is an infection of the meninges.

The meninges are like a plastic wrap round the brain and spinal cord with fluid between the layers to help package the brain against injury and help in blood circulation.

When meningitis occurs the layers are infected, inflamed, with increased fluid which presses upon the brain causing head pain, a dislike of the light and difficulty bending their chin to their chest.

Rather than try to distinguish two illnesses (meningitis and sepsis) from the same bacteria and as both require rapid intervention, it is better to roll them into one condition called invasive meningitis type B. Infected people may have high temperature, shivers (also called rigors), headache, wanting to avoid the light, vomiting, abdominal pains, diarrhoea, painful joints, pale blotchy skin, very cold hands and feet, drowsiness and confusion which can lead to being unconscious.

On examining the person they may not seem their usual alert self, their pulse and temperature may be high and they have a blotchy rash or a rash that is small purple spots under the skin, they do not go on pressing with a glass or see through plastic as they are due to small bleeds from tiny blood vessels under the skin.

Their medical professional may find their pulse weak and their blood pressure low.

Treatment is with antibiotics.

What has happened in Kent?

In Kent a number of young people from local school sixth forms and local universities in Canterbury, Kent have developed invasive meningococcal type B disease.

Some had been to a night club (Club Chemistry) on 5th-7th March.

Awareness of a cluster of cases to UKHSA over the weekend of 14-15th March.

Sadly two young people have died, one a sixth former and one a university student.

The bacteria is transmitted through droplets whilst breathing so increased by coughing, kissing and being in crowded conditions.

However, this outbreak shows much more transmission than expected.

The initial cases (probable and confirmed cases combined) on 16th March was 15, on 17th 20 and 18th 27 cases.

This is a dramatic infection compared to the expected infection rate.

Is it that the bacteria has changed in some way? UKHSA is looking at all factors.

It can take 1-14 days to develop the illness after contact with a spreader, so UKHSA are working to break the transmission by giving people at increased risk a one-off dose of antibiotic (ciprofloxacin) and a vaccination to meningitis B.

This will protect these young people and also reduce the nasal carrying amongst healthy young people who may unknowingly be spreading it.

As these young people will also not be mixing much whilst this outbreak occurs, transmission should slow and stop soon.

Hopefully with the increased awareness youngsters will receive effective early treatment with good outcomes.

A start-up focused on building rare-earth magnets used in key technologies has seen its valuation skyrocket thanks to two investors: the Trump administration and a venture capital firm that counts the president’s son, Donald Trump Jr., as a partner.

Vulcan Elements, which aims to shore up U.S. access to key materials for high technology, has gone from a $200 million valuation to a potential $2 billion one, according to a Bloomberg analysis.

Over the summer, 1789 Capital, which Trump Jr. joined shortly after his father was elected, joined a group of investors backing the firm, which hopes to help the U.S. develop mineral-processing capacity that’s largely in the hands of China.

The Trump administration, which watched as rare-earth minerals became a bargaining chip in tariff negotiations with Beijing, soon followed, offering the company a record-breaking $620 million Defense Department loan, as well as $50 million in CHIPS Act incentives, securing the Commerce Department an equity stake in the company.

The investments deepened ties between 1789 and the administration. In 2019, 1789 co-founder Chris Buskirk founded the Rockbridge Network, an influential group of conservative donors, alongside Vice President JD Vance.

1789 told Bloomberg that neither the company nor Trump Jr. was involved in securing the government investment in the firm.

Trump Jr. and his brother Eric, meanwhile, are also backing a drone company angling for military business, as the Pentagon seeks to bulk up drone capabilities in the face of an onslaught of UAV attacks in the Iran war.

The association between the Trump family business and the Trump administration’s investments has provoked scrutiny from Democrats.

In January, Senators Elizabeth Warren, Richard Blumenthal, and Andy Kim asked the Defense Department for information about the deals, writing that they raise the risk “the Trump family is profiting from funds appropriated by Congress to keep Americans safe, raising both ethics and national security concerns.”

The senators said that since Trump Jr. joined the firm, it has reportedly notched more than $70 million in government contracts from the Trump administration for portfolio companies in fields including artificial intelligence, quantum chips, and rocket engines.

Family members have been accused of leveraging their ties to the Trump administration for personal enrichment, especially in the crypto business.

President Trump and current Trump administration Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff are among the founders of the crypto business World Liberty Financial, a company that is now overseen by their sons.

Four days before Trump’s inauguration, a firm backed by an Abu Dhabi royal, Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, signed a secret deal to buy nearly half of the company. Another company run by the sheikh later used $2 billion in a World Liberty-issued cryptocurrency to make one of its investments.

As The New York Times reported, at the same time the $2 billion World Liberty deal was being negotiated, the UAE was working to secure an agreement with the Trump administration, announced in November, to access thousands of top-line AI chips.

A Tahnoon lieutenant was reportedly working to get one of the Abu Dhabi executive’s firms the American chips from the U.S. and advising the Trump crypto firm at the same time.

All parties have denied any coordination or wrongdoing, describing the two deals as unrelated.

Family members of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick are also under scrutiny for their involvement in Cantor Fitzgerald, the secretary’s former investment company.

The Trump official transferred his stake in the business to his children through a series of trusts, and his sons now manage Cantor Fitzgerald.

In January, the Trump administration announced it had agreed to extend up to $277 million in funding and up to $1.3 billion in loans to USA Rare Earth Inc., a mining and manufacturing company that turned to Cantor Fitzgerald as the lead placement agent for a series of private investments.

Democratic senators are also scrutinizing those deals, writing to Secretary Lutnick last month that it is “imperative that federal investments in critical industries be made free from conflicts of interest and on the merits.”

As Pete Hegseth, the Fox News host turned Donald Trump’s defense secretary, stood on the front lawn of the Pentagon to record a promotional video in July 2025, a drone hovered above him.

Hegseth said that America’s adversaries had “produced millions of cheap drones” and it was time for the US to catch up. The Trump administration, he added, would arm combat units with “a variety of low-cost American-crafted drones” as part of a plan to secure US “drone dominance”.

A few days later, Hegseth toured a display of 18 American-made protype drones. One of those on display was a Low-Cost Uncrewed Combat Attack System (Lucas) drone. By December, a squadron of these kamikaze drones was already in the Middle East.

These Lucas drones may have been made in America, but they are a reverse-engineered copy of the kamikaze Iranian drone called a Shahed. Now, the US military has deployed them to attack Iran.

In this episode of The Conversation Weekly podcast,  we speak to Arun Dawson, a PhD researcher at King’s College London, about how the Iranians developed the Shahed drones, why the US decided to copy them, and what role these low-cost drones might play in the future of warfare.

“Each of these drones costs US$35,000 (£26,000),” says Dawson, compared with US$3.6 million for each Tomahawk cruise missile. “With an American style defence budget, you can buy enough of them that you completely saturate the capabilities of an adversary to respond.

“Once you’ve achieved that,” he explains, “you can then send in your high-expense equipment to do the dirty job of delivering pretty large, decisive payloads on particular targets. That’s what the American military is beginning to explore and pivot towards.”

Listen to the interview with Arun Dawson on The Conversation Weekly podcast and read an article he wrote for The Conversation. This episode was written and produced by Mend Mariwany and Gemma Ware. Mixing by Eleanor Brezzi and theme music by Neeta Sarl.

Newsclips in this episode from The WallStreet Journal, New York Post, 10 News and CBS News.

Listen to The Conversation Weekly via any of the apps listed above, download it directly via our RSS feed or find out how else to listen here. A transcript of this episode is available via the Apple Podcasts or Spotify apps.

It is a shame for Nottingham Forest supporters that they have not been able to fully enjoy the possibilities of a first European campaign in a generation because of an ongoing fight against relegation.

Forest will need to overturn a 1-0 deficit against Danish club Midtjylland and reach the Europa League quarter-finals, but a pivotal domestic fixture at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday looms.

Forest are above West Ham United and the relegation zone on goal difference, and one point behind Spurs. Vitor Pereira, appointed as Forest’s head coach following Sean Dyche’s departure, played down the possibility of wholesale changes.

He said: “We are in a moment where we need to be united. I cannot have players for one game and other players for another game.

“They worked a lot to be here [in the Europa League]. We need them for tomorrow. We need to see the team united and everyone in condition to help.

“We don’t have a big squad. It means it is important we feel we are together in this game, trying to get the result to qualify. We are committed together.”

Forest relied on Chris Wood’s goals last season but the 34-year-old has been out since October with a knee injury.

He was pictured back in training this week and could make a return sooner rather than later, although tonight’s game will come too soon for him.

The Premier League side had plenty of territory and efforts on goal against Midtjylland at the City Ground Cho Gue-song’s late header.

Midtjylland was formerly owned by Matthew Benham, of Brentford fame, and were used as a guinea pig for the professional gambler’s algorithmic approach to the game before he took the leap of buying Brentford. In keeping with that strategy, the Danish club were also pioneers in maximising set-pieces through their data-led approach.

Full team news on the way shortly.