I have some bad news for you: the days are about to get shorter. Already, sunset is creeping forward every day, and the evenings are getting longer.

Although there might not be anything we can do about it being dark outside when we leave work, or the fact you’ll have to spend more money on your leccy bill, there is one thing we can help with: seriously stylish lamps.

They say you should have three sources of light in every room, but if you ask us, when it gets to cosy season you can ditch the big light and rely on one good, warm lamp. And ideally a fireplace, if you have one.

If you’re looking for ambient lighting that will give your home a warm glow all winter long, we’ve found some floor, table, ceiling, and wall lamps that will do just that.

We’ve thrown some rechargeable options in there, too, and tried to keep the energy rating A-okay (or as close to the beginning of the alphabet as possible).

Noah was last seen at 3pm on Tuesday when he became separated from a relative after visiting the playground

A large-scale search has been launched for a missing three year old boy named Noah, with police urging local residents to check their gardens, sheds and outbuildings for any sign of the non-verbal autistic youngster.

Noah was last spotted at 3pm on Tuesday after becoming separated from a relative following a visit to a playground in Merriam Close in Brantham, near Manningtree, Suffolk Police said.

The force confirmed the three-year-old is autistic, non-verbal and has partial hearing loss.

Officers believe Noah ran off down an alleyway alongside the playground in the direction of a nearby new-build housing estate. The youngster is described as white with curly ginger hair, and was last seen wearing a white T-shirt featuring the TV character Bluey, shorts and white trainers.

A Coastguard helicopter was observed circling the village, which sits close to the estuary of the River Stour.

A Suffolk Constabulary spokesperson said: “Emergency services are currently in Brantham conducting searches. Residents in the area are asked to check their gardens, sheds and outbuildings.”

The BBC reported that upwards of 100 volunteers had joined the search effort on Tuesday evening.

HM Coastguard confirmed their involvement, with a spokesperson stating: “We are assisting Suffolk Constabulary with an incident at Brantham by sending an HM Coastguard helicopter and Coastguard Rescue Teams from Felixstowe and Holbrook.”

Anyone who believes they may have spotted Noah is urged to get in touch with Suffolk Police, quoting CAD 203 of September 15.

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By GETHIN HICKS, REPORTER

Published: 19:11 BST, 15 September 2026 | Updated: 22:56 BST, 15 September 2026

It follows claims the health board failed to ensure the safety of a mental health patient found dead in her hospital room

The biggest health Board in Wales is facing legal action following the death of a mental health inpatient. The Health and Safety Executive is prosecuting the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board – the health board that covers the whole of north Wales.

It follows an investigation into the death of 67-year-old Susan Elaine Logan, who was a patient in the Ablett Unit at Glan Clwyd Hospital in December, 2024.

In an inquest opening it was heard that Mrs Logan, of Maes Ffyddion, Rhuddlan, was found dead in her room on December 23 after she had hanged herself with a dressing-gown cord.

The charge against the Board is that it failed to ensure her safety. Don’t miss a court report by signing up to our crime newsletter here

The case is listed for hearing at Merthyr Tydfil Magistrates’ Court on November 16.

A spokesman for BCUHB said it would be inappropriate to comment on the matters until the conclusion of the case.

This case is not the first of its kind for the health board. In December, 2023, the Betsi Cadwaladr Board was fined £200,000 at Llandudno Magistrates Court for failing to ensure the safety of Dawn Owen, 47.

The court heard staff had failed to remove ligature points at the Hergest unit of Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor.

In May, 2024, the assistant coroner for North Wales East and Central, Kate Robertson, found that neglect contributed to the death of 37-year-old Benjamin Harrison, from Denbigh. He was found hanged on the Ablett mental health unit at Glan Clwyd Hospital, the inquest heard.

We can forgive Christina Boyd (Amy Robbins) for getting embroiled in one grisly  Coronation Street killing. But two? That’s just careless.

It stands to reason that someone who works at Shuttleworth’s funeral services will see their fair share of dead bodies. That comes with the territory when you’re dating Weatherfield’s friendliest undertaker George Shuttleworth (Tony Maudsley).

Don’t be food by her bubbly mumsy demeanour. Christina’s got enough skeletons in her closet to keep George in business for a year.

She was no angel to begin with, arriving in Weatherfield to attend the wedding of her daughter, Daisy Midgeley (Charlotte Jordan), to Daniel Osbourne (Rob Mallard), with the intent to conn her daughter for every penny. However, like mother like daughter, Daisy turned the tables and ultimately departed alone with the swag.

Then of course, she was a suspect in the murder of Theo Silverton (James Cartwright), and because the monster hadhorrifically abused her close friend Todd Grimshaw (Gareth Pierce),she had a killer motive.

She’s not afraid to cover her tracks either, after being caught lying about her movements on the night of Theo’s death and pushing George to implicate Summer to cover up her own dirty secrets.

Namely, that she had a compulsive spending habit and was up to her eyballs in debt.

After catching Christina embracing her ex-husband Lenny down the precinct, George managed to get the truth out of her. Christine was addicted to shopping and had been fraudulently opening credit cards in other people’s names—including Lenny and her housemate, Mary Taylor (Patti Clare).

Despite promising to get help, Christina continued racking up debts behind George’s back until Todd exposed her. Heartbroken, George left to stay with his cousin in Somerset, leaving his relationship with Christina in serious doubt.

Now Christina is trying to rebuild George’s trust – as well as the community’s – the last thing she needs is another secret coming out of the woodwork. Especially related to a murder.

Brace yourselves.

In upcoming episodes of Coronation Street, Christina is aghast to realise that she’s got a connection to another killing on the Cobbles… one that happened quite recently.

Christina’s delighted when George promotes her to assistant funeral director and goes out for celebratory drinks.

But when Bernie misses her celebratory drinks, Christina’s left mulling over her friend’s family news. When George asserts that kids are nothing but a worry, Christina’s left thoughtful. What’s on her mind?

Next day, in the undertakers, Christina observes George as he talks Tim Metcalfe and Lucy Parkinson (Anya Lewis) through plaque options for her mum, determined to learn all she can about the job.

George shows Christina how to use the computer to view Rachel Parkinson’s file.

When George explains that the deceased is Lucy’s mother, Christina’s quietly horrified and hurries out.

Well, that ain’t good.

Lucy’s mother was killed during a heated argument with Tim’s cousin Richie (Nathan Sussex), who Tim had persuaded to return home to so they could settle their differences. This led to Rachel’s untimely death at Richie’s hands, seemingly in self defence.

Now the traumatised teenage girl has been taken in by Tim and Sally Metcalfe (Sally Dynevor) although all is far from rosy. Lucy is deeply damaged by the loss of her mother and lashes out at Tim and Sally.

What is Christina’s connection to Lucy, and why do I get the feeling that it can’t be good?

Koumas wants a free-kick on the edge of the box but he’s not going to get one on this occasion.

I like the look of him, though, and have done for a while. I think he’ll play a decent role this season.

Oh! I though that was the moment Spurs scored against a Premier League team this season. Gallagher takes a pot shot in the box and it’s deflected off Kerkez and over…

OH! THEY HAVE SCORED, AND IT’S GALLAGHER!

Liverpool fail to deal with the corner – their set-piece woes continue. It’s Mamardashvili’s fault, actually, as he gets nowhere near the cross, and Gallagher gets up to head home.

Game on!

By ELINA SHIRAZI, US SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER

Published: 19:49 BST, 15 September 2026 | Updated: 21:22 BST, 15 September 2026

In an emergency move on Tuesday, President Donald Trump‘s appointed leadership panel at the Kennedy Center voted to shut down the iconic performing arts venue.

Trustees pushed for the sudden closure after declaring that the landmark has fallen into ‘dire’ financial ruin and physical decay.

The drastic action unfolded just hours after a DC federal judge blocked the panel’s bid to rebrand the building with Trump’s name – a controversial strategy the board insisted was essential to stave off imminent bankruptcy for the Kennedy Center.

To justify the immediate lockdown, leadership pointed to a terrifying partial ceiling collapse inside the main Grand Foyer earlier this month, arguing emergency structural work can no longer wait.

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Trump was reportedly enraged, with sources telling CNN that he ‘screamed’ at Democratic Congresswoman Joyce Beatty, who also sits on the panel, on a call before the vote.

Individuals on the call reportedly said the president blamed her for spearheading the downfall of the center after involving the courts. 

Trump also jabbed the judge responsible for keeping his name off the building during the explosive call, sources revealed.

A draft resolution laying out a proposed two–year shutdown revealed that both the center’s top director and a structural consultant ‘consider the main building to be unsafe for continued occupancy, and anticipate further risk to the public and employees if the building is not immediately closed and renovations begun.’  

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Tuesday’s dramatic action marks the third time since February that the board has pushed to shutter the cultural landmark for a two–year overhaul. 

Workers prepare scaffolding ahead of removing lettering from the facade of the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, following a federal judge’s order to remove Trump’s name from the institution

In an emergency move on Tuesday, Trump’s appointed leadership panel at the Kennedy Center voted to shut down the iconic performing arts venue with immediate effect

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Rep. Joyce Beatty and lawyer Norman Eisen speaker to reporters after a hearing on the Kennedy Center outside the federal courthouse in Washington

Trustees originally set a shutdown date of July 5, but legal battles have completely stalled those plans. 

Attorneys representing the board claim ongoing litigation has crippled their ability to carry out vital maintenance. 

However, the DC judge presiding over the case fired back during Tuesday’s hearing, reminding the board – as he had in prior rulings – that his original court order halting a full-scale lockdown specifically exempted emergency repairs.

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‘The Kennedy Center is in such a precarious fiscal position that it will not be able to support its payroll obligations, nor routine maintenance contracts within a matter of weeks,’ states a court filing, adding that ‘President Trump has offered to step in and raise the necessary funds to keep the Center from bankruptcy.’ 

Last month, the board voted to rename the property ‘President Donald J. Trump Plaza’ and add the text ‘renovated and restored by President Donald J. Trump’ to the building by Sept. 8, with the new draft resolution proposing several similar ideas. 

Every year since the first Wimbledon Championship in 1877, a male player with a one-handed backhand has featured in the singles semi-finals of a grand slam. That 149 year streak ended at this year’s US Open when Stefanos Tsitsipas, the last remaining single-hander in the draw, exited the tournament in the round of 16.

This is a watershed moment for tennis, as it marks a break with the origins of the sport and the culmination of a five decades-long trend towards hitting the backhand with two hands on the racket. The popularity of the two-handed backhand has surpassed the single-hander to such an extent that the latter is now on the verge of extinction in elite tennis.

But does this matter? After all, sports evolve and athletes, coaches and sports scientists continually refine technique to achieve superior outcomes. Dick Fosbury revolutionised the high jump with the Fosbury flop in 1968. This development in high jump biomechanics unlocked new athletic feats and the straddle technique, previously dominant, became redundant. Perhaps the single-hander has, similarly, fallen victim to a superior technique.

Why the one-handed backhand matters

The one-handed backhand is arguably the most elegant shot in tennis. To execute it, the non-dominant hand pulls the racket back to coil the player’s hips and shoulders. As the ball enters the player’s hitting zone, the non-dominant hand releases and the racket whips through the ball while the other arm provides a counterbalance by extending in the opposite direction.

Its most skilled exponents, such as Roger Federer, Justine Henin and Stan Wawrinka, can produce explosive power in a balletic feat of flow, balance and timing.

The beauty of the one-hander is, in part, due to its superfluity. In tennis, aesthetics is incidental – shots are struck to win a point, not to beautify it. The pleasing aesthetics of the one-handed backhand is a delightful coincidence in which efficiency meets beauty.

However, one-handed backhands will soon be absent from the biggest tennis arenas. Why is this shot on the verge of extinction?

For a time in the early 2000’s, Roger Federer enjoyed exclusive dominance over men’s tennis. However, Rafael Nadal, a left-hander who was capable of generating more topspin than any player the game had ever seen, found a hole in Federer’s game – the shoulder-high backhand.

Nadal pioneered a heavy topspin forehand that would bounce above Federer’s shoulder, forcing him either to retreat behind the baseline or to hit the ball in the weak shoulder-high position. Nadal would pound Federer’s backhand until this elicited an error or a short ball that could be attacked. Shoulder-high backhands are not only technically difficult for a one-hander, but also energy sapping.

The development of the two-handed backhand on the run, best exemplified by Novak Djokovic, also meant that the advantage which single-handers had hitting wide balls no longer obtained. Two-handers could hit with an open stance when stretched, and this enabled them to generate more power on the run and to recover for the next shot more quickly.

The inherent limitations of the one-handed backhand were more easily exploited as strings, rackets and courts allowed players to follow Nadal’s template.

The development of polyester strings allowed players to generate unprecedented amounts of topspin. Racket heads grew larger and were designed to facilitate vertical swing-paths for the creation of topspin. Court surfaces were slowed, allowing topspin to have an even higher-bouncing effect.

As well as arguably the most elegant shot, the single handed backhand is one of the most difficult shots in tennis. Typically, the absence of the second hand on the racket requires the player to demonstrate more strength and better timing. So, the two-hander provides quicker rewards for young players and coaches as backhand competency can be gained more readily.

The rise of the two-hander might be thought the natural evolution of the sport. However, there is nothing inevitable about the demise of the single-hander – the development of the sport is in the hands of tennis authorities. Players respond to the conditions in which they are required to compete.

Tennis has been allowed to develop in a direction hostile to the single-handed backhand, much as it has been allowed to develop in a direction that is hostile to serve and volleying. The strategic contrast has been lost between the serve-and-volleyer, who rushes the net to take the ball before the bounce, and the baseliner, who stays at the baseline to play after the bounce. This contrast lay at the heart of many of the most compelling tennis rivalries – Björn Borg and John McEnroe, Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova, Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras. By contrast, leading players now are simply different shades of baseliner.

These two developments are not unrelated, as the single-handed backhand was the shot of choice for the best serve and volleyers such as Rod Laver, Sampras and Pat Rafter. The single-hander allowed for greater variety of spin and angles, and it was conducive to hitting while moving forward towards the net.

Federer has expressed hope that this is not the end for the single-hander. But we can do more than hope – the conditions of elite tennis can be reshaped in ways that are more amenable to the one-handed backhand. Here are my suggestions:

1. Polyester strings should be prohibited;
2. The maximum racket head size should be limited to 95 square inches to encourage slower vertical racket head speeds thereby limiting the production of topspin; and
3. Greater variety in court surfaces should be introduced, with an emphasis on the introduction of faster, lower bouncing surfaces.

Tennis authorities guide the evolution of the sport. The recent trend has been towards technical and tactical homogeneity. The sport is losing the contrasts that underpinned its compelling rivalries and stunning spectacles. Tennis needs to embrace again the beauty in diversity. With the demise of the single-hander, something skilful and beautiful is being lost.

Three supporting acts have quit Ed Sheeran’s tour after rapper Macklemore was dropped over pro-Palestinian remarks made on stage.

Hours after Sheeran said he would not be drawn into a public debate about the Gaza war, Aaron Rowe, the band Beoga, and Finneas announced on Instagram that they were pulling out of the tour.

Rowe had been selected as one of Macklemore’s replacements for Sheeran’s remaining U.S. dates, while Beoga served as Sheeran’s backing band. Finneas was scheduled to join Sheeran’s tour in South America later this year.

“Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed,” Finneas wrote. “I have decided to withdraw from my upcoming tour dates with Ed Sheeran. I stand with Palestine and its people.”

Aaron Rowe posted his own message on Instagram, writing in part, “I don’t take the decision likely. Ed has been a friend to me and has changed my life, I could never thank him enough for this.”

Beoga said in part, “We have made the decision to depart as Ed Sheeran’s band on the remaining US Loop tour, following the silencing of Macklemore by zionist lobbies.”

On Tuesday, Ed Sheeran addressed Macklemore being removed as his opening act after the rapper made pro-Palestinian remarks onstage. He said the decision was made strictly by promoters. The British singer also maintained he would not enter the public conversation regarding the conflict in Gaza.

“Macklemore coming off tour was the promoter’s decision, it was not mine,” Sheeran posted on Instagram on Tuesday. “I would never let down the fans who had made plans, nor would I abandon the touring crew and the other support acts and musicians who rely on me for work and to make a living.”

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Sheeran’s post followed a statement from Macklemore on Monday, in which the rapper said he was removed from the Loop Tour after shouting “Free Palestine!” during a Sept. 5 performance at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey while performing his protest song “Hind’s Hall.”

Addressing the audience during the show, Macklemore said: “To all of my Jewish brothers and sisters, criticism of Israel, criticism of apartheid, being against genocide, it in no way is criticism of you.”

Macklemore said Monday on Instagram that several U.S. venues notified the promoter they would forbid him from appearing as Sheeran’s opener, led by NFL’s New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft. Kraft’s company, Kraft Group, owns Gillette Stadium.

In a statement released Monday, Kraft said the decision to remove Macklemore followed his recent comments “and a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery that we believe has been deeply offensive and hurtful to the Jewish community.”

Sheeran wrote in his post that he “spoke with the venues at length all week to try to build a bridge,” but acknowledged that “the venue’s and promoter’s decision was final.”

A growing number of organizations and experts assert that Israel’s actions in Gaza constitute genocide, an allegation Israel firmly denies.

Macklemore was scheduled for eight of Sheeran’s 10 remaining stadium shows, resuming Saturday in Philadelphia with Lukas Graham and Aaron Rowe billed. Upcoming stops include Gillette Stadium, Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium.

Sheeran said he aims to use music to bring diverse audiences together, adding that while he holds personal views on “this devastating conflict,” he chooses not to speak publicly because concertgoers “do not expect a political forum.” He added: “I am not complicit.”

“I respect Macklemore’s strength of purpose to stand up and shout for what he believes,” Sheeran added. “However, there is room for multiple approaches to the same end: peace. I choose to use my fame and platform to be a place of safety and sanctuary, to maintain diplomacy and keep conversations open, not closed.”

Sarah Cooper-Lesadd had addressed the media at the Senedd this evening on her decision to defect from Reform to Plaid Cymru.

She said: “Today I have joined Plaid Cymru and this has come after a period of reflection and deliberation.

“I feel this is the right political home for me after seeing what has happened over the last few months and coming on a journey back to Wales and seeing the fact Wales needs more devolution, it is short changed in so many ways, and Plaid Cymru is the party that best embodies for me, and those are the values I really believe in.

“This is why I am here. There is a vision of hope, a vision of ambition for the people of Wales, and this is what I’ve seen over the last few months since I’ve been in the Senedd, and I knew there couldn’t be a greater contrast between Plaid and Reform with their politics.

“I got into politics because I wanted to represent care leavers who are so underrepresented in politics.

“People like me don’t often get into politics, it is an extremely rare thing to do, and that’s why I stood on that platform. It has become increasingly more apparent as the Reform group has made more and more statements and had more and more debate on divisive things such as the Nation of Sanctuary, which I have argued consistently against as being the wrong thing to do.

Asked if the news surrounding Dan Thomas was a factor in her decision, she said: “It wasn’t, it’s a police matter and it is not for me to comment on.”

She was further asked whether she felt she was leaving her constituency down by defecting, with them having voted for her as a Reform candidate.

She said: “I would say I understand, but I am on a political journey and I will continue to represent my voters and constituents in the best way that I can which is consistent. I have always held them in the closeness of my heart in terms of how I read things and how I approach my work. I am a very hard worker and I will continue to do that, nothing changes.”