Connect with us

NewsBeat

England Nations Championship squad: Captain Maro Itoje rested as Noah Caluori wins wing spot

Published

on

Maro Itoje

Exeter’s uncapped Greg Fisilau is the secondary number eight behind first-choice Ben Earl, edging out Alex Dombrandt.

Guy Pepper has recovered from injury to take his place in the back row, while tighthead props George Kloska and Vilikesa Sela are in line for first caps.

The absence of Itoje, who recently posted pictures of himself on holiday in Mauritius to social media, opens opportunities for others in the second row.

George Martin, whose superb performance against South Africa in the 2023 Rugby World Cup semi-final will have been front of mind for head coach Steve Borthwick, only recently made his comeback from 14 months out with a string of injuries, while Gloucester’s Arthur Clark will hope to add to the solitary cap he won against the United States in July.

Advertisement

In the front row, Sale’s Asher Opoku-Fordjour – more usually a tighthead – will also cover loosehead prop, where Ellis Genge only recently recovered from a calf complaint and Bevan Rodd and Fin Baxter have been ruled out.

With only Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and Cadan Murley included alongside Caluori as specialist wingers, Borthwick’s selections hint at a possible return out wide for Tommy Freeman, who started at outside centre in four of England’s five Six Nations games.

Borthwick admitted the itinerary thrown up by the new Nations Championship – which has replaced the traditional single-location summer tour for northern hemisphere nations – will present a new challenge.

After taking on world champions South Africa at altitude in Johannesburg, England will play Fiji in Liverpool, before heading to the small Argentine city of Santiago del Estero to face the Pumas.

Advertisement

“We’ve selected a squad with a good blend of experience and emerging talent,” said Borthwick.

“The Nations Championship presents an exciting challenge for this group. We will face strong opposition in demanding environments, with extensive travel, and changes in climate all testing the squad throughout the tournament.

“I am sure by preparing well and continuing to demand the highest standards from one another every day, we will be well placed to meet the challenge of a very demanding summer schedule.”

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

NewsBeat

Five key moments from Belfast Council in July

Published

on

Belfast Live

Council officers are working feverishly towards the Fleadh Ceoil na hÉireann, as business for elected reps in the chamber pauses

July traditionally sees a winding down of business from elected representatives at City Hall, and it was no different this year. But behind the scenes, if anything, activity has ratcheted up for council officials, who are feverishly preparing the city’s first Fleadh Ceoil na hÉireann.

Advertisement

The month saw the final touches regarding licensing for Fleadh events, an appeal for the council to intervene against alley trashers, and a decision made away from the public eye to give £100,000 to an Irish language group.

Here is your latest round up of Belfast Council matters in July:

Appeal made after treasured “Foxglove Alley” trashed six times in 10 days

An appeal was made to Belfast Council after a man was caught in the act trashing a much treasured restored alleyway in South Belfast.

Advertisement

Volunteers who set up the charming “Foxglove Alley” in Stranmillis called upon the council to adopt a policy of emergency clean ups for those alleys that have been restored by the local community. In ten days the alley was rubbished six times.

CCTV footage was taken of a man in his 60’s lifting several full binbags taken from a nearby bin, and scattering the contents all over the alley, then scavenging for keepsakes among the rubbish.

Read more here

Belfast Council awards £100,000 to Irish language group in secret meeting

Belfast City Council agreed to give a one-off £100,000 “stabilisation” grant to an Irish language and cultural organisation based in South Belfast.

Minutes from a City Hall committee, published for the full July council meeting, showed that in a secret meeting behind closed doors and away from the public and press, elected representatives agreed to give £100,000 to An Droichead, which has its headquarters at Cooke Street, off Ormeau Road.

The brevity of the minutes give no indication as to whether the money amounts to a full rescue package for the organisation. By agreeing the committee minutes at the full July council meeting, the chamber sealed the £100,000. There was no discussion at the full council on the matter.

Read more here

Advertisement

Easier and quicker to flytip bulky items in Belfast than to book council, City Hall hears

A DUP Councillor lambasted bulky waste collections provided by Belfast City Council for large items, suggesting that it has become easier and quicker to get rid of items by flytipping them, rather than using the council service.

At the latest meeting of the council’s People and Communities Committee DUP Councillor Ruth Brooks said: “The bulky waste collections appear to be taking too long. We are facing an uphill battle trying to get bulky waste items that have been flytipped and left in alleyways, right across the east of the city, and no doubt in other people’s areas.

“If people are booking in for a bulky waste collection, and they are being told it will be two or two and half weeks, and they find out they can fire the sofa out in the alleyway and it is collected in a day or two, I think it really defeats the purpose.”

Advertisement

Read more here

Belfast Fleadh entertainment approved for Bank Square, Castle Street and cathedral car parks

The last of the Belfast Fleadh outdoor entertainments was formally approved at a special meeting at City Hall.

A special summer meeting of the Belfast City Council Licensing Committee approved entertainment for Bank Square, the car parks at St Anne’s Cathedral, and the Fountain area including Castle Street.

Advertisement

Belfast for the first time will host the Fleadh Ceoil na hÉireann, the world’s biggest celebration of Irish music and culture, from Sunday August 2 to Sunday August 9. Qualifying competitors from all over the world will showcase the best of traditional music, song, dance and language in All-Ireland competitions.

Read more here

Plans lodged to turn old pub in North Belfast into one-bed apartments

An application was lodged to demolish a former public house in North Belfast to make way for a four storey apartment building.

Advertisement

Laurence McDaid of Shorts Visits Ltd wants to knock down the former McKenna’s Public House, 903 Crumlin Road, in the Ballysillan area.

In its place he hopes to build an apartment building, consisting of 14 living units in all, 11 one-bed studios, three one-bed apartments, one common room, two kitchens and a roof terrace amenity area.

Read more here

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

Advertisement

Source link

Continue Reading

NewsBeat

Trump says Greenland will be under US control by the time he leaves office

Published

on

Trump says Greenland will be under US control by the time he leaves office

President Donald Trump has predicted that Greenland will be under U.S. control by the time he leaves office in January 2029.

Trump has fiercely pushed to acquire the semi-autonomous Danish territory in the Arctic since before he returned to the Oval Office. The globally unpopular move has helped strain America’s relationship with its European allies, who see it as a threat to Greenlanders’ sovereignty.

Real America’s Voice host Steve Gruber told Trump during an audio interview Friday, “I made a prediction on this program that before you left office, that Greenland would be under our operational control.”

“You’ll be right. They want to do something,” Trump said. “Greenland is important from our standpoint, not from their standpoint…You should make that bet.”

Advertisement
President Donald Trump has predicted that Greenland will be under U.S. control by the time he leaves office in January 2029
President Donald Trump has predicted that Greenland will be under U.S. control by the time he leaves office in January 2029 (Getty Images)

Trump has argued that the US needs to acquire Greenland for national security purposes, arguing that if he doesn’t take it, American adversaries, namely Russia and China, will.

The president’s threats to acquire Greenland reached a boiling point in January, when he threatened to slap a 10 percent tariff on goods imported from several European allies, including Denmark, until a deal was reached for the “complete and total purchase of Greenland.”

Tensions seemed to subside days later when Trump announced he would not impose the tariffs after a “very productive” meeting with NATO chief Mark Rutte, in which they “formed the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland.”

But Trump has never let go of his fixation with controlling Greenland. Earlier this month, the president posted an edited photo on Truth Social of him showing European leaders in the Oval Office a map of the countries, including Greenland, with an American flag superimposed over them.

President has claimed the US needs to acquire Greenland for national security purposes — a move that European allies see as a threat to the Arctic island’s sovereignty
President has claimed the US needs to acquire Greenland for national security purposes — a move that European allies see as a threat to the Arctic island’s sovereignty (AFP via Getty Images)

While conservative media personality Gruber believes Trump will get his hands on Greenland, traders on prediction markets don’t think so, at least not for some time.

There’s just a four percent chance on Polymarket that Trump will acquire Greenland before 2027.

Advertisement

On Kalshi, there’s just a 6.8 percent chance the US will acquire any new territory before 2027, though the odds are slightly better on a longer timeline. There’s a 22 percent chance the US will acquire a new territory before Trump’s term ends on January 20, 2029.

Source link

Continue Reading

NewsBeat

Zetland paddling pool reopens just in time for summer

Published

on

Zetland paddling pool reopens just in time for summer

The Zetland paddling pool on Redcar’s seafront is back open to the public following essential maintenance and improvements to the surrounding park by Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council.

Anna Turley, MP for Redcar, took to social media to welcome the news and highlighted its importance to the community.

Ms Turley said: “I’m so pleased to say that the repairs to Zetland paddling pool and the improvements to the play park are now complete.

“This has been a much-loved spot for generations of local families, and it’s fantastic to see it looking its best again, ready for even more children to enjoy.”

Advertisement

MP for Redcar, Anna Turley, showing her support for the attraction. (Image: MP for Redcar Anna Turley)

She also thanked council cabinet members Adam Brook and Neil Bendelow, as well as ward councillor Jade Lavan, for their work on the project.

The paddling pool reopened on Friday, July 24, to a warm welcome from families, residents, and community groups.

Zetland Park and paddling pool in Redcar reopened last week following essential maintenance work. (Image: MP for Redcar Anna Turley)

The East Redcar Residents Association said in a statement on Facebook: “It was a great atmosphere throughout the day with lots of families and children splashing about, having picnics and lots of free fun.”

“One little girl said it was the best day ever.”

Advertisement

The pool is now open every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday until mid-September.

It will be emptied each Monday, then cleaned, checked and refilled ahead of reopening later in the week.

Zetland paddling pool in Redcar reopened last week following essential maintenance work. (Image: East Redcar Resident’s Association)

Visitors are also being encouraged to enjoy the nearby play areas and The Stray Café.

The pool is within walking distance of Redcar East train station and is accessible via Coast Road bus routes.

Advertisement

Zetland Park and paddling pool in Redcar reopened last week following essential maintenance work. (Image: East Redcar Resident’s Association)

The community has been thanked for helping to keep the area tidy, with families and volunteers regularly cleaning up after busy days.

Redcar has seen an increase in vandalism recently, so residents are asked to report any anti-social behaviour or damage to Cleveland Police, to keep spaces safe and usable for all members of the community.

With the school holidays now underway, local leaders are encouraging families to make the most of the free seaside attraction throughout the summer.

Advertisement

Source link

Continue Reading

NewsBeat

Dave Merrett’s City of York Council housing role sparks row

Published

on

Dave Merrett's City of York Council housing role sparks row

Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader Cllr Paula Widdowson said appointing Cllr Dave Merrett, who previously had to leave an executive role over wrongly-issued traffic fines, showed Labour were in disarray.

Labour Deputy Leader Cllr Bob Webb said the opposition group were stuck living in the past and had reduced itself to producing political tittle tattle.

The row follows the appointment of Cllr Merrett to the council’s housing and planning executive role previously held by Cllr Michael Pavlovic who is standing down.

Advertisement

Cllr Merrett, of Guildhall ward, has taken over Cllr Pavlovic’s housing and planning brief, with the latter’s communities role going to Heworth’s Cllr Anna Perrett.

The Guildhall ward councillor, first elected in 2003, has held a number of roles on the council including chairing a council planning committee.

But he was also forced to resign from the executive when the council had to repay £1.3 million in wrongly-issued fines after traffic restrictions placed on Lendal Bridge were found to be unlawful.

Cllr Paula Widdowson said Cllr Merrett had also presided over the last Labour administration’s failed attempt to get a local plan adopted for York.

Advertisement

The opposition deputy leader added it also followed Labour economy and culture spokesperson Cllr Pete Kilbane stepping down as the council’s deputy leader.


RECOMMENDED READING:

Change at top of York Council as senior figure steps down

Row erupts after senior York council figure steps down

Advertisement

Blame traded for major York project £34m over budget


Cllr Widdowson said: “Labour’s answer is to bring back someone whose previous spell on the executive ended in the biggest scandal in the council’s recent history.

“This latest reshuffle is nothing more than rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic, swapping one failing Executive Member for another won’t undo three years of broken promises and failure to deliver.”

Labour Deputy Leader Cllr Webb said the opposition’s comments showed there was a gaping hole in what the Liberal Democrats had to offer York.

Advertisement

The deputy leader said: “Instead of spending time working out how to improve the lives of York residents, the Liberal Democrats live in the past, occupied only with wild speculation and conspiracy theories.

“This highlights the straightforward decision facing residents in next May’s local elections.”

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

NewsBeat

Coronation Street spoiler videos confirm huge exit and shock attack | Soaps

Published

on

Coronation Street spoiler videos confirm huge exit and shock attack | Soaps
Check out our latest offering of Coronation Street spoiler videos (Picture: ITV/ Shutterstock/ Metro)

There’s another dramatic week ahead on the cobbles of Coronation Street, as one resident says goodbye and another faces a terrifying attack.

We’ve known that it was coming for a while, but that doesn’t make it any easier to say goodbye to Cassie Plummer (Claire Sweeney) as she heads off for a new job on a cruise ship next week.

Her exit comes after the arrival of Ross Wilkes (Ian Burfield), who has successfully manipulated son Tyrone Dobbs (Alan Halsall) into taking his side over Cassie’s.

Elsewhere, Lauren Bolton (Cait Fitton) continues to lead the Betsy Swain (Sydney Martin) defence squad, as she goes out of her way to make Dylan Wilson (Liam McCheyne) face the full weight of his actions.

Advertisement

Meanwhile, Kit Green (Jacob Roberts) is on a mission to save Sarah Platt (Tina O’Brien) from her fate, after she confessed to killing Theo Silverton. However, Bethany Platt (Lucy Fallon) isn’t convinced by his motives…

Ask Metro


Use AI to go deeper into the stories you care about – powered by Metro and trusted publications.

Advertisement

If that has left you thoroughly intrigued, then take a look at the spoiler videos below.

Monday, August 3

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web
browser that
supports HTML5
video

Advertisement

Cassie says an emotional goodbye to her grandchildren ahead of her exit from the cobbles, but Hope Dobbs (Isabella Flanagan) is suspicious that there’s more to her departure than meets the eye.

Once the kids are out of earshot, Fiz Stape (Jennie McAlpine) gifts Cassie some money and a family photo to take with her.

Cassie uses the time alone with Fiz to warn her that Ross is dangerous and can’t be trusted, but when Tyrone interrupts, he is disgusted and tells her to go, insisting that she is no longer his mum.

Tuesday, August 4

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web
browser that
supports HTML5
video

Advertisement

Dylan is accosted in the precinct by a furious Lauren, who makes her feelings for Dylan clear, ordering him to stay away from Betsy.

Viewers will know that Betsy suffered a stroke after engaging in consensual strangulation during sex with Dylan, and Lauren wants to see him face the consequences.

Advertisement

Dylan continues to defend himself, but when he insults Lauren directly, she slaps him.

Dylan argues that he didn’t mean to hurt Betsy, but as Lauren continues to blame him, he finds himself cornered, until Lauren shoves him and he falls back, hitting his head.

When Dylan doesn’t respond to her prodding, Lauren flees.

Fortunately, Nina Lucas (Mollie Gallagher) finds Dylan – but has she got there in time to help him?

Advertisement

Wednesday, August 5

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web
browser that
supports HTML5
video

Bethany and Kit are determined to help Sarah, but Bethany is sceptical of Kit’s plan to expose Gary Windass’ (Mikey North) involvement in the cover-up of Theo’s murder.

Advertisement

She expresses her concerns that Kit merely wants to frame Gary because he’s jealous, but Kit is quick to shut her down by pointing out that if Gary really wanted to help Sarah, he would have advised her to tell the police straight away.

Kit points out that Sarah’s best chance is to prove that Gary stopped her from going straight to the police, which could be the only way for her to get a lighter sentence.

At the mention of Harry getting his mum back, Bethany gives the go-ahead for Kit to check Gary’s phone.

Advertisement

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

NewsBeat

Google pulls new Earth AI tool after researchers show it can be used to put fake nuclear power plants in Iran and refugees near the Mexican border

Published

on

Google pulled its new AI tool that allowed people to edit satellite imagery, including a fabricated bomb crater in Gaza

Advertisement

Google pulled its new AI tool that allowed people to edit satellite imagery within 24 hours of launch after some users demonstrated how the software could be misused. 

The tech giant announced on Thursday it had integrated its Nano Banana 2 image-generation model into Google Earth, which allowed users to ‘type whatever you want to see’ and ‘virtually reimagine anywhere in the world’. 

The AI tool allowed users to use text prompts to create downloadable false situations on top of a base layer of satellite imagery, aerial or 3D imagery. 

However, users were able to quickly test the limits of the feature, described as allowing people to create ‘concepts grounded in the real world’ and let ‘imagination run wild’.

Advertisement

They shared images of fake nuclear plants in Iran, lines of refugees near the Mexican border, a fabricated bomb crater in Gaza and a car crash on a street in Amsterdam. 

This prompted Google to quickly take the feature down on Friday, as it ‘worked on implementing stronger guardrails’.

In a statement on Friday, the company said it had seen ‘people sharing screenshots of generated imagery that appear to violate our policies’. 

Google Street view holds more than 280 billion images across 110 countries, with Google Earth turning 21 this year.

Advertisement

Google pulled its new AI tool that allowed people to edit satellite imagery, including a fabricated bomb crater in Gaza

Hank van Ess, an OSINT expert and author of the Digital Digging newsletter, said he ‘planted a nuclear plant in Iran’ and ‘put refugees near Mexico border’ on Google Earth. 

The tech expert also demonstrated how he was able to generate images of a bomb crater at a hospital in Gaza.

Advertisement

‘One clause in there is checkable tonight, so I checked it. Google prevents image creation on harmful topics,’ he wrote.

‘Refugees at a border. A nuclear plant in Iran. A fatal crash on an Amsterdam street. A hospital with a bomb crater in Gaza. Nothing was refused. No warning, no softened output, no suggestion to try a different prompt’.

The company noted that every image created with the Nano Banana tool included a watermark that can be traced back to its Gemini AI model.

This comes as concerns grow over the spread of AI-generated images on social media, with a greater ease for users to spread false information across the internet – which can be near impossible to contain. 

Advertisement

While wars proliferated in the Middle East in March, AI-generated satellite images were shared on the social media platform X seemingly showing a successful Iranian drone strike on a US radar system in Qatar.

Meanwhile, a fake video purporting to show Dubai’s Burj Khalifa up in flames, while crowds of people fled from the building. It was viewed tens of millions of times. 

Users were able to use the Nano Banana 2 image-generation model into Google Earth to create images, including a car crash on a street in Amsterdam

Users were able to use the Nano Banana 2 image-generation model into Google Earth to create images, including a car crash on a street in Amsterdam

The proliferation of fake content prompted X to warn creators of a temporary suspension from its monetisation scheme should they post AI-generated videos of armed conflict without a label. 

Advertisement

The programme rewards eligible users whose posts collect large numbers of views, likes, shares and comments with money. 

In a blog post, Google shared five ways the new software could be used: Helping students visualise history; learn relevant information about particular areas or landmarks; create professional real estate plans; visualise projects; and letting ‘imagination run wild’ on favourite places. 

A spokesperson for Google said: ‘We know that people uniquely trust Google Earth for a reliable view of the world. 

‘We’ve seen geospatial professionals using this feature for a range of useful purposes, however we’ve also seen people sharing screenshots of generated imagery that appear to violate our policies. 

Advertisement

‘So we’re rolling back this feature in Google Earth while we work on implementing stronger guardrails. 

‘It’s important to note that generated images didn’t appear in the main Google Earth experience for others to see and were watermarked as AI generated.’. 

Advertisement

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

NewsBeat

Popular clothing store closes Cambridge branch after five years

Published

on

Cambridgeshire Live

The shop opened its Cambridge branch in 2021

A popular clothing store has closed its Cambridge branch. Urban Outfitters opened in Sidney Street, Cambridge, in 2021.

Advertisement

The chain now appears to have closed its Cambridge premises. CambridgeshireLive has seen photos on social media that show ‘closing’ signs in the shop windows.

Videos circulating on social media also show that the Cambridge store has closed. Google says the branch is ‘temporarily closed’, while there are no opening hours on the brand’s website.

It is not yet known why the shop has closed. Urban Outfitters has been approached for more information.

Do you want more of the latest Cambridgeshire news as it comes in from across the county? Sign up to our dedicated newsletter to make sure you never miss a big story from Cambridge or anywhere else in the county. You can also sign up to our dedicated Traffic and Crime newsletters for the latest updates on the topics you are most interested in.

Advertisement

Source link

Continue Reading

NewsBeat

Prince William and Kate Middleton to visit Commonwealth Games as event draws to close

Published

on

Daily Record

The royal couple will join spectators will join spectators on the penultimate day of the Glasgow games.

William and Kate will visit the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow as the sports event draws to a close. The Prince and Princess of Wales will join spectators on Saturday, which is the penultimate day of the games.

Advertisement

The royal couple – who are known by their Scottish titles, the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay, when visiting the country – will also meet Team Wales athletes and their families.

The sporting event affectionately known as the “friendly games” has been attended in recent days by the Duke of Edinburgh, vice patron of Commonwealth Sport, which delivers the games, and his wife.

On Saturday games-goers can watch a range of sports from athletics and boxing to netball and judo. It comes after the King and Queen emerged from a Tardis at the Hydro arena in Glasgow during the opening ceremony.

The scenes were reminiscent of London 2012 when Queen Elizabeth II appeared to skydive into the Olympic Stadium alongside James Bond actor Daniel Craig.

The opening ceremony in Glasgow was the first to be held indoors as part of a radical restructuring of the games’ finances after Australian state Victoria withdrew as host of the event in 2023, citing spiralling costs.

The future of the event, which originated as the British Empire Games in 1930, was in doubt until Glasgow was convinced to step in and reprise its hosting role from 2014, albeit with significant alterations.

William and Kate will also spend time with athletes competing at the games whose careers have been empowered by the charity SportsAid, which Kate has supported as patron since 2013, and meet emerging talent taking part in the Team England Futures project.

Advertisement

Sporting stars whose early promise was boosted by SportsAid include Sir Chris Hoy, Ellie Simmonds, Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill and Tom Daley.

The international sporting event returned to Scotland for the first time in 2014 last week but there has been one major change when it comes to the coverage of the games – they are no longer free to watch.

TNT Sports was announced as the Games’ live UK broadcast partner earlier this year with all coverage being shown behind a paywall.

Advertisement

It’s the first time in 72 years that the BBC lost their rights to the games with the broadcaster previously confirming: “Our bid was unable to match the financial offer from the market. We wish them every success for next year.”

While some live coverage has been broadcast on BBC Alba and iPlayer between 5:30pm and 10pm each evening, the majority has been shown on TNT Sports.

The Commonwealth Games runs until August 2 when the closing ceremony will take place at the OVO Hydro.

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

NewsBeat

Betfred to close 132 shops and cut 600 jobs as firm cites gambling tax hikes

Published

on

Belfast Live

The company has launched a consultation over the Betfred shop closures, which will affect more than a tenth of its betting shops across the UK

Gambling giant Betfred has announced it will shut 132 high street shops and axe over 600 jobs from September, blaming soaring taxes and economic turmoil for the drastic move.

The bookmaker has launched a consultation on the closures, which hit more than one in ten of its UK stores, leaving around 1,100 shops still trading. Betfred was founded in 1967 by billionaire brothers Fred and Peter Done, who are worth an estimated £3.61 billion, according to the Sunday Times Rich List.

Advertisement

“We have tried hard to protect all our sites and the colleagues who work in them, but the combined impact of higher employer national insurance contributions, wage inflation, increases in gambling taxes and wider economic uncertainty has left us with no choice,” Jo Whittaker, chief executive of Betfred, said.

“These are well-run shops, staffed by dedicated colleagues, and it is incredibly hard to see any of them close, but the current fiscal and regulatory environment has made it impossible to keep trading all our shops.

“Our priority now is to support the colleagues affected, and to continue serving customers and communities across the rest of our estate.”

Advertisement

Competing bookmakers Paddy Power and William Hill have similarly closed numerous outlets over the previous 12 months. In January, Evoke, which owns William Hill and 888, stated it acted “quickly and decisively” to counterbalance recent budget modifications to gambling levies through premises closures and expense reductions.

Last October, Paddy Power announced intentions to close 57 betting outlets throughout the UK and Ireland, placing approximately 250 employees’ jobs in jeopardy. The shutdown proposals follow tax hikes unveiled by the former chancellor.

Measures outlined in last year’s autumn budget included raising remote gaming duty from 21% to 40%, while a fresh online sports betting duty of 25% will apply to all sports excluding horse racing from 2027 onwards.

Betfred has also pointed to strain from additional tax rises, including the increase in National Insurance contributions and adjustments to thresholds.

Advertisement

Want to see more of the stories you love from Belfast Live? Making us your preferred source on Google means you’ll get more of our exclusives… To add Belfast Live as a preferred source, simply click here.

Source link

Continue Reading

NewsBeat

The PS5 is going to be the last console and Sony know it – Reader’s Feature

Published

on

The PS5 is going to be the last console and Sony know it - Reader's Feature
Is the PS5 as far as console evolution goes? (Credits: Getty Images)

A reader paints a bleak picture of the current console landscape and suggests that Sony already knows the PlayStation 6 will be only for a small percentage of rich fans.

It’s been obvious from the start that Sony has no intention of reversing their decision about physical media on the PlayStation 5. This wasn’t a conversation or a proposal; this was them telling their fans they can like it or lump it. There is no alternative: physical discs won’t exist after next year and then the only place you’ll be able to buy games is from the PlayStation Store.

There’ll be codes in a box in shops but that’s not going to be popular with either customers or shops. So beyond that it’s literally Sony or nothing, which is obviously exactly how they want it. If they’re the only way you can buy games then they can charge whatever they want and there’s nothing anyone can do about it. They also have no incentive to offer fair refund options; they’ll just keep it as it is.

So your options are either buy an Xbox (who’s going to do that?), buy a Switch 2 (it doesn’t have all third party games), or buy a PC (who wants that hassle?). Sony, of course, know this and the unattractiveness of the other options is exactly why they’re doing it. They’ve got us all trapped in a situation where either we play by their rules or we have to go find another hobby.

Advertisement

I don’t want to take up knitting though, so what are my options? I realise I’m being dismissive of PC gaming, and a lot of people seem keen on it, but I hate messing around with hardware and options and all that business. And so many games seem to have problems on PC even when they run fine on consoles. Plug and play is all I want and that’s exactly what consoles offer. Or at least they did until performance modes and all that other PC nonsense started getting into console games too.

The Switch 2 is probably something I’d like to have anyway, but while it does have decent third party support it all seems very random and you can’t count on anything definitely coming to it or not. Except I would bet quite a bit that GTA 6 isn’t going to make it.

Expert, exclusive gaming analysis

Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning.

Advertisement

So Sony has got us by the short and curlies. I don’t like that and I don’t like companies treating me like a sentient wallet, but that’s the situation we’re in now. If Xbox were in a healthier place they’d be just as bad, heck they tried to pull all this off years earlier with the Xbox One, but they’re kind of stuck trying to play the underdog card and hoping people will like them again because… Halo and Gears Of War? Yeah, that’s not happening.

GTA 6 screenshot of Lucia and Jason
GTA 6 – probably not coming to Switch 2 (Rockstar Games)

People have been talking about the end of consoles for years, but it’s mostly been just exaggerations and doomers trying to stretch a point. But now it feels like we’re actually there. There is going to be a PlayStation 6 but it’s going to cost a grand and that means only a tiny number of people are going to buy it – it won’t be a mass market device anymore. It’ll be the opposite of what the PS1 and PlayStation 2 were.

To what degree Sony could’ve done something about this I’m not sure. They can’t affect the component crisis, but they could’ve definitely tried to do something about development times and pushed companies back towards making double-A games acceptable. Or just pushing shorter games, like Spider-Man: Miles Morales. But no, they didn’t do anything sensible like that or make any attempt whatsoever to stop console gaming flying off a cliff.

You would’ve thought they might, considering that’s how they make their money and all, but no. So what is the future of PlayStation and non-Nintendo consoles in general? The PlayStation 6 is a novelty, in my view, and they know it. Just like the Steam Machine and Project Helix. They’re hyper expensive PC/console hybrids for super fans only and the companies know that.

Advertisement

I think the future of PlayStation is the handheld they keep hinting at. It’s going to be like a lower-specced PlayStation 5 (kind of like the Xbox Series S to the Xbox Series X) and it’ll keep the PlayStation 5 going for another eight years or so. There won’t be any PlayStation 6 exclusives, it’ll just upscale and boost PlayStation 5 games.

Valve's Steam Machine on a table
Steam Machine – too expensive for most people (Valve)

I feel that’s been kind of obvious for a while now but there’s literally nowhere else to go. You can’t make something more powerful than the PlayStation 5 and have it cost any less than the PS5 Pro and you can’t make exclusive games for a console that hardly anyone owns (which admittedly is something Microsoft has yet to learn).

So that’s it. Console gaming got as far as the PlayStation 5 and then stopped. I’m sure the PlayStation 6 will be able to do some little extra tricks and improvements, but the underlying games will be PlayStation 5 games, designed for what by then will be last gen hardware. Those that were complaining that this gen seemed like it’s barely started don’t know how right they are…

By reader Ruben

Mock PS6 console image
There will be a PS6 but it won’t be cheap (Metro)

The reader’s features do not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.

You can submit your own 500 to 600-word reader feature at any time, which if used will be published in the next appropriate weekend slot.

Advertisement

Just contact us at gamecentral@metro.co.uk or use our Submit Stuff page and you won’t need to send an email.

Advertisement
Advertisement

Source link

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © 2025