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GreedFall 2: The Dying World review – role-playing on the Old Continent

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GreedFall 2: The Dying World review - role-playing on the Old Continent
GreedFall: The Dying World – a lot better than you might have heard (Nacon)

Nacon’s troubled prequel is finally ready for its full release on consoles and PC, as it attempts to live up to the lofty ambitions of the original game and its unusual setting.

Launching games in early access on Steam can be a double-edged sword. On the plus side, it helps nurture a community who’ll hopefully tell their friends to buy it on full release, while also giving developers a massive free play test. But on the negative side, players can get a deeply flawed first impression of a game that ordinarily wouldn’t be seen by the public for months, or even several years.

GreedFall: The Dying World (back when it was called GreedFall 2) entered early access in September 2024 and has not been getting an easy ride. The original game had more than its fair share of technical problems when it was released, and its sequel has come in for plenty of flack during its early access period, while at the same time its developer suffered a round of layoffs. Double-A games like GreedFall are rarely highly polished affairs, and now that it’s available in its final form it’s interesting to see how it fulfils what are once again quite lofty ambitions.

Like the first GreedFall, the backdrop to the sequel is a multi-polar colonial world, this time with a plague spreading across its continent. Your heroes come from the so far untouched island of Teer Fradee, their ornate dress and spiritual connection to their ecosystem reminiscent of Native Americans. The musket toting, technologically more advanced nations invading their land set up mines, carelessly annihilate swathes of wildlife, and call the indigenous people ‘savages’.

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There’s a degree of historical realism about its setting, although you’ll also find huge mythical beasts and be able to use magic. Your first boss fight is against a freshly conjured nature golem that’s gone on the rampage, forcing you first to fight and then to flee. This proves to be only the first in a number of set pieces the game has to offer, as it alternates between limited open world sections and more linear exploration.

Conversations similarly vary between straightforward and consequential, your words and deeds sometimes affecting your reputation with party members and the wider community. The story propels you from place to place fairly frequently and membership of your group also changes, your standing with different teammates influencing how they support you, and whether they might be in the market for a little romance.

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There are other, more significant changes and initially the most noticeable is that while some conversations are in English, plenty are spoken in Yecht Fradí, the invented language of the aboriginal people from which your hero hails. It sounds entirely convincing, its principle downside being the need to look at subtitles for many of the conversations, which isn’t always easy when you’re navigating or trying to follow someone’s tracks.

Combat has also changed considerably, and not entirely for the better. The fact that you’re offered three different approaches to controlling fights at the beginning of the game suggests its developer, Spiders, wasn’t sure about it either. What emerges is a semi-real-time tactical fighting system, inspired by BioWare’s early work but built with a drastically lower budget.

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You can opt to just control your own character, as if you’re in a Mass Effect style action role-player, letting your party do their own thing, while at the other extreme you can pause time and issue specific orders to every party member, just like Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic. While it is possible to micromanage every aspect, other than the occasional boss fight we didn’t find it made much difference except to make battles take a lot longer to finish.

Battles are riddled with rough edges, the targeting system and the way you trigger different attacks working fine but never feeling necessary enough to make it all worth it, especially since your party seem quite happy to activate their own special moves if you let them.

GreedFall: The Dying World screenshot of a battle
GreedFall: The Dying World screenshot of a battle

Compared with Dragon Age: The Veilguard or Dragon’s Dogma 2, it’s all a bit clumsy and lacking in panache. Far more impressive are the game’s contrasting and architecturally distinctive environments. From the wilderness of Teer Fradee to the various cities and villages you visit, each area has its own wholly believable look and feel, as well as a population with their own beliefs, prejudices, and traditions.

GreedFall 2 offers first rate world building and unlike Avowed – which crammed its lore down your throat in huge, indigestible lumps – The Dying World’s conversations are admirably direct, whilst conveying all they need to about the lands and peoples you visit. Voice-acting is good and the script expressive enough to communicate emotion and societal mores without wasting your time with reams of tedious, unnecessary detail.

That’s just as well, because there’s a lot of talking, some of which comes with lasting effects. Like the original game, facial animation isn’t its strongest suit, but the combination of beautifully rendered environments, believable settlements, and a coherent sense of its warring nations, makes for a game that’s more than the sum of its parts, the over-ambitious tactical combat balanced by likeably earnest characters and a decent story.

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Its other great success is giving you quests that can successfully be fulfilled in a number of ways. Depending on the skills you cultivate, you can wear disguises, bribe guards, use diplomacy to persuade, stealth to pilfer key items, or good old lethal force to just wipe everyone out – the latter proving especially cathartic after a failed negotiation with an annoying side character. It feels great to have options though and to be rewarded for exploring them.

Even post launch, GreedFall: The Dying World certainly has its issues. It also has an unusually well-developed sense of purpose and place. There are way too many bland fantasy role-playing games, but this one leans into its history and the tensions of its world, without letting that get in the way of the pacing or action. Look past the lack of polish, there’s an immersive world to explore, along with a compelling sense of progression as your party toughens up.

GreedFall 2: The Dying World review summary

In Short: An atmospheric and evocative action role-player whose rough edges and lacklustre combat are balanced by compelling world-building, beautiful environments, and a far reaching sense of consequence.

Pros: Consistent progression with meaningful new skills and upgrades. Many quests can be completed in different ways. No major bugs. Believable characters and lore.

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Cons: Battle system works in principle but never feels quite right. A general lack of polish and its non-linear areas are rarely particularly large or open.

Score: 7/10

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Formats: PlayStation 5 (reviewed), Xbox Series X/S, and PC
Price: £49.99
Publisher: Nacon
Developer: Spiders
Release Date: 12th March 2026
Age Rating: 16

GreedFall: The Dying World screenshot of a battle
There’s a lot of BioWare DNA in the game (Nacon)

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Louis Theroux’s manosphere documentary is his most chilling yet

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Louis Theroux’s manosphere documentary is his most chilling yet

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‘I’d disown my son if he came out as gay,’ TikTok influencer Harrison Sullivan AKA HSTikkyTokky proudly declares.

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It’s just one of many nauseating remarks made during Louis Theroux’s 90-minute deep dive into the world of the ultra-misogynistic manosphere, an ecosystem of online communities that spreads harmful opposition to feminism.

Louis, who has departed his usual home on the BBC for his glossy Netflix debut, was inspired to shine a spotlight on the dark underbelly of the group after discovering the so-called King of Toxic Masculinity, Andrew Tate, through his three sons.

‘I had no idea who he was,’ Theroux, 55, admits.

He suspects Tate wanted to take part in the film, but was ultimately nervous.

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‘As a parent I’m obviously concerned. It would be easy to say ”oh well, they don’t take it too seriously”, but at a certain point, a joke is no longer a joke – especially when it’s unchallenged and repeated.’

Louis Theroux attempted to get inside the mind of British TikToker Harrison Sullivan (AKA HSTikkyTokky) (Picture: Netflix)
(L to R) Justin Waller, Louis Theroux, in Louis Theroux: Inside the Manosphere. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix ?? 2026
Influencer Justin Waller says people don’t believe him when he says he’s happy (Picture: Netflix)

Challenge is exactly what Theroux does with the controversial subjects of his film, but they won’t change their ways for anyone – not even their own mothers.

I met Theroux in 2018 and found it hard to imagine such a gentle giant possesses such a dark back catalogue of documentaries exploring seedy subcultures, as well as the lives of neo-Nazis, notorious killers, and Jimmy Savile, but he always remains self-deprecating even in the face of the very worst of humanity. It’s true that his awkwardness is off the charts.

While Theroux is considered one of the world’s greatest documentarians, his trademark of being a remarkable listener and gentle provocateur doesn’t rattle these antifeminist influencers, who will undoubtedly leave your blood boiling.

Admittedly, I had only heard of HSTikkyTokky and his wide-eyed counterpart Ed Matthews, who have taken over algorithms in the UK with promises to coach young men on how to be ‘proper boys’ through dodgy trading tips and Telegram subscriptions offering explicit content.

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The American subjects, Myron Gaines, Nicolas Kenn De Balinthazy (known online as Sneako), and Justin Waller, are equally as problematic for all of the same reasons and then some.

They all come across as so disturbingly convincing at their craft that it’s easy to understand why young boys are infatuated with these hypermasculine men. And parents, like Theroux, are right to be terrified.

Amrou Fudl (Myron Gaines), in Louis Theroux: Inside the Manosphere. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix ?? 2026
Myron Gaines is best known as the co-host of the Fresh & Fit podcast (Picture: Netflix)
(L to R) [Actor], [Actor] in Louis Theroux: Inside the Manosphere. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix ?? 2026
Sneako has been banned from multiple social media platforms (Picture: Netflix)

In one scene, boys who look as young as 10 are seen chanting ‘f**k women!’ and ‘all gays should die’ alongside their ‘king’ Sneako, 27, a political commentator and social media personality who was once banned from YouTube for promoting violent, misogynistic content.

Gaines and Waller are both supported by the women in their lives who egg on their behaviour in return for a ‘relaxed’ life. This is all despite several of the men thinking women shouldn’t be allowed to vote and sex workers, some of whom they profit from online, are ‘repulsive’.

Gaines, a suave sportscar-driving ‘success coach’ who mingles with Donald Trump, gives Theroux an exclusive look inside his personal life, which, without knowing anything about him, looks perfect. A pristine mansion, adorable kids, and a beautiful wife.

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But he quickly explains that he’s in a ‘one-sided monogamous relationship’, where he can sleep with as many women as he wants, but the mother of his children can’t speak to other men.

‘I like to tell people we have lanes,’ Kristen admits. ‘My lane is changing diapers, cooking, and cleaning, and his lane is working and providing. It works for us.’

A startling reality given a recent study found 31% of Gen Z men agree that a wife should always obey her husband, compared to 29% of Millennial men, 21% of Gen X men, and 13% of Boomer men.

Louis Theroux in Louis Theroux: Inside the Manosphere. Cr. Courtesy of Pip/Netflix ?? 2026
Theroux travels to Miami, New York and Marbella to meet the content creators at the heart of the manosphere (Picture: Netflix)

What does red-pilled mean?

A terminology which comes up within the documentary and the manosphere is red-pilling.

It refers to adopting a perspective that believes hidden truths about society, often associated with skepticism toward mainstream 
narratives and, in modern contexts, anti-feminist or far-right ideologies.

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Red pill came from a scene in the 1999 film The Matrix where the main character, Neo, is given the choice between taking a blue pill that would return him to a state of ignorance and a red pill that would show him the truth that humans are enslaved in a simulated reality.

The concept spread in the 2010s within online communities associated with conspiracy theories and extremist ideologies. 

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While the participants in the film all share the same deep mistrust of Theroux and the mainstream media, they refuse to be labelled as misogynistic because they actually ‘love’ women. ‘And since I understand them, I know what is best for them,’ Gaines boasts.

Theroux attributes association with the manosphere with broken childhoods (Sullivan’s single mum worked six-day weeks to put him through private school, while Gaines was nearly put into foster care). You’d have to dig pretty deep to find even an ounce of sympathy.

It’s not just the anti-woman rhetoric and resentment which is folded into the film. The racism is so casual within the manosphere that it’ll make you see red.

I’ve never seen Theroux confronted in such a vicious way within his own territory — and while the cameras are rolling. Amid all the discussions of misogyny, homophobia, and pornography, the most uncomfortable part is seeing him subjected to vile antisemitic comments. They aren’t thinly veiled remarks – they’re blatant and they sting even the viewer.

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It’s like seeing a group of teenagers gang up on your dad.

The empath in every viewer will hope that the behaviour of the manosphere is smoke and mirrors for a bigger issue at play – the copious amounts of money the men are earning online simply by misbehaving.

Undated handout photo issued by Netflix of Harrison Sullivan (HS Tikky Tokky) in Louis Theroux: Inside the Manosphere. The series due to be released on Netflix on March 11, and sees Louis Theroux explore the impact of online misogyny on young boys as he takes on the manosphere. Issue date: Wednesday February 11, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Netflix /PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder.
Sullivan doesn’t mind being called a misogynist, homophobic, and a scammer (Picture: Netflix)

These days rage bait is lucrative. Social media platforms reward strong emotional responses, encouraging creators to produce content that incites rage – and Sullivan knows exactly that all too well.

‘Call me a misogynist, call my homophobic, call me a scammer – I’m all those things,’ he brags.

In spite of Theroux’s best efforts to understand and confront the warped views of the manosphere, it almost seems redundant to even bother trying.

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These men are lining their pockets by selling vulnerable boys a dream, and they certainly won’t back down in the face of any criticism.

Louis Theroux: Inside the Manosphere premieres globally on Netflix on March 11.

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Rory McIlroy compared to Keir Starmer by ex-agent – ‘He’s a liability’

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Daily Mirror

Rory McIlroy may be one of the most popular athletes in the world, but the five-time major winner has been compared to Sir Keir Starmer by his former agent

Rory McIlroy’s former agent has compared the five-time major winner to prime minister Sir Keir Starmer. Andrew “Chubby” Chandler managed McIlroy from his professional debut in 2007 until they parted ways in October 2011.

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McIlroy left Chandler’s International Sports Management (ISM) agency as he felt he was being steered in the wrong direction. The Holywood golfer moved on to join fellow Northern Irishman Graeme McDowell at Horizon Sports Management, but that partnership only lasted two years.

Chandler is confident McIlroy can reach double digits in terms of majors, but believes he needs to retreat from the limelight occasionally. The Northern Irishman has often used any media platform granted to him to air his views about certain subjects, particularly when LIV Golf started changing the golf landscape.

READ MORE: Tommy Fleetwood provides update on stranded family and baulks at question – ‘No excuses’READ MORE: Fresh Rory McIlroy update issued before Players Championship – ‘He might withdraw’

Speaking to BOYLE Sports, Chandler believes McIlroy, who will defend his Masters title next month, needs to do less public speaking and keep many of his thoughts to himself. Chandler said: “Rory talks too much, but he’s an absolute gift for the media.

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“If he gets a microphone in his hands, he’s a liability in terms of saying anything. He’s more of a liability than the Prime Minister.

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“For a while, he was unbelievable. Everything he said, he had to go back and apologise for a month later, including his marriage. Rory just needs to calm down a bit – he thought he was saving the game at one stage but he just talked too much.

“He started to pause and reconsidered what he was saying but I don’t know what his motivation was originally. But I suppose when you’re Rory McIlroy and you constantly have a microphone in front of you. It’s very difficult to refuse it. So I understand. You’re just telling him to calm down a bit.”

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Following his Masters triumph to complete the grand slam last year, McIlroy confessed he found it difficult to stay motivated in the subsequent months. He rediscovered his form with a brilliant victory at the Irish Open before enjoying team success at the Ryder Cup in New York at the year’s end.

McIlroy has displayed flashes of brilliance in 2026, but a concerning back problem has cast doubt over his appearance at The Players Championship this week. Chandler believes the current world number two will add to his haul of five majors – and potentially double that figure.

“Rory should play a bit more freely. It shouldn’t be life and death. My guess is that he’ll win another five majors. I don’t think he’ll get to 15 majors, but I think he’ll get to 10,” the Englishman said.

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“At the end of the day, one of the things you’ve got to factor in is how many majors Scottie Scheffler is going to get. Rory is 36 so if he’s got six really good years left in him, that’s 24 chances to win more majors.

“You would think Scottie is going to win at least six of them. So, the analogy is that players like Ernie Els and, for that matter, Lee Westwood, struggled to win majors when Tiger Woods was in his prime because he won so many of them.

“It’s a similar situation now; it’s easy to say Rory might win a certain number of majors, but if he’s consistently going head-to-head with Scottie Scheffler, he won’t win as many.”

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Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle for the 2025/26 season, saving £336 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.

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Sky shows at least 215 live Premier League games each season, an increase of up to 100, plus Formula 1, darts, golf and more.

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HMRC explains process for claiming tax refunds on pension payments

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Wales Online

The tax department may write to you if you owed a tax refund

HMRC has provided an update regarding tax refunds for pensioners. The department clarified its rules in response to a query from a taxpayer.

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The person said they planned to retire at the end of April, becoming a “non taxpayer”. They queried whether it would be more beneficial to adjust their salary for the upcoming 2026/2027 tax year now to “claim back the tax”.

In response, the department first asked them to specify if they would have a “continuing UK source of income” post-retirement. The person confirmed that their income would solely come from pensions and that their total income would fall “below the personal allowance”.

State Pensioners to face major tax change

According to the personal allowance, you can earn up to £12,570 each tax year without being liable for income tax on this amount. HMRC offered this advice to the taxpayer: “So once you retire and you’ve got your P45, you can contact the helpline and we can take the details over the phone.

“We’ll use the P45 info and instruct your pension provider to refund any overpaid tax through your pension payments.” Another aspect to consider when planning for retirement is your state pension.

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Changes to the state pension

You become eligible for the state pension upon reaching 66 years of age. Nevertheless, this is set to change imminently, with the qualifying age rising from April 2026.

It will gradually increase to reach 67 by April 2028. The full new state pension presently stands at £230.25 weekly, equivalent to £11,973 annually.

The triple lock policy will boost payments by 4.8 per cent from April, lifting the full new rate to £241.30 per week, or £12,547.60 annually, marginally beneath the personal allowance threshold You can check how much state pension you’re projected to receive using an online tool on the Government website.

Should you have been taxed incorrectly by the end of the tax year, which ends on April 5, HMRC will typically get in touch regarding the discrepancy.

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The revenue service will dispatch either a tax calculation letter, commonly referred to as a P800, or a simple assessment letter. You will only receive one of these letters if you’re in employment or drawing a pension.

The letters are dispatched between June and March of the next tax year. If you’re registered for self assessment, HMRC will automatically amend your bill and no letter will be issued.

If you think you are owed an amount but you don’t get a letter, there is an online tool available on the Government website to determine whether you’re entitled to claim a refund.

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Best air purifiers 2026, tested for UK homes

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Best air purifiers 2026, tested for UK homes

“Air purifiers are definitely beneficial, particularly for airborne allergies,” says Dr Costa, who formerly ran paediatric allergy services for a major NHS hospital. “The air purifier will collect and remove small particles from the air, reducing your exposure to things that could potentially be harmful.”

But he is clear that not all air purifiers perform to the same standard. “The effectiveness of using an air purifier depends on the quality of the device,” he says. “Not all of them are the same and not all filter out the smallest particles that can cause particular problems, such as cat dander. It is also important you use them alongside any medical treatment recommended by your doctor.”

While most air purifiers will filter out the most problematic small particles (called PM 2.5 and PM 10), some also clear even tinier particles (PM 1), as well as smoke and chemicals known as VOCs (volatile organic compounds) from the air.

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Some of the best air purifiers also have extra features like cooling fans, warming heaters, dehumidifier functions and Wi-Fi connectivity, meaning you can control the device from an app on your smartphone.

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Glasgow Central high level closed for rest of week after building fire

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Glasgow Central high level closed for rest of week after building fire

“Unfortunately, further work is required to ensure the high level station is safe for trains to operate. Our priority is to make sure that we can reopen Glasgow Central as soon as it is safe to do so and we will continue to work with emergency services, the local council and our train operators to restore services.

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‘There is no real winner in war – everyone comes out losing’ | World News

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'There is no real winner in war - everyone comes out losing' | World News

When the sirens sounded around the city of Beit Shemesh on the second day of the war, Rabbi Yitzhak Biton suggested to his son they find a safe space at home rather than go to the nearest shelter.

But Yaakov felt worried and preferred to go.

Follow live updates on war in Middle East

He and his two younger sisters, Avigail and Sarah, headed out for the shelter beneath the local synagogue. Their parents stayed in the house.

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Image:
Yitzhak Biton’s children Yaakov (top centre), Avigail, 15 (right),
Sarah, 13 (left) and Rachel (centre)

Three minutes later, the missile hit.

“There was a tremendous explosion and an enormous blast wave,” Biton remembers. “The ceiling fell in, the windows flew out, everything collapsed. It was a miracle we survived.”

Emergency personnel work at the site of an Iranian strike in Beit Shemesh. Pic: Reuters
Image:
Emergency personnel work at the site of an Iranian strike in Beit Shemesh. Pic: Reuters

Rabbi Yitzhak Biton, whose three teenage children were killed by an Iranian strike
Image:
Rabbi Yitzhak Biton, whose three teenage children were killed by an Iranian strike

The synagogue was destroyed and in flames.

Biton waited as rescue workers slowly began to bring out bodies. Eventually the police asked him to leave.

“We waited at home until they came to take a DNA sample. Then I understood where this was going.”

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Missile strike devastates Israeli town

School and synagogue razed

Nine people were killed at the missile strike on Beit Shemesh, including Yitzhak Biton’s three teenage children.

A school and a synagogue were razed to the ground. It was the deadliest strike on Israel since the war began.

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We meet Biton and his wife, Tamar, sitting shiva, the Jewish seven-day mourning ceremony, in a Jerusalem hotel.

Yitzhak Biton and his 17-year-old son Yaakov
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Yitzhak Biton and his 17-year-old son Yaakov

A steady stream of visitors come to sit with the family and offer their condolences. Their one remaining child, four-year-old Rachel, chases around the lobby on a scooter.

“The girl understands and knows, she sees the change,” Biton says, “but she is coping with it bravely. She knows they have gone to a higher place.”

Faith has helped the couple cope. Tamar does not wish to be interviewed but smiles beatifically for a photograph.

Read more from Sky News:
The impact of war on your finances
Why it took so long to deploy UK warship

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Tamar Biton
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Tamar Biton

Rabbi prefers to talk about children

Her husband is happy to talk to us about his children but as a religious man, he will not be drawn on politics or the decision his government made to attack Iran which has come at such terrible cost to his family.

“I do not interfere in such matters,” he says.

“They were very very special. But I understand that everything is according to the will of the Creator. It is known that in war, in the end, everyone comes out losing. There is no war in which a person comes out a real winner.

“Sometimes the victor is the defeated one.”

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MPs demand urgent action on London grooming gangs

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MPs demand urgent action on London grooming gangs

Public attention on grooming gangs has often centred on the north of England, but last month’s BBC investigation revealed a complex picture in London, with gangs from a range of ethnic backgrounds, including white, operating widely in the capital and frequently exploiting young women.

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I visited Soham after Ian Huntley’s death and it’s clear the town has been ‘hurting since 2002’

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Cambridgeshire Live

I hope this can mark a new chapter for the town

I was only two years old when Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman were killed in Soham by the evil Huntley. I don’t remember it, but it’s always something that I remember being spoken about over the years. Especially living in Cambridgeshire, it was something I always knew happened just down the road.

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Huntley died in hospital on Saturday (March 7) after being attacked in prison and as soon as my shift started on Monday, I headed out to Soham to speak to people in the aftermath.

We wanted to speak to the people of Soham and hear their perspective, both on the death, but also how it impacts their town, which has been “haunted” by the tragedy. I went into it apprehensive, as I knew it was a sensitive topic for people in the area.

It took a while for me to find people happy to speak. I tried knocking on doors and talking to people in the high street. For some, it was clear they didn’t want to talk as soon as I explained what the topic of conversation would be.

This was totally understandable, it’s not a nice thing to talk about and the impact on the town was clear immediately. For the people who were comfortable talking to me, they were still apprehensive, but they made their thoughts clear.

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They said Huntley was a horrible man and his death was something people were happy about. On the flip side though it was immensely clear how sad people were that his evil crimes were what Soham was known for.

With his death, the town and families affected have been pushed into the spotlight once again. The final thought now that Huntley is dead, they just want the town to be able to move on.

While out in the town I walked to Soham Village College where Huntley worked at the time of the murders. The school was set back, but as I looked at its pretty building through the gates, I felt sad.

I looked around and it really hit me that these are the roads he walked, these are the grounds he worked on and this was also the place where he dumped the poor girls’ clothes. I felt sad. So many young people have since come and gone from this school, but it is his murderous crimes that the school is most known for.

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After seeing the school, I walked around to College Close, where Huntley used to live. I understand that his house was demolished not long after the girls’ deaths but when I walked around to the road, I didn’t realise how close it was, as it backs onto the school.

I also saw a sign for the Ross Peers Sports Centre, the place the girls were supposed to go to get sweets that tragic night. I felt even more sad and couldn’t imagine what it was like to live in this town at the time.

Hearing from people how much this murder affected such a lovely town, the pain was obvious. It’s clear this town has been hurting since 2002.

Two innocent girls had their lives taken away by an evil man. Now that he’s dead, I hope the town can move on.

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Maxine Peake urges British Museum to support Palestine

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Maxine Peake urges British Museum to support Palestine

The letter, coordinated by campaign group Culture Unstained, comes amid reports that the museum has removed the word “Palestine” from several of its gallery displays.

Last month, UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) raised concerns about references to Palestine in the British Museum’s displays, claiming that this risked “obscuring the history of Israel and the Jewish people”.

According to UKLFI, the museum has since changed panels in its Egypt galleries to replace “Palestinian descent” with “Canaanite descent”.

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The letter described amending these displays as an “act of historical revision and potential erasure”, and said: “The British Museum (must) avoid complicity in genocide, either through its representation of Palestinians and their history or by providing direct support to those that perpetrate or profit from that genocide.”

It also took aim at the British Museum’s director, Nicholas Cullinan, and said: “(He) is reported to be ‘disgusted’ by these media reports – but many are more disgusted by his museum’s indefensible decision to host a private party for the Israeli Embassy last year while the fugitive Israeli Prime Minister is charged with war crimes by the International Criminal Court.

“Many are also disgusted that his museum continues to partner with BP, a company that has profited from its supplying of fuel to the Israeli military throughout the bombing, violence and destruction in Gaza.

“The museum has ignored repeated calls to remove BP’s name from the museum’s lecture theatre.”

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The British Museum renewed its sponsorship with BP in 2023, having signed a 10-year-long £50 million deal with the firm to help fund its redevelopment.

The oil company has faced controversy as it owns and operates the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, which supplies Israel with crude oil.

The letter, which has also been signed by musician Brian Eno, called for the museum to “make its position clear” regarding the Israel-Palestine conflict, and to express “clear and unequivocal solidarity with the Palestinian people”.

It also pushed for the museum to issue a statement apologising for its relationship with BP and to remove its name from the BP Lecture Theatre sign which it has on display.

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The letter also said the British Museum should apologise for hosting a private event for the Israeli Embassy last year, and should recognise the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry which condemned the actions of Israel’s government.

It also advised the museum to consult with experts about how it presents Palestinian culture, including the “correct labelling of historic Palestinian artefacts as a necessary step towards returning them to their rightful owners”.

A British Museum spokesperson previously said: “It has been reported that the British Museum has removed the term Palestine from displays. It is simply not true.

“We continue to use Palestine across a series of galleries, both contemporary and historic.”

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The British Museum has been contacted for comment.

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Channel 5 Ellis fans ‘disappointed’ by Northern Ireland-set drama season 2 comeback

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Ellis was a major hit for Channel 5 when it first aired in 2024 but its series two debut proved to be “uninspiring”.

Ellis series two has launched and it appears that fans have been expressing the same sentiment about the new season.

WARNING: This article contains spoilers from Ellis.

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When it first premiered in October 2024, Ellis garnered glowing praise from Channel 5 audiences as straight-talking DCI Ellis (played by Sharon D Clarke) travels across the country assisting local police forces tackling challenging cases.

Therefore fans were eager for its comeback with Ellis launching its second series tonight, Tuesday, March 10, with the opening episode centring on the killing of a generous businessman.

Peter Barron (James Doran) had introduced a fresh programme to support young offenders by giving them jobs at a garden centre but not everyone in the community was pleased with the venture.

It wasn’t long before DCI Ellis and DS Chet Harper (Andrew Gower) were summoned as Peter was discovered dead at his property, launching this week’s case.

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Despite its earlier success, it wasn’t long before fans began voicing complaints about the opening episode of Ellis series two.

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“I am not as gripped by the new episode so far,” a viewer remarked.

Another concurred: “Disappointed. Loved the last series, but this has got off to a rather wooden and uninspiring series two.”

A third shared: “New to this but it seems very cliched. Will try and stick with it but so far it’s like it has been written from a kit.”

Another remarked: “Don’t really think much this programme,” whilst someone else commented: “That didn’t really feel like an ‘end of episode one’ scene in #Ellis.

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“I suspect this was originally intended to be broadcast as a single two-hour story like the first series, rather than split in two.”

However, some were delighted to see the drama’s comeback, with one fan noting: “Good to have #Ellis back, I’ve been looking forward to it.”

The second series of Ellis will comprise four episodes altogether, with the run divided into two separate investigations. Viewers will be able to discover what became of Peter Barron tomorrow evening, Wednesday, 11 March.

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Following this, Ellis will return with a fresh storyline on Tuesday, March 17, and Wednesday, March 18.

Ellis season two continues on Wednesday, March 11, at 9pm on Channel 5.

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