A federal jury on Friday found rapper Lil Durk not guilty of the attempted killing for hire of rival rapper Quando Rondo at a Los Angeles gas station, a shooting that resulted in the death of Rondo’s cousin.

The jury deliberated for three days before acquitting Lil Durk, the 33-year-old Grammy-winning Chicago hip-hop artist best known for the 2023 hit “All My Life,” of conspiracy, stalking resulting in death and murder for hire.

Durk supporters including music stars Machine Gun Kelly and Ye — the artist formerly known as Kanye West — appeared in the audience during the two-week trial in downtown Los Angeles. Big groups of fans, livestreamers and other content creators gathered outside the courthouse.

Durk’s co-defendants Deandre Wilson and David Lindsey were convicted of conspiracy to commit stalking, stalking using a dangerous weapon and stalking resulting in death. But both were also acquitted of murder for hire.

“We thank the jury for seeing there was no murder for hire,” Wilson’s attorney Craig Harbaugh said in an email. “We are confident the remaining counts will not survive our pending motion for acquittal.”

Attorneys for Durk and Lindsey did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment.

Durk, whose legal name is Durk Banks, remained in custody, pending a forthcoming trial on a racketeering count that was severed from this trial. He has been jailed since his 2024 arrest.

Prosecutors had alleged that Durk paid to have Rondo killed after someone from Rondo’s entourage fatally shot rapper King Von, a close friend of Durk’s and a member of his Only The Family hip-hop collective, at an Atlanta nightclub in 2020.

The prosecution alleged that in August 2022, a group of men flew to Los Angeles with funds provided by Durk, followed Rondo and his crew around, and three gunmen fired on his Escalade near the Beverly Center shopping mall in Los Angeles. Rondo survived, but his 24-year-old cousin, Saviay’a Robinson, known as Lul Pab, was killed.

“Today, the jury delivered justice to the family of Saviay’a Robinson, finding defendants Deandre Wilson and David Lindsey guilty of stalking resulting in Mr. Robinson’s death,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said in a statement. “While we are disappointed with the jury’s decision regarding Durk Banks, a.k.a. ‘Lil Durk,’ we look forward to presenting our evidence at his second trial.”

Durk won a Grammy earlier that year for Best Melodic Rap Performance for “All My Life,” which features J. Cole. He has been nominated for three other Grammys and was a featured performer on Drake’s “Laugh Now Cry Later.”

 Police have arrested an eighth person on suspicion of attempted murder after a ‘machete gang fight’ broke out in a KFC in Bromley. 

A man, 21, and three boys aged between 14 and 17 were rushed to hospital with stab wounds after the attack on Bromley High Street at around 2.15pm on Thursday. 

The man was previously in a critical condition, however, his injuries are now believed to be non-life-threatening.

Those four, plus another four boys also aged between 14 and 17 have since been arrested and remain in police custody.  

A witness described there being ‘a lot of blood’ after the injured were attacked with a large knife inside the branch. Another said they saw the use of ‘a machete’.

A bus driver who was at the scene minutes later said the victims had been attacked with a ‘zombie knife’. 

Police said there is currently no wider threat to the public, and as of Thursday the KFC was closed as the chain supported staff members following the ordeal. 

The driver, who wished to remain anonymous, said: ‘It was inside the KFC. People have been interviewed in there since I arrived – I’ve been stuck here for two hours.

‘Someone from TK Maxx said it was a zombie knife. They said it was really bad, a lot of blood.’ 

A security guard working nearby said the attackers were ‘a group of kids with a machete’.

‘I came off my break and saw a bunch of police cars come past – they surrounded the area and have cut off everything heading towards Bromley North,’ they added.

Forensic investigators can be seen at the scene on Bromley High Street in south London

It comes after witnesses said they saw the assailants use ‘a machete’ and saw a ‘lot of blood’

The town square and shopping centre were blocked off with a cordon put in place between Ringers Road and Ethelbert Road. 

Meanwhile, a manager of Merkur Slots gambling shop said she witnessed the fight ‘spill out’ onto the high street. 

She said that she felt ‘very worried’ and locked herself, as well as three customers, inside the building as they waited for the incident to de-escalate. 

Vinnie Guadagnino, who lives on the high street, said he saw a huge police response to the incident with several cars and at least ten officers on foot. 

He told the BBC: ‘Police cars kept coming, then within the next half hour there were multiple fire engines and people gathering.

‘Then there was a drone overhead and helicopters and an air ambulance – so a massive emergency service response.’

An air ambulance, the London Fire Brigade and the Met Police were dispatched to the incident. Detectives are treating it as an isolated event.

Bromley is one of the largest boroughs in the capital city and is known for its sprawling green spaces. It is generally considered a middle-class area. 

It is also ranked among the top ten safest boroughs in the capital city, with 67 crimes reported per 1,000 people, according to CrimeRate. 

Data this year also revealed it was the most expensive area in south-east London to buy a property. 

The scene at Bromley yesterday, where there was a heavy police response to the incident

Statistics from Zoopla showed the average salary required to buy a home in Bromley was £92,000.

The average property price in the area sits at £518,000, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Meanwhile, as of June 2026, the average value of a detached property in Bromley sits at £1,074,000

Peter Fortune, the borough’s Conservative MP, said on X that he was aware of residents’ ‘safety concerns’ following the attack. 

‘The police are in attendance and have made a number of arrests,’ he said. ‘I will remain in close contact with the police as they continue to investigate this incident.’

Yesterday, a Met Police spokesman said: ‘At around 14:15 on Thursday, September 10, officers were called to reports of an altercation on Bromley High Street.

‘Officers attended the scene alongside the London Ambulance Service and London’s Air Ambulance and found four men with stab wounds. 

‘Three of them were taken to hospital where they are receiving treatment for non-life-threatening injuries. One is in critical condition.

‘Seven men were arrested, and they all remain in custody.

‘Police enquiries continue and there is not believed to be any wider threat to the public.

A London Ambulance Service spokesman said: ‘We were called at 2.19pm today to reports of a stabbing on Bromley High Street, Bromley. 

‘We sent ambulance crews, a paramedic in a fast response car, an incident response officer and an advanced paramedic.

‘We also dispatched London’s Air Ambulance. We treated four patients at the scene and took them all to hospital’.

A KFC spokesman said: ‘We can confirm that a serious incident took place this afternoon in our Bromley High Street restaurant. 

‘We are working with the police on their ongoing investigation. Our priority is supporting our team members and customers at this difficult time.’ 

A San Francisco-based federal immigration judge was fired after she questioned Trump administration legal tactics and resisted a request from Immigration and Customs Enforcement to fast-track the deportation of a teen asylum seeker, a lawsuit claims.

In the complaint, filed Thursday in federal court, Chloe Dillon alleges she was fired roughly 48 hours after sending a message to a superior relating her concerns over an August 2025 incident. In the message, Dillon wrote that she was alarmed a teenage asylum seeker had been arrested by ICE after they left her courtroom, where she had just delayed ICE’s request to dismiss the individual’s case and place them into expedited removal proceedings.

Prior to the arrest, Dillon gave the individual, who had been representing themselves, time to find a lawyer.

“When you have judges who are in fear that they will be fired for the decisions that they’re making, it has completely undermined the basic principles of judicial adjudication,” Dillon told SFGate. “I don’t see how you have fair and unbiased tribunals in the immigration court when there is this atmosphere of fear and intimidation.”

The asylum seeker had originally shown up to court representing themselves, and Dillon concluded the individual was “almost certainly a designated unaccompanied minor who could not be placed into expedited removal proceedings, and who thus had the right to have his already-filed asylum application decided first by an asylum officer, and then, if necessary, by the Immigration Court,” according to the suit.

The San Francisco immigration court was already under pressure from the Trump administration to comply with requests from ICE to transfer cases to other venues, according to the suit. Dillon alleges a superior told her in spring of 2025 that the White House “was watching the issue and cautioned her against resisting the directive.”

Nonetheless, Dillon refused to comply with some of these requests, and she similarly pushed back in cases where she felt ICE lacked the jurisdiction to re-calendar cases involving unaccompanied minors.

In her August email to her superior, Dillon argued ICE had been “disrupting the orderly administration of justice,” the suit claims.

The complaint, which names the Justice Department and Attorney General Todd Blanche, among others, seeks to have Dillon reinstated and given back pay, damages and a declaration the firing was unlawful. The lawsuit argues Dillon’s constitutional rights under the First and Fifth Amendment were violated, along with federal law, and it alleges the judge was fired without notice or an opportunity to challenge the decision.

The Independent has contacted the White House for comment.

“While we do not typically comment on pending litigation or personnel matters, we can tell you that this allegation is patently false,” a DOJ spokesperson told The Independent in a statement.

“After four years of the Biden Administration forcing Immigration Courts to implement a de facto amnesty for hundreds of thousands of aliens, this Department of Justice is restoring integrity to our immigration system and encourages talented legal professionals to join in our mission to protect national security and public safety,” the official added.

Over the last year-and-a-half, the Trump administration fired most of the immigration judges in San Francisco and shuttered one of the main immigration courts there.

Under the Trump administration, immigration officials have stepped up arrests near courthouses, schools and other sensitive locations. Numerous individuals have reported being arrested after appointments checking in with immigration officials about their pending legal status that had previously occurred without incident.

Tessa Picken, 40, from Castleford, was a mum of three girls and one boy

A “beautiful” Wakefield mother-of-four who ‘lit up every room’ has tragically lost her life after being hit by a car while crossing the road.

Tessa Picken from Castleford in Yorkshire, died on Wakefield Road, Featherstone, shortly before 6.40pm on Tuesday, September 8. She was struck by a grey Cupra Born travelling towards Wakefield at the junction with Common Side Lane, reports Yorkshire Live.

The 40 year old, mum to three daughters and one son, sadly died at the scene. The motorist, a 26-year-old man from Pontefract, was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.

Tessa’s sister Georgi Jenkins shared a heartfelt tribute on Facebook, writing: “My beautiful sister, Tessa. I will miss you so much. You were one in a million. You know how much I loved you. I know how much you loved me. That will stay with me forever. I will do my best Tessa.”

Friend Charlotte Baker has launched a crowdfunder to provide support for Tessa’s children. Charlotte said: “To everyone who knew her, loved her, laughed with her, made memories with her or simply crossed paths with her – please help us give her family the support they desperately need right now.

“Fly high, beautiful. ️You lit up every room you walked into, and now you’ll be lighting up heaven. Your girls and your boy will be surrounded by love. We will all do everything we can to make sure they know how special their mum was and how many people loved her. You will be missed more than words could ever explain.”

Saramay Barber said: “RIP Tessa Picken you’ll be missed by so so many people I’ll always be there for your babies fly high Tessa. You’re one in a million you lit every room you walked in you’ll be missed so so much sending all my love.”

Donations to the fundraiser can be made here. A balloon release tribute is scheduled in her memory at Verner Green tomorrow, Saturday, September 12, at 6pm.

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The wife of a British businessman has called on Andy Burnham for help after several pleas sent to his predecessor Sir Keir Starmer went unanswered amid his family’s fears that the 72-year-old may die behind bars in Dubai.

Ryan Cornelius has spent nearly two decades jailed in Dubai’s central prison in the Al Awir desert – a world away from the glittering metropolis shown by celebrities and influencers of the United Arab Emirates on social media.

The forbidding prison, famously dubbed Dubai‘s Alcatraz, has been repeatedly condemned by human rights groups as a grim, high-security ‘hell-hole’ where inmates face harsh conditions and overcrowding. 

Here, Mr Cornelius has been locked away in a cell the size of a shipping container, which he shares with six other inmates, despite demands from the United Nations that he be released, as it accused the UAE of ‘serious judicial irregularities’.

In 2008, he was arrested and accused of defrauding the Dubai Islamic Bank (DIB) after taking out a $500million bank loan, which he and another Brit were using to fund investment programmes in the Gulf state. He vehemently denies the charges.

During his trial, prosecutors alleged he forged invoices for the construction of a luxury development called The Plantation, which includes a 200-room hotel, 100 villas, an equestrian centre and a polo club. 

Footage recently emerged of construction being carried out on the site as his family accuses the Gulf state of trying to keep Mr Cornelius behind bars ‘until he dies’ so the businessman can never ‘mount any kind of legal challenge against’ the UAE.

In an interview with the Daily Mail, his loyal wife Heather Cornelius spoke of her agony after her family’s pleas for her husband’s release have fallen on the deaf ears of the British Government for the last 18 years.

This upcoming Monday, she is set to hand the Prime Minister a letter calling for him to take action and help free her husband from the bleak Middle Eastern penitentiary.

‘I’d like to have an answer from Andy Burnham,’ Mrs Cornelius said. ‘We didn’t get an answer from Keir Starmer. I sent to [him] last year in April, and even my brother-in-law has written to the Foreign Secretary, Ed Miliband. We’ve had no reply.’

British businessman Ryan Cornelius (now 72) was arrested in Dubai 18 years ago over a $500M bank loan used to fund a luxury development project (Pictured: Ryan with his wife Heather)

Ryan is held at Al Awir Central Prison (pictured), a overcrowded, high-security facility in the desert. He shares a cell the size of a shipping container with six other inmates.

Her brother-in-law, Chris Paggett OBE, who worked for the Foreign Office for 32 years, added they had delivered two letters to Sir Keir – one in November before he visited the UAE and another last April. Both went unanswered. 

He maintained the Foreign Office ‘just ignored Ryan’s case for 14 years’ because ‘it suited them to believe Dubai’s version of events’, adding that Sir Keir ‘never even bothered to reply’. 

‘To do otherwise was too inconvenient to their objective of having a close relationship with this wealthy country,’ he said. ‘We’re hoping that Andy Burnham will be different.’

‘This is a matter for the Prime Minister now. Burnham needs to involve himself in this because manifestly nothing else has worked.’ 

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the billionaire ruler of Dubai and Prime Minister of the UAE, is one of the biggest landowners in Britain, and as of 2021, owned more than 40,000 hectares in London, Scotland and Newmarket.

In May 2008, Mr Cornelius, who was once a successful entrepreneur living with his family in Bahrain, was arrested by men in civilian clothes as he changed flights in Dubai and whisked away in an unmarked car. 

Initially, they approached him amid suspicions that he was carrying drugs. Although a search found nothing, he was still taken to Dubai’s police headquarters with his hands bound with zip ties and a hood placed over his head.

After hours of interrogation with no access to lawyers, family or the British Embassy, the accusations against him were no longer drugs but fraud, as they alleged he stole $500million from the DIB. 

Now Heather is set to hand a letter to Andy Burnham in the hopes he will finally take action after years of the British government ‘turn[ing] a blind eye’ 

Ryan Cornelius (right), pictured with his wife Heather and their three children, may have been tortured by authorities in the United Arab Emirates. UN human rights experts have warned

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But after serving his time, Ryan (pictured with his son) was brought to a closed-door hearing in 2018 with no lawyer or notice and handed a further 20 years in jail under Dubai Law no 37. 

It came amid concerns from Dubai authorities about the sizeable loan he and another Brit were using to fund investment ventures in the area amid the fallout of the global financial crash.   

However, Lord Clement-Jones, a lawyer and Lib Dem peer, who has fearlessly backed Mr Cornelius, said the original issue surrounding the loan and the receipts was ‘technical’ rather than fraud. 

But during his initial arrest, Mr Cornelius was ordered to sign a statement in Arabic despite not being able to read or speak the language – after hours of being interrogated in a windowless room with no contact with the British Embassy. 

Three years later, his case was brought before a Dubai court. He was handed a ten-year jail sentence and, alongside his three co-defendants, ordered to repay the loan and a £500million fine. 

But after serving his time for the charge of ‘theft from public bodies’, despite DIB originally being a publicly traded joint-stock firm, he was brought to a closed-door hearing with no lawyer or notice and handed a further 20 years in jail under Dubai Law no 37. 

And despite the UAE Constitution outlining that prisoners should not be jailed beyond the age of 70, Mr Cornelius’s application to be released at this age was opposed by the DIB and thus refused. 

Earlier this year, the experts at the UN found that his detention was arbitrary and once again called for his immediate release amid concerns the businessman had been ‘tortured’ behind bars. The European Parliament also made the same demands.  

But amid the government’s inaction and Mr Cornelius’s health issues, having contracted tuberculosis, Covid on two occasions, as well as his borderline diabetes, his family fear he may never be released from the desert prison.  

‘It’s a massive concern, and we are looking at that very possibility,’ Heather said. ‘We need someone to see that this is going nowhere unless we do get much more substantial help.’

Pictured: A screenshot from a video of construction taking place on the plot of land dubbed The Plantation which Ryan formerly owned 

The Plantation land seized by the DIB has been renamed ‘The Acres’ and is being developed by a Dubai Holdings real estate company

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Describing the last 18 years as ‘absolutely life-changing’ for not just herself but her children and her family as a whole, she added: ‘Nothing has been normal since Ryan was arrested.

‘[It’s] become more and more frightening every year because it’s just so difficult to get any justice.  

‘We just don’t get anywhere with, you know, getting anywhere with the British government, you know, standing up for the rights of British people like Ryan Cornelius.’

‘My family’s been devastated. Everything in our lives has been affected by this. And it is something we can never repair or get back. It just doesn’t get any easier. It is really difficult.

‘Every time you think that you might have some little bit of hope, it just gets dashed. We’ve had absolutely no help [from the British government] whatsoever.’ 

She added: ‘At the beginning, the very beginning, I thought, ‘I’ll get Ryan home. This has all been a big mistake.’ We all just tried to survive

‘But to tell you the truth, every single year since he was arrested, it has just got more and more difficult for all of us.’

In the fallout of his conviction, authorities in Dubai seized all of Mr Cornelius’s business assets, his personal properties including homes in London, and drained his bank accounts. His family was left homeless. 

Meanwhile, as of 2024 in Meeras, the Plantation land seized by the DIB has been renamed ‘The Acres’ and is being developed by a Dubai Holdings real estate company. 

It is marketed as a luxury development, comprised of 1200 villas – the cheapest priced at $1.5million.

Mr Paggett accused the British Government of ‘turn[ing] a blind eye’ and, as such, strengthening the UAE’s ‘feeling that they can act with impunity’ as ‘the world needs their money too much’. 

‘This is very much an issue for our times, and it’s one Western democracies like ours haven’t yet found an answer to.

‘But increasingly, autocracies, particularly rich autocracies, have the badge of traditionally being sort of friendly autocracies, friends of the West, are able to ignore what they want to ignore. The UAE has an awful lot of question marks over it now.

‘At no point has the British government given the UAE any reason to think that what it’s doing to Ryan would be anything other than cost-free.’

He believes that Ryan would not be behind bars currently if the British government ‘had the gumption early on’. 

Comparing their battle with David and Goliath, he added: ‘We’re just a family. We haven’t got any money. We’re facing a well-resourced machine.’

Meanwhile, Heather and her family, who once ‘loved’ living in the Middle East and was full of ‘great excitement’ at eventually moving to Dubai when her husband’s project was finished, have missed out on a lifetime with Mr Cornelius. 

Milestones such as birthdays, funerals, university excitement and even the birth of his first grandchild this year have all been robbed from the 72-year-old, who has but the tiny view of the sprawling desert from his cell. 

‘We’ve gradually lost, you know, anything that we did have. Ryan is bankrupt,’ Heather added. 

‘I think the damage done to all of us on mental health will continue to affect us for the rest of our lives.

‘Our children are very strong. Ryan’s strong. I’ve had to find some strength somewhere.

‘But I think there’s a limit to how long you can keep drawing on those reserves to get some strength.

She added: ‘There’s a greater hope now with the new Andy Burnham. They should do this for every British citizen, not just for Ryan.’

An FCDO Spokesperson said: ‘The UK Government continues to raise Mr Cornelius’ case with the UAE authorities and is providing ongoing consular support to him and his family.’

A woman has been accused of beating her husband to death with a flagpole in a luxury California gated community.

Vicky Kim, 65, was charged with murder after police found her husband bludgeoned at The Enclave, a neighborhood of rental condos in Palm Desert.

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office said deputies went to The Enclave shortly before 10 a.m., local time, last Friday on an “unknown trouble call.”

Upon arrival, deputies found someone with “traumatic injuries consistent with a physical assault,” and the person was pronounced dead, a press release issued Saturday read. Police are withholding the victim’s identity, citing the ongoing investigation.

Court records revealed that the victim was Kim’s husband and that she had inflicted great bodily harm on him using a flagpole, per SFGate. She was taken into custody and later booked into a local jail.

A spokesperson for the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office said that Kim has had several domestic violence cases against her that involve her husband.

“In January of this year, our office charged Ms. Kim with a felony, obtained criminal protective orders, and intended to aggressively prosecute her for her crimes against her husband,” spokesperson Molly Smith told SFGate.

Deputies went to an address in Palm Desert on January 20 for a domestic incident and found Kim’s husband with an injured nose, according to court records obtained by local outlet KESQ.

Kim allegedly admitted to a deputy that she hit him on the nose three times after an argument about finances.

“Despite our office’s clear objections, a judge resolved all of the defendant’s cases as misdemeanors, released her from custody, and terminated all protective orders that prosecutors worked hard to obtain,” Smith told KESQ.

Prosecutors filed five domestic violence cases against Kim from September 2025 to January 2026, according to the court records.

Everyone has their own take on the best spot for a classic Sunday roast but I think I’ve found the perfect spot

Aside from my mother’s roast chicken and stuffing there’s one place I will always head to should I need a Sunday dinner fix and it’s tucked behind a retail park with a massive B&Q in a bustling Welsh town where the food scene has come on leaps and bounds in recent years.

The Bunch of Grapes in Pontypridd has placed in the The Good Food Guide as well as swiping titles of National Pub of the Year and AA Pub of the Year for Wales, is on a funny little street, Ynysangharad Road, which takes you towards Pontypridd’s famous and lovely park at one end while at the other you’re into steep hill territory as you head towards Ponty Common.

Affectionately called ‘The Bunch’ by locals and regulars, this is a pub with a cosy bar stocked to the rafters with own-brewed ales and beers, a big fireplace on one side of the building and a fresh open restaurant area on the other.

The menu is full of exceptional pub food on a regular basis and they often do themed menus like their recent fried chicken specials. Having dined there many times there’s barely a bad pick and if the tandoori lamb or kimchi fritters are there don’t leave them behind.

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But you’re here for the Sunday lunch. I’m having the beef – non-negotiable – and you can choose it two ways with either a 12-hour braised brisket or a roasted rump. I tend to opt for the rump because they cook it perfectly pink in a way I wouldn’t be able to at home.

Served as two slices, it’s soft against a knife with that ideal level of chew. The brisket falls apart and comes with a Welsh stout jus (thinner gravy I suppose you could describe it as) and I reckon next time I’ll go I’ll pick that one.

Other meats on offer include roast leg of lamb and chicken supreme (done on the bone) and you can also get fish and chips or a nut roast. Their menu is seasonal and changes regularly.

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The quality of the food is second to none. The beef’s flavour oozes quality on top of its fresh, healthy beefy deliciousness. The accompanying vegetables – charred broccoli, braised carrots, and roast potatoes – may seem modest when your plate is popped down on the table but, let me assure you, come the end you’ll be more than full to the brim and ready for a Sunday afternoon snooze.

They too are flavourful due to their freshness and the standard side of leek gratin offers a rich, cheesy swirl that is all sorts of right when mixed in with the gravy (even though mixing cheese and gravy is instinctively a culinary crime to me). Pop some swede mash in the centre and it takes you right back to proper childhood Sundays.

Sunday lunch at The Bunch is slightly on the fancier end of the roast scale – but only due to high-quality components and presentation. It’s the number one recommendation I make to those going out for that special weekend dinner.

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The balance, timing, and coordination it takes to achieve a successful, delicious, and perennially hot Sunday roast is no mean feat. It takes talent, practice, and a hell of a lot of patience and I take my hat off to anyone who cooks them en masse. It’s also why I go out to eat them.

Sunday lunch at the Bunch of Grapes is priced at two courses for £25 or £30 for three and you can find them at Ynysangharad Road, Pontypridd, CF37 4DA.

Michael Kors has made a case for the return of 2010s business casual at New York Fashion Week – complete with now familiar trend of capri pants, but accompanied by cropped-sleeve blazers and the high-low hem.

Kors, 67, has spent more than four decades refining his particular brand of American style, focusing on clean tailoring without appearing overly precious, designed as much for a busy city street as a red carpet.

His designs have been worn by some of the world’s biggest stars, from Michelle Obama and Nicole Kidman to Blake Lively, Jennifer Lopez and Zendaya. He is also familiar to audiences beyond the runway, having spent 10 seasons as a judge on US reality competition Project Runway, where his sharp one-liners became almost as recognisable as his clothes.

This season, however, was less about Hollywood glamour and more about the corporate wardrobe of the early 2010s that appeared to be on Kors’ mind.

The first model emerged suited and booted in a long black blazer, worn as a dress with stark-white heeled boots and oversized circular jewellery.

An all-black capri trouser suit followed, before a sculptural asymmetric black top and skirt established the collection’s predominantly monochrome palette.

Capri pants have been slowly creeping back into wardrobes over recent seasons, and Kors appeared determined to cement their reign.

There were cropped trousers, knee-length skirts, three-quarter-sleeved jackets and slim knits layered over shirt collars – even the corporate midi dress made an appearance.

But Kors then disrupted the black and white with flashes of saturated colour: coral red, marigold yellow and pea green appeared on shoes, handbags and entire looks.

Circles became a recurring motif. Models wore enormous round sunglasses and disc-shaped jewellery, while circular cut-outs punctuated dresses and tops.

Perhaps most intriguing were small leather wallets suspended like pendants around the neck – perhaps this is a trend to come.

The bags themselves remained unusually sensible by recent runway standards. Rather than the microscopic handbags or enormous totes that have dominated most collections, Kors offered slim, medium-sized styles and traditional top-handled bags.

There were also smooth pebble-shaped clutches for evening – another continuation of the collection’s fascination with curved forms.

Kors is synonymous with tailoring, but this season the designer played with classic cuts, experimenting with garments cut away from the body, with asymmetric hems and strong, sculptural proportions.

Cropped sleeves appeared on coats and jackets, while balloon hems brought volume to skirts.

Stripes later broke through the blocks of colour, appearing on skirts, dresses and preppy polo-inspired pieces.

Leather neck scarves also appeared throughout, suggesting the bandana and skinny scarf trend that dominated summer 2026 may have staying power for another season.

Floral embellishment provided another change of texture. Three-dimensional appliqué and oversized reflective discs covered otherwise restrained dresses and skirts, giving the clothes movement without abandoning Kors’ characteristically clean looks.

The high-low – or “mullet” – hem was palpable throughout the collection, shorter at the front and dramatically longer at the back.

Kors deployed it on several pieces, including a vibrant yellow dress, reviving a shape synonymous with the early 2010s at a time when the decade’s cigarette trousers, peplums and officewear are already undergoing a fashion rehabilitation.

Even the evening looks seemed entangled with the businesswear aesthetic. There were flashes of sparkle and daring cut-outs, but rather than relying on traditional red-carpet ready gowns, Kors created drama through asymmetric shapes, tactile embellishment and sharply cut silhouettes.

It was a reminder of one of the designer’s longstanding strengths: combining the luxurious with the practical.

American model Alex Consani closed the show in a black asymmetric high-low dress, before the models made their final walk to Harry Nilsson’s 1969 song I Guess The Lord Must Be In New York City.

Kors then ran onto the runway for his bow in his own enduring uniform: an all-black suit, black T-shirt and black aviator sunglasses.

Among those watching from the front row were socialite Nicky Hilton and The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills star Lisa Rinna.

The show fell on the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.

The Michael Kors label took to Instagram to announce it had made a donation to 9/11 Day, an organisation which encourages people to mark the anniversary through good deeds and community service, “to further their mission of turning remembrance into action”.

For a designer who has repeatedly returned to New York as a source of inspiration, the collection was fittingly rooted in the city wardrobe – albeit one that looked suspiciously similar to a 2011 office.

Capri pants have already made their comeback, but if Kors has his way, cropped blazers, corporate midi dresses and even the much-maligned high-low hem could be next.

I always raise my eyebrows when people associate gardening with relaxation and pleasure.

Yes, it is lovely to have a garden and yes they are great places in which to sit and relax with a glass of wine. But they also have to be maintained and, far from being a place to boost your wellbeing gardens can be a serious threat to your health.

Around 87,000 people are injured every year while gardening, estimates from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) state. That probably won’t come as a surprise to most people, with hazardous equipment such as lawnmowers and electric hedge trimmers being in regular use. But, get this – seemingly innocuous pieces of gardening kit can also pose a problem.

Areas which suffered from hosepipe bans this summer have seen a sharp rise in strains and other back injuries caused by lifting heavy watering cans. It’s not only the elderly, even young, fit people are suffering. One osteopath practice in Berkshire reported ‘a huge increase in patients with back, neck, shoulder and elbow pain that they attribute to watering cans.’ Another practice, in Stowmarketin Suffolk, said patients were coming in with musculoskeletal problems from lugging watering cans to their plants.

Our vegetable patch is at the bottom of the garden and I admit to being relieved that we didn’t have a ban, and using a hosepipe throughout the heatwave. During the Yorkshire hosepipe ban last year I lugged watering cans up and down, hundreds of times. At the time I didn’t associate it with my sudden-onset lower back pain that lasted at least a month, but there was no other reason for it.

I haven’t avoided gardening ailments this summer, however. Thirty minutes extracting some dead wood from within our hedge left my arms covered in an itchy, bright red rash. An hour cutting the hedge with shears – the electric cutter terrifies me – left me with upper arm pain that’s still lingering. Cleaning out the green bin after collection, I lost my balance, fell over and bruised myself.

Take care when using gardening equipment. Picture: Pixabay

My husband has had his fair share of gardening accidents. Wearing sandals while tying up some runner beans, he stubbed his toe on the side of a raised bed, breaking it. It was the night before we were due to go on holiday. He refused to go to A&E and instead strapped it up. It healed awkwardly – it needs re-breaking and setting to fix it, but he refuses – and has since had to buy a larger shoe size.

He now wears clogs when digging, and sturdy boots when going up ladders.

That’s a trivial accident compared to some. What we don’t consider is that many gardening activities involve – proper ones, bought in the Netherlands – the use of equipment that, were it used in an industrial setting, would require special clothing, footwear, eyewear and, sometimes, hard hats.

Yet we – I’m pointing the finger at my husband here – skip up stepladders to saw branches off trees wearing flip flops. We dig, fork and hoe wearing sandals and, commonly, wellies, which, if you stick a fork into your foot, certainly aren’t up to the job.

My neighbour couldn’t wear shoes for a month this summer after dropping a pair of secateurs on her foot. The blades pierced her skin between the straps of her sandal. Secateurs, pruners and shears are, in fact, the third most dangerous gardening tool, with 4,400 injuries every year in the UK.

Lawnmowers are top, accounting for 6,500, according to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents per annum in the UK, topping injury lists.

Another seemingly harmless item – flowerpots – comes next, with 5,300, due to heavy lifting strains, cuts, and dangerous trips or falls.

Garden canes can be lethal if you bend down and poke your eye, and a minor scratch form a rose could turn nasty.

Of course, it has been proven that gardening is great for your mental health, and keeps you fit, so don’t let me put you off. But if you have a garden, wear protective gear and take care.

An Oasis tour announcement is due on Monday – but how much will you be willing to spend to see the rock ‘n’ roll stars next year? Have your say in our poll

Oasis have confirmed they will make their huge tour announcement on Monday, September 14, and it has got fans of the band at fever pitch. The band have been teasing a host of potential gig venues and cities for the past week on their official social media accounts.

Then on Thursday night came the dramatic statement of intent – sending a 120-metre long drone display over the Etihad Stadium in Manchester with their Oasis logo beaming out. It went on to confirm the date of 14/09/26 for an announcement that will be made at 4pm BST.

It confirms that news of a major world tour from the band, fronted by reunited brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher, is now just hours away.

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Fans are now desperately refreshing Ticketmaster accounts and credit card details to get ready for what is set to be an almighty scramble for tickets whenever a new tour goes on sale.

One of the big topics of debate among fans now is exactly how much tickets will be for this new, Oasis 2027 tour, from the reinvigorated band. And, more to the point, how much fans are willing to pay to see the band this time around.

As fans will recall when Oasis Live 25 first went on sale, tickets were initially priced at £73 to £74 for basic seated tickets and then around £135 to £151 for general admission standing. But the unprecedented demand drove face-value and resale rates much higher to around £350.

However, last September, following an investigation into Oasis tickets sales, the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) secured commitments from Ticketmaster to improve transparency.

The retailer is now required to tell fans 24 hours in advance if a tiered pricing system will be used for a sale, and they will also have to display information about ticket prices throughout online queues.

There will also be real-time updates to notify users during the queue when cheaper tickets sell out.

With this in mind, fans are already preparing for what’s ahead, and many will have limits in mind for what they are willing, or are able, to spend to be in with a chance to watch the upcoming gigs.

Below, you can have your say in our poll on how much you think you will be likely to spend on Oasis tickets this time around. And you’ll be able to see what other fans are thinking in the poll results too.