Home is often imagined as a physical structure or a fixed point on a map, something stable that we can locate and return to. Yet our earliest experiences of home are rarely so concrete. They are shaped by memory, sensation and emotion, held in fragments of sound, smell, language and feeling.

One Song, a socially engaged arts project by London-based artist Kadir Karababa, is currently on show at The Art House, a creative hub of artist studios, galleries and community workshop spaces in Wakefield, West Yorkshire.

Over the past few months, Karababa led a series of workshops with women based in the city with personal experience of migration or of seeking sanctuary. The project is inspired by Karababa’s grandmother and the songs shared by the women in his family.

The workshops involved music and singing, and each was followed by a shared meal. Workshop participants were then invited to share and record a song which transported them to the place they first called home. These recordings form part of an installation. Each woman and her chosen song appear in a video on a series of monoliths with built-in screens. The songs play continuously, with women sometimes singing alone, sometimes overlapping in a chorus of voices and languages. At times the women pause, as if listening. A call and response.

The monoliths are accompanied by a shelf*collection?* of objects, each one brought in by the participants. These everyday objects include photographs, a watch, a child’s dress and a film poster. On display with the objects are short testimonies from the women, describing the story of the song and object they have chosen to share.

Music, song, voice here all dislocate notions of home and belonging from static ideas of place. Instead visitors are moved to think of home as something relational and shared. As ephemeral, embodied and collectively imagined.

Stories of migration through song

In the exhibition’s wall text, Karababa explains that he wants this work to offer a dialogue which reflects the deep complexities of the world. It also speaks to his own family story of migration which echoes in the songs he heard his grandmother sing when he was a child.

Being in the exhibition space and hearing the different voices and songs is a highly affective experience. Participating in the workshops and being part of the installation offers an opportunity to share something that might not have been previously shared. It is also something that participants do not take on lightly. Offering something – a memory, a trace, a distant place and time – of this kind is inherently intimate. For participants, their sharing is an act of both hospitality and generosity.

The project and exhibition resonate personally for the two of us, as researchers and practitioners in socially engaged arts and participatory research. For Jessica this resonance is highly personal. One of the participants in the Wakefield-based strand of the project is her mother, Anne, who shares a Malagasy lullaby from her childhood in Madagascar.

The object she chose to display is a well-thumbed exercise book in which, as a child in the 1950s and 1960s, she wrote down the words to every song she knew. Etched on each page in fountain pen and biro are French and Malagasy songs, including hymns. The lullaby she shared – Etsy babeko razandriko izany – which translates as “let me carry you on my back my little brother”, is among the many she diligently recorded in her book over a period of eight years.

Jessica’s research explores people’s experiences of creativity in everyday contexts, often with arts-based approaches. The exhibition, therefore, and dialogue between the artist and participants, brought to light aspects of family history which had previously not been explored. She learnt something new about what home might be for her mother, in her memory.

Jessica’s mother wanted to be able to share something important, and to explore how, in sharing it, it might be preserved. It offered a chance for intergenerational dialogue, as well as for her mother to share something about her childhood in a language which she rarely now has the chance to speak. For both authors of this review, it also gave insights into what it’s like to participate in socially engaged arts projects and share experiences in relation to place and time.

The exhibition also asks important questions about categories and how we designate them. Who is a migrant, and at what stage are people recognised as such? Whose experiences are audible – and whose experiences matter? Each song and testimony offers a sense of being connected to multiple places. Collectively, the songs ask whether we only recognise how home feels when we are in a different place.

Louise’s recent artistic project, If Walls Could Talk, funded by Arts Council England, also explored these ideas by researching the history and stories that Chinese wallpaper holds for migrants, using participatory and interpretative practice. In her research she worked with students and community members with experiences of migration to the UK from mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore. Through arts-based workshops and discussions centred around food and recipes, the project complicated ideas of language and national identity and opened up new dialogues about home and belonging.

These conversations have never been more important than now, with participatory arts and research opening up spaces which invite us to share and learn from each other. One Song therefore reiterates that ideas of home are wholly individual; as much a feeling as a location.

One Song is at The Art House in Wakefield until August 31.
After this, it will be at Fabrica in Brighton from October 9 to October 28.

Crime kingpin Daniel Kinahan at one time was described as the most wanted man in the world. He and other family members are alleged to have set up a drugs ring in Dublin, Ireland more than a decade ago that now stretches across Europe and even further afield.

One example of the global nature of their operations is the $5million bounty put on the heads of Kinahan and family members by US Treasury officials for alleged drug trafficking. However over the years the Kinahan’s Scottish connections have played a leading role in advancing their criminal empire, estimated to be worth almost £1billion.

The Scottish connections date back more than a decade and are linked to an infamous and long-running feud between the Daniel and Lyons crime families in Glasgow. The Lyons family head Steven Lyons had moved to Marbella in Spain’s Costa Del Sol following an attempt on his life in Glasgow in 2006.

It was there he was said to have hooked up with the Kinahan family for the first time including Daniel Kinahan.

That link which was then said to have give the Lyons the upper hand in their turf war. In exchange, the Kinahans are believed to have secured a lucrative drugs distribution network in Scotland. Further Scottish connections were said to have been made through Robert

Kelbie, an alleged Lyons associate and convicted fraudster. Kelbie, from Ratho, Edinburgh has survived three attempts on his life and in 2021 helped to set up a gym on the Spanish island of Fuerteventura for MTK Global, a now defunct boxing promotion firm linked at the time to the Kinahans.

In the past Kelbie posted photographs of himself on Instagram giving the boxing champion Tyson Fury, who also has past links to MTK, a guided tour of Edinburgh.

Four years ago, US Treasury officials published a list of enforcers they believe to be working for the Kinahans, including John Morrissey, whose Scots wife, Nicola Morrissey, is listed as the sole director of Glasgow based international firm Nero Drinks. Morrissey is alleged to have provided the Kinahans with a link to Scotland through Nero Drinks, which sold the vodka brand of the same name.

The company was formed in March 2018 and at one time sponsored the football club Hamilton Academical. US Treasury officials have previously alleged that Nero Drinks was a front company created to hide Morrissey’s alleged criminal activity and to launder money.

As a result, Nero Drinks was banned from trading in the US. According to Companies House, accounts for the firm are long overdue and a motion for striking off has been made.

In September 2022 the Morrisseys, who married in a lavish ceremony at Dundas Castle, near Edinburgh, were arrested near their luxury home in Marbella. Nicola was given bail and Morrissey was later released after lodging a bail bond of £50,000. Morrissey denies the allegations.

The Spanish Civil Guard, which led the operation against Morrissey in 2022, have claimed he helped to launder up to £297,000 a day. In April it emerged the police operation that led to 66-year-old Morrissey’s detention had in turn led to arrests that month in Spain of seven alleged Lyons gang members.

The Kinahan crime operation has also been linked to the firebomb and machete attacks seen across Scotland in the last 18 months, targeting the Daniel family and associates of Edinburgh cocaine baron Mark Richardson.

The subsequent police investigation Operation Portaledge led to 64 arrests and lengthy terms of imprisonment for the perpetrators. The attacks were said to have been orchestrated by the former leader of the Rangers fans group the Union Bears and Lyons associate Ross McGill from his base in Dubai using a shadowy group called Tamo Junto.

It’s alleged that an associate of Mark Richardson paid for a £500,000 cocaine deal with fake money thus promoting the reprisals. McGill was kicked out of Dubai last October and his present whereabouts are unknown.

At one point McGill, Steven Lyons and Daniel Kinahan were all based there. Graeme Pearson, former Director General of the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency, says it will be interesting to see if the Kinahan and Lyons families still retain their influence in Scotland following Daniel Kinahan’s arrest and extradition from Dubai at the weekend.

Meanwhile Steven Lyons is sitting in a jail in Spain having been extradited earlier this year from Holland on money laundering charges. Mr Pearson added:”There will be a lot of communication from Kinahan to the outside about what he wants and what his allies wants and whether or not they have the firepower to ensure that their wishes are maintained rather than a new power coming into place.”

While an underworld source added:”For a number of years the Lyons with the help of the Kinahan’s have been all powerful in Scotland. “With the heads of both families in jail it remains to be seen who will now fill that vacuum and at what cost.”

As photos pour in from Tallulah Willis‘ wedding to Justin Acee, one person in particular has been noticeably absent from the pictures.

Tallulah’s father Bruce Willis has been nowhere to be found in photos posted to social media from the wedding, leading one to wonder, did he attend the nuptials?

His possible absence may be due to his health, as Willis, 71, has been undergoing a devastating battle with dementia and now receives round-the-clock care. 

Photos from the rustic nuptials showed Tallulah, 32, celebrating with friends and family, including mother Demi Moore and her two sisters, Scout and Rumer Willis, who both served as bridesmaids. 

Yet neither Willis nor his wife Emma Heming Willis, 50, were spotted in any photos viewed by The Daily Mail of the wedding. 

Representatives for Willis, his wife Emma and Tallulah have been contacted for comment but have not yet replied.

Tallulah’s mother, Demi Moore, and sister Rumer Willis were pictured at the celebrations in photos posted to social media by guests

The world learned of Bruce’s health issues four years ago, but Tallulah had long been aware something was wrong years earlier.

In fact, the role her father would play at her own wedding amid his health issues was one she first contended with back in 2021. 

At this time, the world was not yet aware of Bruce’s health issues, but Tallulah was, and the gravity of it all hit her as she attended a pal’s nuptials.  

‘I remember a moment when it hit me painfully: I was at a wedding in the summer of 2021 on Martha’s Vineyard, and the bride’s father made a moving speech. Suddenly I realized that I would never get that moment, my dad speaking about me in adulthood at my wedding. It was devastating. I left the dinner table, stepped outside, and wept in the bushes,’ she recalled in a 2023 piece for Vogue. 

The family announced in March 2022 that the Die Hard star was retiring from acting after being diagnosed with aphasia, which affects communication.

In February 2023, they said his condition had progressed, and doctors had diagnosed him specifically with frontotemporal dementia, an incurable brain disease that can affect language, behaviour and personality.

In her Vogue article, Tallulah recalled the progression of her father’s illness and how they initially attributed it to ‘Hollywood hearing loss’ before it became something more personal. 

‘I’ve known that something was wrong for a long time. It started out with a kind of vague unresponsiveness, which the family chalked up to Hollywood hearing loss: “Speak up! Die Hard messed with Dad’s ears.” 

Scout, Demi and Rumer gathered around a festively decorated table as the newlyweds posed for photos, but Bruce wasn’t anywhere to be seen

The nuptials were attended by Demi’s Charlie’s Angels costar Lucy Liu (second left), as well as Andrew Garfield (not pictured), but neither Bruce nor his wife Emma Heming Willis were seen socializing with the famous guests in any photos viewed by The Daily Mail from the wedding

‘Later that unresponsiveness broadened, and I sometimes took it personally. He had had two babies with my stepmother, Emma Heming Willis, and I thought he’d lost interest in me,’ she said, though added that ‘this couldn’t have been further from the truth.’

She now has become more avid in recording memories of her father whenever she visits him: ‘Every time I go to my dad’s house, I take tons of photos – of whatever I see, the state of things. I’m like an archaeologist, searching for treasure in stuff that I never used to pay much attention to. 

‘I have every voicemail from him saved on a hard drive. I find that I’m trying to document, to build a record for the day when he isn’t there to remind me of him and of us.’

Fortunately, her father still brightens up at the presence of his daughter. 

‘He still knows who I am and lights up when I enter the room. (He may always know who I am, give or take the occasional bad day. One difference between FTD and Alzheimer’s dementia is that, at least early in the disease, the former is characterized by language and motor deficits, while the latter features more memory loss.) 

‘I keep flipping between the present and the past when I talk about Bruce: he is, he was, he is, he was. That’s because I have hopes for my father that I’m so reluctant to let go of. 

‘I’ve always recognized elements of his personality in me, and I just know that we’d be such good friends if only there were more time. He was cool and charming and slick and stylish and sweet and a little wacky—and I embrace all that. Those are the genes I inherited from him.’

Bruce’s wife Emma revealed last year he was living in a nearby one-story home with round-the-clock care while remaining closely involved with his family.

Rumer cuddled her daughter Loretta, but there were none of the expected photos of Rumer’s father enjoying time with his granddaughter

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Rumer and Scout served as bridesmaids for their sister

Tallulah is the youngest daughter of Willis and Moore 

Willis and Moore, pictured with their daughters, were married for nearly 13 years before divorcing in 2000

The newlyweds obtained their marriage license in the Blaine County Courthouse in Hailey, Idaho, last week

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‘Bruce is still very mobile. Bruce is in really great health overall, you know,’ she said. ‘It’s just his brain that is failing him.’

Tallulah’s mother Demi, who was married to Bruce for nearly 13 years before divorcing in 2000, said seeing her ex change has been ‘difficult.’ 

‘It’s hard to see somebody who was so vibrant and strong and so directed shift into this other parts of themself,’ she said on The Oprah Podcast last year.

Tallulah and Justin announced their engagement in December 2024, after dating since January 2023.

Tallulah has been dating Acee since January 2023 before becoming engaged the following year.

They obtained their marriage license in the Blaine County Courthouse in Hailey, Idaho, last week.

Tallulah’s older sister Scout, 35, shared a sweet photo on Instagram at the time showing the couple outside the courthouse, which Justin reposted. She captioned it: ‘My angels got their marriage license.’

EXCLUSIVE: Four chefs weighed in on the long-standing debate over whether mayonnaise should be stored in the fridge or the cupboard – and they all reached the same verdict

From sandwiches to chips, mayonnaise pairs well with a wide range of foods thanks to its rich, creamy texture and slight tang. But it continues to spark confusion over where it should be stored once opened.

Sharing their professional insight, chefs Mike Reid, Jeremy Pang and Nima Safaei, along with registered nutritionist and Recipe Development Manager at Green Chef, Lily Keeling, all reached the same verdict.

The group previously explained to us the best place to store another condiment favourite – ketchup. And, again, they reached the same verdict when it came to mayonnaise.

Speaking exclusively to us, Jeremy said: “Mayo – a definitely no go outside of the fridge! My kids call it ‘egg sauce’ and you wouldn’t just leave 1/2 cracked raw eggs lying around in a cupboard.”

Agreeing with his fellow chef, Mike also said the fridge is the best place to store mayonnaise once it has been opened.

“Mayo – the one everyone panics about for entirely the wrong reasons. Shop-bought and unopened? Cupboard, genuinely — it’s sold off a shelf, not a chiller,” he shared.

“Once opened, fridge. Homemade, with raw yolks, is the only one to be strict about, fridge, and eat within a couple of days. And that classic ‘the mayo turned at the picnic’ line is a myth — it’s far too acidic for bugs to enjoy.

“Nine times out of ten it’s the chicken cooking in the sun next to it that gets you, not the mayo,” he continued.

According to Nima, mayonnaise “should always be refrigerated after opening, regardless of whether it’s homemade or shop-bought”.

Echoing Jeremy and Mike’s advice, he said that because the condiment is egg-based, it’s best to keep it “consistently cold for both quality and food safety”.

Nima also issued a warning for anyone leaving mayonnaise out during a barbecue.

“One mistake people make is leaving the jar out on the table throughout a barbecue or family meal,” he explained.

“If mayonnaise sits at room temperature for too long, particularly on a hot day, it’s best to discard any leftovers rather than return them to the fridge.

“I’d also recommend buying a smaller jar if you don’t use it often – you’ll finish it while it’s still at its best instead of having it linger in the back of the fridge for months,” he added.

Registered Nutritionist and Recipe Development Manager at Green Chef, Lily Keeling, said: “Mayo is one I’d always keep in the fridge once it’s been opened. When unopened, it’s fine in a cupboard, but I always keep it in the fridge.

“It’s made with mostly eggs and oil, and can lose its freshness if it’s left out at room temperature for too long.”

What Hellmann’s says

Arguably the world’s best-known mayonnaise brand, Hellmann’s also advises refrigerating the condiment after opening.

Its storage guidance reads:

Before opening: Keep unopened jars of mayonnaise in a cool, dark place, such as a pantry or cupboard, away from direct sunlight and heat sources. This prevents premature spoilage and maintains quality.

Once opened: Immediately refrigerate mayonnaise after opening. Store it in the refrigerator door, as cold spots in the main body of the fridge could cause your mayo to freeze. You should always avoid freezing mayonnaise, as this will cause the emulsion to break, leading to a separated, oily, and unappealing texture.

Don’t leave it out at room temperature: The general rule is that mayonnaise should not be left out for longer than four hours.

Use clean utensils: Always use clean utensils when scooping mayonnaise from the jar. Crumbs or other food particles can introduce bacteria or other microbiomes, speeding up spoilage.

Heinz also told us: “Our mayonnaise is the same storage as the ketchup, once opened this has to be kept in the fridge. This is printed on both our ketchup and mayonnaise bottles.”

Louise Redknapp has reportedly ‘split from her boyfriend Drew Michael after two years together.’

The singer, 51, and business leader, 42, had been dating since October 2023 and appeared to have gone from strength to strength.

The singer moved on with Drew after her split from Jamie Redknapp in 2017 after 19 years of marriage. They share two children together Charlie, 20, and William, 16.

But on Monday, it was revealed that the pair have called time on the relationship and he is believed to have left the UK, according to The Sun. 

Despite the split, friends have insisted she is thriving and has been living it up on girls’ trips in Ibiza. A source told the publication: ‘Louise and Drew decided to end things a little while ago.

‘Things had been really good between them but it felt like their relationship had run its course and they both thought it was best to move on.

The singer, 51, and business leader, 42, had been dating since October 2023 and appeared to have gone from strength to strength (pictured in July at Wimbledon)

‘It was all very amicable and although it’s never fun when a relationship ends, Louise has thrown herself back into her social life and her busy work schedule.’

According to the source, Drew is thought to have moved abroad for work, so it’s been a clean break.

The Daily Mail has contacted Louise’s representatives for comment. 

It comes after the singer revealed if there were wedding bells on the horizon with her younger boyfriend.

In an interview last year, she gushed over her partner after her tough marriage breakdown and spoken candidly about their future plans.

She told The Sun: ‘Drew’s great. We’re having a lovely time together. It took me a long time to get to that place and be open about anything.

‘I was very guarded and scared. But I’m really enjoying having special times with someone. He’s a great guy and super-kind.’

Asked if there are wedding bells on the horizon, she added: ‘Oh, I’m not even thinking that far ahead. I’m not even going there.

Louise and ex Jamie split  in 2017 after 20 years of marriage

‘I just want to be proud of this and I want to really enjoy it. I’ve met a really great guy and I’m really happy. But you never know what the future holds.’

She added in the interview that her two sons really get on well with Drew which makes life much easier.

Louise also hit back at ‘toyboy’ criticism due to their nine-year age gap.

She said being branded a ‘cougar’ is ‘water off a duck’s back’ to her and that ‘age is irrelevant’ as she doesn’t ‘feel older than him’.

The interview comes after she revealed why she was painted as the ‘villain’ following her split from ex-husband Jamie.

Louise opened up about being accused of walking out on her family and how everyone had an ‘opinion’.

She told the Independent: ‘I was the villain. I’d been lucky in my career because for many years I didn’t really have a lot of scrutiny. Then bang, everybody’s got an opinion.’

‘Anything someone could perceive as negative, I cut out. Nothing I said was right. To defend myself was wrong. To not defend myself was wrong. I felt like I was walking up a one-way street with just nowhere to go on it.’

Elsewhere Louise said she is now ready to push out of her comfort zone and she even features a number of ‘sex noises’ in her new single.

She is preparing to release a new album Confessions and is really adamant about making ‘progressive music’ instead of being ‘nostalgic’.

Louise said she doesn’t care what people think despite friends questioning whether there are ‘too many sex noises’ in her new track Get Into It, which features moans of ecstasy.

Speaking about co-writer Jon Shave, who worked on Charli XCX’s album Brat, she said: ‘I got a text from Jon asking, “Are there too many sex noises on this?”. And I was like, “Jon, there can never be too many sex noises!”

‘I’ve had a lot of feedback like that. And I do understand it. I’ve always kept in my lane, done what people expected. Now I’m saying, ‘f*** it!’

It came after Louise discussed her divorce from Jamie on the Happy Place podcast and credited her two sons for keeping her going during the breakup.

She said: ‘If I didn’t have my kids, I think I would’ve just given up. I think I just knew that my kids were my everything and they needed me.’

The singer admitted that the public scrutiny of her marriage breakdown made the situation even harder to deal with.

She added: ‘But I can honestly say, when you’re going through something so personal in your own turmoil in your own way, but then to get the barrage of judgment and nastiness.

‘I never realised people could be so unkind and say such terrible things. It blew my mind.’

‘I was going through a lot as it was, I was trying to be strong for my kids, whatever had gone on in our life was private – which I do believe that you’re entitled to no matter what.

‘And God, I was such a villain, and I was breaking like I was absolutely breaking.

‘Beyond what I thought it was possible for a human to break and all along I’m still trying to be a mum.

‘And it was just like every time I went out, and I was trying to put a brave face on and do things, like that was wrong if I didn’t.

‘I felt like everything I did was so wrong.’

Following the split, Jamie found love with Swedish model Frida Andersson and they tied the knot in 2021 before having a son together.

A developer wants to bring new businesses and up to 120 new homes to a Cambridgeshire town

A Cambridgeshire town area could get a “new life” under new proposals, according to a developer. Capital and Centric said it has “big plans” for the old cattle market square and gatehouse in St Ives.

The developer says it is working with Huntingdonshire District Council to “transform” part of St Ives with new homes, resident amenities such as a gym, and green spaces. A Capital and Centric spokesperson said: “We’re working with Huntingdonshire District Council to breathe new life into the old cattle market square and gatehouse in St Ives.

“With strong commuter links to Cambridge, St Ives is the perfect place to enjoy a more relaxed pace of life while staying well connected to the city. Our vision is to transform this area of St Ives with thoughtfully designed contemporary homes, alongside resident amenities and green spaces that complement the town’s rich heritage and historic character.”

The area is currently home to a bus station and car park. The developer seeks to build up to 120 new homes alongside resident “perks” such as a gym and co-working space.

Other proposals include wild landscaping and green space, which could be surrounded by walking and pedestrian routes to connect the new neighbourhood with the rest of the community.

The developer added that if approved, the proposals would create a “spill out space” filled with bars, cafes and restaurants, to “encourage the community to come together”. The new neighbourhood would also see “bold architecture that complements the existing facades in the town”, according to planning documents.

Capital and Centric is seeking people’s opinions on the proposals before they submit a planning application towards the end of the year. People are asked to share their views here before September 4.

The same developer has also proposed “big plans” for two other Cambridgeshire towns. If approved, a current bus station and car park on Princes Street in Huntingdon will be transformed into a “vibrant new gateway neighbourhood” with up to 78 new homes.

The proposals for St Neots would see the car park on Tebbutts Road transformed. The development would include a community pavilion, up to 83 new homes and a walled garden.

DOTHAN, Ala. (AP) — Republicans aiming to flip Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District after redrawing the heavily Black district in their favor will pick their nominee Tuesday to challenge U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures, the Democratic incumbent who is seeking a second term despite the political headwinds.

The district is one of several Democratic-leaning districts across the South that were reshaped to favor Republicans following a U.S. Supreme Court decision that severely weakened the Voting Rights Act. The race could help determine the balance of power in the House as Republicans try to hold on to a slim majority in November’s midterms. Both parties have put the district on their priority list.

“We need to win this seat back for the state and for the country. We need to turn it red again,” said state Rep. Rhett Marques, who was endorsed by President Donald Trump in the GOP primary.

Six Republicans are competing to challenge Figures, who is unopposed. Voters also will select nominees in three other Alabama districts affected by the Republicans’ redraw.

Democrat Terri Sewell, Alabama’s other Black representative, is unopposed and is expected to keep her 7th Congressional District seat in the fall.

Figures made history two years ago

Figures won the seat in 2024 after years of litigation under the Voting Rights Act. A federal court redrew the reliably red district after ruling that the GOP-controlled Legislature intentionally diluted the voting power of Black residents, who make up 27% of Alabama’s population.

The court said there should be a second Alabama district where Black people are a majority or near-majority. Figures’ election gave the state, for the first time in its history, two Black representatives. They’re the only Democrats in Alabama’s seven-member congressional delegation.

In April, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a majority-Black district in Louisiana as an unconstitutional gerrymander that relied too heavily on race. Alabama Republicans, like those in other Southern states, seized on the decision.

Seeking to implement a map previously drawn by the Legislature, lawmakers approved legislation to nullify the results of ongoing primaries and instead authorize Tuesday’s special primary elections. The Supreme Court in June granted Alabama permission to switch maps.

Six candidates are vying to reclaim a seat that had been reliably red

During a recent forum in Dothan, in the far southeastern corner of the state, the GOP candidates answered questions about the Iran war, data centers and the district’s needs. But much of the attention was on the general election.

“Shomari is going to have the money. He is going to have the opportunity to keep this district. If we get out to vote, we can win it, and we can take this seat back for the Republicans,” Marques said.

“It’s important to get out there and make your voices heard and be represented up in D.C.,” said candidate Hampton Harris, a lawyer.

Christian Horn, a business owner and the lone Black in the race, said Republicans need a candidate who can compete across the district, not just in traditional GOP communities. David Matthews, a former Trump appointee in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Joshua McKee, a former U.S. Army Green Beret, and former Marine James Richardson are also running.

Tom Heisner, a 79-year-old retired air traffic controller who attended the forum, said the GOP is more aligned with his views on border control and other issues.

“I’m fairly confident it will go Republican around here,” he said of the Dothan region. “I’m not so sure up in Montgomery.”

The district was reshaped this year

When Figures won the district, it stretched from his hometown of Mobile across the state’s Black Belt region and to the Georgia border.

Now the district is nestled in the state’s southeastern corner. It includes Montgomery and Tuskegee, both Democratic strongholds steeped in civil rights history. It sweeps through rural areas known for peanut and soybean farming. There is a heavy military presence, with an Air Force base in Montgomery and an Army base in Dale County.

The district’s Black voting age population dropped from 48% to 40% after it was redrawn.

Figures remains confident he can win

Speaking at a community gathering at the Beulah Baptist Church, located not far from the path of the 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery voting rights march, Figures said Republicans won’t succeed in making the district “unwinnable” for him.

“That’s in large part because I’ve had the privilege to represent over half of this new district already. We’ve shown up in the communities. We’ve shown them how we can deliver results,” Figures said.

Some Black Alabamians see echoes of the past in the redistricting process.

Maggie Walker, an 80-year-old retired educator from Montgomery, said she interpreted the Supreme Court’s redistricting decision as an effort to install “as many Republicans as possible” in the House. But she is optimistic Figures can win.

“I think he represents us and the things that are important to our state,” Walker said.

“We’re going backward with everything,” said Isaiah Sankey, vice chairman of the Montgomery County Commission. “But it’s OK — we are used to the struggle. It’s move forward, you get pushed back.”

Crime kingpin Daniel Kinahan was extradited from Dubai at the weekend to face organised crime charges in his home city of Dublin.

A former police chief has warned that the arrest of International crime figure Daniel Kinahan could lead to a resurgence in violence between Scotland’s two feuding criminal families.

The Irishman, one of the world’s most wanted men, appeared before a Dublin court on Sunday after being extradited from Dubai on charges of being involved in organised crime.

His family run international cartel are alleged to have made almost £1billion over the years from the drugs trade and organised crime in general and are also said to have have strong have strong connections with the Glasgow based Lyons crime family

The Lyons in turn have been involved in a long running murderous feud with another Glasgow family, the Daniel’s, dating back more than 25 years.

Graeme Pearson former Director General of the Scottish Crime and Drugs Enforcement Agency says Kinahan’s arrest will have sent shockwaves through the criminal underworld in Scotland and abroad.

He added: “It creates turbulence, bordering on chaos.

“It depends on how the various parties on the outside respond to his arrival in Ireland.

“Because the business of organised crime particularly when it comes to guns and drugs must go on.

“Someone is going to to profit from it.”

Pearson fears further violence between the Lyons and Daniel families as they and other organised crime groups – both at home and abroad – compete to fill the vacuum created by Kinahan’s arrest.

During their long running feud there has been four murders most recently a double fatal shooting of Eddie Lyons jnr and key Lyons associate Ross Monaghan in a bar in Fuengirola in Spain in May last year.

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He added: “When you have new arrangements coming into play you have the threat that somebody will step up and say I am going to be the top dog now and the only way you can do that is by using extreme violence.

“The profits are so huge and now there is an opportunity for change.

“There will be people sitting on the margins saying this is my time and that is when it becomes very dangerous.

“Nobody wants to have it as it was. They all want to have it better. With more profit.

“Somebody needs to run what was previously overseen by the Kinahans and it depends on who these people are and whether or not new partnerships can be delivered.

“It also depends whether or not Police Scotland, the National Crime Agency and others can keep a lid on the groups here in Scotland.”

Pearson continued:” Deals need to be concluded, moneys need to be paid and drugs need to be delivered.

“The confidence to make sure that happens using the regime that existed previously – that is up in the air now.”

Daniel Kinahan and other family members are also wanted by the US Treasury Department who have described their crime cartel as one of the most dangerous in the world.

The Treasury has compared it to criminal organisations such as Italy’s Camorra, Mexico’s Los Zetas and Japan’s Yakuza.

Pearson added:” If Police Scotland and the National Crime Agency can maintain the pressure they have over the last couple of years there is less opportunity for the violence to spread to Scotland.

“Now is the time for them to be aware and vigilant. I would imagine that they already have plans in place.”

The former police chief says Kinahan may still be able to operate his criminal empire from jail adding: “There will be a lot of communication from Kinahan to the outside about what he wants and what his allies want and whether or not they have the firepower to ensure that their wishes are maintained rather than a new power coming into place.

“The people who work from him will still be taking instructions But they will also be watching their own back.”

Kinahan was arrested in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in April. He appealed the extradition order over the past few months but his attempts were unsuccessful.

The Lyons’ connections with the Kinahans date back more than a decade and are believed to have been forged first in Marbella in the Costa del Sol and then Dubai in the UAE.

The head of the Lyons crime family Steven Lyons is said to have made that connection after moving overseas following an attempt on his life in Glasgow in 2006

That relationship is believed to have given the Lyons the upper hand in their long-running turf war with the Daniel’s. In exchange, the Kinahans were said to have secured a lucrative drugs network in Scotland.

Steven Lyons is currently in a Spanish prison awaiting trial on money laundering charges having been deported from Bali then extradited from Holland earlier this year.

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An underworld insider said:”Some people believe that the arrest of Kinahan will now give the Daniel feud the upper hand in their feud with the Lyons leading in turn to more violence.

“It is also possible that others whose names are less well known are waiting in the wings to takeover in Scotland and elsewhere. “One thing is certain a vacuum has been created in the criminal underworld and it will be interesting to see who fills it.”

Faith Curran, described by loved ones as a “happy, adventurous, and outgoing girl”, was found dead in the Gore Water near Gorebridge in Scotland

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An 11-year-old girl who died after being discovered in water at a Scottish beauty spot has been identified and pictured for the first time. Faith Curran died following an incident in the Gore Glen area, near Gorebridge in Midlothian.

The youngster’s family reported her missing in the area at around 12.40pm on Thursday, August 6, 2026. Her body was recovered from the Gore Water close to Shanks Bridge at approximately 4.25pm.

She was pronounced dead at the scene, and her family have been informed. Those close to her have described Faith as a “happy, adventurous, and outgoing girl who enjoyed life”.

Her death is currently being treated as unexplained, though there are not believed to be suspicious circumstances. Enquiries are continuing and a report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal in due course, reports the Daily Record.

Police have maintained a cordon around the woodland park, with officers stationed behind police tape restricting access to the walking route beneath Shanks Bridge, which carries the A7 road over the Gore Water.

A single bouquet of flowers was laid at the side of the bridge as a tribute to the young schoolgirl. As news of the tragedy emerged, an outpouring of tributes followed from friends, neighbours and members of the local community.

One loved one wrote online: “My darling girl you were amazing. I am in shock. Thoughts are with your family.”

One woman wrote: “RIP little angel. The whole community is so saddened. My daughter was in her class at school, she is distraught. My deepest sympathies to her family.”

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Another commented: “Sending all Faith’s family and friends prayers, love and strength at this devastating time.”

Local councillor Ellen Scott said: “This is a great tragedy for all the family and my thoughts and prayers are with them at this devastating time”.

A Police Scotland spokesperson had previously stated: “We were made aware of concern for an 11-year-old girl in the Gore Glen area, near Gorebridge, around 12.40pm on Thursday August 6.

“The body of the girl was found in the Gore Water near to Shank Bridge around 4.25pm.”

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